The tragedy of Newtown belongs to all of Us:

I am a wine writer whose main intent is to educate people about wine and the regions they come from in the hopes bringing people together and relationships closer at the meal table and beyond.  In thinking about what I do and the tragic shootings in Connecticut I realize that what happened there is a collective tragedy and belongs to all of us.  In the wake of a tragedy like this, we tend to want to blame what is physically in front of us, evidences of what we can see.  It is what is unseen that is to blame.  The blame is in our everyday thinking about our lives and our priorities.  Responsibility for this needs to fall on each and every one of us.  We as a people need to question not the right to bear arms, but why assault weapons, such as what was used in the killings of what would have been our future, was ok to purchase.  For what reason does any person not on the combat line need an assault weapon that shoots 30 rounds per magazine?  The thought about what is right and consequences for action and inaction legislatively and morally has fallen by the wayside.  This tragedy has become my business, it’s become our business.  No judgment here, just thoughts.  Me and We as parents need to question what our children watch on television, what video games they play, who they play with, what influences them outside of the home, what it is that we as parents do to influence and shape who our children become.  This tragedy is about who we will be from this moment forward.  Will we be a people who pays attention?  Paying attention to what we think, what we do that influences our children, what we do about the nations children crying out for help.  Because not doing this affects all of us eventually.  What’s become clearer for me, in what I need to do, is paying more attention to my contribution to this world, in thought and deed.  Paying attention to positive traditions started and not yet started….paying attention to what I do and say each day, because I know words affect.   Paying attention to the life I lead and the example I intend to set ……I hope you will all join me.  Let’s wrap our arms around not just our families but wrap our arms around who we are and how we intend be in this world. 

Foodware

There is no reason on earth to save your most beautiful foodware for a special occasion.  Your special occasion is every moment of everyday.  Eating anything on beautiful ware makes all the difference in your food experience:)

enjoy

Chardonnay?

{Chablis} is Chardonnay

{Macon-Village} is Chardonnay

{Meursault} is Chardonnay

{Pouilly-Fuisse} is Chardonnay

{white Burgundy} is Chardonnay

{Blanc de Blanc Champagne} is Chardonnay

 

Flavor Styles:

{cool climate} - green and citrus fruits - high acidity

{moderate climate} - citrus, stone/melon fruit - medium/high acidity

{hot climate} - tropical fruit (pineapple, banana) - medium acid

{oak} vanilla, toast, nut, coconut, coffee

{lees} savouriness, creaminess

{age} hazelnut, honey, toastiness, savouriness

{malolactic fermentation} softens the acid - adds texture and structure

 

enjoy

The New Wine Rules

I remember my first glass of significant wine; a wine that changed the way I thought about wine.   I was at a dinner party and upon second sip I had an awakening….all of a sudden I needed to know what I was drinking, where it came from, and why with each sip, was it causing me to want to know everything about it.  This was years ago and to this day I expect that kind of experience with every glass of wine I sip; from the bistro styled table wine to the grand cru fine wine.  Here is what I have learned and have dubbed the new wine rules:

| Wine is meant to be an experience and you don’t have time in your life to waste on bad experiences.  Always make it a habit with each glass of wine you sip to think about what you’re tasting, how it changes in your mouth, how it evolves in your glass, how you feel when you’re sipping it.  

| A wine should never disappoint…..if it does, move on and never purchase it again. 

| wine should take you to a special place; the place of its origin and open you up to an experience and a world that you’d want to travel to again and again.

| The same familiar varieties are grown all over the world; cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, chenin blanc….these are disguised as Bordeaux Rouge, white Burgundy, and Vouvray…..seek out the familiar varieties from regions you haven’t experienced yet.

| it’s not mandatory to pair wine with food;  the pairing of wine with food plays a significant gastronomic role in your palate experience, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not mandatory.  Wine for wines sake is alright.

| wine bars are the new black…just like the color spectrum, wines from around the world can be sampled by the glass before you commit to buying the full bottle.

There you have it, the new rules.  By the way, that first significant glass of wine that changed my life was a homemade chardonnay wine:)

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The Perfect Wine Grape for Summer

Wine in the bottle is a living breathing evolving food.  When released and poured into a glass it evolves even further, some wines needing it, others not so much; grape variety, growing region and winemaker being the ultimate deciding factor.  There are grapes that produce near perfect wines upon pouring…no evolution needed; sauvignon blanc is one of them.  Sauvignon Blanc is the native grape of the Bordeaux region of France.  It is blended, in this region, with primarily the Semillon grape to produce the soft subdued, lime dominant, herbaceous white Bordeaux wines;  perfection in old world style and pairs well with simple meals.  On the other side of subdued is sauvignon blanc from New Zealand.  This new world region married sauvignon blanc and became quite possibly the most perfect single variety union; terroir and single grape.  The sauvignon blanc from this region expresses this grape in a more bold and fruit-forward way… being the more exuberant twin so to speak.  Both regions express the grape differently but neither masks the trueness of the grape.  Being interchangeable for the warm weather both versions are zippy to the core which makes them perfect for summer foods; picnic foods, pasta salads, chicken salads, barbequed anything…..you get the point…..not many wines can boast that….well maybe Riesling:)….that’s a new blog post.  So pour and sip away no evolving needed. 

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Packaging is Everything

Within this uniquely shaped bottle with the slightly curved neck is a sustainably grown Merlot-Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Vin de Pays D’Oc, from Southern France.  As you can see it has not been opened, not because the want is not there and not because the food pairing is not there, but because time is needed to ponder the shear beauty and creative thought that went into the design and craftsmanship of the bottle that would would house its contents.  Being from a moderately climed region, there is little doubt that its contents would smell and taste of subtle deep berries and black cherries and earth with a hint of black currant…..one would also imagine the complete balance of fruit, tannin and alcohol with a medium to long length based on the 12.5% indicated on the bottle.  ok enough on that….when the pondering is over, it will be opened and it will be paired with red wine braised short ribs:)

enjoy

Technorati Tags: J.P Chenet Wines

Rueda Verdejo

The goal of wine is to invigorate your senses and enhance your life experience. I  said a mouthful I know, but the truth is wine is a living breathing, evolving food that should be appreciated and pondered upon with each sip.  The appreciation not only for its taste and food enhancing qualities, but for its sense of place and the skill of the winemaker to capture all of the above.  Let’s look a Spain.  Spain is the third most important wine region in the world.  It has the most land under vines than any other wine region.  It produces stunning reds from Rioja, and refreshing whites from Rueda.  I opened a bottle of one of Rueda’s pride and joy – Verdejo.   The meal planned for the evening was penne pasta with banger sausage…not quite a match but I was looking to sip on something while I waited.  The wine was Hermano Lurton Rueda 2010.  Upon first pour its youthful aroma leaped out of the stream that whirled into my glass….fresh citrus.  Not wasting any time I sipped….it tasted of key lime pie - without the sugar - and a hint of herbs.  What a gem!  Within my glass was Rueda and a wine maker who knew how to capture its essence.  I wouldn’t have expected anything less.  Now, this wine is more of a warm weather sipper, and as I pondered each sip I thought about what I’d pair it with…..so if I had to pair it with food, I’d pair it with a Mediterranean pasta salad and/or grilled chicken with cilantro.  

enjoy

Technorati Tags: Hermanos Lurton Rueda Verdejo,Spain

Breathing Space

I have been engulfed in studying for an upcoming wine exam.  So engulfed that at times I’ll look out and wonder…why am I doing this?  And then I take a breath and go back to the realization that not following what I love and feel so compelled to learn about, would be a disservice to myself and the people I hope to touch and inspire with the outcome of all that I am learning.  The truth is that the world of wine is vast and complex and goes far beyond the label on the bottle.  Capturing the essence of our earth and putting it into a bottle is a lot of work and takes a great deal of knowledge, insight, and skill on the part of many passionate people.  Sharing my knowledge of wine and the regions they come from is my goal.  So, I’m going to get back to studying now.  Oh!….the picture is of a landscape in Tuscany (my breathing space) and  this evening I will open a bottle of Chianti and give a toast to wine :)

enjoy

Simple Pleasures continued…..

| butter cake |

| See’s vanilla flavored lolly pops |

| Sugar Seared Salmon |

| Riedel red wine stemware |

| NOOK |

| any Riesling |

| Cezanne |

| the color orange |

| the Metropolitan Museum of Art |

| fried chicken |

| 60 degree winters |

| family |

| red Zinfandel |

| Pinterest |

| breathing |

:)

The Regal One: Pinotage

Pinotage is to South Africa what Zinfandel is to California, meaning the wine region of South Africa has the right to say “Pinotage is ours, we do it best, and no other wine region in the world can touch us”.  Well, this is partially true (Zinfandel is actually the Italian Primitivo grape, but California does it best) To the best of my wine knowledge the Pinotage grape is only grown in South Africa.  If fact, Pinotage is a manufactured grape with lineage tied to its parent grapes Pinot Noir and Cinsault.  They made the perfect pair and produced offspring wines with tastes and aromas described as; concentrated deep black and red berries with a hint of herbs and vanilla…tannic mouth feel for days with length in the mouth to match.  Pinotage is a full-bodied wine that pairs with a full-bodied dish.  I had this Zonnebloem 2008 Pinotage with sautéed thinly sliced skirt steak and scallions with a hint of soy sauce.  No sides necessary:)

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Butter Cake and Chardonnay :)

 

Over the week-end I was leafing through one of my vintage Gourmet magazines (March 2008 French Bistro issue) and came across a page of recipes devoted to butter.  You know, that was the beauty of  Gourmet Magazine, never being afraid to lay it all on the table…..butter is good, proving again and again that creamy buttery anything is one of life greatest pleasures.   On this page there’s a short recipe for butter cake.  I decided to make it.  And why not it’s simple, classically French, and butter was involved…… I needed an excuse to indulge.  You know the French are masters at making delicious cakes out of few and simple ingredients, and this butter cake from Gourmet Magazine represents that simplicity very nicely.  Speaking of butter, chardonnay wine has been known to have the butter descriptor attached to it, and to get just a little technical on you, the butter, in aroma and flavor in chardonnay wine, is a byproduct of fermentation from a compound called diacetyl.   Anyway, I paired my elegant butter cake with a buttery chardonnay,  Louis Latour’s 2009 Pouilly-Fuisse, to be exact. 

Butter met butter and I must say they liked each other very much!  Indulge for yourself!

enjoy

 

Technorati Tags: butter cake recipe,Louis Latour Pouilly Fuisse