Twas the week before Christmas

Listening to Freakonomics radio which is from a blog http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/ Very interesting and somewhat humorous report on whether expensive wines are better than cheap wines. Let me know your reaction to the story.

Are wines good gifts for Christmas? Sure especially if the recepient loves wine. Instead of one expensive bottle try giving 2 or 3 inexpensive wines that have a theme such as the same grape, one country etc. A wine lover might also appreciate a subscription to the Wine Spectator or the Wine Advocate.

A holiday tradition of mine is to host a party for my tennis partners. Usually there are 3 or 4 of us. I play tennis every week during the winter. The menu is caesar salad, paella, sour cream walnut apple pie and Champagne. The menu selections originated with our original group of doubles players over 20 years ago. One friend made caesar salad as his specialty, another friend was not a cook but lived in NYC. His favorite pie was the Little Pie Company's sour cream apple walnut pie. Paella was one of my favorites and I had always used the recipe from the NY Time International cookbook by Craig Claiborne. Champagne was chosen because of the holiday and because we loved it.

Now I make all of the components of the meal except the Champagne. Sometimes I make chocolate mousse for dessert and there have been times when we had chocolate covered macadamia nuts. We also top the meal off with tastings of cognacs and/or rums. I had collected rums from all over the world but  few years ago, one of my sons decided to try my rums and put an end to my collection. Oh well.

Shopping, cooking and cleaning can be demanding. Without my wife's assistance I could not pull it off. Also agreeing on a date that works for all is a pain. Sometimes maintaining a "tradition" can be tough but I believe it is well worth the effort.

Wines of the week.

Had a Tohu pinot noir 2006 from New Zealand. It was light, spicy with nice fruit. We had it with Indian food and I thought it went great with the food. I got a great deal on the wine when I bought it ( I think I paid about $8) but I believe that more recent vintages are more expensive. New Zealand pinot noirs can be good values and that is not easily said about pinot noirs.

Also had  2009 Cartagena sauvignon blanc Estate Grown, Lo Abarca from the San Antonio Valley in  Chile. It was $12. We enjoyed the wine but I can't say it had any outstanding characterics. I find the sauvignon blanc wines from Chile to be OK wines that are reasonable priced and food friendly.
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A number of wine stores are deeply discounting wines these days. There are lots of great values out there. More at a later date.

Beaujolais Update

I tasted a 2009 Beaujolais Domaine Dupeuble Pere et Fils.$11.99  It was very good; fruity. This is a small grower. Looks like the hype over the 2009 Beaujolais wine may be warranted. No need to look for this specific wine, try any 2009 Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages or one of the many villages that are part of Beaujolais such as Moulin a Vent, Morgon, Regnie, etc.

Quick recipe. Center cut pork chops -- bone-in. Whole Foods has great pork chops. Salt and pepper the chops to taste. Sear the chops in a frying pan using olive oil to coat the pan. In a separate pan gently toast some bread crumbs mixed with olive oil and dry sage. Place the seared chops in an aluminum baking dish and place some of the bread curmbs on top of the chops. Bake in a 375 degree pre-heated oven for 10 -15 minutes depending on the thickness of the chops. Check for doneness by cutting into the meat near the bone. Let the chops rest for 5 minutes before serving. Great stuff.

Sparkling Wines and Beaujolais

I love most sparkling wine, especially Champagne - sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France. Most Champagne is non-vintage - a blend of wine from several years. Champagne is ready to drink when it is bottled but opinions differ on aging Champagne.

How do you know how old the bottle of non-vintage champagne that you just bought is? Until recently it was almost impossible. Now many Champagne bottles have a disgorgement date on the back label. This is the date of bottling. Look for recent disgorgement dates when buying Champagne. You never know how a wine has been stored.

Just had a bottle of Moutard Champagne. Excellent bottle  with a May 2010 disgorgement date. $28. This wine has lots of flavor especially some vanilla overtones from oak. I like this style of Champagne, which is usally described as a big yeasty style. These days you can get a very good Champagne for $25 to $30. Champagne is about 12% alcohol. The Wine Spectator described it as follows: A firm Champagne, lightly chalky, driven by a smoke note that wraps around preserved lemon, chamomile and quince hints. This is a bit chunky right now and could use a little time to put it all together. Bright and fresh, with a honey-laced finish.
Judge for yourself.

There are sparkling wines from all over the world. I really enjoy cava - sparkling wine from Spain. They are usually in the $8 to $15 range. The are light and fruity. Codorniu is one of the largest producers. Their cava is excellent and sell for under $10. As with everything there are more expensive cavas that are vintage or have some other "exclusive" selling point. Don't waste your money. Good cava is reasonably priced, fresh, fruity and fun to drink. Feel free to mix it with orange juice for a mimosa.

Tip of the day. Look for 2009 Beaujolais. They are getting some good press. I will be trying some in the next few days. Truthfully, I have been disappointed in Beaujolais the last few years. BTW Beaujolais is from France and is made from the Gamay grape. It is a light and fruity wine. Let me know your thoughts.

Wine Lists

Despite all the wine information out there these days, most of us are probably somewhat intimated by wine lists. To understand pricing on a wine list, try to find a wine that you have purchased in a store. This will help you figure out the mark-up in the restaurant. Anything more than 2 or 3 times the retail price bothers me.

In addition look around the restaurant and see how much wine is poured when someone orders wine by the glass. Remember that most wine glasses are very large (around 18 ounces) and anything more than 5 ounces of wine is a good "pour". There are about 27 ounces in a wine bottle. Many times wine by the glass can be a much better deal than by the bottle. In addition it gives you flexibility in your wine choices as you can easily switch to another wine.

 Here are some other helpful tips.

If the wine list is overpriced, order beer.

If you find a good wine list, do not be afraid to order the cheapest bottle.

If you are really interested in drinking a good bottle and really want to eat at a restaurant with a problematic wine list, ask about the corkage fee. Most restaurants charge a fee if you bring your own bottle. They may charge $10 or $15. This is usually a good deal.

Wines of the day

Crios wines by Susana Balbo. These are from Argentina. There is a cabernet sauvignon, malbec, rose of malbec and torrontes. All are good and cost around $13. 2008 and 2009 are the current vintages. Torrontes is a white wine. Very floral and refreshing. Malbecs are fruity reds without much oak. The rose of malbec is is interesting. High alcohol but good flavor. Tell me what you think. Like it with most food.

The Show. A California cabernet. About $12. The 2007 is vintage you want.

Beaulieu / BV 2006 Rutherford Napa cabernet. Around $20. Good solid cab. Much better than many higher priced cabs from California.

Last night had 2007 East End Chardonnay from Pellegrini Vineyards on Long Island. We enjoyed it with scallops. Not sure of the price; it was a gift.

Enjoy.

The Wine Emperor Has No Clothes

I have been feeling left out by watching all of the food and wine shows on television and by reading all of the food and wine magazines and newspaper articles out there in cyberspace. I do not like to lead my life vicariously so I have been thinking about how to better connect to experiences that are possible for me. For example I don’t know too many chefs or people who own wineries or people who have thousands of bottles in their wine cellers. Watching Master Chef or Top Chef and reading wine threads on blogs tend to start my mind working on diminishing my own experiences and knowledge. My wife usually reminds me that I am a great cook and that we love the food and wine that we drink. However I thought that I would try to connect to others who love food and wine but don’t have time, money or patience for the pretentiousness that pervades most of the food and wine establishment. People who want to experience food and wine for themselves, not through others. For example (for the record I will try to use “for example” FE whenever I make a statement that needs explanation) most wine critics say that price is not a criteria when they rate and taste a wine. They give many wines that don’t cost much high scores.

Why then are there so many expensive wines? Why are wine lists so expensive? This week I read another account of how a wine priced at $160 in a restaurant was a bargain because it cost $100 at retail. Restaurant critics will note that a wine list has a number of good wines in the $50 or $30 range but have you ever heard of a restaurant with a number good wines in the $15 or $10 range? The usual response to the high price of wine in restaurants is that the wine prices help make the food price reasonable. I ask that you think of BYO restaurants and are their food prices higher than restaurants with liquor licenses? Not in my experience.

So I would like to start a forum for all that is food and wine but with the purpose of encouraging everyone to both respect the experts and to be an expert. FE just because you don’t like Shakespeare does not mean that he was not a great writer. But you do not have to enjoy reading him or watching his plays. It is interesting to find out what the experts are saying, eating and drinking but ultimately we should decide for ourselves what we like to eat and drink.

But I digress. I would like to discuss good wines at reasonable prices. I would also like to discuss interesting food that is healthy, tasty and not impossible to prepare.

How about a primer on wine descriptions? These are actual, random descriptions from  noted wine publications

Very stylish, with mineral and shiso leaf notes gliding through the peppery yet silky finish.

Iron and graphite aromas introduce this sinewy red

The long finish is infused with notes of candied citrus peel and lanolin

How about -- delivers a concentration of black fruits, bitter herbal concentrate, roasted meats, and above all pencil lead and stonelicking mineral suggestions

Or sumptuous wine bursting with ripe dark fruit, smoke, tobacco, grilled herbs, new leather, minerals and tar.

Sweet nose of Peking duck intermixed with herbs, licorice, creosote …

And (I can’t resist) a fragrant bouquet of black fruits, spring flowers, camphor and a hint of new saddle leather.

Do these descriptions help you in choosing a wine. They are not of much help for me. Since communication is so important in life and my experience is that people tend to talk at each other, hopefully we can discover together how to truly communicate with each other about wine.

We can discuss what wine descriptions have meaning to us. I find that many people say they want a wine that is not too dry and after that well... Yet most decent wines are “dry” but it the tannins and wood that impact and add the dimension that we associate with dry. FE extra dry is not the least sweet Champagne, brut is but most Americans seem to like extra dry champagne. Think Moet White Star which has a new name now Moet Imperial.

The alcohol content of a wine is also important. I find that anything over 13.5% is heavier and has more of an impact on me. Many reviews do not discuss this. More on this at a later time.

Is ordering a Chardonnay in a restaurant the best way to get a glass of wine that you will enjoy? The region and the winemaking have so much more to do with the taste of the wine that the grape almost becomes beside the point. There are simple ways of finding out more about the wine that the restaurant or bar is serving. Ask for more information that will be helpful the next time that you order a glass of wine. We will be discussing what you need to know.

Wine tips of the week

Borsao, Campo de Borja 2009, Spain. Red wine. Tempranillo(the grape of rioja) and Grenache. I paid $6.39. This may be the best value in wine today.

I had a bottle of Mount Nelson 2008, New Zealand sauvignon blanc this week. About $13. Nice fruity wine.

How about a Spanish whites, Sitios Con Class – Vendimia Excepcional  from Rueda, 2009. About $9. Light and refreshing.  Or  an albarino, La Cana 2009. About $13. More substantial with nice fruit and acid.

Note: the vintage of a wine can be important but good winemakers tend to produce good wines year after year. When buying white wines the more recent vintages are generally preferable. Remember that southern hemisphere wines are harvested earlier in a year than northern hemisphere wines so you will find more newer wines from Australia and New Zealand first.

Food suggestion of the week.

Fresh tuna, coat it with a small amount of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Sear it in a heavy duty non-stick frying pan. Cook it to your preference. If you like it raw inside, cook it that way.

Stir fry zucchini, mushrooms(try shitake, they are expensive but you don’t need a lot of them. I find that about $1 worth of shitakes are enough for 2 people.), onions and any other vegetable you like with some fresh ginger and some soy sauce.

Prepare medium grained rice using only water.

Serve in a individual bowls --- rice topped with vegetables topped with slices of tuna. A little tuna goes a long way. Serve soy sauce in small bowls for dipping.

Any of the wines above will go with this dish.

Let me know your thoughts.