On a cold but bright day we spent a day at Millésime Bio in Montpellier. Started in 1993 it has grown from just a few, keen organic wine producers to the huge three day event it is now. There are now about 400 tables (all of the same size) groaning with wine, organic and biodynamic wine.
And not a pair of sandals in sight…
We started with the one Savoie table, however with three good producers who work together to sell their wines (we see them at the summer market in our village in Haute Savoie, Le Chinaillon).
First we tasted the whites of Gilles Berlioz, enjoying his Chignin-Bergerons, such as the 2005: Warm berries and rounded fruits on the palate with a touch of hazelnuts; gently dry with plump acidity and a long finish.
Frederic Giachino Apremont 2008: Lovely long ripe fruit on the nose, crisp, dry with attractive length.
and Jacques Maillet’s Autrement whites and reds, such as his Roussette 2009: Herby and meaty (!) as well as fruit on the nose, this is a delicious dry white with good acidity, medium bodied and a long finish.
Keeping with Wink’s regional specialities we then visited the Jura producer Domaine de la Pinte, tasting their range of wines which included Vin Jaune 2002: Deeply walnutty, with fine fruit notes and not at all heavy. An infant (it was only bottled last year), it will grow into glorious maturity!
We’d only arrived at 11.30 having driven down from Uzès where we were staying with Amy and Matt at La Gramière, and it was now time for lunch where we were joined by Richard James and Louise Hurren, taking a well earned break from the Sud de France stand.
OOHHH we had a great day today visiting the vineyard and cellar at Sirromet Lifestyle winery, situated only 30 minutes SE of Brisbane, and 10 kms inland from Moreton Bay. They hold some great events here on a regular basis, the last one being on Australia Day when Ronan Keating and Tina Arena performed within the grounds. The next scheduled event features Tom Jones, towards the end of February. It’s a very civilized place to be. http://www.sirromet.com/
On arrival we had our customary coffee and carrot cake before a tour of the winery.
During the wine tasting session to follow, we were given eight different wines to try, which went down very well with our cheese and antipasto platter….WHAT?? Hey, somebody’s got to do it…it might as well be me …. Cheers everyone!
…hic…ooops, completely forgot to write Postcard 58/90 but managed to remember later in the day, after a little snooze.
Just got back from dinner at Northeast Kingdom. I’ve been there a few times for either dinner or drinks and each time has been wonderful. Really a diamond in the semi-polished rough.
Tonight was date night so we went whole hog. I have a weird fascination with Croatian and Hungarian wines, so I was excited to find a bottle of 2006 Plavac Mali from Dingač Pelješac. A slightly off-dry wine, we found flavors of raspberry and dark cherry.
To start off, we had a skewer of roasted lamb, onion and red pepper, served over braised French lentils. The lamb was tender and delicious but the portion was definitely too small to share.
As for entree we shared the Berkshire pork loin with beer and cheese soup and dressed greens. The pork was prepared perfectly and came with chopped sweet potatoes (or were they yams? I can never tell the difference). Dressing on the greens was super mustardy and salty. Mustard was nice, salt was a little much.
I think the beer and cheese soup was the most interesting thing. Definitely a take on French onion soup and definitely a departure from tradition. This soup featured crusty sourdough and kale in a broth of beer and basically raw onions, topped with cheddar and gruyere. I liked that the onions were unsweated; it gave a flavor intensity to match the kale. The beer flavor was pretty mild, I presume a light pilsner or something. Considering the cheese plate that featured 6 different artisanal domestic cheeses, I thought they could’ve done that better. Eh still pretty good. Oh and it came with cornbread. I’m pretty particular about my cornbread and I normally don’t like versions with pepper. This one had regular black pepper (as opposed to jalapeño) and I actually enjoyed it. Kudos.
We also ordered the “smoked and pickled,” which was speck and pickled vegetables but the waitress didn’t hear us or forgot us. Oh well.
…
Lastly, we came home and made hot toddies. Now whiskey doesn’t last very long in my house but I do have some tequila. So I combined regular black tea, cinnamon, ginger, sugar and a touch of lime juice with Sauza Hornitos reposada tequila. Mmmmm.
Just been sent a link to an San Francisco Chronicle article where a wine guru introduces us to art of “pairing wine with people”. In fact, it amounts to nothing more than a guide to how to pick a wine as a gift rather than “pairing”, but it’s an indication of how “matching” or “pairing” bonkers the wine community has gone.
The “with people” effort (sample: “steer clear of giving wine to anyone who you’re not certain drinks alcohol” – Oh, OK then) comes hot on the heels of the most recent attempt to “match” wine with music. It’s a trend that started with vaguely serious academic studies of how types of music could drive supermarket customers to specific countries or styles in the wine aisle, but has quickly degenerated into any excuse to bung out a press release by making up a few jokey “tasting notes” that might, at a stretch, describe a particular recording artist.
Posh London wine merchant Berry Bros & Rudd was the latest to fall into this particular publicity trap with a set of playlists compiled by its board members, but does it really amount to anything more than a list of their favourite tunes and wines, with the hope that they can flog a few of each in promotional tie-up with 7Digital? And is anyone really going to say “actually, I quite like Fleetwood Mac’s Go Your Own Way [I don't, by the way] so I’ll see if it really is enhanced by a bottle of Sheridan Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 ‘because it’s serious, intense but bright, with a vibrant, uplifting personality’.”
The one place I have seen this stuff work is at Cambridgeshire wine merchant Smiling Grape, largely because the laminated pictures of the matched cultural reference point lifted the place above the mundanity of most high street off-licences (best tasting note: the Sauvignon to go with early Pink Floyd – “lots of grass and acid”).
Maybe the wine crowd have been startled by a new generation of beer writer that’s started to queer their pitch on food matching and just got a bit carried away in the panic.
I can sense keyboard fingers drifting over the characters that spell out “lighten up”, but I say it’s time to call a stop, so we don’t have to find out where it all ends; descriptions of the perfect wine to go with your shoe size, bus stop and underwear are probably already at the draft stage.
Today we tasted a 2006 Riesling from Washington Hills. Growing up in the heart of Walla Walla wine country, I have had the pleasure of tasting many different Rieslings (both delicious and disheartening). While my love for all things Riesling made this experience memorable, the box truly is what sets it apart from the rest.
Boxed wine has been making a lot of noise in the wine industry lately, and for good reason. The bag inside and aptly designed pouring spout keep the wine fresh long after their corked counterparts.
Just think of all the amazing things a designer can do with an entire box to work with, not just the usual 4 x 5 inch label.
So, I think we are all in agreement that pasta is delicious and wine is delicious. Well, imagine having them together. Not just a glass with your pasta, but all in one, delicious, winey-carby bite? Yes, such a dream is possible with this Michael Chiarello recipe.
I don’t really have much else to say about it, except that this is delicious. The bitterness of the broccoli rabe goes so perfectly with the spicy zinfandel and red pepper flakes, and there’s garlic.
Red Wine Pasta with Broccoli Rabe Recipe by Michael Chiarello
Ingredients
1 3/4 pounds broccoli rabe, thick stems discarded – I used two big bunches from the farmers’ market, which seemed to be just the right amount.
1 pound spaghetti – I used linguini. Use a reasonably good brand here like Barilla or De Cecco. I think some of the cheaper brands wouldn’t hold up as well during the cooking process.
1 bottle red wine (750 ml – preferably Zinfandel) – I used a $4 bottle of “Old Moon” Zinfandel from Trader Joe’s, which worked just fine. A better quality wine would probably give it a richer flavor, but I liked how this one worked.
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes – I used this much, but next time I’ll halve it. It was just a bit too spicy.
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
Chop the broccoli rabe into 1 inch, bite size pieces. If your broccoli rabe has a lot of florets and is fairly thick and sturdy, you’ll want to blanch it in boiling water for a minute or two, then transfer to a colander to drain, reserving the liquid. Mine was leafy and a little more delicate, so I skipped the blanching phase.
Bring water to a boil (or bring the broccoli rabe water back up to a boil and cook the pasta for about 5 minutes. The pasta won’t be cooked at this point. Reserve one cup of the pasta water and drain in a colander.
In that same pot, add the wine and sugar and bring to a boil. Boil over high heat for about 2-3 minutes, until it starts to reduce. Add the pasta to the wine and continue to boil. Stir gently with tongs to ensure it doesn’t stick, and cook for about 6 minutes, until most of the liquid is absorbed and the pasta is al dente.
Meanwhile, warm a deep skillet or saute pan over low heat. Add the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes, stirring to ensure they don’t burn, and cook until garlic is pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe, salt, and pepper and stir together while keeping the skillet on low, about 1-2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water and simmer for another minute or so.
Pour the broccoli rabe mixture into the pot of pasta and wine, and toss together with thongs. Cook while stirring, about 2 minutes or until most of the liquid has boiled off. Remove from heat, season with freshly ground black pepper and drizzle with a bit of olive oil, if you like. Add the grated cheese and serve immediately.
Made from the Petit Manseng grape on a property that lies in the foothills of the Pyrenées, this is an utter delight that lingers long in the mouth. It’s waxy and honeyed, infused with spiced citrus fruit and a creamy underbelly, all driven along by brisk acidity. Totally delicious. Drink 2010 . (17 points) £11.35 (37.5cl) Great Western Wines, Somerset (01225 322 800)
Market at Shangri-La – Wonderful high-end westcoast meal without breaking the bank. Shhh…it’s still a local’s secret…
Sushi at Tsunami and Shabusen both put you in the heart of the shopping district in Vancouver. Tsunami has fresh sushi and a variety of other Japanese dishes. Shabusen is all you can eat sushi.
Pajo’s Fish & Chips – Just off the Steveston docks. Large portions, great fish and great prices
Beefy Beef Noodle – Tawainese savoury beef noodle soups are great for lunch, and very popular in Vancouver.
Dim Sum at Sun Sui Wah – It’s a busy place, but you can make a reservation.
Griffins – For kids and a great meal, Griffins’ has something for everyone. All India Sweets – Vegetarian buffet – Meat dishes also available.
Dinner at the Cannery – Off the beaten path but well worth it. This landmark Vancouver restaurant is losing its lease so be sure not to miss your last chance to take in the view.
Campagnolo – Italian cuisine with a charcuterie upstairs.
10. Kam’s Place – curries and Tom Yum soup dished up with friendly service and consistently delicious Singaporean food .
Yep – that’s my motto for 2010. Best wine glasses, fancy underwear, shots stateside that are 3 x as much as the overseas ones (no exaggeration, picked up three viles for $208 to get us through this cycle while 3 viles overseas runs about $60 – ouch!) My husband thought we should buy the goods from one of our friends who no longer needs her since she’s pregnant. I said “no one is to know, we agreed”. So in keeping with the motto, I’m drinking a glass of wine out of the good glasses and tonight I will have $208 dollars shot into my left ass check – cheers!
Don’t you just love it when you are dining 156 feet up in the air? Prepare for your biggest gastronomical event ever.
Brussels, 2008: Belgian entrepreneur David Ghysels lauched his “Dinner in the Sky”. His business plan soar simply overnight.
If you haven’t try wine while suspended in mid-air, you just don’t know how high the wine can take you. So go to http://www.dinnerinthesky.com/ and make a reservation today. For those who are acrophobia and can undergo vertigo; seat belt is provided.
Confession: I haven’t been feeling too well over the last couple of weeks. And by that, I mean I’ve been rather pissed and depressed most of the time. We all have different ways of coping with anger and depression, and I don’t much feel like I owe anybody to justify my actions, because well, at least I don’t binge eat or anything like that when I’m broody. Anyways.. Umm.. Long story short, I may have gone out on a whim and bought 12 bottles of fine Sicilian red wine as an impulsive purchase.. You might think that’s this is not something that you just get around to doing on impulse or by accident, but then.. Well, then you obviously don’t know me too well, as this is my second or third time around doing something like this.
As with most other stories in my life, it all started rather innocently with me looking for a host/hostess gift for a dinner I’ve been invited to at my colleague Torben’s on Saturday. Now, I know Torben likes beer, but I don’t know what his wife likes, though I reckoned chocolate was a pretty safe bet with most women.. And that’s where I got to thinking that hey, my go to wine guy stocks both quality beers and quality chocolates.. Why not pay him a visit and fix up a little gift bag for Saturday? Great idea!
And so I did, and things went well. I got a few nice Belgian beers, I got some quality chocolaty treats, I got them nicely wrapped in cellophane and I was actually pretty much on my way out the door as I bump into a huge stack of Sicilian red wine.. A very well known and tasty Sicilian red at an incredibly reduced price of DKK 100 per six bottles.. Which is about a sixth of what I initially used to pay for the same wine.. So, of course, I go “Huh?”
“Yeah,” Kresten, my go to wine guy remarks, “got tired of looking at all those bottles so now they’re going on sale.” – “Fantastic,” I counter, pointing at a case, “I may have to get me six of those” – “Well,” quoth Kresten, “those cases hold twelve bottles” – “In which case,” I pondered out loud, “I may have to get me twelve of those!” – “Yes, I rather think you had,” my old friend replied, “it’s a great opportunity to get twelve bottles of really good wine for just DKK 300!”
“Wait.. 300? Kresten, my friend, how exactly are you doing the math on this? If six bottles are DKK 100, then how come twelve are DKK 300? That seems like a pretty bad deal to me..” – My dear old friend spent the next five minutes going on a long apologetic rant about how it’d been a very long day, how he wasn’t quite there and how he other than that had no idea how he could produce such a mathematical blunder. I, actually having the upper hand in anything involving mathematics for a change, of course wasted no time in teasing and scolding him to the best of my abilities.. Though not so much that he wouldn’t still sell me the wine.
Speaking about selling and buying wine, the whole process involved somewhat of a logistical headache because how was I gonna get twelve bottles of wine home without the help of either Tina and her pretty, little car – or someone willing to carry their part of the load? Well, certainly not with my other purchases in hand.. That was for sure. Because twelve bottles of wine are heavy, I hear, and I kinda had my hands full with gifts and other stuff as well. The solution eventually turned out to involve taking my purchases home, grab a few heavy duty carrier bags, head back and exchange a few more words with my wine guy, purchase my twelve bottles of wine, stuff six in each bag and then head on back home again, this time packing some 45 pounds worth of quality wine.. Problem solved, and daily exercise taken care of as well!
I eventually arrived home panting and groaning a little as I’m definitely nowhere near being in the kinda shape I was in when I used to handle packages for a living. But of course the physical exercise part was just the beginning of my problems. Now I was faced with the challenge of where to stock my new purchases. You wouldn’t think it’d be too hard to find room for twelve bottles of wine, and really it’s not.. It only really becomes a problem when you’re trying to find room for twelve bottles of wine, plus the ones you’ve already stocked.. Which in my case includes twelve high quality bottles purchased over the years, currently chilling in my wine cooler.. Plus whatever is left from the last time I thought it a good idea to purchase twelve bottles of wine at once.. Plus a few bottles I’ve gotten as gifts.. And a magnum bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon.. Not to mention that bottles I’ve already co-located to Tina’s place in order to make room. Yes, I do realize I have somewhat of a problem, but that’s how I roll.
Well, I’m very happy to report that through some creative thinking and mucking about, I did manage to make room for my 30-odd bottles of wine, and they’re now all happily chilling under pretty good conditions just waiting to be drunk by someone like me. The obsession may seem weird and over the top to some, but hey, it makes me happy – and as I’ve come to discover today, being happy beats being sad or pissed..
Thrillist checks in with the website Cellar Thief, which combines the bargain-hunting of the web with high-class, expensive wines.
Every three days, Cellar Thief offers up three “legitimately classy” wines at super cheap prices, until the three sell out. It’s a good example of the liquor industry (in this case, wineries) adapting to the internet age.
Link: http://www.thrillist.com/nation/cellarthief
Cellar Thief — Cheap Vino, on the Semi-Daily
The Internets can score you deep discounts on everything from clothing to electronics, but how in the hell are cheap noise-isolating earbuds supposed to help you feel confident that eating multiple cheesesteaks while ordering the complete Clarissa Explains It All DVD collection at 3am is the right move? They can’t, but cut-rate wines from CellarThief sure can.
From a coterie with backgrounds in the fermented grape biz, Cellar offers a hand-picked selection of three legitimately classy vinos until the allotted time expires/they sell out, for the claimed “lowest prices on the web” thanks to their special relationships with the wineries, who keep promising to leave their wives, but obviously never will. Every three days at midnight (soon to become every weekday) three bottles go up, selected to match a certain niche/occasion/price range (#1=”special occasions”, #2’s priced to be an “everyday wine”, #3’s a “wild card”); along with a photo and price comparison, you get winery deets and recommended food pairings, plus a professional review and Cellar’s oeno-ignorant “translated” version, obviously accomplished with the help of Rosé-etta Stone. A recent day’s trio included a sub-$20 Italian Dolcetto they deemed a “big bomber” (“will almost make you go weak in the knees”) best suited for goudas, fish, or pestos; a “rich and tasty” Hildegard out of Santa Barbara to be paired with mushroom ravioli or Brie for $25 ($10 better than the competition); and a Tuscan Finisterre (half Alicante/half Syrah) going for $25 cheaper than anyone else, which goes best with “hefty, rich, and hedonistic foods you’ll be ashamed you ate in the morning” — too late, considering you already ate Gene Simmons last week.
If your quest for vino knowledge is utterly insatiable, there’s a blog with videos of the Cellar team doing stuff like interviewing some “legendary” winemakers and just drinking and talking about their latest favorites, like that episode where Ferguson thinks he’s a genius, and Clarissa exposes him by taking him on Brain Drain…man, she really does know it all!
Every time I pick out a Bordeaux, it seems like I get a dud. Econo Man and I will open the bottle, let it breathe a bit, pour it, taste it, look at each other, and say, “meh.” Don’t get me wrong, these wines are usually drinkable and pleasant enough, but they’re not memorable in the slightest and I usually wish I’d grabbed a Malbec or a Carmenere or a Côtes du Rhône instead. And yet, I keep trying, because one of the most magical wines I’ve ever had was a lovely Bordeaux at a French restaurant in Denver.
Here are some possible reasons I’ve contemplated for my Bordeaux difficulties.
1) My price range just isn’t high enough.
2) There are good and bad Bordeaux wines, and I don’t know which labels to look for.
3) The wines I’ve been tasting are actually excellent, but I am a philistine with an Americanized palate that can’t appreciate subtlety in wine.
Options 2 and 3 are plausible, but I refuse to believe there are no good Bordeauxs under $20. That magical wine from the restaurant in Denver was $11 at the store, darn it! (It’s the Chateau Saint-Sulpice Bordeaux, if anyone is curious.)
Here’s what I do know: I need to read the labels more carefully. The wines I don’t care for often have a large (20%+) dollop of Cabernet Franc in them and skimp on the Cabernet Sauvignon. I am sure some consumers would consider the wines I don’t like smooth and elegant, and I would never put forth my opinions about Bordeaux as any kind of gospel, but darn it, I want flavor and structure in my wine! If that makes me a philistine, so be it.
Does anyone have suggestions for good Bordeaux? Please?
IN THE SPIRIT OF SANTA CLAUS AND THE EASTER BUNNY, HERE’S ANOTHER MYTH BUSTER: THE MAP OF THE TONGUE IS WRONG!
Contrary to popular understanding, each area of the tongue is not exclusively responsible for one basic taste. The prevailing thought was, prior to 1974, that the tongue could be mapped into 4 (and later, 5) distinct sensations: sugary (tip of the tongue); salty (front sides); sour (back sides); and bitter (back). This was the result a scientific paper written in 1942 by psychology historian, Edwin G. Boring, who based his findings on a mistranslation of a paper by German scientist, D.P. Hanig, published in 1901.
The fact is that these taste qualities are detected on all surfaces of the tongue as well as the soft palate, the back of the throat, and the epiglottal flap that closes off the windpipe. In other words, anywhere there are taste buds. Specific sensitivity has been proven insignificant. So much for the makers of wine glasses that market their ‘map tongue’ influenced designs!
To read more about this fascinating subject, here are two links, one
Crack opened this bottle of bubbly with a friend and his family over dinner. Not a bad way to get rid of the Monday blues
Appearance: Nice fine bubbles with a light lemon hue.
Nose: Youthful, medium intensity filled with ripe apples and pears.
Palate/ Flavour: Mouthwatering acidity with strong notes of ripe citrus fruits and minerals, coupled with a medium finish on the palate. Subtle hot cross bun aftertaste.
Comments: Paired this with Korean BBQ pork and beef, along with various korean kimchi and side dishes. Excellent palate cleanser. Too bad there wasn’t enough to try it with the delicious vinegar and mustard paste infused korean cold black wheat noodles though.
Some US restaurateurs have elected to drop the corkage fees to attract customers in a climate that has restaurants competing for diners’ attention. This is one thing you can thank the recession for. It remains to be seen if South African restaurants follow this trend.
Diners, of course, are in favour of having the fees eliminated but for some restaurants losing the revenue from corkage can make a real difference in the bottom line and there is also the hope that the fee discourages some customers from the practice. These days restaurants need every last dollar they can get and selling alcohol is a big part of that.
This past weekend we held the first wine tasting event we ever held in January and it went very well. We invited people to catch a break from the bitter cold of the Winter by enjoying a FREE wine tasting event at Adirondack Winery! We were delighted at the turnout we had, especially on Saturday! Thanks to all who came!
For this event, we prepared four of our wines (two reds and two whites) with mulling spices in crock pots, which filled the winery with irresistable warm spice aromas. We also hand-made chocolate chip, sugar and gingersnap cookies to go along with the mulled wines and people seemed to really enjoy it.
Below is our mulled wines that we did w/ pairing suggestions…I’ve also posted the mulled wine recipes we borrowed because I thought people would enjoy having them.
Prepare for your friends one evening, or enjoy mulled wine by the fire after you’ve been skiing or sledding, etc….
Mulled Merlot
Paired with Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mulled Pinot Grigio
Paired with Sugar Spice Cookies
Mulled Zinfandel
Paired with Almonds and Raisins
Mulled Viognier
Paired with Gingersnaps
BROWN SUGAR MULLED RED WINE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
2 bottles dry Red Wine (Cab Sav, Zinfandel, Shiraz)
Peel of 1 orange
1 cinnamon stick, broken into halves
8 whole cloves
1 whole nutmeg
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
orange slices
DIRECTIONS:
Pour wine in slow cooker.
Wrap orange peel, cinnamon stick halves, cloves, and nutmeg in cheesecloth & add to slow cooker.
A Federal Appeals Court has ruled that the current law in Massachusetts limiting wine shipments directly to consumers from out of state is unconstitutional.
A Massachusetts law that sharply restricts out-of-state winemakers from shipping their products directly to consumers in the state is unconstitutional, a federal appeals court ruled.
Thursday’s decision by the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a lower court ruling could open the door for connoisseurs in Massachusetts to purchase more of their favorite wines online or by mail order from domestic producers.
The law, approved by the Legislature in 2006 over the veto of then-Gov. Mitt Romney, created a multi-tiered system in which wineries that produce more than 30,000 gallons a year must decide whether to sell retail in Massachusetts through an in-state wholesaler or apply for a license to ship wines directly to consumers. They cannot, however, do both.
The cap does not affect any of the nearly three dozen wineries based in Massachusetts, all of which are small and produce under the 30,000-gallon limit.
“We hold that (the law) violates the Commerce Clause because the effect of its particular gallonage cap is to change the competitive balance between in-state and out-of-state wineries in a way that benefits Massachusetts’s wineries and significantly burdens out-of-state competitors,” the appellate court wrote in its decision.
It seems to me this could have far-reaching effects in several states, as it isn’t much of a jump to go from this decision to any restrictions on wine shipments. There’s some confusion in the Constitution, the Commerce Clause and 14th amendment would make you lean towards agreeing that limiting interstate wine shipments is unconstitutional. On the other hand, the 21st amendment appears to give pretty broad power to the states, although the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Granholm vs Heald that power was not as broad as one might think, and did not override the Commerce Clause.
As a wine lover, I certainly hope this trend continues, and that the 15 states that ban direct shipments will soon have to reconsider their limits on our right to buy goods across state lines in the United States.
2007 Estate Bottled Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma
The Chalk Hill 2007 Sauvignon Blanc captures the exotic, vibrant and bright fruit character of their estate-grown grapes. The vineyard employs rigorous practices, including leafing and cluster thinning, to achieve deliciously ripe clusters. Sauvignon Gris (an heirloom varietal) is a special addition to the nine Sauvignon Blanc clones grown on the estate. Its ripe stone-fruit character along with weight and texture are a good match for the bright tropical and citrus character of the other Sauvignon Blanc clones. A combination of 30-45% skin contact in press along with 100% barrel fermentation and sur lie aging with batonnage adds depth, complexity and richness to the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc. Aromas of key lime pie, ripe green melon, white nectarine and pineapple echo its palate, round in texture yet refreshingly crisp. This wine was made through noninvasive winemaking practices, without exposure to air and bottled unfined and unfiltered to preserve the intricate aromas and flavors of the Sauvginon Blanc grape.
This is a delicious wine paired with Baked Chicken and Winter Vegetables:
Serves: 4, 1 to 2 pieces of chicken and ½ cup vegetables per serving – Serve this when you want to spend a little time preparing a dish and then sit back and relax while it bakes. It’s great for a late supper after work or for a weekend dinner.
Ingredients:
2 ½ to 3 pound cut up chicken, skinned, all visible fat removed
4 to 6 small red potatoes, scrubbed and halved
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small acorn squash, quartered and seeded
1 medium onion or fresh fennel bulb, cut into 8 wedges
¼ cup water
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Bottled low-fat chicken or turkey gravy (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Rinse chicken and pat dry.
Place in a 13×9x2 inch glass baking dish or 3-quart casserole.
Arrange potatoes, carrots, squash, and onion around chicken.
Pour water over chicken and vegetables.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Cover dish or casserole tightly with foil and bake 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours or until chicken and vegetables are tender.
If desired, heat gravy according to package directions and serve with chicken and vegetables.
Cook’s Tip:
Fennel is a creamy white or pale green vegetable of the carrot family. Cooking fennel makes its licorice-like flavor more delicate and its celery-like texture softer.
Calories 433
Protein 40 g
Carbohydrate 49 g
Cholesterol 102 mg
Sodium 307 mg
Total Fat 9 g
Saturated 3 g
Polyunsaturated 2 g
Monounsaturated 2 g
This is a wonderful winter time healthy dinner paired with a great wine for you. From my table to your’s.
Proving once again that the best food is also the simplest food, today’s celebration “soup” is that peasant food favorite; Ratatouille.
Ratatouille is a rich, herb flavored vegetable stew. I usually make ratatouille in the the summer when its main ingredients; eggplant, zucchini, bell peppers, and tomatoes are all fresh. But the other day the eggplant in the crisper was calling to me, and I was feeling a little too lazy to make Eggplant Parmesan, so Ratatouille it was! My recipe is based on one by Mollie Katzen found in the Moosewood Cookbook. I own over 200 cookbooks, but this is one that I use on a regular basis. There isn’t a bad recipe in the book.
Eggplant and herbs
Start by chopping 1 medium eggplant into small cubes. Don’t worry about peeling it, salting it, and all the other advice that sends people running from eggplant. Just cut it half lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch cubes.
Heat about 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot, add 3 cloves of garlic, minced, and 1 large leek, chopped and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the eggplant plus 2 tsp dried basil, 1 tsp marjoram, 1/2 tsp thyme and a bay leaf. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15 -20 minutes or until eggplant is soft. Occasionally stir so that the herbs don’t burn.
Ratatouille fixings
Add 2 medium zucchini (chopped or sliced and quartered), and 1 chopped bell pepper to the pot along with 2 cups of crushed tomatoes and 1/4 cup red wine. Since this was going to be our main meal, I “beefed” up the protein level by adding 3 Tbsp of bean granules. The bean granules don’t affect the flavor of the stew but are an inexpensive way to add protein and fiber. (You can purchase them here). Simmer for 10 – 20 more minutes or until the vegetables are all tender.
Red Wine Ratatouille served over pasta.
This time I served the ratatouille over pasta. Leftovers will be served over polenta. When I make ratatouille from garden fresh vegetables, I usually serve it at room temperature along with a summer salad or two. But that’s the great thing about ratatouille – it can be served hot, cold, or at room temperature; thick like a stew or thinner (add more tomato); topped with olives or sour cream or shredded cheese. Like most herb-rich meals, this one is even better the next day.
If Ratatouille still seems like too much work, I developed a red wine sauce mix to use. This is the recipe that comes with our Mama’s Mediterranean Sauce mix:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium eggplant
2 each: zucchini, bell peppers
1 (14 oz can) diced tomatoes
3/4 cup water or red wine
1 Red Wine Mama’s Mediterranean Sauce Mix
Cut vegetables into 1 inch pieces. In Dutch oven, cook eggplant in oil over medium heat for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Add remaining ingredients. Cover, simmer and additional 15 minutes or until cooked through. Reviews have been great so far! What about you? Do you have a favorite Ratatouille “encounter”?
Like most American wine novices, I tend to think of wines in varietal terms — Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, etc. But I learned from reading The Judgment of Paris that the French consider a properly blended wine, one with a proper balance between the flavors of several grapes, to be the height of skilled winemaking. The famous Bordeaux wines, for example, are made from Cabernet, Merlot, or Cabernet Franc.
So lately I’ve been on the lookout for wines that blend different grapes, and I’ve generally been very happy with both the wine and the value you get for your dollar — I suspect that many Americans haven’t quite caught on to the blends and prefer the familiar “Cabernet” or “Chardonnay” labels, meaning you can find some tasty wines at low prices if you’re willing to be a bit adventurous.
Take the Cline Cellars Oakley Four Whites, for example, a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Palomino, Semillon, and Malvasia Bianca (a grape I’d never heard of before) from one of my favorite Sonoma wineries.
Image from clinecellars.blogspot.com
Several fruit notes hit your palate right away — pears, a bit of peach, grapefruit — and tastes round and robust without being oaky or sweet. It’s a great alternative to a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc if you love those wines but could use a change of pace. It’s got a similar intensity of flavor without the grassy or vegetal notes NZSB is famous for. The finish is a bit dull compared to that first taste, but overall this is a gulpable wine great with spicy foods.
I have put a little thought into the French Paradox since arriving in France. Michael Pollin’s book In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto has prompted me to articulate a little of what I’ve learned (but don’t always practise). Theories why the French, while living on rich foods, lots of oils, meats and wine, manage to stay healthy are varied and numerous. My own theory has perhaps been solidified by this book’s musings on omega-3s and leafy vegetables.
Personally, I like my veggies, dairy, pasta and rice. I like a bit of meat and fruit too. I’m not big on breads or desserts. I like wine and beer. I like to cook things myself and do so almost all the time. The French way of eating isn’t too far removed from my habitual one, but just enough so that I noticed a few things.
The French adore dessert. Dessert is a highly anticipated and somewhat revered part of most dinners. The desserts aren’t always sickly sweet – mostly they’re carb-heavy and slightly sweetened. I think the anticipation of dessert is what stops French people from over-eating throughout the meal. I mean, you don’t want to eat too much of the main course only to find you can’t fit in any dessert (as I do). It’s not only rude to the chef, but you’re missing out on something fabulous. There’s also cheese and more bread at the end of a meal. So, a French diner will happily graze on the meal with the full knowledge that dessert, cheese and more bread will fill any ‘gaps’ and ensure they’re not left hungry. Often when if comes to dessert you can only fit in a tiny bit anyway, but I think knowing it will be eaten changes the mentality of the diner for the rest of the meal.
French meals (both lunch and dinner) will start with an entrée of either salad or soup served with bread. Practically speaking, this gives you something to eat while the main course finishes cooking (salads are quick and soup can be re-heated). Nutritionally, both are vegetable and/or leafy-green heavy (in restaurants, you often get a little cheese, terrine or seafood in an entree too) and are often laden with oils or salt, so your body gets food it desperately needs (leafy greens and other veggies) before other things. The oils and salt help to tell your body that it’s eating and no longer hungry any more. Often I feel full after an entrée – this is the point. Your body has been tricked into eating all the most healthy stuff “just while you wait”. Depending on how many young kids are at the table, the main course can cook for quite a while longer while you eat the entrée. When you finally eat it, your stomach is settled. You’re no longer ravenous and you’ve gained some important nutrients. When a modest portion of main course arrives (usually meat-heavy with some veg – very rarely pasta or rice), you are left wondering if you can eat it all, rather than thinking it’s not enough. And then there’s still dessert.
Oh, and one only drinks wine with a meal. When the meal is done, French people don’t tend to sit around drinking wine into the night (as Australians do).
So, in summary, my personal mantra for which parts of the French diet are most beneficial to health:
- Always eat a large plant-based entrée (every meal) with enough flavour to stop yourself feeling ravenous.
- Only drink wine while eating the meal.
- Always plan a dessert just so that you know it’s there (even if it’s just yoghurt).
This post is an excerpt of my full review of Michael Pollin’s In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto on Goodreads (a social network for book reviews). If you’re interested in the book, see my full review here.
We decided to spend both Christmas and New Year’s weekends at home this year. We’d traveled for Thanksgiving and that was enough for us. On top of the two long weekends, I also had two personal days at work that I needed to use before the end of the year – so I ended up with two 4-day weekends in a row. For someone who loves to cook, this was pure luxury! Definitely not an opportunity to be wasted – and I tried not to, as I will try to recap in the next couple of posts.
In the spirit of taking a festive approach to this opportunity, I sat down with one of my most appropriately festive cookbooks: The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook. Doesn’t the name just say it all? This book does not contain heart- or waistline-friendly recipes. But how often do you have an excuse to cook really decadent party food? (As opposed to a beautiful-yet-healthy potluck dish, for example?) For those rare times when you do – this book does not disappoint.
And indeed, it was not long before I was mentally bookmarking various ideas, but I finally found the one. The one I could not imagine NOT making for a long holiday weekend. It had the simple name of Three-Onion Casserole and was billed as an ’accompaniment.’ But don’t be fooled: this dish’s size (it filled a 9×13″ pan above the brim), cost (almost $50 worth of ingredients, most of them various kinds of cheese) and flavor (wine, garlicky boursin, herb-flecked dill Havarti, and slow-roasted leeks and onions topped off with crusty, deliciously browned Gruyere) are no side show. If you were to bring this beautiful, fragrant and filling casserole to a winter party, your brilliance and generosity would not soon be forgotten. I didn’t; I just made it for the two of us, for New Year’s weekend.
One more note about this dish: it is labor-intensive, perhaps only suited for one of those 3- or 4-day weekends when cold weather has you trapped indoors anyway. There is simply no way to make light work of slicing this many onions, nor do Havarti or Gruyere typically come pre-grated. Just hang in there and get it done; you will be richly rewarded. It may seem completely inconceivable, but Tomas and I ate this whole casserole by ourselves. Eventually. I think it took about a week… but boy, those leftovers made for the best lunches ever. Like extending the holidays right into the work week.
Three-Onion Casserole (adapted from The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook, 1985)
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 large yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 leeks, tough green ends cut off, well rinsed and thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups grated Havarti (I used Dill Havarti and enjoyed the extra boost of herbs. I was unsure of how much solid cheese to buy at the store, but found that a smallish 1/2-pound block of Havarti made more than enough)
2 packages (5 oz. each) Boursin, crumbled
1 1/2 cups Gruyere, grated (one 1/2-pound block was enough; I couldn’t tell and bought two, which cost me dearly but gives me an excuse to make fondue soon)
1/2 cup dry white wine
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13″ baking dish with 1 Tbsp of the butter. Layer a third of each of the onions in the bottom of the dish and season with salt and pepper. Top with the grated Havarti. Create another layer of onions, seasoning again with salt and pepper. Top this layer with the crumbled Boursin, distributing it as evenly as possible. Layer the last third of the onions and leeks on top and top with the grated Gruyere. Dot the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter on top and pour the white wine over all. Bake for 1 hour, covering the dish with aluminum foil after 30-45 minutes or when it is sufficiently browned to prevent the top from burning. Serve immediately (but makes fabulous leftovers).
The Silver Palate cookbook says that this makes 6 servings, but perhaps that was in 1985. I would argue that it could easily feed 12 people if they help themselves to fairly generous portions.
This would be a great side dish for any kind of steak or filet, but I enjoyed it with brussel sprouts, good bread and sweet potatoes.
You might only want to make this once a year, but I can imagine it becoming quite an addictive tradition, right up there with your favorite cookies or the Christmas ham.
Good morning eaters! Breakfast Links is a recurring feature at The Omnivore where you’ll be able to find the most interesting food related news and articles from around the internet.
Photo: Zesmerelda, flickr
Top Chef fans take note. The brothers Voltaggio, stars of Season 6, have started a new website and video series.
It seems that Kim Kardashian can’t keep herself out of Breakfast Links, this time appearing on The Jay Leno Show. Along with Jay she helped Guy Fieri prepare one of her guilty pleasures, deep fried Oreos. What better way to promote your new workout video!
The Orlando Sentinel suggests that cooking can be a nice way to relax after a long day in the office.
Have you heard of black garlic? The fermented sibling of your everyday garlic bulb gets profiled in The Philly Inquirer.
The Oregonian’s FOODday staff shares a list of 100 things they love.
The San Diego Union Tribune takes a look forward with 5 of San Diego’s best and brightest chefs about what’s next in the city’s dining scene.
At SFGate they’re predicting 5 trends in wine for the new decade.
Wow. South America was fantastic. Kim and I can’t wait to make it back there one day and see more. We were sad to leave and I will definitely miss speaking Spanish all the time, but both of us were very excited to move on to New Zealand! Familiar faces for Kim and new and amazing scenery and fun for me!
We knocked out our longest flight of the trip with ease and made it into Auckland bright and early. One of Kim’s old flatmates, Ben, was there to pick us up and take us to his and his wife‘s Jo’s place for the next couple of nights. It was so nice to be out of the hostels for a bit! A nice comfy bed, cleanliness, privacy…awesome.
We rested up for a couple of hours and then Ben took us for a drive around town. Our first stop was at the “biggest supermarket in the Southern Hemisphere”, Pak n’ Save, for Tim Tam’s, a local treat. Kim has not shut up about these cookies since she returned from here in 2002, and I totally understand why! They are phenomenal. T wo delicious cookies with cream in the middle then covered in chocolate. Milk chocolate, dark, white, whatever you prefer. Wonderful.
Then we went to a beautiful lookout point near his house called the Te Atatu Pennisula, drove over the Harbour Bridge, and then headed into downtown. We went to Doug Robinson MeyerPark, drove down Paratai Drive, home to the most expensive real estate in the city because of the ocean views, and went to Mount Eden, which had a great view of Auckland.
Kim and Ben with city view in the background
Auckland
We then went to meet Jo for a drink after she got off work at a great little bar called Sales Street Bar and then checked out the biggest Les Mills gym in New Zealand. For those of you that aren’t familiar with who/what that is, all of the programs Kim and I have been doing at Gold’s Gym in Austin for the past few years are choreographed and originated here. Afterwards, we took a drive down by the pier and then headed home for some Thai take away and TV.
Jo and me at the bar
Since Ben and Jo were both on holiday for Christmas, they took us around town again the next day. We went to Soljans Winery for a quick drink and then to Muriwai Beach to check out the gannet nests and black sand. After stopping for some ice cream, we headed over to Mission Beach for some beers and delicious green lipped mussels, one of the things New Zealand is known for. Then they took us to the Michael Joseph Savage Memorial for an amazing view of the entire city. Auckland is definitely one of the most beautiful big cities I have ever seen. It is known as the City of Sails because the it has the highest number of sailboats per capita than any other place in the world. The water is the most incredible shades of blue. It’s breathtaking.
The girls at the winery
Muriwai Beach
Gannets
Fooling around on the beach
Black Sand!
On the way to Mission Bay
After a nice day around town, we rested for a bit at the house and then went out for Indian food. Kim has bragged on the amount and quality of the Indian restaurants here due to the large number of immigrants in New Zealand. I was finally getting my chance to see what she was talking about. Ben and Jo took us to their favorite place in town, Chapati. It was unbelievable. The lamb korma literally melted in my mouth. We finished the night off with a few bottles of wine and headed to bed.
We had a scenic 10 hour train ride to Wellington the next morning. Ben and Jo gave us a proper farewell and saw us off at the train station. The were so nice and hospitable. Thanks so much guys! We’ll see you again for a drink our last night in New Zealand!
1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” 4″Dear woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied, “My time has not yet come.” 5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[a] 7Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. 8Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, 9and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” 11This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.-
I. Statement of Focus
Recently as a congregation we have been studying the PILLAR of fellowship.
In John 2 we see how Jesus fellowships with his disciples, close friends, and family.
At the same time many scholars find a lot of significance in this passage in regards to the Lord’s Supper.
Many see the wine to be an allusion to blood of Christ and the Lord’s Supper.
II. Digging In
Jesus goes to parties
This is a Jesus that is just HANGING OUT
No plans for healing people
No plans for preaching
No plans for studying with anyone
No plans for discipling people
Just Hanging
Jesus does favors
This is amazing. I get the feeling he knew he could do miracles, but he had never done one before.
If you were the Messiah, what would your first miracle be?
I bet Jesus put a lot of time into thinking about what his first miracle would be.
A significant Healing - Herod’s child
A well timed Feeding - Half-time at the Gladiator fights
An intimate Resurrection - A relative of the Chief Priest
A prominent Conversion - (like blinding Saul)
Now his mom wants him to do something about the wine at a party
And he does her a favor!
Jesus provides generously
Six Huge Water Jars – each containing 20-30 gallons
That comes to about 24 Cubic Feet
That is the capacity of a large freezer chest
6′ x 2.5′ x 3′
FULL OF WINE
That’s generous
And I don’t get the feeling this was HIS friend, but rather a friend of the family (or of his mom)
Jesus provides quality (Quantity & Quality)
This isn’t just wine, but the BEST wine
III. Upward Call
Questions
How do you think Jesus views you?
Do you feel like he wants to have FUN with you?
Do you feel like he wants to do you FAVORS?
Do you feel like he is GENEROUS with you?
Do you feel like he doesn’t just want you to be happy but have QUALITY in your life.
Share
Fun - He puts up with it
Favors - No
Generous - I feel he has been very good to me – BUT he has made me EARN IT
Quality - No
IV. Prayer
Prayer for Bread
Thanks for Jesus
A friend
Who does us favors
and is Generous with us
not just in quantity but also in Quality
Help us to accept him for who he really is in this story.
Prayer for Wine
Thanks that he made a lot of wine
Thanks that he poured out ALL of his blood
Thanks that it was the BEST blood, untarnished, sinless…good enough to forgive our sins.
Today, let’s talk about something that’s concerned with alcohol. Whiskey to be exact. Whiskey is a distilled liquor made from grains that are starch dominant. The alcohol % may vary depending on the company that made it but here’s how you compute for it. You will find a word that says “proof” on the bottle. It can be around 80 or something like that. To get the alcohol level, just divide that by 2 and that’s the alcohol percentage of that whiskey. This formula works with all alcoholic beverages that has “proof”.
As I was drinking with my classmates, I thought the idea of cooking using what we were drinking. At that time, it was “Jim Beam, black” my classmate had that stored so we opened a bottle. In order to cook this, you must make sure that you know how to act cool when it starts to ” flambe”. It’s a process where in you burn raw alcohol from the dish, leaving a faint flavor of the whiskey. The best options for flambeing are those that are 80 proof. 120 and up are already considered to be dangerous.
Ingredients:
2 Pcs. Pork tender loin
3 Tablespoons of Dijon Mustard
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Basil
1 Tablespoon Thyme
1 Tablespoon Oregano
(fresh or dried)
1/8 Tsp. Turmeric Powder
2 thimblefuls of Jim Beam Black whiskey
Salt and Pepper to season
1st: Season Both tender loins with desired amount of salt and pepper.
2nd: Combine the Dijon mustard, olive oil with the Herbs along with the turmeric powder and rub it vigorously on the Loin.
3rd: Splash the Whiskey and make sure to it coats with the Loin.
4th: Heat up your grill pan/grill to High heat and splash with olive oil.
5th: Once pan grill is hot enough cook both tender Loins to desired doneness. and splash it with 1 thimble of whiskey(careful, there will be fire ) just before turning the grill off.
6th: For the sauce feel free to create your own. (If you’re using a pan grill you can deglaze it with red wine or milk and just reduce it until it blends with the Pork’s juice/drippings).
Making this recipe is quite dangerous to be frank. Make sure that when you put in the whiskey, there are no flammable materials near the pan, especially the bottle! Also make sure that you’re not staring directly at the pan or your face will get burned.That’s saying goodbye to your hair and your face. Note that It’s better to have someone there to guide you if you’re not used to this kind of cooking.
Serve and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Note: My next post will be explaining the process of making beer! This should be fun I will also be posting my recipe on how to cook a healthy meal out of sea bass.
BARGAIN ALERT! Tonight’s wine may very well be the cheapest available at Barriques at $4.99/bottle. Look out, Chuck. All the way from the Cuyo region of Argentina comes the Astica Cuyo Cabernet Sauvignon 2008. Is it a bargain or is it just a cheap wine? The low buy-in to find out garnered a look.
Wine: Astica Cuyo Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Vitals: 13% abv, Cuyo Region, “Produced from grapes hand-picked in the Cuyo Valley, which lies in the northern boundaries of Mendoza and lies at very high altitude (800 to 1,100 meters above sea).”
Company line: “The wine presents a ripe blackberry aroma with a smooth, round, fruity palate. Ideal to drink with grilled meats, roast, and full-flavoured dishes”
My take: Dark garnet in the glass. Nose is somewhat muted but provides some dark berry along with a leathery ribbon. A cooling minty/anise flourish distracts somewhat from an otherwise one-note ripe blackberry palate. Body is on the thin side and finish is dry and short. A little rough around the edges for the seared porkchop with braised carrots and twice-baked potato I whipped up for dinner tonight, but not an entirely awful experience. I’m not sure I would add this to my regular rotation, but you can certainly do worse for five bucks.
We joke a lot about cutesy wine labels with koala bears on them, but wine labeling is serious business. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), part of the Treasury Department, is responsible for enforcing alcohol labeling requirements mandated by law. Believe it or not, the labels on every bottle of wine sold in the U.S. have gone through the TTB approval process. Since we’re bringing on some new producers, we’re discussing the ins and outs of U.S. labeling requirements with them, and I thought you might like to know just what wine labels are all about.
As long as you have all the required information on the back label, you can pretty much put what you like on the front, as long as it's not false advertising...
Most wine bottles have two labels on them. Two aren’t required, but getting all the mandated information on one label and making it distinctive and beautiful is tough work. Jokes about the koala aside, many people are swayed on a choice between two wines by which one has the better looking front label. So a simple, beautiful front label with very little text means there’s a back label that tells you what the U.S. government wants you to know about your wine. And the print can’t be too small, either (something I’m beginning to appreciate when I have to reach for my reading glasses!)
There are nine required pieces of information on wine labels:
1) Brand name – the name under which the wine is marketed. This may or may not be the manufacturer or owner, since a brand name can be a subsidiary of another. You won’t find the name “Gallo” on Barefoot wines, for example, even though that’s who owns them.
2) Class/type – the specific identity of the wine, such as Red Rhône Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, etc. If the class or type is a specific varietal name, the name must be rendered in letters no smaller than 2 mm. Believe it or not, there is no requirement to tell you what grapes are in any wine. They can simply be labeled as “Red Table Wine” or “White Table Wine,” without any additional information. However, if the wine is labeled as “Sauvignon Blanc,” that means that 75% or more of the grapes used in the wine must be Sauvignon Blanc. If more than one grape is listed, then they all have to be there, with percentages, totaling 100% of the grapes used in the wine.
This probably passes muster for truth in advertising.
3) Alcohol content – generally listed as Alc xx% by volume, or as a range. The lettering used for the alcohol content must be between 2 and 3 mm in height.
4) Appellation of origin – the region or place where the grapes for the wine are grown. The location has to have a specific designation recognized by the U.S. Government, such as Cotes du Rhône, Vin de Pays d’Oc, Napa Valley, etc. This is not a static list. When I started submitting First Vine labels to TTB, TTB didn’t recognize Vinsobres as an appellation (even though the French AOC authorities did). I had to contact the trade representatives at the French Embassy here in DC, and they had to pester the DC-based EU trade reps to update the EU list of French appellations and get it over to TTB. And it’s not just in France — lately there has also been a dust-up over just what can be called “Napa” or not.
5) Name and address – the city and state of the bottler (for U.S. wines) or importer (for imported wines). These must be written in a font size no smaller than 2 mm.
6) Net contents – the amount of wine in the bottle, always in metric units (750 ml, 1.5 L, etc). Distilled spirits are also listed in metric units. Interestingly, malt beverage net contents must be in American units, which is why most cans and bottles of American beer are listed as containing 12 ounces, and foreign beers are listed first in ounces and then in metric units. Instead of appearing on the label, the net contents may also be blown or branded into the bottle to meet this requirement.
7) Sulfite statement – if the wine contains 10 or more parts per million of sulfites, whether there are any added sulfites or not, the label must say Contains Sulfites. This information is provided because some people with severe respiratory conditions are ultra-sensitive to sulfites. (As we’ve discussed before, most people aren’t really allergic to sulfites, even if they think they are).
8) Country of origin – required by U.S. Customs for imported wine. The origin statement must be worded as Product of France for French wines.
9) Government warning – this is the health warning you see on each bottle of wine, malt beverages, and distilled spirits. It must be completely legible and worded exactly as required by law, in a font size no smaller than 2 mm, and separated by other text by at least 2 mm on all sides (for a standard 750 ml wine bottle). The opening words, GOVERNMENT WARNING must appear in capital letters and in type that is bolder than the rest of the warning statement. Here is the full text:
GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.
It really does look like a warning against becoming pregnant, doesn't it? I mean, you can't really see that she's holding a glass -- she could just be giving someone the finger!
TTB will not allow any other health warning to appear on a bottle of wine, even if that warning is required by the country where the wine was made. In France, for example, new labeling laws require a symbol to show that pregnant women shouldn’t drink alcohol. It doesn’t seem terribly subversive (in fact, it looks more like a warning against pregnancy itself rather than drinking while pregnant), but TTB will not approve labels with the pregnancy symbol on them. We submitted a label to TTB without realizing the symbol was there and was the label was indeed rejected. Lots of photoshopping and frantic e-mails to the producer later, and we had a symbol-free label that passed muster with TTB.
A fabulous back label for a fabulous wine! (Click on it to enlarge)
As importers, we’re responsible for making sure that the wine we import has approved labels. Since we were working with producers who hadn’t exported before, we wanted to design a back label from scratch that would contain all the necessary information and give you some things you could use. Along with the grapes in the wine (always useful to know), we recommend a serving temperature. Many people serve their white wines too cold and their reds too warm. Five degrees can make a huge difference in flavor, so we want you to experience these wines at their best. We’ve also recommended some food pairings for the wines. Finally, we try to let you know how long you should keep them around before they won’t be quite as vibrant as they were when you bought them. All in a space that’s three by three-and-a-half inches! Such a deal!
And now, the recipe. To celebrate the opening of the wine bar at ACKC (1429 14th St. NW, serving wine from 5 pm until closing daily – you didn’t think I was going to let an opportunity to mention it go by, did you?) I bought myself a great new cookbook –The Bacon Cookbook by James Villas. Really, what’s not to love about 150 recipes using bacon in all its glorious forms? I was tempted to give you his recipe for Japanese Bacon Tempura – literally battered and deep-fried bacon – but even I have my limits!
One of Villas’s specialties is French cooking, and the bacon book includes a recipe for Quiche Lorraine with the traditional pastry crust. Coincidentally, a couple of nights ago, I was watching an episode of “Sarah’s Weeknight Meals” on PBS (a great show with Sarah Moulton, the only TV chef skilled enough to answer live questions on the air as she cooked. Forget that crackpot “Ask Aida” on the Food Network, who can’t even read cue cards without seeming rehearsed) and she made a quiche with a cracker crust. It never occurred to me to make a cracker crust for quiche, but what a great way to make it simpler without resorting to an icky pre-made crust! So here’s a recipe that combines the best of both. Villas reminds us that the original Quiche Lorraine was just cream, eggs, and bacon, but I think a little Gruyere cheese and onion are a great addition.
And what to serve? Our fabulous Château Milon Bordeaux Supérieur Rouge ($21), of course! We can’t let that fabulous label go unnoticed, can we?
Bon Appetit!
Tom
“Weeknight” Quiche Lorraine with a Cracker Crust
Makes 8 slices, 4 to 6 servings
Crust
24 whole grain crackers (like low-sodium Triscuits), ground in a food processor (about 1 cup)
4 tablespoons melted butter
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Combine the butter and cracker crumbs and spread in the bottom and one inch up the sides of a 9-inch pyrex pie plate. Bake the crust for 7 minutes and remove it from the oven.
Filling
½ pound sliced lean-ish smoked bacon, cut crosswise into half-inch pieces
1 small onion, cut in half through the poles, then sliced thinly
½ cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
3 large eggs
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Pinch of grated nutmeg
Saute the bacon over medium heat in a large skillet until browned. Remove the bacon from the skillet with a slotted spoon and let it drain on paper towels. When drained, sprinkle the bacon evenly over the bottom of the partially-baked crust. Pour off all but about a tablespoon of fat from the skillet and sauté the onion for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Sprinkle the onion over the bacon, then the Gruyere cheese. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and cream, add the nutmeg, then a little pepper and salt. Pour carefully into the prepared crust and then bake about 40 minutes until the filling is set and the quiche is a little puffy and golden. Let it cool for about 10 minutes, then serve.
IN THE SPIRIT OF SANTA CLAUS AND THE EASTER BUNNY, HERE’S ANOTHER MYTH BUSTER: THE MAP OF THE TONGUE IS WRONG!
Paired with Chocolate Chip Cookies
Mulled Pinot Grigio
Paired with Sugar Spice Cookies
Mulled Zinfandel
Paired with Almonds and Raisins
Mulled Viognier
Paired with Gingersnaps
BROWN SUGAR MULLED RED WINE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS:
John 2:1-11
I will also be posting my recipe on how to cook a healthy meal out of sea bass.
