When we spoke to Kalala Organic Estate Winery and found out that their owner, Karnail Sidhu, won the inaugural viticulturist of the year award from the BC Grapegrowers’ Association in 2019 and that they have one of the largest icewine portfolios in BC, we immediately knew that we needed some recipes.
When we asked Kalala’s winemaker about recipes, they told us that they like to use icewine as a caramelizing agent with scallops and prawns… getting us in the mood for seafood.
Once we were on the hook, we prepared these two incredible recipes to incorporate icewine that you can pick up at Kalala Organic Estate Winery.
While you’re there, enter to win a $100 gift card to Kalala’s wine shop, which you can use to purchase wine that comes from certified-organic and vegan vineyards.
If you stay for a tasting, Kalala has a wonderful outdoor tasting area with a view of Okanagan Lake and you can even bring your dog and the estate is kid-friendly too.
Icewine tastings are by donation. Kalala Organic Estate Winery donates 100% of the $3/per sample icewine tasting proceeds (at month-end) to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which is close to Karnail as his eldest daughter has Type 1 Diabetes. In addition to this anything but icy initiative, proceeds generated at the winery are sent to the village of Kalala to fund schools as well as teachers' salaries, among many other wholesome causes that will warm your heart.
If you’re looking for something to do with a bottle of red icewine, try Kalala’s certified-organic Merlot Icewine with a pink-fleshed fish, such as salmon.
The grapes used in Kalala’s Icewine are grown at their home location vineyard in West Kelowna, including the Merlot Icewine. This area produces aromas and flavours of fresh, ripe strawberry, cherry and fig that give way to warmer notes of brown sugar and honey.
Ingredients
This one’s pretty simple. Use half a cup of icewine for every 12 ounces of fish.
Method
Begin by marinating the fillet, flesh-side down, for at least 30 minutes. The longer you marinate the fish, the better.
Sauté the fillet slowly on medium-low heat so that the juices don’t evaporate out of the fish.
When the flesh has started to change colour from sautéing, pour the remaining Merlot icewine into the saucepan and reduce the heat to low.
Now watch the red icewine thicken as the water evaporates away. Baste the fish regularly to add flavour and keep in moisture.
Remove the fish from the heat when the desired firmness is reached and serve it on a bed of puffy quinoa or rice.
This recipe feeds four to six and pairs perfectly with two of Kalala’s certified-organic icewines, the Riesling or the Chardonnay — giving you the chance to enjoy Icewine Lobster Linguine twice!
Whichever icewine you choose to cook with first, know that the elegant sweet flavour of Kalala’s certified-organic grapes will pair exceptionally well with the lobster and smoky bacon while it swims in the delightfully creamy sauce.
As this recipe also calls for 1/4 cup of Chardonnay table wine mixed into the sauce, so we recommend using Kalala’s smooth Dostana Chardonnay.
Ingredients
Method
Sauté the bacon in a large frying pan over medium to high heat until just crispy, for about five minutes. Add the shallots and butter and sauté for one to three minutes or until the shallots are tender. Add the 1/4 cup Dostana Chardonnay and stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream and simmer for one minute.
In a medium-sized pan, bring your choice of 2 cups of icewine to a boil. Remove from heat and add the lobster. Let stand for at least five minutes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente and strain. Return the pasta to the large pot. Add the cream sauce. Strain the lobster and add it to the pasta. Add the Parmesan and basil and toss. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve!
Kalala Organic Estate Winery is located at 3361 Glencoe Road.
While you’re there, ask about how this peaceful winery got its name from a legend told by the owner, Karnail’s grandparents, enjoy a tasting and before their contest closes, make sure you enter to win that $100 gift card to Kalala’s wine shop. They're going to be picking the winner of that gift card towards the end of 2020, so you've got plenty of time to enter and reenter. Good Luck! Kalala will contact you if you've won.
Lastly, when you post a photo of your creation to your Instagram, we want to see it. So please tag @kalalawines and @kelownanow while using the Okanagan's favourite hashtag: #kelownanow
Kalala Organic Estate Winery is a producer of wines made with organic grapes, located on the upper bench of West Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia, Canada. Kalala, meaning “Miracle Place”, is the symbol of our commitment to harmony with nature, organic viticulture practices, and our wines.
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