Lawry's the Prime Rib: Review

This place is a classic. Servers referring to themselves as Ms. _______, meat coming around on carts to order, meatballs and homemade potato chips in the lobby while you wait, just to name a few of its inviting characteristics. It's been a tradition in our family to go to Lawry's every Christmas to enjoy not only the food, but the live caroling provided by elaborately-costumed professionals. It adds a nice touch to your steak besides the horseradish and yorkshire pudding. Another delicious thing that adds a nice touch is......drum roll....great wine! As many of you know, I've recently started working for a wine importer and distributor that imports boutique, limited production wines from Argentina. So this year, we brought the 2005 Familia Cassone Obra Prima Cab Sauv $20 retail, and the 2008 Mi Terruno Malbec/Cab Blend $24 retail. Those prices are estimates...these wines aren't actually available retail yet. We're in the process of distributing them to restaurants in San Francisco. Also, my uncle brought the 2006 Hahn Pinot Noir from the Santa Lucia Highlands. The Pinot Noir was beautiful, and exactly my style: floral nose with notes of violet and ripe raspberry, smooth texture with a great mouthfeel and a soft, rounded finish. It was not overly barnyardy and it did not have that tart cherry i hate! By the time our food came, we were done with this pinot, which is fine because i think the prime rib would have overpowered it. First i tried the Mi Terruno Blend with the meat. I love this wine by itself because the 55% malbec makes it juicy and jammy, while the 45% cab gives it great structure and sophistication--i don't think it needs food! it did work well with the meat, but it was perhaps a little too fruity for my taste. The Obra Prima cab, however, was a beautiful match for the prime rib. It has smooth lush tannins, but enough of them to balance the rich fattiness of the meat. The more earthy subdued berry flavors worked a little better than the blend did for me.

All in all, it was a great experience. Delicious wines, and some pretty darn good food to pair with it. Oh, and great caroling too!

Every day= bubbly day!

For those of you who don't know, i'm a huge fan of bubbly. YUM! i drink it year round, with any meal. and i dont care that many others only drink it for New Years--more left for me the other 364 days of the year! This New Year's Eve, i'm doing a little sparkling wine tasting for which i'll feature a cava, prosecco, champagne, and sparkling wine from california. To prep for this, i've been doing a little online research to figure out which wines would work well for this tasting, and stumbled upon this champagne guide. It has a lot of interesting basic info, but the aspect i found most interesting, was the article's encouragement to use regular white wine glasses instead of flutes. Well, luckily i already use white wine glasses since i don't own any champagne flutes! Their reasoning is that the flute inhibits your ability to really take in the aromas and flavors; the 8-10 oz wine glass allows you to really get your nose in the glass, and it allows for the fruity/nutty aromas to be released out of the glass.

What are you drinking to ring in 2010?

I'm thankful for the Zin we had last night!

Yes, yesterday was the beloved Turkey Day. After much research and debate, i finally decided to open the 2004 Pali Winery Pinot Noir, the 2007 Trinchero Chicken Ranch Merlot, and the 2004 J Winery Zinfandel. I had about 4 other bottles i was anxious to try, but there were only about 6 of us actually drinking the wine, so i decided to keep it simple.

2004 Pali Pinot Noir: this one confused me. I thought my dad had forgotten about it in his wine cellar since it's fairly old for a pinot. but apparently, he just bought it a few weeks ago at a tasting at Spitfire Grill in the Santa Monica Airport. It had nice fruity/floral aromas with subtle undertones of barnyard, but it was definitely on the fruitier side. The palate was light-medium bodied and had a nice mouthfeel but absolutely no finish. so in that sense, it didn't really harm the thanksgiving feast we were pairing it with, but it didn't help cut any of the richness at all either.

2007 Trinchero Merlot: This Merlot was pretty consistent with what i was expecting. Nice medium-ripe fruits (cherry, etc), medium bodied, smooth but slightly chalky tannins, moderate finish. Worked well w/ the foods, etc. What put me off about this wine, was moreso the Trinchero tasting room practices. We visited the tasting room in Calistoga last September, and they charge $20 to taste only 3-4 wines, and they don't give a discount let alone comp the tasting if you purchase wines.

2004 J Zinfandel: I honestly don't know that much about Zin and aging, but I remembered enjoying this wine when we tasted it 2 years ago, so I figured the peppery finish would have smoothed out a little by now. And indeed it did. The nose was pure blueberry pie: rich ripe blueberries, maple syrup, and butter on the nose, which then evolved into rich juicy flavors of plum, ripe berries, and raisins with a smooth and satisfying finish. I thought it complimented the foods really well because it was rich and juicy but still maintained excellent structure and body to cut through the richer parts of the meal (like my sister's sausage stuffing).

I thought all three wines worked well with the meal, and accommodated different people's palates. i also confirmed that you never really know what you're going to get when aging a wine. you can certainly guess when it may be appropriate to drink, but ultimately you'll never know til you open it.

That being said, I'm wondering if you all can help me out. when talking about aging wines, i have trouble finding the right word to describe the mentality that one may go through. i tend to argue that people "covet" wines unnecessarily, hanging on to them for too long, or waiting til a celebratory moment, when in reality the wine could be spoiled, or ready to drink sooner than anticipated. I'm not sure if that's the right word for describing "putting the wine on a pedestal." any thoughts?

Pinot and Bubbles!

Geez long time no write! Been distracted by my new job as Copa Fina Wine Imports' sales/marketing gal. For more info on that, check us out on Facebook or Twitter or our website: copafina.com

Anyway, back to the vino. A few days ago we went to a tasting put on by Uncorked Events--Pinot and Bubbles. I believe it was around $50 if you pre-bought tickets, or $60 at the door, and this included some small bites of cheese, crackers, meats and such (if you could squeeze your way to the table before they ran out) and (basically unlimited) tastings from about 25 wineries/brokers/importers/etc. I'm not really going to go into detail about all the different wines we tasted, but i'll say this: I still love bubbly, and i'm starting to like pinot a little more.

Some of the more expensive pinots we tasted we from Duckhorn. Unfortunately, my palate was off from the sparkling wine and cured meats i had just before tasting, and they ran out of crackers, but my peers said the wines were fabulous. Some other stand-outs were Hirsch Winery and Freeman Winery. These are small, family-owned wineries and they also make delicious pinots. We tried 05, 06, and 07 from Hirsch, and interestingly, we all preferred the '07. I suppose that confirms that pinot doesn't age well.

The take-away: the event was too crowded, but there were some great wines. I'm not sure that it was worth $50-60, though.

Homemade Pizza= Wine's Best Friend

I don't really have much experience with pizza (I don't really like it), but I stand by my belief that it's wine's best friend. And why, you ask? Well, because it has all the essential ingredients that pair with/enhance pretty much any wine! Think about it: cheese (mozzarella, feta, parmesan, asiago, etc), sauces (creamy sauces, rich tomato, barbecue sauce, etc), meats (sausage, chicken, pepperoni, etc), and of course veggies (probably the part I like most about pizza). The great thing about pizza is that you can really have any theme, and of course there are a range of wines that pair with each style.

For example: I met with some friends and we split in 2 teams to "compete" for the Best Pizza Award (which is really nonexistent and didn't have a prize). My team made a veggie/pesto pizza: pesto spread, a little mozzarella, feta, fresh basil, spinach, mushrooms, olives, pimientos, green olives. The opponent made a creamy/meaty pizza: garlic cream sauce, bacon, ham, garlic sausage, lots of mozzarella/cheddar, topped w/ sliced tomato.

The winners? MY TEAM!!! Our pizza had a nice balance of salty flavors (pesto, olives, etc) and herby fresh veggies. Pizza #2 was too creamy (from the cream sauce plus cheese) and really needed more tomatoes/acid to cut that.

But, that's not to say some delicious Chardonnay and Merlot didn't help the creamy/meaty combo. We actually enjoyed both of the (very different) pizzas with the 2007 La Crema Chardonnay and the 2006 SKN Merlot. The Chardonnay's full body and creamy texture worked with the cheese on both pizzas, and the nice crisp finish cut the overly-creaminess of pizza #2, and the salty herbaceousness of the victorious pizza #1. The Merlot had similar, yet different effects. The cheese on both pizzas helped mellow out the tart cherry flavors, and the tannins worked really well with the salt on both pizzas. This Merlot was actually pretty boring, but very drinkable and it flowed nicely with all the different flavors of both pizzas.

So, go pizza/wine! What are your favorite pizza styles and wine pairings?

Sparkling Wine and New England Clam Chowder: a Match Made in Heaven...or Beach Chalet, that is.

Ahhh Beach Chalet. What a great spot right on the coast (at the far west end of Golden Gate Park, on Great Hwy south of Fulton St). We went here on Prime Rib Night but, me being the predictable person I am, got halibut and sparkling wine!

Their wine list is nothing to write home about, and their only sparkling wine is the Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Blancs. But it's a solid, affordable sparkling wine, which apparently pairs pretty damn well with New England clam chowder! It cut the creaminess, but also enhanced the savory flavors. Unfortunately I don't really like clam chowder that much, but paired with sparkling wine, I'll eat it any time!

Expensive Syrah = Yummy!

I went to Winery Collective on Jefferson St in Fisherman's Wharf SF for the first time the other day. I wouldn't rate it as one my favorite wine bars because everything's expensive and they only have California wines. I ended up getting an $18 glass of Pavo Syrah from Sonoma. Apparently this is the first/only wine produced so far by the young 27 year-old winemaker. The woman helping us explained the back story, and that this wine was her all-time favorite Syrah...ever. So I trusted her opinion and ordered a glass (luckily my boss paid for it).

Pavo Syrah 2007, $18/glass, $35/bottle according to the Pavo website. A full-bodied wine, this syrah was initially very alcoholic, emitting lots of heat on the nose and palate (14.7% alc), but then its smooth texture and rich flavors shone through, with notes of dark berries and plum. It had a moderate and slightly dry finish, which was actually quite satisfying. Lately I've been enjoying really jammy wines, but this one somehow manages to be really juicy and satisfying on the palate but dry and succinct in the finish. I give it a 93.

Tuscanova @ Century City Westfield Mall

I almost don't even want to write about this so I can keep it a secret...but then again, no one really reads my blog, so who cares!

Tuscanova restaurant opened recently at the Century City mall in LA, and they have a seemingly too-good-to-be-true happy hour: 4-8pm, EVERYDAY, 51% off all drinks, and a FREE plate of apps! This definitely outshines Bar Pintxo! For $37 we got 6 glasses of prosecco, a cosmo, and a cappuccino (for my underage sister)! The free app plate isn't amazing, but it's definitely appreciated. It comes with little bites of pizza (homemade pizza, but not gourmet tasting at all...kinda taste like the thin crust fast-food pizzas you can get at the food court), mini ham/cheese sandwiches, and crostinis with a brushetta topping.

The prosecco was 51% off $10, so 3 glasses of it go down really easy. We actually ended up staying for dinner too, and that was not as good. It was actually pretty simple/healthy seeming, but lacked flavor because of that. For example, my mom got gluten-free pasta and it was really dry and boring. I got sea bass that was cooked perfectly and tasted simple but good, but it was $26 and didn't come with any side dish or anything!

So I recommend Tuscanova for happy hour, but then going to Houston's or Gulfstream next door for dinner.

Bar Pintxo: Overpriced, Oversalted Tapas (but great happy hour)

Bar Pintxo is on Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Ave in Santa Monica. I've heard great things from my uncle about this place, so we made it in there before seeing Cirque Du Soleil this past weekend. They have happy hour from 4-6pm, featuring 6 tapas for $6! Now THIS is a great deal, but I didn't really care for any of the tapas featured on that menu (everything had either cheese and/or ham in it....boring!). Don't get me wrong, $6 is a great price and probably worth it, but I had to try their other more interesting items (which ended up being too salty and too expensive): garlic shrimp (3 for $9), scallops with fennel and cocoa dust (4 for $11), and seafood paella ($15). The paella was the only thing that was filling (because the rice) and not too salty. Luckily the cava I selected cut the salt pretty well for the other items though.

Wines: All their wines are Spanish, and their happy hour menu features 2 of them for $4-5 each, and also a sangria (which was watery and not worth it). I ignored these wines, and instead opted for a cava rosat at $11, then a regular cava at $9. The rosat was very interesting. Notes of cranberry stood out the most to me. The cava had more typical/expected nutty and yeasty flavors. I preferred the cava over the rosat, because it worked with my salty seafood a little better.

My conclusion: go here if you like Spanish tapas (salt, cheese, and ham). Don't go here if you're going to order other stuff on the menu--it's a rip off. I would definitely go here again and order the tapas. For $6, who cares if I don't love all of them?!? Also, I really appreciated that it wasn't crowded. On Friday night, at 530pm in the middle of happy hour, 6 of us could easily get a seat. I wonder why this is...no one's heard of it? Or no one likes the selection/prices...

Barefoot Merlot: when wine tastes worse than its price :(

Apologies to my 12 followers for not writing in a while. I guess you could say i've been a little discourage/depressed after a certain episode last week. I'm speaking, of course, of my encounter with Barefoot Merlot. I'm not sure how much it is per bottle, I'm guessing $5? Regardless, it was awful. Just plain awful. You couldn't pay me money to drink that, let alone charge me $5! There are so many better wines for that price out there! I do honestly believe that once you're over the $10 mark, wines start getting substantially better. But who doesn't want a quick easy $5 wine once in a while? I've seen much better from Argentina, Australia, Chile, etc. Adios Barefoot. Never again!

Note on Cake Bread

I don't really get it. There's a Cakebread Winery in Napa, then there's this "Cake Bread" (it's actually 2 words) winery that makes the Malbec. I ran into a Cake Bread Shiraz from Australia yesterday at the BevMo nickel sale, but it had no other information about who the parent company is or what's going on. The Cakebread Napa seems completely unrelated to the Cake Bread Argentina/Australia. Any ideas?

Cakebread Malbec

I realized that I don't really have a "go-to" Malbec, so I'm on a mission to find one, or at least try all the easily accessible ones. Last night I was at Safeway, and I saw the 2008 Cakebread Malbec. It was $18 on sale for $15 for Safeway club members. I thought this was a little pricey for a Malbec, but I was willing (if not excited) to "splurge" because I had a good feeling about this one; I figured for that price point, I could almost guarantee it would be juicy/jammy, not tart cherry. And sure enough, it did not let me down!

It was full bodied and rich on the palate, juicy with a slightly savory hint of salt. Jammy flavors of blackberry and plum lead to a moderate, but noticeably alcoholic finish. I like the savory/jammy combination, and I expected the alcohol (i think it's 14.5%?) which luckily mellowed out after a opening for a bit. All in all, I liked it.

Side note: I drank it alongside this sauteed chickpea dish i make. chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin, etc. It wasn't perfect, but wasn't bad at all! I was surprised.

Syrah + burger= YUM!

I've been to Eos twice now, and while the service is slow, the food is great. The menu is a fusion of american/european and thai (mushroom risotto vs. curry potato cakes) and works well with their selection of wines. In general, I like restaurants with small plates and a lot of wine, so this venue is right up my ally. But what convinced my boyfriend to come with me, was their random stand-out entree: the burger. 

and as it turns out, this burger was what i remember most from my recent dining experience there. We started with soup, scallops, and the tuna tower, accompanied by a sparkling rose. Then last, but not least, we got the burger. I still had half a glass of rose, and fadi was done with his sangria, but our server insisted on bringing us a glass of Bell Canterbury Vineyard Syrah. Smooth, round, and juicy--just like the burger. I can't really explain why the flavors of the burger matched perfectly with the flavors of the syrah, but i can say that it worked like grape jelly sauce on party meatballs, just more classy. 

I think burgers are admired for many reasons: they're easy to cook, they work well with a variety of toppings/condiments, they're a great excuse to barbecue with friends, and, of course, they pair really well with wine! I bet a burger would be awesome with malbec....   

Mendoza: Adventures in Argentina Wine Country

Hola! He regresado de Argentina, y tengo mucho que decir sobre los vinos! Not sure if that's 100% perfect, but at least I can say my Spanish got a lot of practice, as did my palate! We tasted so many wines, I can't really begin to go into detail about them all. Instead, I'm going to summarize what I discovered about Argentine winemaking vs. Napa.

Everybody knows Mendoza is Malbec country. And i was definitely not let down! Most of the wineries have multiple lines of wines (a "clasico," "reserva," and maybe an ultra premium). These lines are sometimes distinguished by grapes used (from 1 farm, or finca, vs another), but mostly are defined by the oak used (or not).

Most of the cheapest wines did not use oak. I liked this idea in whites (especially Chardonnay...I'm over oaky chards!), but not in reds. Reds really do benefit from oak influence. That being said, the results are still very different. I tried Malbecs that were medium bodied, tight, slightly spicy, with notes of cherry and hickory, and others that were full bodied, really jammy and rich, smooth over the palate, with more succinct and barely tannic finishes. Personally, i preferred the latter. We get a lot of big tannic cabs from Napa, and i appreciated the juicy mouthfeel of the rich but smooth malbecs, although i will note that the brighter malbecs paired pretty well with rich beef empanadas.

I wasn't surprised to find a great range of delicious malbecs, but i WAS surprised to find one great pinot grigio and one great pinot noir! The Pinot Grigio was from Casnati Winery. It was light to medium bodied, had a lot of great fruits on the palate and a nice crisp finish. it was not watery at all (which is what i often, and admittedly unnecessarily assume with pinot grigio).

The Pinot Noir was from Palo Alto Winery, but apparently some other winery "stole" the name from them and patented it, so their higher end line (to which the Pinot Noir belongs) is now called "Amadores." I don't know if it's just because I haven't had pinot in a while, or because I had really low expectations, but their Pinot Noir was really great! Lots of barnyard on the nose, and it was smooth, well rounded, and medium bodied on the palate. I heard the pinots from Patagonia are really great, but I only tried this one in Mendoza (which was also great), so I'm really excited to see what comes out of Patagonia!

Argentina is a huge country with very different appellations, so I'm excited to see all the great wines that continue to emerge from there!

Napa w/ the Folks

My parents jokingly say that when they're on vacation, regardless of the proposed itinerary, everyone should just expect to push it back at least an hour and a half. And this was the tone for our Napa trip this past weekend. Unexpected thunder/lightning/rainstorms in San Francisco lead do a leisurely morning and a slow start out the door, stopping for gas and desperately seeking a coffee shop extended that slow start, and long story short, we ended up pretty much winging it, and missing the 1 reservation we made (at Paraduxx winery).

But that's what I love about Napa. There are so many wineries, you can pretty much drop in anywhere you want (except for those wineries that are only open to the public by appointment). So we started at Peju Province Winery between Oakville and Rutherford. The property is beautiful (excellently groomed gardens with fountains, etc) and the tasting was low-key with no wait. We tasted their Chard first, then Sauv Blanc, then a Red/White blend, a Zin, and a Cab. (By the way, I'm going to try to keep this entry as brief as possible...) The Chard was actually pretty nice, because they use only old french oak, so it's not overwhelming. The Sauv blanc was pretty typical, if not boring, the Red/White blend was too sweet for my palate, but the Zin was really nice. It was smooth, and had moderate tannins that framed it nicely without overwhelming the plum and other fruit flavors. Plus, it was only $18! This was our favorite from Peju.

Next we went to Mumm Napa off Silverado Trail. This was my favorite, because I not only love sparkling wine, but we got to sit outside on their lovely patio overlooking the valley, we could choose from 5 flights, and I became a member so I got a bunch of discounts and free stuff. I tasted their Brut flight which included their classic Mumm Prestige. It also had the Prestige Extended Tirage (18 months) and a third sparkling wine with a 3 year tirage, I believe. My sister got a flight that included their delicious Rose which was refreshing but still had nice balanced fruits on the palate, and my mom got their "fancy flight" of 2 vintage wines (DVX). 2000 and 2001. Many of their other wines are non-vintage (which apparently means it's because they're expected to taste the same regardless of the year the grapes were harvested). These higher-end wines were definitely more nutty and sophisticated. While we were there, we also tasted the 2 wines I'd be receiving as a club member: Sparkling Pinot Noir, and the Cuvee M Red. The Red was a little to thick and heavy for me, so I opted to receive 2 of the Sparkling Pinots this month, but both would be great for the holidays.

Trinchero: This is in the Northern part of St. Helena, just south of Calistoga. By nature of the location, it's a lot less crowded and more peaceful. They have a great deck and a barbecue, so I'm guess you could post up for a while and picnic there. That being said, their 3-wine flight was $20 a person, and they don't waive the fee if you purchase wine! Disappointing. They do pour large tastings, so just split one if you go there.

Alpha Omega: Their wines were our favorites, and were also the most expensive. The property was really nice too: huge fountain, nice sitting area outside, etc. The Sauvignon Blanc had a lot of flavor on the palate, refreshing apple, citrus, grass, etc and the finish was tart and succinct. Maybe one of the best Sauv blancs ever. no wonder it was $34! Their Cab was really nice too, developed tannins were not over whelming, chocolate and plum on the palate. At $75 a bottle, my dad bought 2 for the cellar.

Folie A Deux and Napa Wine Cellars: They share a tasting room, and they're also two of few tasting rooms that stay open til 6 (as opposed to 5). We all really enjoyed the value of their wines: great flavor and a nice price point. The Folie a Deux cab was $26 I believe, but still had a really interesting nose, nice berry flavors on the palate and balanced tannins.

So long story short, I didn't really want to go into too many details about each of the wines we tasted because many of the wines are new releases and could use a few years of bottle aging anyway (so I can't really judge the specific flavors they have now). The wine tasting experience is very personal, and for me ambiance is a lot of it. I prefer to go to more comfortable tasting rooms, that have nice outdoor seating areas. I don't need to go to the fancy places that charge $30/tasting. Also, writing in all the tasting notes would make this even longer than it already is... who knows if any of you even read this far!

Labor Day Weekend, Beer, and Cocktails (but no wine or bbq for me)

Labor Day is a great time for barbecueing, relaxing, and consuming a delicious beverage of your choice. I did not taste much wine this weekend, but I tasted some other really interesting things, all of which functioned to enlighten my palate.



Tsunami Sushi (Western Addition/NOPA area): YUM! We had the chef's selection of sushi and totally scored! They have an 8-piece combo of the fish specials for $27, or they have a 16 piece combo for the same price. I was with my sister and we decided to split the 16 piece, especially since the server informed us that it would still have some of the fish specials. That day, the specials happened to be Walu (hawaiian butterfish and our pet betta's namesake) and Toro (pure deliciousness). We thought maybe we'd be lucky and get at least one piece of one of these. She ended up bringing us 2 pieces each of both walu and toro, and a bunch of other delicious stuff (salmon, tuna, etc). This was really exciting!



The other exciting item I enjoyed at Tsunami was a libation called the "Cucumber Sparkle" made with vodka, cucumber, cava, and agave syrup. It was delicious and perfect with my sushi. It was effervescent from the cava and retained its dry/bitter flavors, pairing nicely with the fresh cucumber and it was definitely not too sweet.



After dinner, we went to Noc Noc on Haight. Small bar, interesting decor, way better than Marina venues, and a beer selection to be remembered! I'm not really going to go into detail because I don't even know the names of the beers I got (their knowledgeable barkeep just poured me a few). They were delicious though, and I would definitely go back to this place.



Yesterday, I went to Dosa for dinner and, recalling the mistake I made last time trying to pair Indian food with Cab Franc, I got refreshing, palate cleansing beer. Not really knowing what I was ordering when I requested Lindeman's Framboise Lambic beer, I ended up with something very interesting and unexpected-- beer fermented with raspberries! Sure, it said "raspberry" in the description, but I thought that was just a flowery descriptor. Anyhow, it was really interesting, a bit too rich for me to finish the whole glass, but it did work well with the food (better than wine would, in my experience).

If I did want to drink wine with sushi or Indian food, what would I have?....any thoughts?

Champagne at a Dive Bar!

Well, it wasn't really champagne. I don't even know what it was. But sometimes when you're craving sparkling wine you gotta just go for it, regardless of the venue. After waiting in the sweaty cluster of people around the bar at Kelly's Tavern on Fillmore, I was definitely ready for a cold glass o' bubbly. But there was one important question (second only to "Do you have sparkling wine") I had to ask before committing: Do you have a chilled, fresh (ie. unopened) bottle? And the answer was yes. Well, actually he didn't answer me. He just went ahead and poured it. But that was just fine, because I would have ordered it anyway, it wasn't Korbel (which I'm sick of), and I liked it!

So, if you're craving something, just go for it! It doesn't matter if the setting seems appropriate or not. If you want a Gewurtztraminer at a steak house, do it! If you want a Port with your entree, do it! And if I want some unnamed sparkling wine at a sweaty dive bar, I'm going to!

Fess Parker Pinot Noir= no tart cherry, yes gardenia

The title of this post says it all. The Fess Parker 2007 Pinot Noir (a housewarming gift from "Shnick") was everything I love in a pinot, and nothing I hate (tart cherry). It was light-bodied, with a very smooth texture. The "bouquet" was a bouquet of gardenias, night jasmine, and orange blossom (it smelled wonderful!) lead to flavors of rich plum and boysenberry, with a succinct finish. 94 points!

Chandon Blanc de Noirs and Appetizers

I drink it all the time, but I've never actually "critiqued" it. I'm sipping on it right now, and I'd say it's dry, nutty, and slightly bitter. The aroma reminds me of my great aunts' perfumes at the holiday parties (maybe because we always drink champagne at family holiday parties): musky, dusty, and maybe some faint pear. But honestly, it's hard to pick out specific flavors sometimes when your palate is entertained by all those bubbles. 

Now I'm trying it with cheese: an Irish cheddar from Whole Foods. Not sure how (long) it was aged, but it also tastes nutty, and of course fatty and salty.  With the sparkling wine it pairs well. I'm not sure if it changed the wine really, but of course the fattiness of the cheese coating my palate cuts and "massages" any of the hard edges of the wine (if there were any). 

Now I'm going to try pepper jack cheese. This particular pepper jack is notably spicy. Wow, that actually pairs pretty well too! Instead of magnifying the spice (as some wines do, especially tart dry wines), this somehow rolls over my palate, and the spicy cheese actually calms the initial bitterness of the wine. 

Now I'm pairing it with classic pimiento-stuffed green olives which are, of course, salty, briny and bitter. This also works. My tongue is still tainted from the spicy pepper jack, but the olives make the wine a little less bitter and more nutty. 

Verdict: Chandon's Blanc de Noirs is really tasty. I like the level of dryness it is, and I like the price point ($13 at Costco).  Even though I only tried one wine with just cheese and olives, I think in general, sparkling wines pair really well with most/all appetizers. When I took the wine course at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, we paired 6 sauces with 8 wines (one of which was a classic champagne). All the sauces (garlic aioli, pesto, olive tapenade, mole, romesco, and thai peanut) paired with the champagne. But then again, maybe it's because my palate is really quite fond of sparkling wines.

Prime at the Bellagio: everything's perfect except the wine list!

The Bellagio is my favorite hotel in Vegas. Well, I suppose I can only say that because I haven't checked out the Wynn/Encore, etc, only MGM/NyNy/Excalibur and other so-so hotel/casinos. But regardless, I love how the beautiful Chihuly glass ceiling greets you at the Bellagio when you enter, and I feel like everyone's classy there. Maybe that's how they get away with $20 martinis and $30 wines by the glass! I know many places in Vegas are pricey, and one should expect to fork over your only winnings to wine and dine there, but at least give us a few choices!



I'm referring to my most recent experience at Prime Steakhouse at the Bellagio. Everything was beautiful and perfect, the service was really superb, and I even feel like this place deserves at least 1 Michelin Star (of course, it's right next to the Bellagio's Picasso restaurant which is 3 Michelin Stars, so maybe that changes things). Anyhow, here's what transpired:

I came here with my immediate family and my aunt, uncle and cousin. We all ordered some type of steak or chicken. I got their 8 oz filet mignon at $40 a la carte, medium rare, with a side of steamed asparagus. It was delicious! And they served it with 5 different sauces. The sauces were all delicious, but I'm a fan of Ruth's Chris in the fact that the steak doesn't need any sauce, and the wine should be the sauce! This steak didn't really need sauce either, but of course I tried all of them and particularly enjoyed the miso mustard sauce.

ANYWAY, wine: No one really wanted a bottle to split, so 3 of us got wine by the glass. They had 3-4 wines that were under $20/glass (none of which were Cabs) and the rest were in their $30s, all the way up to $80's per glass!!! This was sad. My aunt ordered their $14 merlot, my uncle ordered a $14ish Zin, and i got their $16 Syrah. I really hate having to pick a wine based on price, but this place made me! I was already forking over $55 for the steak and asparagus (and $16 for the martini) but now I was expected to double my bill for a decent glass of wine??? Again, I guess that's what I should have expected, for a delicious steak dinner and a fabulous wine to pair with it. My syrah was ok...it didn't really pair well with the steak, but at least I had those five other sauces!

Kokkari and Cotes du Rhone

Last night after sampling the 13-year-old Burgundy, I went out to dinner at Kokkari on Jackson and Front St in the Financial District. Since it's a Greek restaurant, they start you off with homemade Greek olives which were really great but slightly bitter. As an appetizer, we had grilled octopus with lemon and olive oil. It was delicious! The texture was like nothing I've ever had before. The outside was soft and almost mushy, but the inside was slightly (and pleasantly) chewy but still tender. It was so good! For an entree I had oven roasted whole fish (it was a Mediterranean sea bass) in a tomato/olive sauce. They offered to de-bone it for me, but what would be the point of ordering whole fish? So I opted to navigate through the bones myself. It was so delicious! Moist, savory, just perfect.

I decided to pair the fish with a Clos Chanteduc, Cotes du Rhone '06 - $10/glass which was mostly grenache with a little syrah. It worked perfectly with the fish. It was medium bodied, smooth over the palate with balanced fruits and easy tannins. The rich darker fruit flavors stood up to the savory tomato sauce, but it's gentle tannins allowed the mild white fish to shine. For once this is a pairing I can say I really enjoyed!! What do you think of that, Shelbi?

13 year old white wine....i'm scared!

Right now I have a 1996 Bouchard Pere & Fils Meursault Genevriere chilling in the fridge (it's been in the wine fridge at 55 degrees but I want it just a touch cooler). My boss got it as a gift and doesn't care for whites so he gave it to me. My immediate reaction was: Thanks! Free wine! Then my reaction was: is this 13 year old white still drinkable? Because I thought that whites (besides champagne) don't really age well beyond a few years. 

I did some research on WineSpectator.com, and supposedly this wine was $66 back then, and earned 93 points! It also said, and perhaps most interestingly, that this wine is best AFTER 2003! So I should be excited, not nervous, right?

Ok, so it's been in the fridge for a little while now...I think I'm ready to uncork it!

Hmm. Disappointing! It's neither bad/rotten nor delicious and perfect after aging. It's a medium bodied wine with crisp acidity. Aromas of apple, melon, and musk lead to flavors of granny smith apple, unripe papaya, minerals, and almost negligible butter/vanilla. It has a long tart finish. It's just so-so if you ask me. It's actually pretty refreshing and clean, considering it's a chardonnay (I supposed French-style chards are always more subtle and less oaky), but I was really hoping for more excitement and complexity, not an easy-drinking summer white. Regardless, I wonder what this tasted like over a decade ago when Wine Spectator reviewed it. I guess this whole experience solidifies my theory that you can't hold onto a wine for too long...it may be anticlimactic. 

Bottle Aging: to drink or not to drink?

The first time I ever did the whole "drunken-limo-ride-to-wine-country-with-a-bunch-of-just-turned-21-year-olds" was spring of 2007 for my college friend/roommate's (you guessed it) 21st birthday. I went to UC Santa Barbara, so we went to Kalyra, Buttonwood, and Sunstone in the Solvang/San Ynez Valley region. Not really knowing what I was doing, I tried my hardest to concentrate on the flavors and pick a few great bottles to purchase and drink later....

Tonight I finally opened the first of the three bottles I brought home from that trip (over 2.5 years later. I can't believe I held out!).

So what was the occasion? Well, I've put a lot of thought into when a wine that's bottle aging is ready to be drunk. There are a few things to consider: a) what varietal is it and what's the appropriate aging range for that varietal, b) is there a special occasion, c) should we care?

So what led to my decision to open the 2003 Buttonwood Cabernet Franc ($30ish)? Well, I'm admittedly no expert on bottle aging, but I think 6 years is a good amount of time for a varietal that's not as tannic as Cab Sauv (Cab Franc's spawn with Sauvignon Blanc). Secondly, the occasion was a homemade steak dinner, and thirdly: no, I don't really care THAT much. Of course I care enough to consider the age, a possible food pairing, and sharing it with good company, but I'm not about to create a shrine for my Cab Franc. What if I open it and it's corked?

Tasting notes: It's a full bodied wine with smooth tannins but a solid, stable structure. Aromas of raisins, damp forest, musk, and very subtle heat lead to flavors of rich boysenberry, raisin/dried fruit, and chocolate-covered cherries with a substantial, slightly bitter, and long finish. 95 points! It was actually pretty complex and made me rethink my whole perception of Cab Franc.

Pairing: Wasn't perfect. The steak was marinated in a McCormick's steak rub which was savory and slightly salty. The deep raisin and boysenberry flavors of the wine were perhaps too fruity and not tannic enough, but you never really know until you try.

I really enjoyed the wine, and I feel really happy with my decision to open it tonight. The pairing wasn't perfect but one can't dwell on that sort of thing. That's perhaps the paradox of being a wine lover: you analyze the varietal/flavors/vintage and put real thought into it, but you can't hold it on a pedestal when you don't really know what it tastes like. At the end of the day you have to just let it go and drink it.

Cooking with wine: anyone know how?

I've only cooked with wine a few times, and it usually ends up being pretty successful. Most of the time I've used wines in stews and/or with sauteed veggies (green beans, spinach, etc). I just kinda throw it in there and see what happens. One aspect I really enjoy is the aroma once that average table wine hits the frying pan.

Yesterday, however, I used som Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (a little for me, a little for the chicken) and it didn't work out so well. I seared the chicken first, then poured in about 2/3 cup wine and simmered it for about 10 minutes, until fully cooked. It ended up being pretty dry and chewy (but the flavors were straight-forward and nice).

Does the alcohol (or some other component) in wine dry out protein? Should I have cooked the chicken fully first then added the wine at the last moment? Any advice?

O'Reilly's Pinot Noir and Salmon: what went wrong?

Last night my friend had a few of us over for a delicious dinner of hoisin-marinated salmon, sauteed snow peas, and brown rice. YUM! I would have paid $25 at a restaurant for that!

I was tasked with bringing a bottle of wine, so I did some research to see what pairs with salmon. I've had salmon and wine a million times, but I never seem to find the right match. Salmon has a very strong, fatty flavor but a big factor is also what spices are used. After consulting my wino friends and doing some research, I decided to bring a Pinot Noir. So I went into Nectar Wine Lounge on Steiner/Chestnut to purchase a bottle (they'll pour you tastes of the wines that they feature by the glass and by the bottle "to go") and ask for advice. They poured me 3 different pinots, they had their interesting differences but had one main (sort of bad) thing in common: too much tart cherry flavor. This tart cherry flavor is what tends to repel me from pinots (but I'm still trying to be open-minded), but I ended up just picking one at random (they were all the same price too) because I was running late and I hoped the salmon's fattiness would work well with the tartness.

The verdict: O'Reilly's 2007 Pinot Noir, Oregon, $20. It was medium to light bodied, had a somewhat resistant texture (didn't slide down smoothly, wasn't quite "rough"). Aromas of plum, cherry, and a little heat, the flavor was tart and flat and the finish was moderate. Paired with the salmon, the pinot did not get any better. Paired with the pinot, the salmon still tasted delicious. Long story short, I wish I got a sancerre, sauvignon blanc, or something bright and lemony which would be like a fresh seasoning on the somewhat sweet salmon.

I did, however, sort of like the pinot with the snow peas. They were a little spicy, and that spice masked the tartness of the pinot and brought out more fruits. It wasn't that remarkable, but still.

Anyway, didn't like salmon with this pinot. Any tips?

When is an opened bottle of wine too old to drink?

I don't really know. Different "experts" have told me different things. In terms of health/expiration, I think wine is probably good for a few weeks in the refrigerator. In terms of flavor, there are a few variables: refrigerating the wine vs. leaving it at room temp, suctioning the air out vs just putting the cork in.

My teacher at Culinary Institute of America, Jeff Morgan of Wine Spectator and also Covenant Winery in Napa, says "Just drink it." I like his attitude! He says that suctioning the air out also extracts the esters and terpines (what gives wine its delicious flavor). But keeping the air in, simply oxidizes the wine which could have positive or negative affects. On the other hand, the wine buyer at a shop in Washington D.C. says that suctioning the air out and refrigerating the wine will preserve it for 1-2 weeks.

I think this is a lot to weigh, and a lot to think about. I agree with Jeff's philosophy to just drink it!

Put to the test: BV Reserve Pinot Noir, 2004. My sister forgot she had this wine, and finally decided to open it (maybe it was perfect this year, maybe it would have been better last year...who knows). I was out of town when she uncorked it Friday night, but she saved me a splash so I could blog about it. She simply put the cork it and left it on the counter for 72 hours til I eventually drank it last night. It seemed that the main result of leaving it exposed to air for 3 days was a more acidic flavor over the palate, but still a soft/subtle finish. Not having tasted it in its pure form, I honestly can't really judge. It still tasted good to me, probably not as good, but I finished the rest of it. She says it was less earthy and more acidic than it was when she first tasted it. Also, since pinots are sort of delicate, I wonder if it would have done better or worse in the fridge.

Yangarra "Cadenzia" blend (65% Grenach, 35% Syrah, 5% Mourvedre), $20 retail. I opened this one on Friday before going out of town, but then I refridgerated it for teh 72 hours I was gone. When I tried this one last night, it was far too cold from the fridge and rather flavorless because of it. It was definitely more flat, boring, and had lost its smooth satisfying fruit. Originally, this wine was very pleasant. Soft, ripe fruits and "juicy" over the palate, subtle tannic structure, moderate finish. I really enjoyed it...shoulda finished it on Friday.

Wine tasting with the family, cont'd

I'm finally going to finish my earlier posting. I already described all the wines we tasted first: 3 whites, 3 reds, now I'm going to describe the Malbec.

Everyone was getting really into the tasting and food pairing, so I decided to go ahead and open the Malbec, which was really nice to have last. At that point, everyone's palates were getting tired, but we still wanted to test our articulation and wine critiquing skills, so a fruity, easy-to-drink Malbec was perfect. Low in tannins, low in astringency, this was definitely a nice conclusion.

Ben Marco 2007, Mendoza, Argentina: $14. As with most Malbecs, it was fruit-forward full of ripe cherry, plum, and raspberries. It had a fairly short and simple finish and was exactly as I said before: easy drinking. Everyone liked it, but I'm not sure if it's because we had already tasted so many things, or people were getting drunk, or if it was the great price point. Regardless, I'll definitely try it again to find out for sure. Any thoughts?

Oatmeal Stout with Molasses Bacon

Ok so my forte' is wine, but I will definitely give a shout-out to delicious beer (and liquors). My sister is doing a potluck beer/food pairing tomorrow, and she's bringing oatmeal stout with molasses bacon. Seems like a good pairing, although I haven't had stout in a long time and I haven't had bacon in even longer. She asked me to help her come up with a description of these flavors...any ideas???

Wine tasting with the family

I recently hosted a wine tasting for my parents and my aunt and uncle. Since there would only be five of us, I wanted to keep it simple and taste 2 whites, 2 reds. But as my parents have been collecting (and forgetting) dozens of wines over the years, my mom suggested we try 6-7. This made it a lot more fun for me!

How it worked: We did a blind tasting of 3 whites, stopped to talk about each then revealed them afterwards, then 3 reds following the same procedure.

1. Brander Sauvignon Blanc, 2008, Santa Ynez, CA: $15 from the winery. It was exactly what you'd expect from a sauv blanc: light body, refreshing acidity, aromas and flavors of grass, citrus, and some green apple. It also paired nicely with the green olives we had. It wasn't my favorite Sauv blanc, it fell a little flat and i prefer more citrus and crispness on the palate.

2. Crios Torrontes, 2008, Mendoza, Argentina: $12 from Costco. This was also exactly what you'd expect from a Torrontes: light body, ripe tree fruit, melon, and some citrus on the palate with a short and crisp finish. Very floral on the nose, with aromas of lychee and plumeria. Everyone really enjoyed this and had no idea what varietal it was (I think it was their first time trying a Torrontes). My main take-away from this wine, was that it was very simple and drinkable. I think this is perfect for my parents that like an easy sipping wine, especially on a warm summer afternoon out on the patio.

3. La Crema Chardonnay, 2006, Napa, CA: $15 from Costco. CORKED! Too bad. But I dont really care for Chardonnay anyhow. My aunt is a big fan of classic oaky, buttery Chards and she of course knew in a second that this wine was not right. The rest of my family thought that it was supposed to smell moldy, and like damp towels. We still tasted it anyway, and it definitely maintain its buttery/oaky/toasty flavor, but we moved on fairly quickly.

4. J Winery Pinot Noir, 2004, Russian River Valley, CA: $50? from winery. I'm not sure about the price because when I went there recently, I believe their 2005 and 2006 pinots are around $50, so the '04 must've been around the same when we bought it. My sister, however, feels strongly that she paid $70 for this a few years ago when she bought it for my folks. I dont really believe her, so i'm going to call the winery and see if they know. Anyway, it was delicious! Light bodied, subtle tannins, inviting aromas of ripe cherries, plums, and some iodine. Smooth over the palate, finishing with a slight chalkiness in the back of the throat. Everyone guessed it was a pinot, but my mom thought maybe it was a merlot. i tried to keep them guessing so i reminded them that tannins smooth out over time, and since this wine was already 5 years old, it could be a light-style smooth aged merlot. Fooled them!

5. Ponte Family Sangiovese, Temecula, CA: $35 from winery. My aunt and uncle brought this over. Bright cherry, notes of tobacco, and a very subtle hint of soap (not unpleasant). It had a somewhat rough texture, but would pair nicely with something rich and fatty like duck. My mom did not like this one at first (because of it's tartness and astringent finish) but when I reminded her that we were just sipping these and not necessarily pairing with the right items (other than 3 types of cheese), she changed her mind.

6. BV Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003, Napa, CA: $65 from winery. It's as if everyone already knew this was the most expensive and also nicely aged. As soon as they smelled it, they were oo-ing and aah-ing. Personally I think it's because they assumed I did in fact save the best for last. Anyway, it was full bodied, with smooth yet structured tannins. Rich with black cherry, cassis, and hints of leather. The finish was moderate, laced with pleasant tannins. I think this would be perfect with a delcious steak (surprise surprise) and since my dad has 2 more bottles, i recommended that he brings it to Ruth's Chris next time they go.

Phew. I'm tired of writing for now, but I'm not quite done describing our tasting. I still have to talk about the Malbec we randomly decided to open after the tasting. But in the mean time, let me know your thoughts and whether you agree/disagree on my review of these wines!

Laird Family Estate's Pinot Noir

I went to wine country a few months ago, and our first stop was the Laird Family Estate in Napa. I described the tasting in an earlier post, but this entry is to follow up on the Pinot Noir I had purchased (but hadn't actually tasted), their 2007 Pinot Noir from the Carneros region.

It was light to medium bodied, with a somewhat chalky texture in the sense that it didn't quite slip over my tongue, but it "snagged" a little and left my tongue feeling, well, chalky. This definitely had to do with the tannins, which were bright and astringent. The fruit was very underplayed--hints of bright cherry at best. The finish was tart and moderate. All in all, I did not particularly like this wine, but maybe I should have expected that: I believe I paid around $20 for it at the winery, and supposedly you can't find a "good" pinot for less than $30-40. I'll let you know when I taste the Bolletto pinot, which was $25!

California Wine Merchant

Interesting experience at California Wine Merchant last night...I stopped in to the shop on Chestnut St just to see if they carried the Capiaux and the Peay that I tried at A16. They had the former for $35 (it was $72 at A16) but not the latter. No problem. I was chatting with the employee for a minute, hoping to further my knowledge on Pinot Noir when a man collapses at the bar behind me. Apparently he hadn't even been drinking (like the rest of the crowd at the wine bar/shop), so the employees called 911. The fire department showed up quickly and came to the asistance of not only that first man, but his friend who collapsed shortly thereafter as well! Luckily the men were alright, but their situation meant that I was "trapped" in the back, wearing basically my pajamas, surrounded by well-dressed drunk people who found the whole thing rather amusing. I just wanted some Pinot.

Now the Capiaux (and also a Bolletto) are safely in my new wine fridge (which is a separate entry that I'll work on soon) and I'll let you know when I try them!

A16 and Pinot Noir

I'm not really a fan of Pinot Noir. In fact, I've only tried a few, and they've all be pretty bland/boring (as opposed to "subtle," "elegant" etc). Sure I get the earthy, soft smokiness, but I don't really see what the big deal is. Plus I feel like Sideways with all its pro-Pinot anti-Merlot banter really has a lot to do with it.

That said, I am never going to reject a wine or continually turn it down when I obviously don't even know much about it. Plus many of my friends and colleagues really love it. So there must be something going on that I'm missing.

A few weeks ago I asked my pinot-loving friend to take me to a winery that has quintessential pinots, and she took me to J Winery which has some of her favorites. We tried their 2005 and 2006, and I enjoyed them both. I think I actually prefered the '06 because it was more tart and had more going on. The 05 had definitely mellowed, and had softer flavors. I'm a cab/zin lover. I like flavor. Maybe my palate can't recognize gentler flavors. Regardless, I did enjoy them, and I think they'd pair well with lighter foods.

NOW: A16 restaurant on Chestnut. Delicious. The service was great, the food was great, and teh pinot noirs were GREAT! We had steamed clams and a beet/ricotta salad to start. For a main course I had rock cod with mussels and scallops. It was in a light yet flavorful tomato/wine broth.

Wine: My friend chose the wine, and she wanted Pinot (test my palate!) so the sommelier brought us a 2007 Capiaux pinot noir from the Russian River Valley. IT WAS DELICIOUS! It was rich, fruity, earthy, and very flavorful. It paired perfectly with everything we were eating. Next the sommelier brought us a 2007 Peay pinot noir from the Sonoma Coast. ALSO DELICIOUS. 2/4 liked us, 2/4 didn't like it as much as the first. I think it was actually a nice transition. The Capiaux was fruitier and more saturating, the Peay was more earthy which was nice with my fish.

In conclusion: Capiaux gets 94 points, the Peay gets 92 points and A16 gets 5 stars!

Summer Solstice at Bin 38

Went to Bin 38 last night to take advantage of their "Summer Solstice Happy Hour": a free glass of wine! Unfortunately, you could only choose between white, red, or beer. The white was a chardonnay (the bartender was too swamped to really go into details in terms of brand, tasting notes, etc), the red was a Syrah I think, and I didnt even ask about the beer.

I didn't really want any of those, so I paid $9 for a sparkling rose instead, the Gruet Rose from New Mexico. It was refreshing, fruity, and had a moderate dry finish. I ended up having 2 glasses actually!

Hi all-

So I came to a realization the past few days while I was enjoying my wine course: this blog is boring. My entries are too long, and no one wants to read them. That said, i'm going to try and make them shorter, more succinct, and more interesting!

After taking the Career Discovery course at the Culinary Institute in Napa, I have a whole list of interesting topics to write about (from winemaking techniques, to styles, to specific wines and flavors, and so on). I'm going to write short entries for each of these over the next few weeks, instead of cramming them all into a long (boring) entry.

So enjoy!

Torrontes: the other white grape

I've only tasted Torrontes once prior to tonight, at Town Hall restaurant in SOMA (San Francisco). But even from the small tasting I split with my fellow diners before ultimately settling for a Sauv Blanc (how safe and typical of us!), the varietal made an impact on me. Mostly because it was like nothing I had ever tasted before. I'm in the beginning stages of developing and refining my palate, so as an "amateur taster" it's really easy for me to compare varietals (ie: this tastes like a less-tangy cab, or a flavorful pinot). But what I've tasted of Torrontes cannot be compared. 

Tonight, I had the privilege of enjoying a few glasses of an Argentine Torrontes, Elsa Bianchi 2008. As with the one I tasted a few months ago, it was peachy and sweet on the nose, like a late-harvest, a Reisling, or a Gewurstraminer (there i go with comparing varietals), BUT the flavor was surprising and impossible to compare. It saturated my palate as it rolled over my tongue. I got the sweet tree fruit flavors that I smelled, but the finish was quick and tart and did NOT leave me regretting sipping it (like many sweet wines often do). Instead, it invited me in for more. This wine was very well-balanced in and of itself (wet enough to coat the tongue and leave you satisfied, but tangy enough to entice and cleanse the palate). 

Pairing: Not too sure. We drank it through our meal, from appetizer through dessert. To start we ate a watermelon salad with goat cheese and mixed green with balsamic vinegrette. I think it paired well with this, because the sweetness sort of merged with the watermelon sweetness (did not clash) and the goat cheese provided some musky tang to contrast with the fruit of the wine. The balsamic perhaps clashed a little for me, but it wasn't really a big deal.

Main course: we had chicken with spices like garlic, onion, cumin, salt, pepper, etc. paired with avocado/corn/black bean salsa and Israeli couscous. I think it went just fine. I wouldn't say it was a "match made in Heaven" but the smooth roundness of the wine seemed to escort all those different flavors quick well. It matched the sweetness in the corn and the savory pungent flavors of cumin and the like just fine. I think the ripe fruit and crisp finish even might have done something for the comforting starchy flavors of the Israeli couscous.

Dessert: angel food cake with blackberry and blue berry compote. Side note: this dessert was "purple" and "gold" colored to honor the Lakers, even in their defeat. They'll get 'em in games 4 and 5. Anyway, that said,  I actually didn't really taste the two together. Anyone have an opinion on these flavors? Feel free to comment.

Long story short: Go Torrontes! There have been so many times when I'm craving something in a white that's more substantial and will satiate my thirst for a juicy, but refreshing and crisp, libation without bogging me down with too much oak or sweetness. Thank you, Torrontes, and thank you Argentina for making some great wines from this grape at a great price! ($9.99, Elsa Bianchi 2008 Torrontes)

Oaked vs Unoaked

Let me start by saying I'm not a huge fan of oaky Chardonnays, the buttery, vanilla that is so typical of big California Chards. I have been hearing a lot about the "new" Napa style of unoaked, steel fermented Chards and have been eagerly anticipating a larger presence of these.

That said, some friends and I wanted to see for ourselves what the big difference is between oaked and unoaked Chards, and also Sauv Blancs (which are muche less frequently fermented in oak). So we gathered together for a blind tasting of 1 oaked chard, 1 unoaked chard, 1 oaked sauv, 1 unoaked sauv. This is what we discovered:

#1: tart, grassy, lemon. We all agreed it was probably the unoaked Sauv Blanc.
#2: vanilla nose, buttery, slight smoke, rounded, smooth, and a nice finish. We all agreed this was probably the oaked Chard.
#3: This 3rd one threw us off. The nose smelled oaky--slightly warm and sweet, and actually it smelled like dank rotten lettuce. We wondered if maybe this is was oaked Sauvignon Blanc smells like. The taste made us question everything: it was well-balanced, citrusy, and rather pleasant. It did not have the vanilla/butter/smoke after taste of an oaked Chard. What was this one? Unoaked Chard? Half of us thought it was the Oaked Sauv, the other half thought it was the unoaked Chard. Weird.
#4: Made us even more confused. Pear and citrus on the nose, effervescent well-rounded and slight acid finish. I really liked this one, it was probably my favorite. Everyone had their own theories. Personally, i thought this was the unoaked Chard. I think the 3rd had more oaky qualities than this last one.

The Verdict:
#1: Girard Sauv Blanc 2007, unoaked
#2: White Oak Chardonnay 2006, oaked
#3: Silver Chardonnay 2007, unoaked (WOW!)
#4: Ferrari Carano Fume Blanc 2007, oaked (DOUBLE WOW!)

The first two were easy, the last two were not so easy. I thought the buttery vanilla of the 3rd was indicative of oaking, and the smooth clean flavor of the 4th was what Chard tasted without oak. I was wrong! The buttery vanilla flavor is simply what this particular Chard tasted like, even without oak. And the oak in the 4th on functioned to smooth out the natural acid vinegar of Sauv Blanc.

I guess maybe I DO like oaked wines.

An Experiment: Sauvignon Blanc vs. Vinegar

Following the instructions of an online food/wine pairing guide, a group of friends and I got together the other night to find out the nitty gritty on Sauv. Blanc--that drinkable, refreshing, "pairs-with-anything" wine that many of us turn to on a warm summer evening. What I discovered was somewhat surprising.

The online guide explained that Sauvignon Blanc is often appreciated for its tart, crisp, acidity, which can be completely masked (if not ruined) if paired with the wrong foods. To illustrate this point, the guide instructed us to taste a crisp, light, California Sauv. Blanc (like Duckhorn 2007, which is pretty tasty), then taste vinegar, then taste the wine again. The results were interesting: first of all, we all really enjoyed the tangy effervescence of the Duckhorn upon first sip. And many of us actually enjoyed the taste of vinegar after (even though we were initially really put off by the thought of drinking straight vinegar). My sister even remarked "Wow this is really good!" I thought she was talking about the wine, but she was talking about the vinegar! Bizarre, but beside the point. Anyway, when we revisited the wine after tasting the vinegar, it was flat, boring, and almost sweet. The vinegar saturated our palates, and completely sapped the wine of that bright acidity that we all enjoyed so much in our first few sips.

The take-home: don't pair Sauvignon Blanc with highly acidic foods because it will "ruin" the flavor of the wine. Instead, pair with creamy/fatty foods, and also herby vegetables, specifically: brie and mango quesadillas, asparagus, and light olive oil citrus vinaigrette.

This is just the tip of the iceberg though. What about oak vs. un-oaked? I'm planning a follow-up with some friends, so I'll let you know what we find out!

Napa Part 2

Went to Napa yesterday, a fun "booze cruise" with about 20 others. First of all, the weather was perfect. It was a beautiful Saturday in the valley, and all the wineries we went to had great outdoor areas. In my opinion, this definitely affects the psychological aspect of tasting (and purchasing) wine. We went to 4 wineries:

Laird Family Vineyards: It was a pretty typical tasting, Sauv Blanc, Chardonnay, 3 cabernets. It was interesting tasting the cabernets from newest (and least developed) to oldest (and, in theory, the best). The 2008 was definitely tart and flat. The 2005 was definitely milder on the palate but still left my tongue very dehydrated. It wasn't the type of dryness that makes you want more...it was the kind that needs food pairing to be remedied. And that's fine. It just depends what you're looking for: casual sipping wine, or a pairing wine. I purchased a 2007 Sauv Blanc that we didn't taste for $12 (probably just an easy go-to wine), and a Pinot Noir for $34.

Steltzner: This was an interesting tasting. We had a Rose, Pinotage, Malbec, Claret, Cab Franc, and Cab Sauv. The wines here had substantially more character, and I purchased the Rose at $18, which I felt was a good value for the drinkable, not too tart, and not sweet, wine. I also purchased the Cab Franc and the Cab Sauv. They were both around $40, and they were both smooth, had great fruit and balanced tannins. These will be nice in a couple years or now. One thing I didn't appreciate was how stingy they were-- $15 per person instead of the normal $10 per person, and no discount on purchased wines, even though we brought them a lot of business.

Silverado: We had our own tasting/banquet room overlooking the valley. It was beautiful. Unfortunately, after two wineries and 2 bottles of wine at lunch, tasting became a little difficult. I didn't buy any here, because I don't think the wines matched the price-point. I've noticed in general though that the wines one tends to taste are usually the newest vintages and therefore not aged to their full potential. 

Cline: The winery was beautiful, flowers, lake, etc. They also gave us cheese/crackers in our own tasting room which was great and much appreciated. We tasted: pinot gris, viognier, cashmere blend, mourvedre, and a cab. I am a huge viognier fan. Theirs wasn't my favorite, but i I thought it was fair for $16, and I purchased it to encourage the production of Viogniers. I'm pretty tired of Chardonnay, and rarely drink it. So Viognier is my medium-bodied replacement. 

All in all, I really enjoyed Laird for it's hospitality and family feel, Steltzner and Cline for their different varietals, and Silverado for its views of the valley. I think we had the perfect mixture of wine types and we saw the variation in styles. 

In conclusion, I just want to say that wine country is yet another HUGE reason why California is the best state. Seriously, no other state can compete!

Blind Tasting

We had a housewarming party a couple weeks ago, and decided to do a little blind tasting before. I selected 2 whites and 2 reds, concealed them in paper bags, and asked the guests to guess the varietal and/or region, and the price point. I had opened the bottles about 1.5 hours prior, so they had some time to breathe.

1. white, drinkable, tart/clean finish: Sauvignon Blanc from Chile; Trader Joe's, $2.99. People thought it was decent, maybe half the guests guessed that it was a Sauv Blanc, others guessed Reisling, Chardonnay, and Pinot Grigio at $5.99.

2. white, similar tasting: Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma; $13.99. I didn't actually intend on having two Sauv Blancs, but between BevMo, Costco, Trader Joe's, the aquarium/fish store (bought an awesome voracious little Betta named Walu), and cleaning the house, I somehow dropped the ball in variety of varietals. The guests were thrown off by the fact that it tasted similar because in theory it should have been a different varietal. People guessed all sorts of grapes. In fact, I think only 1 out of 10 people guessed that it was Sauv Blanc. They did think that it was more pricey than the first one.

3. Tart, acid, weak tannins: Charles Shaw "two buck chuck" Merlot, $1.99. People didn't like this wine. They thought it was flat and bland, and I agree. In terms of varietal, people were all over the map. People thought it was a Bordeaux blend, or maybe a cabernet sauv. Maybe a Zin or a cheap Pinot. When I revealed that it was 2 buck chuck, people seemed relieved, and it seemed that the price point explained the poor flavors.

4. Smooth, balanced tannins, nice fruit/crispness, very drinkable, J. Lohr Syrah, $14.99. This one was everyone's favorite, and i'm glad we finished with this one so we could have nice memories of the tasting. People had no idea what it was though. A few guests even said the "forgot about Syrah." 

In general, people weren't really confident about the varietals. If i were to have an oak-aged Chardonnay to compare to the Sauv Blanc, it might have been easier to distinguish. If I were to have a classic Cab or a spicy Zin, maybe people could've guessed those varietals. But one thing my friends did know, was which were cheaper than the others. The ones that tasted bad, or rather, didn't match well with our palates, were definitely a lower price point. I actually was expecting that we'd like some of the cheap ones and be able to say "See? It's not all about the brand/price! This $2 Chilean white is great!" But that wasn't the case. It seems the pricier ones were actually more valuable for our enjoyment...

Napa, Napa, 400 Wineries on the Map-a

A few weeks ago, I finally had the opportunity to travel the short 60 or 70 miles from San Francisco to sample the magical juices from one of the world's most talked about regions--Napa Valley. February is an interesting time because unlike summer/fall, which is harvest season, the vines are bare and it was also raining all weekend. This year specifically was unique for Napa's vitners because of the bizarrely warm weather all through the holidays and January. A woman at Clos Du Val explained that while the vines "hibernate" much like roses during the winter, the warm weather may have affected them strangely and the wine makers will not know the ramifications until they actually tast the wines some time from now. That aside...

I had stressed about planning and coordinating, when in reality, all you really need to do is drive down the Hwy 29 or Silverado Trail (which are parallel, North-South highways running all the way from Napa proper, through Yountville, Rutherford, Oakville, etc to Calistoga and beyond) and pull over at whatever winery looks good to you. Some are more touristy (and more expensive) and some are small and unrecognizable because they only sell their wines at their winery (not in stores like my beloved Trader Joe's). So we decided to try out all types of wineries and what they had to offer...

Laiola: Spanish Wine, Tapas, and LOTS of Salt!

I've been to Laiola on Chestnut at Fillmore twice now: once for a full meal a few weeks ago and last night for Happy Hour. I have conflicting opinions of the small, attractive, Spanish restaurant. Let me explain...

The wine list at Laiola has only Spanish wines, which makes sense for the restaurant since it's Spanish, and is ok so long as you like the mild, anti-climactic flavors of Spanish wines. And I didn't mind the flavor, especially after tasting how incredibly salty all the food is! When we first went a few weeks ago, we ordered the following:

-Marinated olives (lemon, thyme, etc...ironically the least salty thing on the menu)
-Chickpea croquetas (6 pieces that look like steak fries, made of ground chickpeas and cheese; delicious but salty)
-safron rice stuffed squid (cooked perfectly, my favorite besides the olives)
-whole roast sole (pretty great, but on a bed of kale that was really salty!)
-quail (delicious, moist and gamey, but again--salty)

To drink I had the Tempranillo Reales which was $13 for a 1/3 bottle caraffe. It was mild, fruity, earthy...borderline bland. But it really did help cut the salt of everything else.

Last night we went back for happy hour because I had heard it was good. The menu was actually pretty meager= olives, chickpea croquetas, ham, patatas, and 1 cava, 1 red, 1 white, and 1 rose. Everything was $5, but somehow added up quickly and was not completely satisfying. I had the red, which was another Tempranillo, the olives, and the chickpea croquetas. I wanted something more to eat since this would count as my dinner, but they didn't have much to offer and I didn't want to risk getting something excessively salty again.

The highlight of my time there (besides the olives) was the fact that it was pretty much empty and the bartender offered us a tasting of another wine he had, a 2004 Alesia Pino Noir from the Sonoma Coast. The bouquet on this wine made my Tempranillo smell like water. It was fruity, floral, and just had a lot more going on than the Tempranillo. And of course, it wasn't Spanish and it wasn't on the menu.

In short, I like Laiola for its atmosphere and some of its small plates, but since Spanish wine isn't my favorite, Laiola needs something more to keep me going there (but not more salt, please!!!)

Superbowl Sunday: Mediocre Football, Great Excuse to BBQ!

Everyone knows the Superbowl is never about the game. It's just a great excuse to get together with loved ones and break all those New Year's Resolutions. Sure you promised you'd go vegetarian for a few months, or cut back on alcohol. But all that flies out the window come the last Sunday of the month.

Now, I do enjoy watching sports on TV or live, but for some reason, I never really get around to watching the Superbowl game. Even though yesterday's game was surprisingly more exciting than usual, it could barely hold my attention. I guess I do have good reason though, what with the pounds and pounds of chicken, ribeye, burgers, sausages, prawns, salmon, veggies, and the like rotating to and fro the bbq. And that's not all we had...I'm referring, of course, to the 750 ml bottles of Chimay circulating. I know I know, kind of random and "fancy" for a superbowl party, but that's how my friends and I do it. Firstly, it's 9% alcohol, so you can get away with drinking less to save more stomach space for the above-mentioned pounds and pounds of food. Secondly, the flavor actually pairs pretty nicely with red meat and chicken. We usually marinate the meat in beer anyway, then having a dry, somewhat bitter beer like Chimay to pair with that is simply devine. I will say, however, that it wasnt the best match for the spicy prawns we had. The beer wasn't sweet enough to take the Cayenne pepper sprinkled on the shrimp. But, then again, I'm also sensitive to spiciness, so maybe it is a good match. What do you guys think? What beer did you drink yesterday? Anyone have wine with their bbq?

TJ's: a Booze Inventory to Be Remembered

Ah Trader Joe's. I love that store. For fresh produce and protein, I'm all about Whole Foods. But for the fine variety of alcohol, it's TJ's. I can always count on them to have the obscure pilsner I tried in Berlin a few years ago, or that Yellowtail Cabernet-Merlot blend I became so fond of in college because of its flavor and its price ($5 is a little steeper than TJ's famous "Two Buck Chuck" but it's worth it!). TJ's prices and variety of beers, wines, and spirits might even make it better than BevMo in my mind. And it was a particular vodka that reminded me of why I love TJ's...

Over the holidays I was discussing with my family the different vodkas out there, and what taste tests have revealed. We perused the Internet to see what everyday people like us have said. Apparently, Grey Goose scored fairly low because they infuse it with some "flavor-eliminating" substance that actually makes it taste a little strange. Stoli was ranked fairly well (and that has a decent price point too), and of course Belvedere, Chopin, Hangar One, and all the top shelf vodkas did well. But the one vodka that supposedly outshined all the rest, was one neither I nor my family had heard of: "Tito's Handmade Vodka" made in Austin Texas!

And where did I stumble across Tito's Famous? Good ol' TJ's. And a fifth of it was only $17.99! Now, I have to be honest: I haven't tried the stuff yet (yesterday was the Superbowl so we opted for beer) but I'll report on my findings as soon as I do try it.

In short, Trader Joe's hasn't let me down in the booze department. And their chocolate snacks are really great too. I'll let you know what I think of Tito's Handmade Vodka.

Cheers,

Laura

My first posting

Hi All-

My name's Laura and this is my blog about food, wine, and everything involved. I'll review restaurants, specific wines, wineries and tasting rooms, recipes and pairing ideas, and more. I want to invite a dialogue regarding these issues, so please comment and let me know your thoughts!