Wine Giques

Bubbly Pie

No, I'm not a DragonRider. Actually, I wouldn't tell you if I were - girls never reveal such things. No, the "pie" in the headline refers to "pizza pie," more specifically, the kind of pizza pie that my buddy Jeffy makes super-specially for his closest friends. Last night, that was me, and Gauchito, the orange furry creature affectionately known as "Kitty." 

Last night's pie was, as usual, exceptional.  Draped in fresh mozzarella, slathered in garlic, and with a healthy layer of anchovies, this pie was, as we call it "grownup pizza."  No garlic-breath-worriers, no weight-watchers, no anchovy-haters.  Just Jeff, me and the pie. And Kitty, for a bit of conversation. Because we're fluent in Meowish.

What do you drink with such a dreamlike pizza-pie?  No, not Klah.  Bubbly, of course.  Acidity goes well with anchovies.  And bubbly, as it were, enhances both your understanding of Meowish and your sympathy for DragonRiders everywhere (but really, I wouldn't know anything about that).

Our choice? A smartly-chilled bottle of Piper Sonoma NV Brut.  Not too spendy, with just enough spark to set off the anchovies, taming their smoky salty wildness just like you'd tame a dragon. 

But really, I wouldn't know anything about taming dragons. 

Photo by Anders Adermark.

 

 

Little Morocco and the Night of the Banshee

 

A few weeks ago, my buddy Jeffy showed up for the holiday we call "Bah, Humbug! Day," with a heavy, beautifully-wrapped package from Vroman's.  (If you don't know Vroman's, you're not a book lover. If you're ever in Pasadena, go there.)

 

Inside the package?  Paula Wolfert's The Food of Morocco.  Now, here's what I know about Morocco:  The closest I ever got was a trip to southern Spain, when Dubya was president, and the U.S. had embarked on our latest imperialist invasion. (No, I'm not bitter about #43.  Why would you think that?  Unless you read my other blog.)  Americans were not advised to visit Morocco, even though it was mere miles away, across the Strait of Gibraltar.  We did make it to Gibraltar, where we ate some English stuff, and the monkeys scared the crap out of my daughter.  But I digress.

So, the book became a totem:  How do you make Moroccan food?  Jeffy said:  "Let's cook some next week!"  I said "Sure!"  He said "Let's make this!"  I said "Not a chance!" (Seriously, "this" is called pastilla and it takes three days.  I'm ambitious, but not that ambitious.)

I settled for an Orange, Leafy Green and Date Salad, Roasted Beet Salad with Cinnamon, and the pièce de résistance, Chicken Smothered in Olives.  BTW, I have learned that French is Morocco's unofficial second language, so it's appropriate to say "pièce de résistance."

Here's another Moroccan saying:  وكان هذا الغذاء لا يصدق ، وخاصة بالنسبة لطبخ المغربي لأول مرة.

It means:  "The food was incredible, especially for a first-time Moroccan cook."

Now, the interesting thing about Moroccan food is that it reflects a myriad of influences.  Given the country's location - prime fodder for young conquerers with land-lust - and its diverse population (ever wonder where Berber carpets were invented?), there's a little of this and a little of that in just about everything.  It's like the Moroccans sent the crazy conquerers and carpet-sellers on their way, and kept all the precious things that made their food so delicious. 

Which brings us to the wine, which came to us courtesy of our other dinner guests, neighbors S. and M. (I know what you're thinking. And those are really their initials.)   When I said "Moroccan!" they said "What wine?" and I said "I have no Moroccan idea!"  So they brought a wine that has a little of everything:  Banshee 2009 Mordecai.

The brilliance of the Banshee is that the winemakers collect precious small lots of wine from some of California's best vineyards, and blend them together into a Rhone-influenced, vibrant, spicy blend.  While their actual sources are secret and mysterious--genie in a bottle anyone?-- the resulting wine is not.  It's a bit bold, a little exotic, and possibly dangerously addictive. 

Just how I imagine Morocco to be. 

Dark and Stormy

Auntie Em, Auntie Em, it's a twister...

The sky is ominous, thunder is booming and it's a bit dark for 7pm on a late spring evening. Waiting for the storm to roll in.

Like a lot of people, my taste in libations changes with the weather and the seasons. Tonite, I am torn.

Dark and Stormy? This fantastic cocktail is the National drink of Bermuda - Black Seal Rum and Barritts Ginger Beer. I can taste the tropics.

Lightly-chilled Grenache? I love the different styles of this grape depending upon whether it is from California, France or Spain - and I particularly enjoy it's forward fruit, made more evident by a slight chill.

Well, shit. I have neither so I made a margarita. 1 part silver tequila (my latest fave is Lunazul), 1 part triple sec, and  the juice of 1 lime. Sometimes I add a dash of lemon juice or orange juice.

Bring on the storm!

Liquidity Event

Oh, my.  The Wine Giques have been very busy NOT writing about wine.  But don't fret, gentle reader:  it doesn't mean that we've dispensed with DRINKING the wine, as well.  We continue to pursue that noble occupation, every chance we get.

Case in point:  I was lucky enough to attend a forum hosted by a noted business school last night about investing in digital media.  Given that digital media is my other obsession (we'll speak about shoes and handsome men later), I found the topic incredibly fascinating (the presence of many handsome men did not hurt).  Speakers from Shamrock Capital, Rustic Canyon Ventures, DLA Piper, Ocean Road Partners ... each one more glorious than the previous.  But the capper came when Silicon Valley Bank, which is smart enough to fund technology startups and fine wine producers (genius!), produced this guy's doppelganger:

 
Yes, Prince Harry apparently makes fine wine.  And very fine wine, it is.  Good enough for a royal wedding, and then some.

Actually, the gentleman at hand was named Peter Stolpman.  He and his father, Tom, and mother, Marilyn, own Stolpman Vineyards, a gracious slice of paradise located in the Santa Ynez valley; an acquisition funded by those aforementioned geniuses at Silicon Valley Bank.  Stolpman is dedicated to producing Rhône-style wines, with a special focus on Côte-Rôtie, and the occasionally foray into outliers like Sangiovese.

Peter had brought along L'Avion 2008, a white made with 100% Roussanne; a 2007 Sangiovese; a 2008 Hilltops HD Syrah; and most impressively, the 2009 La Cuadrilla blend (50% Grenache, 50% Syrah)--all profits from the sale of La Cuadrilla are given directly to Stolpman's vineyard crew.  (Handsome and conscientious!)

Now, I have said repeatedly that I am a Rhône-style girl, and these wines tugged at my heartstrings:  plummy, rich in fruit, smoky, delicious textures ... and of course, that Prince Harry doppelganger.  And with prices ranging from $25 per bottle for La Cuadrilla to a little north of $50 per bottle for the Syrah, these are wines that lovely enough for your finest special events, but won't break the bank if your latest shoe obsession has gotten the best of you. 

First Night and the Sideways Bottle

"What are we doing tonight?"  I asked Jeffy, early on New Year's Eve.  Having just bounced off a plane as an escapee from Snowpocalypse 2010, for me, 2011's first night was not destined to be a raucous affair. 

"We're cooking," said Jeffy.  "And we're going to drink a Sideways bottle of wine."

That got my attention. 

As a wine lover and a movie lover, Sideways was something of a seminal moment for me.  More affecting, certainly, than Bottle Shock (although Chris Pine's wig certainly made an indelible impression).  It is true that, when you're a wine lover, your relationship with the beloved grape sometimes takes precedence over relationships with other, more minor things, such as -- say -- people.   At least, that is what Paul Giamatti's character would have us believe.

But who can forget the penultimate scene in the movie, when Giamatti drinks his prized bottle of 1961 Chateau Cheval Blanc, the one he was saving for his tenth wedding anniversary, from a foam cup in a fast food restaurant, by himself?  We all have our Sideways bottles, and the revelation is that they're not defined by their price points, but by the people we plan to drink them with. 

Jeffy's bottle?  Geyser Peak 2006 Block Collection River Road Ranch Sauvignon Blanc.  Compared to that Chateau Cheval Blanc, it's a lowly bottle, with a retail price of only twenty bucks.  But it was purchased on a romantic ramble through the wine country, with a love now lost.  We replaced that lost love with some Morbière cheese, a roast chicken, a bit of feline company, and lots of chatter, which almost seemed to do the trick:  there certainly was no wistfulness around the table as we ushered 2010 out the door. 

My bottle?  I actually have more than one.  Several that, like the Geyser Peak, were purchased to be consumed with lost loves, whose faces I sometimes see in my dreams.  But my foremost Sideways bottle?  A 2006 La Sirena Cabernet Sauvignon.  Made by Heidi Barrett (remember Chris Pine's wig?), a woman winemaker, and secreted away, to be uncorked with friends on an upcoming -- momentous-- birthday.   And, as lovely as the wine will be, its memory will be defined not by the moment when I drank it, but by the company I was keeping.  

Happy new year, my friends.   

Tips for Storing Wine

Although we Wine Giques like to share wisdom about wine and how it relates to parties, boys and shoes (not necessarily in that order), we also occasionally like to include some basic, useful info, just to prove that we know what we're talking about.  So, given the recent heat wave on the Left Coast, and Suenarita's recent departure for the sultry climes of the Deep South, we thought it might be useful to hand out a few tips for storing wine, just to remind ourselves that a little pampering goes a long way for just about anything. 

Wine lovers like to say that wine is a living, breathing thing.   While you may not be as attached to your wine as you are to your pet Chihuahua, wine is an organic substance that reacts to things like heat and light, often adversely.  Properly storing your wine ensures that you’ll have the best drinking experience, whether you’re uncorking your latest bottle tomorrow night, or a few years down the road.  Here are some tips for maximizing the life of your wine:

1)     Store wine on its side.

Wine bottles have been traditionally stoppered with corks for hundreds of years.  Cork is a natural substance that is easily moldable to the shape of the bottle, and also has the valuable trait of slowing the entry of oxygen into the bottle, which “oxidizes” the wine, changing its flavor and color.  Keeping a wine bottle on its side ensures that the cork remains moist, which is necessary to slow down that potentially nasty oxygen exchange.   Modern winemakers are experimenting with different kinds of closures – you may have purchased bottles with synthetic (generally a form of plastic) or composite (made with cork granules) corks.  You may have even purchased a fine bottle of wine with a screw top.  This experimentation is happening because cork trees are somewhat endangered, and because natural cork itself can generate mold.   These modern closures are quite effective, but haven’t been tested for long-term wine storage.  So, to be safe, keep your wine on its side. 

2)     Keep bottles away from heat and light.

When you sit in the sun too long, you get a sunburn, correct?  Heat and light also affect wine.  While many modern bottles are treated to screen out UV light, it’s best to keep your wine in a cool, dark location that is as free of variables in temperature as possible.  The best way to store wine is in low light, at a constant temperature of around 50-55 degrees F/10-16 degrees C for reds, and 45-50 degrees F/7-10 degrees C for whites.  High humidity is best, as well.  If you can purchase a small wine refrigerator, all the better.  

3)     Keep bottles away from vibrations.

This advice is directed mostly at red wines that you plan to store for long periods of time.  Vibrations can disperse sediments – which are tannins and pigments in the wine that break down over time – and keep them from settling, resulting in wine that feels “gritty” in the mouth.  Keeping wines free from vibration, and setting red wines upright for a while,  as well as decanting them before drinking, are useful ways to help the sediment settle and save you from a “rocky” drinking experience. 

4)     Keep bottles away from strong-smelling substances.

Remember that oxygen transfer that we discussed earlier?  Well, it can also bring strange smells to your wine.  A wine’s aroma is a large and important part of the drinking experience.  Storing your wine with your garlic may ensure that vampires will not come to share it with you, but you probably aren’t going to want to drink it, either. 

5)     Re-cork bottles that aren’t fully consumed … and drink the rest of the wine as soon as you can.

This is perhaps the easiest tip to follow:  drink all your wine as soon as possible after you’ve opened it.  Removing the stopper allows oxygen to enter the wine much faster, sometimes resulting in oxidation in a matter of hours.  Replacing the cork in the wine bottle, or using a wine bottle stopper, will slow this process somewhat, but usually only buys you an extra day or two.  If you like a glass of wine in the evening, aren’t inclined to consume an entire bottle, consider purchasing half-bottles and splits instead.

Et voilà!  Advice delivered.  Now back to boys and shoes ...

¡Micheladas!

My friend Marissa turned me on to this NY Times article on my favorite summer drink, the michelada.  Both she and I seem to love the versions they make at ¡Lotería!, a local authentic upscale Mexican eatery, with locations in Hollywood and at Farmer's Market (and yes, you must use those explanation points when you refer to it). 

And, as usual, even though it's written up in the venerable Grey Lady, you've got to hand it to La-La Land for pioneering the trend ... most NY restaurants don't seem to have heard of this tasty concoction, as the author himself points out. 

Score another one for the Left Coast.  What's the talley now?  Eleven-eleven million to oh, six?  Manhattanites, feel free to respond.  But not before you hoist a michelada or two.  

Photo from the NY Times.

Oh, honey ... No.

Suenarita and I apologize.  We've been busy -- she, decamping for the wilds of Hotlanta, me, well, doing whatever it is I do all the time. 

But when I saw this, I knew we had to spring into action.  This is not proper Wine Giques attire.  

 

It's obviously called the "Wine Rack."  I can't think of any place where this might be appropriate, unless perhaps you're loading it up with box wine for a "Little KISS" reunion concert.  THEN it might be considered somewhat clever and ironic.  

Get yourself a cooler, honey.  And some GoVino® wine glasses.  We'll talk. 

Quaffing Oscar: Wine Pairings for the Best Picture Nominees

 
Well, it's the big weekend here in La-La Land.  Nope, not the end of another winning Pac-10 hoops season.  Nope, not the 1000th stirring episode of The Hills.  Nope, not the moment when we abandon the rain to ski the 170 inches of snow on Mammoth Mountain.  It's time for the big dance, the party where only the cool kids get to go, the ultimate in eye candy for pop culture junkies everywhere:  It's the 82nd Annual Academy Awards®, known colloquially as the Oscars®.  

And, in true Wine Giques fashion, now that we're through shopping for our fancy party shoes, we're offering up 10 wine picks to accompany the 10 Best Picture nominees, in honor of the hoi-polloi like us, who are enjoying the festivities with friends in the comfort of our own private screening, er, living rooms.  The movies are listed in alphabetical order, by the way, as we'd hate to betray our favorites:  the Wine Giques are friends to everyone in Hollywood.  After all, you never know who you're going to run into in a small town like this. 

Avatar -- Well, the more obvious among us would say that the proper wine to pair with this dimensional sci-fi extravaganza would be Blue Nun.  We're going to take the high road and suggest that you procure a magnum of 1992 Screaming Eagle, and then invite 37,352 friends over to help you enjoy the biggest, most expensive wine you've ever had.

The Blind Side --The touching tale of Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher might deserve a wine that's a bit lyrical with a hardscrabble backstory.  We took a simpler route and chose our favorite from a recent blind tasting: 2007 Trenza Tinto.  An unusual and delicious blend of Spanish Tempranillo with classic Rhône varietals from California's San Luis Obispo region, it's the kind of wine created by winemakers who are not blinded by tradition. 

District 9 -- This one was easy.  South Africa is apparently producing both spectacular filmmakers and spectacular wines these days.  We recommend 2008 Indaba Shiraz.  Indaba apparently means "meeting of the minds" in Zulu, and although that seemed unattainable in District 9, we're sure that you won't mind meeting this lovely bottle laced with fruit and spice.  And at $10 a pop, it's an affordable pleasure -- just like this great indie film.  

An Education -- As the parents of teenage daughters, this movie frightens us.  However, we can't deny the deliciousness of its soundtrack, filled with classic torch songs and sultry French chanteuses.  We chose a French classic ourselves, 1999 Chateau Pavie Macquin St. Emilion.  Apparently, the grapes in this wine escaped a hailstorm that pummeled the rest of the countryside that year, to reach a transcendence denied others in their peer group.  Very appropriate.  

The Hurt Locker -- By now, we all know about the media-manufactured rivalry between the director of this film, Kathryn Bigelow, and her ex-husband, James Cameron, who directed a certain blue-themed movie listed above.  We'd like to applaud Ms. Bigelow for blazing trails in what is still very much a boys club, and offer up a wine by one of our very favorite woman winemakers:  2005 Martinelli Jackass Hill Zinfandel, made by Helen Turley and Bryan Kvamme.  Will set you back $165, but like every fine woman, it's worth every penny. 

Inglourious Basterds -- We know Quentin Tarantino is an acquired taste, one we have grown to love over the years, as we've cultivated our knowledge of wine, shoes, movies and Japanese swords.  We can only wish that his imaginative retelling of WWII were true, then salute Christophe Waltz' tour de force performance with our favorite Grüner Veltliner, Domäne Wachau Federspiel Terrassen 2008.  Only $17, and after a few glasses, you'll no longer fear that umlaut. 

Precious -- Yes, we know the movie's actual title is longer, but we're tired of typing and want to get on to more important things, like telling you what to drink.  For this harrowing tail, we're tempted to recommend a stiff shot of oblivion-inducing Everclear, but in the interest of consistency, we'll stick to the wine.  Our choice:  2005 Brown Estate Chaos Theory.  Like the movie's heroine, it's a unique blend -- in this case, Cabernet & Zinfandel -- and it comes from one of the precious-few African-American-owned wineries in the country.

A Serious Man -- Although chaos theory is certainly appropriate for this modern retelling of the parable of Job, we chose to focus on the other physics-related aspects of the latest Coen brothers' opus.  Face it, despite its distinctly Jewish flavor, this is really a film about Shrödinger's Cat.   So we recommend the very serious 2005 EMH Vineyards Black Cat Cabernet.  A few sips, and you'll be grateful to Hashem for creating such pleasures. 

Up -- Although this putative children's movie is filled with balloons and airiness, it's ultimately a down-to-earth story about friendship, love, and coming to terms with loss.  Pixar's continuing ability to make us laugh while yanking our heartstrings is worth a rousing toast, and our libation of choice is Iron Horse Cuvee Joy!, a vintage sparkling wine from John Lasseter's beloved Sonoma County.  It's produced only in magnums, so make sure you pack as many friends as possible into your house before you unpack the bubbles and take off for the Amazon. 

Up in the Air -- Ordinarily we'd avoid a film about a professional corporate downsizer, given the current depressing state of employment and its concomitant effect on the wine industry.  However, we'd attend the opening of an envelope if George Clooney were involved ... so, here we are.  To celebrate this quirky, complicated, and ultimately satisfying film, we offer up a similarly-themed wine: 2005 Shypoke Charbono.  Made from an underused varietal grape, like the Clooney, it goes down smooth but finishes with a punch. 

So, there you have it.  There's still time to go shopping before the cameras start rolling.  And have your people call our people after the show, darling.   Kiss kiss.

Three Things.

  

Three things made me very happy last night (even though it was Giorgio the houseboy's night off):

1) The delicious vegetarian cassoulet I made.  Recipe here.

2) The big, honkin' glass of 2007 Les Hèrétiques I drank with the cassoulet.  Carignan & Syrah blend, classic flavors from the Languedoc for a classic Languedoc dish (well, sans the carnivorous stuff).

3) The Daily Show's brilliantly ironic skewering of cable news "expert" panels.

That is all.