Summer is a time for whites and rosé wines, enjoyed outside and definitely served cold. We’ve had an amazing summer full of sunshine in the Pacific Northwest, but as the temperatures cool down and the leaves start to fall, we’re craving big, bold reds to cozy up to. This area is full of great wineries producing some unique and delicious wines, made locally with grapes grown in the Puget Sound AVA, and some with grapes grown in Eastern Washington.
When people think of fall, many think of comfort foods and wines that can pair with them. We’re making that easy by sharing a favorite recipe and a local wine to go with it.
Eagle Harbor Wine Co. is a winery that makes some of the biggest, boldest red wines on Bainbridge Island. It’s known for age-worthy red wines that aren’t rushed to bottle, instead leaving them a few extra years in the barrel. The wines are also made with such quality and care that most of them can lay down in the cellar and will taste great years later.
Try this Braised Red Wine Pot Roast with a glass of Eagle Harbor’s 2017 Raptor. This wine is a delicious blend of 60 percent merlot and 40 percent cabernet sauvignon. It’s also great in the pot roast (the better the wine, the better the pot roast flavors).
Each component of the wine was fermented in stainless steel and inoculated with a Bordeaux strain of yeast. The cabernet sauvignon is from two different vineyards, Dwelley Vineyard in Walla Walla and Kiona Vineyards in Red Mountain (Benton City, Washington). The merlot was sourced from two different Walla Walla vineyards as well, Dwelley and Aria, plus a barrel from Bacchus Vineyard in the Columbia Valley. Each of these wines were aged in new French oak barrels for an average of 32 months.
Order online at eagleharbor.wine or grab a bottle at either one of Eagle Harbor’s Bainbridge Island tasting rooms.
Braised Red Wine Pot Roast
Ingredients:
- 3-4 pounds chuck roast
- Kosher salt
- Cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat or butter
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced to half inch
- 2 celery stalks, diced to half inch
- 1 large onion, diced to half inch
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- 2-3 cups dry red wine (like Eagle Harbor’s Raptor), divided
- 1 1/2 cups beef broth, divided
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons butter (cold)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 275 F. Pat the chuck roast dry with paper towels or a cotton kitchen towel. Truss the roast by tying pieces of cotton twine at 2- to 3-inch intervals along its length. Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt and pepper, patting down the seasoning into the flesh.
Heat a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the bacon fat and heat until it shimmers. Place the roast in the Dutch oven and sear until golden brown and crisp, 4-5 minutes per side. You may need to use a pair of long tongs to hold up the roast on the shorter edges. Transfer the seared roast to plate and set aside.
Add the carrots, celery and onion to the Dutch oven and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft, 6-7 minutes. Add the garlic, stir into the mirepoix and sauté another minute or two until the garlic is fragrant.
Add 1 cup of red wine to the pan to deglaze. Stir continuously, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine stops bubbling, then turn off the burner heat.
Using tongs, place the roast back into the Dutch oven and nestle into the vegetables and braising liquid. Pour 1 cup of beef broth and the balsamic vinegar into the braising liquid. Then add enough additional red wine so that half of the roast is submerged in braising liquid (I used an additional 1.5 cups; you may need more or less depending on the size of your roast). Place the herbs in the braising liquid.
Cover the pot and transfer to the oven. Braise for 3.5 to 5 hours, depending on the size of the roast. Start testing for doneness around the 3-hour mark if closer to 3 pounds, and the 4-hour mark if closer to 4 pounds. The roast is ready when you can insert a fork into the flesh and it shreds without resistance.
Remove the Dutch oven from the oven. Remove the pot roast with a pair of tongs and set aside onto a platter.
Place a mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the braising liquid and vegetables through the strainer. With the back of a wooden spoon, gently press on the vegetables and extract as much liquid (and flavor) as possible from them. Discard the braising vegetables. Skim off the fat.
Add the skimmed braising liquid to the Dutch oven and place on a burner over high heat. Add the remaining half cup of beef broth to the braising liquid. Bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add 2 tablespoons of cold butter to the jus and whisk until emulsified.
Cut the trussing twine with scissors, remove from the pot roast and discard the twine. Shred the pot roast into large chunks using two forks. Dress with the red wine juice and serve as desired. It’s excellent over buttery mashed potatoes.
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