Hello Vino Blog

Credits: Mark on Flickr

Hello Everyone,

Did you know there is a mustard season in wine country?

From late January through March, mustard plants dot the vinyards, and the vibrant yellow colors inject some life into grey skies and sleeping vines.

The mustard plants actually help stimulate the soil and encorage the grapes to grow better in the summer. I guess mustard plants are the Rob Scnieder supporting character for grapes (You can do it). Kidding.

Look for mustard flowers placed along the rows between the grape vines, and you’ll see that they make the off-season landscape picturesque. Sometimes the yellow color really pops off the dank, foggy background and produces memorable scenery if you catch it on the right rainy day.

There is even a Mustard Festival in Napa you can check out: http://www.mustardfestival.org/

Since the ground is cultivated with mustard flowers, I thought…what wines pair well with mustard? There are many dishes that incoporate mustard, but here are few to think about:
Pork with Dijon mustard - Cotes du Rhone

Chicken with tart/creamy styled mustard dressing: a light, fruit forward Pinot NoirBeef with mustard sauce (like braised short ribs with Dijon): a Syrah/Shiraz with hints of pepper

Dishes with spicy mustard sauce (like pasta with sausage): a soft Merlot would be perfect.A Freshwater fish like Pike with mustard sauce - Mersault

Do you happen to have any pictures of vineyards, or favorite foods that involve mustard?

We’d love to see some pics and hear about your fave foods!

Cheers!

Jim from Hello Vino