Spring time has officially arrived in the US. My goodness, here on my tour stateside, the strawberries are coming into season and flooding supermarkets, roadside stands and farmers markets. While the natural inclination in these latitudes is to make up a heavy, not-so-healthy, strawberry pie (with rhubarb if you please), why not combine these tender strawberries with a medium, red wine like Carmenere for a healthy and refreshing dessert.
The first (white) strawberry on Earth was discovered in the south of Chile in the 16th century by the Spanish. Today, all berries are an integral part of the Chilean diet and fruit abundance found throughout the Southern region and Central Valley. The berries reach their sweetest peak in the summer months from January to March when you can even see gatherers filling buckets with blackberries by country road sides. This simple dessert is a perfect “make ahead” dish that also incorporates Chile’s flagship wine varietal, Carmenere. Here, we pair a Natura Carmenere from Emiliana Organico which has inherently spicy notes on the nose with homey notes of cloves and cinnamon. The wine reduction sauce steps that up a notch and intensifies the lush fruit flavors. The exotic addition of basil adds pizzazz to the palate although grated dark chocolate is another tempting alternative. If you want to mix it up, try it with a Malbec.
Serve it in a wine glass for a stunning presentation. Best part? You can make the sauce up to 2 days ahead and the cut up the berries the night before. Easy entertaining. Did I mention that leftover wine sauce is REALLY good on dark chocolate, dulce de leche, or even vanilla ice cream? Que disfruten chicos.
