Beau Joubert Oak Lane Pinot Noir Rosé 2006

Another great rosé and a very big contrast. The pinot noir comes through strongly, and there's a very nice acidity to it, also balanced by sweetness and an excellent finish. Lovely South African wine, and was a total steal on clearance at $6 at Harris Teeter; definitely worth picking up a bottle for more than that, though.

Domaine Luc Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2009

As you may have noticed, I'm on a bit of a rosé kick. And why not? Perfect weather for a nice crisp wine, and this guy may take the cake. Crisp and light, with a perfectly balanced hint of both acidity and sweetness, it's really just a great summer wine. Good deep flavor and can complement spicy food or served on its own, and a steal at $9/bottle.

Anton Bauer Pinot Gris 2006

Generally I'm pretty skeptical of Austrian and German whites – too many are just too, too sweet – but it's a nice sunny day and the Bauer was knocked down from top-line to bottom-line price at Wine Bar, so I thought I'd give it a go. Glad I did – nice little acidity in the nose and to start, leading to a super-smooth but not overpowering vanilla tone and lovely rounded finish, always just the hint of sweetness balanced by acidity. Great glass of wine.

Angove's Nine Vines South Australia Viognier 2006

Picked this up on sale a while back, intrigued by a) the low price, b) the grape (increasingly a fan of Viogniers) and c) the ABV - 15%, which I don't think I'd ever seen in a white before. I finally had occasion to open it the other evening and was glad for it – lovely full body, nice vanilla tones and sweet but not sickly so, and a nice clean finish. Great mouthfeel, and paired well with the tamarind shrimp and spicy kim chi. Definitely worth remembering and picking up.

Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry

I've been a fan of Manhattans for a while now, and in the last two years have even come around on Martinis and a range of other similar mixed drinks. But even as I've experimented with a wide range of whiskeys, vodkas and gins (home-infused and not), and gone so far as to make my own bitters (I'll get around to posting on that one fo these days...), the vermouth has remained the standard off-the-shelf variety. Mostly, because that's about all that's available.

But on a recent visit to 3Cups, I overheard Matt S. extolling the virtues of their (recently-added) AOC Vermouth, Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry. Intrigued, I interrogated further and learned that the staff had done a taste test with the Vermouth, on ice, by itself – and that it'd passed with flying colors. Say no more! I picked up a bottle of the Dry and of the Blanc (sweet and white – never even heard of such a beast before) – they were out of the Rouge – and prepared to give them a test-run that evening when B. and S. came over for dinner.

First, tasting straight-up, chilled.

Round 1: Taste Test

Dry: incredibly delicate and tasty, herbal with a nice bitter finish but not parched. Really does make a great apertif.

Sweet: fuller palette,  still nice herbal flavors but pops a little more without being saccharine in the way your normally think of sweet vermouth.

Round 2: Cocktails

Lately, Perfect Manhattans have been my cocktail of choice and this seemed like a perfect (ha!) opportunity to really put these vermouths through their paces.

Perfect Manhattan a la Carrboro

Ingredients

2 oz. Pendleton Blended Canadian Whisky
1/4 oz. Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Dry
1/4 oz. Dolin Vermouth de Chambéry Blanc
Dash herbal-citrus bitters
Dash Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Aged Bitters

Procedure

Add to shaker over ice; shake vigorously and strain into glass

Verdict


Maybe the best Manhattan I've ever had: balanced, delicate, flavorful with herbal, caramel, vanilla tones all melding together in an absurdly smooth drink. Obviously I can't speak highly enough of the Dolin – totally converted, and can't wait to pick up a bottle of the Rouge.

Domaine du Jas D'esclans Côtes de Provence Cru Classé 2008

A lovely white wine: full-bodied, nice vanilla flavor, a bit of acidity and fruit. Went exceedingly well with scallops and garlic – definitely recommended. Also, check out that saucy wolf logo!

2005 Cloudline Oregon Pinot Gris

Nice sharp nose, comes on a bit acidic with a full grapey body and a not-too-dry finish. Nice enough but doesn't stack up to the Four Graces.

Fresh Summer Dinner: Baked Cod with Basil, Tomato and Garlic on Pesto Pasta

Cod was incredibly on special this week at the Teet ($4.99/lb.!) so I stocked up. A day of tropical-style rainstorms had the world smelling green and my front yard smelling of basil, so it needed to be eaten. And it was, in two ways.

Roasted Cod and Tomatoes with Basil and White Wine

Ingredients

• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 thick cod fillets, about 4 to 6 ounces each
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
  
• 1 tbs. fresh, chopped basil
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Place the tomatoes in a large baking dish (large enough to eventually accomodate the cod fillets in a single layer). Drizzle the tomatoes with 1/2 of the olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Roast the tomatoes in the oven until they are very soft, about 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and turn the oven down to 350°F. Transfer the tomatoes to a small bowl, add the garlic and basil, toss to combine and set aside.
4. Season the cod fillets with salt and pepper, drizzle them with the remaining olive oil and place them in the baking dish.
5. Pour the tomato mixture and wine over the fish. Cover the dish with foil and place it in the oven.
6. Cook until the fish is just cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Pesto was the family fave, Marcella Hazan's food processor pesto (I did a half-batch on whole wheat pasta).

Marcella's Pesto

Ingredients

2 c. packed basil leaves
1/2 c. olive oil
3 tbsp. pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine before processing
salt to taste

after processing above:

1/2 c. grated parmigiano
2 tbsp. grated romano
3 tbsp. softened, room temp butter (add last and hand mix in)

when adding pasta:

use a couple tbsp. of the hot water to dilute and soften the pesto before putting pasta into bowl with pesto.

Verdict

Incredibly delicious. A winner of a recipe on the cod.

Wine

J.W. Morris California Gewürtztraminer 2007: Well, fine. Not terrible but definitely pretty sweet and none of the dry finish of an actually good Gewürtztraminer. But it's $4 and as a sweet wine on a hot day, totally fine.

Rheinhessen Spätburgunder Rosé Eiswein 2004

Another of the super-bargains from 3Cups some time back, this ice wine was simply a perfect treat. Not too sweet, wonderfully grapey, crisp and refreshing, and at only 8% ABV not a clobbery dessert wine. I went back in search of another bottle (for $10!), but of course they were all gone. Oh well - nice to have had the chance at all.

2006 Domaine Meyer-Fonné Pinot Gris Réserve Particuliére

I'm generally much more of a red wine fan than white, but I have a real fondness for pinot gris, due to its being generally a tasty but not-too-sweet white, with a dry finish. So when I had a chance to pick up the Meyer-Fonné on sale for $10 (usually a $20 bottle) at 3Cups the other week, I leapt at it. And it's certainly a nice wine, and very much worth it for me at $10. But... I pretty much echo Stephen Tanzer's thoughts on the 2005 - this probably could have used a little more time, as it was pretty sweet (almost Chardonnay-y, even), fruity and didn't finish particularly dry. Tasty though, with a nice sharp mineral character in the nose and the body, but if I'm going to pay full price for a pinot gris, I'm definitely going to go with one of the incredibly reliable and delicious Oregon marques.

Yalumba Barossa Bush Vine Grenache 2007

Playing catch-up here but I should not neglect to mention that on the night of the excellent Chickpea-Carrot soup, E. came over and brought an excellent bottle of wine. The (take a breath) Yalumba Barossa Bush Vine Grenache 2007, which was very smooth, incredibly flavorful and an excellent complement to a nice hearty soup and salad. Worth remembering and picking up.

Crane Lake (CA) Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Especially with global hops and malt prices remaining high, I keep telling myself - "JKD - drink more wine. Good stuff is cheap and it's good for you anyhow, as long as you can avoid the hangovers." The warm-until-recently weather (as for the most part, I can tolerate but not fully enjoy whites) has conspired with whatever else to blunt my enthusiasm for this plan of action, but with it being nice and chilly all day today, I decided it was time. So while at the Harris Teeter, I saw a bottle of Crane Lake (with a nice picture of a crane!) that was $3 off its normal $7.50 and, well, at $4.50 even if it's bad, I have one glass and then 5/6 bottle for cooking wine.

I hadn't known this prior to purchase, but a little searching around reveals that Crane Lake is made by none other than Bronco Wines, more famous for their work with Charles Shaw, aka Two (or Three)-Buck-Chuck. While glad that I paid the more reasonable $4.50, I must say that this does nothing to dampen my initial assessment of the wine - which I now realize I've forgotten to include so far. Here 'tis: fine! Not at all sharp, goes down really easy, and would be accepted as a merely-okay-but-not-offensive marque at a higher price-point. Still might use some for cooking, but this is a wine I can drink.

Cserszegi Fuszeres Woodsman's White 2005

Another dry Hungarian wine, this a white from the Neszmely region, the Woodsman's white presents with a simple, perfume-y grape nose and doesn't get much more complex - but doesn't get bad, either. It goes down smooth, not too sweet and mostly dry with a bit of sulfite edge, it finishes as simply as it starts.

Espiral Vinho Verde

Another entry in the wonderfully long Trader Joe's $4 bottle of wine list, the Espiral Vinho Verde has been described elsewhere as "[s]pritzy and lemony with some killer acidity," and I wouldn't disagree. Like many of the $4 TJ wines, it is not a thoroughly complex experience, but is neither unsatisfying for it - a generically Champagne-y nose, with a bright young taste and a dry, fine finish. Adam M. says, "If you were at a large party and it were served by the case, you wouldn't feel bad about either drinking it or pouring it on your fellow partygoers."

Rainbow Chard and Caramelized Onion Pasta

The Rainbow Chard looked good yesterday at Weaver Street Market, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I have limited experience with the more exotic (to me, anyhow) greens but am generally a fan, so with the housemates all being out of town it seemed like a good opportunity to try something that might fall entirely flat on its face. That's not quite what happened, but... well, I'll explain.

Recipe: Cursory Google search turned up several intriguing possibilities, and I went with this one because I'm generally a sucker for anything that says "caramelized" and I already had the requisite pasta (though a spaghetti-linguine blend, which would prove a bit problematic) in the fridge. The recipe:

Rainbow Chard and Carmelized Onion Pasta

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 C. chard stems, chopped finely
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
2-3 large yellow onions, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. sugar
2 C. torn chard leaves
2 Tbs. port
12 oz. egg noodles or fettuccine
2 C. veggie or chicken stock


Heat the oil and butter in large skillet over med. heat. Add the onions and sauté them for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the onions with the sugar, reduce heat to medium-low and sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until translucent in the center and browned at the edges, about 15 min. Pour the port over the onions and stir. Remove from heat. Remove onions with slotted spoon to a plate. Do not rinse or wash skillet.

Bring large pot of water to boil. Return skillet to the stove when water almost boils. Add the stock and chard stems to skillet and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min. Stir in salt and pepper, and keep warm over low heat.

Add noodles to boiling water and cook until al dente. Drain and add noodles to skillet with stock. Add chard leaves and onions and cook for 5 min. until chard is wilted and pasta is heated through.

Modifications: So, several caveats. I sliced up three (3) onions but, after another look at my pan, decided to use only about two of them. I considered using more port - and should've - but didn't. I also added a (small) head of roasted garlic to the stock-and-chard-stems stage of the recipe. And, as it later occurred to me, I should've about halved the stock, since I wasn't going to be taking the pasta from al dente to cooked but instead just mixing in everything with it.

Results: In retrospect, the substitution of my cooked pasta for the proscribed semi-cooked pasta was one of two things that undid the recipe - I also didn't sauteé the chard quite long enough, and it overwhelmed everything a bit with its semi-rawness. As per usual, I didn't add salt or pepper, and again probably should've. A bit.

To accompany, I had parmigianno reggiano, several slices of a loaf of potato bread with onion and rosemary (also from the Weave, on clearance) and the balance of a bottle of Dr. Beckermann's Liebraumilch Qualitatswein (a Trader Joe's 4$-a-bottle stalwart). The wine is... very sweet, but somehow not saccharine. And not a chardonnay. It was very hot today, and the wine went down easily (esp. at only 9.5% ABV). The cheese was fine but not quite the right call with the pasta. But the bread was an excellent, excellent addition - good enough that I'll probably be fishing through the leftovers of the pasta for the chard and onions to pile on a few slices of the bread for a sandwich tomorrow.

Conclusions: I overreached with this recipe and the audibles. For now, chard and the various other tougher greens move back into the "as a simple side-dish only" category until I can figure out their mysterious ways more reliably.