In September, I served as sommelier at the NJ State Bar Association’s Women in the Profession Section, kicking off the new year. I paired four wines with four courses at the Law Center around the theme “Women in Wine.”

The first course was passed appetizers: smoked ricotta with oven roasted tomatoes on crostini, and corn hush puppies with remoulade sauce. I paired these with a really fun rosé Lambrusco I’ve enjoyed several times this summer: Familia Carafoli La Davina Lambrucso di Sorbara from Casoni in Emilia-Romagna, Italy.

This wine is made without much intervention by the winemaker, in a pet-nat (naturally bubbling, but not as highly pressurized as Champagne) style, from certified sustainable vineyards. The grapes are soft-pressed and allowed a short time of maceration in contact with the grape skins to impart some color to the juice. With notes of fresh cherry and raspberry, it is classy but earthy, and is the perfect aperitif. 

How does this wine fit into the Women in Wine theme? Well, there’s a woman on the label, Countess Matilda of Canossa, who won a battle in 1084. I know it’s a bit of  a stretch, but I love this wine so much, I bent the rules I set for myself that night! This wine is almost always sold out because people like me buy every bottle off the shelves when it’s in stock. 11.5% ABV $16 at Wineworks.

The second course was a salad of radicchio, frisee, pear and apple with honey shallot vinaigrette. Bitter chicory vegetables, though delicious, are notoriously difficult to pair wine with. I went with a very citrusy white: a 2022 Jadix Picpoul de Pinet from the Languedoc Region of France. Picpoul, which translates to “lip stinger” in the Occitan dialect, is so-named because of its high acidic level.  It’s lemony, bright, and slightly saline due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Mediterranean. ABV 12%; $15 at Wineworks.

Jadix Picpoul is the newest project from Jean-Christophe and Margaret Calvet of Aquitaine Imports. Margaret Calvet came to the wine business via two Harvard degrees, a Fulbright Scholarship, and Wall Street. She began working in wine in 2002 with her husband, Jean-Christophe, a fourth generation Bordeaux winemaker.  She received her diploma in enology from Bordeaux University in 2011.

The third course was chicken over root vegetable risotto (carrots, parsnips, mushrooms, fennel and parsley). I was going to pair a Gamay with this, but I couldn’t find one in the store made by a woman, so I picked the next best thing: 2021 Cloudline Pinot Noir from Domaine Drouhin, Willamette Valley, Oregon (this is the American branch formed in 1987 of the Maison Joseph Drouhin winery in Burgundy, France, established 1880).

Cloudline is produced under the guidance of consulting winemaker, Veronique Drouhin-Boss (of Maison Joseph Drouhin and Domaine Drouhin Oregon). Veronique has made over 30 vintages of wines in both Burgundy and Oregon. In 2019, she was awarded the Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest award of merit, for her contributions to the wine world.

This Pinot Noir is a negocient label, with grapes sourced from multiple low-yield vineyards within Oregon, including 25% from the famous Roserock Vineyard. With floral and fruity aromas, and bright cranberry and blueberry flavors, with some earthy mushroom, this is Burgundian-style Oregon Pinot Noir that pairs well with food. 13.9% ABV $19

Dessert was peach and ginger shortcake. Ginger, being a “spicier spice,” if that term exists, can also be difficult to pair wine with. Usually one pairs spicy food with an off-dry wine.  I paired dessert with a semi-dry Riesling from Dr. Konstantine Frank from the Finger Lakes.

The winery was founded by Dr. Konstantine Frank in the Finger Lakes in 1957, a pioneer of East coast wine. His great-granddaughter, Meaghan Frank, is now the Vice-President of the winery. I met her last year at the American Wine Society Conference, where she gave a seminar on Dr. Konstantine Frank wines.

Meaghan earned her MBA in wine business from the University of Adelaide, Australia, in 2013. She completed her second Master’s degree in enology from Cornell University in December 2015. Meaghan runs the day-to-day operations at the winery and has revolutionized the way the winery is run and the quality of the wines.

This 100% Semi-dry Riesling had notes of apricot, nectarine, and pineapple, with lemon and white blossoms.  11% ABV $17

Pairing wine with food is one of my passions. Everyone seemed to enjoy the pairings, and I enjoyed learning more about the women behind these wines. Cheers!