Stuffed Portuguese Peppers and an the Arinto Grape

This month the Wine Pairing Weekend writers are diving into pairings with grapes varieties that are new to us. This is a relatively easy challenge as I am a novice in grape varietals. The varietal I chose is found in Portugal, and I am serving these Portugal-type stuffed peppers as my pairing.

To make them more "Portuguese" I added chouriço to the dish.  This is a sausage that is a lot like chorizo but has significantly less paprika and more garlic and black pepper.  You will notice the difference.  We are eating fewer carbohydrates these days, so we don't add rice to our mixture, but you will find more rice-stuffed peppers in Portugal, along with a splash of Portuguese wine.

I chose to serve this delicious dish with Marques de Borba Colheita Branco which is a white blend mostly consisting of the Arinto grape, which is the new-to-me grape I chose to explore.  Arinto is an indigenous grape to Portugal.  The flavor profile is grapefruit, lemon, and hazelnut. It is a dry white that is medium-bodied. It goes well with spicy food and seafood.

Our peppers were a bit spicy due to the sausage, but oh so delicious with the wine.  The Colheita Branco cut through the spicy, fatty meats and allowed the sweetness of the red and yellow pepper shine.  It did not add a lot to the green pepper, but it still mellowed out the spice.  The wine has a naturally high acidity which adds a nice contrast to the heat of the dish.

Check out these other beautiful new-to-me grapes from other WinePW writers:

• 2 Organic Red Sparklers: In 2023, Check Out These New-to-US-Wines from Italy’s Cantina de Frignano by Wine Predator...Gwendolyn Alley
• 2019 Palazzo Tronconi 'Fregellae' + Cicchetti by ENOFYLZ Wine Blog
• A Little-Cultivated Sicilian Grape Along with a Perennial Favorite - Polpette al Forno by Culinary Cam
• A New Greek Wine with Tzatziki Dip by Cooking Chat
• A New Varietal for a New Year by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Mushroom Polenta and a Vin Rouge with Native Grapes by My Full Wine Glass
• Sparkling Vernaccia Nera from Le Marche - An Exciting Discovery by Avvinare
• Stuffed Portuguese Peppers and an the Arinto Grape by Our Good Life