Pinot Noir & Radicchio Risotto

Undewood Pinot Noir Risotto

Most risotto recipes include a bit of white wine to deglaze the pan with, but we found a risotto made with red wine and we love it. This recipe comes from the cookbook Bitter Honey, Recipes and Stories from the Island of Sardinia. They use a local red wine, but we made the recipe with Underwood Pinot Noir. With a small amount of prep work, this dish comes together easily. A perfect dish to share on Valentine’s Day or to help get you through the last of the cold winter months.

Undrewood Pinot Noir Rissotto

INGREDIENTS:

5 cups chicken stock

2 cups (500mL) Underwood Pinot Noir

10 tablespoons butter

1⁄2 head of large radicchio or 1 small entire head, finely sliced

pinch of sea salt

1 tablespoon sapa or an aged balsamic

2 small white onions, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 cups risotto rice

3oz Parmesan, grated, plus extra to serve

Underwood Pinot Noir Risotto

PREPARATION:

In a deep saucepan over low heat, mix together your stock and wine.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a separate saucepan. Reserve a handful of radicchio for decoration then fry the rest until it just wilts. Add a pinch of salt and the vinegar. Continue cooking for a minute or so and set aside.

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a deep saucepan and fry the onions and garlic gently, until soft and translucent. Add the rice and stir for a minute or so. Add a ladle of your wine and stock mixture and stir until it has been absorbed into the rice. Repeat the process, ladle by ladle, stirring after each addition until the rice absorbs the liquid.

The whole cooking process should take around 17–20 minutes. Once your rice is al dente and the liquid has mostly evaporated, set it aside for the ‘mantecatura’, or ‘creaming’.

With a wooden spoon, beat the rest of the butter with the grated Parmesan. Beat well for a minute or two, until a luscious creamy sauce is formed.

Finally, fold in your cooked radicchio and serve, topped with the reserved raw radicchio for decoration and an extra grating of Parmesan.

Get to know our newest vineyard – Crowe Hill

Union Wine Co. Crowe Vineyard

In the spring of 2021, Union Wine Company purchased Crowe Hill Vineyard which is located just outside of Sheridan, Oregon in the Van Duzer Corridor AVA within the famed Willamette Valley. The property has 207 acres with 95 acres of Pinot Noir planted in 2008 and 2009. In 2022 we planted an additional 30 acres of Pinot Noir.  

Union Wine Co. Crowe Hill Vineyard 

Most of the soils on this property are hazelair, suveer silty, and clay loam. When we acquired the property, the soil had been chemically treated and needed some TLC. To fix this, we stopped using chemical herbicides, invested in mechanical weeding and began using an organic fungicide program during the growing season.  Additionally, we’ve been employing a special formulation of microbes that break down hydrocarbons and are intended to repair the soil from past chemical herbicide use. Our goal is to create more diversity of cover crop species, enhance the vineyard’s biodiversity, and improve overall soil and ecosystem health.  

Our first harvest of Crowe Hill Vineyard grapes was the 2021 vintage. We have used fruit from this vineyard in several of our wines including Kings Ridge Pinot Noir, Underwood Pinot Noir and Underwood Rosé Bubbles. Over the next few years, we plan to add an additional 60 acres of grapes, along with bat boxes, owl boxes, raptor perches, and more, so stay tuned for more exciting projects! 

Union WIne Co. Crowe Hill

BLOOD ORANGE AMARETTO SPARKLER

Let’s drink some bubbles, but make it special. This simple cocktail adds dry curaçao and amaretto to Underwood The Bubbles and it tastes so good. Sparkler in glass optional, but recommended.

BLOOD ORANGE AMARETTO SPARKLER - Underwood The Bubbles

BLOOD ORANGE AMARETTO SPARKLER

1/2 oz amaretto
1/2 oz dry curaçao
Underwood The Bubbles
blood orange slices

Pour amaretto and curaçao into a flute and top with The Bubbles. Garnish with a blood orange slice.

BLOOD ORANGE AMARETTO SPARKLER - Underwood The Bubbles

Recipe and photos by Alyson Brown of @wildfolklore and author of The Flower Infused Cocktail.

WHITE MULLED WINE

This year we wanted to try something a little different for a warm holiday drink. We came up with a new spin on the classic mulled wine, which is typically made with red wine, and created a version using our Underwood Pinot Gris. It still has the same spices and gives you that warm comforting feeling. And, it’s perfect for welcoming Thanksgiving guests, cozying up in a snowy winter cabin, or putting in a to-go mug for your Christmas tree-hunting adventure. Cheers!

Underwood Pinot Gris White Mulled Wine

White Mulled Wine

1 bottle of Underwood Pinot Gris
1 cup cognac
6 figs, sliced and stem removed
2 pears, sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
1 lemon, sliced

Combine the wine, cognac, figs, pears, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and lemon in a saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer over low heat for 30 mins and up to 1 hour. Do not boil. Strain to remove solids and serve warm. Serve with a slice of fresh fig, cinnamon stick, and star anise.

Underwood Pinot Gris White Mulled Wine

Recipe and photos by Alyson Brown of @wildfolklore and author of The Flower Infused Cocktail.

The Bubbles Bloody Mary

While technically fall, this year October has felt much more like the tail end of summer. Here in the PNW, we have been having beautiful warm summer days. There are still plenty of tomatoes hanging ripe on the vines and if you’re lucky, you might even be able to find some local strawberries. With the change of seasons, too many tomatoes, and Halloween on our minds, we present The Bubbles Bloody Mary. We know it sounds crazy, wine instead of beer, but give it a try!

Underwood The Bubbles Bloody Mary

ROASTED STRAWBERRY BLOODY BUBBLY MARY

1 oz vodka
4 oz roasted strawberry bloody mary mix (recipe below)
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp celery salt
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tbsp sea salt
Underwood The Bubbles
celery sticks, strawberries, & cherry tomatoes for garnish

Mix paprika, celery salt, and sea salt together in a bowl. Rim glass with a lime wedge and dip into the salt mixture. Add remaining ingredients to a shaker and shake over ice until chilled. Pour into prepared glass and top with The Bubbles.
Garnish with celery sticks, fresh strawberries, and cherry tomatoes.

Underwood The Bubbles Strawberry Tomato Bloody Mary

Roasted Strawberry Bloody Mary Mix

1 pint of strawberries, hulled
4 ripe plum tomatoes, cut in half
2 stalks celery
1 clove of garlic
1 fresno pepper
1 banana pepper
1/2 red bell pepper
3 sprigs of parsley
juice from 1 lemon
juice from 1 lime

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place the strawberries, tomatoes, garlic, and peppers on the sheet and roast for 20 minutes. Flip and roast for 10 minutes more. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. Place all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve and discard the pulp.

Underwood The Bubbles Bloody Mary

Recipe and photos by Alyson Brown of @wildfolklore and author of The Flower Infused Cocktail.