PEA RISOTTO WITH CHANTERELLES

Some dishes have this feel-good bonus and Pea Risotto With Chanterelles is certainly one of them. The moment when the creamy sauce with the intense pea flavour, the peas and the rice reach the mouth with the perfect consistency is a pure dream. Many people don’t dare to prepare risotto because they think it’s too much effort. In the end, what counts in making risotto is the right preparation.

The Pea Risotto gets a very intense taste from fresh pea pods. If there are no fresh peas, frozen peas can of course be used. For the intense colour and flavour, the pea pods are placed in the juicer after the peas have been released. The green pea juice is later added to the risotto. The result is a risotto that puts its ingredients in the foreground. Sugar peas can be juiced without fresh pea pods, which are actually available all year round.

Wine accompaniment from winery Künstler Hochheim Hölle Riesling Trocken 2014 VDP Grosses Gewächs

For Pea Risotto with Chanterelles, a wine with sufficient acidity is recommended. The creaminess of the risotto and the added parmesan, which has a pleasant salinity, make the risotto need a counterpart. For me, Riesling has exactly the right acidity and, with the right choice, complexity to support the dish without cutting it out.

Rheingau Wine Region

Winery Künstler is situated in the beautiful Rheingau. The Rheingau region stretches from Wicker/Flörsheim am Main to Lorchhausen am Rhein. The heights of the Taunus provide a light shelter from strong winds. The Rhine in particular has an influence on the region. On the one hand, the water surface reflects the sun’s rays and also serves as a heat reservoir. Accordingly, the winters are somewhat milder and the summers can partly almost Mediterranean climate. Accordingly, the grapes have the best conditions to ripen perfectly due to moderate temperatures. The wine-growing region Rheingau has approx. 3000 ha of vineyards of which approx. 84% are planted with Riesling.

Winery Künstler in the Rheingau

Weingut Künstler is located in Hochheim am Main. Since 1648 the winery has been owned by the Künstler family, although the winery has only been located in the Rheingau since the end of the Second World War. Before that the home was near Vienna in Austria. After the expropriation they moved to the Rheingau, where the family business was rebuilt. Gunter Künstler is the owner and manager of the winery and stands for high quality. The grapes are harvested selectively, mainly by hand, as late as possible and then gently pressed. Slow fermentation either in stainless steel tanks or in large classic wooden barrels produces wines of high quality and with storage potential. Since 1994 Weingut has been part of the “Verband der Deutschen Prädikatswinzer (VDP)”.

Künstler Hochheim Hölle Riesling Trocken 2014 VDP Grosses Gewächs

First, perhaps we should clarify what “Hölle” stands for? Not, as it suggests, for purgatory, which would also be an insult to this wine. “Hölle” is derived from the Middle High German word “Halde(a) = steep mountain”. The location lies on a steep mountain, which certainly explains the name. This is a southern location with a gradient of 15 percent, which stretches east of the Hochheim old town to the Main. Besides the location, the terroir has a special influence on the wine. Soil of clay marl consisting of finest clay particles and lime provide for a wonderful, mineral note in the wine. At a young age the wines are still somewhat closed, but with age the complexity becomes apparent.

In the nose notes of apricot, pineapple, some white flowers and a slight minerality. On the palate, the notes can be found, along with a juiciness and fantastic acidity, whereby the wine does not become too broad in the mouth. The taste remains long after the last sip. Riesling must taste like this. This Riesling goes especially well with the Pea Risotto with the Chanterelles. Peas can make a dish too sweet, the acidity in the wine supports the taste and enhances the aromas. The chanterelles with their light earthiness provide additional tension. Whoever combines this dish with meat, like the beef fillet in the picture, needs a wine that supports without being too dominant.