A Wine Story

Pairing Wine with Oysters ...

... so you are about to order some $$$ oysters and want the perfect wine to pair with it. Naturally, you are thinking Muscadet from France. Yet did you realize that in San Francisco, you are truly wine savvy only if you match the type of oysters to a specific wine?

Here's a link from a piece in the San Francisco Chronicle by Olivia Wu:

-- Match slightly sweet, fat Pacific oysters with a slightly fruitier wine.

-- Oysters with more mineral presence, such as Atlantics, pair well with wines that have more minerality.

-- A dry, crisp wine marries well with the brisk, clean taste of the ocean in the bivalve.

-- If you must serve your oysters with a mignonette, use a low-acid vinegar in the recipe and pair the sweetness of the wine to the mignonette. Using hot sauce? Reach for a beer.

-- Baked oysters with ample doses of butter, and dairy-rich oyster chowder mesh well with wines that are richer in fruit and have more body and lusher mouthfeel, provided there is buoyant acidity.

5 Tips to Restaurant Entertaining

So you're planning a big night out on the town to celebrate a special occasion or woo a new date or business prospect. Everything must be perfect. You ask friends for recommendations or search your city's lifestyle magazine and make a reservation. Now all you do is show up and enjoy, right?

Not quite. In larger cities like New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago restaurants have the upper hand and it's diners who must take responsibility for confirming reservations to ensure a table and prompt seating. Once you confirm, however, you may want to go the extra nine yards to ensure a pleasurable event.

1. Visit the restaurant in advance and select a table to your liking.

Though it may not be possible to get the exact table, if you visit the restaurant outside of the busy lunch or dinner period and speak to the host or general manager, you can suggest tables that you like. For some restaurant professionals, it may be correct to give the individual your card in addition to a gratuity for this service.

2. Study the wine list in advance.

You want to look good in front of your client or date, and studying a wine list at the table takes time away from your guest. Many times you will be able to find the wine list online. Choose a few wines in case they run out, and try to find some interesting information about the wine beforehand.

3. Act confidently when the sommelier offers you a taste.

This procedure is to ensure that the wine does not have cork taint (oxidation through a bad cork) or another fault. If you smell and taste the wine and it is fine, simply wait until the server pours everyone's glass and enjoy when the server pours yours. Ignore the cork that is placed on the table. There is no need to smell it.

4. For large groups, consider ordering a bottle of white and red wine so your guests can have their choice.

A good sommelier should judiciously pour the wine in the glasses so that it reaches just the fullest part (usually the lower third) of the glass, so your guests can swirl and smell the bouquet.

5. It is considered gracious and correct to tip between fifteen and twenty percent of the total wine and food bill, not just food.

As always, gratuity is optional. Many people think there is not much work involved in opening a bottle of wine or twisting open a screw cap and pouring; however, many servers and sommeliers went to wine school to help guests with their choices, and are responsible for polishing the elegant glassware on the table.

Some people find five-star restaurants intimidating because of their formality, so it's important to realize that everyone at the restaurant from the hostess to the chef are at your service. So walk tall and expect the best – you deserve it.

Margaret River in Western Australia

One of the trendiest wine regions these days is Australia, known for it's wallet-friendly prices, appeal to popular taste, and buzz-building marketing campaigns. (Yellowtail Shiraz, anyone?) While most Americans know Australia for its under-$10 wines and think of "Australian Wine" in generic terms, this vast country is actually divided into areas called Geographic Indicators (GI), which separate the various regions by soil, climate, and topography the way America separates wine regions into American Viticulture Areas (AVA).

Western Australia (WA) differs from the bulk-wine producing regions in most of Australia in that artisanal and boutique wineries thrive here. Most wineries are condensed in the southwestern portion of the State. If you look at a map of Australia, you will recognize the region as it resembles a pig's snout. These wine regions include the Swan District close to the State capital of Perth and, further south, the regions of Peel, Geographe, Blackwood Valley, Pemberton, Manjimup, Great Southern and the well-known Margaret River.

Although the Margaret River contributes only three per cent of the country's wine grapes, it commands over 20 per cent of today's premium wine market. The region comprises the rolling hills of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge, between Cape Naturaliste and Cape Leeuwin. To the west is the Indian Ocean, which provides a moderating effect on the climate, meaning that extreme summer and winter temperatures do not affect vineyards. Humidity levels are ideal during the growing period, and the combination of climate, soil, and viticulture practices leads to consistently high quality fruit of intense flavor.

The Margaret River is considered one of the top regions for Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. As it is located close to the ocean, the water gives the area a warming effect. A great example is the delicious 2004 Leuuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay ($79), a deep gold-colored wine with a perfumed nose and excellent finish. A winning example of Cabernet Sauvignon from the region is the 2004 Thompson Estate ($35), an herbaceous wine with herbal notes.

Beyond its spectacular wines, the Margaret River is increasingly seen as a popular tourist destination with a year-round friendly climate, fantastic beaches, and dramatic landscapes. Alas, its distance means you have to travel two days by plane just to get there. Happily, a virtual visit is as close as your nearest wine store, for when you open a bottle of Margaret River wine you can savor the terroir right in the glass.

Montes does Napa

... so I'm sure you've enjoyed wines from Chile. Here's a short quiz:

1) What is the up and coming grape of Chile?
2) What weather phenomenon is responsible for great wine?
3) What Chilean producer is increasingly winning lots of awards?

Because many of the wineries were started by wealthy Chileans in the last century who looked to France as a source of culture, many of the wines produced in the region are Bordeaux style blends. However, Carmenere is becoming quite the hip grape. Producer Monte Premium Wines grows it in their two new vineyards in Cochagua, each dramatically different in terms of soil and elevation and proximity to the ocean in Colchagua, Apalta and Marchigue. And the Humboldt Current is the phenomenon that swings cold air from the Antarctic to cool the ocean and provide conditions conducive to quality grapes. Montes Premium Wines,

which makes wine in Chile, Argentina, and Napa, came to NYC to showcase the wines they make in all three areas.

Today,

Aurelio Montes, an owner of Montes Premium Wines, was on hand to give a tutored tasting of the wines along with his son (sharing the same name).

NY's top wine journalists were present, including David Rosengarten and Baroness Sheri de Borchgrave (pictured here) to get an insider's look at how the grape growing and wine making process in each of the regions.

We tasted barrel samples of Carmenere from Montes' two estates in Chile (surprising differences due to elevation, climate, proximity to sea, soil), Malbec from Argentina (ditto), and their new Bordeaux style wine from the new vineyards in Napa. I personally loved the 2005 Montes from Napa, which has the kind of fruit and structure that can see it age for another ten years.

Mr. Montes is charming and passionate about his wine, and through the miracle of modern technology, you can hear him speak about it here in this online tasting seminar (quick registration required). You will hear all about the soil and climate and see gorgeous pictures of his properties in Chile, and also have the opportunity to taste along with him.

Do you like Carmenere? Have you tried Montes'?  FYI, Carmenere is considered by some to be the next Pinot Noir ... check out this thread about Montes' Carmenere on the Wine Spectator Forums.

BLT Market rocks in Manhattan

"What a quaint, old time general store," you think, waltzing into the new BLT Market, admiring the cute bottles of $10 vinegar, $14 dollar mustard, and bright red and yellow fresh heirloom tomatoes neatly arranged on spotless blond wood shelves. Then you notice the well-dressed, affluent looking crowd chatting in the airy dining room connected to an open-air terrace overlooking Central Park, and you realize you're in the latest restaurant in Laurent Tourondel's successful BLT franchise.

You will be quick to sense Tourondel's focus is on fresh, seasonal ingredients, especially wild and locally grown items. Though every five-star chef in the city has his or her favorite local specialty purveyors, BLT Market concretely expresses this theme via the Disneyland-esque, country store décor and casual, relaxed ambiance. BLT Market's menu rotates monthly, and blackboard specials are updated weekly with first-of-the-season produce.

As you are shown to your table, you will note the tiny pot of blooming rosemary in place of the more traditional flowers, and a quaint clothespin attached to your prettily designed paper menu. A clothespin! Perhaps it's simply a prop to underscore the reality you are not in yet another slick, Manhattan restaurant space. You are in the country, the clothespin seems to say, where everything is farm fresh. These folksy touches continue with the chef's "home style" amuse bouche of upscale "pigs in a blanket," in which the bread is filled with a mix of pork and beef instead of the traditional hot dog.

Garlic bread, brought to you piping hot in its own baguette bag, sets the tone of excellent service and appetizing cuisine. Raw and confit big-eyed tuna with avocado and fresh heart of palm ($18 appetizer) was served like a composed, plated salad, beautiful to look at, quite fresh and tasty, and gone in two bites. Slightly more substantial was the basil crusted halibut with heirloom tomato water ($32) served in a very large, deep pot. By contrast, the enormous seven-pepper crusted grass fed NY strip steak ($39) was so large three people could easily make a meal of it.

Wine lists are a personal passion, and BLT Market has some interesting choices from all points of the globe. Always eager to check out a potential new trend, I allowed myself to be talked into the Pinot Noir-based Domaine Marc Morey rouge ($70), though the region, Chassagne-Montrachet, is traditionally known for its Chardonnay wines. After switching to the Domaine Fernand Lechéneaut et Fils ($95) from the more traditional Pinot Noir region of Morey St. Denis, one can see that the Romans had the right idea a few thousand years ago when they firmly declared certain regions best for Chardonnay, and others better for Pinot Noir.

Great cuisine is to be expected in all BLT restaurants, and most top Manhattan restaurants in general, so the freshness of the offerings is as expected. What's most delightful about BLT Market is the lively, open space and upbeat vibe of the place itself. Tourondel, it seems, has figured out who his market is: affluent neighborhood locals and Ritz-Carlton guests who don't mind paying top dollar for healthy, seasonal cuisine and excellent service in an easy-going, informal environment. It's a fun place with great food and excellent service that motivates one to return again and again.

BLT Market
1430 6th Avenue (at Central Park South)
New York, NY 10019
(212) 521-6125

Sending wine back ...

... I'm sure both men and women are often intimidated to send wine back, even when they know there is a problem with that particular wine. Below is an excerpt from Susan Albarran, who works at Moore Bros wine, about her experience ordering wine by the glass with a friend.

"A bit of the wine is poured for me to taste. The waiter is waiting…My friend is waiting…I take a sip…I immediately dislike it, but I’m not sure why. I’m not sure if it’s good wine gone bad, if it’s good wine not to my liking, or if it’s just bad wine. I’m thinking most likely it’s just not to my liking; until the wine at Moore Brothers, I’ve rarely found wine to be tasty. Reluctantly, and without much enthusiasm, I say it’s ok.

After the waiter leaves I’m feeling more comfortable and better able to focus on tasting. I take another sip. Initially, there’s a very brief pleasantness. But it’s followed by a strange funk at the finish with an overall insipidness. I’m thinking it’s cooked and/or oxidized (see notes below on common ways a wine can go bad).

At this point, I recall it was the end of a bottle we were served, so there’s a good chance the wine has been sitting out for a while. But what should I do? Do I send it back? Do I ask the waiter to taste it for me? I ask my friend what she thinks - it tastes a little funny to her too but she isn’t certain. I’ve never sent a wine back before. I really don’t want to be a difficult customer. Who do I think I am anyway? I take another sip."

Now the same thing happened to me...

I was at a chic Beverly Hills department store lunch/bar in the trendy Men's shop, with trendy male models working the bar very busy chatting with their admiring male customers. Ordering a glass of Merlot while waiting for a friend to have suits altered, I, too, noticed the bottle was less than half full and no one around me in the small area was drinking Merlot.

As soon as I tasted it, I realized it was also oxydized -- but said something immediately to the waiter and asked that he open another bottle. I'm sure, given the scene, you can imagine all the eye rolling that went on between the male models and their admirers about the 'difficult' female customer. But when a wine that cost $9 by the bottle is $18 by the glass, one would be silly not to say something. That second bottle was much better.

Have you had an experience sending wine back? Are you a server who's dealt with this issue? Let us know using the comment feature.

Tasting Greek Wine

So the assignment for Wine Blogging Wednesday is to theme is to “go native” and try an indigenous grape variety!  This WBW's theme is chosen by Dr. Vino. WBW was created by Lenn Thompson.

As it is summer and everyone in Manhattan is in the Haptons or a yacht in Greece, I chose a Greek wine.

PARANGA
Name: KIR-YIANNI PARANGA 2003
Type/Category: Red Dry, Vin de Pays de Macedoine
Variety: Xinomavro, Merlot, Syrah

The wine is light in intensity though it has a medium+ body, with an aroma of spice, wood, and framboise and flavors of red cherries, raspberries, rhubbarb, and cherry cola.

Available under $15 in most stores, it is a great summer wine to pair with lighter dishes such as salads, steamed vegetables, sushi, and cheese.

First Big Crush, by Eric Arnold Reviewed by Marisa D'Vari

First Big Crush: The Down and Dirty on Making Great Wine Down Under by Eric Arnold

Reviewed  by Marisa D'Vari

So you've seen the film Sideways and know how geeky wine aficionados can get about their favorite grape. Hey, you've been there too after a few glasses of Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. Once upon a time you felt pretty slick about your wine savvy, but now you're curious to learn more. How is wine made, anyway? What happens during the harvest? Are grapes stomped, Lucille Ball style, by humans standing in a large wooden cask, or is it a mechanical process?

Duly motivated, you zip off to the store and find dozens of books detailing how wine is made. Yet after skimming the dry, dense, detailed paragraphs that remind you of your high school chemistry textbook, your eyes glaze over.

Enter Eric Arnold, whose new book, First Big Crush, is a colorful, laugh-out-loud funny account of his tenure during a New Zealand grape harvest, filled with wacky real-life characters. Of course, I should have figured as much. The first time I saw Arnold, on a WineSpectator.com video clip, he was cleaning the interior of a wine tank, gangly jean-covered legs waving in the air. This guy, I thought, is up for anything.

What first brings Arnold, then an unemployed editor, to Alan Scott Wines in New Zealand is the prospect of getting paid to lazily drink wine in the sun. Very quickly, Arnold discovers winemaking is real work, and dangerous at that. One day, he shows up for his assigned task without boots, expecting to simply push a button. To his surprise, he's expected to kick a half-ton container of grapes, and nearly loses a toe. Instead of sympathizing, Arnold's New Zealand colleagues taunt him, asking why he's walking like a girl.

Arnold's first-person voice is candid and bold, his literary style so lively you won't feel you're reading text as much as you are experiencing the harvest at Arnold's side. In one scene, he is told to walk through the rows of grape vines with a bucket and randomly grab fistfuls of grapes. What activity could possibly be more repetitive and boring? Arnold must have thought long and hard about how to make the process of grabbing grapes colorful and descriptive for the reader, for here is how he chronicles it: "Essentially, you're simulating the world of a machine harvester, which doesn't discriminate, ripping everything off like it just got out of prison and the vine is the dress on a twenty-dollar whore."

In the course of these hilarious 245 pages, you also learn a great deal about Arnold and his twenty-something, slightly slacker-esque, and very male way of viewing the world. For instance, when discussing his relationship with a French girlfriend, he writes, "I'm afraid this isn't the part where I tell you that she took me back to France and taught me everything there is to know about Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne. She had so little interest in food and wine - plus she didn't smoke and she shaved her armpits - that they must have kicked her out of France for not being French enough."

First Big Crush is a highly entertaining but solid primer about the wine making process, told from the vantage point of a likable and very direct narrator. If you've ever wondered how wines are judged in competition, or what factors influence the pricing of wine, you'll see the process through Arnold's eyes. And if you ever fantasized about what it is like to work the harvest but didn't want to get wet and dirty, you can get the vicarious experience right here.

San Francisco Wine Bars

... so if you are in SF you should read this article featuring my wine amigo Alder Yarrow of the blog vineography. In this NYT story he accompanies a jouranlist to several SF wine bars.

Here's an excerpt ...

"Our server offered us a number of tastes before I settled on a glass of red, a 2004 Le Clos du Caillou ($12), and Mr. Yarrow explained his system. “A wine bar has to serve wine by the bottle,” he began, “and by the glass and the taste. It can't be a regular bar that also has wine. It can be a restaurant, but there has to be a separate seating area for wine drinking only. And it has to have more than a few wines — at least five — in a changing list. And it can't be a retailer with a small tasting area in the corner.”

It is a testament to the vibrant scene in San Francisco that even as he was ruthlessly crossing out those that did not meet his criteria, Mr. Yarrow effortlessly added eight wine bars to the list in my 2007 Zagat.

I was glad to have Mr. Yarrow on hand, but my own predilections are more pedestrian: I like drinking good wine in a convivial atmosphere. I love it, actually, yet I would be hard pressed to pontificate at length about terroir, vintage or varietal."

Bloggers the new media

Tom Wark had a great post in his Fermentation blog today about wine bloggers treated as "regular" media. I've noticed this for over two years, when I attended my first Online News Media convention and saw all the newspapers scrambling to go online and begin blogs of their own.

Thanks for bringing up the subject, Tom.