For Easter, what do you say about a Feteasca and "Sarmale" pairing?
We associate Easter with spring days and with all kinds of food: from Easter eggs to lamb dishes. How about considering another pairing this year to complete the one above?
We all know that on the Easter table there will be all kinds of dishes in addition to those listed, and we also know that there are many "sarmale" lovers who will also prepare this dish for the festive table.
At the end of March, I organized a tasty wine tasting with Cosmin Dragomir as part of Winesday project. If you don't know Cosmin yet, find out that he is a culinary historian, the author of the book "Curatorul de zacuscă" and the initiator of the "Romanian Gastronomy and Wine Day" which has been officially celebrated for several years now on the first Sunday in October.
Returning to the organized tasting, I must say that its theme was "Fetească and Sarmale". It was a challenge from both my side and Cosmin's because each had to propose something in te pairing: I came up with the wines, he came up with the types of "sarmale". And when it comes to sarmale, they are Romanian as well as international - I recently published an article in which Cosmin talks about this topic.
Obviously, opinions are and will be divided regarding this type of pairing, but if you're still here, read to the end and choose for yourself if at least one of the pairings suits you.
We all know that on the Easter table there will be all kinds of dishes in addition to those listed, and we also know that there are many "sarmale" lovers who will also prepare this dish for the festive table.
At the end of March, I organized a tasty wine tasting with Cosmin Dragomir as part of Winesday project. If you don't know Cosmin yet, find out that he is a culinary historian, the author of the book "Curatorul de zacuscă" and the initiator of the "Romanian Gastronomy and Wine Day" which has been officially celebrated for several years now on the first Sunday in October.
Returning to the organized tasting, I must say that its theme was "Fetească and Sarmale". It was a challenge from both my side and Cosmin's because each had to propose something in te pairing: I came up with the wines, he came up with the types of "sarmale". And when it comes to sarmale, they are Romanian as well as international - I recently published an article in which Cosmin talks about this topic.
Obviously, opinions are and will be divided regarding this type of pairing, but if you're still here, read to the end and choose for yourself if at least one of the pairings suits you.
Initially the list of wines and types of sarmale was quite long, but we decided to choose 5 wines and 5 types of sarmale from it. We started from a long list of wines and decided in the end to make the association with several types of Fetească Neagră, each from a different area of Romania. We discussed ordinary pork and beef sarmale, fish sarmale, fasting sarmale, but also "exotic" sarmale, as Cosmin called them: inspired by recipes from other countries. It was hard to choose.
As a welcome drink I chose a blend of Feteasca Albă with Feteasca Regală, from Catleya Wines - Fremăt alb from the 2022 harvest. It was a fresh wine that was great as a welcome drink and also could go very well with the first type of sarmale of the evening; but I wanted to respect the idea of pairing only with Fetească Neagră wines, so we chose a Fetească Neagră from the same winery.
Here is the list of wines chosen and with which type of sarmale they were served:
🍷 Catleya – Perfect Simplu Fetească Neagră 2020 + Fasting Sarmale
🍷 Villa Vinea Premium Fetească Neagră 2019 + Classic sarmale in cabbage leaves with beef and pork
🍷 Petro Vaselo – Melgis Fetească Neagră 2020 + Classic sarmale in vine leaves with beef and pork
🍷 Domeniul Bogdan Primordial Fetească Neagră 2020 + Greek sarmale in vine leaf with lamb, mint and lemon
🍷 Aurelia Vișinescu Signature Fetească Neagră 2016 + Argentinian Sarmale with beef, parmesan and basil
As a welcome drink I chose a blend of Feteasca Albă with Feteasca Regală, from Catleya Wines - Fremăt alb from the 2022 harvest. It was a fresh wine that was great as a welcome drink and also could go very well with the first type of sarmale of the evening; but I wanted to respect the idea of pairing only with Fetească Neagră wines, so we chose a Fetească Neagră from the same winery.
Here is the list of wines chosen and with which type of sarmale they were served:
🍷 Catleya – Perfect Simplu Fetească Neagră 2020 + Fasting Sarmale
🍷 Villa Vinea Premium Fetească Neagră 2019 + Classic sarmale in cabbage leaves with beef and pork
🍷 Petro Vaselo – Melgis Fetească Neagră 2020 + Classic sarmale in vine leaves with beef and pork
🍷 Domeniul Bogdan Primordial Fetească Neagră 2020 + Greek sarmale in vine leaf with lamb, mint and lemon
🍷 Aurelia Vișinescu Signature Fetească Neagră 2016 + Argentinian Sarmale with beef, parmesan and basil
As always, at the end of the event the participants were asked which wine and which type of sarmale remained in their mind, both on their own and in the pairing. And every wine and every type of sarma was found among the favorites of those present. However, I noticed that two pairings of wine and sarmale were mentioned more than the others, namely:
🍷 Domeniul Bogdan Primordial Fetească Neagră 2020 + Greek sarmale in vine leaf with lamb, mint and lemon
🍷 Aurelia Vișinescu Signature Fetească Neagră 2016 + Argentinian Sarmale with beef, parmesan and basil
Some said they really liked this pairing, others that they would have changed the pairings. The fact is that these two pairings were voted as the most different from everything they have tasted so far and the most suitable for the holiday table.
So this year when you are preparing for Easter if you want to do something different try some Greek or Argentinian sarmale and your Easter meal might have a different flavor.
Of course, you can choose to associate sarmale with a Fetească Neagră from the Primordial range from Domeniul Bogdan or Fetească Neagră Signature by Aurelia Vișinescu.
Finally, I want to quote Cosmin who, among other stories about sarmale, said "sarmale are associated with the idea of celebration: be it Christmas, Easter, wedding, baptism or funeral, they are always found on Romanians' tables at key moments throughout the year and from life."
I leave you with this thought and wish you a good appetite and peaceful holidays with your loved ones. With tasty wines on the table, of course!
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday.ro & Winesday App
🍷 Domeniul Bogdan Primordial Fetească Neagră 2020 + Greek sarmale in vine leaf with lamb, mint and lemon
🍷 Aurelia Vișinescu Signature Fetească Neagră 2016 + Argentinian Sarmale with beef, parmesan and basil
Some said they really liked this pairing, others that they would have changed the pairings. The fact is that these two pairings were voted as the most different from everything they have tasted so far and the most suitable for the holiday table.
So this year when you are preparing for Easter if you want to do something different try some Greek or Argentinian sarmale and your Easter meal might have a different flavor.
Of course, you can choose to associate sarmale with a Fetească Neagră from the Primordial range from Domeniul Bogdan or Fetească Neagră Signature by Aurelia Vișinescu.
Finally, I want to quote Cosmin who, among other stories about sarmale, said "sarmale are associated with the idea of celebration: be it Christmas, Easter, wedding, baptism or funeral, they are always found on Romanians' tables at key moments throughout the year and from life."
I leave you with this thought and wish you a good appetite and peaceful holidays with your loved ones. With tasty wines on the table, of course!
Carmina Nițescu
Winesday.ro & Winesday App
