Wine, Food & Vehicle Pairing of the Week

Pairing wine with a car is not a common combination (and we do not recommend drinking wine while or before driving a vehicle!), but since it is wine month, we’re going to offer a recipe and a type of wine that goes well with it. And while we’re at it, we’ll pair a car – one that has characteristics of that type of wine – whether the car is refreshing and spunky, or mellow with some endurance, we’ll find a good match.

Before we begin, don’t forget to enter our contest on Facebook to win free tickets to the Burlington Wine and Food Festival on June 23 at the Burlington Waterfront Park.

So today we’ll be pairing Aligoté, which is an acidic white wine that contains aromas of apples and lemons. It works wonderfully at opening up flavors of cheese and smoked meat. Another option for pairing with the following recipe is Sauvignon Blanc, which as we mentioned in our Most Popular Types of Wine post, blends very nicely with seafood and chèvre.

Since both wines go so nicely with smoked meat, seafood and goat cheese, here is a recipe from Simply Recipes that contains all! These smoked salmon and goat cheese toasts are the perfect finger food for this hot weather, and would pair beautifully with a nice, chilled glass of Aligote or Sauvignon Blanc.

Here's what you'll need (recipe makes about 40 pieces):

8 oz soft fresh goat cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons of grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil 30 thin slices French-bread baguette
12 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon
Thinly peeled lemon peel strips from one lemon, cut into tiny slivers

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix the goat cheese, herbs, lemon zest, and black pepper in a small bowl to blend. Set aside.

Brush oil over both sides of bread. Arrange bread in single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake until bread is just crisp, about 5 minutes on each side.

Spread cheese mixture over toasts. Top with salmon, trimming to fit. Garnish with lemon peel strips. Arrange on platter, serve and enjoy!

Now for the car, this recipe and wine selection remind us a bit of the Subaru Legacy. With its versatility and fresh new design this car is a perfect contender to go with the bright, tasty combo above. Just take a look; I’m sure you won’t be disappointed! To view our 2012 Subaru Legacy inventory click here.

Stay tuned for more wine, food and Subaru-related posts, and enjoy this gorgeous summer day! Only 12 more days until the Burlington Wine and Food Festival!


Recipe & Image via Simply Recipes
Image of wine via thewinecompany.co.uk