Syrah Pairing: Hearty Minestrone

One of the problems we have is that we generally eat white fish or poultry so we are often forced to open a bottle of white to go with our meal. I like white wine but, this time of year, I just want red.

When we decided we were going to open the Bartholomew Park Syrah, I decided I'd pull some pork spareribs we had on hand out of the freezer just so we wouldn't have to post another "goes good with spaghetti" blog entry. It turned out to be a good match.

The BartPark Syrah has an aroma foundation of tobacco and red berry. When paired with the spareribs, I also picked up a definite cumin note.

Last night we finished the bottle with some homemade minestrone--another satisfactory pairing. Somewhere between the soup, and the dark chocolate, I took a whiff of my wine and got chocolate-rasberry! We have a few more bottles to 'lay down' (ha ha) and see how they progress. We are also facing the reality of needing to do something about our wine storage... More on that in future posts.

"Old Reliable" and a Sonoma Valley Syrah

We visited Bartholomew Park Winery last October and tasted some mighty good wine. The wine we present tonight is from Sonoma Valley where Bartholomew Park’s Estate Vineyard is located at the base of the Mayacamas Mountain range, tucked up by the Arroyo Seco. Warm temperatures, constant breezes and excellent drainage make this vineyard ideal Syrah producing land.

The vineyard is on a west facing slope and was planted with clones 877, 470 and Alban Hermitage vines in 2002 on a vertical trellis system. The Syrah is planted in the coolest part of the vineyard, slowing down the ripening of the fruit.

The grapes are hand harvested and fermented with a prepared yeast in stainless steel tanks with gentle pump-overs. The wine is aged in French oak barrels, 30% new for 14 months. The production was 1155 cases. BartPark wines are only available through the winery.

Pictured here is my trusty heavy helix corkscrew. This corkscrew and I go back to my graduate student days when I found it at a yard sale for $0.50. This is one of the best buys of my life and has been with me on moves to six states. This little beauty has never failed to extract a cork for me.



Syrah, Estate Vineyard
Bartholomew Park Winery
Sonoma County
Vintage: 2005
AVA: Sonoma Valley
Alcohol: 14.0%
pH: 3.67
Acidity: 0.60 g/100mL
Price: ~$38.00

Color: Ruby Red
Intensity: Moderate
Aromas: Blackberry, cherry, jam, raisin, currant, oak, smoky, earth, struck flint, toast
Flavors: Blackberry, cherry, prune, black current, mint, anis, allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, smoked meat, oak, smoky, tobacco
Body: Full
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Dry
Tannins: Suede
Finish: Long

Summary: Interesting intense black fruit and suede tannin structure. Very beautiful red color just invites you to admire the color of this wine. The wine kept me coming back to see what would be revealed next. For me, that is what makes a fun wine.

We are having this tonight with oven barbequed baby back ribs. Sometimes when a wine is so good, it is hard to put it down after the meal. Taster B and I decided to experiment with chocolate. Oh, it was so good with chocolate. Tomorrow, we will have Minestrone soup and polish off the bottle. Yeah, it’s that good.

White Christmas

Merry Christmas
from the folks at
Smells Like Grape

ITHAKI: An Island of Culinary Delight in a Sea of Fried Haddock on Boston’s North Shore

Next time you are north of Boston, treat yourself to a fantastic Greek meal at Ithaki in Ipswich, Mass. We feel very lucky to live in an area with so much great seafood, and yes, fried haddock, but we feel most fortunate to have an authentic Greek restaurant in our area. Dining there really is almost like a mini-vacation to the Greek Isles. Ithaki prides itself on using the freshest organic and local ingredients. To paraphrase my grandmother: Good ingredients make good food.

I’ve never been a lamb fan but Ithaki does it so well that I’ve changed my tune. Its never gamey (mutton) and always fresh and well prepared. I’m not positive but, I think they may make their own yogurt as well. I’ve had good Greek yogurt but, the yogurt they use in their tzatziki and other sauces is a cut above.

We’ve had a few good Greek wines at Ithaki. Most recently a dry red: Katogi Averoff Agiorgitiko which comes from the Nemea growing area where they cultivate Agiorgitiko grapes on an altitude of 250-800m to the southeast of Corinth.

I didn’t take any tasting notes but, found it somewhat similar to a merlot with a mellow almost brandy-like nose. It went very well with the lamb gyro we ordered for lunch.

We’ve never been disappointed at Ithaki: Even when it is not perfect, it’s still fantastic.

More info about Ithaki

A Time of Bounty, Palmer Vineyards Cabernet Franc

Christmas dinners can be tough for a wine to keep up with. You have a wide variety of aromatic foods with cinnamon, allspice, sage, rosemary and thyme. The traditional sweet potatoes baked with orange slices, cinnamon and clove add another layer complexity. This may all be served with turkey, ham, roast beef or all of the above. Let’s face it, this bountiful time calls for wine that is versatile and complementary.

As much as we all love wine, this meal is not about the wine. It’s about sharing with family and friends. The wine should be good but we all have a dirty little secret. We are not about to open that very special bottle knowing that Aunt Millie and Uncle Harry have been know to put ice in their box wine at home.

Looking across the table you see the cranberry sauce. I make mine with whole cinnamon, allspice, clove and anise. I put thinly slice oranges in the bottom of a glass bowl. (Okay, people rave about my cranberry sauce. My second holiday dirty little secret...it is quick, simple and looks like I fussed for hours. Take one cup of water, one cup of sugar and bring to a boil. When I’m feeling wild and crazy, I’ll add the juice of one orange. Add one bag of cranberries. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 or 20 minutes with the spices mentioned above. Put in a glass bowl with thinly cut orange slices for looks. Set aside to cool.)

Now you have a meal that is a real challenge to pair wine with, sweet, sour, savory and pungent. Do I hear someone knocking at the door? It's Aunt Millie and Uncle Harry with a cheese platter, Brie, Blue, Jarlsberg and Havarti. Oh my! Let’s not freak out.

Here’s what I’d do. I’d pull out a Cabernet Franc, a Sauvignon Blanc, and a Merlot. All these wines are inexpensive, easy going and pair well with just about anything on the table. But the bottle I’d keep close to me would be the Cabernet Franc. We found a nice New York State bottle that just shined through a meal like this. There is just enough hint of spiciness, red current, cherry, earthiness and just the right acidity to go with everything on the table.

Merry Christmas, and may your wine pairings be flawless in the coming New Year.

Cabernet Franc
Proprietor’s Reserve
Palmer Vineyards
Long Island, New York
Vintage: 2003
Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $14.42

Color:
Intensity: Meduim
Aromas: Cherry, earth, rose, spice
Flavors: Cherry, red current, cranberry, pomegranate,
Body: Medium
Acidity: Moderate
Sweetness: Moderately dry
Finish: Medium

Summary: This wine will compliment a festive meal without dominating it. The balance of earthiness and fruitiness played off of the turkey, sweet potatoes and cranberry. It went well will with both white and dark meat.

Chateau ST Jean, Fumé Blanc

Our trip to Sonoma did not include a trip to Chateau St Jean but we understand it is a beautiful winery to visit with its large grounds and nicely appointed tasting room. When planning a tasting trip, it is always, “so many cabs, so little time.”

We certainly recognized the winery by name in Sonoma and were happy to try their Fume’ Blanc. This wine is softer than most whites you will find. It is blended from primarily French oak and a bit of American oak. What I like about this wine is that it is soft and smooth and about the grapes. The oak aging is complementary, not dominating.

Fumé Blanc,
Chateau ST Jean
Sonoma County
Vintage: 2006
Blend: Sauvignon Blanc blended with a small amount of Semillon
and Viognier
Alcohol: 13.6
Harvest Sugar: 24.5 brix
pH: 3.28
Price: $10.00

Color: Straw
Intensity: Pale
Aromas: Litchi, quince, pineapple, lemon, vanilla, hay, nutmeg
Flavors: Quince, lemon, pineapple, fig, melon, vanilla
Body: Light
Acidity: Crisp
Sweetness: Moderately dry
Finish: Short

Summary: This is a delightful wine subtle flavor from the French and American oak barrel aging. Very smooth and relaxing. The aromas and flavors are almost one for one with no surprises. This wine has tropical fruit qualities, just enough dryness and finish to complement delicate dishes such as Dover Sole and sushi. This is fine on its own or served with lighter cheeses. What I like to do with this wine is just pour into a medium sized glass, one third full, kick back and relax with it.


Dear Dairy,

Finally, I’m back on my palate after being down for a week with a cold. It’s great to be able to taste and smell again.

Green Salads and Wine

Vinegar can compete with wine. It’s been a problem for me all my life, getting through the salad course so I could enjoy my wine with my meal. Rule: If you are going to serve a salad with a wonderful vinaigrette, simply do not serve a wine with the salad course. That is all there is to it. Or try a dry German Riesling with you salad course. It will work with many good dressings.

Here are two dressings that will help with the problem if you use good quality white wine vinegar. You can give your wine a chance to stand up to a dressing if you include the wine in the dressing. These are for your favorite green salad. Shown above is a salad Taster-B made with spinach, feta and quince.

White Wine Vinaigrette
3/4 cup of dry white wine
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
Fresh ground black pepper and sea salt, to taste.

Blend together and store in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

Fennel and Wine dressing
Here is a dressing that I have been experimenting with. I like the Sauvignon Blank because of the bright citrus notes.

3/4 cup of Sauvignon Blank
1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of fennel seed ground in a mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of honey to taste
Sea salt to taste

This works well if you prepare the dressing ahead of time. I like to freshly grind the fennel seeds to a fine powder. I place all into a mason jar with a lid and shake it until it emulsifies. If you have the patience to clean your blender, this works better. Refrigerate overnight to let the fennel do its magic or use straight away.