Natalie Maclean visits the blog

I was looking over the Blog today and kicking myself for being slow with the updates recently. We are going through home renovations and things have been a tad hectic so I haven‘t been too quick with the updates. There has also been a weekend or two where Mick and Amy were away so we had a dry weekend (yes, it does happen occasionally that we don’t have wine on weekend). So my apologies to my three or four readers out there…

Which brings to my next point – I noticed I had a couple of comments on one of the more recent Blog articles. I figured it was Mick putting in his two cents but I was only half right, one was Mick but the other was from Natalie Maclean -

Love your focus on food-and-wine pairing! I'd be interested in your thoughts on my interactive wine matcher on my site if you have a minute.

Cheers,

Natalie

www.nataliemaclean.com

Holy shit… someone is actually reading this blog! That means I’m now up to 5 readers. My curiosity was peaked so off to Natalie’s website to I went to try her interactive wine matcher.

Yikes, first thing I noticed on Natalie’s website is that she is a published wine author. The second thing I noticed was a nicely laid out professional website. I played around with the food and wine matcher on her site and liked it. It was easy to use and would be a great starting point for any pairing.

The wine matching was cool as you pick a food (ex. Beef), then you get more precise (ex. Steak, Grilled) and it comes back with a number of wines that will pair with the food. This is a nice little resource for whenever you are unsure of what to pair with something. I like that you can go the other way too and pick a wine and get a number dishes that will pair with it. I’ve added a link to Natalie’s website in the Internet links section, so take a minute to check out her fine site.

I was talking to Mick last night about Natalie visiting the blog and he laughed and said he knew exactly who she was as he read her book earlier in the year. He really enjoyed the book and said Natalie had different but very enjoyable writing style. He has promised to loan me the book so I will give it a read in the near future.

If there is anyone else perusing this pages of this blog, drop a comment or two, would love to hear from you.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Mick skewers dinner…

This Saturday was Mick’s turn to cook and he started with an old favourite that we haven’t had in awhile – Spicy Shrimp. The shrimp are marinated in vegetable oil, lemon zest, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice. They are then skewered and grilled on the BBQ. They are served with a mint dipping sauce which is made from fresh mint, lemon juice and vegetable oil.

"Good, but the Mondavi version still rules."

The ideal pairing for this is a Fume Blanc. Usually the Fume Blanc is from Robert Mondavi but tonight Mick broke out a bottle of 2004 “La Petite Etoile Vineyard” Chateau St. John Fume Blanc. The Robert Mondavi Fume Blanc has good acidity but it has been soften by a touch of oak. It is a great pairing with this dish as it contrasts nicely against the spice and helps cool the “burn” at the same time. The Chateau St. John was more oaky and had less acidity and it didn’t work as nicely as the Mondavi version usually does. It was missing the crispness that sets off the Mondavi. It still was an OK pairing but Mr. Mondavi still wears the crown in this pairing.

LCBO Information –

Château St. Jean Fumé Blanc
Vintages 537639
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 20.95
Wine, White Wine,
13.6% Alcohol/Vol.
Sugar Content : XD
Made in: California, United States
By: Foster's Wine Estates Americas
Release Date: N/A

Note – the one in the Blog is a single vineyard version that Mick picked up in the US and the LCBO doesn’t carry. I’ve tried the one above and the single vineyard and didn’t notice much of a difference.

"Something new."

For the main course Mick did skewers of BBQ Lamb and served it with Tzatziki and a side Greek salad. He served it with a bottle of 2005 Teusner the Riebke Ebenezer Road Shiraz.

LCBO Information –

Teusner the Riebke Ebenezer Road Shiraz 2005

Vintages 48470
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 25.75
Wine, Red Wine,
14.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: South Australia, Australia
By: Teusner Wines
Release Date: Jan 5, 2008

Description - Kym Teusner is the talented winemaker for Rolf Binder Wines but he also finds time for his own venture which has been receiving rave reviews. This Shiraz is sourced from the famous Ebenezer district of the Barossa Valley.

Tasting Note - The 2005 Shiraz Riebke is a brilliant effort from young, 10-year old vines. It exhibits an opaque ruby/purple color as well as a sweet nose of creme de cassis, melted tar, graphite, and spice. Aged in old American oak for 12 months, it is a pure, nicely textured, full-bodied Shiraz with sweet tannin and enough acidity to provide freshness and uplift. It should drink well for a decade. Score - 91. (Robert Parker Jr., www.erobertparker.com, Oct. 2006)

I’ll be honest with you – I’m not a huge fan of Australia Shiraz, I find the peppery element too much for a lot of dishes and the usually high alcohol burns the back of my throat. I find most times a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot or even a Zinfandel is a better match to food than the Shiraz. I also think that a French Syrah or a California Shiraz/Syrah are much better wines than the Australian versions. I have found a few Australian Shiraz that I’ve enjoyed, with ones done by Yalumba coming quickly to mind.

The pepper element of this one was tame compared to some Australian Shiraz I have had. It was also not killing the back of my throat either which was a plus. I was an OK to Fair match with the Lamb and Salad but I would be curious to see if a Pinot Noir or even a thin, precise Merlot would have gone with the food instead… I suspect they would be a better match.

The upside to the main course was the Lamb itself; Mick did a terrific job grilling it and the lamb had a wonderful flavor to it. The Feta that he’d picked up for the salad was also extremely good.

For dessert Mick picked up a Chocolate Brownie Cheese Cake. I wasn’t brave enough to try the wine with it as I was pretty sure this would be a poor match at best.

Cheers!

Mark

Saturday Night – Journey back to 1998

I’ve noticed that if I find a good wine at Wine Club, I will usually serve that same wine with dinner the next time it is my turn to cook with Mick and Amy. This was the case for this Saturday night’s dinner.

"A decade later two wines are ready to compete!"

The trouble with Wine Club is, as we are splitting a bottle 11 ways and usually with cheese or light snack, you get a glimpse of wine but you miss out on the that ‘whole glass/getting to know the wine’ experience. The upside to Wine Club is it’s a nice way to try a new wine cheaply. I probably wouldn’t have bought a $62 bottle of Amarone if it wasn’t for Wine Club.

The Amarone is a 1998 and I also had a 1998 Pomerol sitting on the shelf that I’d purchased recently. I thought it would be fun to do a menu that included both of the 1998 wines and see how they do.

"Maybe a touch too much garlic..."

I covered the Amarone in the last blog article – http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/05/wine-club-10th-meeting.html

So here is the LCBO information for the Pomerol –

CHÂTEAU LE CAILLOU 1998
VINTAGES 45682
750 mL bottle
Price: $ 48.75
Wine, Red Wine,
12.5% Alcohol/Vol.
Made in: Bordeaux,
France By: Sarl Andre Giraud
Release Date: Feb 2, 2008

Description - Château Le Caillou is a tiny 7 hectare property that is principally located atop the gravelly Pomerol plateau. Producing a mere 3,000 cases a year, Château Le Caillou is known for creating richly textured wines featuring well-integrated tannins. The aromas and flavours are of ripe plum, fruitcake, and black cherries complemented by notes of cedar and spice. This is an exceptional value for a Pomerol. Enjoy it tonight with a veal tenderloin.

"I'm getting hungry just looking at this picture!"

For the first course I decided to Bruschetta and an Anti-pasta of Italian cold cuts and cheese. The main course was a Pasta with Lemon Cream and Prosciutto. For dessert, I just picked up individual slices of dessert – 2 x Tiramisu, 1x Chocolate Cake, 1x Raspberry Cake.

"Some pasta with that prosciutto sir?"

To summarize the wine pairing with the foods –

Bruschetta – Amarone - OK, Pomerol – OK
Italian Cold cuts – Amarone – Good/Great, Pomerol - OK
Tomatoes, Bocconcini, and Basil – Amarone – OK, Pomerol – OK
Pasta with Lemon Cream and Prosciutto - Amarone – Good, Pomerol – OK/Good
Tiramisu (didn’t try the other two desserts) – Amarone – Great, Pomerol – Poor

The wines on their own were both very good. The Pomerol was one of those rare wines for me that I enjoyed on its own vs. with food. I find Merlot can be made in two styles – narrow and precise or big and full. The Pomerol was definitely the former. Maybe it was because it was up against the Amarone, but the wine seemed very narrow and small. It had a lovely floral scent to it and on its own was very crisp/precise and refreshing. As this really didn’t seem to be a ‘food’ wine, I probably won’t be picking up another bottle of it. Another point against the Pomerol is the price point – much better ones out there for less money.

Cheers!

Mark.

Wine Club 10th Meeting

For the latest meeting of Wine Club, we took look at a couple of wines from Northern Italy – a Valpolicella and an Amarone. Both wines are grown in the Veneto region of Italy. The Veneto region is in the top north-eastern corner of Italy.

"And in this corner, weighing in at 15% alcohol..."

Both wines also are made from the same grapes – Covina is the predominant grape with some Rondinella and Molinara grapes mixed in to round out the wine. The big difference is how the grapes are treated after harvesting. The grapes used for Amarone are dried out on straw mats; this concentrates the sugars in the grapes. This process is called rasinate (to dry and shrivel) in Italian. Where as Valpolicella the grapes are processed in the more common way. There is a wine in between the two called ripasso Valpolicella which is made by adding the pomace left over from pressing of the Amarone.

Here is the LCBO information on the two wines that were picked –

LCBO Information – Tommasi Valpolicella Classico Superiore Ripasso

Stock Number – 910430
Volume - 750mL
Price: $ $ 19.75 (+ $.20 deposit)
Made in: Veneto, Italy
Sugar Content : 1
By: Tomassi
Release Date: May 10, 2008

Description - This new addition to our Essentials Collection from the acclaimed Veneto producer, Tommasi, features a deep ruby-purple colour and aromas of plum, mushroom, cinnamon, leather and tomato leaf. It has an accessible New World nose and a very elegant, flavourful European-wine palate. Dry, smooth and juicy, it is nicely balanced with a zippy acidity and supportive tannins. An excellent partner for meat and vegetable lasagna or roast pork in a reduction sauce.

LCBO Information – Remo Farina Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico Monte Fante 1998

Stock Number – 63636
Volume – 2x750mL
Price: $ 62.75 (+ $.20 deposit)
Made in: Veneto, Italy
By: F.Lli Farina.
Release Date: Apr 12, 2008

Description - This exceptional single-vineyard Amarone displays all the strengths of Remo Farina's regular bottling, which is frequently in our stores, but taken to an even more elevated level. The fruit is hand selected from the drying mats to ensure supreme quality of the finished wine. The resulting product is rich, ripe, round and deeply delicious. This 10-year-old is just hitting its stride, especially if served with a robust braised beef dish, but it will also reward 2-4 more years in a cellar.

As you can see there is quite a price difference in the two wines. Amarone tends to be a higher priced wine due to the rasinate process; as this process concentrates the sugar by drying out the grapes, you get much less juice left over and therefore it is more expensive to make.

The Remo Farina Amarone was the star of the show. A number of Wine Club members gushed over how good this wine was. The wine was described in a number of ways but chocolate aroma and taste was very common, as well as cherry.

I brought in a collection of cheeses and Italian cold cuts. Both wines worked well with the range of cheese though I wasn’t keen on the taste of the Amarone with the Blue Cheese. The Valpolicella wasn’t big enough to stand up to all the different cheeses and meats and occasionally was getting lost against a couple of the cheeses.

It was fun trying two wines made from the same grapes but processed differently. You could taste the common elements between the two wines but the Amarone was a much bigger, full-bodied wine. Sort of like a light beer vs. a regular beer. Both wines were very enjoyable for their price points, though it is almost unfair to compare a wine against a wine that is more than 3 times its price.

Cheers!

Mark.

Amy guest writes about a night at the 1010 Bistro

Last Saturday evening, Kath and I were on our own for dinner as Mick and Mark were attending a bowling banquet. We got all dressed up, hopped in a cab, and went to pay a visit to our favourite restaurant, the 1010 Bistro.

The food and wine are amazing, the ambience and décor are warm and sophisticated, but what keeps us coming back is the amazing hospitality shown by Lee, Daniela and the rest of the staff. We always have a wonderful time and they bring the whole experience to life.

"Festive!"

For starters, Kath and I both ordered the soup. Lee described it as “two soups in one”: one half was split pea and the other half was a zippy red pepper soup. This was probably the most unusual soup I’ve ever eaten, but it was delicious.

Following the soup, Kath had grilled calamari and I had crab cakes. As usual, both were top-notch. The 1010 has the best crab cakes anywhere – you must try them!

"An amazing seafood wine!"

With our appetizers, we ordered a bottle of 2006 Bouchard Pere & Fils Petit Chablis. This is a wine we’ve had before and Mark has written a lot about it (http://zippysauce.blogspot.com/2008/02/saturday-night-happy-40th-buddy.html), so I won’t spend much time here. It was excellent with the calamari and crab cakes, and went surprisingly well with the soup.

"The ladies both raved about this wine..."

For our main course, we both ordered one of the special offerings for the evening, which was a tenderloin with a blue cheese crust and tomato pesto sauce served with potatoes and asparagus. It was fantastic. The blue cheese melted over the top, taking away some of the sharpness of the cheese. Absolutely heavenly.

With the tenderloin, Kath ordered a bordeaux-style red called Cain Five. It was a great match with the food – very smooth, yet complex. I’ll admit that this part of the evening started to get a little imprecise in my memory so I can’t give you a very accurate description of the wine, except I remember it was very good. (Helpful, I know!)

The Wine Spectator had this to say about it -

Cain Five Napa Valley 2003, Rating - 84, Release price - $110

Creamy oak, dried currant and loamy earth flavors are intense, concentrated and, given the narrow flavor profile, well-proportioned. Ends with dry, herbal tannins. Decant. Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Drink now through 2012. 5,917 cases made. –JL

For dessert, I played it safe and ordered the flourless chocolate cake, while Kath ordered a new menu item – raspberry demme freddo in a dark chocolate cup. I apologize if I butchered the spelling of this dessert, however it was definitely the winner of the evening. It was a semi-frozen raspberry mousse and it was creamy and delicious. I was jealous!

Kath finished off the evening with a glass of 20-year old Taylor Fladgate port, while I tried to sort out how to call 525-BLUE on my new Blackberry which doesn’t have the letters above the numbers! (Note to self: program Blueline’s phone number into address book on phone.)

The boys told us that we didn’t miss much at the bowling banquet where the food was being served out of tin foil trays. Their night wrapped up just after 7pm, while we stumbled home sometime shortly before midnight. Who had the better time? You be the judge.

All in all it was a great evening with a great friend.

- Amy