Vegetarian Italian Fall Fare: Squash Focaccia Wins With Ettore’s Organic Mendocino Merlot #WinePW

Ettore’s Organic Mendocino Merlot

When we think red wine, we tend to think red meat. And when we think Italian food, we tend to think osso bucco, meaty ragus, pizza piled with pepperoni. While these may be obvious pairings, they are not the only ones– especially in the fall when there’s a rich abundance of fruits and vegetables that offer plenty of flavor and umami to pair with red wines like this herbal, mellow merlot from Mendocino’s organic Ettore.  Since Italian born Ettore Biraghi began his journey in wine in the European Alps in 2005, we wanted to reflect his heritage in our pairing with his Mendocino Merlot, but we also wanted to highlight vegetarian fall fare with a caprese salad, focaccia with squash or with olives and grapes, and eggplant with bruschetta. For dessert, we had a chocolate raspberry cake. 

Ettore’s Organic Mendocino Merlot

 

Vegetarian Menu for Merlot 

  • caprese salad with homegrown tomatoes
  • Sue’s homemade focaccia with squash on one side and with olives and grapes on the other (recipe below)
  • eggplant with bruschetta
  • chocolate raspberry cake

     

Ettore’s Organic Mendocino Merlot with Italian inspired vegetarian pairings

2019 Ettore Merlot “Zero” Mendocino

ABV: 14.2%
SRP: $35; sample for my review
Grapes: Merlot
Almost 5k bottles were made.

Following his wine making training Switzerland then around the world, Ettore Biraghi knew from his first visit to Mendocino in 2015 that he wanted to make organic, and low-intervention wines in this northern California region. In 2019, he established a vineyard and winery in Hopland to produce wines from the Sanel Valley. 

In 2020, Ettore released a full line of organic wines in America, and we look forward to sharing a chardonnay and a red blend. Read about Ettore Cabernet Sauvignon with unusual pairings here. Find out more about Ettore here.

This merlot is 100% estate grown in the Sanel Valley Vineyards near Hopland, the southernmost town in Mendocino County. The plots of 25 and 27 years old vines grow on mostly gravely, bench land loamy soils at an elevation 500-600 feet above sea level. 

Appearance:  Ruby to plum, fushia rim, very dense, a bit cloudy

Aroma: Cherry, eucalyptus, bell pepper, redwood, black current tea, rose petal, potpourri, iron rich minerals, 

Palate: Tart cherry, velvety tannins, nicely smooth, oxalis, very dry finish, well crafted, bright and fresh, 

Pairing: The wine responds well to the peppery arugula in our salad bringing out lovely sweetness in the tomato, and the fresh mozzarella brings everything together. The richness of the grilled eggplant and the fresh garlic in the bruschetta is a win-win for the wine. The squash foccacia is fantastic with the wine. The grape and olive foccacia is both savory and sweet and pairs very nicely with the smooth and fruity merlot, for the dinner guests that need a dessert this wine can carry through to a rich dark chocolate dessert, the rich chocolate and the raspberry highlighted the rich fruit in the wine. It would have even been better if we had roasted or grilled our figs before we included them on the plate.

Squash and/or Grape/Olive focaccia

Ingredients: Dough
  • 2/12 c all purpose flour
  • 1T yeast
  • 1 t sugar
  • 2 t salt
  • 1c warm water
  • 1/4 c olive oil
  • 1T fresh minced rosemary
Ingredients: Grape Topping 
  • 1/2 cup grapes halved
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives pitted and halved
  • 1/4 cup salt cured olives pitted and halved
  • 1T fresh minced rosemary
  • 1/4 c fresh grated parm
Ingredients: Squash topping
  • 2 lb winter squash peeled and sliced 1/4 inch
  • Toss with 1T olive oil, 1T fresh minced rosemary, salt and pepper to taste
  • Bake on a baking sheet in 350 oven for 20 min 
  • 8 oz fresh sliced mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup parm
  • 1t Moroccan spice
Directions 
 
1. In a large bowl whisk together flour, yeast, sugar and salt
2. Add warm water and olive oil
3. Knead dough untill soft and smooth about 8 to 10 min
4. Transfer to oiled bowl. Cover with a tea towel and let rise till doubled 1/2 to 1 hour.
5. Oil a 9×13 baking sheet punch down dough and place into baking sheet stretching into a rectangle to fit baking sheet. Cover and let rise 1/2 hour
6. Preheat oven to 400
7. Press dough to edges of the pan with finger tips to create dimples. Use finger tips to create dimples all over the dough
8. Brush with olive oil, place toppings and bake
 
For Squash 

Place fresh mozzarella and parm
Top with squash slices 
Sprinkle Moroccan seasoning
Bake 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown
 
For Grape/olive 

Layer all toppings, drizzle with olive oil
Bake 15 to 20 min or until golden brown

 

Ettore’s Organic Mendocino Merlot + chocolate raspberry cake with a side of fresh figs

 

For more merlot from ME go here to last year’s Merlot Day article.

For more merlot from the Wine Pairing Weekend Crew of Wine writers, check these out:

 

Saturday, October 14th join the #WinePW group along with host @Culinary_Cam to chat about Merlot pairings; read her invitation post here:. We start at 8 am Pacific on X (Formerly Twitter). Find the discussion prompts and times below (in Eastern time). See you there! 

  • 11:00 – Q1 Welcome to the #WinePW chat for October 2023! From where are you chatting? Introduce yourself and share a link to your blog. Use the #WinePW hashtag during our chat and, if you’re joining in live this morning, share a selfie if you like!
  • 11:05 – Q2 For this #WinePW event, we’re talking about food pairings with Merlot. Did you pick your wine first? Or the dish?
  • 11:10 – Q3 Tell us about the wine that you opened and poured for today. Is there anything noteworthy about its creation? What made you pick the wine that you did? Share a link to your tasting notes and photos, if you like. #WinePW
  • 11:20 – Q4 What food did you pair with your wine? Was this a challenging pairing? Share a link to your recipe and photos, if you like. #WinePW
  • 11:30 – Q5 Did you think the pairing was successful? Why or why not? If not, what would you pair with the wine a second time around? #WinePW
  • 11:35 – Q6 Let’s go back to talking about Merlot for a second. This wine fell out of favor when it was lambasted in a (terrible!) movie. Have you always been a Merlot fan? And, if not, are you a fan now?  #WinePW
  • 11:40 – Q7 And one more question about the wine you picked for the event: Did you pick a winery who follows organic, sustainable, or biodynamic practices? Is that a big draw for you when choosing a wine? Why or why not? #WinePW
  • 11:45– Just a shoutout of appreciation to some of the #WinePW bloggers who participated today: @Culinary_Cam @WendyKlik @SideHustleWino @linda_lbwcsw @ExplorWineGlass @tsteffes @Vignetocomm Thank you!
  • 11:50– Q8 Did you find any of the pairings inspiring today? If so, in what way? Will you try to track down any of the wines mentioned? Or try any of the dishes? Why or why not? #WinePW
  • 11:55 – Q9 Any last comments/questions? Share a thought, comment, or question! #WinePW
  • 12:00 p.m. Thanks for joining us for the #WinePW chat today! Next month we’ll be discussing heritage or traditional grape varieties with @LemieuxAndrea of The Quiky Cork. Stay tuned for more information. Cheers!

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