Category Archives: Wine

Lenten Promise

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Most people make New Year’s resolutions. I think that’s cliche…er, rather, I might have been too hung over from a decadent night of champagne and lobster rolls to think about it. Lucky for me, today is the beginning of Lent, a second go-round for promise-making, with a nearer end in site. So here goes – for Lent, I promise to write more. I spend most of my time thinking about food, preparing meals, studying menus, tasting wines, but I don’t usually get around to recording my thoughts, process, or insight. Which is a shame, as I both enjoy writing and being able to look back on what I’ve done (or in this case eaten). A big part of my phobia, as it were, is a blank canvas and a lack of chronology. That is, if I’ve skipped writing about a memorable something, I am less inclined to write about the next one, and so on. No more! These blogs might be less in depth at times, but at least they’ll be a record. And who knows, maybe this promise will turn into a habit that extends beyond the Lenten season!

For now, I am off to practice my new knife skills that I learned at the Brooklyn Kitchen (although my mamma already taught me the best way to slice an onion). Cauliflower, chicken, and kale stir fry, coming right up! I think I’ll have some leftover Cour-Cheverny with that too.

Ich liebe Gruner Veltliner

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I have fallen in love. Hard. Sometimes, something new and exciting just bursts into your life, and you walk around with blinders on, seeing, thinking, wanting only… I am obviously talking about gruner veltliner. My most current obsession, this Austrian wine is the answer to my white wine prayers—crisp, bright, acidic, minerally, peppery, thirst-quenching, and surprisingly full-bodied. Fortunately for me, this once-popular-then-cast-aside wine has become an increasingly prevalent presence on restaurant and bar menus, providing a unique alternative to the usual Sauvignon Blanc and Muscadet suspects (two of my go-tos).

Gruner is unique for several reasons. It is a sensory conundrum, making it both a delicious and intellectual endeavor to drink. I find it to be simultaneously light and full; fruity and peppery; acidic and slightly sweet. A perfect drinking wine, and even better with food—in fact, it might be the most-friendly wine in the world, giving its compatriot riesling a run for its money (especially considering it lacks riesling’s reputation of sweetness).
Austrian winemakers tend to make gruners to be drunk young, but it is also a wine that can be laid aside to age for years. This capacity for ageing is rare in whites, and I am obviously oversimplifying the possible descriptions of this amazing varietal. The younger wines might be crisp, clear, and minerally, with a touch of spiciness, but the older the wine gets, the more complex, full-flavored, and peppery—the signature of its flavor profile—it may become.

Even more importantly, at least in understanding our lack of exposure to the grape as American consumers, gruner is grown primarily in Austria. Although it is the most widely planted grape, the wines rarely leave the borders of the small country. Many of the wines we are familiar with are what are known as international varietals—wines like a Chardonnay or Cabernet that are grown in most wine-making regions. The proprietary attitude of the Austrians toward this grape goes beyond the notion of terroir (even though the minerality of the Austrian soil, in all its variations, plays a huge component in the wine’s flavor profile)—gruner is the unofficial national grape of the Osterreich. I just hope they are willing to share it with me.

A few favorites to try: Gritsch, Berger, and the amazing gruner on Bar Boulud‘s wine list!

Gone Shrimpin

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This is me on a shrimp boat in southern Georgia near St. Simons Island. My family and I went trolling for shrimp on the Lady Jane, and although I personally did not, ahem, do much to bring them in, I did get to join in the eating of the freshest shrimp I’ve ever had.

The water was boiling in a pot while we trolled through the rivers of the marsh. The cap’n’s son helped reel the net in. While giving us a marine biology lesson on the horseshoe crab (a relative of the spider), he pulled the heads off of the shrimp and tossed them in a bucket.

Next thing I knew, I was peeling of the shells of the softest, most supple shrimp I had ever tasted in my life. Rather than having that chewy, mealy consistency that even flash frozen shrimp can sometimes have, these were little like butter, melting in my mouth without needing to chew – well, almost.

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Retail Review: Alphabet City Wine Co.

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My street in the East Village is one of the most fabulous places to be in terms of quality food and wine at affordable prices. In the past six months or so, great wine and cheese shops have popped up (as well as new bars, cafes, and restaurants) all along Avenue C. Amongst these is the Alphabet City Wine Co., haven for wine geeks, both confirmed and aspiring, everywhere.

Walking in, you feel like a guest in someone’s private wine cellar: a coffee table surrounded by a few leather chairs is on your right (always with at least one glass sitting on the table); a large wood-plank table is in the center of the room used for display and their twice-weekly free wine tastings; and the walls are lined with bottles. In fact, the wine bottles appear more like art than a product to be sold. There are no signs or explanations–these guys want you to ask questions and to engage them in conversation about every bottle on the shelf. The only writing, other than that on the wine label, is the small price tag…small both in size and scale. The goal of the shop is in fact to prove that good wine can be affordable. The owner Keith and his staff hand-select each of the wines they carry. They know the nuances of every wine, comparisons that can be made, and of course the perfect pairing.

In fact, I like to go in, describe what I am planning on making, and ta da! the perfect wine appears in my hand, chilled if need be and ready for consumption (or if they’re down to their last bottle of white or rose, they have the low-down on the cool-down quick fix–a bucket of ice water and salt). Last night, I had decided to make an asparagus and ricotta tarte and wanted to find the perfect wine to go with it. After discussing the merits of a cava or prosecco versus a gewuerztraminer (a sweeter German white to which my palate has yet to adapt) when paired with the strong taste of asparagus, we settled on the Icardi Cortese. Ever heard of Gavi di Gavi? One of my favorite sipping wines, the Gavi di Gavi is actually a wine produced in the town of, you guessed it, Gavi, and it is made from the Cortese grape. That said, I was sold. As for the pairing? Excellent while cooking, but it had warmed by the time the tarte was ready. Next time, I’ll be sure to keep it on ice.