Wine Outlook

Last night we watched the season finale of the L word, which was recheduled due to my party. (What an amazing group, huh?) We usually viewed it the night it airs–Sunday–which meant I always rushed from the tasting room into the city. This time, however, I got a turn at cooking dinner, hopefully backing up my promise of culinary skills.

Deciding to forego fancy and a chance at making a great wine pairing, I opted to go for some down-home cooking. Fried chicken. A combo of collards and mustard greens cooked in what we back home call ‘pot likker.’ Skillet cornbread, which I insisted everyone dip into the pot liquor. And my mama’s potato salad, which because I use a touch of Blue Plate (the best mayonnaise in the world, which sadly is not sold here) is a little better than hers. Oh, and of course, some sweet tea with mint.

Now, I tried to get someone to bring the champagne of beers, Miller High Life, but no one took me up on my suggestion. Although we did eat, in addition to stewed apples and yummy custard (cause there’s never too much dessert), some long-promised wine cake, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. I even correctly guessed the wine used was Chardonnay.

No need to be sad the show is over, we’ve already got plans to watch The Tudors. As usual, I’ll bring the wine.

Southern comfort food, Blue Plate Mayonnaise, Miller High Life

….Farley Walker

That was my birthday dinner, and my, it was a good one. The best friend marinated chunks of New York steak and pork in her special mix (all I can tell you is soy sauce), along with bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms. A few minutes on the grill and a side of balsamic-dressed greens were all we needed to go along with the 2004 Thomas Fogarty Barbera. I insisted on a side of BBQ sauce for dipping to go along with the smokiness and bright red fruit of the wine. The glasses were full (for a while at least), the laughter was loud. And there was that special feeling in the air that comes from drinking wine not available to the public yet. Soon, though.

2004 Thomas Fogarty Barbera, BBQ wine pairing, shish kabobs

….Farley Walker

The other night, some friends and I decided to hop over to The Red Bird in downtown Missoula, with its newly added wine bar. We all began with the wine specials, so on the table were glasses of Sparkling Shiraz, a Spanish rosato, one French wine of Mourvedre and Grenache (the waitress didn’t tell us which region), and an Austrian blend with Riesling, Muscat, and Sauvignon Blanc. We had appetizers of champagne fondue and crab dip, which didn’t go with my sparkling red, I know, but for once I didn’t insist on a perfect pairing. And though all of our glasses were very empty when the food arrived, we still managed to have quite a good time.

With the meal, the girls ordered a bottle of 2004 Steele Zinfandel from the Catfish Vineyard, rather appropriate for two MS girls, don’t you think? It was pretty tasty, as I tried some before one of the sick girls drank from their glasses. From what I recall, I got vanilla and red fruit. However, I had the Austrian white with my tempura shrimp caesar, made with a curried vinaigrette, and thereby made up for my pairing inabilities earlier.

The Red Bird, 2004 Steele Zinfandel

That’s my lunch yesterday of Trader Joe’s BBQ chicken salad served with a glass of 2004 Kirkham Shiraz, although I’d usually pick a Zinfandel for the pairing. And it was going to be today’s lunch, except I watched Jesus Camp with friends tonight and the teacher had said she was going to make BBQ chicken pizza. While the movie was rather disturbing in the fervor being displayed, the food was super tasty and so was the wine. The pizza had just the right amount of heat to match the pepper in the glass, and the chocolate and plum flavors made for a nice finish.

However, as the wine was gone as we were just beginning to eat, we also opened the 2004 Red Truck Red Wine. The purchaser– big fan of biodegradable wine (and by that, she means biodynamic)–was scared I’d be mad at her for buying a bottle for its label. Red Truck Wines was started by the owners of Cline Cellars and I’ve been meaning to try it myself, so no need for worry. It’s a blend of Syrah, Petite Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre and Grenache, and though rather simple, the juicy fruit flavors worked well with the BBQ sauce.

And while I might not fall down in prayer like the kids in the movie, the chocolate caramel crunch ice cream from Mitchell’s we had for dessert could make a girl come close.

Jesus Camp

….Farley Walker

2004 Kirkham Shiraz, Red Truck Wines, Jesus Camp

Two friends are going to Spain this week for a belated honeymoon. Last week I had a meal that allowed my jealousy a form of release. Iberico cheese went into my cheese risotto as well as my Caesar dressing, replacing the parmesan. Along with the oven-roasted steak (from the freezer, not sure of the cut), the meal was a good pairing with my Tempranillo. Both the wine and cheese were quite affordable as they came from Trader Joe’s, which makes dinner taste that much better.

The 2002 Bodegas Iranzo Tempranillo (100%) proudly bears the stamp “made with organically grown grapes.” My quickly scribbled tasting notes (sometimes that happens when the food looks too good to concentrate on the wine alone) indicate aromas of raspberry and dirt, with more of the same on the palate, along with tobacco. It did go very nicely with the cheese risotto (something I’ve never made before but Wannabe Wino always raves about). I have to say, this wine didn’t hold well—the next afternoon it tasted of band-aids. The leftovers, however, were marvelous.

2002 Bodegas Iranzo Tempranillo, Spanish meal, good finds at Trader Joe’s

I gave the Hardy’s Shiraz one more try. After all, I had bought my wines for Wine Blogging Wednesday in advance but waited until the night before to try them. And unfortunately, I was still suffering from a bout of overindulgence from the leftovers of the previous night’s tasting. Therefore, half of the Sofia Mini went undrunk and I only took a few sips of the Hardy’s.

Tonight I made a loose version of Shepherd’s Pie by browning ground lamb, then adding chopped onions, carrots, and garlic. A little flour and red wine (yes, from a box) then poured into a pie crust and topped with thinly sliced potatoes and Irish cheese. The food definitely brought out more from the Shiraz, especially as the pie was heavily peppered. Still.

At least I kept an open mind about it.

box wines, Hardy’s shiraz

Warning: this post is weak on wine, heavy on homesick.

A while back, I made my mom’s salmon croquettes and my stepdad’s recipe for mac and cheese. If I recall, I had some Giesen Sauvignon Blanc with it, though I really wanted some Pinot Noir. (Not willing to open one of the few in my collection because I only wanted one glass and would have wasted the rest of the bottle). So, why even bring this up? While I was folding clothes this morning, I caught a few minutes of Paula’s Home Cooking. She was frying up some okra, and I remembered how, when I was little, my mom once told me it was just like popcorn. I tried and hated it.

But today I wish I could have her cook me some. I might even like them. Hell, I used to hate squash, mushrooms, avocado, artichokes, and bell peppers. Now I like, and in some cases, love them:cooked with onions, on pizza, on BLT’s, by themselves, and as a garnish.

Now that I’m riding this train of thought, my warning may have been too hasty.

Because the same thing goes for wine. For the longest time, I could not take more than a tiny sip of Port. But once at a friend’s birthday dinner, I gave the Warre’s Otima another chance and discovered its caramel, pecan beauty. (Oh yeah, I used to hate nuts, too.) Tastebuds and preferences change. You may not like something the first or even fifth time you try it. Then one day some overly-zealous friend insists you will love this specific Riesling even though you claim to hate them all. Suddenly, sunlight breaks through the clouds and you can see. And a whole new world opens up for you.

So, while I started out sad about missing my family and southern cooking, I’m ending on a happy note. I used to be a scared, picky eater. Now, I’m scared to let new opportunities pass me by without trying them at least once.

The moral of this story? I think you’ve probably got it, so get to drinking!

picky eaters, food adventures, changing tastebuds

….Farley Walker

The two crabs we shared on Open That Bottle Night had me wanting more… So last week I picked up a small container of lump crabmeat along with other items for my new favorite salad. For the dressing, squeeze 1/8 of a grapefruit into a bowl. Add a splash of white vinegar and a splash of white wine (sparkling if you have it): this time I used the Clos LaChance Rose’. Whisk with salt and pepper–I also chose to add a bit of minced garlic–then stream in olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Then mix the greens and add sliced avocado, small pieces of grapefruit, and the lump crabmeat, with crumbles of goat cheese on the periphery. I drank the same wine with the salad that was in the dressing, but secretly I was wishing for Sauvignon Blanc.

Therefore, the next night I had the same salad. Only this time I paired it with a 2006 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough. I love New Zealand for its SB: acidic, grassy, and tons of fruit. And this one did not disappoint. Aromas of citrus and grass welcomed me into flavors of grapefruit and passion fruit. A perfect wine for my salad, seamlessly matching the sharpness of some ingredients and subtly contrasting the creaminess of others.

A culinary coup.

2006 Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc pairing, grapefruit vinaigrette, crab and avocado salad

….Farley Walker

My day off this week, following the grueling time I put in on the assembly line, had me wanting to treat myself to something nice. A meal that fits the bill every time: a BLT and a glass or two of Rose’. Although this time I made it a BBT–bacon, basil leaves, and tomato. The wine was a 2005 Clos LaChance Rose’ that I picked up on my wine trip last week. The Pink-Throated Brilliant, as they call it, has a picture of that endangered hummingbird from South America on the label. It’s part of The Hummingbird Series, a less expensive line with each wine named after a different species. This particular one is made from Syrah and Grenache, and I found it crisp and full of strawberries and perfect with my tasty sandwich.

2005 Clos LaChance Rose’, wine pairing with BLT, hummingbird series

Thanks to John over at Quaffability for bringing my attention to the 2005 Vigna del Gelso Malbech. How could I turn down a grape I’ve recently rediscovered, unexpectedly from the Veneto region of Italy and at $5, no less?

Well, I couldn’t and picked up the bottle last week while getting a few items from Trader Joe’s, as I planned to try my hand at a pasta bake with leftover spaghetti sauce. While the food could have been better (by using ziti or penne instead of long noodles–I know, I know– and probably more cheese), the pairing was just what I wanted. Malbec is supposed to go well with tomato sauces and beef, and I was working with one of the best tomato sauces ever (maybe one day I’ll share the recipe…) and ground beef sauteed in garlic and onions.

With the aroma of cedar and flavors of plum and cherry cola, I was digging the smooth, medium-bodied Malbec(h). But then, I’m always a sucker for Italian food and Italian wine (especially at only $5).

malbec, Italian malbech, pasta bake

I have to say, I don’t usually bake. As much as I love to cook, I hate to be confined by the restraints of measurements, choosing instead to throw in a little of this and add an extra bit of that. Sometimes items are left out altogether (say, ginger), and some are put in which might not have been called for (most often: garlic). You may have noticed this makes it hard to share recipes, because I don’t actually know how much I’m using in order to pass the info along.

The other night, however, I decided to make a Berry Patch Pie. (Cue music: Patty Griffin singing one of my favorites of hers–”Making Pies”). While I used a Pillsbury roll-out crust for the base, I made my own crust for the top with this recipe. Granted, I didn’t use as much butter as it called for, and a little more water, but I still think it turned out pretty tasty.

My friend, the teacher, came over and we watched Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, which I’ve been itching to see. Though the movie gave me the intense desire to have some petite fours, I think the pie, with its gooey berry center and topped with vanilla ice cream was decadent enough for two girls avoiding the Valentine’s blues. We had one of my favorite sweet sparkling wines: the Toad Hollow Risque’. Very light and tasting of candy apples and pears, this one is always up for fun… and dessert. (more…)

Berry Patch Pie, Toad Hollow Risque’

Sometimes when choosing a wine to go with a meal, it’s not about the main ingredient so much as everything that surrounds it. When I decided to make a portobello sandwich, my initial choice would have been a Pinot Noir or an Italian red. But with the preparation of roasted red peppers and chive goat cheese, I decided to go for my old stand-by of Sauvignon Blanc, especially since the mushroom was marinated in a balsamic vinaigrette. And when coupled with a simple salad with olives, tomatoes, garlic, and oil & vinegar, the pairing was just right.

The wine: 2005 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in New Zealand, one of my favorite places for SB. (Usually not too expensive–this one was $10) On the nose, grapefruit and freshly cut grass. Upon tasting, more yummy grapefruit, pomegranate, and dill. As expected, very crisp and acidic, which worked well to cut through the goat cheese and stand up to the salad. The slightly vegetal quality was complemented by the red bells. Overall, exactly what I was looking for and a very nice meal to have been thrown together in minutes.

2005 Giesen Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc pairing

The day was bad for too many reasons to list, and I was feeling lazy and ready to drink.

The wine of choice was the 2003 Biale Zappa, a blend of 65% Zin, 18% Petite Sirah and 17% Syrah. Reasoning included: A) the need to go ahead and drink it before it passed its prime, B) hopes that those burly grapes would overpower my mood, and if not B, then C) the zappa is a tool used to remove weeds from around vines…essentially a hoe, and maybe I could clear out some of my own problems. While no Black Chicken, it still hit the spot. Pepper, blackberry, tiny bits of chocolate, cinnamon, and vanilla. Very smooth, and I hardly noticed the 15.7% alcohol. (It simply helped to numb the pain.)

The food (melodrama aside): a BBQ chicken pizza from Trader Joe’s. It was good, though the presence of cilantro, which I’ve only recently come to accept as adding more flavor than just soap, was fairly prominent. To make up for my laziness, I whipped up some caesar dressing for mixed greens and a bourbon BBQ sauce, courtest of Emeril. Despite our shared southern culture, I’ve never been his biggest fan. But this recipe was right-on (with minor changes to adjust to what I had on hand). The sweetness of the honey melded with the heat of cayenne pepper was a perfect match for the pepper and fruitiness of the wine.

BBQ sauce, Zinfandel food pairing, Biale Zappa

Speaking of making folks jealous, I just added a new category, thanks to the drooling my seafood inspired. With my leftover sushi, I had another fabulous meal. The tuna I soaked in soy sauce and made a breading out of smashed multiseed w/ soy chips from Trader Joe’s, salt & pepper, and finished off with a quick sear. The salmon I marinated in honey and soy sauce and cooked briefly in a skillet. I had also gotten some sea scallops from 99 Ranch, which I seared and topped with a sauce of butter, shallots, and Chardonnay. I had my leftover dinner with leftover 2004 Thomas Fogarty Chardonnay (perfect with the scallops, esp. since it was in the sauce), but there was nothing left over as I hurried to get ready for a friend’s birthday/ lounge lizard party…

scallop pairing, leftovers

Just an ordinary night, cooking up a little something that turned out to be quite the treat. I had some shiitake mushrooms left over from my trip to the market and decided to make Veal Marsala, loosely based on one of my favorite Bravo! dishes. That, along with some garlic-sauteed spinach and Yukon Gold potatoes, which were oven-roasted and then finished with white truffle oil, well…..all I could say was YUM.

I didn’t want to open any of the Pinot Noirs I already had, so I opted for the 2002 Viansa La Nebbia Nebbiolo, which I bought when visiting a friend who used to work there. And it turned out to be a very sound choice. On the nose I got a hint of bacon (BLT’s came to mind, actually) and strawberry. Then when I took the first taste, it seemed hot initially (with 13.5% alcohol: not too high), but that soon faded into more strawberry. The wine was rather light, with low tannin, which might not seem to stand up to a cream-based sauce, but the earthiness was a great match for the nutty character of the Marsala, as well as the drizzle of truffle oil. (more…)