This is another quick meal with the whole meal, from cutting to serving, taking about 45 minutes. We decided to try something a little different and paired it with two separate wines, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir to see which worked the best. We chose these two wines because of their ability to pair well with food, and the characteristics of the foods. For the most part both wines worked fine. The Sauvignon Blanc was definitely the best overall, but the Pinot was incredible with the risotto. Another wine to try with this could have been a Gewurztraminer.

Main Course: Grilled Halibut with a spicy Mango sauce. This is a light white fish that makes a great palate for the sweetness of the mango and spiciness of the jalapeno. The Sauvignon Blanc was the winner with this one, matching the fruitiness of the mango and spiciness of the jalapeno beautifully. The Pinot, was ok with the main course, but the fruit and earthiness of the wine wasn't that compatible to the fruit in the dish.
Side: Mushroom Risotto - The mushrooms and creaminess of the rice worked beautifully with the Pinot to bring out some nice fruit in the wine. The earthiness in the wine and mushrooms were a very nice compliment. The Sauvignon Blanc was ok with the rice, but again, not stellar.
Side: Spicy Carrots with herbs: The spice, lemon and herbs in this one were definitely just made for the Sauvignon Blanc. The Pinot Noir was somewhat ok, but certainly not at its best. The herbs and spice were a little overpowering for this red wine and clashed a little with its earthiness.

Wine 1: 2005 Chalone Winery Pinot Noir, Monterey County: This is a medium bodied, earthy wine with good mushroom and fruit characteristics. Not overtly fruity, the wine has some great cherries and raspberry with cooking spice from the oak aging and a bit of tea. There was a lovely silky mouthfeel with some pretty decent acidity. It paired beautifully with the Risotto, ok with the halibut, and just so/so with the carrots.
Wine 2: 2006 Boeger Winery Sauvignon Blanc, El Dorado: This is a light, refreshing wine with great floral notes, nice tropical and citrus fruit and good spiciness. The wine is light on the palate with bright acidity balanced with the fruit to make this a good wine for food. It was this fruit and acidity that made it work beautifully with the spice and fruit of the mango sauce and didn't overpower the delicate Halibut. The almost sweet taste of the carrots with lemon and light herbs worked nicely with this wine as well. The Risotto was ok, but there was just a little disharmony in the flavors with the fruity and floral wine.