Posts Tagged ‘Pinot Noir’
Wednesday, July 21st, 2010
Foie gras is not a menu item, either at home or dining out, that’s on the tip of American’s palates. Yet leave our shores for France and the delicacy becomes as common as hamburgers and French fries here.
Foie gras is a food product derived from the liver of a specially fattened duck or goose. Fattening, by French law, is accomplished through forced feeding with corn. The feed results in high fat deposits in the liver, enlarging the liver by six to ten times its normal size and giving it its rich and creamy texture. This custom dates back to 2500 BC when Egyptians fattened birds through forced feeding. The delicacy results in a uniquely creamy, rich and buttery product that differs from classic duck or goose liver. Hungry also produces its own version of foie gras.
In France, foie gras exists in three different, legally defined, forms ranging from the inexpensive (bloc de foie gras) to the moderate (foie gras) to the very expensive (foie gras entire). In the United States, raw foie gras is classified as Grade A, B, or C with A containing the highest percentage of fat.
Foie gras is often flavored with truffles, prunes, or liquors such as Cointreau or Armagnac and pair well with fruit sauces of fig,quince, apples, pears, and berries. Reduction sauces of red wine or sauces of truffles and wasabi are great pairing agents. The delicacy is often an accompaniment to filet mignon, duck and shrimp dishes.
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Tags: Auslese, foie gras, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Port, Riesling, Sauternes Posted in Wine & Food Pairing | Submit Your Comment »
Monday, July 19th, 2010
Turley Zinfandel Lodi Spenker Ranch, 1997:
We opened this bottle recently, after discovering the bottle in the back of a cabinet and it provided quite a surprise. Thirteen years later, the wine had softened from a raisiny and spicy character to one with a smooth and soft personality. It paired well with a home made Provencial Ratatouille but in its youth, I’m sure it would have been a great match for beef. Would I search for bottle now. No, but it serves notice that well constructed Zins (and Helen Turley is one of the best) have a long life. If you have any from the last 5-10 years, feel comfortable that with stable storage, they will provide you with lots of pleasure.
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Tags: Cotes du Rhone, Guigal, Pinot Noir, white Bordeaux, Zinfandel Posted in Best Of The Best | Submit Your Comment »
Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Shea Wine Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard, 2006:
This is an enjoyable wine from the Willamette Valley. Flavors of blackberry, dark cherry and plum, some cedary scents and tobacco. While I enjoyed the wine with a salmon dish, it felt a little pricey in light of its middle of the road personality….runs around $60. I think that you could do as well with a less expensive Pinot such as Caldwell Hills.
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Tags: Callaghan Vineyards, Chenin Blanc, Cotes du Rhone, Loire, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley Posted in Best Of The Best | Submit Your Comment »
Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
There are any number of ways to celebrate this special romantic day with food and wine. While chocolate, Champagne and roses may first come to mind, certainly great choices, my wife and I are planning to join forces this year and prepare a fun, creative brunch. While we have yet to choose the theme, we’ll let you know when we do. Meanwhile, there are many of you who will take advantage of dining at one of our local restaurants listed in our Wine News section and trust me, they all have great menus planned. But since I touched upon brunch, let me address some food and wine ideas, whether you choose to cook at home or dine out.
Brunch allows me to be outlandishly creative if I wish and it’s quite easy to accomplish, especially if keep a couple of themes in mind. For me, it’s easiest to think about the foundation for the dish such as eggs, meats, pancakes/French toast, doughnuts or fruit. Then, I can think about how I want to accent or kick up the dish. Once there, I can hone in on the wine or alternative beverage. A slightly different take is to decide which country or region you wish to “visit” culinary wise and build your dish accordingly.
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Tags: AJ's Fine Foods, Beaujolais, Champagne, East Broadway Beverage House, Elle, Feast, Gewurztraminer, Iced Wine, Pastiche, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Schramsberg Sparkling Wine, Total Wines, Valentine's Day Posted in Wine & Food Pairing | 1 Comment - Submit Your Comment »
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Orin Swift The Prisoner Napa Valley, 2006:
This is a lovely blend of Zin, Cabernet Sauvignon, Charbono, Grenache, Petite Sirah and Syrah. Not a big wine; well balanced with deep fruits of plum and berry, rustic notes of herbs, tobacco and a peppery spice. Pricing runs in the mid $30’s and can be enjoyed over the next year or two.
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Tags: Catena, Chenin Blanc, Domaine des Baumard, Ken Wright, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Savennieres Posted in Best Of The Best | Submit Your Comment »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
Pork is one of those dates with food that you can dress up or down and take to nearly any dance. It’s hard not to make her look good. Depending upon its preparation and cut, you can pair the food group with varying whites, reds and even roses.
Lean pork (boneless chops) while not overly flavorful by itself lends itself to nearly any accent you wish whether it be dried spice, sauce or fruit. On the other extreme is bacon, with its rich fat and very savory aromas and flavors, just begging for a hearty red.
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Tags: Alsatian, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Chianti, German, Gewurztraminer, Loire, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, pork, Rhone, Riesling, Rose, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Viognier, Vouvray, Zinfandel Posted in Wine & Food Pairing | 1 Comment - Submit Your Comment »
Monday, December 14th, 2009
Here are four additional Pinot Noirs from around the globe that made themselves felt at our November tasting.
Pisoni Estate, Santa Lucia Highlands, 2006:
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Tags: Pinot Noir Posted in Best Of The Best | Submit Your Comment »
Friday, November 27th, 2009
While, I survived traditional Thanksgiving food and wine deluge into early last evening, somehow I feel as if the feast continued all night! I awoke this morning more than satiated yet knowing that by later today, I’ll be ready and primed for leftovers.
I don’t know quite what it is about leftovers that so excites me. Maybe it’s just a psychologically good feeling extending from yesterday’s holiday feast. Or perhaps it’s knowing that the leftovers have had another 24 hours to weave their magical sauces and spices into a still more flavorful medley. Or maybe it’s as simple as knowing that we have another comfort meal in the on deck circle. Whatever it is, I am looking forward to it.
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Tags: Beaujolais, Cardwell Hills, Duboeuf, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Rose, Schramsberg, Thanksgiving, Zind-Humbrecht Posted in Blog | 2 Comments - Submit Your Comment »
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
I had the opportunity, recently, to participate in a Pinot Noir tasting at the home of friends who are die hard Pinot collectors. We blindly tasted four flights of Pinots, each flight containing a wine from California, Oregon and Burgundy. This get together was particularly enjoyable for me and my wife as our focus over the years has been more on Bordeaux, Rhone and Tuscany. This was a wonderful opportunity for us to resource the expertise of those who have immersed themselves in the terroir of this lovely variety. Here are four of the Pinots that we tasted with the results.
Thomas Pinot Noir, Oregon 2006:
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Tags: Pinot Noir Posted in Best Of The Best | Submit Your Comment »
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Our Thanksgiving dinner will be pretty traditional this year. I’ll try to stick to my mantra of offering a variety of consumer friendly wines to the guests while saving the “collectibles” for another time.
We’ll start with cilantro/horseradish spiced shrimp cocktail paired with a Schramsberg Mirabelle Sparkling Rose. We’ve had a lot of success with this palate refreshing pairing, the bubbly playing perfectly off the spice of the cocktail sauce. Schramsberg also offers a wonderful Blanc de Blanc and Blanc de Noir Sparkling Wine. Also on the appetizer menu is a warm spinach/artichoke dip with veggies. I’m not yet sure what wine I’ll choose for this. Considering that the dip is somewhat thick and creamy yet has a tang of the artichoke, I may go with a White Bordeaux.
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Tags: Chardonnay, Eymael Monchhof Riesling, Gewurztraminer, JJ Prum Auslese, Ken Wright, Pinot Noir, Rombauer, Schramsberg Sparkling Wine, Seghesio, Zind-Humbrecht, Zinfandel Posted in Blog | Submit Your Comment »
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