September 2023 Food Pairing
September 2023 Food Pairing
2020 Tannat paired with Lamb meatballs with Tzatziki sauce and naan!
We had so much fun with our September Food Pairing event this past Saturday! For this pairing we wanted to feature our 2020 Tannat. Tannat is a lesser-known varietal and one that we typically have very little of! Owner, winemaker, and vineyard manager Sam Patterson takes care of just a half acre of Tannat grapes at a property down in Loomis, CA. In 2020 we were only able to produce 42 cases of Tannat, making this a very exclusive vintage. Tannat is a very rich, full-bodied wine. It is one that pairs well with red meats, like steak, and gamier meats, such as lamb or veal. Tannat grapes originated in the Basque region, which is also known for a long history of sheep herding. For these reasons we decided that lamb would be a perfect pairing for this excellent wine. The unseasonably rainy weather added great ambiance for this pairing as well! If you would like to recreate this pairing at home you will find the recipe below! Topa!
Meatball Ingredients:
- ½ lb ground lamb
- ½ lb ground pork
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 yellow onion grated
- 2 tsp dried mint
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp coriander
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp garam masala
- ¾ tsp salt
Tzatziki Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 English cucumbers
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh dill
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 16 oz whole Greek yogurt
Mint or Dill for garnish
Mint chutney for serving
Instructions:
Tzatziki: Finely grate cucumber and garlic. Blend all ingredients together.
Meatballs: Combine all the meatball ingredients and mix together until well combined. With wet hands, form into 1 inch meatballs. Heat oil to medium in a pan and brown on all sides, in batches if necessary. Serve on mini Naan bread with tzatziki and mint chutney.