How to Best Chill White Wine & Recipe Pairing

With the heat of summer still lingering, many of us are on the lookout for a cool, refreshing wine to enjoy on a hot summer night, but what if your bottle of Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc isn’t quite chilled?  Most often, we think to place the bottle in the freezer for a few minutes, but this approach is not the most effective.  According to Dr. Vino, the amount of air in the freezer prevents this method from being the fastest.  Instead, per doctor’s orders, it’s more effective to fill a bucket ¾ full of ice and water.  Add a little salt, and your bottle should chill in less than 10 minutes! Be sure to stir the ice water with the bottle for best results.

If you’re looking to take your glass of wine outside and are worried the summer heat will warm it faster than you’re able to enjoy it, try a tastier spin on an ice cube:  freeze grapes and add them to your glass of wine.  As the grapes unfreeze, they won’t water down your wine like ice cubes would!

Entertaining?  Try Mira’s 2010 Sauvignon Blanc with Emeril Lagasse’s Shrimp Ceviche for a light, refreshing appetizer. It’s one of our favorite wine pairings!

POACHING LIQUID
        2 quarts water
        1/4 cup kosher salt
CEVICHE
        1 pound raw shrimp (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
        Juice of 2 lemons
        Juice of 2 limes
        Juice of 2 oranges
        1 cup diced seeded peeled cucumber (1/4-inch dice)
        1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
        2 serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
        1 cup diced seeded tomato
        1 avocado, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
        1 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro leaves, plus more leaves for garnish
        1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
        1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Combine water and 1/4 cup salt in a large saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Add shrimp and immediately turn off the heat. Let the shrimp sit until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
Chop the shrimp into 1/2-inch pieces and place in a medium nonreactive bowl (see Tip). Add lemon, lime and orange juice. Stir in cucumber, onion and chiles. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Stir tomato, avocado, chopped cilantro, oil and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the shrimp mixture. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Do you have any tricks for chilling your favorite white wine?  What are you favorite dishes to pair with white wine?  We would love to hear from you! Click here to tell us more on Facebook and here to tell us more on Twitter!