This post has been sponsored by Yarden Wines. The following message is intended for an audience 21+ and all opinions expressed are my own. Please enjoy responsibly.
Today we’re on the final post of our Israeli wine tour, courtesy of the Galil Mountain Winery, and today we’ll be pairing a 2016 Grenache with a jalapeno and fried egg burger topped with provolone and onions, to create the ultimate summer cheeseburger.
The Bottle – A Showcase
Today, we’re reviewing a 2016 Grenache from the Galil Mountain Winery located in Upper Galilee.
The Where – Galil Mountain Winery, Upper Galilee, Israel
As I touched on previously, Galilee is divided into three wine regions, Upper Galilee, Lower Galilee, and the Golan Heights. The Galil Mountain Winery was founded by the Golan Heights Winery in Upper Galilee, where elevations reach well over a thousand meters. Like the Golan Heights, the soils of Upper Galilee vary quite widely, but generally feature volcanic basalt, limestone, and free-draining gravels, coupled high elevations that guard against high local temperatures. These are the ingredients that come together in many of the world’s star wine regions. Comparisons to the Sierra Foothills of California are well warranted, while parallels could also be drawn to Burgundy and Santorini.
Aromatics and Tasting – The Review
The wine introduces itself with a semi-translucent light-ruby coloration, and opens with an aromatic profile that I’ll describe as dry and earthy off the top of the glass, perhaps a touch of cinnamon mixed with citrus rind or anise. The bouquet ripens deeper into the glass, think sliced black cherry dusted with dried oregano mixed with faint hints of tobacco leaf. On the palate, the wine is largely a characteristic Grenache experience, featuring a medium body and silky mouthfeel, with a muted red and black fruit flavor profile.
What To Eat – The Pairing
There’s a conventional wisdom when it comes to Grenache, and that’s to pair it with recipes that are “meaty” or “spicy.” Today, we’re taking that conventional wisdom and replacing the ‘or’ with an ‘and.’ Today’s burger is equal parts meat and spice, with the moist meatiness of the burger combining with the added fatty texture of the fried egg, which meld together deliciously with the spice of the jalapeno and the added ‘bite’ from freshly sliced red onion. This may not be a ‘quintessential’ Grenache pairing, but it is assuredly a delicious one that will be a crowd-pleaser like few others.
Other pairings might include herbed roasts or steaks. A rack of lamb scored and then stuffed with oregano, garlic, and basil would pair excellently, check out our recipe for Herbed Rack of Lamb as an example.
Spicy food also pairs excellently. Think spicy red sauces with hot sausages, Korean barbecue, Cajun barbecue, and curried chicken. Spicy stuffed peppers served as an appetizer would also pair deliciously.
The Occasions – When to Drink This
From the pairing notes, you can probably guess the occasions for drinking a bottle like this. First and foremost, enjoy this bottle before the summer is over, because to my mind there are very few bottles that pair quite as well with something like today’s recipe, especially when eaten outdoors or even seaside if you can.
This is also a great “Barbecue Bottle,” since Grenache truly does pair well with most roasts and steaks, or, as we prepared today, a good burger.
Ultimate Summer Cheese Burger
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 cheese burger 1x
Ingredients
- 1/4 lb. ground beef
- Sliced Provolone
- Crispy bacon slices
- Red onion - sliced very thin
- Tomato - sliced very thin
- Jalapeno - sliced very thin
- One egg - fried
- 1 tsp. butter
- Your favorite burger bun
Instructions
- Form the ground beef into a burger.
- Heat a cast iron frying pan with a tsp. of butter.
- Place the burger in the heated pan and let a nice char form on one side, this should take about 3 – 4 minutes. Flip the burger and cook on the other side to form a char, place one or two slices of cheese on the burger while the second side is cooking, and place a loose-fitting cover over the pan during the last minute or two of cooking so the cheese melts. This cook time should take about another 4 – 5 minutes or cooked until the desired doneness is achieved.
- Fry the egg and place on the top of your burger if desired.
- Toast the bun if desired and build your burger.
- Prep Time: 8 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
Have you Tried it? Have you tried today’s wine, or prepared today’s recipe? If so, we would love to hear from you! Give us a shout out on Instagram or Facebook with a picture of what you prepared, or let us know down below in the comments how it turned out! We can’t wait to hear from you!
Cheers!
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gloria Roa Baker says
this burger looks abslutely delicious !!! xo
angiesrecipes says
A juicy burger with bacon...that's double yum!
kumamonjeng says
Good wine and burger is such a wonderful match. Love how there is my favorite bacon in the burger too, looks super tempting especially pair it with wine.
DAVID J MYERS says
Catherine, Bacon makes everything better...even a good burger! This is my kind of burger...complete with the egg and jalapeno slices...skip the onions. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Kathleen Roberts says
Cheeseburgers and wine? This looks like the perfect pairing! I'm a sucker for cheeseburgers 😉
Alexandra Cook says
Oh wow, I am badly craving for burgers. This makes me drool over the pictures. I have to try making this.
Raia Todd says
Yes, yes, yes! So delicious! Love that egg on top. 🙂
Kalyan Panja says
This lovely looking wine sounds quite exotic to enjoy on the summer evenings with cheese burger to give company.
Colleen says
Who doesn't love a juicy cheeseburger, especially one that looks this good? And the wine pairing sounds wonderful.
Beth Pierce says
Such a great recipe for busy weeknights! Quick, easy and packed with flavor. Definitely making this again later this week!
Cookilicious says
I am drooling just looking at the pictures! Love it
Gloria says
Looks like a great bbq party recipe. Of course, wine is always a great pairing...with any dinner. I know my guests would enjoy this for sure.
Leslie says
How I love a good burger! This one looks just perfect. Never thought to have wine with my burger either! Must try!
Byron Thomas says
In what burger joint can I find one of these? Forget fast food, I want one of these burgers with the fried egg on top! (To be honest, I put fried egg on everything I can think of!) We have just purchased a country home and we are buying a new grill this weekend for the back deck. This burger recipe will be one of the first things I cook on that new grill. 🙂
Mahy says
Burgers and wine - does it get any better than this, right? Can't wait to try your recipe now - the images are amazing!
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I love an egg with a runny yolk on my burger! I also love the fresh sliced jalapenos as well. It would delicious and certainly a winner in the summer!
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli says
What a great pairing! We find that Grenache needs some bold flavors to shine and you've paired it with a meaty, spicy, succulent and fulfilling burger. Great job!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer says
Oh, that cheeseburger has my name all over it! I love a killer burger with a sunnyside up egg! Can't wait to try it!
Natalie says
Oh wow.. this looks and sound so delicious. My boys are such a big fan of burgers but I bet they will surprise with this recipe. The flavors sounds amazing. I can't wait to make them these.
Kelly Anthony says
Now this is my kind of a meal. A great wine paired with an amazing burger with all the right toppings.
Marisa F. Stewart says
We haven't tried Israeli wines but the Grenache looks yummy. We're having venison this weekend and I'll have to go to our favorite wine store and see if we can't find it. The sandwich you show with it looks delicious!! I love the sliced jalapeños peeking out of the top.
Kate says
I love a good runny egg on a burger! And the thinly sliced fresh jalapeno looks like it would add a nice bit of freshness too. Looks delicious!
Anne Murphy says
Now, that's a burger! So much piled on it!
Amanda Mason says
An Israeli wine tour sounds amazing!! And this burger is so simple, yet promises so much flavor! I'm so making this soon - especially the fried egg on top!
Michele says
Gorgeous photos! Loving everything about this burger. Would love to take a big bite and follow it with a perfect glass of wine!
Julie says
I'd never ever think to pair a cheeseburger with wine -- I'd always reach for a beer. But I love that you thought outside the box and definitely found something meaty and spicy to enjoy with it. Such a creative idea!
Sara says
Grenache is such a food friendly grape, and so vastly populated throughout the world! I've actually been dying to try Israeli wines for QUITE some time, so this is a great promo to get me started. Love your post!