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Labor Day Book Giveaway!

Friday, August 29th, 2008 | Books, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

::Sniff, sniff:: Summer vacation is just about over. Harvests are beginning. My son starts 1st grade next week. And it’s Labor Day weekend. Cooler, chillier weather will be making its way to upstate New York. In fact, it has already — it’s been dipping down into the 40s at night. Fall is my favorite season. It brings stunning foliage, apple picking, reasons to wear stripey socks and wooly sweaters, my birthday, Halloween, and Thankgiving. All good things Fall is also the perfect time to pour a glass of wine and curl up with a good book so I thought it would be fun to give away a copy of Passion on the Vine by Sergio Esposito. The book is a memoir of Mr. Esposito’s childhood in Italy and his journey to America. Mr. Esposito founded Italian Wine Merchants in New York City in 1999 along with Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich.

The book is full of wonderful anecdotes, but it is also full of great information on Italian wine, food, and culture. It’s a book that I enjoyed and I think that anyone who is interested in wine — especially Italian wine — will enjoy as well.

To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this entry. On Monday evening I will randomly choose a winner and announce on Tuesday evening who it is.

Be sure to enter a valid e-mail address, otherwise I won’t be able to get your address and you won’t be able to get your book! Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend, everyone!

Fat Bastard Wines Wear Pink Ribbon For 6th Year

Thursday, August 28th, 2008 | France, Wine News, Wines Under $20 | No Comments

For the sixth consecutive year, Fat Bastard wines will be donating a portion of its sales during the months of September and October to help in the fight against this disease. During these two months Click Wine Group will donate 25 cents from every bottle sold in retail stores and restaurants up to a total of $75,000. Over the past five years, the company has donated nearly a quarter of a million dollars to the cause.

In the past, money donated by Click Wine Group has helped pay for 25 months of rent, utilities and nutritious food for breast cancer patients in Southern California. It has also allowed the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center to participate in one of the largest breast cancer prevention trials ever conducted.

During September and October, Fat Bastard wines will have special “Live Large, Spread Hope” neckers around the bottle with an attached enamel pink ribbon pin for consumers to wear in show of their support. The wine retails for around $10.99 and are widely distributed.

Drinking From The Cellar

Wednesday, August 27th, 2008 | General Wine News | 3 Comments

I’m my free time, I’m a knitter. (Though don’t try drinking wine and knitting at the same time… it’s a really bad combination. Don’t ask me how I know!) A common knitter’s resolution is to give up yarn buying and “knit from the stash.” You see, there is just so much yummy, beautiful yarn out there that most knitters can’t help it. They see a few hanks they love and they just have to buy them. Does this sound familiar? I think many wine drinkers are the same way. They go into a wine shop “just to browse” and come out with a mixed case. I know that I have done both myself.

Earlier this year, I vowed to knit from my stash, and with very few exceptions (when I needed a particular yarn for a project I was working on) I’ve been successful. When we sold our wine shop in June, of course we brought home all the wine we’d been squirrelling away for ourselves. I was astounded how much it amounted to. We easily have 250 bottles of wine in our basement! Many of those bottles need to age for a few (to several) more years and a couple are investment bottles that we won’t drink ever. But most of the wine is drinkable now. It just doesn’t make sense to buy more until we’ve put some kind of dent in our current inventory. I suppose there will be times when I’ll make an exception (Wine Blogging Wednesday, for example), but I’m going to try my best to stay out of wine stores until we’ve worked our way through a wine fridge or two.

I wonder if I can do this. Of course, I’m thinking about what I might miss… But is it better to be a wine drinker or a wine hoarder? Personally, I’d rather be the former.

2006 Domaine Brusset Côtes du Ventoux Les Boudalles

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 | Food & Wine Pairing, France, Red Wine, Rhone, Wines Under $20 | 1 Comment

One night last month I was trying to figure out how to use up some of the delicious vegetables we’d received from our farm share. I thought I’d try making a vegetable tart with zucchini, squash, tomato, and gorgonzola. To make things easy on myself, I simply used a refrigerated pie crust as the base. I couldn’t decide what wine to drink with it. Drew suggested the 2006 Domaine Brusset Les Boudalles ($10). He thought the Rhone blend would go well with our light dinner.

The 2006 Domaine Brusset Les Boudalles is 60% Grenache, 15% Mourvedre 15% Carignan, and 10% Clairette. Its APV is 13%. On the nose we found dried cherry, a hint of cheese, and a good bit of earthy scents like leaves and twigs. The wine was quite thin and watery — it almost seemed diluted (but not in a bad way). When we tasted it, the earthy flavors dominated, but were countered by tart cherry. The finish was quick and dry, but pleasant.

For the price, we agreed that it was a nice wine. It went really well with the vegetable tart. The earthiness balanced out the creamy gorgonzola cheese and made for a perfect summer dinner.

Here is the recipe for the tart. It’s a great way to make use of your garden’s bounty.

Summer Squash & Tomato Tart with Gorgonzola
(inspired by a recipe from Woman’s Day magazine)

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb mixed summer squash (zucchini, yellow squash, etc, cut into 1/4-inch rounds)
1/2 red onion, sliced thin
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tso, chopped garlic
fresh ground black pepper
1 refrigerated pie crust
4 oz. gorgonzola cheese
1 large tomato, sliced and seeded
1 large egg, beaten
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add squash and onions and sautee for 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove from heat, stir in thyme, garlic and pepper to taste, cool to room temperature. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (a silicon sheet works great, too). Unfold pie crust on the parchment and roll out to approximately 13 inches. Crumble half the cheese over crust to within 2 inches of edge. Arrange squash mixture and tomato slices on cheese; fold edge of the crust over filling and brush crust with egg. Bake 35-40 minutes or until pastry is golden. Slide onto a wire rack to cool. Crumble remaining cheese over top. Cool to room temperature before eating.

Booze Boosts Berry Antioxidants

Monday, August 25th, 2008 | Cocktails | No Comments

We all know that antioxidants are important to our health. They help protect the body from dangerous free radicals. You’ve probably heard that berries are excellent sources of antioxidants. (I used this as an excuse to gorge on local blueberries last month ) Well, good news for cocktail lovers. According to the August issue of Better Homes & Gardens magazine, researchers recently discovered that adding alcohol to berries actually boosts the amount of antioxidants in the fruit that can be absorbed by our bodies. The magazine also included this recipe for a delicious grown-up smoothie. (Just leave out the vodka for the kids!)

1 1/2 cups blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries
1 cup ice cubes
1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
1 oz. vodka
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. snipped fresh mint
Mint sprigs for garnish

Blend the berries, ice, pineapple juice, vodka, sugar, and mint until smooth (about 2 minutes). Transfer to large glasses and top with a mint sprig. Makes 2 servings.

Sounds like a yummy way to wind down the summer!

The Omnivore’s Hundred

Monday, August 25th, 2008 | Wine Blogs | 2 Comments

I’ve seen this fun meme on several food and wine blogs lately, most recently at McDuff’s Food & Wine Trail. I figured why not do it myself?

The rules:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment at Very Good Taste linking to your results.

Without further ado, the MFWT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Having tried only slightly under half of the items (49 to be exact) and with quite a few I would not consider eating, it appears that I am much pickier than many of the other people who completed this. I guess that’s why I stick to blogging about drinks

WBW #48: Back to Your Roots

Wednesday, August 13th, 2008 | Bordeaux, France, Wine Blogging Wednesday, Wines Under $20 | 2 Comments

Four years ago Lenn Thompson of LENNDEVOURS had a neat idea called Wine Blogging Wednesday. It was essentially a virtual wine-tasting event. These days most wine bloggers are familiar with it, but 48 months ago it was just starting out - a tiny grape on the vine, if you will. It is only fitting that Lenn hosts this special anniversary edition: Back to Your Roots.

We’re all wine lovers, but we have gotten where we are today in a variety of ways on a variety of paths. These long, windy paths are littered with wines the world over. I just want you to pick one of the wines from the beginning of your journey, taste it again for the first time in a while, and tell us about it.

I turned 21 during my senior year at UMass, a school well-known for its… erm… appreciation of potent potables. Even back then, however, I was eager to learn about wine and every couple of weeks treated myself to a bottle of something “nice” in between the jugs of Carlo Rossi Burgundy. One evening a couple friends and I stopped at a package store in Sunderland, MA near our apartment and I picked out a Bordeaux: 1994 Baron Philippe de Rothschild Mouton Cadet. A friend of mine who had graduated from the Culinary Institute of America had at one point talked to me about Rothschild wines and I’m sure that’s why I bought it — the name stuck out.

Back then I would soak wine bottles in a sink full of cold water (after the wine had been consumed, of course), and then carefully peel off the label. After it dried, I’d make notes on the back: the date, who I was with, food, and any other pertinent information. Who knew it would come in handy someday? I drank this particular bottle (in its entirety, yes), on March 1, 1997 while feasting on Pasta Roni (I believe it was the white cheddar and broccoli flavored version), round about 2 AM. I’d been out with some friends and while one promptly fell asleep upon our return home, the rest of us stayed up laughing, talking, and of course enjoying some wine and beer.

I suppose that’s part of the reason I chose this particular wine for WBW. Wine is as much about the company and the experience as it is the wine itself. You can have a crappy bottle of wine and still have a good night out with friends. However, even the right bottle of wine can’t always reconcile an evening with people you can’t stand. That’s not to say I didn’t like the wine because I do remember enjoying it very much, and it set me on my way to explore the region of Bordeaux, which is one of my favorite wine regions today.

It had been ages since I had last tasted this wine. I wasn’t even sure what to expect. While out and about on Saturday, I swung by Liquorama in Hyde Park, NY hoping they’d have my sought-after Mouton Cadet. And they did. Since it was pretty much impossible to recreate the exact circumstances under which I’d originally had this wine (Stay up until 2 AM? Yeah, right!), I set about instead to focus on the taste. The 2005 vintage is a blend of 65% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 15% Cabernet Franc. It is 13% APV. The wine was predominantly woody all around from the nose to the flavors. I also detected some cherry. It’s a dry, earthy, “Old World” style Bordeaux. While I didn’t find it to be anything really special, for $8.99 it is certainly decent. Perhaps decanting it would have brought out more of its nuances. Or perhaps I just needed to pair it with some Pasta Roni.

I’m not sure I’ll be picking up another bottle anytime soon as there are other inexpensive Bordeaux wines that I prefer, but in a pinch I’d grab it. I think that back then I did OK when choosing it, considering all I knew about wine was what I liked!

I can’t wait to see what everyone else chose (and learn about what we all were drinking in our salad days). I’ll be sure to post a link to Lenn’s round-up once he’s completed it.

Hops

Sunday, August 10th, 2008 | Beer | 1 Comment

This summer my brother and my dad decided to attempt growing hops in their gardens. The last time I was up in Western Massachusetts (at the very end of June) one of my dad’s plants was nearly 10 feet high! I noticed these photos on my brother’s Flickr account and thought I’d share them. (Nah… he doesn’t mind. I hope )

He’s the homebrew guy so I really don’t know what he’ll do with them next, but I’m excited to find out!

[Photo credit: My brother Mike]