So Good: Food & Wine with Heather Johnston

Video: Thanksgiving Wine Magazine Round Up

We are still editing the opus video that is the Bacon Tart, it will be up next week. In the meantime, it is never too early to start thinking about wine. My Thanksgiving picks are a Spanish Cava from Casteller, a Spanish Albarino from Castro Martin Albarino, an Italian Rose from Kreos, and last, but not at all least, a Chilean Carmenere from Terra Noble.  Yum, Yum, Yum and Yum. Have a happy and safe holiday. Cheers!

Video: Tasting Wine on the North Fork

Wine and Food Pair of the Week: Riesling and Ham

After centuries of being the belle of the ball, it seems the world's most noble white wine is now a wallflower. Though experts all but shout Riesling’s praises from the rooftops, the American public turns a deaf ear, still preferring the familiar charms of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio. Give it a try, folks.  It's bright acidity and outstanding fruit profile make it wonderful alone, but pair it with an Easter Ham, and you, too, will be screaming its name.

What's so great about Riesling, anyway?  Well for one thing,  it's bursting with terrior. It expresses the soil and air of a location like no other grape in the world, yet it’s never so transparent that it loses its own distinctive character.  In fact, this grape is a powerhouse of vivid flavors. No matter where Riesling is grown, or how it is vinified, the tell tale aromas of apricot, peach and mineral shine through. Add to that it's uncanny ability to improve with age (think pleasing petrol), and you can see why Riesling was the most sought after wine for generations.

Though grown throughout the world, one cannot separate Riesling from its native Germany. Without a doubt, some of the best examples come from the Mutherland; in fact, they are a well suited pair.  Riesling’s hardwood stems, late budding flowers, and early ripening grapes allow it to thrive in the cold climate. Meanwhile, Germany's steadfast ingenuity and dedication have created vineyards that maximize every ray of sun so that the grapes can ripen even in the most unlikeliest of places. Indeed, the Mosel Saar Ruwer, arguably home to the finest wines, is a study in aspect and elevation. The Germans prize ripeness so much that the highest quality wines (QmP) are categorized by it.  Ripeness levels are determined by must weight or sugar content at harvest, and every label lists it right along side grape variety and location.  For the non-German speaking public, these may prove a bit confusing. Here are some basic definitions:

Kabinett: The lightest of the quality wines. Riper than table wine, but picked at normal harvest.  Can be dry “trocken” or off-dry “halbtrocken”

Spatlese: Late harvest. Typically a bit sweet, but can be dry.

Auslese: Late harvest of selected bunches. May have noble rot or “edelfaule”. Rarely dry.

Beerenauslese: Late harvest of hand selected grapes. Typically has noble rot; almost always sweet.

Trockenbeerenauslese: Late harvest of grapes strongly effected by noble rot. The "trocken" prefix refers to the shriveled apperance of the grapes, not dryness of wines which are, indeed, quite sweet.

Eiswien: Grapes harvested after freezing on the vine. Very prized, rich and sweet.

Though Germany creates many lovely dry wines, its greatest Rieslings are a delicate balance of residual sugar, bracing acidity and expressive terroir. The wines of Alsace, just across the Rhine river, could not provide a sharper contrast if it were half way across the world. The wines are full-bodied, bone dry, and designed to enhance the rich cuisine.  Perfectly situated near Frances Vogeses mountains, the climate, though fairly northern, boasts long, warm, dry autumns. These stellar growing conditions, combined with an intense variety of soils, create very distinctive wines that are often imitated but never duplicated anywhere else.

Happily, the rest of the world’s growers appreciate Riesling a bit more than consumers, because it is by no means confined to Europe. Many countries, including the US produce Rieslings in a variety of styles. One of the greatest new world regions is right here in New York.  So bake that ham and pop open a Riesling.  Here are a few favorites.

Salmon Run Riesling, Finger Lakes New York 2005 $14:  Floral, apple, peach and citrus.  A hint of sweetness adds body and balance.

Darting Riesling Kabinett, Pfalz, Germany 2005 $16: Ripe and round with a great balance of fruit and acidity. Nice minerality.

Cousino Macul Riesling, Maipo Valley, Chile 2004 $9: Dry, bright, racy with tangerine, peach and mineral flavors. Outstanding with rich, spicy fare.

Hugel Riesling, Alsace France, 2004 $18: A lovely wine from one of Alsace’s greatest producers. Floral, fruity and bone dry.

Hopler Riesling, Burgenland, Austria, 2005 $21: Dry, crisp with mineral notes from the granite soils of this family estate.  Light with a lingering finish.

J&H Strub Riesling Kabinett, Rheinhessen, Germany, 2004 $19: Medium-bodied with classic flavors of apricot and minerals. Grown in vineyards that date to Roman times.

Meulenhof Wehlener Sonnenurh Riesling Spatlese, Mosel, Germany, 2004: Ripe peach with an elegant spiciness. A bracing acidity keeps the luscious sweetness in a delicate balance.

Food and Wine Pair of the Week: Cabernet Sauvignon and Steak

I have been remiss!  How, after all these posts, could I have overlooked the most regal of all grapes?  Its charms may seem obvious, its appeal self-explanatory, but with great wine there’s always more to discover.  So, without further ado, I present His Royal Highness, Cabernet Sauvignon served with Rib Eye Steak and Red Wine Sauce for my food and wine pair of the week.

Cabernet Sauvignon’s earliest documentation dates to the 18th century, which makes it a fairly late arrival.  Nonetheless, it has quite a noble heritage.  Born of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc along France’s Gironde River, the grape is arguably the most significant component of fine Bordeaux.  Laws allow vintners to use to four other grapes in the famous blend, most notably Merlot, but none are used more than Cabernet Sauvignon. Though never so modest as to go unnoticed, it is a great team player,  So good, in fact, that climate permitting, most major wine producing countries often blend it with their own favorite varietals.  Whether it is Sangiovese in Italy, Tempranillo in Spain, Shiraz in Australia or Pinotage in South Africa, all have something to gain by teaming up with Cab.  It offers its gifts freely, but needs nothing in return because this grape shines on it’s own, as California has proved over and over again.

Though it boasts deep cassis flavors and dark color, its greatest attribute is structure or tannins. When making red wine,  the grapes are pressed and the juice macerates with the tannin-producing skins and seeds before fermentation. Because Cabernet Sauvignon berries are small with thick skins. there is a naturally high ratio of skin and pits to juice, hence the pronounced structure.

More of a feeling than a flavor, tannins have a slightly bitter and astringent quality. They literally alter the texture of your inner cheeks and gums, making them feel like velvet, suede or sand paper.  The sensations can feel ripe, integrated and pleasing, or green, rough and off-putting, depending on how the grapes are handled. Tannins show well in wines with abundant fruit and decent acidity, and Cabernet Sauvignon has both.  Best of all, the tannins combine beautifully with fatty foods such as cheese and marbled beef to create a wonderful combination of textures and tastes.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this varietal is its pure expression. Whether priced at 8 bucks or 80, Cabernet Sauvignon tastes like itself. Lush, dark fruit, generous body and abundant tannins appear at every price point. And, like most great monarchies, it can stand the test of time.  Fine wines that improve with age must start with good fruit and structure; thus, a high quality Cab does so with ease. 

Try one of the bottles below, and taste why Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys the popularity of Chardonnay and Merlot with none of the backlash. Here are a few favorites under $15:

Montes Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchaugua Valley, Chile 2005, $10
Approachable and velvety soft, blended with Merlot and aged in oak for 6 months.

Armador Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile 2003, $10
A concentrated wine with dark fruit and tobacco on the finish.

L de Lythe Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma California, 2005, $11
Plum and black fruit aromas with a hind of cocoa, black currant and coffee.  Nice structure, even better value. 

Station Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California 2003, $14
Balanced and full bodied, displays great dark fruit without being jammy. Nice structure.

These gems carry a slightly bigger price tag, but they are worth it.

Chateau La Fleur Peyrabon, Bordeaux 2001
A silky Bordeaux with structure, depth and backbone. A classic Paulliac with 40% Merlot to add softness.  $29

Beckmen Cabernet Sauvignon, Santa Ynez, California, 2003, $26
100% estate grown this wine offers a rich mouth-feel with flavors of ripe blackberries, cherries, spice and earth. Fine producer.

Angus Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia 2004, $19
Down Under represents. Dark fruit, smoky vanilla and cocoa aromas. Full with soft tannins and a long finish.

Frog’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, 2004, $50
Classic cassis and warm spice aromas with flavors of dried black fruits with subtle touches of cedar, leather and black olive. A great Napa Cab that can age for years.

Video: Shrimp Cocktail

Food and Wine Pair of the Week: Poached Pears and Moscato d'Asti

I love a little fine chocolate on Valentine's Day.  Actually, I love a lot of fine chocolate. So rather than over-indulge, this year I'll settle for just a few pieces of my favorite Jacques Torres chocolates (http://jacquestorres.com) and make a much lighter, but no less romantic dessert to go with them.

Pears Poached in Wine served with a glass of Moscato d'Asti makes a very elegant match. The pears are very simple to make and have a real "wow" effect at the table.  You can use any color wine, but red makes for a very dramatic presentation. For a larger crowd, I'll poach some in white, some in rose and some in red.  Spread out an a platter, they look very inviting.

Easy, pretty and flexible, it's what everyone wants in a Valentine. Besides a bit of chocolate, you can serve them with whipped cream, marscapone, ice cream, biscotti or even Gorganzola and nuts.  For a quick sauce, just cook down some of the poaching liquid until it becomes a syrup. 

While the pears work with any number of dessert wines, I'm gong with a Moscato d' Asti, an off-dry wine that shows well with fruit.  Made in the same region of Italy as Asti Spumante, Moscatos are a bit drier with a softer sparkle.  Their fresh fruit flavor shows best young, so pass on any bottles over two years old. And they won't break the bank; you can get great ones for under 15 bucks.  Best of all, at only 10 % alcohol (most wines are between 13% and 15%),  you can indulge yourself with a second glass, after all it is Valentine's Day.   

Food and Wine Pair of the Week: Syrah with Sausage and Peppers

      

When Shakespeare asks "What's in a name?", he's definitely not talking about wine.  Call an Italian Primativo a Zinfandel and you're spoiling for a fight; advertise a California Pinot Noir as a Burgundy, and you'll need an attorney.  A peaceful exception to all this litigiousness is Syrah/Shiraz, One grape, two identities, no lawyers required.

Though climate matters a bit, for the most part, it is a vintner's choice.  When labeled Syrah, the wines are based on the French model of the Rhone Valley.  More restrained, structured, and complex, they express flavors of spice, tar, and licorice.  When labeled Shiraz, the source of inspiration is Down Under.  These bold fruit-forward wines range from chocolate-y, intense collectibles, such as Penfolds Grange, to the easy, crowd pleasers that have taken the world by storm.    

Happily, both are flexible and easy to pair with food.  The Sausage and Peppers with Polenta recipe works beautifully with a Syrah, but if you feel like taking the night off, order up a pizza and pop open a Shiraz. A better match is hard to find. 

If nothing else, the stories of Shiraz and Syrah prove that people will go very far to get a great glass of wine.   According to French legend, in 1224, an injured knight, Gaspard de Sterimberg, returned from The Crusades in desperate need of rest.  World weary from the incredible carnage and blood shed, he appealed to the Queen Blanche de Castille for permission to live as a hermit on the slopes of the Northern Rhone Valley. She agreed, and Gaspard de Sterimberg dedicated the rest of his life to meditation, and the vine cutting he brought back from the Persian city of Syrah. 

Under his careful cultivation, Syrah thrived and eventually became the basis of the most extraordinary wines of the Rhone, including Chateuneuf de Pape, Cornas, Cotie Rotie, and, of course, Hermitage.  Unfortunately however, our knight must have gotten his cuttings confused. Though he put the hermit in Hermitage, Syrah is not from Persia at all. It is indigenous to France, and evidently has been used in French wine since Roman times.

Shiraz, however, is not indigenous to Australia.  Most likely, the pioneer was the tireless James Busby, an immigrant originally from Scotland.  In 1832, after painstakingly clipping his way though the vineyards of France and Spain, Mr. Busby set sail for  Australia with over 700 cuttings below deck.

After planting all the vines in Sydney's Botanic Garden, he discovered that the "Hermitage" which he also called "Shiraz" after the same Persian city, grew exceptionally well.   While somewhat inaccurate, the name Shiraz is, indeed, very marketable.  No wonder many consider Busby to be the father of the Australian Wine Trade.

The image of a bloodstained vine clutched in the hands of a forlorn knight is a touch more impressive than a crazed botanist scuttling below deck to care for hundreds of clippings, but only a touch. Thank goodness for the wine-obsessed.  Try a few selections below and see what all the fuss is about.

Domaine du Joncier, Lirac France ($16) - a dark, dry and spicy blend with Grenache and Mourvedre

Le Couroulu Vaqueyras, France($18) - Ripe, big, robust and structured, a great Southern Rhone wine.

Crios Syrah-Bonarda ($18) - an Argentinian take on a Rhone blend, deep, rich, and spicy with dark fruit.

Gregory Graham Syrah, Napa Valley ($18) - Intense fruit layered with chocolate and ripe tannins,

3 Rings Shiraz, Barossa, Australia ($18) - Old vines create a dense, earthy wine with a great finish.

Taltarni "Cephas", Victoria Australia ($45) - Elegant, silky with dark fruit and cedar notes.

Not to worry, bargain hunters, here are a few under $15:

Parallell 45 Cotes du Rhone ($10) - Classic blend with Grenache. Lush with a touch of mineral and sage.

Cline Syrah, California ($12) - Ripe, but balanced, with juicy flavors and a touch of earth.

Orleans Hill Lodi Syrah, Sonoma ($12) - Organic wine with dark fruit, plenty of spice and a dry finish.

Stephen Vincent "Crimson", California ($14) - 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, ripe, deep and toasty.

Yalumba Shiraz, Australia ($10) - a touch of Viognier, Rhone-style, this is aromatic, fruity and full bodied.

Mc Guigan Bin 2000 Shiraz, Limecoast, Australia ($11) - Big, soft, and luscious.  A classic shiraz.

Food and Wine Pair of the Week: Grilled Chicken and Greek Wine

   
Even though my freezer is filled with frozen chicken cutlets, I cannot make one more fried nugget, tender or finger. I don't care how good they taste, or how much my kids like them, I'm bored out of my mind. They're 86'ed, off the menu. Instead, I'm breaking out my grill pan and heading to the Mediterrenean with Tzatziki Sauce with Grilled Chicken and Pita Bread paired with a zesty glass of white wine from Greece. 

My current favorite is Notios produced by Gaia in the Pelopennes. It is a blend of two indigenous Greek grapes: the vibrant and floral Moschofilero, and the lemony, smooth Roditis. Notios is fairly easy to find, but several other producers make the same blend.

This match has a lot to enjoy. One of the many stragegies of wine and food pairing is to "compare or contrast"-- meaning either choose pairs with similar characteristics, or ones that offer a contrast. The vibrant Notios meets the bold flavors of the tzatsiki head on, and it's light body  balances the overall light style of the meal. In contrast, the wine's bright acidity off sets the creaminess of the yogurt in the Tzatziki beautifully.  I'm telling you, so good.

If you can't find any Greek wines, a new world Sauvignon Blanc will work well. Morande from Chili has a lovely herbal quality and Indaba, has that tell-tale South African smokiness that matches the grilled chicken nicely.  Both are steals at 8 bucks. Bon Appetit and Yiamas!   

Food and Wine Pair of the Week: Chili and Zin

I'm not really a football fan, but I like to pretend I am.  Even if I don't know one team from the next, I enjoy getting caught up in the drama. Especially with good food and wine.  So, fans and pretenders, this one's for you:  Chili Con Carne with Zinfandel. 

Now, chili is a very subjective dish. It is many things to many people. This classic version, with kidney beans and ground meat, is well-spiced and complex, thanks to a touch of unsweetened chocolate, and a dash of chipotle pepper sauce.  More flavorful than hot, it pairs well with jammy wines that offer both finesse and power.  Chili is great with beer, but a good spicy Zinfandel really raises it’s game.

Often considered America’s best wine grape, Zinfandel is not American at all.  It’s a genetic twin to Italy’s Primativo, and most likely a descendant of Croatia’s Cryjenak.  Not that it matters, because no place does Zin like Cali.  These days, the wines are fruit-forward, ripe and structured with tell tale hints of pepper and cinnamon, but that wasn’t always the case.

Introduced in Long Island in 1822 as a table grape, Zinfandel headed west during the California Gold Rush of the mid 1800’s.  With every available resource dedicated to the quest for gold, winemakers needed something low maintenance to supply those thirsty miners. Zinfandel fit the bill because it can grow without costly wires or stakes for the vines. Known as “head pruning”, this technique also eliminated the need for special harvesting equipment. 

Easy to grow, easy to pick, fruity and abundant, this was a win-win situation.  And indeed, through philloxera, Prohibition and beyond, Zinfandel produced jug after jug of anonymous cheery wine.  By the mid 1970’s, however, tastes began to change, so growers began uprooting vines in exchange for the more noble (read profitable) Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. But then the 80’s came along and the ubiquitous grape transformed into White Zinfandel. The huge success of this off-dry rose rescued the grape from oblivion, giving it a second chance at greatness. With the old vines, a vast array of choice locations, and tried and true expertise, California vintners now create world class Zinfandels in a wide variety of styles. Not bad for a miner’s jug wine.

Quality Zinfandels range from crowd pleasing reds with big berry flavors to age worthy wines, layered with spice, dark fruit and hints of chocolate and licorice.   Here are a few great choices under fifteen bucks:

•    Cline Zinfandel ($10) is packed with flavor, but restrained, great with food.
•    Rock River ($11) shows a hint of earthiness with it’s berry fruit. From Joel Gott.
•    Peachy Canyon ($11) easy and delicious, a great choice for a crowd.
•    Jed Steele’s Shooting Star ($13) is rich, jammy and intense.

To taste what a Zinfandel can really do, you may need to spend a bit more, but fear not, you won’t be disappointed.  These are worthy of a championship game.
 
•    Joel Gott ($18), decant this beauty and let it charm you or save it for next season.
•    Serghesio Zinfandel, Sonoma ($23) combines old vine sophistication with latest technology.
•    Amphora, Dry Creek Valley ($29), complex in structure with flavors of licorice, tobacco, leather. 
•    Ridge Geyserville, Sonoma ($33) is full-bodied and vibrant with intricate spices.

By the way, this goes for March Madness, too. 

Food and Wine Pair of the Week

Salty and Sweet

It's a busy time of year. So busy, in fact, I don't have time for a real post.  I do, however, have a great tip: Try a bit of blue cheese, and a lovely Tokaji from Hungary. After a long grueling day of shopping, wrapping, and taming the wild wolf pack that is your family, share this with someone you love and make peace. Tokaji is a dessert wine similar to Sauternes or Ice Wine; it's rich, fruity, and sweet with a brisk, balancing acidity.  Pair it with a salty, rich cheese such as Maytag Blue or Stilton, and you've got one of those fantastic combinations that makes you pause for a moment and appreciate life.  Dessert wines are sold by the half bottle, and are pretty expensive. My favorite, Oremus Furmint Tokaji Late Harvest, sells for $26. You don't really want super size portions anyway--just a little taste to keep your inner Scrooge in check.  Coming Soon: A video post on Bubbly.  Enjoy