Zero Degree Riesling with Pan Seared Scallops over Cheesy Grits

Welcome to the June edition of #winePW (PairingWeekend) where a group of wine lovers gets together to discuss a particular wine or region of wine. This month we are exploring the Finger Lakes region of New York State.

On the second Saturday of every month, the Wine Pairing Weekend group of wine and food bloggers focuses on a wine theme and shares food pairings around that theme. On June 13, the group takes a virtual trip to the Finger Lakes region. I hope you will join us via Twitter beginning at 8 am PT/11 am ET. Everyone is welcome! Simply follow the #WinePW hashtag to join in the fun.

The Finger Lake Wine Region is about five hours from New York City and boasts over 140 wineries around Seneca Lake, Cayuga Lake, and Keuka Lake. More than 70 of the wineries are on Seneca Lake which also boasts breweries, shopping, and delightful food options. Cayuga is the home of Ithica, a college town, and has much of the area's countryside around it.  Keuka is a Y shaped lake with more charming countryside.

I was sent bottles of Finger Lake wines from Zugibe Vineyards, Buttonwood Wines, Keuka Spring, and Three Brothers Wineries. All were fantastic and unique, which is something I really enjoy in a wine. The wines were a mix of dry rose or dry Riesling. My husband and I decided to give the dry Reisling from Three Brothers Winery a try with a meal that we usually pair with a Chardonnay, Pan Seared Scallops over Cheesy Grits.

This isn't a recipe as such, but what we like to do is to get some really great scallops from our grocery store.  We pat them dry (super important, don't leave this out!) and then season them with a seasoning blend (sometimes Old Bay and sometimes, believe it or not, Steak Seasoning.)  Next, we heat up a frying pan to very hot, then add a tablespoon or two of butter, let that melt really fast, then add the scallops. We don't move the scallops around (we do baste them with the butter) until we see a nice brown crust forming. Then we turn them quickly and season the uncooked side.  The whole process is around 4-5 minutes.

Our favorite side dish is a creamy cheesy grits (sometimes polenta) that we make simply by following the directions on the package of grits. That's always been our favorite way to make them!

So more about the wine we loved:

Tasting Notes: Aromas of clementine and apple blossom lead to a palate of orange peel and lemon zest. A strong backbone of acidity plays with the subtle hints of raspberry and finishes crisply. Vintage: 2019
Vineyard: Three Brothers Wineries, Eastern Seneca Lake
Appellation: Seneca Lake, Finger Lakes
Price: $18 or so a bottle

Check out the experiences of other wine bloggers and the wines they loved from Finger Lakes.

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm is “Exploring the Wines of New York’s Finger Lakes Region.”
• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla is pairing “Bibimbap with Garden Banchan + Forge Cellars Classique Riesling 2017.”
• Lori at Dracaena Wines is “Delving Into the History of the Finger Lakes with John
  Wagner.”
• David at Cooking Chat is exploring “Finger Lakes Wine Paired with Everyday Favorites.”
• Cindy at Grape Experiences shares “An Impressive New York Treasure: the Finger Lakes Wine Region.”
• Teri at Our Good Life pairs “Zero Degree Riesling with Pan Seared Scallops over Cheesy Grits.”
• Jeff at Food Wine Click! suggests “New York Finger Lakes – I Hope You Like Riesling!”
• Jill at L’OCCASION offers
  “New York Finger Lakes: Wine For Summer Pairings.”
• Pinny at Chinese Food and Wine Pairings shares “New York Finger Lakes Wines – Lonesome Stony Rose and Fox Run Rieslings Paired with Quick-Prepped Seafood.”
• Jane at Always Ravenous offers “Picnic Fare Paired with Finger Lake Wines.”
• Rupal at Syrah Queen discusses “The Charm Of New York Finger Lakes Rieslings.”
• Robin at Crushed Grape Chronicles is
  pairing “Finger Lake Riesling and Alsatian Salmon.”
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator offers two posts: “Two Riesling from the Finger Lakes Paired with a Potluck” and “#RoseAllDay for #RoseDay:
  3 from New York’s Finger Lakes.”
• Susannah at Avvinare shares “Delightful wines from the Finger Lakes.”
• Jennifer at Vino Travels takes a look at “Wines from Around Upstate New York’s Finger Lakes Wine Region.”
• Finally, Linda at My Full Wine Glass is sharing
  two posts: “Three Takes on Finger Lakes NY Cabernet Franc Rosé” and “Two Pairs of NY Finger Lakes Riesling – a Winning Hand.”