Sunday, January 31, 2010

Italian and Spanish Mix


Hello Wine Lovers!


I thought I would talk today about ordering wine from a restaurant menu. In a previous post I wrote about how to buy wine from your favorite wine merchant and after a recent visit to a restaurant I feel this may be helpful to some of you.


First and foremost, do not be intimidated by the wine list, server, bartender, or sommelier...they are all there to assist you with your selection! Secondly, don't be intimidated and ask plenty of questions. Last but not least, know what you want to spend and remember what you have been drinking lately at home or elsewhere. This will help them guide you down the path of your tastes and expectations.


I always recommend you widen your horizons when dining out, not only with your wine selections but with your food selections as well. Try something different, trust me, it will be fun!

Tell the person who is taking care of you a few different wines that you enjoy, a range of what you want to spend and ask him/her for their recommendations or favorites.


You may want to ask them what specials the restaurant is featuring.Theses wines are usually a good value and are very approachable. Another one of my favorites is to ask them for the hidden jewel on the list. The wine that is under priced and drinking really well. Ask them for a wine that sells for $30 but drinks like it is $50 or $60, this is always a nice challenge for the person taking care of you!


When you make your selection and the bottle is presented to you be sure it is what your agreed upon. Look at the year, producer and area it is from. After you give your nod of approval you will be presented the cork, DON'T SMELL IT! Place it on the table. You will then be poured a small amount in your glass. DON'T TASTE IT! Swirl and smell, as long as it smells vibrant and not overly "musty" give your nod of approval. After wine has been poured for everyone, sit back and take your first sip and enjoy. If for some reason you do not like the wine, return it and order something different. (The restaurant will pour it off as a "by the glass" or special... don't feel bad it is your money, your fun, your tastes)


Remember the staff is there to help you with your selections and their education on what they are selling and what is value driven and what is really appealing... take advantage of this! Have fun and experiment but most of all enjoy wine with food!


Whew! Too wordy! Sorry about that! Now the wines for today. I chose an Italian White Blend, Casamatta Bianco Toscana. This little number is a blend of 50% Chardonnay, 40% Sauvignon Blanc and 10% Trebbiano. A lush, fruit forward wine with grapefruit and tropical fruit flavors with slight minerals on the finish. A great food wine for fish, light pastas and chicken. $6.99 a bottle will have you laughing as you sip!


My red for today is a Spanish 100% Garnacha, Monte Oton. This wine is beautiful with plenty of fruit nuances from blackberry, plum and raspberry flavors. It is rich with texture from the volcanic soil it grows in on the slopes of an extinct volcano in rugged Spain. This will set you back a whole $6.99 also! (It just kills me...)


Grenache (pronounced gren-ash) (in Spanish, Garnacha) is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varietals in the world. It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain and the south of France. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively high alcohol content, but it needs careful control of yields for best results.


Cheers!

J

Sunday, January 24, 2010

A Pair of Winners


Hello Wine Lovers!


I got to thinking last week (which is scary) that not only should I write about wines for you to enjoy but why not add some of my favorite food recipes too! So... this is my first entry with a recipe as well. I hope you enjoy!


To me food is not a means to live, but I live to eat good food! Some think it is difficult to eat well, or too difficult to follow a recipe out of Gourmet or some other food magazine or coffee table cook book. I say if you can read you can cook! It takes focus and the ability to follow steps and procedures. In most cases I find that people who say they cannot cook allow too many distractions during their time in the kitchen.


First the wine! I am talking about two today, LaVieille Ferme White and Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet Blend. Both are around $6.99 a bottle, once again I am blown away on how anyone can get wine to the store for that money$$


LaVieille Ferme is a Rhone Valley wine grown in the Luberon Mountains. It is made up of Grenache Blanc, Bourboulenc, Ugni Blanc and Roussanne grapes from the acclaimed Chateau de Beaucastel family of France who have a great reputation. This wine matches well with the recipe as well. Light, fruit forward with tropical fruit flavors with minerals and enough acid to handle food.


Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet from South Australia is from one of the most prominent producers of Australia. For this money it is juicy with dark fruit, spice and chocolate wit just enough oak to keep it interesting.


SALMON in LEMON BRODETTO with PEA PUREE


Lemon Brodetto:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, diced
2 lemons, juiced
1 lemon, zested
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
Pea Puree:
2 cups frozen peas, thawed (about 10 ounces)
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Salmon:
1/4 cup olive oil
4 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
To make the Lemon Brodetto, warm the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute until tender, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, and broth. Bring to a simmer, and keep warm, covered, over low heat.
To make the Pea Puree, combine the peas, mint, garlic, salt, and pepper in a food processor and puree. With the machine running, add the olive oil in a steady drizzle. Transfer the pea puree to a small bowl and stir in the Parmesan. Set aside.
To make the Salmon, warm the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over high heat. Season the salmon pieces with salt and pepper. Sear the salmon until a golden crust forms, about 4 to 5 minutes on the first side. Flip the fish and continue cooking until medium-rare, about 2 minutes more depending on the thickness of the fish.
To assemble the dish, add the tablespoon chopped mint to the Lemon Brodetto and divide between 4 shallow dishes. Place a large spoonful of Pea Puree into the center of each bowl. Place a salmon piece atop each mound of Pea Puree. Serve immediately.


Have Fun!


Cheers!

J

Monday, January 18, 2010

New Zealand Winner


Hello Wine Lovers!


Today I am offering you for your selection a nice, food friendly, easy drinking Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Oyster Bay. At around $6.99 a bottle, you can't go wrong, even if you don't like it... at that price give it to your neighbor!


Pale straw green in colour, zesty and aromatic with lots of lively, penetrating fruit characters.

Tropical fruits with grapefruit and a typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc nose, slightly grassy but not too much where you think you just cut your grass in the spring!


Lets talk a little bit about New Zealand wines.

The first appearance of wine in New Zealand was during colonial times. However the production of wine really didn't take off because of a number of factors including that wine was not really economical to produce as compared to dairy products and meat. New Zealand took wine making seriously during the latter half of the 1960s. Wine was seen as the only way to save New Zealand's dwindling economy so all prohibitions were lifted and wine production started at full steam.
Marlborough was later identified by many wine making families of the time and wine production including fruit growing began to center around Marlborough.
New Zealand is a country of contrasts with dense, native forest, snow-capped mountains and spectacular coastline. With wine growing regions covering the length of 1000 miles, grapes are grown in a vast range of climates and soil types, producing a diverse array of styles. The northern hemisphere equivalent would run from Bordeaux down to southern Spain.
New Zealand's climate has a strong influence on the country's predominantly coastal vineyards. The vines are warmed by strong, clear sunlight during the day and cooled at night by sea breezes, much like the Sonoma Coast in California.The long, slow ripening period helps to retain the vibrant varietal flavours that make New Zealand wine so distinctive.

In my humble opinion, any Sauvignon Blanc you see at the wine shop from New Zealand is usually worth pouring in your favorite glass and taking a sip!


Until next time...


Cheers!

J

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Spanish Tempranillo


Hello Wine Lovers!


Today we are talking about a wine that will knock you over! This little number is 100% Tempranillo, The Venta Morales Tempranillo 2008 is completely tank-fermented, and is a juicy, vibrant red that really delivers, demonstrating loads of black cherry, raspberry and herbs on the finish. It is from the La Mancha region in Spain and is a whopping $4.99 a bottle! Are you kidding me? How do they get a bottle of wine to market for that money? Crazy! You won't be disappointed... and if by chance you are, dump it in your windshield wiper fluid tank!


Lets talk a little about this grape.


Tempranillo is a variety of black grape widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. It is the main grape used in Rioja, and is often referred to as Spain's "noble grape". The name is derived from the Spanish word temprano, which means "early", a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes.
Tempranillo wines can be consumed young, but the most expensive ones are aged for several years in oak barrels. The wines are ruby red in color usually with aromas and flavors of berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather and dried herbs.


Tempranillo is currently enjoying a surge in wine production worldwide. This surge began partly as a result of the efforts of a 'new wave' of Spanish growers who showed that it was possible to produce wines of great character and quality in areas outside of the Rioja region. You will find producers in California growing the varietal as well as Chile, South Africa, Argentina and even Canada!


Cheers!

J

Sunday, January 3, 2010

A Winner from Chile


Hello Wine Lovers!


Brrrr! It is cold out... 3 degrees here in Chicago! Now that the holidays are behind us no more party's where you have ever intention of enjoying your libations over conversation and small talk, and the next thing you know you don't remember what wine you were drinking let alone what it tasted like! Now sit back, relax, open up this little number and enjoy!


You will find this Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc from Chile a clean crisp white that has never even been in the same room as oak, with grapefruit and tropical fruit nuances with just a touch of fresh cut grass on the nose. There is enough acid in this wine to stand up to food but not too much where you can't enjoy it by itself as an aperitif. This will only set you back about $7 for the whole bottle so buy this thing by the case and enjoy it. Relax, slow down and sip this with the intent to take everything it has to offer, swirl it around your mouth before swallowing... feel it?


Cheers!

J