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Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Jan 6

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OK, it’s shockingly cold even when the sun is doing its best to shine a happy face. What to do? Open wine. Always a good answer, especially at this time of the year as the warming spirits will immediately take over. Plenty of great reds at interesting price points. Of course, if you don’t want to order online or visit a vineyard, then your local shop should help out with a Malbec, a Syrah, or a Tempranillo–they’ll do the trick.

So many choices with so many meal partners. Time for a stew, a pot roast (a great red wine partner). Add the root vegetables, and you have an all-in-one meal that spells delicious. BTW, turning on the oven to make dinner helps turn the stew237035_116kitchen into the cozy spot we so desperately covet!

The true hearty among us have no difficulty firing up the outdoor grill even with inches of snow on the ground. Weber has some advice for those thinking they might want the 2-inch thick rib-eye prepared just right. Remember it takes longer to get the grill going when the temperature is in the chill column.

Don’t forget dessert. Even a double scoop of vanilla with hot fudge sauce can do the trick. Nothing fancy needed, just a chance to appease the sweet tooth–hard to do with just a bowl of berries!

No rocket science here;  just survival strategies as we hunker down for another snowy weekend on the East Coast.

Brr….

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Belly Up to the Bar

Oct 7

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The cocktail has been cleverly reinvented a thousand times this year with fresh-grown herbs as one of its most popular twists. Now as we move into colder Fall days, the light Summer quaffs are moving aside for heartier beverages or more drinks straight up. Wine certainly has plenty to offer in the competitive arena with wine bars serving as the new restaurant motif. Beer continues to fight for its spot at higher-end restaurants as beer pairing menus and beer dinners are becoming more popular. What turns out to be most surprising is a recent Labor Department report on our consumption pattern.BuzzSuiteF10

The alcoholic beverage industry has always done well during down times, times of negative economic news. We worry; we imbibe. Yet, recent information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics says that we actually spent less on food and alcoholic beverages during 2009 than in the prior two years. That’s surprising, but it translates into drinking less expensive alcoholic beverages and dining at more moderately priced restaurants.

What has changed and what does it mean? We continue to imbibe whether for social or economic reasons. We may have taken our beverage consumption down to second-tier brands or have fewer beverages when we dine out. We still dine out, but are more careful about how we spend our money; the increase in burger places and small plate menus attest to this trend. We may even make our own wine or keep it as grape juice!

However we take our drinks, the end result still emits a less than optimistic tone. Much has to improve before the Lafite  Rothschild comes back to the table, but in the meantime cuddle up with your favorite beverage as you ingest one of the wine and spirit book recommendations from wine critic Eric Asimov of The New York Times.

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Twist and Turn: Wine School 101

Oct 6

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Ask 10 people a wine question, and you’re likely to get 11 different answers. That’s the type of passionate responses you should expect when you ask wine aficionados their preference for cork or screw top. Certainly, there’s the ceremonial cache of pulling out the cork. Households often have drawers filled with the tools of the trade. There are even those who believe a screw-top opener is just that: A Screwy approach to something that should be handled with greater sanctity. Hmm.

We are talking about big bottlers moving more of their line to screw tops and our moving along with them and not snubbing our noses at those decisions. Your nose is important. The wine’s nose is important, too. Time for practicality lesson one.

Sure I’ve been to Lisbon and spent time with Mr. Cork, but that was a while ago. That was when one didn’t question a bottling method and didn’t think faraway thoughts about cost and ease of opening. Those were what we call the Presentation Days. You know how fancy five-star restaurants would spend time ceremoniously opening a bottle, and you would shrink at the responsibility placed on you. Should you swirl, sip, or spit? The air was filled with anticipation.

Plenty of high-end restaurants still do ceremony, but have taken it down multiple levels. As a drinking public, we are more knowledgeable about our wines and prefer a wine list with explanation rather than a cost-driven volume of high-end wines that rival our mortgages. Enter the screw-top. Wait, wipe the perspiration from your brow. You have not left the fancy and moved to the diner. Your fine dining restaurant is as likely to have several screw-top bottles in a variety of price points as expensive bottles that demand ceremony. After all many of the big names from Australia’s McLaren Vale made the decision a long time ago to take the turn and go with a more accessible bottle. They have plenty of company.

Your fear of storage, of putting a bottle away for future generations, may also have to be reassessed. There is no equation that works in all instances. Screw tops do not necessarily mean inferior wine. Nor do foil-lined, cork-encased bottles guarantee superior quality. Not hardly. After all, the term that a wine is corked could not be used for one with a screw top!

Yet, natural cork has and will continue to have its devotees, the adherents to tradition and a belief in quality control. Those of us who save and collect our corks for some future art project may do just as well with recycling.

In the meantime, let me suggest a seasonal meal shift and a lovely 2007 Perrin Cotes du Rhone (screw top) to welcome October.perrin1045505l

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A Wine to Pair with the Cup

Jun 18

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With all the hysteria and excitement surrounding the World Cup, let’s not ignore the winning ways of the South African wine industry. They have a bounty of delicious options for everyday and special occasion drinking. Now is as good a time as any to familiarize yourself with their sparklers, soft whites, and hearty Shiraz’s.southaf

I’d begin with a Graham Beck Brut. Not overly expensive but wonderfully light and summer bubbly. Start the game with this pour, and you’re off to a good start no matter which team is playing!

If you prefer whites for the matches, then here’s a name to remember: Ken Forrester. The Petit Chenin Blanc or Chenin Blanc can begin any event, sporting or otherwise. A wonderfully drinkable, refreshing pair. The Forrester brand will not disappoint in reds, either, as their Shiraz Grenache will have you thinking of French Rhones.

Not just the Forrester label, but many kindred spirits make South Africa well-known for their Shirazes or as the French say, the Syrah grapes. Sometimes just knowing a region helps you focus: Think the Stellenbosch region and you’ll have no trouble finding a wine to suit your mood and menu.

As for food and wine pairing, that depends somewhat on time of day or when you play the match tape, but one thing is certain, you can end the match/meal with a perfectly paired dessert wine. I go back to Ken Forrester for a Late Harvest Chenin Blanc.

As they say, I’ve been a fan for a long time. The Games just get us refocused on the bounty.

Salud to the country and its well-established wine regions.

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Raise A Glass; Let’s Toast Wine

Apr 9

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There’s so much wonderful wine news that it seems like a perfect weekend activity: Find a glass you like, open a bottle, and enjoy the bouquet of mouthful flavors.

Name a state in the US, and you’ll have no problem finding a wine. Many continue to amaze and threaten the once imperial leadership from CA and other West Coast states. No more.

Name a country, and you’ll find lots of competition to the wine regions of France and Italy that have so dominated the international marketplace for so long.

Let’s play the game.events1

Find a wine shop you like; they most likely have weekend wine tastings (Many have added after work tastings and offer numerous price discounts). Sign up for their preferred customer list, AKA, give them your email address! Support wine shops that have stock beyond the ordinary. Many new shops have opened throughout the country that pride themselves on stocking the lesser known, often called the second brand of the big houses, and many smaller, lesser known wineries. Of course, when you travel, consider sampling the local wines of the area, the state. You may surprise yourself.

Follow a wine trail. You do not have to limit that excursion to West Coast states. Look at Virginia, a state which has been grabbing headlines for its selection and quality of product. Each area of  Virginia, for instance, has a terroir trail specific to its region or county.  If you find a group of friends to accompany you, consider a car service or at least a designated driver as sampling is such a major part of the excursion.

Let no one spill your fun. Wine tastes are personal. Not everyone will like the same wines nor the same wines with the same foods. Pairing can prove challenging, but again your individual palate impacts the end result. Try, sample, and compare. Your tastebuds will tell you if you have a match.

Throw out the rules. Enjoy the wine and explore beyond the big names.

You’ll be pleased.

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Sweet Riesling…Sometimes

Feb 17

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It’s a funny thing about Riesling: It gets a bad rap from a lot of people who have heard about it but have never tasted it. Someone, somewhere, said, ooh, Riesling’s a super sweet wine.

OK, it can be; it doesn’t have to be super sweet or even sweet as the significant number of dry Rieslings attest. No longer do you need to avoid a great grape. There’s basically a Riesling for every type of white wine drinker. You can trust the Riesling Taste Profile and make a decision based on the graphic on the back label. You will be in for a pleasant wine surprise if the profile matches what you plan to eat or what you like in a wine.riesling

Over a million cases already include the profile graphic and additional wineries are expected to come on board as this particular grape is the fastest selling white grape in the United States. Imagine its numbers if consumers who suffer from Riesling Phobia would look at the graph and be comfortable with the grape!

There are so many foods that favor a Riesling pairing. Or, the other way to think about this versatile grape is that there is a food-friendly Riesling ready for you to try.

I need no convincing: I’ll start with one from the Mosel.

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An Excuse To Celebrate: Beaujolais Nouveau

Nov 18

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Most every wine writer worth his glass will say skip tomorrow’s marketing jubilee: Beaujolais Nouveau C’est Arrive. They say, avoid the hype and spend your beverage dollars on wonderful bottles of Beaujolais that lend themselves to any meal year-round.

The traditional 3rd Thursday of November Beaujolais Nouveau event has become an opportunity for liquor stores and restaurants to celebrate with a pour, special pairings, and the hope that this year’s young crop may be better than in some previous years. Always dicey but for those who can’t imagine skipping a toast, a pour, or a traditional event, then tomorrow is your day.

By French law and now anticipated tradition, the young, fruity, light wine of the Gamay grape cannot be poured until 12:01 AM on that 3rd Thursday of the month, or exactly one week before the great food holiday, Thanksgiving. One of the big names in the Beaujolais region is Georges Duboeuf, and his Nouveau label has become as pervasive as this mini-celebration. For true traditionalists, his best Beaujolais Nouveau years have ended in the 9′s so get ready to enjoy the 2009.

Stores will be ready for tastings tomorrow. Then you can decide how much of a traditionalist you are.

If you’re thinking of a restaurant to try the wine or to celebrate its annual release, then consider one of the many French restaurants that participate in such an event. (Mon Ami Gabi is one national company that has plans for the evening, and some locations have decided to turn the “Day” into a week of festivities).

If you’re in Washington, DC and you’ve always wanted to visit The French Embassy, this might be your perfect excuse. Tickets are necessary, but it is a fun way to feel transported to France for an evening of wine and food in a beautiful setting. Check with your local French-beaujolaisNouveauCelebratioAmerican Chamber of Commerce for events in your city.

A Votre Sante; Cheers.

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Coffee Wars

Nov 13

Posted by admin in beverages, news, Pairings | 1 Comment

We’ve had a week of restaurant and grocery news. Now it’s time to focus on our namesake: The Love of Coffee. Yes, there is such a thing as a bad cup of coffee. Very sad. Poor beans, improper roasting, and bad tasting water. Three individual aspects that can kill the whole experience. As an espresso aficionado, this is the season where a hot, steaming cup tastes better than any other time of the year. (OK, in summer a double over iced is pretty terrific).

Now to make it an even more enticing experience, coffee companies and beverage outlets have decided to reward us with little extras. McDonald’s continues to be a significant player with its full espresso line. By this summer they plan to have frappes ready for those looking for a reasonably priced beverage.

Caribou Coffee decided to carve its niche as the company with real chocolate drinks. By using Guittard Chocolate, they have a new line of drinks featuring beautifully crafted chocolates joining forces with coffee and creating drinks such as a dark chocolate latte. Chocolate and coffee have always created an impressive pairing blend.

Godiva Chocolatier decided to join the fray by introducing new coffees, including truffle-infused blends, for the growing home market of coffee drinkers. Again we see the chocolate notes working into the coffee profile.

It’s all about the important wake-up call. Coffee still has more steam than many other beverages. At this time of the year as we’re thinking of holiday meals and presents, nothing wrong with a coffee purchase!

Personally I like mine in a cup without any flavorings. Just good beans, roasted properly, filtered water and bingo! Don’t forget my dark chocolate square, right next to my cuppa.

No problem. I’m waiting.

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Wine Not

Oct 19

Posted by admin in health, news, Pairings | No Comments

corksThe wine industry has managed to have a stellar year despite some strategic changes. Many restaurants decided to rethink their Reserve lists, grocers and wine stores increased their specially priced wines, AKA the under $10 bins, and consumers became more adventuresome in their selections than maybe they were a year ago. With all the adjustments, the wine industry survived with a relatively strong year. Maybe not the sparklings, but the rest of the industry.

Here are other facts to sip:

Health articles that speak volumes about the heart-healthy benefits of red wine positively impact consumption. There’s a possible spike in grape juice consumption, too, as it possesses the same ingredient, resveratrol. How about the impact of resveratrol on fighting off viruses. Right now with the fear of the devastating effects of the flu, the Italian study could not be better timed. I’m starting to feel really healthy.

With all the employment anxiety affecting so many of us, how about the study that suggests red wine helps with digestion. Now we’re talking pairing: a good dinner and a glass of red wine. This has true promise.

Sure some wineries have not survived aspects of the downturn, and the Julia Child/Robert Mondavi food center, (The American Center for Wine, Food, & the Arts, COPIA in Napa) is up for sale, but as far as an industry, many US regions are reporting strong sales. Wines from South America, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand  are strong contenders for a re-tailored wine budget. It looks as if France is back in favor as the world’s number one wine producer, taking the crown from last year’s winner, Italy.

Wine tastes and budgets are all over the map. Maybe you’re drinking more Malbec than Merlot now than you were 2 years ago, or more Beaujolais than Bordeaux, but you’re enjoying the swirl. Some patterns could be in flux as big bonuses are back again on Wall Street. Maybe some of those redefined New York restaurants are rethinking their tailored-down lists. Time will tell. I hope those days of wine and roses are left to the novelists.

So many wonderful wines.

Raise your glass high and enjoy the bouquet while your heart, digestive system, and virus-fighting agents smile at your beverage selection.

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It’s Wine Festival Time

Sep 5

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winehorseNo matter in which part of the country you live or visit, there’s bound to be some wine action this Fall. This is a wonderful time of the year to learn about wine, visit the vineyards, and watch the harvest. Some wineries even let you participate in the action.

Here is a mini roundup of possibilities: You know I’m partial (see prior blog entries on wine) to many of the fine wines coming from Virginia. Yes, October is Wine Month, but you can get a jump on the action right now, in September. Let’s start with an interesting combination: Polo, yes, a polo match, accompanied by wine tasting and gourmet food: A true Trifecta. Next weekend is the 24th Annual Commonwealth Cup which pits the best Virginia Polo Players with their British counterparts at the site of the Wine Festival of the Plains, all an easy trip from Washington, DC.

If you want to taste a larger number of wines and later visit the wineries, you might try the following weekend’s event at Bull Run Park: The 34th Virginia Wine Festival which features wine seminars, wine and food pairing demos, and representation from over 50 wineries. This program is part of the Atlantic Seaboard Wine Association which recently held the 5th Annual award competition with entries from the 17 states eligible to participate. The Best of Show was awarded to a Semi-Dry Riesling from Chateau Lafayette in Reneau, New York.

How about the Finger Lakes? Autumn leaves are already falling, and you have a multitude of wine trails to capture your attention. You can start with a trip to the International Winery of the Year winner (Chateau Lafayette) , and maybe have time to sample some of its neighbors as part of the Seneca Lake Wine Trail with over 30 wineries in close proximity. These areas become incredibly crowded on weekends, and a number of the wineries are offering mid-week bottle discounts. This may be a perfect excuse for a less crowded break.

Midwesterners complain they get ignored in these type of articles. Not so. Here’s a chance to do a shout-out to the Shawnee Wine Trail with 12 wineries in southern Illinois. Many are participating in Labor Day weekend activities, but the rest of the month holds promise for quieter tastings and more in-depth discussions.

Of course, there’s Napa and Sonoma, Oregon and Washington, and all the states in between that host wine festivals as this has become big business throughout the country. Consider this preview as a small pour, a sample of what’s to come as the Fall season has just begun. We have plenty of time to enjoy Nature’s bounty.

Raise your glasses.

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