Play It Both Ways With Two Oceans Pinot Noir Says Justine Drake

Pairing wine with tuna can pose a conundrum because of its meaty texture and weight, says popular foodie Justine Drake. 

“The beauty of Pinot Noir, though is that it makes a great match for seafoods, white meat and red meats. It’s such an all-rounder, you can even serve it with dessert.”

She has devised a lightly seared tuna and gazpacho salsa recipe to pair perfectly with Two Oceans Pinot Noir 2012. What makes it even more appetising is that it is very quick and easy to prepare. It’s also healthy. Fresh in the mouth and beautifully balanced, this wine’s lovely strawberry, mulberry and cherry fruitiness is rounded off with soft spicy notes and work a treat with this dish.

Two Oceans Pinot Noir is widely available and retails for around R30 a bottle. Try this easy SASSI-approved recipe this summer by following the steps below.

SEARED TUNA WITH GAZPACHO SALSA

Ingredients

TUNA

Juice of 1 lemon

4 tuna fillets

Olive oil for brushing

Salt and pepper

GAZPACHO SALSA

½ cucumber, finely diced

1 beetroot, boiled and finely diced

250 g assorted baby tomatoes, quartered

1 to 2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped (optional)

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 red onion, finely diced

2 Tbsp (30 ml) Two Oceans Pinot Noir

Splash of tomato juice

½ tsp (3 ml) sugar

Salt and milled pepper

Method

Squeeze lemon juice over tuna, brush with a little oil and season with salt and milled pepper. Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Sear for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness and how rare you like your fish. Meanwhile toss salsa ingredients together and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve with brown and wild rice and top tuna with salsa.

Serves 4

TO DRINK: Two Oceans Pinot Noir

For more delicious seafood recipes paired with Two Oceans wines, visit www.twooceanswines.co.za or www.facebook.com/twooceanswines. For more information on WWF SASSI go to the website (www.wwf.org.za/sassi) or mobi site (wwfsassi.mobi).