What I am doing tonight.....

...because you know you want to know!

My friend Kenda wrote me a couple weeks ago to let me know that there was a new wine shop opening it's doors in Cambridge, MA. I called up the shop and spoke to Maureen, one of the owners, and let her know that I was interested in meeting with them and cultivating a relationship since I write this blog. She was very gracious and told me that they were going to be opening their doors, For the first time, in just a couple hours and that I should swing by. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it that day due to prior engagements, but I followed up just yesterday.

When I spoke to Maureen she let me know that they were going to be having a wine tasting tonight. So, I'll be heading over to Central Bottle Wine + Provisions in about 30 minutes or so. If you are in the area, you should come by as well. I am particularly excited about the Domaine Chaume-Arnaud Cotes Du Rhone that they will be sampling. It seems to be a very good wine for less than $15 (which is always appealing to me!) What makes this wine even more appealing is the strong history that comes with it. Take a look at this site.

Thirteen of the loudest people I could find.

I made the reservation for 12 people and for the first 45 minute there were only 10, which made me really nervous. Finally the last three in our party showed up. You see, when I had called to speak to Matt earlier in the day, I told him I was going to have 12 people for dinner to celebrate my birthday and he told me that if I was bringing 12 people to his restaurant, 9 Elm, he was going to have a bottle of wine sitting on the table when I got there.

Sure enough, after we had sat and were looking at the menu, Matt came out from the back with a bottle of Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon. To keep it short, this wine was amazing. It was sweet with hints of berry and just enough Tannin that the sides of my mouth watered just a bit, just enough to really awaken my senses. The wine was not overly dry nor earthy and I would be lying if I said that I did not drink most of the bottle myself (although I TRIED to share...) I knew that Matt was going to be good on his word, but I never expected him to give me a bottle of wine that goes for $125 in most restaurants. Even if you really do not like red wines, you would have enjoyed this one.

The best part of the wine was that it paired perfectly with the Pan Roasted Duck Breast that I got for dinner. Served with Porcini Risotto and green beans, the duck was such an appealing dish that I could not pass it up. Normally I would go for Salmon or Scallops, but I thought i would try something that I can't cook at home and what a great decision that was: Everything was plated nicely, looked elegant and tasted wonderful.

The duck was cooked medium rare but the skin was crunchy and flavorful. It wasn't greasy like I have had in the past and even though it came with a reduction sauce, the sauce was not overbearing and instead of masking the taste of the duck it complimented and brought out some of the flavors. The Risotto was made perfectly which means that the broth was added little by little over time while the Arborio rice absorbs the juices and becomes creamy.

The group at my table was an interesting mix; there were friends and relatives that had traveled from NH as well as some newly found friends from the Boston area. Late in the evening I was able to take a minute and look at all of the people interacting with one another and although it was such a diverse group of people, most of whom had never met each other before, everyone seemed to be having a great time. I even realized that our laughter and conversation was drowning out the soft music that was suppose to be providing a nice embiance for the other patrons, errrr....ooops. I can attribute all of this to the welcoming atmosphere of the restaurant and the very attentive staff that served us throughout the evening.

Overall, it was a great experience and I would recommend that everyone try to make it to 9 Elm in Danvers, MA at one point or another.

Thank you to Matt and everyone else who made my Birthday special.

*I was not asked to promote 9 Elm.

If it is good enough to drink...

I first need to apologize for my lack of activity with my Blog. It has been nearly a month and I have not had any new entries for people to read and comment on. I have been so busy with work and other activities that I have not had an opportunity to really sit down and give you my amateur opinions and rants. Fear not though, the last couple of weeks have been good for me and I have many great ideas to work with, so stay tuned.

With that said, lets cook. Seriously. Barry asked me a while back what I thought would be a good wine to use while cooking Bracioles and I grappled with this for a couple of days before I got side tracked, so I figured it would be a good place to pick back up. Now, for those of you who may not know Bracioles are an Italian classic dish where beef or sirloin cuts are wrapped around stuffing and cooked by browning and turning and eventually simmering in a red sauce. The actual process itself is quite fun a little time consuming, but the finished product is very good and well worth the wait.

There are several different types of "Cooking Wine" out there; Sherry, Burgundy, Marsala and even a lesser known Medeira cooking wine. These are staples for many who have cooked with wine and I wouldn't be surprised if you have used one to make Beef Stew. The problem with these, though, is that they tend to be fortified and have additional salt and flavors added to them. They may taste good to some extent, but you are missing out on the real experience of cooking with wine. Not to say that cooking with these wines isn't good, but if we really think about the food we are cooking and then pair the wine with it correctly.... OH MY GOD!!!! Think of how splendid that would be in your mouth!

My first recommendation is to use a wine that you want to drink, and don't be afraid of using a lot of it. REMEMBER this phrase: "If it is good enough to drink, it is good enough to cook." I have made white wine pasta sauce, and I have made steak sauce using wines that I had in the house and that I was drinking with the food I was preparing. Pair the wine well and trust me you will be able to have a lot more fun and you can easily change up the recipe by changing up the wine.

Lets talk about the flavors of wine for a second and where they come from real quickly. Obviously, flavors come from the grapes and skins themselves. Flavors are also produced by climate in which the grapes are grown. For example a California Cabernet will taste different than a Cabernet Franc from Bordeaux France even though they are they same grape. Lastly, flavors come from the process in which the wine itself is made. Take two batches of Chardonnay grape and go through the exact same procedure with them but age them in two different barrels, one steel and one oak, and you will have two very different wines. (I personally prefer less oak.)

I could get into the more specific (and therefore, complicated) ways that wine gets it flavors and bouquet, but that is for a different entry at a different time and I am focusing on this one topic today.

So, back to Barrys question. What wine to use while cooking Bracioles? My first thought would be to examine what the filling would be. I have seen sweet fillings, savory ones, and Cheesy fillings or salty ones. Even the combination of all of them. With that said there is wide range of different wines that would work and the old mindset that you can only have red wine with red meats and whites with fish just does not hold water anymore. In fact even David at Ceres St Wine Merchants has recommended that I drink a strong white wine to hold up and compliment a spicy meat dish.

With all of the different wines and techniques available to us today it is OK, and recommended, to think outside the box when it comes to the meals we eat and the wines we pair. For instance, since this is an Italian dish, served with a red sauce, lets try a solid Chianti or red wine from the Chianti region of Italy. One of my personal favorites is a 2006 Tutto Bene by Tenimenti Angelini. If you want to try something different maybe a dry white wine? I am not a big dry white wine drinker, so it is hard for me to recommend any particular wine, but one thing I can say is that Pinot Gris is quickly becoming one of the most popular dry white wines produced in the U.S. These wines tend to be slightly spicy and earthy and should make for a very good sauce with the Bracioles. (If you want to stay with the Italian theme, it's ok... Pinot Gris is also known as Pinot Grigio.)

Open (your wallet) Wide

Recently I was out celebrating Jordanna's birthday with some of our closest friends. We decided to go to a little place in the Back Bay that we found a while back. We like it there because of it's cozy atmosphere and pleasant staff, and although this was not our first choice, it was very difficult to get a reservation around Harvard Square due to the Head of the Charles so we went with it.


The food was very good and we were treated well. I ordered pan seared scallops with angel hair pasta in a white garlic sauce and Jordanna got their "Penne Con Zucca", which is Butternut squash, chicken breast, Gorgonzola cheese and penne pasta in an apple-cider sauce. At the end of dinner our waiter brought J Tiramisu with a candle in it and sang her Happy Birthday.

Here is my complaint; for being a "wine destination" I wasn't overly impressed with the wine list, selection or pricing. I guess my point is - buyer beware when you are buying wine by the bottle at restaurants.


The descriptions that were given on the menu lacked any real helpful information in order to preface what to expect from each wine, which makes it very difficult for most people to order wine. Even though I had previously had a couple of the wines that were on their list, it was still difficult to pair with most menu items. In their defense, they did offer several different wine flights which you could sample three different wines classified by red and white. The flight came with a laminated "cheat sheet" that gave descriptions of scents and tastes you should be able to find in each wine, which was convenient.














I chose their 2007 Rosenblum 'Cuvee XXX' Zinfandel from California. I had ordered this particular wine about two weeks prior, so I knew that it was good and that everyone would enjoy it, but I was surprised by the $30 price tag. I thought that this was a little expensive for this particular wine and it wasn't until I got home that I discovered that they had more than tripled the retail price.


Now, I know that all companies need to make a bit of a profit, but charging $30 for a bottle of wine that would cost us less than $10 at a grocery store or wine retailer is just uncalled for. Especially in a down economy. I mean, you don't see this when you order a pint of Sam Adams, and this same location only charged $4.75 for one of those. So why is it that it is "OK" to simply make up your own prices for wine? Also, if you are planning on charging such prices, at least make the process a little bit easier for the consumer so that we can make an educated decision and not regret our choice later. The Zinfandel was good and I would definitely drink it again but, as I said earlier, the description provided to us was minimal at best: "Flavors of black cherries, mint and vanilla with a sturdy finish."


Does this frustrate you as well? What other situations have you encountered? What are your thoughts on how we can make it easier for people to enjoy a great glass of wine while not feeling uneducated or lost? My friend Nate gave me a great idea, he said that I should taste wines that are commonly found at popular restaurants and stores and then write about them, expand on what little information they provide us and even compare my thoughts with others as well so that when we go into Olive Garden we know what "Cabernet, Robert Mondavi Private Selection", for an equally expensive $28, will get us .

Oh the games we play.

Yesterday was a very cold and rainy fall day, and there is nothing that I wanted more than to get out of work, go home, and lay on the couch to watch movies. It would have been the perfect day for that. Unfortunately, it was my first day back to work after a long weekend where I even took a half day on Friday. So, I was unable to do so and after a long work day I decided to run some errands and then finally settle in to taste some wine.

What better way to do this than to make a small game of it? First, I chose two wines for Jordanna and I to taste, a red and a white, and then I prepared several different things that I knew would enhance and/or change the smells and flavors within the wines.

The wines I chose were in my opinion complex, flavorful, and would be complimented well by the assortment of fruits and cheeses that I had picked up. Both wines were completely different from each other and made for an interesting comparison. To be honest, my findings were quite unexpected!

The first wine was a 2007 Vidal Blanc from an Urban Winery in New Bedford, Ma. Travessia boasts that they make wines that are made from 100% Massachusetts grown grapes. I first tasted the Vidal Blanc at Wine Riot a couple weeks ago and absolutely loved it. Upon pouring you can see that it has a beautiful Yellow Gold/Straw Gold color and gives off a crisp and acidic bouquet that also contains pear and peach. This is by far one of my favorite white wines to date. This is a perfect wine for those who do not like overly dry/bitter wines.

For the other wine I used a 2006 Sterling Vinter's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon that was recently given to me. I have had this particular wine at family functions in the past and know that it is easily accessible, so I thought it would be a great pick. This wine is a dark ruby color and I enjoyed taking deep breaths in order to fully envelop my nasal cavities with it's hints of strawberry, butter, candle and pepper. I was pleased with the overall smell and taste of this particular wine and found that the aftertaste was not particularly bitter or sour, which is good for those who don't like a lot of Tannin in their red's.

So here are my "results" or observations on the different tastings:

• Pear, and apple made the Vidal smell more acidic and released hints of earth and farm that were not present before, while the peach actually enhanced the scents that were released. The sweetness of the fruits made the wine itself more bitter and a bit more alcoholic, which was not what I expected.
• The Strawberries drew out the smell of Butter from the Cab and made the aftertaste very bitter. My mouth felt as though I had just had orange juice after brushing my teeth. The red raspberries though had the opposite effect. The smell of berries and pepper was masked while the wax and natural sugars became very apparent. I was very pleased with the overall taste and thought that the sweetness that was added was a delightful surprise. The blackberries I had chosen were a horrible idea. The berries themselves had very little smell and were very earthy, when mixed with the wine it was very unpleasant.
• Blue cheese made the white wine smell "farmy" but really made the wine intensely sweet with a creamy buttery after taste. There was no change in the aroma of Cab but the blue really brought out both peppers and smokey flavors. Havarti paired with both wines made my mouth feel very dry and left a strong bitter taste in my mouth. It did, however, tone down the original smells found in the Vidal Blanc while making hints of rose pedals and plum present.
• I paired both wines with Muenster cheese and found that the results were very good for both. With the white it made the smells more pungent and acidic, I actually recoiled because of how overpowering it was. To my surprise though, the cheese really compliments this particular wine. It brought out the earthy and fruity tones while leaving a lingering bittersweet aftertaste in your mouth. With the Cabernet it enhanced the berries and sweetness in the wine while reducing the overall alcoholic aftertaste that you are left with. *I now plan on serving Muenster cheese at any parties or wine tastings that I will be having as this was probably the most well rounded pairing of all I made.
  

In conclusion, it was a cozy adventure- sitting over the glow of wines with my fiance, comparing notes and opinions on the pairing of a variety of fruits and cheeses with special wines. It was relaxing, romantic and wonderful. There's nothing quite like exploring the beauty and complexity of the different flavors and aromas each wine has to offer. I recommend that everyone plays with pairings, make a game of it and see what you can find, and I promise you'll enjoy it. I encourage you to use this space to share and compare whatever you find about your own pairings, whether the outcome be terrible, mediocre or delicious. Have fun with it!

The first day of the rest of my life.

Ever since I was in college I have loved wine. When I turned 21 I was more excited about sitting down to enjoy a good Merlot with a hearty Italian dinner than I was about buying a pint of Stout or Ale. I longed to have the prestige and class that wine connoisseurs had but I had no idea where to start. So after buying a Zagat guide to wine and tasting some "affordable" White Zinfandels, Chardonnays, and Merlots I gave up on my quest for knowledge and enjoyment of wine.

In my opinion that is the worst thing about wine. There is so much to know about wine and it is so very easy for one to get overwhelmed. In the end we just give up and settle. I don't know how many times I have heard, or said, "I wasn't sure what wine I wanted, but this was affordable and it has an attractive label." and this is why I am starting this blog.

About four years ago this all changed for me. Completely.

On a warm afternoon, my fiance Jordanna and I were walking around Portsmouth, NH enjoying a stroll along the water when I decided to step into a small wine store. I should have known that this was not your average liquor store when the store hours listed: "Tuesday thru Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. Sundays, iffy."

The man standing behind the counter welcomed us with a wide smile and a heartfelt "hello". Introducing himself as David Campbell, he proceeded to pour us some of the wines he had opened that day and described the flavors and scents that he found to be prominent in them. As I allowed the wine to swirl on my palate and envelope my senses, I realized that David was spot-on with the descriptions. The wines were amazing and almost immediately my infatuation with wine culture came rushing back to me. I was filled with the curiosity and wonder of a child at an amusement park- eager to experience new and exciting things about wine.

David told us that he was in fact the owner of the store and that he had been a very successful business man but that he refused to spend the rest of his life doing something he did not love. I knew instantly that this was why he was so happy. Who wouldn't be happy owning and operating a store that was filled from floor to ceiling, wall to wall with bottles of sensational wines? Wines from the largest vineyards in California or the smallest villages in Italy with prices ranging from $8 to, well, hundreds.

There, tucked into the corners of Portsmouth, NH was the fiery beginning of my love affair with wine. And here, in this blog, I will be sharing with you my experiences and tastings throughout my journey to discovering all the beauty that wine has to offer. I'll be posting my personal questions on wine and if you ask questions too, I will do everything I can to find the answers. I wish to make wine more attainable and prevent others from giving up and settling like I once did because choosing the right wine can make all the difference. I hope that you will continue to read and deliver feedback as I grow and hopefully you'll grow too. Your help means so much to me, thank you.

Oh yeah, here is the link to David's website, if you are ever in the Portsmouth area, stop in and say hello. He will take great care of you.

*I have written this on my own free will, I was not asked to promote Ceres St Wine Merchants.