The motto at the bottom of The Wine Channel business card reads “From Wine What Sudden Friendship Springs.” Back in July I read an article about some folks having an outdoor dinner at a Capitol Hill home in Washington DC. As the dinner was winding down a would-be robber happened upon the scene, pulled out a gun and threatened to start shooting if the dinner guests didn’t hand over their money. One of the hosts asked him if he would like a glass of wine and he accepted. Sipping a Chateau Malescot-St. Exupery, he said, “Damn, that’s a good wine.” He then had some cheese to go along with another glass of wine and said that he had made a mistake and asked for a group hug instead. The dinner guests complied and the would be robber then peacefully left with a full wine glass in hand. I just found this story astounding because it just exemplifies the virtues of wine. Wine brings people together. Now I know that this story could have had an unhappy ending but the fact of the matter is the host opened up the party to one more guest and in the end, all he wanted was friendship. The total loss was a crystal glass and a story worth telling over and over again. How well do you know your neighbors? When was the last time you had a bunch of friends over and sat around enjoying a good bottle of wine? Why not invite some friends over and have them invite someone you don’t know to come with them? After all, “From Wine What Sudden Friendship Springs.” The least you can do is make another friend and in return bring some joy into the life of someone else. Salute!
I was going to write about the virtues of owning a wine refrigerator, especially if you don’t have a wine cellar to store your wine. But as I was looking in mine, I started to take an inventory as to what I was storing. I like all wines but I am partial to Reds and by the looks of things I’ve gone a little overboard in my storage particulars. Now I have some Silver Oak, Cakebread, Le Millepertuis Crozes Hermitage and Owen Roe but my white wines were limited to Josef Ehmoser Bruner Veltliner Hohenberg and Epiphany. I checked my dining room wine rack and found bottles of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and in my kitchen refrigerator I found a bottle of Riesling and Rose. The majority of wine in my wine refrigerator is Cabernet Sauvignon followed by Syrah, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir and Bordeaux with a Cuvee sneaking in there. I drank the Grenache last night. By the looks of things, I have a good array of wines to choose from for whatever the occasion or food pairing however, the white wine in the kitchen refrigerator is being stored too cold. Now I realize that the wine on my dining room rack and in my kitchen refrigerator is being consumed faster than the wine in my wine refrigerator but I’m going to go out and get a few bottles of exceptional Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and White Burgundy to top off my whites. And I think I’ll pick up a few bottles of Malbec and Carmenere since winter is coming and I’ll be cooking more stews and chili. Oh and I can’t forget to get a couple of bottles of Beaujolais; a great wine to have just about any time.
How about your wine collection? Is it time to do an inventory and add more whites or reds? Be adventurous and try some new wines that you haven’t tasted before. You may be very surprised to find that you found a new favorite. I was sitting in a restaurant with a friend of mine and I ordered a bottle of Grenache. He preferred Chianti to almost anything else but after a couple sips of the Grenache he looked at me and said, “I can’t believe it, I’m a Grenache man.” Now he’s stepping out and expanding his palate by trying every wine that he hasn’t tasted yet. Everybody has a certain varital, a certain winery or winemaker that becomes their favorite. Join in on the exploration and enjoy the adventure of tasting different types of wine. And if you absolutely don’t like it, use it to cook with by adding it to your drippings for exciting gravy or add it to a sauce for a unique and new flavor. Have a blast and keep on discovering - it will keep you young.
I decided I wanted a pizza but I wanted something that I never had made before. When I was living in Turkey, I really developed a palate for Mediterranean meals. I loved breakfast with smoked salmon, pealed tomatoes, feta cheese, capers, kalamata olives and onions on flat bread. So I thought what the heck, let’s try making a Mediterranean pizza. I started by rolling out whole wheat dough. Instead of using tomato sauce, I covered the dough with a herbed feta cheese. Then I layered smoked salmon over the cheese and sprinkled chopped kalamata olives can capers over the salmon. I added chopped sundried tomatoes and finely chopped red onion and then a layer of plain feta cheese on top of it all. I baked it on a baking stone for 15 minutes at 450 degrees and when it was finished I added fresh squeezed lemon over the whole pizza. The pizza was fabulous! Be sure not to add too many capers because there is plenty of salt in the olives and feta cheese. Next was a good wine to pair with it. Normally I would have gone with a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Noir, but since I used smoked salmon, I wanted something a little bigger. I pulled out the Red Bicyclette Syrah and to my surprise; it made the whole pizza POP. The power of the Syrah with its deep berry fruit flavors, spicy aromas and mature tannins cut the pungent and saltiness of the cheese and really brought out the smoke flavor of the salmon. What a great discovery. But isn’t that what wine and food are all about? The discovery is exciting and fun and when it Pops, you know you’ve happened upon something magical. Enjoy a bottle of Red Bicyclette tonight and create your own wonderful food pairing. When the magic in the bottle marries the magic in the food, your tongue will sing and dance the whole night long.
Whenever someone asks me what my favorite wine is, I give them my usual response, “Probably not what yours is.” I’ve come to realize that my wine tastes have changed throughout the years. I used to love Merlot but somewhere along the way, my palate was drawn to Cabernet Sauvignon. Lately I’ve been indulging on Syrahs and Zinfandels. Chardonnay has even made a comeback for me. I was a Sauvignon Blanc man for years until recently, when suddenly Chardonnay started appealing to me again. So if my tastes are changing, I’m sure other people’s tastes are changing too.
I realize that people just starting out and experiencing wine for the first time want something to go on, so I tell them to just start trying them all. The best way to do that is to go to a wine bar or a winery tasting room and taste a flight of wines. Start making notes of what you enjoy and what you don’t. When you see a bottle of the same varietal from a different winery, give it a try. You may find that you like your new find better than what you’ve been drinking. And with so many varietals to choose from; take your time and get to know each and everyone of them individually.
Start with low priced wine. Say what you want about Charles Shaw but “2 Buck Chuck” has opened a lot of eyes to the wine world for thousands of people. Some folks that I have spoken with have told me how they couldn’t resist the price and once they found a wine that they enjoyed, they would go out and try another one that costs a few dollars more. The comparisons not only built their wine knowledge and character but it expanded their “drinking wine for pleasure” to “complimenting their meals with a great wine.” The right wine will make a mouthful of food explode on your tongue. Many restaurants are now pairing wines with their menu. I always enjoy tasting what the chef considers to be the perfect match. It gives me insight as to what their tastes are and also what to look for when I’m pairing food with wine for guests attending a dinner party at my house. One such restaurant in Pasadena California is The Crepe Vine. I haven’t had a paired meal their yet that wasn’t spot on. And you know what; I keep going back for more. I’ve filled a several wine journals with valuable information on what wines I like and what food they go best with. Take time to explore wine and again, write down your experience with each wine you taste. You’ll be surprised how your palate will develop and even change over time. And then when someone comes up to you and asks, “What’s your favorite Wine” you can say to them, “Probably not what yours is.”
I love to see the look on people’s faces (especially people from California) when they taste a wine that is not from California, Washington or Oregon. I was in Georgia and discovered the Georgia Wine Highway, that led me to some very nice wineries. One in particular was a winery call Blackstock in Dahlonega, Georgia. I was there with a group of eight people and we were pleasantly surprised at how nice the wines were that David Harris produced. Now for something unheard of in California, my wife and I bought a case and had it shipped back to California. We mixed the case with Reserve Chardonnay, Reserve Merlot, Reserve Viognier, ACE (A family Reserve) and a Sangiovese Rose’. I have surprised several guests with a bottle from my Blackstock collection and opened up a new world to them. In particular, one evening we were entertaining a friend that literally scoffed at us when he found out that we had shipped a case of Georgia wine to California. It was about six months later when we were having appetizers that I had opened a bottle of Blackstock Reserve Chardonnay. After the first taste, my guest picked up the bottle, and the look on his face was priceless. He asked, “This is a Georgia Wine?” And I replied, “Yep, the one you so adamantly rebuffed me for buying and shipping to California.” Once again, I introduced someone to a whole new world of wine. There are wineries in every state and it is well worth the effort to discover these little places of paradise. The folks are friendly and eager to have you taste their wines and chat with you about what else? - Wine! Check around your state and let me know what diamonds in the rough you find. You’ll be glad you did.
What a surprise to read that the Firestone Vineyard in Los Olivos is being sold to the Foley Wine Group. The Firestone Winery in the Santa Ynez Valley was the first location The Wine Channel shot at with Andrew Firestone leading us on a tour of the facility. And what a facility it is. From the courteous staff to the manicured courtyard, from the fabulous tasting room to the private tasting room with photos of family and famous friends on the walls, it is an adventure for everyone who visits there. We had the rare pleasure of visiting the hallowed grounds of Brooks Cellar where every vintage of Firestone wine that has been produced resides. One reason the quality of Firestone Wines is so consistent is because they will open a bottle of wine that has been laid on its side for many years and record how the wine is aging. With this powerful information they can use the formula again on grapes grown in similar conditions or they can make a change in the formula for the next harvest. I felt honored that Andrew Firestone let us video a segment with him in Brooks Cellar.
I’m happy to know that the Firestone Vineyard is going to the Foley Wine Group. William P. Foley also owns Foley Estates Vineyard & Winery and Lincourt Vineyards and is known for making good wine. In a prepared statement Foley said, “This is the first in a series of brand acquisitions with the goal of developing a multibrand sales strategy. Currently, we are also examining opportunities in Sonoma County, Napa County and the states of Oregon and Washington.” Congratulations to Bill Foley on a wonderful acquisition and to Brooks Firestone who turns another page in his life’s book, while continuing to live in Los Olivos and be the 3rd District county supervisor. Since that first video shoot at the Firestone Winery in Los Olivos, The Wine Channel was the first production crew to tape at the new Firestone facility in Paso Robles. Again, Andrew was most gracious and a GREAT host. When you go there you have to see Twiggy, Andrew’s pet bulldog. She’s growing up now but when we were there she was just a puppy and wanted to be with us the whole time we were there. We didn’t dare move around without first looking down. She is so social and adorable; you can’t help but fall in love with her. To see a picture of her, go to Rodney’s Page on The Wine Channel website at www.thewinechannel.net.
2003 Reflexion from Crichton Hall
I tasted the 2003 Reflexion from Crichton Hall last night. I was very pleased with the way it opened up. The nose was full of cherry, plums and balck currants. As I continued to swrill I sensed hints of caramel and earth minerals. It has nice weight to it and was a nice plush finish. During the tasting I tried four different chocolates with it and semi-sweet dark chocolate really made it pop. Enjoy the 2003 for the next decade. Retail price is around $50.00 but I’ve seen it priced lower at different beverage stores. A real bargain!
Cheers
The Wine Channel at www.thewinechannel.net has soft launched providing videos on wine and the lifestyle it represents. TWC has three catagories to their programming, instructional, educational and entertainment. Currently the programs are educational informing about wineries, winemakers and wine types. On the site there’s also a news page, and a favorite of mine, Rodney’s Page. Under contruction is Winery Finery, an online store that will have merchandise with a wine theme. It’s a site worth looking at and it’s being updated regularly with new material. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
Last weekend I decided to prepare a meal around the wine I was going to serve instead of picking the wine after the menu was prepared. The wine I choose was a St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County ‘03. This wine is known for being BIG so I wanted a meal that would hold up to the powerful Cab. Of course with a Cab this big I went right to the meat counter and picked out a Flank Steak. I marinated it in a Bourbon/Brown Sugar and spices mixture overnight. This not only gave it great flavor, but it was so tender steak knives weren’t really needed. I supported the entree’ with Ginger Carrots and Mushrooms along with Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes.
The St. Francis Cab was Fabulous. Each bite of the steak with a sip of the wine was an explosion of flavors. The Big, Fat, St. Francis Cab has lots of heft and weight. Wilfred Wong called it deep and brooding, yet remains textured and silky and he is absolutely right.
The meal held up to the powerful wine and was an event that will we will not soon forget. If you have a chance to taste the St. Francis Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County ‘03, do so, and prepare to give yourself a treat.
Do you have a favorite wine pairing? Please share your experience with us. Wine is an adventure that begs to be shared with others. Cheers!
