Have you ever had a weekday overfull with work and errands? Of course you have. Those are the days it is tempting to grab dinner through a window and head home to the family. However, even those crazy days can offer a healthy and fast family dinner paired with a delicious wine while planning on the go.

Vermentino is one of my favorite white wine varieties. It has some similar qualities as Sauvignon Blanc but typically has more weight on the palate with a subtle bitterness and a slightly oily texture that creates a silky mouth-feel. I like Vermentino for its racy, mouth-puckering acidity, and its crushed stone, minerality quality. Vermentino is largely associated with Sardinia; however, it is grown in many warm, sunny Mediterranean spots in Italy (this one is from the Tuscan coast). It is also grown in the Provence, where it is known as Rolle and at times blended into the Provence rosés.

The Wine:

2014 Cecchi La Mora Vermentino Maremma Toscana Tuscany Italy ($19.99): Crafted of 90% Vermentino; clear, medium lemon in the glass; medium+ aromas of juicy lemons, lime zest, stone fruit, crushed stone, graphite, green vegetal notes, and fresh herbs; dry white wine with pronounced acidity, soft and elegant texture, medium- body, tart, mouth-puckering, long finish; a refreshing and delicious wine, perfect for spring.

Cecchi is part of the Terlato family of wines. More about Cecchi from Terlato:

The Cecchi family has been producing wine in the heart of Tuscany since 1893.  They own vineyards and produce wines from five iconic areas of Tuscany: Chianti Classico, Maremma, San Gimignano, Montepulciano and Montalcino. They also own a vineyard and produce wine from the Montefalco area of Umbria.  Today, the winery is operated by brothers Andrea and Cesare Cecchi, who took over from their parents, Anita and Luigi.  With a winemaking legacy of more than 100 years, Andrea and Cesare maintain the family’s traditional winemaking techniques while embracing innovative and modern styles of wine that are gaining popularity with today’s wine drinkers.

Mora means “horse” in Italian, a tribute to the cattle-herding cowboys that historically lived in the Maremma region.

The Food: Vermentino is a versatile white grape, typically high in acidity with lots of citrus notes. It would pair great with summer salads, poultry, seafood, shellfish, sushi, and pasta. But how will it pair with Thai cuisine?

My Choice: I have a confession to make. This was a very last minute, pull together pairing. This was the last meal I was preparing before heading back to Spain for a week of wining and dining in Catalonia. I was waiting for service at the AT&T store so I decided to search for dinner recipes on my phone so I could make a quick stop at Whole Foods on my way home. At this point I was not even thinking about wine. I tried Pinterest, nothing interesting. I then went to cookinglight.com, searched healthy recipes and within 3 minutes decided on Grilled Chicken Breasts with Satay Sauce and Cucumber, Carrot, and Orange Salad. The recipes were great because they were fast, easy, healthy, and I already had most of the ingredients at home.

The Results: Once I got home and started to prepare the meal I thought…wine? I searched my samples and came across one of my favorite white varietals, Vermentino. I knew the wine would be silky on the palate with racy acidity and bright citrus flavors. I was not sure how it would blend with Chicken and Satay sauce; however, I knew it would pair great with the salad. As suspected, it was spot on with the salad, bright, acidic, and refreshing. Much to my surprise it also paired well with the Chicken Satay. The acidity of the wine was almost too much for the peanut butter satay sauce; luckily, the creamy, almost oily texture of the wine and the weight of the wine was spot on with the silkiness of the peanut butter lead satay sauce. This was a close one but in the end it came together like it had been planned all week!

*Disclosure: This wine was provided as a media sample; all thoughts and opinions were my own.

My Song Selection: light, elegant, and lovely…wine, food, and song

Get your own bottle of La Mora Vermentino and let me know what song you pair with it. Cheers!