>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following.

♪ ♪ >> ♪ No, take me home ♪ >> VGAN Chocolate.

Norwegian flavor.

Available in Walmart stores.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> I'm Liora, and I'm a sommelier.

>> And I'm Maya, and I'm also a sommelier.

>> And I'm Yolanda.

My expertise is food.

>> In every episode, we are going to travel to beautiful wine regions, selecting three wines that define each area.

>> And present them to local chefs, who will be challenged to prepare amazing dishes for those wines instead of the other way around.

>> Will the chefs succeed in making dishes that match the wines?

>> It all remains to be seen as we put... >> Wine first.

♪ >> We are in Indiana, home of lots of great food and also wines.

>> And this is where the first American commercial wine production happened, back in 1806.

>> It's historical grounds for wines in U.S., and I'm super-excited to find our bottles.

>> Well, girl... [ Clicks tongue ] ...let's get crackin'.

>> To find our wines this time around, we have traveled to the U.S. state of Indiana.

Wine has been produced here since the early days of European colonization in the 18th century, and we are about to discover the distinct qualities of these local wines as we search for the most unique bottles of the area.

Will chef Johnny Perez manage to cook some magic to the wines we find?

>> So, this winery is supposed to be a social melting pot.

>> And with a lot of good wines, I hope.

>> Also, I hear that there is a lot of proper Indiana food for us to try out.

>> Well, there's only one way to find out.

>> Let's go, girls.

>> Okay, boss.

>> The Country Heritage Winery and Vineyards gives true meaning to its name.

The farm has over 100 years of family heritage with generations of experience growing crops and nurturing grapes to produce wines for guests to enjoy.

Music, social gatherings, and fun experiences seem to attract tons of locals, and the wine seems to be at the center of it all.

We meet owners Jennifer and Jeremy, who have worked hard to create this inviting atmosphere.

>> Cheers!

>> Cheers!

>> Cheers!

>> Cheers!

>> How did you end up working with wine?

>> So, we're both from family farms and love wine, and I love growing the grapes to use it in the products.

>> We love to grow.

That is kind of our passion.

So we grew produce and things like that, and it led into grapes.

And we were selling to other people, and it just kind of expanded into wine.

This farm has been in our family for over 100 years.

>> Oh, 100 years?

>> Yes.

>> Oh, wow.

That's a long time.

>> Indiana has typically been corn and soybeans, especially in this area.

We're trying to bring grapes up here.

It's just more of our passion.

>> We wanted to bring another side of agriculture to this area that could bring community and family together.

This feels like home when you come in.

So that's the vibe we're trying to create.

>> I think that, from what we've seen so far, there are really people from all walks of life here.

>> Yes, there are.

It's a vacation without leaving.

>> Well, to us, it's just a vacation.

>> No, this is not vacation.

This is work.

This is hard work.

>> You're so strict.

>> Yeah, but we're gonna find three wines, right?

>> Yes.

>> And some ingredients.

>> And some ingredients.

>> Yes.

We have to challenge the chef, eh?

>> But we should get on to it.

>> We should get on to it.

>> Yes.

>> Let's go.

>> Time to find our first wine.

I join Jeremy to inspect the vineyards, and I'm treated to a very nice surprise.

>> After you.

>> Oh, this is nice!

You can see down through here.

>> Yes, you can.

>> A window.

>> So when you're picking, you can see right down to the grapes there.

>> During harvest, this machine vibrates and shakes the grapes off the vines.

It's a really efficient way to pick the berries.

>> It's got a beautiful view from up here, though.

>> It's gorgeous.

Now you can -- Oh, you can see all the way to the winery.

>> You can see all the way to the winery.

>> It was a fun and shaky ride over the vineyard.

Jeremy is also proud of all the other produce they have on their farm.

This looks delicious.

>> Yes, it does.

>> Strawberries, blackberries, blueberries.

Good blueberries.

>> Yes, we do.

We can try this first one out right here.

It's frontenac blanc.

It's grown right here behind us.

It's a fairly new grape.

We've only grown it here -- this will only be the third year it's actually been grown here.

So this is a very young grapevine that you're tasting also.

>> Oh!

What an acidity.

>> Yes.

>> It's got this tanginess.

It's got the citrus flavors.

And it's completely, completely bone-dry.

>> Yes.

>> Mmm!

>> It's got a nice, refreshing character to it, though.

>> Very much so.

Beautiful.

A little bit of that white stone fruit.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Flowery notes.

I can imagine this goes really well with pickle-bacon pizza, too.

>> [ Laughs ] I don't do pickles.

>> You don't do pickles?

>> I don't do pickles.

>> Pickles are the best.

>> Yeah.

I'm not American, I guess.

I don't do pickles.

[ Both laugh ] It's time to try the second one.

>> Yes.

So, what do we have here?

>> So, here, we have traminette, which is Indiana's grape.

>> Mmm!

>> So this is one grape that Indiana tries to pride itself on growing.

>> It's always that nice feeling, you know, on a Friday, you come home from work and then you hear that pop and you go like... [ Exhales deeply ] Ooh!

This is a very different nose.

This is a much more flowery nose, much more exotic fruit, like lychee.

>> Yes.

Traminette is one of those grapes.

Like I said, it's grown here.

Depending on the soil, the year, it can be very floral.

Sometimes, it's not.

Sometimes, it is.

>> The traminette was much better with the blueberries, I find.

To me, the frontenac blanc was -- had too much acidity to go with the blueberries.

But here, you have much more of those exotic berry and fruit flavors.

And I'm guessing that it's going to be really nice with the melon, as well.

>> I'm guessing it probably should be also.

>> Okay, you taste it and you tell me what you think first.

>> It definitely brings out more of that melon taste to it.

>> Yes.

But this was really nice.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> I have to make a choice.

>> You have to.

>> I have to.

It's a tough one.

>> Pressure's on.

>> Pressure's on.

I think I'm actually come to a conclusion already.

I'm an acid hound.

I love acidity in wine.

The refreshness -- or the freshness of the wine, the way you can just sit in the sun and enjoy the wine all by itself and combine it with lots of different food -- I think that's great.

So the frontenac blanc will be my choice.

Cheers for the frontenac blanc.

We have the first wine.

But what about the ingredient, Yolanda?

>> I discovered there are so, so many varieties of pickles, so I decided to try a few.

Mmm!

Dill pickles.

Let's see.

Very nice.

Then we have baby pickle.

Let's see.

A bit more -- a bit more tangy.

These were called sweet-chili pickles.

Mmm!

Oh, okay.

It gets quite hot.

Obviously, these are my favorite.

>> Yolanda made it easy.

The first ingredient will be pickles.

To find our next wine, Maya joins Jennifer on a stroll down to the lake to meet some exotic creatures of great importance to their surroundings.

>> These are my fish friends, and we like to feed them.

They really serve a purpose for being here.

The very colorful ones -- they're here for beauty and entertainment.

>> Yeah.

>> And then you see the long, gray ones over there that kind of look like they have four eyes?

They kind of come to the top.

See them?

Here he comes to the top.

They are here to eat the weeds in the pond so we don't have to use chemicals in the pond at all.

>> Yeah.

>> And then we can use the water from the pond to irrigate all of our landscaping and such as that, so... >> They are so beautiful.

>> I know.

And then you can just kind of crush up your cone into pieces and throw it out there.

They get very excited about the cone.

It's like a treat.

>> Okay, that's the favorite part.

>> Yeah, that's their treats.

>> I like cones, as well.

[ Laughs ] Ooh!

[ Both laugh ] >> While Maya is feeding her new fish friends, Yolanda is, as always, focused on her meat and challenge to a cook-off.

>> Are you up for the challenge?

>> I am.

>> Mm!

Let's see.

>> Alright.

♪ >> Smells good.

>> [ Laughs ] Okay.

>> Hmm.

We'll see who ends up with the best result.

For Maya, it's time to settle on the second wine.

>> So, the first wine we're going to taste is marquette.

So, this is a wine that we grow here on property, on-site.

It is a Minnesota hybrid, and it is made in a dry-red-wine style.

>> Oh, I'm looking forward to try it.

>> It has a big aroma on the nose.

>> Yes.

>> I feel a lot of dark fruits, like plums and blackberries.

>> It's very plum-y and blackberry.

>> And when I tasted it, I felt this, like, dark fruit.

I felt some spiciness and smokiness on the nose, as well, like almost like dry meat.

Is that also typical for the grape variety, would you say?

>> That is very typical for the grape variety.

We do have another wine that we made from marquette also in a completely different style that I'd like you to try.

We call this one Crimson Corsé.

So, this is a fortified wine with -- It's fortified with grape spirits.

>> Yeah.

>> But it is made from the same grape, marquette.

So it's a completely different style, but you'll see some notes of the similarity from the first wine we tried.

>> I think, on the nose, you can still feel the smokiness.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> It creates a present on the nose, and then, on the palate, you feel this, like, almost, like, raisin and dark chocolate and coffee, which normally comes out when it is fortified wines.

>> Yes, correct.

It's nice that the grape is versatile and you can make it in two different styles.

>> Yeah.

I actually think I'm going to go for the first wine we tasted, the dry marquette.

I never tried this grape variety.

>> It's one of my favorites, so... >> Okay, good.

So you are happy with my choice?

>> Yes, I am.

>> Okay, good.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

[ Glasses clink ] >> Yolanda and Chef Leonard have worked their magic, and it's time for Maya and I to decide who did the best job.

Lucky us.

>> So, we might or we might have not switched the dishes.

>> Mmm!

>> So... [ Imitates drumroll ] Let's go with Liora.

>> All the meat is very nice and juicy and very tender.

But there's something with this plate.

There's -- There are ingredients in that sauce that I really, really like.

>> So, to me, it's going to be two times that one.

>> Both was very juicy, but, also, the seasoning here.

And it was crispy, both of them, as well, on the outside.

I love that.

But I think I'm going to go for this one, as well.

>> Yay!

>> You won!

Congratulations!

>> Thank you very much, girls, for your verdict.

But I had to choose an ingredient.

And I will like to see if the chef can make it as juicy as you have done it.

So I'll take the chicken to the challenge.

Yeah?

Cheers.

>> With two wine-and-food combinations in the bag, we head downtown to the city center of Fort Wayne, where players from the TinCaps are waiting for us to teach us some tricks.

>> Nice to meet you.

Hello.

>> Nice to meet you.

>> Hi.

>> Alright, well, let's go try.

>> Yes.

>> Let's.

>> And then you're going to bring your arm up, and when your front foot hits, you're just going to throw it.

Oh, yeah.

Oh, yeah.

[ Laughter ] >> The wind-up.

>> Oh!

>> Oh, that was good.

So, then just lift that front foot.

>> Yay!

>> That was good.

>> Good work.

>> You need to get the technique right to make this game play.

>> Oh!

>> The true test is if you guys can swing the bat.

>> How do you hold this?

What is this?

>> Put your hand on the bottom.

>> Okay.

>> Alright.

Ooh!

It was close.

You're swinging for the fences.

Give it a little wiggle.

Get your body loose.

Ooh!

>> It's more difficult than expected.

[ Laughter ] >> Alright.

>> Oh!

>> I can run all the way now.

>> Get a nice athletic stance.

>> Yes.

That will be fine.

>> Nice in the knees.

[ Laughter ] Oh, yeah!

Whoa!

>> I'm not quite sure if we made the team, so we invited the guys for a glass of wine instead.

♪ >> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> I guess practice makes better.

[ Laughs ] It's time to see the professionals in action.

♪ [ Crowd cheering ] >> ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ [ Crowd cheering ] >> Whoo!

>> Wow!

What a game!

What a night!

Go, TinCaps!

[ Crowd cheering ] >> A new day with new flavors.

Yolanda joins Chef Leonard in the kitchen.

Time to find the last ingredient.

>> Show me this special pizza, please.

>> Okay.

>> Is that too much?

>> That's perfect.

That is perfect.

♪ It's supposed to be a dessert pizza.

>> Well, I'm very curious about this one.

>> So, we're using local apples, Granny Smith apples, and kind of makes it kind of unique to this area.

Alright, so, I guess we'll get these pizzas cooking now.

>> Oh!

I got the first one!

[ Laughs ] Okay.

Here comes the next one.

Yes!

Well, this is my third one.

Yay!

>> Excellent.

Excellent.

>> So, here, we have the pickle pizza with some bacon.

Barbecue chicken.

And apple pizza -- dessert.

Let's start with the first one.

I'm dying to try.

So, let's see.

Wonderful bite.

And then the acidity of the pickle -- it really balances out the sour cream.

>> You're right.

>> Beautiful.

Well, then, the sweet barbecue chicken pizza.

>> Correct.

>> Mmm!

A lot of layers of flavor.

Very good, as well.

Very good.

>> Nice little balance.

Thank you.

>> Finally, the dessert pizza.

But I saw that you put a little white sauce here on top.

What is it?

>> So, it's, like, an apple-cider cream, actually.

>> Well, a lot of apple.

Let's give it a try.

>> Try it.

>> Mm-hmm.

Oh, well, this has been a surprise.

>> Right?

>> Delicious.

And I'm not really a dessert person.

This is so good.

The dough is not sweet at all, so it balances out the sweetness on top.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Mmm!

I can still taste the acidity of the apple, and that balance it out.

Well, everything has been very interesting and actually quite delicious.

But you have put me in a pickle.

>> Okay.

[ Both laugh ] >> The first one -- very surprising for me.

Barbecue chicken -- a lot of sweetness there.

Not sure about it, but interesting, yeah?

>> Okay.

>> I'm really, really impressed about this dish.

And, obviously, the queen of this dish is the apple.

This -- ay-yi-yi!

I think I'm going to go with the apple.

>> Okay.

>> Thank you very much, Chef.

>> Glad you came by.

>> Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> Great.

We have our last ingredient.

Time to choose the final wine.

>> So, I promised you guys something special, and I'm here to deliver.

>> Mmm!

>> We have our cranberry wine.

>> Ah!

>> So, this wine is made with 100% pure cranberries.

>> It is anything different when you're producing the wine when you use cranberries instead of grapes?

>> So, we can't grow cranberries in our area, but we do source them.

Again, anything we can't get from our area, we check out their growing practices to make sure that it's up to our standards.

So, let me get you started.

>> Ooh!

Those aromas, huh?

>> Mmm!

>> Feel like I'm in the middle of a strawberry field.

The cranberries -- they don't really smell a lot in themselves, like grapes.

>> Yes.

>> Grapes don't really smell like anything.

>> Yeah.

And I already tried it, so on the palate -- [ Laughter ] On the palate, I find, actually, some oranges, as well.

>> It does.

>> Like a blood orange.

>> Yes.

>> Yeah.

>> Mmm!

>> Mmm!

Good surprise for us.

>> Very nice surprise.

>> Well, before you guys get your hearts set on that one, I have another one for you to try.

This is our la crescent wine.

It's also one we grow right here on our property, as well.

>> Tasting so many new grape varieties.

>> Yes, I know.

>> It's so -- so much fun.

>> This is also a new grape variety for me.

I never tried it.

>> Me too.

It does have a lot of that exotic-fruit aroma.

It's a little bit flowery, as well, I think.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Or floral.

>> Mmm!

Some nectarines in there.

>> Yeah.

I mean, it's like you say.

It has quite a lot of sweetness, but it has quite a fresh acidity to it, as well.

>> Very high acidity, yeah.

>> Ooh!

>> Hits you on the end.

>> I like that.

>> It's a lot of intensity in the taste, as well.

>> Yeah.

>> But very fruit-driven.

So, what do you think?

We have two good beverages.

>> It's almost a bit tart.

I like tart.

>> Yeah, me too.

>> Yeah.

>> I think we should go with this.

>> I think so, too.

I loved the cranberry, and it was really fun to taste, but -- I don't know -- I'm a grape girl.

>> Yeah.

>> Well, this is it.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> Thanks.

>> The wines are chosen, and it's time for the tasting ceremony.

Chef Johnny is ready for the challenge to pair dishes with each of our chosen wines.

>> Let's do it.

>> First up, the frontenac blanc with pickles as the ingredient.

>> Pickle.

Okay.

>> Yeah.

>> I knew it was gonna be a curveball.

I didn't know was gonna be that.

>> Pickle is such a traditional, let's say, ingredient around here.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And this is a lovely crispy, fresh wine, from what I hear.

I haven't tried it yet.

>> Of course you have a lot of acidity, and you don't want to overbalance the wine by any means, so... >> Hmm.

Johnny has a point.

But how will he avoid the overbalancing?

>> Right here, we've got some oysters we're going to fry up a little bit.

A little crispy on the outside, get some of that minerality I think will play nice with the wine.

>> Oysters and pickles?

>> Mm-hmm.

>> Are you sure?

>> I hope so.

You're making me doubt it now, but I think it will be good.

>> Well, that's my job.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> I already know that there are a few things that you don't really appreciate.

>> I know what you're talking about.

You're talking about pickles.

>> Yeah.

>> Yeah.

Three years ago, I would have said, "I'm not going to eat that," but I don't know.

We're going to see how he does.

I mean, maybe he can pull it off.

>> He combines tomatillo-ranch sauce with the oysters to bring a little fat to the meal and to balance out the acidity of the pickles in the escabeche, which also consists of oregano, bay leaf, and pickled carrot.

He grates some lime to top it off.

This is exciting.

I know that Jeremy hates pickles.

Will this change his mind?

And will the taste be too acidic with the wine?

>> It's got a dill taste to it.

I do not like dill.

>> First pickles and now also dill.

Now for the marquette and the ingredient Yolanda chose.

I chose the chicken.

>> It's better than pickle, at least, so that's good.

But I think we can figure something out.

But I need to marinate it to kind of boost some of the flavor, aromatics.

>> You're going to present me with a tender, juicy chicken?

Because I really don't like dry chicken.

>> Neither does my grandma, so I got to make sure to make you happy, too, so... >> Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

>> Chicken with the red wine.

Maybe if it's too dry, that would be really bad.

>> For the red wine, Johnny decides to make a proper Midwestern hearty dish.

He combines a savory bread pudding with grilled juicy chicken thighs marinated in achiote and garlic.

He cooks fried-chicken gravy as a sauce for the dish to give the meal a substantial quality towards the wine, yet not overpowering it.

Will the chicken hold its own against the power of the red wine?

Will the marinade be too strong and potentially kill the fine red wine?

>> This is a new experience for me.

>> Have you had anything like this before?

>> I have not.

I have not.

>> The aggressive taste, the aggressive smells even.

>> Is it good or bad?

I really don't know.

It's so difficult to read them.

The final wine-and-food combo is up -- la crescent and apple.

>> The only thing that I believe it could be a bit of a challenge is if the wine is too strong.

>> For sure.

But I think of, like, that wine and I think of the apples, so I always imagine, like, a charcuterie board.

We're going to make a sardine toast.

>> Honestly, first, I get a dessert pizza with apples on top, right?

And now I get sardines and apples?

You are a bit loony around here, and I love it, eh?

Don't get me wrong.

>> I always like seafood with whites and just some of that to bring out that complexity.

Any pasta sauces, like, that -- I just think the flavors would just -- It would kill it.

>> Johnny shocks Yolanda with some risky moves, as he combines rich, creamy sardine paste with chili and raw onions with pieces of apples and blue cheese.

Will the mix of all these flavors complement the taste of the wine or be too much?

Hmm.

Hard to read the reactions.

Too fishy?

Blue cheese, raw onions a good match with apples?

The three food-and-wine combinations have been tasted, and it's time for the final verdict.

Was Johnny successful in pairing off food with the wines?

We start off with Jeremy, who hates pickles.

>> I think she picked pickles just because she knew I didn't like pickles.

[ Laughter ] >> No, that was not my -- >> So I was very hesitant when I could smell it, originally.

But, to be honest, I think he pulled it off.

Like I said, I normally don't like the dill, but with that wine and that, I think it paired perfectly together.

>> Yeah, appreciate it.

>> Very good.

Very good.

>> Thanks.

>> A very good start, indeed.

Next up, Jennifer.

>> The dish was very savory.

The bread pudding -- I was surprised by that.

There was a little bit of sweetness to it, but then it had so much savory.

With the red wine, you typically think beef.

But with the chicken and the savoriness of the sauce, I think he pulled it off.

>> Feels great.

Thank you, guys.

Just like you said, usually maybe beef would have been an optimal pairing, but we tried to get some wisp of smoke in there with the grilled chicken, so feel good.

>> Toast.

>> Appreciate it.

>> Toast.

[ Laughs ] >> Another hit.

And now for the final dish -- apples and sardines?

>> You stepped up a level with the complexity of the dish to the complexity of the wine.

It really brought out the apple taste in the wine, which I typically don't even know as much.

When you paired it with the apple and the spice, it really -- The flavors complement each other quite well, I personally thought.

>> Sardines and apples are, for me, a no go, but you made it a go.

>> Okay.

>> And I actually think it was a great balance.

>> So, how have you been feeling about this whole session today?

Nervous?

Have you been excited?

>> Well, when you threw me, like, curveballs, like pickles and things like that, I was hoping to definitely not miss, but I think I got a little bit more confident as I put the dish together and was able to kind of see it come together.

But I was hoping to hopefully surprise you here and there.

I like to think of the cooking style is more whimsical, where it's not too serious, but just lay out some nice things throughout the plate to surprise you.

>> You surprised us.

>> You did.

>> Yeah.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers, Chef.

>> I'd say the combos were a success.

It's been a fun-filled, adventurous ride with dancing, great people, and adrenaline-pumping victories, and at the center of it all, wonderful Indiana wine.

♪ >> For more inspiration, visit us at winefirsttv.com.

>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following.

♪ ♪ >> ♪ No, take me home ♪ >> VGAN Chocolate.

Norwegian flavor.

Available in Walmart stores.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪