3 Holiday Wine Values

In these lean economic times, I feel a moral obligation to share about the good wine values I come across. I've tried three recently that would lend themselves nicely to a variety of holiday situations. Put any of these (or all 3) under your arm as you go to a holiday gathering where a tasty, casual wine is called for, and you'll certainly be invited back.

2006 Monte Antico Toscana ($12) This Tuscan red is a blend of Sangiovese (85%), 10% Cabernet, and 5% Merlot. Good structure, a bit more fruit-forward then some Sangiovese. It worked well with pasta with chickpea and tomato sauce. If a tray of lasagne or something along those lines is in your Christmas present, this could be just the thing.

2008 Ludovicus ($10) This Spanish red blends Garnacha (35%), Tempranillo (30%), Syrah (25%) and Cab Sauvignon, and drinks like something twice the price. Full-bodied, ripe berry flavors, this can pair nicely with pork, pizza or be a sipping red for a party. Warning, I picked this up from Bin Ends Wine where they have some great deals. You might need to pay a few more dollars elsewhere, but I'd say up to $15 it's still a good value.

2007 CNW Chenin Blanc ($12) Zippy white with enough citrus to make it refreshing, but not in an overpowering way. A great white option for sipping along with a variety of appetizers, especially if some of them are on the spicy side. From Clarksburg, California, which in Sacramento County.

A Cahors Malbec and its Cousin from Argentina

On Saturday night we sampled two Malbecs displaying markedly different styles. First, we relaxed with a glass of Gascon Malbec after doing some Christmas shopping at Masa Southwest Bar & Grill. This was what I'd expect from a good, moderately priced Malbec. Full berry fruit and a bit of spice, which made it pleasant enough to sip alone but also worked with the various spicy elements in the tapas sampler that we nibbled on.

I also thought I'd pair a Malbec with my Cumin & Sage Rubbed Pork Chops with Onion Sauce that I planned to make that night. This time, though, I'd be drawing from Malbec's French roots and opening the 2006 Clos La Coutale Cahors. Like many people, I'd come to associate Malbec as the signature red wine from Argentina, and had only previously had it from France as a Bordeaux blending grape--it is one of five allowable grapes in a red Bordeaux blend.

Malbec does play the leading role in Cahors reds wine from Southwest France, with a minimum requirement of 70% Malbec and Merlot and Tannat allowed to make up the difference. The Clos La Coutale is 80% Malbec and 20% Merlot.

I had my first taste of the Clos La Coutale as I started fixing the pork chops. Deep purple in the glass, earthy nose, it was quite tight with high acidity. I poured a bit more into the glass and the rest into the decanter. As I sipped and cooked, I noted the leathery tannins and good structure, and that it also didn't have much of the spice that I associate with the grape, at least in its Argentine incarnation. I sensed the wine had positive qualities, as I would expect from a Kermit Lynch selection, but casual sipping was not among them!

But then it was time to eat, and the Clos La Coutale was ready to play its proper role. It had opened up to show more fruit along with the good structure. The wine took on totally different qualities enjoying it along with the meal, as the acidity and tannins that seemed a bit overbearing when sipping alone were quietly there in the background, supporting the match with the food. This cross-country Malbec comparison is a great example of how so many French (and Italian) wines are created to be enjoyed with food as opposed to on their own.

A word more about the food...this is a great recipe to convert everyday pork chops into a Saturday night meal (one of my main nights for cooking something a bit more special than I have time for during the week). The cumin/sage rub gets nicely browned on the stove top, searing in the cumin flavor. The spicy/sweet onion sauce is a nice contrast on top. I served it with spinach sauteed with garlic, and mashed sweet potato/yellow potato mix. I recommend this one for a meal that is still fairly easy to make but doesn't taste that way!

Passion on the Vine

Last night I finished Passion on the Vine by Sergio Esposito, and I'm eager to seek out some wine from the characters he describes in this recounting of his tour through Italy's wine regions. And of course to make some good Italian food to go with it!

Esposito was born and spent his early childhood in Naples. He moved with his family to New York but brought with him that Italian appreciation for good food shared with family and friends. He developed an early interest in wine prompted by many leisurely meals around the family table. After studying up on wine including the classic French varietals, he realized his true love and calling was the wines from his native Italy that are intrinsically linked to the regional food culture.

This book certainly piqued my interest in some new Italian wines and producers I want to try. The other piece that really grabbed me in this book, as it did in Lynch's Adventures on the Wine Route, was how those who hold fast to traditional means of making wine seem to be such interesting characters! I suppose those that are willing to buck trends and seek something deeper in their work are going to be people of substance and passion.

That probably is enough for the book review element of this post; I really wanted to record for myself and any others interested some of the wines and food I now want to try. And as Esposito's Italian Wine Merchant's seems to have a good website, it shouldn't be too hard to track some of these producers' wine down!

• Josko Gravner First made a name and developed a following for his innovative techniques that tapped modern technology; but then he shifted to very old time production methods, burying amphorae as the ancient Romans did. I understand from a recent tweet from @inside_iwm that his 2002 Anfora Breg is the last chance to try this one as he's no longer making it.
• Ales Kristancic who is actually just over the Italian border in Slovenia, makes a Ribolla, a white varietal native to Friuli. Esposito shares this producers explanation of why he uses biodynamic methods. I've previously thought those that follow strict biodynamic practices, including harvesting by the moon cycle and burying manure in a cow's horn, were a bit out there. But upon reading this I can see some of the merits of these old time methods!
• Mascarello Barolo I love the sound of these winemakers, who's sole marketing strategy seems to be making great wines and keeping an open door to anyone who wants to stop by their cellar and give it a try!

While the book was mostly about wine, there were certainly many descriptions of great food that made my mouth water! I'm eager to try what he describes as a Neopolitan classic, Pasta alla Genovese. The method is described as dicing large amounts of onion, sauteeing them prior to adding meat, tomatoes and some herbs...cooking up for 6 hours or so. Yum!

There's certainly a lot more insight on Italian wine, food and culture in Passion on the Vine, but I'll stop here and let you read the book yourself!

Ragu with Pork Two Ways...and Some Steak Too!

This pork ragu recipe of mine from Food & Wine is a favorite of mine, and I make it a few times every year. I like a meat sauce simmering in the cold weather, and the fresh ricotta topping on this adds a nice touch.

Last night I added a different twist on this recipe that was worth sharing. We were starting to accumulate various odd bits of meat that weren't quite enough for a meal unto itself (unless we all started nibbling like our 4 year old!). Half a pork chop and 1/4 a NY strip steak to be specific. I reduced the ground pork in this recipe to 1/2 pound, and substituted the leftover pork and beef. I diced the leftover meat very small, so it was similar in size to the pieces of ground pork. I added the leftover meat about 30 minutes after the ground pork, so they'd have enough time to get tender and absorb the sauce flavors without getting overdone.

OK, no false modesty here. I got this just right, the leftover meat was nice and tender and added good substance to the sauce. I was able to use up the leftovers, putting them to good use and spending less on the ground pork (not that it's pricey, but this is a time to be counting our dollars, right?).

Wine Pairing: Where to spend the dollar or two you save with this frugal strategy? Might I suggest the 2006 Vignantica Terre Dell Volturno Aglianico ($15), which we served with the meal. Deep purple in the glass, violet bouquet, big cherry taste with a bit of leather. A very good pair for the pork ragu!