Of Fish and Wine, and Belize - Central America

Hi everyone, I just returned home from 5 sunny days of fun and fishing in the beautiful country of Belize. Our group…an eclectic collaboration of gentlemen to say the least (and also some very avid fishermen)…holed up at the Tranquility Bay Resort on the island of San Pedro. The resort is a little bit of paradise, remotely located on the very northern tip of the island nestled alongside the Caribbean Sea. It was a perfect spot for reef fishing, just parallel to the Belize Barrier Reef.

The first day was exciting, trolling mostly for barracuda, as our guide took us along the reef. However, we did venture outside the reef to battle the waves and that is where I landed my best catch of the trip! As with all great fish stories, this fish may grow overtime as I retell the tale of my battle to land it. But in truth, I guessed it to be about a 20-pound Grouper. The rest of the morning was successful as I also reeled in a number of Yellow Snappers, a couple of Jackfish and a good sized Barracuda.

Each night the kitchen staff would prepare the fish we caught that day for dinner. To find fresh seafood in Nebraska, like that which we were enjoying, isn’t common. As our group enjoyed the bounty of our catches, it got me to thinking about which JAV wines would match up well with the different fish we were enjoying. I let my imagination run a little wild to pair the different dishes we were having with our JAV wines…just for future reference. We ate a lot of Snapper on our adventure, most of which was gutted and grilled whole, while the remainder was quite delicious filleted. The meat was a tender, and flaky, white meat which I feel is a perfect pairing with our Game Bird White.

The Grouper we caught was equally delicious and prepared in a number of ways. My personal favorite was what they called the Caribbean Style. This cooking method features a fillet wrapped in tinfoil with spices, garlic, onions and tomatoes and then steamed. Once the tinfoil is pulled back, you have a wonderful dish full of flavor, without losing the taste of the fish. This dish had a little bit of a kick to it, so I thought it would be wonderful with our San Realto, or better yet with our Sangria in the summer.

Our freshly caught fillets were also served blackened. I’m not sure which varieties of spices were used to blacken the fish, but it had an incredible flavor and the kind of burn I personally enjoy. To really spice it up, a touch of Belize hot sauce added to the enjoyment of this dish. Our award winning Vignoles has just enough sweetness and flavor to enhance the spiciness of this style, making it what I believe a perfect match.

Finally, other fillets were prepared simply with the addition of garlic and then steamed. They were delicious and I believe would pair well with our Nebraska Red.

While in Belize, I also indulged in fish balls. Our hosts made these one evening from the Jackfish we caught. The fish was shredded and then breaded along with tomatoes, onions and peppers, then rolled into balls and deep-fat fried. When said and done, these tasty morsels looked a lot like a meatball. I enjoyed these very much, and think they would go wonderfully with our Horizon. These quickly became my personal favorite, until I came across Conch Fritters! Oh my…dipped in a combo of mustard sauces with a touch of hot Habanera sauce, it was like a little piece of heaven. Conch is a shellfish whose meat is white, tender and tasty. When served like a fritter, I would have loved to try it with our just released 2012 Brianna.

This is just a sampling of the fresh seafood I enjoyed; I won’t even get into the lobster, the Barracuda steaks or Conch soup. It was all very delicious and something I don’t eat on a daily basis. And, although I didn’t have any of the wines to actually pair with the different dishes while in Belize (though the Edelweiss did go nicely with the grilled Snapper), it was fun to come up with all the possibilities while on the sea trolling for the next big catch! That’s the beautiful thing about pairing food and wine. We can, and should, have fun in doing it. We don’t have to be very exotic when doing so; it can be done on a daily basis with our everyday selection of meals.

Hopefully this wasn’t a once-in-a lifetime experience, and next time I’ll try my hand at a little deep sea fishing (which was cancelled this trip because of the wind), and until then I can only use my imagination as to what pairs nicely with a Marlin or beautiful Wahoo.

Studies show that drinking wine in moderation can be part of an everyday healthy lifestyle. In a recent article by NBC Today contributor Joy Bauer, she writes, “Thanks to its alcohol content and non-alcoholic phytochemicals (natural occurring plant compounds), wine has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease. However, the amount of wine you drink matters tremendously. Drink more than what’s recommended, your health benefits are lost and your health risks go up.” For more on Ms. Bauer’s article go to: http://www.today.com/id/21478144/site/todayshow/ns/today-today_health/t/wine-good-you/

And, according to many studies, there are numerous health advantages in consuming fish. It’s commonly reported that fish is a high-protein, low-fat food that provides a range of health benefits. White-fleshed fish, in particular, is lower in fat than any other source of animal protein, and oily fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, or the "good" fats. So again, fish can be an important part of any diet. So why not get the best of both worlds!

I also had the opportunity to go scuba diving one afternoon. It’s not even possible to properly describe the incredible underwater world I was able to experience. However, I was once told that once you go below the surface when diving, you quickly become part of the ocean food chain! This reminds me of a great story I once heard… Two bears were sitting around a campfire, each holding a glass of wine. One bear says to the other, “No, I told you it was red with hunter, white with the fisherman!”


Drink Wine…Enjoy Life!