Saturday, October 10, 2020

#MerlotMe with Markham and L’Ecole No. 41 Merlots and Army Ramen #WinePW

L’Ecole N° 41 2017 Merlot from Columbia Valley and Markham Vineyards 2017
Sustainably Made Merlot from Napa Valley

#MerlotMe is a global movement to unite wine lovers all over the world to celebrate Merlots, especially in the month of October. Our fellow #WinePW blogger, Jeff Burrows from Food Wine Click is hosting this year's celebration and has arranged #samples for the lucky bloggers. I am so thrilled to receive L’Ecole N° 41’s 2017 Merlot and Markham Vineyards’s 2017  Sustainably Made Merlot, and am curious how well these Merlots pair with my latest obsession, Chinese-styled “army ramen”.  

One person serving: meat-based ramen that is cooked in and consumed directly from a wide saucepan,  a feast that won’t let down a soldier’s appetite.

TASTE THE WINES

L’Ecole N° 41 2017 Merlot is one of Washington State’s finest Merlots, produced in Walla Walla Valley. Found in 1983, L’Ecole N° 41 is a third-generation family-owned, artisan winery that focuses on the ultra-premium, distinctive wine market. 

L'Ecole No 41 is found in 1983 in the Walla Walla Valley, Washington State, and produces ultra-premium wines that reflect the terroir.

With soft oak and rose petal on the nose, L’Ecole N° 41’s Merlot exhibits the perfect balance of yin and yan when the masculine features like the full body, pronounced structure and layers of complex aromas are softened by notes of cinnamon, cocoa and elegant acidity. The finish of this wine is memorable with lingering of cherry and plum notes.

L’Ecole N° 41 2017 Merlot (SRP$25, a blend of 81% Merlot, 14% Cabernet Franc, 3%Malbec, 2% Petit Verdot)
Markham Vineyards’ founding father, Jean Laurent left the Bordeaux region of France in 1852 to join the Gold Rush in California, leading him a journey to establish one of the first wineries in Napa Valley. Nowadays, being one of the few 10% wineries which attain the dual Napa Green Certifications, Markham produces Merlot as their flagship wine in vineyards that focus on replenishing natural resources, improving air and water quality and protecting the ecosystems and wildlife habitats. The 2017 Sustainably Made Merlot has a silky mouthfeel to start and is accentuated with notes of Bing cherry, berry reserves, milky chocolate. Gradually, it overlays with baking spices, vanilla oak and subtle expresso. The wine unfolds increasing denser mouthfeel that has a long and intense finish.

Markham Vineyards 2017 Sustainably Made Merlot (SRP$20, a blend of 87% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petite Sirah, 1% Malbec)

Merlots, due to various misconceptions, are somehow mistaken as plain wines or wines without characteristics. I totally debunk these misconceptions as these Merlots I tried have everything I am looking for in not only a good wine but a food wine - the structure, complexity, warm spice notes, which is especially suited to pair a rich, meat-based noodle soup, a.k.a Chinese-style “army ramen”. “Army Ramen” or “Budae Jjigae” is originated in Korea when a wide variety and huge amount of protein like meat, eggs and cheese is added to a spicy noodle soup. When everything is cooked in and consumed directly from a wide saucepan, this is a feast that won’t let down a soldier’s appetite. For my Chinese-style Army Ramen, I simple cut out the hot soup base and use beef broth instead. Let’s see how easy you can cook this at home.
Chinese-style “army ramen” is a one-pot meal that is easy to prepare and is satisfying!

 
COOK CHINESE-STYLED ARMY RAMEN


Chinese-styled Army Ramen

Ingredients (one person serving)

·                     16 oz of beef broth or stock

·                     1 pack of instant noodle your choice

·                     1 thick slice cut of cooked pork belly or 4 slices of cooked bacon

·                     8 slices of ham, turkey or chicken cold cuts

·                     4 pork or beef pre-made potstickers 

·                     2 eggs

·                     Vegetable of your choice (e.g., mushrooms, cabbages, sweet corn, scallion) 

·                     Sesame oil (optional)

Instructions

1.       Pour beef broth or stock and the instant noodle seasoning pack into a wide saucepan. 

2.      Organize all the ingredients nicely in the saucepan and bring the noodle soup to boil.

3.      Put the noodle in the soup last until all the other ingredients are cooked if you prefer your noodle to be al-dente.

4.      Drizzle sesame oil over the cooked soup and enjoy it directly from the saucepan.



As you are sipping the Merlots and enjoying this massive “army ramen”, my advice to you is to focus on the gastronomical pleasure and forget about the calorie!

Check out which Merlots my #WinePW blogger friends are drinking to celebrate #MerlotMe:

16 comments:

  1. Oooo I love the thought of Merlot with ramen! Now I'm also thinking pairings with beef stock-based soups of all sorts. What a great idea!

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  2. Never heard of Army Ramen before, but now I want some! Your pairing reminds me of how versatile Merlot is, especially with the dishes we want to cook for fall. Thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. I learned this from the Korean cooking show. It's a lot of food at one time but very satisfying!

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  3. I wasn't familiar with Army Ramen before, but it rounds amazing. I can absolutely see some of the Merlots working beautifully with this hearty meal.

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    1. Give the ramen a try. I think it will work with other lighter reds too.

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  4. Like some of the others, that version of ramen is wow! Love ramen and you know I adore wine but I don’t usually pair them together. 🤔 maybe I’ll reconsider. I’d forgotten Markham was started by a french man, he left a Bordeaux grape mark!

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    1. I don't drink wine and eat soupy dishes at the same time before. But some nights I just want a bowl of noodle and drink a glass, may not be side by side but close enough to be considered as a pairing!

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  5. The wines sound delicious and I just want to curl up with a bottle and a pot of that ramen! It's so simple and you can adjust the ingredients to suit your tastes. I did actually picture myself on my couch eating out of a pot of soup...I'm wondering if a glass for the wine is optional then? LOL!

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    1. That's actually how I sipped my wine. But the saucepan for the ramen is big and I ate the noodle from the pan. The ramen is really an easy wholesome winter meal.

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  6. never heard of Army Ramen before. Sounds fantastic and glad the pairings worked so well!

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    1. I watched a lot of Korean mukbang - eating shows and found out this ramen. I dont make my ramen spicy. I think that helps pair it with a red.

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  7. Army ramen - a new comfort food! Sounds perfect for Merlot. BTW, I love your descriptive tasting note about the balance of yin and yan in the L'Ecole. Spot-on!

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    1. I visited L'Ecole in Walla Walla two years ago. Tasted a few of their wines during dinner, and I was so impressed that their wines were layered with complexity, soft, strong, robust and yet balanced - multi-dimensional - very yin/yan to me!

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  8. I wouldn't think to pair wine with Ramen(which I love), but I'm glad it worked. Great tasting notes on both wine Pinny! Cheers!

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    1. Thanks Martin. The good and versatile wines make pairings easy.

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