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What to Serve this Summer — with Fortified Wines

Becky Sue — Thu, 03 May 2012 18:41:15 +0000

With all the excellent Sherries and Ports at the BFT (Big Fortified Tasting) in London this week, it’s all the more surprising that people were talking about the Madeiras and Marsalas we sampled there. These wines were about as far away from anything you grew up with as you can imagine. Comparing today’s Marsala and Madeira wines to the cheap stuff you cooked with is like comparing the taste of fine, just-brewed Sumatra coffee with instant powdered coffee, stirred into warm water. I think I’ve made my point here.

Also, the number of well-made Rutherglen topaques and other fortified wines was a treat for an American; we don’t see much of those in the US at all.

Latest wine-and-food pairing: Chambers Rutherglen Muscat with gazpachao – apparently the acidity of the tomatoes does something wonderful in your mouth. Must try this at home!

Root beer vodka: most fun drink this summer. Really.

Three Clubs, Two Oceans and a Wine Challenge

Becky Sue — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:05:29 +0000

After a couple days judging at the International Wine Challenge, I wound down by linking up with South Africa’s Two Oceans Wines roving ambassador Liam Kelly, at London’s Frontline Club for journalists. Liam’s is a Cape Town native, about halfway through a year-long backpacking world tour which includes working in the US, teaching in Thailand, and adventure-touring through South America and Europe.
Two Oceans tries to have their Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon wines delivered to various stops along the way. He didn’t have any with him, but after spending an hour over coffee, I am curious to try the wines – probably because we did not really talk about them. All I know is they’re sold in about 50 countries, and they’re made at the point where the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans meet.
Veteran photo-journalist Vaugan Smith created the Frontline Club, some years ago. The ground floor is a lovely, open restaurant with fresh produce brought in from his farm. Upstairs is a haven for journalists, where members can sit and write in the casual coffee/bar area – with some rooms for overnight stays on the next floor up. It’s minutes from Paddington Station.
Frontline also has amazing line-up of events, with people from every corner of the globe coming in to share stories about the truth of political and human rights events unfolding around them.
Later, we went on to two more London clubs, these two more conventional, the type you might read about in literature about London in the last century. We had a drink at the Naval Club, where men sat in the bar in quiet, earnest conversations. Then on to the National Liberal Club, an extremely grand atmosphere where the food tends toward comfort-food (school food, to the Brits).

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The Snail, the Bottle and the Coin: Slow Wine

Becky Sue — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 22:16:57 +0000

These symbols are the keys to the new Slow Wine guide – finally published in English this month. For those of you wondering if this is related to Slow Food: yes.
The Snail is the Slow Food International symbol; for Slow Wine it indicates a winery that embodies the Slow Food sensibilities including “sensorial, territorial, environmental and personal values.”
In this guide, the Bottle points to wineries that have consistent high quality throughout their range of wines.
And the Coin, of course, designates wines that are “great values.”
Where can you get the guide? On Amazon.com, of course.

Merlot: First taste of 2011 Bordeaux wines from the Right Bank

Becky Sue — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:49:47 +0000

When I taste wines like this, I’m reminded why we all fell in love with Merlot. Years ago, that is. Before it got stupid, before it got flabby and boring. Bordeaux’s Right Bank wines are the best examples of this.
Without getting into detailed tasting notes, I can say that these wines are consistent: tasting the wines now and those from a few years ago shows once again that these chateaux are true to their own styles, whether it’s a blockbuster vintage or not.
Circumventing the big show of barrel tastings in April, this month some of Bordeaux’s Right Bank wineries came to New York with their new and recent vintage wines. Held at the French Consulate, it was a big draw: a club-like line to enter, in mid-afternoon on a weekday – and that was just for the media.
Last year I went to the rigorous, day-long Cercle Rive Droite tasting in Bordeaux. This year my tasting in NYC was a little more relaxed, with only a few dozen participants on hand. As you might already know, 2011 was a difficult year, and I was curious to see what the wines were like. Or rather, what they seemed like they would be like in the future.
Fortunately, the chateaux owners had also brought some recent vintages to taste the barrel samples against. What I found was remarkable consistency. A 2011 barrel sample tasted next to 2008 of the same wine was heading in the same direction, with similar fruit, spice and other characteristics. The winemakers had pulled it off; no need to fear the 2011s.

Grown-up chocolate milk with the help of Patrón

Becky Sue — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:42:29 +0000

Growing up, I loved chocolate milk, and when I find a similar taste in an “adult beverage” I’m generally pretty appreciative. So I was right on it, when these cute little bottles of Patrón XO Café Dark Cocoa Coffee Liqueur arrive the other morning. The sun must have been over the yardarm somewhere.
This tequila-based cocoa and coffee liqueur varied in aromas, first one dominating, then another: coffee then cocoa, then tequila. The same on the palate.
Then I read all the stuff that came with the bottles. Patrón Silver, Criollo chocolate from the Tabasco region of Mexico, coffee from Veracruz and Chiapas. There were also a lot of recipes of the type I’d like to sip late at night in a hotel bar, when I didn’t have to drive home. But now I was at home, so what did I do? I added ice, then poured in the milk. Yum.

Drink Port on Friday

Becky Sue — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:43:49 +0000

PORT PORT PORT. Friday January 27, 2012 is International Port Day. Have a bottle somewhere in the cellar? Always wanted to try port? Here’s your big opportunity. Sip and tweet #PortDay
And yes, you CAN have it with chocolate.

Clear, Non-fat Chocolate Dessert

Stay Away. Now Come Back. Chateau La Nerthe

Becky Sue — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 23:28:40 +0000

Stay Away: that was the first message I got from Chateau La Nerthe in the Southern Rhone area of France — in Chateauneuf du Pape, to be precise. On a wine trip there some years ago, it was clearly painful for them to have a few journalists admitted to this prestige domaine.

We were supposed to look around quietly, listen to a few words about the ancient vineyards we had traveled through, have a couple quick tastes and leave quickly and unobtrusively. Which we did. And I never thought much about the wines since that uncomfortable time. Or if I did, I mentally shrugged, remembering the wines as “not for the likes of us peons.”

So I was pretty surprised when I was recently invited to a luncheon in Boston featuring Chateau la Nerthe. I happened to be free, so I went over. And wow! The climate had really changed. New management? New attitude? Or was it that I was in the company of more salespeople today?

But as soon as I tasted the red wines, I didn’t care. Rich, luscious, balanced, powerful but at the same time elegantly crafted. The wines are blends of the traditional grapes of the area — grenache, syrah, mourvedre and cinsault – and they’ve been organic since 1998.

I looked up the pricing just now, and the average price for a bottle has been in the $40s for the past year or so, and I say: well worth it! On balance, drink vintages that are 3-8 years old to find them at their peak.

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Malbec Rosés with Carlos’ Empanadas

Becky Sue — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 12:45:56 +0000

On a cold winter night in New England, we warmed up at the historic home of Argentine natives Vera and Carlos, with Carlos’ empanadas accompanied by Malbec Rosés. Carlos made low fat empanadas, which some people (son Marcel) quibbled with – though the rest of us were pleased, given the amount of holiday cookies we’d already started consuming.
There were three roses, all different, and we were equally divided on our favorites. With the beef empanadas, I liked the simple 2011 Michel Torino, young and even a bit spicy in flavor. The 2010 Gauchezco was more layered, with citrus and minerality, and was an overall favorite of about a third of us.
Then came the 2010 Crios, with a thicker mouthfeel and raspberry notes. Once we saw the name of the legendary Susana Balbo, we knew we were in for a treat. But the most interesting element came during the dessert course: peel a tangerine, and its scent on your skin enhances each sip of her rosé.

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Merlots at any price — really?

Becky Sue — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:50:57 +0000

For some time, whenever anyone asks me for a really good Merlot recommendation, I’ve been saying “Bordeaux.” Too often, US Merlot wines are lacking…well… almost everything except fruitiness. I want a Merlot that tastes like well-made wine. That IS a well-made wine. And you have to go way up in price if you want to get that in the US. This week I opened a few different Merlots, and I started with the two lower-priced wines: both nicely crafted and both, surprisingly, $20 or under.
The first two were Bordeaux Supérieur wines. 2009 Chateau Timberlay: buttery, cheery, bright fruit aroma, with lightish tannins. Medium-light body up front but a more solid finish. The flavors deepened with food; great with a plain hamburger.
The 2009 Chateau de Bel “La Capitaine” was finely restrained in both its aroma and flavors. Mild dark cherry, cassis and some leather, backed by very nice tannins. Hamburger or steak would be great here.
Twomey’s 2007 Napa Valley Merlot is a prime example of a US Merlot I would recommend. Across between red and black fruits, nicely integrated tannins. Moderate finish with a hint of cinnamon in its wood notes. Needs to accompany a little more complicated dish than plain meat; a beef stew flavored with onions, carrots and wine does the job nicely. Price? You have to go up; this one averages about $45.
Moving on to a less common American wine, I found a lot more fruit. I had pulled out a 2004 Dr. Konstantin Frank Merlot from the Finger Lakes, and found it bursting with fruit, pleasant and easy-drinking; quite a nice accomplishment in a Merlot from this area. And when I just looked up the price, it seems to go for only around $16 — fun if you can find it.

Drink Armagnac, Live Longer

Becky Sue — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 03:23:19 +0000

Seriously beautiful countryside in Armagnac. This is the little alembic room at Chateau de Bordeneuve, tucked right up next to the vineyards. Spent the last week in the Armagnac region of France – in the Southwest region of Gascony, home of the swashbuckling Musketeers. It’s also home to all things duck, like foie gras – which is very mild here – and hearty beef and pork dishes, too. All of which I ate for lunch and dinner every day.
At the end of my visit, I was astonished to find that I hadn’t gained weight. They call this the Gascony Paradox. Drink Armagnac’s brandies every day along with the local foods, and live five years longer, too!
LISTEN to my snapshot of Armagnac info on iwineradio.com

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