Yarden Wines Paired with Japanese Surf ‘n Turf #winepw

There are some wines that you don’t really feel the need to pair food with.  However, if I did have to pair something with Yarden Wines it would be a simple meat and seafood number prepared Japanese style.

Disclosure: These wines were provided as media samples. All opinions are my own.

There are some wines that encourage you to pair them with food, and there are other wines that you would rather sip slowly on their own.

Sometimes a dish springs to mind when I sip a wine, maybe to tame a tannin or sponge up some extra acidity.

Sometimes, I sip a wine and don’t really feel the need for anything else but the wine because it is “balanced.”

Yarden is the biblical Hebrew name for Jordan. It means “descend or flow down” and refers to the Jordan River that separates the West Bank and country for Jordan.

That is how I felt about this particular Pinot Gris and Malbec provided by Yarden Wines.

Not because they were given to me, since I have received samples from other wineries and very much thought they needed a food friend.

The logo for Yarden Wines is an oil lamp with mosaic tiles, a symbol of ancient Israel.

But there are couple reasons I wanted to drink these Yarden Wines on their own.

First, they are from Israel, which I’ve never had before and haven’t seen sitting on store shelves.  I can’t help but make biblical associations with these wines.

Second, I just liked them by themselves.  They were not too light, too strong, or too racy to on their own.  They had a nice touch of acidity paired structure and backbone.

The Pinot Gris from Yarden Wines ($23) paired with raw spot prawns and a light ponzu sauce.

The 2018 Pinot Gris had notes of fresh cut apples, lime pith, a little pineapple and mango.  I chose to pair it with some spot prawn sashimi with just a touch of ponzu sauce.

Yarden Wines’ Malbec paired with a wagyu ribeye steak.

The 2018 Malbec tasted of blue and black berries, a hint of tobacco and leather, and just all over liveliness.  I paired it with nothing more than a simple wagyu ribeye steak with salt and pepper.

While the wines were still open, I had to try them with food from my favorite local Israeli restaurant, of course!

I liked the Malbec with the earthy hummus and fresh baked whole wheat pita bread.

But I think the pairing I liked the most was just me, the wines, and the chance to unwind.

To learn more about Yarden Wines, be sure to read these posts from the #winepw writers:

• Terri at Our Good Life shares “Grilled Mahi Mahi and Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator shares “The Eternal Light Shines in Galilee: Yarden’s Merlot, Pinot Gris with Acorn Squash Couscous, Tangerine Feta Spring Salad“
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm shares “Lamb Stuffed Eggplant and a perfect Wine from Galilee”
• Rupal at Syrah Queen shares “Off The Beaten Path – Two Wines From Isreal’s Galilee Appellation”
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Of Israeli wines, long-ago memories, and Harvey’s takeout”
• David at Cooking Chat shares “Pairings for Gilgal Sauvignon Blanc from Israel”
• Payal at Keep the Peas shares “Israeli Wine with the Diverse Cuisine of the Diaspora”
• Nicole at Somms Table shares “Memories of Yarden Wines with a side of Meatball Shakshuka”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels shares “Pairings with Wines from Israel”
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Peppered Brisket, Honeyed Onions, and the 2106 Galil Mountain ‘Ela’”
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “Enjoying Gilgal Cab Sauvignon – Merlot and Yarden Pinot Gris with Grilled Wagyu Steak, Alaska Sockeye Salmon and Poke Ahi Tuna Bowl”
• Susannah from Avvinare shares “Visiting Israel for Memorial Day Through Yarden Wines”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click!shares “Two Fisted Wine Pairing with Yarden Wines”