Smoke. Fumé. Humo. Rauchen. Deatach. Ysmygu. We’re surrounded by smoke in my neck of the woods from two separate fires. It’s all we’ve talked about at work this week. It’s at the forefront of our thoughts, as our lungs won’t allow us to forget.

Since playing with words is one of my pastimes, and wine is my passion, it’s no surprise that the constant swirling of my atmosphere made me think of Fumé Blanc.

Robert Mondavi invented the term for his Sauvignon Blanc styled after the Pouilly-Fumé wine of the Loire Valley. Choosing the new moniker helped to differentiate his drier style from the sweeter Sauvignon Blancs of the late 1960s. And the rest, as you well know, is history.

I landed on Murphy-Goode’s The Fumé. It was staring out at me from the shelf in quite an alluring fashion. I then read the label’s pairing suggestions and decided that coconut prawns would be the correct choice of cuisine.

It was a delightful decision. The tropical notes of mango in the wine married nicely to the coconut batter of the prawns. The creaminess of the Fumé went hand-in-hand with the richness of the shrimp, and the sprinkling of lime that the dish received after cooking brought out key lime pie characteristics in the glass. Smoky, silky, with hints of melon — to sum up the wine succinctly, well, it was yummy, and it made for a damn good(e) dinner.

Coconut Prawns

Organic canola oil for frying
1/4 cup Kinnikinnick gluten-free bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
drizzle of sriracha
1 lime
1 cup shredded coconut
2 egg whites
1 pound prawns, deveined and peeled

Heat two inches of oil over medium high heat.
Combine bread crumbs with coconut and mix thoroughly.
Salt prawns. Add sriracha and mix until coated.
Lightly beat the egg whites. Dip prawns in the egg, coat with the coconut mixture, and drop into the hot oil.
Flip prawns over when the batter has turned a dark, golden brown.
Serve with lime wedges and the ever-so-awesome Murphy-Goode The Fumé.