Aaron Berdofe's Wine and Food Experience

Rating: 4/5

Paella made with sun-dried tomato chicken sausage, scallops, shrimp, mixed peppers, chili beans, white rice, garlic, mushrooms and fresh sage.

Wine: Pétalos Bierzo 2006

Notes:

Paella happens to be one of my favorite dishes of all time.  The peppers I use generally change from time to time and if I add beans, they’re usually just red and not chili.  However, it’s hard to mess Paella up and the pepper mix of cayenne and serrano pulled in a good deal of heat.  The fresh sage was a first time addition and definitely a keeper since it provided a wonderful refreshment in the middle of the dish.  Generally, I’ll pair this with a Tempranillo or Monastrell, but the Bierzo (grape: Mencía) was something new so I opted for it.  Bierzo is complex as it sifts between something like a Tempranillo in the leather and tannin and then towards something fruitier with it’s red fruits with hints of minerality and herbs.  It packs a punch though.  The mouthfeel on this was like a semi flowing through your mouth.  Oddly, this made a great pairing with a spicy dish that probably would have prompted sweat without its aid.