Summer food and wine pairing: Shrimp Orzo Salad and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo

So last month David from Cooking Chat hosted our first Wine Pairing Weekend (#winepw) where a group of us shared our wine and food pairings with BBQ. Such a great way to get our minds flowing with the start of the summer and to keep our bellies and our palates happy. I had shared a Montepulcianod'Abruzzo with seasoned chicken and grilled vegetables.  There were many other great articles from the rest of the group including: Curious Cuisiniere, Meal Diva, Pull That Cork, Grape Experiences, Cooking Chat, Culinary Adventures with Camilla, and Tasting Pour.

This month we are sharing our recommendations on refreshing summer wines with food. I love at the end of the day as the sun is starting to set sitting out on the deck, overlooking the lake and nibbling on a little snack while dinner is grilling or being cooked. I recently did a second wine tasting for my new wine job and knew when I tasted one of the wines that it would be a perfect wine to share with you in this blog. Not only because of the taste, but because it's a grape that not many will typically run to the store and purchase due to the lack of familiarity. Those are the kinds of wines that I love. I love to get people to think outside the box and try something new.

Wine Pairing - I Lauri Trebbiano d'Abruzzo
I recently discussed wines from the Abruzzo  region of Italy. The most popular white of that region is trebbiano and this is the wine that I chose for the tasting today to share with you. I tried the 2012 I Lauri Lume Trebbiano d'Abruzzo. I Lauri is located in Loreto Aprutino in the province of Pescara, which is located in central Italy right on the Adriatic Sea. The name of the winery stems from the laurel trees that once covered the area. Their winery is located on the foothills of the Gran Sasso from the Apennine mountain range. This wine is fermented in temperature controlled tanks and rests in stainless steel a couple months before bottling. On the nose this trebbiano had lots of citrus and minerality to it with a hint of petroleum. It was dry with some grassy notes on the palate. Throughout it had refreshing acidity creating a nice crisp wine.

Food Pairing - Orzo salad
I kept my food pairing simple on this one as sometimes on those hot days you need something like that. I paired it with an orzo salad consisting of some peppers, olives, celery, carrots with an Italian based dressing including one of my favorite cheeses from Pienza Tuscany, pecorino. I also sauteed some shrimp in garlic, butter and sea salt over a small portion of jasmine rice. With this wine you want to keep it simple whether you are pairing it with some chicken or fish and it's great with apertifs. The winery itself also recommends it with a vegetable tempura.

So for your next beautiful summer day grab some company, some simple appetizers and relax with some trebbiano d'abruzzo. Cin cin!

Wine Pairing Weekend #2 Bloggers: Be sure to check out the great pairings my fellow bloggers have come up with for the July Wine Pairing Weekend! 

Culinary Adventures with Camilla posted "Green Fig Ice Cream + Cambiata Albariño"
Vino Travels -- An Italian Wine Blog shared "Orzo salad and Trebbiano d'Abruzzo"
Curious Cuisiniere posted "Grilled Trout paired with a Tropical Fruit Viognier"
ENOFYLZ Wine Blog paired "Ceviche and Tablas Creek Picpoul Blanc"
Take a Bite Out of Boca shared "Grilled Mango-Sriracha Shrimp, Pineapple and Peppers paired with Burg Layer Schlosskapelle Spatlese Kerner"
foodwineclick shared "Steamers and Cava on the Porch"
Confessions of a Culinary Diva blogged about "Aperol Spritz"
Cooking Chat paired "Grilled Salmon with Mango Salsa and a White Burgundy"

Join the #winePW conversation: Follow the #winePW conversation on Twitter throughout the weekend and beyond. If you're reading this early enough, you can join us for a live Twitter chat on our theme "Refreshing Summer Wine Pairings" on Saturday, July 12, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time. You can also visit our group Pinterest board to pin some great pairing ideas for later! Stay tuned for the August Wine Pairing Weekend, which will focus on "Wine for Summer's Bounty" on Saturday, August 9.

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