Flash in the Pan

When a sample bottle of 2005 Vale do Bomfim Reserva Douro DOC, a Portuguese wine from Dow, came in, we decided to bring it along with us to some friends and test it there. Don't make the mistake we did of immediately pouring it into a glass and drinking, because the result was unpleasantly astringent. But given a few minutes to breathe, it's a dry, rich, pleasant red with lots of fruit (no more details there - I'm not an olafactory greengrocer). We had it with grilled food and the wine held up well. A bottle will run about $12.

Labels: beverages, product, reviews, wine

A brief review of great value wines: Barefoot Cellar's merlot and cabernet are worth getting. Don't let the oversized bottle and low price per volume ($13 in my area) fool you. These wines have great character and balance, and are pleasant even a few days after you opened one and popped the cork back in. I came across them by accident in a liquor store and, cheap person that I am, decided to give the merlot a shot. Because they are so drinkable, they become fabulous wines for cooking, as you get quality without feeling that you must carefully meter when you deglaze a pan or add some to a sauce. I haven't had any of their other wines (there's a good number), but given my experience so far, I'd try them with some degree of confidence.

Labels: beverages, product, reviews, wine

If you think of madeira as the cheap sweet wine you pour into the pan after searing some chicken for the eponymous Italian-American dish, think again. Madeira is a "cheap" wine the way that burgundy or chardonay is when you pick up a mass-market bottle. As I'm learning, there is a wide variety, and vintage versions to be had. (Check this Wikipedia entry for some interesting information on the production methods.) Blandy's sent me a bottle of five-year-old alvada madeira to test, and it was quite pleasant and a hit with both me and my wife. According to the site MadeiraWineGuide.com, reserve madeira starts at the five year mark, with the youngest wine being at least five years old. There are four varietals of madeira, and this one is a blend of two. The taste is complex, with an acetic sourness actually emphasizing the wine's sweetness and finishing with a slight bitterness that is not unpleasant, but makes you wonder what the hell just happened. If you want a different aperatif, or need something to serve with a dessert, consider giving a shot.

Labels: opinion, product, review, wine

Posted by Erik Sherman @ 8:54 PM Permalink 0 comments links to this post

I had never heard of Carol Nix before getting an email from her about two products: Fusion drying racks for wine glasses and a set of wine-themed dishes. That was right before Christmas, but the actual products for review only recently showed up. Two words: I'm impressed.

The Fusion 8-glass and 16-glass Stemware Racks are smart. You don't want to good fragile wine glasses into a dishwasher. So you wash them by hand and ... what? Immediately dry each and put it away while dinner guests may still be about? You don't have to bother. The Fusion Racks are metal frames with legs that fold flat for storage. But when unfolded, you can hang wine glasses upside down and let them drip dry onto a towel that you'd put below. The 16-glass rack has room in the center to turn a carafe upside down and let it drain as well.

As for the Carol Fountain Nix/Sophia Ceramic Line, Ms. Nix sent an assortment of these heavy square plates. My entire family and people who have come into the house have oohed and awed. Each is named for some varietal, and the color palette and art work are most pleasing. These would make great plates for a party, or even serving pieces or candy dishes for a dressed-up dinner at home. Unfortunately, she doesn't have her own web site up yet, so the links are to Oenophilia.com. The racks are also available through Target; Amazon; Wine Enthusiast; Bed, Bath and Beyond; and other outlets.

Labels: dishes, plates, storage, wine

Although I'm far from a wine expert, I did come across some advice and a resource. Author/sommelier Natalie MacLean offered the following suggestions in an email she sent me:

1. Start with bubbly. Sparkling wine is a great aperitif to sip while you wait for the turkey to finish cooking. It adds a celebratory note to the meal and goes well with starters like soup and salad.


2. Consider the turkey. Unlike most poultry and game birds, turkey meat is very dry in texture. So you need a mouth-watering wine to complement it. Good options are crisp whites like riesling and pinot grigio. And yes you can drink red wine with white meat: pinot noir, beaujolais and zinfandel all have juicy, berry-ripe flavors that go well with turkey.


3. Look beyond the bird. The range of side dishes means that you don't have to match your wine just to the turkey. Since Thanksgiving dinner is often a banquet-style meal, with everyone choosing the trimmings, why not do the same with your wines? Offer both red and white, and possibly more than one depending on the size of your group.


4. Complement or contrast. A big, buttery chardonnay from California or Chile can complement the roasted, smoky flavors of squash, chestnuts and pecan stuffing. But if you'd rather have a contrast to the richness of cream sauces and dressings, try a crisp New Zealand sauvignon blanc.


5. End on a sweet note. If anyone still has room left when it's time for pumpkin or pecan pie, offer a late harvest wine or icewine. If you're a chocolate fan, try serving a liqueur with complementary flavors such as raspberry or blackcurrant.

When I asked about other fruit wines - like the blueberry, apple, peach, and cranberry that you can get from some vineyards like Nashoba Valley - she said that they can also work well. I'll put in a vote for how sophisticated and complex the flavors can be.

For another view of what wines to serve, you can go to this page on the Subzero site (major kitchen appliances). I really liked the idea of serviing a Riesling.

For help in pairing specific foods with wines, you can go to Natalie's web site for pairing help. There's also the Lowes Hotela at Universal Orlando, which has set up a wine version of the turkey or pie hotline. You can email wineline@loewshotels.com or call 407.503.WINE (9463). They're apparently happy to help people pair wines with foods. It sounds like this is the first year they will do this, so I have no information about how long it will take to get a response. Remember, they're working hard at tasting wine, so I'm sure things get a little ... relaxed.

Labels: holidays, Thanksgiving, wine

I received an email from a wine writer and sommelier, Natalie MacLean, about her web site. (She did begin this email with, "I enjoy following your stories," a nice bit of flattery, though I suspect goes out to any journalist receiving the email.)

I know of her but don't know her personally, so I went over to her site to see what was going on. Among the other aspects of her site is a wine and food matcher (listed as Food & Wine in the site's menu). You pick either the wine or food, and you get matches. It's a multi-step process, and you're not restricted to the obvious. For example, I first choose snacks, and then picked Oreos. Wine with Oreos? Who's have thought it? Though I remember doing theater in college and the technical crews would often have the cookies with orange juice, so a combination of acid and sweet did work. Ms. MacLean's recommendations? Either Banyuls (a fortified aperitif or dessert wine from the Pyrenees - thanks Wikipedia) or a vintage port. You can then enter the wine into a search engine and get her recent reviews. I did so for Banyuls and found her "Good Value Wines February 2007."

Next, I started over with sparkling wine, picked asti spumante, and got the following recommendations:

• Chocolate Mousse (Light)



• Christmas Pudding



• Fruit Salad



• Lemon Souffle



• Mille Feuilles



• Pavlova

For turkey pot pie? Chianti or Sauvignon Blanc. This isn't going to cover every conceivable food you could think of, but it has a lot of useful pairings for every day eating, and any time you can get a wine pairing for a favorite cookie, it's at least worth a smile. Want to know what goes with Fig Newtons? She says she'll respond to emails from the site.

Labels: food, Natalie MacLean, pairings, web site, wine

A weekly round-up of food and drink oddities:

• Weight Loss of the Mysterious West We in the US have seen our share of secret Asian weight loss measures. Now a Chinese company is facing oversight heat from seling a weight loss patch, supposedly used by Chelsea Clinton and imported from America, that oozes oil. Ew. (Reuters)


• Milwaukee Mess Some Wisconsin brewers, protesting a proposed law that would restrict the ability of brew pubs broadly selling their beers from serving food, spilled beer suds into the Milwaukee river. Fermenting protest, perhaps? (AP


• More Dinner? Three hours after running out on a $410 bill at an expensive Minneapolis restaurant, the two stopped for drinks and more food at another - owned by the same restauranteur, an ex-Judo instructor, who chased one down an alley and held him on the ground until the police showed up. (Independent Online)


• Relax, Charlie Japanese researchers want to reduce the stress of tuna after their caught so they taste better when they hit the plate. Here's an idea - have a steak special. (Reuters)


• With Its Own Paper Wrapper In one part of Beijing, the "pork" buns are partly filled with chemically softened chopped cardboard. I'm waiting for some American fast food establishment to hop on the trend. (AP)


• Put Down That Charcoal A Pennsylvania mayor got into trouble for banning outdoor grilling at night. Wonder if anyone charred him in effigy? (AP)


• Larceny - and Love Guests at a dinner party foiled an attempted armed robbery by offering the criminal a glass of wine. He accepted their hospitality, apologized, asked for a group hug, and left. (AP)


• Good Thing It Wasn't the Butter Knife An 47-year-old woman faces charges after stabbing her 86-year-old busband with a fork as they were fighting in a restaurant. (Detroit News)


• Soba Soak A Japanese spa is offering an experience of bathing in a fake giant bowl of noodle soup. Faux Pho? (AFP)


• Swell Swill A sub-$3 bottle of chardonnay best hundreds of others from around California to be named the state's best. Thousands of wine snobs are looking for new terms to describe the sensation of having egg on your face. (WPVI-TV)

Labels: brewers, California, chardonnay, China, Japan, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, noodle soup, restaurant, tuna, weird, wine