Miolo Alisios Pinot Grigio Riesling and Raw Ahi Tuna 3 Ways #WinePW

Alisios Seival Estate Pinot Grigio Riesling and Ahi Tuna Rice Burger

Happy time is to have a wine that’s readily available to you right at the time you really want it. Right after my trip to Japan in August, I have a lot of seafood and wine pairing ideas in my mind due to the sweet memory of all the amazing sushi I ate. In addition to tasting sakes, I’m planning to taste a lot of whites before the red wine season arrives. Thanks to Susannah from Avvinare, I received a bottle of Alisios Seival Estate Pinot Grigio Riesling Brazil 2017. This sample is one of the amazing wines from the largest Brazilian wine exporter, Miolo Group. The Miolo Group is also a member of the Wines of Brazil consortium, the sponsor for this month’s #WinePW samples. Let’s learn about Brazilian wines and see how I pair the Alisios Grigio Riesling with raw Ahi tuna!

Brazil Wine Regions (Photo Credit for WorldWineWeek.com)

Brazil, the largest country in Latin America and the fifth largest wine producer in the Southern Hemisphere, has been producing wines since the beginning of its colonization. However, it was the arrival of Italian immigrants, a process initiated in 1875, which brought importance to the activity.

Miolo Headquarter Located at Serra Gaucha (Photo Credit of Wines of Brazil)

The Miolo Wine Group is Brazil’s largest wine exporter, producing and bottling more than 12 million liter of wines per year, and knowingly owns the greatest amount of vine land in Brazil. The Miolo Winery is located in picturesque Serra Gaucho in Bento Gonçalves city. The Miolo’s family history in Brazil starts in 1897 when Giuseppe Miolo, a young Italian man with passion for grapes and wines, immigrated from Piombino Dese, in Vêneto to Bento Gonçalves, a new Brazilian county by Italian immigrants. He began growing grapes in the same year. During the 1970s, Miolo was one of the pioneers, planting and supplying European grape varieties. After years as a supplier of grapes, the company decided to produce its own wines in 1990.

Alisios Seival Estate Located at Campanha (Photo Credit of Wines of Brazil)

Alisios Seival Estate Pinot Grigio Riesling Brazil 2017 is produced in Campanh, which is Brazil's most southern wine-producing region, located along the country's border with Uruguay. While it is not quite as well known as the neighboring region of Serra Gaucha, Campanha begins to attract attention for the quality of its wines.

The terrain of Campanha consists of low, rolling hills and flat lands known as Pampas in this part of the world. The area has a relatively temperate climate given its low latitude, which it shares with the northern Sahara Desert. Particularly in the higher elevations, the altitudes between 650ft and 1000ft above sea level, result in long sunny days which are followed by cooler evenings.  This daily temperature variation extends the ripening period, which leads to a balance of flavor and acidity in the grapes.

Campanha's sandy soils consist of granite and limestone and are not rich and fertile – a typical profile associated with the South American Pampas. The free-draining nature of these soils ensure the vines are not swamped with water during periods of rainfall, but enough water is stored in the lower reaches of the ground that irrigation is not necessary during the growing season.

Viticulture in Campanha has grown in the past decade as winegrowers, like Miolo, have looked to cheaper and more forgiving landscapes in Rio Grande do Sul than the mountain slopes of Serra Gaucho. 

Alisios Seival Estate Pinot Grigio Riesling Brazil 2017 is a perfect example of a blend wine, 50% Pinot Grigio and 50% Riesling, in this case that works miracles. This wine showcases dynamite synergy through the grapes. It has the pale straw hue and attractive aromas of white pulp fruit, ripe apples and apricot on the nose. It’s packed in explosive apple and pear flavors that are brought by Pinot Grigio. Riesling, the equal partner, offers an amazing textural palate that is attributed by the crisp mineral note at the finish. Balance, which means good structure, refreshing acidity, solid minerality and lingering aftertaste, is the magic word to describe this wine. When pairing food with this wine, raw Ahi Tuna comes to my mind due to its compatibility with Asian flavors. Eating raw fish is not that common in Chinese cuisines. However, the uprising trend of eating shellfish and fish, raw or cooked, in any exotic way you can imagine sweeps through Asia lately. While the video footage of live octopus fought for its life by latching on to an eater’s face is brutal, eating raw Ahi tuna is relaxing and fun. I’m preparing three Ahi tuna dishes to complement this wine: Ahi Tuna Sashimi Rice Bowl, Miso-Infused Ahi Tuna Tartare and Ahi Tuna Rice Burger.

Ahi Tuna and Seasoned Seaweed over Brown Rice and Quinoa

For food safety and taste, sushi grade Ahi tuna should be purchased from the fish monger or from the frozen section. Sashimi is thinly sliced fish and typically is eaten with a mix of soya sauce and wasabi on the side. This sashimi rice bowl - Ahi tuna sashimi slices laid over a bowl of whole grain rice and quinoa, is probably the healthiest meal you can imagine. The refreshing acidity of this Alisios Pinot Grigio Riesling simply just brightens the Ahi tuna and brings out the freshness even more.

Ahi Tuna Tartare

When people talk about tuna tartare, people think of soya sauce, sesame oil, ginger and scallion mixed into the chopped up tuna. Replacing all these ingredients with light miso sauce and a dash of lemon juice is my new tuna tartare receipt. 

This miso packet is a fast-food version of the miso that is meant to be used for a quick soup in a cup at work or at home. It is a light sauce instead of the thick paste in the container. The miso actually makes the tuna tartare a bit creamy, a great complement to the mineral note from the Riesling side of this wine.

Rice burger is pretty hot right now. We ate one in a fast-food shop in Hiroshima and loved every bit of it. To mould the burger buns, I oil-sprayed two bowls and pushed an half an inch seasoned sushi rice to the bowls. After setting the rice in the freezer for half an hour, I put cut up tuna cubes, cucumber and tomato onto one side of the “bun” and finish the burger atop with another rice bun. The tuna is cut in cubes of the size you like and is seasoned with soya sauce, sesame oil, minced garlic, a dash of lemon juice and chili oil, and honey.  The Alisios Pinot Grigio Riesling has the light body yet solid texture, mingling mingles well with the vinegary sushi rice and the saltiness of tuna. Having a great Brazilian white wine and my Ahi tuna prepared in three ways, another happy food/wine pairing moment in the making!

Disclosure: The wine in this post is a sample.  The ideas are my own.

To see what the #WinePW bloggers are pairing their Brazilian wine with, check out:

Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares "A Brazilian Sparkler +Frango à Passarinho and Pao de Queijo"

Linda of My Full Wine Glass will be posting "Head to Southern Brazil for High-Quality Wine"

Cindy of Grape Experiences writes "Wine and Dine Brazilian Style with Alma Brut White Sparkling Wine from Salton Winery and Fried Calamari"

Gwen at Wine Predator shares "A Poet Pairs Poetica Sparkling Rosé from Brazil"

David of Cooking Chat will be pairing "Brazilian Beans, Greens and Bacon with Sparkling Wine"

Pinny of Chinese Food and Wine Pairings will be serving "Miolo Alisios Pinot Grigio/Riesling and Raw Ahi Tuna 3 Ways"

Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm will be adding "Enjoying Indian Summer with Alma Sparkling Brut from Brazil"

Cynthia and Pierre of Traveling Wine Profs will be sharing "Friends, Seafood, Bubbly and Chardonnay:Our Brazilian Wine Pairing Dinner"

Debbie of The Hudson Valley Wine Goddess writes "Celebrating Garden Harvest with Brazilian Wine"

Sarah of The Curious Cuisiniere showcases "Pastel de Queijo and Brazilian Sparkling Wine Pairing"

Jill of L'Occasion posts “Bubbles from Brazil: a Treat for Wine Lovers”

Jennifer of Vino Travels muses about "Brazilian Sparkling Wines with Salton Brut"

Susannah at Avvinare , I'll post about "Miolo Merlot Paired with Brazilian Skirt Steak with Golden Garlic Butter."