Wine Outlook

In addition to Wine Blogging Wednesday, I’ve now discovered there’s also Weekend Herb Blogging. Since I had a container of fresh basil in my fridge, I thought I’d give it a go.

If I had to pick a signature dish that I make, definitely in the running would be Pasta Puttanesca. It’s fast and fun to make, I usually have the ingredients on hand, and it’s helped launch at least one or two relationships. With a great story, to top it off. I love how the kitchen immediately smells fantastic as the anchovies and garlic sizzle on the stove and I adore squishing the whole tomatoes between my fingers, tearing them apart.

Yet I always hesitate to make it if I don’t have any fresh basil. I’ll settle for dried oregeno and forego parsley, but it’s just not right without basil leaves.The dried version is not even in the same ballpark, no hint of licorice, no brightening the entire meal.

And actually, I think it was the basil that saved my wine pairing. I had a 2005 Bolla Soave. Soave, an Italian white from the northern region of Veneto, is notorious for being nondescript. This one was a bit soft for my taste, but the herbs and heat were tempered by the lemon, melon, and gardenia. And for a minute there, I thought I smelled some basil in the wine…

2005 Bolla Soave, Soave, basil, Weekend Herb Blogging

Yesterday, I finally made it to Nak’s Oriental Market in Menlo Park. And while I was disappointed that there wasn’t much seafood, I did stock up on a load of basics for Thai and other Asian cuisine. The wheels started turning when I picked up a bottle of sweet chili sauce, as I remembered the 2005 Bargetto Gewurztraminer I bought when I went to their tasting room on my visit with the penguins in Monterey.

I recalled the Gewurz being fairly mild, and my memory didn’t fail me. On the nose, I got pineapple, lemon, and honeysuckle. Then when I tasted it, the first thing that struck me was apple, then lemon pudding, and finally some hint of tropical fruit, which I don’t eat much of…so I’ll take a guess. Papaya? Overall, quite sweet, especially compared to the one at Fogarty.

My meal looked too good to spend any more time on just the wine, so I had to dig right in. And man, I haven’t done so well in a while. As I made the caesar dressing, I threw in a fair amount of wasabi, hoping it would pair with the spiciness in the wine, though I would have liked more–in the wine, not the dressing. Sweet potatoes in the oven again, but this time sprinkled with garlic and a flutter of brown sugar, which worked quite nicely. But the star, the big winner, was the chicken. I let it seep in a combo of vanilla yogurt, milk, salt, and a little beaten egg while I made the batter of flour, garlic powder, and salt & pepper. Then after frying and finishing in the oven, I sprinkled the sweet chile sauce (we used to call it Mojo sauce back home) over the finished product. Oh, my, but it was tasty and perfect with the sweetness of the wine. Just checked the residual sugar online, as I suspected, it was 1%.

Readers and drinkers, if you want to make this chicken, and I suggest you do, pair it with any off-dry Gewurztraminer, and you’ll be slapping your mama (another thing we say back home).

I’m still thinking about it…(the chicken, not the slapping)!

2005 Bargetto Gewurztraminer, Gewurztraminer pairing, delicious chicken

…Farley Walker

Over at Wannabe Wino, Megan asked about whether people plan dinner around wine or wine around dinner. I think my response to her was something to the effect that I do both but usually have most success when picking the wine first.

The other night was no exception. The wine I picked was one I purchased back home, probably two years ago. The first time I had Robert Biale Zinfandel, I fell madly, deeply in love. So much so that I’ve been hesitant to drink my 2003 Black Chicken because I haven’t seen any out here. But you don’t want to hold on to a Zin full of huge fruit and high alcohol for too long. Opening the bottle was one of the best decisions I’ve made in a while.

My first reaction to the gorgeous nose of subtle pepper, bright raspberry and black cherry was, “Please, god. Have it ask me on a date.” And though it tasted a little hot at first sip (16% alc!) that melted into more raspberry and pepper, with some cinnamon and vanilla. YUM, though now I’m sad that it’s gone…. (more…)

Readers and drinkers, we’re definitely back on track. Ok, maybe you were never off track, but I was, and as I had hoped the other day, dinner in the city did not let me down.

Lingba Lounge– or The Monkey Bar, as my friend calls it since a little plastic monkey was hanging from my lychee martini–is a fun bar/restaurant, whose cuisine is Asian-fusion, located in Potrero Hill. (I’ll have to go back to that area because though I didn’t see it, there’s a coffee/pastry place nearby called Farley’s.)

LG and I sat at a low table in the bar with cushy chairs and sipped the martini while we waited for our curry. Hers was chicken with peanuts and mine was seafood with green curry. As there were unfortunately only two Rieslings by the glass and one was dry, we each ordered the 04 Reusher-Haart Kabinett. It was pleasant alone, with gobs of green apple and pear, and hints of lemon zest. With the food, it was even better: enough sweetness to cool my burning lips, but with the acidity to stand up to the creaminess.

Another friend showed up and ordered an appetizer platter, which he generously shared. It was too big to fit on our small table, so it got its own chair. Satay, corn cakes, dancing prawns, spring rolls, and delicious beef with some type of peppery batter… All very good but not as good a pairing with the wine as the curry.

A very fun evening, all in all, and if Beau over at Basic Juice can recommend tunes on Music Tuesdays, I’m gonna plug for the band we went to hear after dinner at The Bottom of the Hill. Instead of Port, try Dolorata (formerly Coal Pitt’s Wash) for some rockin’ sweetness. So… really not all that sweet…but definitely high-in-alcohol hot.

Lingba Lounge, Riesling and Thai, Dolorata

I’m relieved to say that things are getting better. And by things, I mean food and wine (and not, say, finances or love…but 2 out of 4 ain’t bad). When I first attempted to make this dish of pork vindaloo, the recipe for which came from a cookbook by a Master Chef in India, AC’s dad… the spices somehow got into my nose as I was roasting them on the stove, making it hot and hard to breathe. I also knew from my burning nostrils that I wouldn’t be able to eat it without raita, that delicious yogurt, cucumber, and onion salad that saved my burning mouth many a time during my relationship with AC and his sometimes-way-too-hot cooking.

But it seems that once the pork vindaloo had time to sit and soak up the juices, it got even better. So I had the meal for lunch yesterday at work and had to skip over to the tasting room to get a small taste of the Gewurztraminer, as that’s one of my favorite pairing suggestions. How did it go? Beautifully. Redemptive, really.

pork vindaloo, raita, Gewurztraminer pairing

Anyone who knows me shouldn’t be surprised in the least by the following:

I adore smoked salmon and sparkling wine.

The sparkling can be from France, Italy, California, or Spain. The smoked salmon can be on a bagel, in a pasta, on pizza, dipped in soy sauce, drizzled with lemon…it doesn’t matter.

I already had an inexpensive bottle of Cava in my fridge: Cristalino–Brut– produced by Jaume Serra. After I read about it in another blog (I’ve searched and searched but couldn’t find which one to give proper thanks), I bought a bottle at Cost Plus for $7 or $8. It was nice and light, dry with tons of citrus. So when I piled the salmon on a bagel with cream cheese, red onion, and capers, and a little lemon juice, the experience was as good as always.

Nice to know that some things never let you down.

sparkling wine, smoked salmon, Cristalino

I just pulled tasting notes from dinner a few nights ago out of my purse. A little worse for wear, with water stains, drops of wine, and what looks to be a bit of sauce, but at least they’re readable. The whole experience was one of the best I’ve had all year, winewise and otherwise, so I thought I’d share the reviews and assessments.

The sommelier and I met up at Bravo, where she works and I once did, for dinner with two other friends. After much discussion (i.e. pouring over the 400-bottle wine list), we decided to begin with the 1994 Domaine Zind Humbrecht ‘clos hauserer’ Riesling from Alsace. It was one of those situations that makes the search worthwhile. You read about older Rieslings giving off the aroma of petrol, but until you have the chance to drink one, you’re not really sure how it works. As soon as I put my nose in the glass, there it was—a lightbulb went off. On the palate were spritzy flowers, slightly sweet in the middle, and crisp on the finish. Fantastic pairing with the rosemary-infused mushrooms over crispy polenta.
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1994 Domaine Zind Humbrecht ‘clos hauserer’ Riesling

I’d like to take a moment to point out one of the finer things in life: chocolate and a big red wine, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon. The other night I cooked dinner for my family again, and I wanted to make something that could stand up to the Martella Cabernet Sauvignon from Heart Arrow Ranch. It’s my favorite wine on his own label, but I won’t get into specifics here because it might show up again for Wine Blogging Wednesday # 29– featuring biodynamic wines.

Well, the mini Beef Wellingtons were tasty, but I think I liked the dark chocolate drops (from my mom’s stocking) with it even better. There are people out there who think chocolate and wine aren’t meant to go together…I even saw in once on a page of the daily wine calendar…but those people are insane! Some Cabs even give off hints of chocolate, so of course the two will marry well. In addition, a nice Port and chocolate is a fabulous pairing as well.

These companions are great any time but even more so for winter evenings when it’s cold outside.

chocolate and wine, chocolate, port, Cabernet Sauvignon pairing

After plowing through the nearby grocery store, me and the sommelier headed over to her apartment to cook, drink, and catch up, not necessarily in that order.

The first victim was Champagne—a ’98 Duval Leroy Blanc de Chardonnay. Delightfully dry and crisp, it went beautifully with my olive dip and went into the champagne vinaigrette I was making for the salad of pink grapefruit, avocado, and goat cheese.

Now, had there been any left by the time we ate (the two of us never could have dinner on the table before 10), it would have been a perfect pairing. Unlike the Cook’s that I opened to see how it might have been. Yes, Cook’s, even though there was Sauv Blanc in the fridge. (more…)

The previous post mentioned rummaging through the spices, inhaling deeply, a couple of nights ago. In case you missed it, I was working on recognizing aromas for wine tasting purposes. Meanwhile, I thought it best to wait a day or so before writing this one and perhaps sounding crazy again.

As I was smelling the cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla, which were all going into my French toast, I was reminded of the 2004 Twisted Oak Petite Sirah I opened the previous night. After I had written my own review, I looked over the winery’s assessment, which compared the red wine to Grandma’s eggnog (more…)

I received samples from El Jefe over at the Twisted Oak Winery last week and finally psyched myself up to review one of the bottles. If you’ve been reading along, you may have picked up on my palate insecurities. But I’m getting better, so here goes.

Someone who’s relatively new to this (say, me) might worry that the very first samples could be not-so-good wine and then no one will send that someone (again, me) bottles to review again.

Not to worry with the 2004 Twisted Oak Petite Sirah from the Silvaspoons Vineyard. As appropriate for a PS, the color was deep and dark, and the nose was big and beautiful, promising blueberry and black pepper. There was also something there which reminded me of soy sauce, leading to my decision to make a quick version of Lo Mein.

After enjoying the aromas, the taste did not disappoint. More blueberry and spice, with the subtle presence of oak, demonstrated with hints of vanilla. Moderate tannins allowed it to go down easy, and the alcohol was not searing, despite the grapes being sourced from Lodi, where it can get pretty warm. Despite the recommendation of Corn Flakes on the bottle (those kids over in Calaveras County really are twisted!), I had mine with those noodles and a steak seared with a little of the wine, salt, pepper, and garlic. Yum.

…By the way, the rubber chicken who accompanied my wine package tried to help himself to a glass until I took it from him. I was too slow, though, to stop him from helping himself to a piece of meat…

Stay tuned for the Viognier.

….Farley Walker

The best friend is gone now, but the other day when we were traipsing around San Francisco, I twisted her arm to go to The Slanted Door. They had raw oysters on the menu, so there wasn’t all that much twisting.

Actually, there weren’t that many choices since we arrived between lunch and dinner hours. But it turned out to be the perfect afternoon snack: splitting a half dozen Kushi oysters (from B.C.) and The Slanted Door spring rolls. The first were small and succulent and the second were perfectly light: filled with rice, shrimp, pork, and mint, with peanut sauce for dipping.

Along with the tasty morsels, we each had a glass of 2005 Hiedler Grüner Veltliner “vier weingebirge” from Austria. Austria? you might ask, but this white grape is help putting the country back on the wine map (after a minor scandal in ‘85 over the addition of a sweetener confusingly likened to antifreeze). Grüner Veltliner, the most commonly planted grape, makes for a light, slightly peppery wine with hints of pear and grass. It was a great pairing for the appetizers because it allowed the flavor of the oysters to come through, while matching the refreshing quality of the mint in the spring rolls.

Who would have thought: Vietnamese food and Austrian wine? Branch out. Spin a globe and let your fingers decide the next culinary/beverage combination.

The Slanted Door, Gruner Veltliner, food and wine pairing

….Farley Walker

I’ve caught a glimpse of heaven, and it’s in the shape of a Dungeness crab, accompanied by a glass of Chardonnay.

It’s been a long week. A very long week. At the winery today, a group got to come up to our mountain location, drive to the south vineyard (which used to be a Christmas tree farm) to cut down their very own fir, then come back for cracked crab and wine. Luckily for me, there were crustaceans to spare and an open bottle of 2003 Thomas Fogarty Estate Reserve Chardonnay.

Now, trust me, I usually steer clear of Chard; it’s almost always my last choice in whites. But the buttery goodness so many people like– and I avoid– is the perfect pairing to the delicate crab meat dipped into warm butter. After all, how many chances do you get to eat something so simple, so fresh? AND coat it in butter? (Hello, Paula Deen!)

It’s one of those pairings you read about but don’t really comprehend until the flavors meld in your mouth, dance that beautiful waltz on your tongue. Like foie gras and Sauternes, sparkling wine and smoked salmon, Bleu cheese and Port…. you have to try it for yourself.

Dungeness crab, Chardonnay, food and wine pairing

Earlier, I stopped at a local produce market and left with two bags of yummy fruits, veggies, and cheese. Therefore, it seemed proper to make a salad when I got home…which leads me to why I love Sauvignon Blanc. Whereas other wines find it too difficult to stand up to those hard-to-pair foods such as artichokes, asparagus, and vinaigrettes, Sauvignon Blanc thrives from the challenge. It’s usually dry and crisp with delightful acidity.

Don’t get me started on the cruelty of winemakers who decide to put it in oak, sometimes calling it instead a Fumè Blanc. Plenty of white wines have plenty of oak, so please just let SB be the beautiful refresher it is– sometimes grassy, often bearing citrus flavors such as lime and grapefruit.

Here’s where my salad comes in. No recipe, just that throwing together of ingredients I sometimes do.

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I tried it, even though I had serious doubts. Doubts which turned out to be justified. Turkey and Gewurztraminer do not go hand in hand. The tropical fruit flavors overpowered the turkey, and the slight sweetness was just too much. The only way I’d give it another go would be if the bird was injected with cajun spices and fried, in the style of my (step) dad.

On a happier note, the Pinot was perfect as was my smoky Sangiovese (that one hit the nail on the head).

And though I’ve already given you one recipe that pairs with Gewurz, I’ll give you another winner to erase the memory of last night’s mismatch. (more…)