sauvignon blanc with whole grain pasta in white clam sauce

Yes whole grain, remember wine is a food and in moderation is good for your health, so lets work on pairing healthy foods. Many of the recipes I have and find I will "tweek" to substitute some better lifestyle ingredients. There, of course, will be some recipes that would suffer to much from substitution so trust me I am not giving up the butter yet, you're welcome P.D. I am a big fan of fresh ingredients and I prefer shopping for a meal the same day I am going to prepare it. Pasta does give you a little flexibility in that you can stock up and get creative on short notice.

The wine - Sauvignon Blanc - A green grape originally from Bordeaux is planted in most all wine producing regions and is known for producing a crisp, dry and refreshing white wine. Depending on the growing region flavors can go from "grassy" to sweet and tropical. Crisp and fresh are the two components I look for in a SB along with being a round wine with notes of melon. Colder fermentation's bring out more fruit and tropical flavors and lends itself to an unoaked style.
Expressive flavors for SB range from citrus, pear and melon to an array of tropical fruits.

SB can be one of your best value wine buys offering varietal character and versatility. It is truly "food friendly" with bright flavors and distinct character. SB can easily support spicy and aggressively flavored dishes. With evident but not overpowering acidity it easily balances richer cream sauces along with high acid foods such as fresh tomatoes and tangy cheese. Dry and crisp enough however to support a wide range of fish, shellfish, salads,soups, vegetables and citrus flavored sauces.

I have found a Sauvignon Blanc from the Lodi appellation one that is grown 100% in the delta region. The area that experiences the "delta breeze" the onshore wind that brings the cool evening breeze from San Francisco bay all the way up to Sacramento and the Sierra Foothills. This chilly evening breeze gives the SB just the right climate it craves to fully express its best characteristics. This 2007 SB called Merlicious is from E2 family wines and is done in the Kiwi style of stainless fermentation and is unoaked. This cold style of fermentation shows lots of crisp
natural acidity and irresistible aromas of gooseberry and passion fruit. The nose is bright and soothing with a lively mouth feel and slightly flinty finish. I find this SB to be most complimentary to shellfish. So being a pasta fanatic I found my whole grain pasta with white clam sauce a perfect combo for me. The recipe is below but I would only savor the thought until we can get the wines on line for you to purchase and try with this pasta. Just remember to watch for the launch of our new website http://www.bargainsonwine.com/ . You will be amazed at the value of our wines as they will truly be bargains on wines you can't get in any wine shop or market. So please be patient, gather the recipes and well before the holidays you will be able to stock up on these "bargin" wines.

** whole grain linguine with white clam sauce ( for 4 )

8 oz barrilla whole grain pasta
4 tblsp unsalted butter
1 tblsp whole wheat flour
8 oz clam juice ( 1 small bottle )
2 oz Merlicious Sauvignon Blanc
1 tblsp Italian seasoning ( I like Emeril's )
1 tsp dried thyme leaves
2 6 1/2 oz cans minced clams in juice

a great little addition to this recipe is to get 16 small fresh clams to steam and place on top of the pasta serving bowl or if you are plating 4 per plate.

prepare pasta according to package and your taste for al dente, drain:
melt butter in medium saucepan, add flour and mix well. Add clam juice and wine and stir until smooth. Add Italian seasoning and thyme bring to a boil over medium heat. Add clams with juice and continue to cook until slightly thickened. combine drained pasta with sauce. Toss and serve in a large family style pasta bowl with cracked ground pepper, fresh grated Romano cheese and crusty bread with olive oil on the side.

WINE - MERLICIOUS LODI SAUVIGNON BLANC

Salad recipe for another day