how to pick & pair heart healthy wines
In this month spot-lighting both heart health and love, it’s fun to think about the multiple roles of food in our overall well-being. First, there’s the criticality of a wholesome, well-balanced diet to our physical health. Another is the sense of meaning and belonging that comes from the culture and tradition in how we prepare and share food. I love this part, because each of us has our own food and meal customs and memories that define and ground us, but we also have the adventure of learning about and connecting with others through theirs.
In fact, I love it so much, it lured me to the wine and restaurant business from an investment banking career on Wall Street! And I’ve never looked back, because whether I’m teaching or writing about a wine region, or pairing and serving wines tableside, I’m connecting with others in the moment — their life and times from mundane to milestone — and that makes my “work” a real joy.
As a cookbook author, mom of three and fitness fan, creating heart healthy recipes and pairings is always on my agenda, and so when Kvaroy Arctic asked me for salmon and wine pairings to highlight heart health month, I was thrilled. With the Kvaroy’s uber-levels of heart-loving Omega-3 fatty acids alongside its gossamer texture and deep flavor, it’s truly a superstar ingredient. And like all sommeliers, I love the wine pairing possibilities with salmon. There’s deep flavor and richness to stand up to the body and intensity of reds. But there’s also the tingling tension and contrast that sparkling wines can bring to tease out the fish’s flavor complexity while cutting through that richness.
Due to the well-researched anti-oxidant contribution of red wines (in moderation) to a heart healthy adult diet, I focused on recipes tailored to some of my favorite reds. But, I couldn’t resist also creating a pairing with a sparkling rose based on Pinot Noir, the celebrity grape from the movie Sideways that’s also well-known for its high concentration of a diet “celebrity”—the component called resveratrol. That’s where we’ll start our pairing primer.
What’s the deal with resveratrol? And Pinot Noir?
Research into resveratrol in the diet found that resveratrol helped to reduce the “stickiness” of blood platelets that play a role in clotting, suggesting the component could be a contributor to the correlation of regular, moderate red wine consumption with lower heart disease risk. Pinot Noir is known among red grapes for its high concentration of resveratrol, and there is a good reason for it. Plant scientists explain that many plants create resveratrol to protect themselves from invading microbes. The basic reason Pinot Noir creates more than most wine grapes is thought to be its naturally thinner skins, which can be more easily attacked by, for example, fungus that can ruin the crop.
It’s those same thin skins that give us the limpid color of Pinot Noir, as well as the grape’s satin-textured tannins that complement salmon’s gossamer succulence. To make the ultimate pairing with Pinot Noir, we also want our dish to complement the grape’s natural earthiness. To achieve that, incorporate earthy ingredients into the prep. Root vegetables like potatoes and beets, and funghi like mushrooms, work great. However, for maximum heart health with my Seared Salmon au Vin with Toasted Quinoa, I turned to whole grains to soak up a simple red wine reduction sauce (no butter or cream) inspired by the famous dish Coq au Vin that hails from Burgundy, where Pinot Noir originates. The ancient grain quinoa hits on all cylinders—the full suite of amino acids that make it a complete protein, toasted in a bit of olive oil (my husband John’s innovation), to create crusty, crunchy bits of textural awesomeness. Saintsbury Carneros Pinot Noir, a Napa classic, massively over-delivers for the price, but I’m also loving the Sokol-Blosser Willamette Valley (Oregon) and the Faiveley Bourgogne from France for the same reason.
I believe another key to heart health is overall healthy living, and much about the Tuscan Italian wine country lifestyle captures it perfectly. Simple preparations based on healthy, fresh ingredients are savored over long, leisurely meals with lots of conversation, laughter and red wine. That’s the inspiration for my Salmon with Smoked Tomato Broth and Cannellini Beans (lycopene and fiber, yay!). Outside of gardening season, smoking hothouse plum tomatoes elevates their flavor to lusty greatness and wine affinity, and is easy to do on the stovetop. The smoking also concentrates the pulpiness, making sauce greatness just a whirl away in the food processor with good olive oil, salt and pepper. The dish pairs beautifully with Tuscan Chianti Classico based on the indigenous Sangiovese grape, whose spicy, tangy energy makes it a stunning partner with tomato-y anything. Fonterutoli Chianti Classico from the Mazzei family brings layers of savory spice and red fruit flavor, and centuries of winemaking know-how — they’ve been at it since 1435! Other Chianti Classico favorites to look for are Badia a Coltibuono and Antinori Peppoli. Love. This. Pairing.
And while we’re on the subject of red wine with fish, since salmon’s richness makes it the “steak” of the fish world (but a lot healthier for you and the planet than beef), I couldn’t resist pairing it with the steakhouse classic wine from my home turf – Napa Valley Cabernet. My husband courted me in the kitchen with this recipe that I call John’s First-Date Salmon Fillets. They are simply crusted in dried thyme (magic with Cabernet) before searing, then drizzled with aged Balsamic Vinegar which, like Cabernet, is oak aged for complexity. This dish brings another heart-loving food category, cruciferous veggies, to the plate with John’s Charred Savoy Cabbage with Sesame Seeds. It’s so easy, and the best cabbage preparation ever. There are so many great Napa Cabernets, so I give you recommendations that make my heart happy. Specifically, the following Cabernet winemakers are really good people that I love: Hall Napa Valley, Trefethen, Honig, and Regusci. You could spend a lot more on Napa Cabernet for sure, but there is no need with great wines like this. And these days, enjoying a special wine without over-spending means we can do so more often, and that is surely good for all of us.
Both Sangiovese and Cabernet wines have a firm tannic structure and saturated color, which are clues to their richness in components that come mostly from their skins. These components are referred to as polyphenols — known contributors to reduced cardio-vascular disease risk because of their antioxidant properties, and their association with the reduction of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels in the blood. By pairing with the incredible nutritional contributions of salmon (Omega-3s, healthy protein, calcium), and critical micro-nutrients and fiber from cruciferous veggies, legumes, tomatoes and whole grains, we are really stacking the dinner deck for both well-being and pleasure.
Still, I couldn’t resist going for a sparkling send-off. This Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs Rose sparkling wine from Carneros in Sonoma, California, combines the best of the two fastest-growing wine categories — bubbly and rose — in one yummy bottle, for a great price. With scrubbing bubbles, red fruit flavors (it’s based on Pinot Noir), and scintillating acidity, it’s the perfect potion to cut through the truffly-cheesy richness of Salmon Ravioli with Truffle Pecorino. It’s really fun to make, roll and shape the fresh pasta dough, but here’s a tip if you want to simplify the dish. You can actually use wonton wrappers from the store instead of making your own fresh pasta. When shaping the ravioli, brush the wonton wrappers with water and use your fingers to press out the air bubbles, as instructed in the recipe for fresh pasta. The cooking time is the same, and it works great. The classic French toast, a votre sante, is kind of perfect here so: here’s to your (heart) health!
