Last week, the wine community celebrated Uruguayan Wine Week with plenty of online conversations and learning experiences. Tasting wines from Uruguay were fervently encouraged (on it!) and my article about two wines (sent as samples from Familia Deicas) was well received – thank you! If you haven’t had a chance to read it, click here for “Celebrate Tannat Day with Wines of Uruguay.”
Along with tasting wines from Uruguay, a focus was on exploring an array of foods that complement each sip. Trust me, there are plenty from which to choose! In fact, the food choices reflect the vibrant culture and traditions of immigrants from around the world who settled in Uruguay.
Uruguayan cuisine is a fusion of dishes – Mediterranean foods from Spain, Italy, Portugal and France as well as traditional dishes from Germany and Scotland. Spanish influences are abundant as seen in churros, flan, Catalan sweet breads, stews and rice dishes such as paella. And let’s not forget styles of seafood such as bacalao (dried salt cod) and calamari that originated from the Basque and Galician regions of Spain and the country of Portugal.
Fried Calamari
Italians continue to contribute traditional dishes such as ravioli, lasagna, tortellini, fettucine and gnocchi to the Uruguayan menu. One special pasta sauce was created by those in Uruguay: Caruso Sauce. Legend suggests that the sauce was created in 1915 in order to impress Italian opera singer Enrico Caruso who visited the country. Another belief is that the sauce was devised in the 1950s by Raymundo Monti of restaurant “Mario and Alberto” in Montevideo as an homage to the famous tenor. Whichever is the case, Caruso Sauce has become a resounding success and is now considered “part of the Uruguayan cultural heritage”. The Uruguayan Cuisine Association strongly encourages every restaurant to include it on their menu.
Made with cream, mushrooms, salty ham and cheese, the Caruso sauce is often served with a stuffed ravioli or cappelletti, small pasta shells surrounding some sort of meat. Not too long ago, I chose to blanket orecchiette pasta with the rich, dense sauce. The pasta, cooked al dente, and savory, salty ingredients offered a creamy texture when combined. It was a brilliant pairing with my Uruguayan wine, 1752 Gran Tradicion Montevideo 2017, a lush blend of 90% Petit Manseng and 10% Viognier. (For my article about the wine and food, along with a recipe for Caruso Sauce, click here.)
Uruguay Pasta with Caruso Sauce
Although Uruguayan Wine Week has officially ended, my palate continues to explore these intriguing wines with delicious food. This weekend I opened a bottle of Coastal White Don Pascual 2020 (sent as a sample from Familia Deicas) a snappy and refreshing blend of Albarino, Chardonnay and Verdejo from the producer’s premium coastal vineyards. On the nose, I found overripe lemon, grilled pineapple, golden apple, wet hay and white peaches. Balanced with plenty of zesty acidity, notes of tropical fruit, citrus, chalk and salinity (thanks to the vineyards’ proximity to the Atlantic Ocean) were pervasive. Fresh and energetic, the flavors lingered…
Photo Credit: Alesia Kozik
With wonderful wines and plenty of diverse foods from which to choose, I’ll be celebrating the wines of Uruguay for weeks to come. Join me!
Cheers! ~ Cindy
For more Grape Experiences and a free infographic “4 Keys to a Stellar Wine Pick” click here.
