Viñas Viejas Paniza Garnacha Paired with Pan Roasted Pork Chops
The Wine
Bodegas Viñas Viejas Paniza Garnacha 2012
Made from 60 to 100-year old garnacha vines picked from the high altitude Paniza vineyards at the foot of the Ibérico Mountains made this fantastic Spanish crowd-pleaser. Rich, intense and complex, it delivers abundant aromas and flavors of ripe black cherries and blackberries with a hint of vanilla. Flavors of lingering dark chocolate are present in the smooth finish. A perfect companion to grilled meats or as an after-dinner treat with dark chocolate truffles. Is what Natalie MacLean had to say about this Spanish gem and awarded it 90 points. Robert Parker agrees and also awarded this wine with a 90 point score and had this to say about it. "The 2012 Viñas Viejas de Paniza is produced with the fruit from their older Garnacha vineyards on slate soils at high altitude, around 800 meters and aged for six months in barrel. The wine is quite dark, ripe and brooding, with tantalizing aromas of wet earth, graphite and blackberries making for a quite attractive nose that's different to other wines from the region. It reminds me perhaps of a Priorat. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with fine-grained, earthy tannins and good freshness and depth. Quite impressive, and very good value." When we tasted this wine we also knew it was a hit and are happy to bring it to you for an everyday price $16.99
The Pairing
Pan-Roasted Brined Pork Chop
Brining these pork chops makes them moist, tender, and seasoned throughout.
What you will need for 2:
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon juniper berries
1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise, plus 2 unpeeled cloves for basting
2 large sprigs thyme
1 /2-inch-thick bone-in pork chop (2 ribs; about 1 1/4 lb.)
2 tablespoons grape seed or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, Flaky or coarse sea salt
How to prepare:
Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add kosher salt, sugar, juniper berries, peppercorns, halved head of garlic, and 1 thyme sprig; stir to dissolve salt and sugar. Transfer to a medium bowl and add 5 cups ice cubes. Stir until brine is cool. Add pork chop; cover and chill for at least 8 and up to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 450°. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet. Remove chop from brine; pat dry. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large cast-iron or other oven-proof skillet. Cook chop until beginning to brown, 3-4 minutes. Turn and cook until second side is beginning to brown, about 2 minutes.
Keep turning chop every 2 minutes until both sides are deep golden brown, 10-12 minutes total. Transfer skillet to oven and roast chop, turning every 2 minutes to prevent it from browning too quickly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center of meat registers 135°, about 14 minutes. (Chop will continue to cook during basting and resting.)Carefully drain fat from skillet and place over medium heat. Add butter, 2 unpeeled garlic cloves, and remaining thyme sprig; cook until butter is foamy. Carefully tip skillet and, using a large spoon, baste chop repeatedly with butter until butter is brown and smells nutty, 2-3 minutes. Transfer pork chop to prepared rack and let rest, turning often to ensure juices are evenly distributed, for 15 minutes. Cut pork from bones, slice, and sprinkle with sea salt.
Recipe adapted from bonappetit.com 2013
Cheers!
The Wines Guys