Back to Bakas

.

.

Thursday September 2^nd is #Cabernet day on social media sites around the globe.  A popular question I keep getting is “how do I be a part of it?”  Here’s a few quick tidbits to give you the how and why of #Cabernet day:

.

1. Use the #Cabernet Hash Tag in Your Posts:

Post tweets, videos, Facebook posts, blog posts and check-ins including the “#Cabernet” hash tag on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Foursquare, Gowalla and others.  This is one half of the conversation.  You want to send out messages about Cabernet.  For wineries, this can be content about your vineyard, winemaker, terroir, recipes, etc..  For wine drinkers, this can be what you’re tasting or who you’re tasting it with.

2. Search the #Cabernet Hash Tag:

If sending posts with “#Cabernet” is the first half of the online conversation, tracking the hash tag is the other half.  It’s all about talking and listening, but using social tools to do it.  On Twitter you can use Tweetdeck, Twitter Search, Google, Twitterfall, Radian6, JIVE, etc to see what people are saying.

3. Engage!

Like Brian Solis says, Engage!  You have hundreds, maybe thousands of people talking about Cabernet.  Find people you want to connect with and engage with them.  “Like” Facebook posts, RT tweets, share or reply to other people’s postings.

You have a captive audience all tuned in to the same thing.  It’s an opportunity to form new connections online.

Why would you want to do this?  A large, captive audience will be talking about the same thing at the same time.  Technology allows us to find and connect with people we want to keep connected with going forward.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Get out and drink Cabernet on September 2 (hvwinegoddess.blogspot.com)
• Hey, hey #Cabernet (pbpulse.com)
• September 2, 2010 #Cabernet: 0 Tasted of 4 (grapes2u.blogspot.com)
• Who, What, Where, When Why of #Cabernet Day (stsupery.com/blog)
• 7 Ways Wineries Can Rock #Cabernet Day (stsupery.com/blog)

The Loire Valley is a beautiful, scenic area of France known for appellations like Touraine and Anjou.  Grapes like Cabernet Franc, Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc do well in this area because of the maritime climate and chalky limestone soils.  The Loire river meanders 629 miles through the valley to the Atlantic ocean with tributaries giving life to wine growing regions along the way.   Winemaking history in the Loire goes back to the 1st century with viticultural records dating back to the 6th century.

Domaine Sylvain Bailly is a family run business based in village called Bué.  Marie Héléne and Jacques, along with daughter Sonia have been tending to the winery for over twenty years.  Over 70% of the vineyards are covered with grass to keep the limestone and Kimmeridgian marl soils from eroding.  Protection of the environment at the winery is a continual focus.  Here’s my notes from this wine:

APPEARANCE

Color: Clear
Brightness: Day Bright
Red Color: Straw with a tint of green
Rim Variation: N/A
Viscosity: Medium

.

NOSE

Condition: Clean
Intensity: Medium Plus
Aroma: Youthful
Fruit: Tree fruit- pear
Earth: Chalk
Other: white flowers, spices

.

PALATE

Sweetness: Dry
Body: Medium
Fruit: green apple, grapefruit, lemongrass
Earth: Chalkiness
Alcohol: Medium
Acidity: Medium Plus
Complexity: Medium
Finish: Medium length

One of the giveaways for Sauvignon Blanc is the grapefruit note.  It’s part of the Sauvignon Blanc’s personality, no matter what region it’s grown in.  It’s usually apparent on the nose, but with this wine you might not detect it straight away.  I didn’t pick up any grapefruit, but there was some nice tree fruit in the form of Bartlett Pears on the nose.  Sauvignon Blancs from the Sancerre region of France are grown in Limestone soils, which give the wine a chalky/earthy note.  On the palate, the grapefruit came through with a slightly higher acidic and chalky texture.  I found this wine to be a good weekday wine, and a good example of Sancerre at $19.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Domaine Sylvain Bailly 2008 “Sancerre” (amantdevin.blogspot.com)
• Sancerre Blind Tasting – Episode #905 (tv.winelibrary.com)
• Two Rosé Wines From Sancerre (winevoice.blogspot.com)
• Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc: 2009 vs 2008 (winevoice.blogspot.com)
• Note Worthy: Jean-Marie Reverdy Sancerre (winevoice.blogspot.com)

.

.

Wine and food pairings can happen every day, but whether or not they’re a good pairing is a different story.  Part of my shtick is taking the snootiness out of enjoying wine.  What better setting to test that than in the IZOD Indy Car press box at Infineon Raceway, located in Sonoma.  I’m always on the look out for good, flavorful food no matter what price range or style.  Your taste buds don’t care.  Your taste buds care about sweet, sour, bitter, salt and umami.

Here’s what I found today:

Meatloaf used to creep me out as a kid.  But as I got older I realized you can make meatloaf with quality ingredients and flavorings.  My Gramma used make something similar called Grandma Jay’s Hamburger Steak in Mushroom Gravy.  Today’s wine+food pairing goes to show you can find good, balanced combinations just about anywhere.

wine+food pairing without the snootiness

Not only was the meatloaf surprisingly good, but check out the desserts!

melt in your mouth caramel brownies

Related articles by Zemanta

• Asian Food and Wine Pairs (blogs.forbes.com)
• Wine Reviews vs. Wine With Food Reviews (winepeeps.com)
• IZOD IndyCar Series Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma Preview and Writer’s Pool (bleacherreport.com)

.
.
.
.

Two of the important things to look for in a wine are the fruit and the acidity.  There are a few easy ways to detect these markers in a wine.  You may have heard a wine described as “New World” or “Old World”.  When you hear that, it’s another way to say the wine is fruit-driven or acid-driven.

Basically, hot temperatures raise sugar content, and cold temperatures raise acidity.

But what do those things taste like?  Sugar content is perceived in New World wines via fruit-driven structure, and can describe wines from regions like the U.S., Argentina, Australia and New Zealand.  Acidity drives the structure in wines grown in colder climates like France, Germany and other European regions.  Many of those soils tend to be Limestone or gravel, rather than a volcanic soil like you might find in the U.S..  The way you sense acid is on the roof of your mouth towards the back.  If you swallow the wine and you get a lingering sensation in that area, you are picking up acidity.  Fruit driven wines tend to be sweeter and jammier, showing up on the front of the tongue (or palate).

In Napa Valley, there’s a nice mix of temperatures that give the wines heat during the day, and cold temperatures at night.  The fruit and acidity live in concert with each other, but overall the wines are fruit driven.  This year, however, Napa is experiencing one of the coldest summers on record.  Know how you know that?  Well, besides the weatherman telling us so, Napa is usually starting harvest at this time of year.  But this year, grapes are still hanging on the vine because the fruit isn’t ripe enough yet.  Harvest may not start for another three weeks  almost a month behind schedule!  That could be perceived as a bad thing, but it’s not if you have the right wine maker.  What Napa may end up with is a rarity they don’t have very often, which is higher than normal acid levels in the wines along with the higher sugar levels.  A winemaker who knows what they’re doing may find their fruit has the best of both worlds.

Usually, Napa Valley gets a morning fog influence from the San Pablo bay that cools the grapes at night.  That blanket of fog is consistent almost every day in the summer months as the center of California heats up.  By mid day the fog burns off providing the right amount of heat and sunshine to increase sugar levels.  This is different than say, Walla Walla, Washtington where longer days at a higher latitude provide more sunshine for ripening, and cool temperatures at night.  At that latitude you’re getting closer to Alaska, where summer days seem to last until midnight.  The sun is lower on the horizon, which means the heat isn’t as intense.

So when you get to try any 2010 vintage wines from Napa, look for the acidity on the roof of your mouth toward the back.  The verdict on vintage 2010 will be out until the reds get released into the marketing some time in 2013.  Cheers!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Veraison – Napa Valley and it’s cold 2010 vintage (blogwinecellar.com)
• 2007 Textbook Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley (wellsonwine.blogspot.com)
• Mortons and Mondavis Collaborate On Nationwide Wine Event (luxist.com)

.
.

photo courtesy of Donald Russell

INGREDIENTS

5 LB shoulder of pork
1 small onion, peeled
1 TBSP flour
10 OZ dry cider
10 OZ vegetable stock
3 large potatoes
1 Butternut squash
Butter
Parmesan cheese
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 475ºF.  Score the skin of the pork.  Place pork in a roasting pan skin-side up.  Cut the onion into wedges and place slightly underneath the pork.  Season pork with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven for 25 minutes.  Reduce oven to 375ºF and cook for 2 hours.  Remove from oven and let stand for 30 minutes.  Remove pork from roasting pan, place roasting pan over burners on low and sprinkle flour in mixing with a wooden spoon.  Turn heat up to medium and gradually add cider and stock.  Mix together until you have a smooth gravy.  Salt and pepper to taste.
FOR THE BAKE:
Pell and thinly slice potatoes, peel and seed butternut squash.  Put a layer of potatoes in a buttered ovenproof dish then layer with butternut.  Layer 2 more times.  Place 2 or 3 knobs of butter on top, pour in 275ml of stock.  Cover generously with parm cheese.  Bake at 170ºF for 1 hour.

What wine to pair?

Do yourself a favor and get a really good pork shoulder for this recipe.  You can see the recipe list and preparation isn’t too complicated, so it does well with a nice cut of pork.  Read through the ingredients and preparation and imagine where you’re going to taste the sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami flavors.

Pork is cooked with vegetable stock can get pretty salty, but you’ll offset that with the sweet cider.  I find this recipe can be adjusted so there’s a good balance of flavors, and sometimes I’ll add a TBSP of rosemary just for a little more.

Some of the grapes that tend to compliment this dish well are domestic Pinot Noirs or some lighter Syrahs.  Cabs and Merlots from new world regions aren’t ideal, but 1995 Chateau Musar Cuvee Rouge went well.  That’s a Cabernet blend made with some Cinsault.  It didn’t overpower the flavors of the pork.  One of these days we’ll try pairing it with the Chateau Musar Blanc, which, according to Serge Hochar is his “red wine”.  The whites are sublime and might stand up nicely to this dish.

Tonight’s pairing will feature 2005 Maison Bouachon La Tiare du Pape from Southern Rhone.  The blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from Chateauneuf du Pape vineyards are influenced by Mistral winds, and are grown in in clay and limestone soils, covered with quartz round stones.  I don’t believe there’s a “perfect” wine and food pairing, but I have fun experimenting and trying new combinations with the hope that one day I’ll experience that one life-altering experience that is “the perfect pairing”.  Please leave suggested pairings of what you think would be good with this dish in the comments below.  Cheers!

Related articles by Zemanta

• 7 Fall Fare Favorites (lifescript.com)
• 7 Irresistible Roasted Recipes (lifescript.com)
• 7 Succulent Squash Dishes (lifescript.com)

5 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1 OZ semisweet chocolate, grated
1 OZ white chocolate, grated
1/2 cup sugar or Splenda
1/2 TSP salt
1-1/2 TBSP corn starch
1/8 cup warm milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 TSP vanilla
1/2 TBSP Raspberry Liqueur

In a small bowl, mix together milk, sugar, salt, cocoa, cornstarch until it makes a paste.
In a small saucepan, heat cream until just before scalding, then add dark and white chocolate shavings.  Stir in the cocoa paste.  Mix well and bring to a boil.  Add liqueur and vanilla, stirring constantly.  When pudding thickens, remove from heat and let stand.
Pour into serving bowls, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  Serve with some whip cream a fresh raspberries on the side.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Gardeners’ top fruit recipes (telegraph.co.uk)
• Creamy, dreamy butterscotch recipes (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• How to Make Summer White Chocolate Cake, Strawberries and Raspberries (notecook.com)
• Homemade Chocolate Pudding (notecook.com)
• Recipe: Chocolate-Raspberry Tart (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

.

.

INGREDIENTS

10 cups seedless watermelon chunks
2 LBS fresh fruit, cubed (apricots, peaches, grapes, cherries, melon)
3/4 cup golden raisins
4 OZ sweet white dessert wine such as muscat
3 TBSP Greek thyme honey
Mint leaves (for garnish)

Remove rinds and any small seeds from watermelon and cut into chunks.  In food processor, puree watermelon with honey and wine.
Transfer to large serving bowl, stir in fruit.  Cover and refrigerate for 2-4 hours before serving.
Add mint leaves as a garnish on top.

What wine would you pair with this?  Please leave your suggestions in the comments below.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Sparkling Watermelon Juice (rawlivingfoods.typepad.com)
• Creative watermelon dishes (mysanantonio.com)
• There’s more than one way to skin (and serve) a watermelon (salon.com)

.

.

Ever walk into a trendy restaurant where all the furniture looks futuristic and the decor is hipster, and notice how beautiful everyone is? You just feel like you’re hanging with the “it” crowd and that’s the place to be. Maybe it’s on the 26th floor of a new skyscraper in Manhattan or in downtown San Francisco where the founder of Twitter like to been seen.

Thistle is the complete opposite of that. The glassware and silverware look like they were purchased from a garage sale and the weathered wood floor creaks. Located in the heart of Oregon wine country, Thistle is the perfect anti-trendy place to eat.
When James Beard award-winning chef Eric Bechard and his equally qualified front-of-the-house wife/wine buyer Emily Howard opened Thistle, it was all about the good stuff.

I sat at the counter, which felt like sitting in my Grandma’s pantry. There were jars lining the wall and a tiny kitchen tucked in the corner.  There were all the things I remember about my Grandma’s kitchen, except my Grandma didn’t have a stellar wine list.

I loved Thistle.  Sitting at the bar was cool because I was able to chat with Chef Eric throughout the entire meal.  It was also cool because it was located in the heart of downtown McMinville, OR.  So many cool places are just steps away, including McMenamins Hotel Oregon.  Thistle was unpretentious and all about relaxing with a good meal.  How often do you get to chat with the chef during and after dinner?

sorry the light is low on this

If the food wasn’t impressive enough, the wine list was equally as impressive.  I liked that Thistle didn’t have Oregon wines only on the list.  Emily put together one of the most impressive wine lists I’ve seen in a long time.  There were esoteric wines from all over the world, and they were all high quality as well as well priced.  I took her suggestion and did a glass of wine with each course.  Here’s what I had:

First pairing: 2008 Auxerrois from Adelsheim, Ribbon Ridge with Chioggia Beets, Arugula, Chevre & orange

Second pairing: 2003 Alicante Bouschet from Esporao, Portugal with Flat Iron Steak w/ spicy Chimichurri, Potato and Brocoli

It was hard to pick from the menu because everything looked SO good.  Even the bread was good—fresh baked down the street.  You gotta love a restaurant that has the menu up on a blackboard that changes every day.  Each time you go into Thistle, you can expect a unique experience.

The whole time as I’m licking my chops, Chef Eric kept coming over and chatting with me about this, that or the other thing.  He talked about working in Seattle and how it is working with his wife in a new business.  Chef was rocking a faux hawk that day.  You kinda get the sense there’s no rules for employees at Thistle, other than good authentic food.

The beet salad stood up well to the Auxerrois without overpowering it.  Auxerrois is not much unlike Pinot Gris, so it has some similar notes, especially (in this case) wet rocks, mineral notes and asian pear.  I thought the acidity or tartness might be too much for the salad, but the beets and orange danced together nicely.

But what really blew my hair back was the beef with Chimichurri sauce.  I’ve made flank steak with Chimichurri a few times, and it was good.  But this one was completely different.  There was a tangy spiciness that lit up my taste buds like a pinball machine.  The steak was cooked perfectly, only to be perfected even more with the Portuguese red.  Seven years of age was perfect for the Alicante Bouschet grape. There was enough sweetness to offset the spicy flavors on the beef.

this might look like a turd but it was amazing

Thistle has been featured in national and regional publications with good reason.  Check out the Yelp reviews to see for yourself what patrons think of Thistle.  If you ever find yourself in Oregon wine country and want a wine and food experience that’s unpretentious and against the grain, Thistle is the place.  Cheers!

Related articles by Zemanta

• Portland Journal: The Pride and Prejudice of ‘Local’ (nytimes.com)
• Wine Bars Round Two? (winecouch.com)
• The Essentials of Food, Wine Pairing as Taught by Chef Saad (winebiznews.blogspot.com)