by Rosie Carbo
Dozens of print journalists, wine distributors and wine representatives converged on Dallas’ Old Red Museum recently to attend the 18th Annual Great Match, an annual wine tasting sponsored by Wines From Spain. Held in downtown Dallas, near the John F. Kennedy assassination site, the Spanish wine tasting event was hosted by renowned author, columnist and Master Sommelier, Doug Frost, MS, MW. This year’s theme was “Spain’s Vivacious Varietals,” and Wines From Spain and Vibrant Rioja organizers said it had been two years since the last Great Match, which brings together importers, wineries and the media, was held in Dallas. In explaining to attendees about the Valdeorras wine region in Galicia, an area known as “Green Spain,” Frost talked about the unpar...
by Stefanie Phillips
Maintaining a constant, cool temperature is the best way to preserve your wine collection. After all, wine is an investment and certain conditions are needed to keep it that way.Temperatures over 70 degrees Fahrenheit should be avoided, as that will age wine too rapidly. If heat is trapped in your wine storage area or wine cellar, it can have an effect on the taste of the wine. Also stay away from drastic changes in temperature. The rapid change from heat to air conditioning will force a wine cork outwards, allowing air to enter the bottle (air permits wine to oxidize). A little air, at the proper time, is good—as when letting a wine breathe before consuming it. Long-term exposure destroys the fruit flavors in a wine and gives it a brownish color. If you have a single rack or wine tower ...
by Rosie Carbo
I finally attended a cooking class at Central Market, which bills itself as a “gastronomical experience,” not a grocery store. And this year, through its Salute to Spain, it is living up to its moniker.The Texas-based chain, with stores in Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio, is offering an array of Spanish wines, foods and Spanish cooking classes. All classes are led by Spanish chefs and winemakers in store classrooms statewide.I had been on the cooking class mailing list for several years. But procrastination always got the best of me. I had passed up Italian cooking classes, French cooking classes and even Mexican cooking classes. Then I heard about Central Market’s efforts to acquaint Texans with Spain’s food and wine.Being a huge fan of all things Spanish, I couldn’t ...
by David Gaier
On May 11 at the Ramscale penthouse in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, Arrows Restaurant Chefs Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier rolled out their new cookbook "Maine Classics."The Chefs, who took home the James Beard Award for Best Chefs of the Northeast last year, were in town to introduce New York’s food writers to the book and more importantly, to the food, which we tasted while looking out over the skyline with great views of the south tip of Manhattan, Hoboken, and Jersey City, with Lady Liberty and Staten Island off in the distance. I believe we were, in fact, looking out over the Hudson at the spot where “Sully” Sullenberger brought US Airways flight 1549 to a stop, saving his own and 154 other lives.Anyway, it was a perfect evening. Paired in my case with Four Vines Naked Char...
by David Gaier
On April 25 I was privileged to enjoy an evening with Christian Moueix (“Moo-ecks”) of Petrus and Dominus fame, as a guest of Sherry-Lehman CEO Chris Adams. Monsieur Moueix hosted a tasting of his Dominus and Napanook wines, with paired cuisine from Manhattan’s Hotel Plaza Athenee.I’ve been drinking his wines all my adult life and so I felt like I’d known Christian ever since I’d read Napa: The Story of an American Eden. In that book, one of my five favorite wine books, we hear about how Christian, who’d studied winemaking and viticulture at UC Davis, was first approached by Robert Mondavi who was in Bordeaux for the 1981 harvest, and had met with Christian and suggested that he consider expanding the Moueix family horizons beyond France. Those horizons alone were considerab...
by Emily Barclay
Everyone knows that cheese and wine are a match made in heaven. But if your knowledge of cheeses is limited to cheddars and your wine knowledge limited to Pinot Grigios, where do you begin?First off, there are two main ways to pair wine; by region and by taste. Pairing by region is often used because it is thought that what grows together, goes together! The “science” bit behind it is that the soil that grows the grapes to make the wine will be specific to the location it is in. This is then the same soil that grows the grass that the dairy cows from the region feed on. When pairing wines by taste, there are some guidelines to consider but feel free to disagree, after all, taste will always be personal to the individual. Generally, the stronger the cheese you choose – stilton, brie e...
by Rosie Carbo
By Rosie CarboThe wines of the Rias Baixas in Galicia are steeped in ancient tradition. Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean on one side and lush green landscapes on the other, Spain’s demure white wine region rocks. But unlike the Rioja, its famous neighbor to the west, the Rias Baixas is not as high profile. Yet a journey through this region’s wineries, some anchored by elegant manor houses, inspires the promise of a return visit. Val do Salnes, north of Pontevedra, is just one of three wine producing regions that make up the Denominacion de Origen Rias Baixas. These regal wineries dot the bucolic landscape. Vines look like canopies suspended above ground through wire trellises. The intent, we’re told, is to protect the vines from cold and humidity.On a recent group tour, our win...
by Chef David Darugh
Jan 15: Judgment at SauteeJudgment at SauteeSimilar to the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, also known as the Judgment of Paris, a panel of wine judges were invited to Yonah Mountain Vineyards located in Sautee, Georgia on January 15, 2011. This was to be a wine competition between top-quality viognier, chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon wines from Georgia and from California.A blind tasting was performed so that none of the judges would know the identity of what was being tasted. The judges were asked to grade each wine using the University of California at Davis 20 point tasting guide. Rankings of the wines preferred by individual judges were done based on the grades they individually attributed. An overall ranking of the wines preferred by the panel was also established by totaling and avera...
by Chef David Darugh
The Tradition of Champagne and Weddings There are lots of traditions associated with weddings, but toasting of the bride and the groom with Champagne is one of the most historic traditions that we honor. Champagne is truly the wine of celebration. It has launched thousands of ships, toasted billions of weddings, brightened countless parties, and graced untold special moments between two people.And just in case you are wondering where the phrase "toast" comes from, it comes from an ancient practice in the 6th Century. The Romans and Greeks would literally float a piece of burnt toast on top of the wine. The reason for this was that the toast took away some of the wine’s acridity. In early history wine was made and stored in animal skins, as well as many other things, so it was not nearly ...
by Chef David Darugh
The Chef’s Culinary Garden The Northeast Georgia Mountains are home to some of Georgia’s leading fresh food producers. Vegetables, fruit, flowers, cheese, wine, nuts, grain, poultry, eggs, fish, pork and cattle are all seasonally available throughout the area. An abundance of fresh water, combined with soil rich in nutrients and a temperate climate offer a recipe for great fresh seasonal foods. Rabun County is particularly known for its cabbage crop. Maybe it’s the soil, but the cabbage grown here just tastes better. As spring moves towards summer we can hardly wait for our first ears of Osage Silver Queen Corn. With all this local abundance we fret each spring as to what things we should plant in our culinary garden next to the Inn. We’ve been to restaurants where just moments ...
