We love a wine review here at Yeah Lifestyle, but when it comes to thinking up a different recipe to accompany it, it can sometimes be tricky. White white is always a nice one though, as I tend to be more familiar with red so this way I am pushed out of my comfort zone when it comes to creating or in some cases re-creating a dish that will lend itself well to the wine.
When it comes to white wine my food thoughts are drawn towards creamy pasta. This bottle of Chardonnay, Le Prestige 2019 from Les Collines du Bourdic is described as having a buttery taste with accents of citrus and soft fruits hence perfect for my choice of pasta dish.
The vineyard recommends it be accompanied by veal (in true French form), however, I am more drawn to vegetarian dishes when it comes to white wine, so today I will be showing you how to make a cheats creamy pesto pasta, with lots of finely grated parmesan with a mixed leaf side salad. Mine will also include a few leaves from my garden!
What I thought of the wine and our creamy pesto pasta
The pasta is a gorgeous and easy dish to make and so quick it’s the perfect evening meal when you don’t want the fuss of cooking but still want something fresh, and homemade. This kind of meal makes it seem pointed to have a takeaway as you can make this quicker than you could get food delivered and it is pretty much all done in two pans, one for the pasta and the other the sauce. Finally to finish is a side salad, to break up some of the creaminess of the pasta.
The wine is in my opinion this is not a typically flavoured Chardonnay as it’s very sweet, although some experts may disagree as Chardonnay grapes can also be on the more delicate side, like Le Prestige. It has a smooth and creamy texture, and tastes like butter, combined with a sweet citrus edge. It is recommended that this be eaten with veal and I think maybe this is accurate in the sense that its sweetness would be able to hold the strong flavours from veal and would draw this out, however, this is also why it works well with our dish, as the parmesan has a particularly strong flavour, which is a great accompaniment to this wine.
I would also say this wine is great on a cold and crisp sunny day and could be easily quaffed without any meal accompaniment. But I would say that you should be sure to pair it properly with the right dish, as I think otherwise the sweetness would overpower the enjoyment of it. This wine would also work well with a heavy desert and this is how my dad and step mum thought it would be best enjoyed, although of course it goes perfectly with the recipe you can make at home below, once you’ve bought your very own bottle of Le Prestige
Recipe
Creamy Pesto Pasta – ready in around 15 min (this makes a generous portion for two people (increase accordingly for more people)
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp of salted butter
- 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups of milk (around 300ml) of milk – I prefer to use whole milk but this would work well with skimmed or semi-skimmed (I have not tried it with a plant-based milk but I would think it would work well with a coconut or almond milk)
- 1 tbsp of ready-made shop-bought pesto (I buy mine in Lidl but you go with your favourite or make your own if you like)
- 1 cup (however, you can really add as much or as little as you like) of grated parmesan
- 300g of your favourite pasta – but I always think linguini is a good one – or just spaghetti if you can’t get hold of it – but if you don’t have these just whatever pasta you have in.
- A good pinch of pepper to taste
- A little pinch of salt (note you probably won’t need much salt as it’s in the butter, pesto and cheese)
Side Salad
A handful of mixed salad leaves and some rocket or another peppery salad leaf (add more handfuls depending on the number of people)
3 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp of dijon mustard
A pinch of salt and pepper
Method
Add the leaves to a bowl
Then add around a tablespoon to each handful of salad and give it a good mix, and there you have it.
Where can you buy your bottle of Le Prestige?
You can get it here at Vivino.
How much is a bottle?
It is currently priced at £6.16 – which I think for the quality and drinkability of this wine is a fabulous price.
About Les Collines du Bourdic
The collective of winemakers present today have been at Les Collines du Bourdicsince 1995, this means that the wine made here gets the knowledge and experience of many skilful vignobles, which means that if will have a truly refined taste. However, this particular vineyard started the collective style manufacturing process back in 1928.
What is more is Les Collines du Bourdic has been a vineyard since the 1600 and over the years has housed many winemakers on its lands. This shows you its strong heritage it has. The grapes that are growing here have been doing so on this land for centuries.
Les Collines du Bourdic grow Chardonnay, Roussanne, Muscat, ou encore Syrah, Marselan, Carignan. The variety is vast just as is the territory where the grapes are grown. Allowing for this variety in flavour once the wine gets to the bottling stage.
Situated in North of Nîmes, so slightly inland and not particularly close to the sea, means that the soil is different from the wines that are situated in this area but more towards Montpellier, Béziers, and Axe en Provence, which will ensure their unique flavours. You can read more about them here.
By: Lex Ward
You may also want to read this:
Recipe and Wine Review: Eve Maison Ventenac and Pan-fried Chicken with Wine Jus
Wine and Recipe Pairing: Beef Casserole with White Wine Jus and Le Conquérant 2017
Cuvée Balthazar Syrah 2019 Wine Review with Perfect Summer Salad Recipe
*We were sent the wine in return for a feature. All opinions are our own. Readers should consume alcohol responsibly, in accordance with applicable laws, and only if they are of legal drinking age in their jurisdiction.
14 comments
How pretty is that pasta dish? Looks super yummy to,o, love pesto pasta! 🙂 A good choice of wine to enjoy alongside too – though have to admit I don’t come up for air when diving into a bowl of delicious pasta! 🙂
Hope you do give this dish a try
We do enjoy trying new pasta dishes. Pasta is one of our favourite foods. I like the twist to make the dish creamy, always nice to try tweaking pesto and other recipes. Perfect with a glass of wine too!
Absolutely, sometimes its nice to have a meat-less meal and still celebrate
Creamy pesto pasta sounds great, I love a good fresh pasta dish. And although I’m not a wine drinker myself it’s great to have pairings chosen for you x
Thank you, you can eat the pasta dish on its own as well without the wine
We all love pasta in our house , it’s a family favourite and have it at least once a week. Wine and pasta for the adults is a great duo
It is indeed and kids can enjoy this pasta dish as well
I love a good food pairing, I’m not very good at it but it really makes a meal special.
It does, drinking the right wine with the right meal is so important
Now that paste dish sounds like it would be right up my street. I have to admit I know nothing about wine pairings so it is always interesting to see what is suggested.
So glad you said that, we love sharing our ideas when it comes to wine pairing and recipes
I love your tip about using the white sauce as a creamy base as we don’t tend to have cream in either. The pasta looks delicious!
Thank you, I agree, we always have milk but not cream in my house