During these Pandemic times, we have had some great al fresco dinners, as well as take-outs and deliveries. But, unless you have deep pockets, most nights you need to cook something up yourself. My turn to do some cooking was long overdue. I love to eat seafood and I am usually the designated chef to prepare most of our seafood meals. For me, there is no better place to get fresh seafood in South Jersey than in Cape May. When we go there I can’t pass up visiting one of their fine wineries. My wife is pictured above at Cape May Winery.
On Wednesday, our visit to Cape May was a short, but enjoyable and productive day trip. It yielded one lunch, three dinners, and some excellent wines. Our first stop was Cape May Winery. We had a relaxing late, light lunch there. We selected the mixed cheese and charcuterie board. It consisted of Machego and Gouda (both sheep cheese); Serrano ham; almonds; olives; honey; and bread. I chose a Barrel Fermented Chardonnay Reserve and a Petite Syrah. The charcuterie was tasty and the wines were quite good. We didn’t need to do a tasting. We knew the Chard was an excellent creamy wine and the Petite Syrah was even better than I recalled-a dark, smooth, full-bodied beauty, that was a perfect match for the meats and cheeses.
This was a nice treat.
It was a beautiful day and we were tempted to stay longer. But what I had in mind for the evening required getting to the Lobster House before the take-out line started to snake around the block. My idea proved to be a good one. I picked up some fresh flounder, some chowder, and cole slaw for our dinner that evening. This was very good, but the best was yet to come. My other purchase was some fresh scallops, which I put to good use on Thursday night. I made a dish with scallops in a Tomato Vodka Sauce, served over penne pasta. Since my cellar is well-stocked, I knew I could continue the Cape May theme with wines to pair with the Scallops dish.
The Lobster House Fish Market deserves a mention here. Everyone knows the Lobster House Restaurant, but their fish market is also a treasure. I wonder how many day trippers like us, include an obligatory stop there to take home some fresh seafood, put on ice, to cook once home. It is a “must” in our house. Not only is the seafood fresh, it is still less expensive than you might think, since dining in the attached restaurant can be a tad expensive. It is also not a BYOB restaurant like the Mullen Cafe.
Thursday’s dinner was a variation of the traditional penne alla vodka. I added the fresh scallops to the mix, creating a filling, but delicious meal. No salad or other additions to the menu needed-except for the wine, of course. Vodka sauce is easy to prepare, but it can be more challenging than a typical red sauce (or “gravy,” as most of our Italian friends refer to it) to pair with wine. Without the scallops, I might consider a Sangiovese. The cream (I used Half & Half) adds a sweetness, that the Smirnoff Vodka neutralizes to a large extent. A cheaper Vodka works better than a smoother, more expensive one. A dry wine is also added to the mix. There are many flavors (including onions, garlic, and parmesan cheese). Yum!
The finished plate is pictured below, along with the paired wines I chose.
The wines pictured above are Turdo Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc and Hawk Haven Vineyards 2019 Reserve Chardonnay Clones 96 & 75. While you cannot read the label of the bottle on the left, it is the Sauvignon Blanc. It is one of my favorite Sauvignon Blancs, with it’s subtle notes of citrus, it is a more versatile, food-friendly wine than many others. I even used a small amount in the dish, as it called for a dry white wine.
The other wine pictured is the Chardonnay from Hawk Haven Vineyards. This beauty also paired very well with this dish. It was subtly oaked, again allowing for a food-friendly pairing (no over-the-top butter or vanilla flavors). Bottom line, the right Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay will become fast friends with this dish, or one with similar components. In fact, we liked the combinations so well that we finished them both with our leftovers on Saturday night. I can do left-overs like these any time.
Cheers!
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