Tag Archive: Wine

A Taste of New Orleans

Dan P.Monday, January 3, 20000

Q San Francisco
January 2000
Pages 54-55

A Taste of New Orleans

When food people talk about great food cities, there are a few places that are always discussed: New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Sydney, and New Orleans. Sure, each of us has other favorite places to eat, but gather a big enough group, and these five cities will be mentioned over and over again. You’d think that, by now, I would have made the effort to get to all of them. How’s two out of five? And you’d think that of any of them, I’d have definitely headed to a place nicknamed “Queen of the South” or the “Big Easy”. Especially when one of the biggest parties in the world is held there – Mardi Gras!

Instead, many moons ago, I found myself working at a little Cajun jazz bar in the “Big Apple”. This experience became the basis of my appreciation for the food of New Orleans. Luckily, over the years, I’ve had the chance to both work with and become friends with a number of people from the far end of the Mississippi River. Owners, chefs, managers, sommeliers, and staff from Antoine’s, Brennan’s, K-Paul’s, Gabrielle’s, Arnaud’s, Commander’s Palace, and Emiril’s have wandered through my restaurants at various times.

New Orleans is also the home of more famous dishes than you can shake a stick at: who hasn’t heard of Oysters Rockefeller, Bananas Foster, Jambalaya, Blackened Redfish (or blackened anything for that matter), Beignets and King Cake; or drinks like the Sazerac or the Hurricane?

CAJUN AND CREOLE

Although this is not the be-all and end-all definition, the rough difference between Cajun and Creole is that between country and city, respectively. Cajuns were originally French Canadians who came to Louisiana, refused to swear loyalty to the crown of England, and were sort of the outsiders of the area. The term “Cajun” is in fact a corruption of the word “Canadian”. The Creole were originally those of European French blood who were born in “the new world”. The word has come to mean those of “mixed blood” over time.

In cooking, however, the general take is that Cajun is based on hearty country flavors. The “Cajun trinity,” as we used to refer to it in cooking school, is a sautéed mix of diced bell peppers, onions and celery. Hot peppers, especially cayennes, are commonly used. Rice is a staple ingredient. Creole cooking, in contrast, comes from a head-on collision and melding of classic French technique with American ingredients. Roux, a slowly cooked amalgam of hot oil or lard and flour, commonly forms the base to many sauces and dishes.

It would be possible to go on for pages about different dishes and ingredients like crayfish, okra, terrapin, filé and oysters, but let’s just get down to some cooking. I make no claims for authenticity, but this is one of my favorite New Orleans style recipes that I’ve come to love making and eating. No one has ever claimed that I didn’t know what I was doing after tasting it, so I’ll just plunge ahead.

JAMBALAYA

6 stalks celery, diced
2 green bell peppers, diced and seeds removed
2 large onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup dried thyme leaves
2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
½ teaspoon cayenne powder
¼ cup olive oil
3 pounds canned whole plum tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
1 cup diced tasso ham
2 thinly sliced andouille sausages
1 pound shrimp, shells removed
1½-2 pounds chicken wings, separated at joints

Jambalaya is party food, Sunday supper food, having friends over food. This should make enough for, well, it depends how hungry your friends are. Let’s say somewhere around 8 people.

In a large, deep pot, lightly brown the chicken wings, sausages and ham in the olive oil. Remove the meats and set aside. This should render out a bit more fat, you should have at least a half cup of fat in the pan. Add the celery, green peppers and onion and saute until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring regularly.

Add thyme, oregano, cayenne, bay leaves and tomatoes with their liquid. You can break the tomatoes up a bit by squishing them between your fingers – get involved with your food! Over low to medium heat bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Put the ham, sausages and chicken back in and continue to cook for another 30 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve. Just before serving, saute the shrimp in a separate pan till cooked through and add to the jambalaya.

Jambalaya is traditionally served over rice, so cook up your favorite kind. I like to make my rice with chicken stock instead of water since this adds a zesty flavor to the rice. A nice loaf of garlic bread makes a great side to jambalaya as well.

THE WINE LIST

When it comes to matching food with wine, there aren’t any hard and fast rules; but I tend to like to match the spiciness of dishes like jambalaya to a wine with a touch of sweetness to help promote balance. If you want to drink white, I’d go with a very slightly off-dry riesling. My picks at the moment, 1996 Chateau d’Orschwihr Riesling “Rangen”, a grand cru Alsatian wine that should run you around $30; or the 1996 Bonny Doon Pacific Rim Riesling for around $15. For a red, a medium bodied wine like the 1996 Marietta Sonoma County Zinfandel, around $15; or the Topolos “Rossi Ranch” Zinfandel, around $30, should be just about perfect.

Q San Francisco magazine premiered in late 1995 as a ultra-slick, ultra-hip gay lifestyle magazine targeted primarily for the San Francisco community. It was launched by my friends Don Tuthill and Robert Adams, respectively the publisher and editor-in-chief, who had owned and run Genre magazine for several years prior. They asked me to come along as the food and wine geek, umm, editor, for this venture as well. In order to devote their time to Passport magazine, their newest venture, they ceased publication of QSF in early 2003.

Magazine articles, Q San Francisco

New Orleans, Stews and soups, Travel, Wine

Holiday Spirits

Dan P.Friday, November 5, 19990

Q San Francisco
November 1999
Pages 52-53

Holiday Spirits

“He has given us plenty of merriment, I am sure,’ said Fred,’ and it would be ungrateful not to drink his health. Here is a glass of mulled wine ready to our hand at the moment; and I say, “Uncle Scrooge.”‘ Admittedly, Uncle Scrooge had his own experiences of holiday spirits to deal with. In my mind, his nephew Fred had a much better approach. Holidays have traditionally been times to celebrate with a wide variety of spirits. As children, we waited eagerly for our gaily wrapped packages (in my family no trees were involved, we had a train made out of large foil wrapped cardboard boxes – each car of the train containing the Chanukah gifts for one member of the family).

With just as much anticipation we awaited the annual chance to have just a little bit of rum in our eggnog. Friends down the block got to sample a small taste of that year’s Christmas punch. A few weeks earlier we had fallen over ourselves to get a medicine cup sized glass of port with our thanksgiving pumpkin pie. At New Year’s Eve? Just a taste of delightfully bubbly champagne. Why, for some youngsters, this was more alcohol in a few dozen days than the entire rest of the year put together!

It has been tradition for centuries to serve some form of a punch or flavored wine through the wintery holiday season. That tradition is often lost as we explore our way through wine auction purchases, the latest California cult sampling, or wax philosophically at some single malt scotch. At best, we might find ourselves pulling out a bottle of a particularly favored brandy that we’ve saved for just such a special occasion.

I say it is time to bring back the punch, the grög, the mulled wine, the bishop…

Many a century ago, there was the “punch” – a British colonial drink made from tea, spices, sugar and fruit and spiked with rum. The term came from the Hindustani word pānch, meaning “five”, and tradition has it that a punch should contain the five above listed ingredients. The French came up with their own version: less tea, and brandy substituting for the rum. In fact, until the 1830s, rum was banned in France in order to avoid commercial competition with locally produced brandies. Perhaps the most traditional of the punches is the marquise punch, which I recommend highly.

MARQUISE PUNCH

1 bottle of sauternes
½ cup of sugar
peel of 1 lemon
3 cloves
1 cup brandy or white rum

Heat all the ingredients except the brandy together until a fine foam appears on the surface and it seems just about ready to boil. Stir to make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Pour through a strainer (to remove the peel and cloves) into your warmed punch bowl. Gently warm the brandy in a saucepan and then light. Pour while still flaming into the punch. Do this while your guests are present so that they can “ooh” and “aah” appropriately.

I have no doubt that someone will insist on making grög, that old tradition of the British navy. While perfectly nice, it is a simple warming together of rum, honey, lemon peel and diluted with water in order to stretch the seamen’s rations of rum. Play, experiment, come up with your own version.

Having mentioned it, it is probably incumbent on me to explain the “bishop”. An ancient drink, it is made by heating claret (red Bordeaux) or port with orange peel and cinnamon. Alternate versions use red Rhine wines (a “cardinal”) or white tokay (a “pope”); all basically refer to the color of the drink versus the color of the robes…you get the idea. The most interesting recipe I’ve found for this drink is called the “English Bishop”.

ENGLISH BISHOP

1 bottle of red port (not tawny)
1 orange
1 handful of cloves
¼ cup of brown sugar
1 cup of cognac

Take the orange and stick all the cloves in it so that it is as well studded as a leather boy at the spike… Dip it in a little of the cognac, just enough to wet it thoroughly, then roll it in the brown sugar till well coated. Brown on all sides under a broiler, or held on a skewer over a flame, until the sugar is nicely caramelized. Cut in quarters, drop it in a saucepan with the port, cover tightly and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add half the remaining cognac just before pouring into mugs. Float a tablespoon of cognac on top of each mug, light and serve to “oohs” and “aahs.”

There are probably as many recipes for mulled wines as there are places that get cold. The most unusual I’ve seen comes from Wular Lake in the old British Indian state of Kashmir, a long disputed area between India, Tibet, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It sounds quite odd, and is quite delicious.

MULLED WINE

2 bottles of red burgundy
2 limes, cut in thin slices and seeded
½ banana, sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
12 cloves
6 allspice berries
1 cup dark rum
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup club soda

Tie the slices of fruit together with the spices in a small cheesecloth bag or wrap. Put with the wine in a large pot, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 8-9 minutes, but not longer or the banana will get pulpy and cloud the drink. Remove the cheesecloth package and discard. Add the rum and sugar and stir to dissolve. Top off with the club soda and serve immediately while still foaming. Garnish, if you like, with a curl of lime peel.

Without question, if you whip up a truly delightful holiday punch, your friends will beg for your recipes. So what if they normally drink vodka-tonics throughout? It’s the holiday season, and for no other reason we should come together around the punch bowl and try something arguably seasonal and tasty!

Q San Francisco magazine premiered in late 1995 as a ultra-slick, ultra-hip gay lifestyle magazine targeted primarily for the San Francisco community. It was launched by my friends Don Tuthill and Robert Adams, respectively the publisher and editor-in-chief, who had owned and run Genre magazine for several years prior. They asked me to come along as the food and wine geek, umm, editor, for this venture as well. In order to devote their time to Passport magazine, their newest venture, they ceased publication of QSF in early 2003.

Magazine articles, Q San Francisco

Cocktails, Spirits, Wine

Chianti: Robust and Reborn

Dan P.Monday, November 1, 19990

Santé
The Magazine for Restaurant Professionals
November 1999
Pages 42-44, 91-97

Chianti: Robust and Reborn

I found myself more than a little put off as I read an article by a famed wine writer on the subject of Chianti. In it, he lauded the changes in denominazione di origine controllata e garantita (DOCG) laws and the winemaking in the region in general. The grist for his praise was the allowance of more Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Chianti blend, the introduction of new barriques and the elimination of “that Italian character.” “Finally,” he concluded, “Chianti might become a good wine.”

In many ways, I think that the new DOCG regulations are a good thing. Tighter controls on viticulture and vinification practices and attention to quality are all positive steps for this Tuscan region. I’m also all for the freedom of winemakers to choose their own paths and to offer new bottlings of wine for all of us to enjoy. But, as the cliché goes, let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater.

The adage fits, too. We all remember Chiantis from decades past that were vaguely reminiscent of bathwater. Flooding the market, they served little more purpose than to provide a vehicle for ingesting alcohol. Chianti let us pretend to join the sophisticated world of wine drinking, and it provided wicker-covered fiaschi as candleholders for our apartments. The baby, however, has been, often is and hopefully will continue to be an elegant red wine worthy of its DOCG rating. With flavors of black cherries, black raspberries, wildflowers and smoked meats, the Sangiovese base of good Chianti makes delicious wine. There is certainly a market for the “international” style of red wine, but perhaps those are best left to non-DOCG categories.

What is Chianti?

General Characteristics
A Sangiovese-based red wine from the Tuscan hills surrounding the cities of Florence and Siena, Chianti can contain up to 25 percent of Canaiolo, Colorino, Malvasia Nera, Mammolo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, depending on the subzone. Flavors are generally those of black cherries, black raspberries, grilled or smoked meats and wildflowers.

Aging
Most Chiantis are made for fairly youthful drinking, within a year of release; however, many are quite age worthy. Some of the best, especially riservas from the Classico and Rufina zones, can age 40+ years.

Recent Vintages
1997 – Excellent vintage, potentially as good or better than 1990.
1996 – A bit more acidity than 1995, but similar in style.
1995 – Deep, well structured, made for the long haul.
1994 – Light and elegant, perfect for current consumption.
1993 – Bold, for-ward-fruit styles, favored for drinking now.
1992 – Simpler, lighter wines, generally past their prime.
1991 – Lighter, more elegant style, most are fading.
1990 – Excellent, long-lasting, big-style wines.
1989 – Good, very forward, many starting to fade.
1988 – Very good, well structured, drinking beautifully.

Tuscany’s Historic Wine
Chianti is a name that practically every restaurant diner recognizes, but how many customers know something about the wine? Part of our job as beverage managers is to inform our guests about wine, without making them feel stupid and without going into deep, technical detail. So here’s the basic scoop on Chianti.

First, it is an area of Tuscany in central Italy. Second, under the appellation system, it is also the name of the wine made in that place. Chianti has enjoyed a long history before the denomination system was established.

Leonardo Frescobaldi of Marchesi de Frescobaldi oversees a vast wine empire, including the prime Chianti Rufina property, Castello di Nipozzano.

In the mid-fourteenth century, the name came to be strongly associated with a specific type of Sangiovese-based wine. In the early 1700s, a Grand Ducal decree first outlined an exacting geographic region – a demarcation that was codified into law in 1932.

Chianti was one of the first Italian wine “successes,” largely due to strict enforcement of regulations by the League of Chianti. Specific blends of grapes were promoted, certain techniques of viticulture and vinification were introduced and a massive promotional campaign was put into play. The British, too, played a strong role; during one of many wars with France, wine drinkers sought an alternative to the then unavailable Bordeaux. Chianti was the drink of choice.

Chianti Classico
While there are many wines that are specifically of the Chianti DOCG, there are just as many or more that come from its subzones. There are eight subzones, each producing somewhat distinctive styles of Chianti. The most famous and largest of them is Chianti Classico, an area with its own separate DOCG that lies between Florence and Siena. The fame is largely due to the organization most of us think of as the Black Rooster or Gallo Nero. This servicemark of the Consorzio Chianti Classico is granted to wines that the consorzio judges to be of proper quality.

Not all Chianti Classico producers submit their wines to the consorzio. The judgement granted has often been controversial, with past accusations that, while the judges may wisely enforce minimum standards, they often unwisely enforce maximums as well. Simply put, some wines have been rejected as being “too immodest” to be Chianti Classico. These nonconforming producers have fought and won changes in the regulations over the last few years.

Classico also has its own unofficial appellation system, further dividing the region into eight communes: San Casiciano Val di Pesa, Greve, Radda, Gaiole, Castelnuovo Berardenga, Castellina, Barberino Val d’Elsa, Poggibonsi and Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, each claiming differing styles. Historically, this may be true, but the widespread changes to grape growing and winemaking practices have certainly lessened those differences. In general, the further north (toward Florence) the vineyards, the lighter the wines. Many of the most familiar and best Chianti producers come from this zone.

Not all Chianti Classico producers submit their wines to the consorzio… Simply put, some wines have been rejected as being “too immodest…”

Chianti Subzones
Less known, but not lesser in quality, are the other seven subzones. Covering the Tuscan provinces of Arezzo, Firenze, Pisa, Pistoia and Siena are the zones Rufina, Montalbano, Colline Pisane, Colli Senesi, Colli Fiorentini, Colli Aretini and the newest, Montespertoli. Each of these makes delightful Chianti; many are as powerful and age worthy as the more well-known Classicos. Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi at Castello di Nipozzano in Rufina heads the list of the many fine producers from these zones.

These regions generally have retained the more traditional blends of grape varieties, choosing to update viticulture and vinification techniques while retaining a classic style. These zones are also less well known, because many producers from these regions have opted to label their wines as Chianti; designating the subzone o the label is not required by law.

The sienese hills lie within the Chianti Colli Senesi zone, whose Chianti production is second only to Chianti Classico.

The Formula
Classically, the Chianti blend is a majority of Saniovese, from 75-90 percent. Indigenous varietals Canaiolo Nero and Colorino make up five to ten percent, and two white grapes, Trebbiano and Malvasia, comprise five to ten percent combined (two to five percent for Classico). While these standards remain the official blend throughout the Chianti DOC and seven other subzones, Chianti Classico now allows more latitude in grape choices and percentages, including Cabernet and Merlot, and even allows the wine to be up to 100 percent Sangiovese. Before release, wines must be aged 2-2½ years depending on the subzone, including three months in bottle. Oak maturation is not required. Each of the regions, including Classico and Chianti itself, allows a riserva, requiring an additional year of aging before release.

Innovator and iconoclast Sergio Manetti has dropped Chianti Classico from his label, preferring to use the Vino da Tavola designation and the Monte Vertine estate name only.

Governo, a traditional procedure in Chianti, is a proces of reserving 10-15 percent of early-harvested grapes and allowing them to air-dry before adding them into the already fermented Chianti to induce a second fermentation. A “rigoverno” also is allowed, with a further percentage of grapes used to induce a third fermentation. Most producers employ the method to make their young Chianti sweeter. Governo has become less common, as many producers believe that it lessens a wine’s ability to age. Anecdotal data suggests otherwise, and some producers maintain the practice (e.g., Ruffino’s famed Ducale Oro riserva).

As with much of the landscape of Tuscany, the base soil of Chianti is schistose clay. Depending on subzone and commune, there are various additions of flint, limestone, fossilized marine shells and sand. Sangiovese is a fairly hardy vine and is well adapted to these hard, mineral soils. In my view, the mineral elements add something to the flavor of the final products as well. Generally, the best vineyards contain a flaky marl known as galestro that is easily cracked and crumbled into fragments.

A landmark in the Chianti Classico zone, the abbey at Badia a Coltibuno (Abbey of the Good Harvest) is home to fine Chiantis made by integrating traditional with modern techniques.

Back to the Future
The many changes in the Chianti vineyards and wineries and in the wine laws have raised the standard of this Tuscan classic. It’s only my opinion, but I say let’s keep Chianti traditions that make sense; Sangiovese and small amounts of local grapes; perhaps a bit of Cabernet here and there, but not in large doses; a little governo now and again; and maybe even an occasional fiasco covered in wicker. Chianti doesn’t need to taste as if it came from Napa.

Reviewer’s Choice

Cennatoio / 1995 Chianti Classico Riserva, O’Leandro
Cinnamon, black cherry, dark chocolate fudge, very intense. Possibly the best Chianti tasted. Stunning on its own or with game meats.

Lilliano / 1997 Chianti Classico
Earthy, dark fruit, smoky and spicy, well balanced; long finish. Perfect with grilled meats.

Renzo Masi / 1996 Chianti Rùfina Riserva
Blackberries, dark chocolate, light spice and oak. Perfect with roasted venison or wild boar.

Chianti

VALUE

Badia a Coltibuono / 1997 Cetamura
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo
Fruity style, with black raspberry and lightly smoked meat flavors. Mildly spiced Mediterranean fare. [Winebow, Inc., 201-445-0620, $96/case]

Castello di Querceto / 1997
85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia & Trebbiano
Black raspberries, pepper and clove and light oak aromas and tastes. A nice match with light pork dishes. [Prestige Wine Imports Corp., 212-465-1857, $58/case]

Cecchi / 1997
75-90% Sangiovese, 5-10% Canaiolo, 5-10% Trebbiano & Malvasia
Aromas and tastes of cherries, with a note of salami. Perfect as a lunch/sandwich Chianti. [Banfi Vintners, 800-645-6511, $74/case]

Col d’Orcia / 1996 Gienprone
95% Sangiovese, 5% local grape varieties
Earthy, with bittersweet chocolate and light cherry fruit. A good choice with grilled dishes. [Frederick Wildman & Sons, Ltd., 212-355-0770, $66/case]

Spalletti / 1997
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Trebbiano
Aromas and flavors of cherries and slightly smoked meat, with light floral notes. A classic “spaghetti” Chianti. [Kobrand Corporation, 212-490-9300, $80/case]

Straccali / 1997
85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia and Trebbiano
Wild cherry cough drops, with light spice. A good house pour candidate. [Palm Bay Imports, Inc., 800-872-5622, $60/case]

MODERATE

Cantina di Montalcino / 1995 Riserva
100% Sangiovese
Aromas and tastes of mortadella, cherries and spice, with a touch of oak. Very nicely made. Perfect with roasted pork. [Winewave, Inc., 516-433-1121, $102/case]

Gabbiano / 1997
87% Sangiovese, 6% Canaiolo, 5% Trebbiano, 2% Colorino
Black raspberries, oak, cocoa and floral overtones. Perfect with pork dishes. [Beringer Wine Estates, 707-963-7115, $110/case]

Fattoria di Piazzano / 1996 Rio Camerata
Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Cigliegiolo and Casentino
Black raspberry, milk chocolate and light spice aromas and flavors. The standout of the basic Chiantis. Great with roasted pork. [Michael Skurnik Wines, 516-677-9300, $104/case]

Fattoria di Piazzano / 1995 Riserva Rio Camerata
100% Sangiovese
Medium-bodied, with amarene cherries, dark chocolate and cinnamon. Roasted game birds. [Michael Skurnik Wines, 516-677-9300, $144/case]

Chianti Classico

VALUE

Ottosanti by Briante / 1997
75-90% Sangiovese, 5-10% Canaiolo, 2-5% Malvasia and Trebbiano
Earthy and slightly oaky, with dark fruit, spice and bittersweet chocolate. A great choice with game. [Angelini Wine, Ltd., 860-444-7888, $96/case]

Castello di Querceto / 1996
88% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 2% other
Well balanced, with black cherry, grilled sausage and light spice aromas and tastes. Perfect with grilled meats. [Prestige Wine Imports Corp., 212-465-1857, $79/case]

MODERATE

Banfi / 1995 Riserva
80% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Rather tightly wrapped anda bit hot, with some black raspberry fruit showing. Needs time. This will be a superb game wine. [Banfi Vintners, 800-645-6511, $128/case]

Bucciarelli / 1996
80% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia
Aromas and flavors of dark cherry, black tea and a touch of salami. Perfect with cured and smoked meats. [Panebianco, 212-685-7560, $144/case]

Villa Cafaggio / 1997
predominately Sangiovese
Dark chocolate, black cherry and slightly smoky scents and flavors. A choice for lighter red meat dishes. [F&F Fine Wines International, Inc., 201-935-5935, $128/case]

Casavecchia di Puiatti / 1995 Il Sogno
100% Sangiovese
Bright blackberry fruit, mixed spices and lightly oaked; long finish. Red meat dishes. [Vin DiVino, Ltd., 773-334-6700, $140/case]

Castelli del Grevepesa / 1997 Clemente VII
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo
Black cherry, milk chocolate and light spice. Works nicely with poultry dishes. [Angelini Wine, Ltd., 860-444-7888, $104/case]

Castello d’Albola / 1997
90% Sangiovese, 8% Canaiolo, 1% Trebbiano, 1% Malvasia
Scents and flavors of black raspberry soda and fruit, with bright acidity. Spicy seafood dishes. [Seagram Chateau & Estate Wines Co., 707-942-3400, $120/case]

Castello di Brolio / 1996
90% Sangiovese, 8% Canaiolo, 2% Malvasia
Scents and flavors of dried fruit, dark cherries and black tea; long finish. Perfect with lighter game. [Brown-Forman Beverages Worldwide, 502-585-1100, $144/case]

Castello di Monastero / 1997
85% Sangiovese Grosso, 15% Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
Penetrating nose of ripe black cherry, with vanilla, cocoa and floral notes. Well balanced, good structure, with mostly soft tannins and excellent, ripe cherry-berry fruit, persistent and pleasing finish. Tomato-based pasta dishes. [Vinum International, 707-224-9601, $135/case]

Castello di Querceto / 1995 Riserva
88% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 2% other
Black raspberries, pepper and clove, oakey and somewhat light. Venison would be a first choice. [Prestige Wine Imports Corp., 212-465-1857, $144/case]

Castello Vicchiomaggio / 1997 San Jacopo da Vicchiomaggio
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Colorino
Still young, with bright, black raspberry fruit and spice scents and flavors. Just right for roasted pork. [The Hess Collection Winery, 707-255-1144, $129/case]

Dievole / 1996
65% Sangiovese, 15% Malvasia, 10% Canaiolo, 10% Colorino
Soft, with milk chocolate, pepper and moderate oak. Grilled red meats. [Terroir Brands, 727-787-0099, $120/case]

Isole e Olena / 1997
Sangiovese and Canaiolo
Dark cherry fruit and grilled meat, with earthy notes. Venison or boar. [Martin Scott Wines, Ltd. (New York only!), 516-327-0808; In other regions call Paolo de Marchi, Isole e Olena, Italy, 011-39-55-807-2763, $144/case]

Lilliano / 1997
80% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo
Earthy, dark fruit, smoky and spicy, well balanced; long finish. Perfect with grilled meats. [Premium Brands, Inc., 718-263-4094, $104/case]

Nozzole / 1994 Riserva
91% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo and Colorino, 2% Trebbiano
Juicy, dark cherry fruit, earthy and nicely balanced. A nice choice with roast beef. [Kobrand Corp., 212-490-9300, $118/case]

Podere Le Cinciole / 1996 Le Cinciole
90% Sangiovese, 8% Canaiolo, 2% Colorino
Earthy, with dark chocolate and black cherry scents and tastes. Young, but drinking well. A steak wine. [Michael Skurnik Wines, 516-677-9300, $144/case]

Querciavalle / 1994
80% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo
Black raspberry and light spice, with toasty, yeasty notes. Poultry dishes. [Tricana Imports, Inc., 516-935-4080, $128/case]

Teuta di Riseccoli / 1995
98% Sangiovese, 2% Cabernet Sauvignon
Light cherry and spice aromas and flavors, simple. A good choice for poultry. [Vias Imports, Ltd., 800-936-6125, $128/case]

Fattoria di Rodano / 1996
100% Sangiovese
Black cherry soda and a touch of pepperoncino. Young. A great pasta wine. [Summa Vitis, 415-922-3241, $132/case]

PRESTIGE

Antinori / 1996 Peppoli
90% Sangiovese, 10% Merlot
Medium-bodied, with dark chocolate, gravel and clove aromas and flavors. A classic match for osso buco. [Rémy Amerique, 212-399-4200, $180/case]

Badia a Coltibuono / 1997
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo
Dark raspberry and cherry fruit flavors, with light spice notes. Pasta, with cream or mushroom sauces. [Winebow, Inc., 201-445-0620, $164/case]

Badia a Coltibuono / 1997 >Roberto Stucchi Signature
100% Sangiovese
Very floral nose. Smooth, dark raspberry and cherry fruit flavors. Pork roast. [Winebow, Inc., 201-445-0620, $152/case]

Borgo Salcetino / 1996 Salcineto
95% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo
Black raspberry, spice and fairly tannic; long finish. Needs time. Perfect with game. [Angelini Wine, Ltd., 860-444-7888, $176/case]

Bucciarelli / 1994 Riserva
80% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia
Scents and flavors of spearmint, dark cherry, white pepper and a touch of graham. Definitely a lamb choice. [Panebianco, 212-685-7560, $180/case]

Castellare / 1997
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo
Moderately floral nose. Cherry fruit and spice flavors. Roasted veal chops. [Winebow, Inc., 201-445-0620, $160/case]

Castello dei Rampolla / 1995 Riserva
90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Spicy and very floral, with dark chocolate and a touch of dark cherry fruit. Lighter game dishes. [Vias Imports, Ltd., 800-936-6125, $288/case]

Castello della Paneretta / 1994 Riserva
100% Sangiovese
Still young, with black cherry, white pepper and a touch of tannin. Excellent choice for grilled red meats. [Summa Vitis, 415-922-3241, $180/case]

Castello di Brolio / 1994 Riserva
100% Sangiovese
Very ripe and fragrant bery fruit, with clove, toasty oak, leather, tar and chocolate notes. Full-bodied, with lush and round berry fruit, great acidity and black pepper notes; long and lush finish. Rich, fatty roasts of lamb or beef. [Brown-Forman Beverages Worldwide, 502-585-1100, $153/case]

Castello di Fonterutoli / 1995 Riserva
90% Sangiovese, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Closed, with spicy, ginger and dark fruit scents and tastes. Great with game meat. [Empson USA, Inc., 703-684-0900, $359/case]

Castello di Querceto / 1994 Riserva Il Picchio
88% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 2% other
Black raspberries, salami, light spice and floral elements. Serve with grilled or smoked dishes. [Prestige Wine Imports Corporation, 212-465-1857, $265/case]

Castello di Verrazzano / 1996
85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo and Mammolo, 5% Trebbiano and Malvasia
Dark cherry, very spicy and well balanced. Will work well with sweet fruit sauces on meats. [Palm Bay Imports, Inc., 800-872-5622, $200/case]

Castello di Verrazzano / 1995 Riserva
85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo and Mammolo, 5% Trebbiano and Malvasia
Very spicy and slightly smoky, with intense raspberry fruit. Braised beef dishes. [Palm Bay Imports, Inc., 800-872-5622, $312/case]

Castello Vicchiomaggio / 1994 Riserva La Prima
92% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino
Chocolaty, dark cherry fruit and spicy aromas and flavors; long finish. Lamb is a prime choice. [The Hess Collection Winery, 707-255-1144, $290/case]

Castello Vicchiomaggio / 1994 Riserva Petri
88% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Cabernet, 2% Trebbiano
Floral, with dark cherry fruit and light spice; nice finish. Perfect with game birds.. [The Hess Collection Winery, 707-255-1144, $225/case]

Cecchi / 1995 Riserva Villa Cerna
75-90% Sangiovese, 5-10% Canaiolo, 5-10% Trebbiano, 2-5% Malvasia
Smoked meat, dark chocolate and black raspberry aromas and flavors; great length. Anything off the grill works here. [Banfi Vintners, 800-645-6511, $148/case]

Cecchi / 1993 Riserva Messer Pietro di Teuzzo
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo and Colorino
Graham and honey, with wildflowers, dark cherries and light earthy tones. Perfect with roasted veal chops. [Banfi Vintners, 800-645-6511, $108/6 bottles]

Cennatoio / 1996
90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino
Rich and full, with black cherry, ginger and bitter chocolate. Just right with game birds. [Panebianco, 212-685-7560, $180/case]

Cennatoio / 1995 Riserva
90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino
Full and rich, with five spice powder, black cherry and dark chocolate aromas and flavors. An incredible choice with braised beef or game. [Panebianco, 212-685-7560, $300/case]

Cennatoio / 1995 Riserva O’Leandro
90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino
FCinnamon, black cherry, dark chocolate fudge, very intense. Possibly the best Chianti tasted. Stunning on its own or with game meats. [Panebianco, 212-685-7560, $348/case]

Dievole / 1995 Riserva
65% Sangiovese, 15% Malvasia, 10% Canaiolo, 10% Colorino
Full-bodied, with dark chocolate, juicy cherry fruit and sweet oak. Beautiful with lamb. [Terroir Brands, 727-787-0099, $176/case]

Dievole / 194 Novecento
65% Sangiovese, 15% Malvasia, 10% Canaiolo, 10% Colorino
Dark cherry and “stewed” fruit nose, with vanilla and citrus rind notes. Excellent balance, rich and full-bodied, with lush black cherry fruit and great acidity; long, pleasing finish. Elegant wine for beef tenderloin. [Terroir Brands, 727-787-0099, $232/case]

Il Vescovino / 1996 Vigna Piccola
85% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, Malvaisa and Colorino
Mature, sweet aromas of black cherry, with citrus rind topnote. Well balanced, medium-bodied and silky, wiht ripe black cherry flavors, a hint of smoke and a pleasing sharpness; good finish, with fruity notes. Spicy Mediterranean fare or grilled meats. [Winebow, Inc., 201-445-0620, $148/case]

Monsanto / 1995 Riserva
90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino
Well balanced, with aromas and flavors of smoked meat, dark cherries and spices. One of my favorites. Perfect with steak. [Cliquot, Inc., 212-888-7575, $168/case]

Monsanto / 1995 Riserva Il Poggio
90% Sangiovese, 7% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino
Highly perfumed, wiht dark fruit and great structure. Roast shoulder of veal works here. [Cliquot, Inc., 212-888-7575, $345/case]

Podere Il Palazzino / 1995 Grosso Sanese
100% Sangiovese
Complex nose, with mature black cherry, clove, chocolate and cedar aromas. Outstanding balance and finesse, with rich, ripe berry flavors on a mantle of new oak; long, silky finish. A wine in harmony. Beef tenderloin or lamb. [Michael Skurnik Wines, 516-677-9300, $280/case]

Podere la Cappella / 1994 Riserva Querciolo
100% Sangiovese
Well balanced, with grilled meat and cherry aromas and tastes. Perfect with steaks. [Selected Estates of Europe, 914-698-7202, $170/case]

Podere Le Cinciole / 1995 Riserva Valle del Pozzo
90% Sangiovese, 8% Canaiolo, 2% Colorino
Aromas and flavors of black raspberries and spice; great length and finish. Roasted pork would be a first choice. [Michael Skurnik Wines, 516-677-9300, $196/case]

Poggio dei Poggi / 1995 Le Bolle
85% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Chocolate, cherries and a touch of mint. Quite well made. Delightful with lamb. [Fedway Imports Co., 516-74-6850, $160/case]

Poggio dei Poggi / 1994 Riserva
100% Sangiovese
Black raspberry jam, toast, yeast and bright acidity. Just right with roasted pork. [Fedway Imports Co., 516-74-6850, $168/case]

Querciavalle / 1993 Riserva
80% Sangiovese, 20% Canaiolo
Milk chocolate, red cherries and light spice, with moderate oak. Veal would be a great match. [Tricana Imports, Inc., 516-935-4080, $192/case]

Rocca delle Macie / 1995 Riserva Fizzano
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot
Bright raspberry fruit, with lots of earthy tones, light spice and herbal touches. Perfect with game birds. [Palm Bay Imports, Inc., 800-872-5622, $200/case]

Rocca di Castagnoli / 1996
95% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo
Pleasing, ripe black cherry nose, with floral, spice and clove notes. Medium-bodied and well made, with silky black cherry flavors; long finish. [Vias Imports, Ltd., 800-936-6125, $160/case]

Rocca di Montegrossi / 1997
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo
Big and bold, with black cherry, dark chocolate, spice and floral scents and flavors. Game meats. [Michael Skurnik Wines, 516-677-9300, $148/case]

Fattoria di Rodano / 1995 Riserva Viacosta
100% Sangiovese
Very young, tannic and closed, with dark cherry fruit, bitter chocolate and pepper aromas and flavors. An excellent choice for a roast. [Summa Vitis, 415-922-3241, $216/case]

Ruffino / 1995 Riserva Ducale
100% Sangiovese
Deep, dark cherry aroma, with clove, floral and smoky bacon notes. Medium-bodied, with lots of dark, almost sweet, fruit flavors balanced by acidity; hot finish, with a black pepper note. Grilled steaks. [Schieffelin & Somerset, 212-251-8200, $162/case]

Ruffino / 1993 Riserva Ducale, Gold Label
100% Sangiovese
Beautiful nose of pure, ripe black cherry, with some leather, citrus and floral notes. Medium-bodied, wiht black cherry/raspberry flavors and chocolate, citrus rind notes; sweet fruit and zippy acidity in the finish. A crowd pleaser. [Schieffelin & Somerset, 212-251-8200, $333/case]

Ruffino / 1996 Santedame
100% Sangiovese
Fragrant, with ripe black cherry and malted chocolate aromas. Medium-bodied, soft and round black cherry flavors and a good crispness; pleasant finish. Easy drinking. Tomato-based dishes or spicy vegetarian fare. [Schieffelin & Somerset, 212-251-8200, $126/case]

San Leonino / 1995 Monsenese
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Aromas and flavors of chocolate-covered cherries in liqueur and spice, with soft tannins. Perfect with roasted pork. [Wilson Daniels, Ltd., 707-963-9661, $180/6 bottles]

Fattoria di Vignamaggio / 1995 Riserva Monna Lisa
100% Sangiovese
Classic style, light, elegant and well balanced, with black cherries. Great with mushroom dishes. [Parliament Wine, 609-348-1100, $200/case]

Chianti Rufina

VALUE

Renzo Masi / 1997
92% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 3% Colorino
Lovely, clean and fragrant nose of black cherry fruit. Medium-bodied, with soft tannins, ripe, sour cherry flavors and good balance between fruit and acid; modest and clean finish. Simple, direct and very pleasant. Tomato-based pasta dishes. [Premier Wine Merchants/Rémy Amerique, Inc., 212-399-4200, $72/case]

Renzo Masi / 1996 Riserva
93% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 2% Colorino
Blackberries, dark chocolate, light spice and oak. Perfect with roasted venison or wild boar. [Premier Wine Merchants/Rémy Amerique, Inc., 212-399-4200, $80/case]

MODERATE

Colognole / 1995
95% Sangiovese, 5% Colorino
Well balanced, light and floral, wiht black cherry fruit. Excellent choice for veal. [Vin DiVino, Ltd., 774-334-6700, $114/case]

Spalletti / 1993 Riserva Poggio Reale
90% Sangiovese, 5% Canaiolo, 5% Trebbiano
Earthy, black pepper, leather and dark fruit scents and tastes. Any roasted game. [Kobrand Corp., 212-40-9300, $106/case]

PRESTIGE

Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi / 1996 Riserva Montesodi
100% Sangiovese
Elegant and spicy, with amarene cherry; long finish. Always a favorite. Venison or lamb is perfect. [Paterno Imports, 847-604-8900, $212/6 bottles]

Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi / 1996 Riserva Nipozzano
90% Sangiovese, 10% minor varieties
Well balanced, with dark chocolate, black cherries and gravelly aromas and flavors. One of the “greats.” Perfect with lamb. [Paterno Imports, 847-604-8900, $180/case]

Other Chianti Zones

VALUE

Cantina dell’Aretino / 1997 Chianti Colli Aretini Vasari
75% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 5% Malvasia, 5% Trebbiano, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon
Earthy, graham, black raspberry and cocoa flavors and aromas. Poultry or pork. [Tricana Imports, Inc., 516-935-4050, $88/case]

Tenuta di Capezzana / 1996 Chianti Montalbano
80% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 10% other varieties
Bright, black raspberry fruit, light spice and yeasty, with higher acidity. Perfect with poultry and vegetable dishes. [Cliquot, Inc., 212-888-7575, $93/case]

Falchini / 1997 Chianti Colli Senesi Titolato Colombaia
85% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo and other varieties
Well balanced and lightly oaked, with salami and black raspberries. A niche choice with veal. [Bedford International, 914-833-2725, $84/case]

Geografico / 1997 Chianti Colli Senesi
85% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, 5% Trebbiano and Malvasia
Nicely balanced and fruity, with fresh cherries and a touch of oak. A perfect fish Chianti. [Matt Brothers, 212-587-8147, $80/case]

Fattoria di Luicgnano / 1997 Chianti Colli Fiorentini
Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Trebbiano
Nicely structured, with cherry, milk chocolate, light spice and oak aromas and flavors. Works well with veal dishes. [Michael Skurnik Wines, 516-677-9300, $88/case]

San Luigi / 1995 Chianti Colli Senesi
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo
Earthy and highly perfumed, with raspberries; slightly acidic finish. Great choice with poultry. [MPM Wine Imports, 212-989-8046, $96/case]

Fattoria Sovestro / 1997 Chianti Colli Senesi San Domenico
75% Sangiovese, 15% Malvasia, 10% Canaiolo
Good depth and nicely balanced, with moderate to heavy oak, black cherry and vanilla aromas and flavors. Lighter pork dishes. [Vias Imports, Ltd., 800-936-6125, $96/case]

MODERATE

Poggio Salvi / 1997 Chianti Colli Senesi
90% Sangiovese, 10% Canaiolo, Colorino, Merlot and Malvasia
Full-bodied, with soft tannins and aromas and flavors of green olives, dark cherries and a touch of mortadella. For a Senesi, this is a great choice for roasts. [Panebianco, 212-685-7560, $114/case]

Vagnoni / 1996 Chianti Colli Senesi
80% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 5% Trebbiano
Very well balanced, with juicy black cherry fruit, cocoa and spice. Excellent, a favorite. Pork dishes. [Tricana Imports, Inc., 516-935-4080, $100/case]

Vagnoni / 1995 Chianti Colli Senesi Riserva
Sangiovese, Canaiolo and Trebbiano
Young but balanced, with rich, bitter chocolate, black cherries and spice. Lamb dishes. [Tricana Imports, Inc., 516-935-4080, $112/case]

Santé is a glossy format trade magazine for restaurant wine buyers and educators. I wrote as a freelancer for them on and off from the first issue in November 1996 until November 2002 when they decided to stop using freelance writers.

Magazine articles, Santé

Italy, Wine

Food for Thought

Dan P.Sunday, September 5, 19990

Q San Francisco
September 1999
Pages 52-53

Food for Thought

Inventor Nikola Tesla subsisted a good portion of his adult life on milk and Ritz crackers, served in multiples of the number three. He basically invented “AC” electrical current. He tried to invent a way to transmit it through the air so we wouldn’t have to plug things in. He was terrified of pearl earrings.

Noted inventor Oliver Heaviside, who essentially created the technology for long distance telephone circuits, lived primarily on milk and potatoes. Occasionally he helped himself to a cauliflower as a treat. He was a teetotaler who believed that he could get alcohol poisoning by eating grapes. His mathematics were so advanced that many of his formulae are still considered advanced today. He painted his nails cherry pink on a daily basis and used large granite blocks as furniture.

Among his many literary accomplishments, Samuel Johnson could include the Dictionary of the English Language. Written in the late eighteenth century, it is still considered one of the finest reference works on the subject, replete with quotes and examples instead of simple definitions. Rancid rabbit meat and meat pies with rancid butter sent him into a feeding frenzy. Among his quirks, he wouldn’t walk through a doorway, instead he jumped through from several feet away.

Though not well known outside the scientific community, chemist and mineralogist Richard Kirwan was a pioneer in multiple fields. He published numerous important books on chemistry, mineralogy, geology, and meteorology, some of which remain standards to this day. His entire diet consisted of eating ham and milk. Terrified, however, of being seen swallowing, he would leave the dinner table to do so, and then return to his guests. An obsessive hatred of flies led him to actually pay neighbors to bring him dead ones.

Excessively shy, Henry Cavendish, physicist and chemist, wouldn’t let people look at him while talking. He was a famed experimenter, and his accomplishment which most affects our daily lives was the perfection of the mercury thermometer. He lived on lamb and nothing but. His clothes consisted of a rumpled old purple suit and triangular hat and he was so mortified to be in sight of women that he had a second staircase built in his house just to avoid his housekeeper.

Geoffrey Pyke, a sort of renaissance man-inventor, is, let’s face it, not a name that we are all familiar with. He controlled one-third of the world’s tin supply, was a brilliant military strategist, a major charity fund-raiser, and created the first school with a “jungle gym”. Much of his adult diet was limited to herring and crackers. He hated socks.

Before anyone panics and thinks I’m going to try to concoct a recipe from these oddities, relax. I was asked to delve into the idea of “brain food”, i.e., do diet and deep thought correlate. If the above members of the genius circle are any indication, we’re in deep trouble. There are a lot of modern-day nutrition experts out there who are going to have to rethink the value of nutrition on the brain.

In general I am of the view that a good dinner should promote conversation, stimulate activity and create an atmosphere of fun. Now and again, however, it is worth sitting down to a plate and glass that cause one to pause and consider life, the universe, and everything that matters (and has matter). For me, that requires a steak, medium rare, perfectly seared, perhaps crusted with some spices…

Pan-Seared Deep Thought Steak

2 8-12 oz. steaks (I’m fond of porterhouse)
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon flour
1/4 cup Armagnac or other brandy
1/4 cup heavy cream

Basically, this is my take on a steak au poivre. You’re going to need some sort of spice grinder, coffee bean grinder, blender, whatever. Or you’ll have to use ground spices, but it just isn’t the same. Crush the pepper, allspice and salt together – they should remain somewhat coarse. Rub the steaks on both sides with the mixture and let them sit for twenty minutes.

Heat a large cast iron pan till very hot and then toss in the steaks. Let them brown on the first side, then flip them and brown the other side. Cook until done to your preference. Remove the steaks and set on a plate to rest for a few moments.

Sprinkle the flour into the pan, still over the heat, and stir rapidly, scraping the meat drippings together with the flour until the flour is lightly browned. Take the pan away from the heat if you have an open flame. Pour in the cognac, return to the heat and let it warm in the pan.

You can either light it by slightly tilting the pan to catch a little bit of the flame from the stove, or use a match.

When the flame has died down, stir quickly to incorporate all ingredients. Add the cream and stir until thickened. Pour over the steaks and serve. You can pretty much directly scale this recipe up for more people if you wish, you just might need more than one pan.

Cabernet franc is the under-appreciated ancient parent of the more well-known Cabernet sauvignon. Personally, I prefer it. It has more “wild” or “sauvage” notes, darker fruit, and spicier tones. In my view, some of the world’s greatest reds come from this grape.

Starting in California, because, well, why not, check out the Lang & Reed Cabernet Franc “1er Etage”. This is Fritz Maytag’s winery – the man’s into everything these days – washing machines, blue cheese, gin, rye, and…Cabernet franc. Staying domestic, but crossing the continent, the eastern seaboard offers Millbrook Cabernet Franc Reserve and the Macari Vineyards Cabernet Franc. Joe Macari, at the latter, organically farms too!

On the opposite side of the Atlantic the offerings are almost too many to choose from. The hotbeds of cab franc growing are the Loire Valley, parts of Bordeaux, and northern Italy. From the first, my current pick is the Château de Fesles Anjou “Vieilles Vignes”. In Bordeaux, if it’s in your budget, a bottle of Château Cheval-Blanc St. Emilion, if your credit card would melt like mine, a more than acceptable alternative is Château Figeac St. Emilion. Northern Italy offers my absolutely favorite cab franc, Quintarelli Alzero – it costs nearly as much as just flying to northern Italy, but it’s worth it.

Q San Francisco magazine premiered in late 1995 as a ultra-slick, ultra-hip gay lifestyle magazine targeted primarily for the San Francisco community. It was launched by my friends Don Tuthill and Robert Adams, respectively the publisher and editor-in-chief, who had owned and run Genre magazine for several years prior. They asked me to come along as the food and wine geek, umm, editor, for this venture as well. In order to devote their time to Passport magazine, their newest venture, they ceased publication of QSF in early 2003.

Magazine articles, Q San Francisco

Diets, History, Red meat, Wine

Seafood & Wine: The Perfect Combination

Dan P.Monday, July 5, 19990

Q San Francisco
July 1999
Pages 54-55

Seafood & Wine: The Perfect Combination

When I was a trifle younger, during my early days at college, I maintained this fantasy that I would be a marine biologist – the next Jacques Cousteau – traipsing around the world on my boat (the Calypso) and making documentary films about wet guys in speedos who just happened to be surrounded by colorful, tasty fish. Unfortunately, I soon learned that marine biologists tend to be far more interested in how fish dine than in how we dine on fish. While the other students were busy fishing for research grants, I was busy fishing for lunch.

This love of fish and shellfish have had a profound influence on my culinary life. I could never be completely vegetarian – never again to flake apart a perfectly roasted sea bass gives me more nightmares than a visit to a cattle feedlot. I also could never keep kosher – the thought of giving up a roasted lobster with drawn butter negates all the points I could earn giving up roast suckling pig. I can’t even consider what it would do to my psyche to pop my next bottle of riesling without a dozen raw oysters at the ready.

England without fish and chips. France without sole meuniere and bouillabaisse. Spain without paella or mariscada. Italy without baccala. All of latin America without ceviche. The U.S. without Mrs. Paul’s. It just won’t do. So there you have it. We’re stuck with seafood. There’s really nothing we can do about it. So tuck that lobster bib in and get your plates ready.

I started going through my menus from the last year to try and pick something to present here, but I quickly became overwhelmed by the choices before me. Lobster souffle with blood orange-wasabi hollandaise; warm sea scallops with heart of palm and white truffle oil; pan-seared butterfish with daikon pudding and mentaiko sauce; pancetta wrapped salmon and tuna roll; salmon, eggplant & sweet basil lasagna; flounder with roasted corn and coconut-lime dressing; cured swordfish with tapenade; red-cooked red snapper with jicama, bamboo & oyster mushrooms; blue-cooked mackeral with root vegetables and tomato-bacon dressing; roasted tuna with peach scales & matsutake ragout; sesame fried soft-shell crabs & grilled spring onions. Where could I even begin?

In anticipation of the many days for love, relaxtion and feasting that this season provides, I decided on a perfect little summer dish.

Salad of Roasted Lobster, Mango, Oscetra Caviar and Cauliflower Cream

4 live lobsters, 1-1½ pounds each
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
1-2 ounces of oscetra caviar
1 small head of cauliflower or one 8 ounce package frozen
1 lime
1 cup of heavy cream
salt
white pepper
mixed edible flowers for garnish

You want your lobster as fresh as possible, so I recommend obtaining them live. Line them up on a sheet pan, put the pan in the oven, turn it on, to 400°F, go outside and have a cocktail to steady your nerves. Roast till done – about 20-25 minutes. They’ll be bright red, and they’ll be cooked.

Let them cool. Remove the tails and claws from the shells, as intact as possible. If any of the lobsters have coral or tamale (the red and green stuff in the main body, respectively, eggs and liver), reserve these to add to the sauce.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. If using a fresh cauliflower, break apart into florets. Boil till tender. Take the rind of the lime (just the green, scrape off as much of the white pith as possible) and chop it finely in a food processor. Add the cauliflower florets, and, if there was any, the coral and tamale from the lobsters. Puree. Add the cream a little at a time till you have a consistency similar to mayonnaise. Season to your personal taste with salt, white pepper and approximately 1 teaspoon of the juice from the lime.

Artfully, and now is the time to bring all those hours of watching Martha to bear, arrange the lobster tails (I like to slice it in half inch slices and line them up) and claws on the plate, one lobster per person. Pour sauce, again with all your creative flair, in some pattern on the plate. Scatter the mango dice and flowers here and there. Top with spoonfuls of the caviar. Have another cocktail for your efforts. Eat. Serves four.

Choosing the Right Wine

White wine with fish. Right? Says who? Not that, in general, you’d go wrong with such a match, but let’s face it, whomever first propounded this rule did it just to make it easier to sell white wine. There’s no earthly reason that fish, shellfish, and red wine can’t be perfect bedfellows. Some of the most fish-rich regions of the world have incredible red wines that work perfectly with their local marine cuisine. Sure you might not want a dover sole in lemon butter with a bottle of youthful Côte Rôtie, but you might just want a roasted sea bass bayaldi.

A perfect pairing with the roasted lobster salad is a pinot noir based sparkling wine. My two favorites to serve with this dish are Argyle’s Cuvee Limited Rosé and Schug’s Rouge de Noir, respectively from Oregon and California.

Pinot noir is undoubtedly one of the most fish-friendly reds. Some recent standouts: Whisson Lake Pinot Noir from South Australia, Alain Gueneau Sancerre Rouge from the Loire Valley, and Domaine Saint-Martin Marsanny “Finottes” from Burgundy. Lighter, more elegant styled zinfandels are also a great match for many fish dishes, especially those with spicy accompaniments. Bald Mountain, Rabbit Ridge and Marietta Cellars have some truly wonderful offerings that work brilliantly with seafood.

A few other random choices that I’ve thought paired beautifully with my latest marine biology projects… Paul Bernard Fleurie, a cru Beaujolais, based on the gamay grape; Castel de Paolis “I Quattro Mori”, a blend of syrah, merlot, cabernet and petite verdot; Reignac “Cuvée Spéciale” from Bordeaux, a cabernet based blend; Vega Sindoa “El Chaparral”, an old-vine grenache from Navarra in Spain; any of Bava’s Barbera d’Alba selections; and an unusual, but absolutely delicious wine from California, Terre Rouge Mourvedre.

Q San Francisco magazine premiered in late 1995 as a ultra-slick, ultra-hip gay lifestyle magazine targeted primarily for the San Francisco community. It was launched by my friends Don Tuthill and Robert Adams, respectively the publisher and editor-in-chief, who had owned and run Genre magazine for several years prior. They asked me to come along as the food and wine geek, umm, editor, for this venture as well. In order to devote their time to Passport magazine, their newest venture, they ceased publication of QSF in early 2003.

Magazine articles, Q San Francisco

Seafood, Wine

Putting It All Together

Dan P.Thursday, April 1, 19990

Santé
The Magazine for Restaurant Professionals
April/May 1999
Page 59Putting It All Together

The Veritas team, back row from left, Sommelier David Singer, Sommelier Ben Breen, Owner Gino Diaferia, front row from left, Wine Director Dan Perlman, General Mananger Ron Lybeck

The phone rings early. The voice on the line says, “X told us to call you. We’re opening a restaurant. We have a private collection of 70,000 bottles of wine to create a reserve list, but if you want to add to it, you can buy what you think you need. We’re going to do low markups to attract people who are into wine. The chef is really talented. Even though it’s a 65-seat restaurant, you’re going to have two assistant sommeliers. We’re opening in four weeks. Interested?”

I’ve just finished my first pot of coffee. The caffeine hasn’t quite kicked in. I’m highly susceptible to both flattery and intrigue. At least I can go talk to these guys. It’s not as if I’m committing to anything… Yeah, sure.

I go chat. Two weeks later, I’m at 20th Street in Manhattan, sitting in the basement of a construction site that will become Veritas, wondering just where I’m going to put 1,500 selections of wine. I have room for 500 – if I squeeze.

Taking Stock

Reality can bring tears to your eyes. There are personalities involved – four owners, three of whom are offering their personal wine collections for me to cull through. What complicates matters is that each of them has their own idea about what should be on the list. One partner hands over his entire collection. A second sends a list of what he is contributing to the restaurant. Partner number three knows what he has – it just isn’t written down anywhere. I make a trip to his cellar, and we comb through his collection.

I end up with over 1,200 selections of wine. They are heavily concentrated in “trophy” wines – top-growth Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhône, California cult Cabs, Barolo, scattered selections from Spain (a large vertical of Unico) and Australia (ditto for Grange). There are few whites, lots of big bottles (25 percent is in magnum or larger) and virtually no half-bottles.

My two cellar rooms are both temperature controlled. I create “red” and “white” roooms, with double-depth, single-bottle racking. Initially, my reaction is one of dismay; how am I going to create bins?, there’s a lot of wasted space, etc. When I stop to think about how the wines are coming in, however, I realize that this configuration is necessary. Traditional bins would end up with five or six different wines piled on top of each other. On the other hand, because of the “selection” process, I can’t preassign bin numbers and spacing to wines. I end up creating bin number categories (e.g., 2000-2200 for red Bordeaux) and then assigning the bin numbers as the wines arrive.

Collaboration

There are two assistants to hire, one capable of creating the bar that will carry eclectic and interesting selections, not “well” brands and not even standard “call” brands. Also, I want someone who can manage a small, constantly changing, wine-by-the-glass program. We interview and hire, and we put one of the assistants, David Singer, on payroll and get him working. Between the two of us and General Manager Ron Lybeck, also a sommelier, we hammer out the concept, and Singer starts making selections. My second assistant, Ben Breen, joins us. He not only will handle floor service, but also much of the restaurant’s computerization, including the redesign of the preliminary web site where our wine list and menus are posted.

Lybeck and I come up with the concept of a “market” list. We approach it like a chef going shopping, finding ingredients and then creating a menu. I’m not going to worry about filling holes in this list. I look for wines that I like, that I can get at good values and offer at prices that beat the competition. We collect wine lists from all over the city and start comparing prices. If someone bought something years ago, we may not be able to beat the price. Instead, we go for giving the best value that we can.

There’s the menu to consider. Executive Chef/Owner Scott Bryan and I worked together years ago in another restaurant. Initially, his menu looks like typical fusion cuisine, but he has his own twists. Aiming for simplicity in a city where more is better, he pairs a minimum of ingredients to create a maximum effect. We taste through the menu with the staff – the food is amazing! From my perspective as Wine Director, however, most of what’s on the reserve list doesn’t pair with the food. A huge percentage of these are big, “chewy”wines. The food is lighter and simpler with touches of Asian spices. There are lighter, more elegant wines to add.

I’m a huge fan of half-bottles. We already have a ton of large bottles. I start collecting halves, and I ask one of the partners to do the same. He heads for the auction houses and starts bidding.

Presentation

I wish that I could remember the thought processes that went into the list design. I do remember waking up in a cold sweat at four in the morning and jotting down nightmares. Some of the presentation was dictated by prior decisions; a designer already had selected the physical book that would contain the list. It’s a half-width ring binder holding sheets of paper that are 4¼ by 11 inches. I decide to print pages on one side and fold them in half. The physical design allows me to update the list daily, a necessity given the wine-crazed clientele that we attract. Customers expect that the wine they see on the list to be there; being out of one item is guaranteed to convince them that we’re all smoke and mirrors.

I decide on a reference section for the list. Customers are always asking questions about bottle sizes, geography and wine trivia. I create a chart of bottle sizes, and I add some maps. Inspiration strikes, and I spend a couple of days researching an idea. I gather reviews of a recently released wine. As we all know, wine reviews vary considerably. I insert a blurb about the importance of trusting one’s own palate and quote from the reviews. Every flavor profile is different and the ratings vary widely. I show it to colleagues. They love it.

I want color on the list – just enough to accent the pages. I purchase an inkjet printer, which means slow printouts and regular replacement of pages when someone smears the ink with wet or greasy fingers, but we all like the look. I want to feature wines by the glass up front. A last minute call to the designer yields a pocket added to the inside cover.

We decide that we’re going to have the market and reserve lists in the same book. We want a certain level of impact in dining and wining here. We don’t want people to feel intimidated asking for the reserve list.

I gather a hundred selections or so as an opening market list. Given our “market” approach, I opt for separating them by varietal, not geography. I write a one-sentence blurb for each wine, but as time goes on, we’ll use commentary from staff tastings.

[Veritas – marketlist]

The reserve list requires a different approach. I go after it with a copy of a wine atlas in one hand. I try different formats until I find one that we all like. The page width requires certain decisions. I don’t want individual wines to take up two or three lines of text. My solution amounts to an outline of the wine world; true, customers must look at the top of the page to know where they are on the planet, but my scheme gives a simple categorization to the list.

Training

I have to deal with staff training. I decide that, over time, we will cover the equivalent of a sommelier’s course for the entire staff. Most of the wine education will be handled by me. I decide to leave the spirits education in Singer’s hands; though he’s new to managing a bar and teaching, it is a perfect opportunity for him to grow into a position.

The chef is approached. He’d love to have the kitchen staff participate. We plan classes and tastings, a demanding schedule that will tax the staff’s time and energy. The waitstaff is hired with that in mind. We look for people wo are personally into wine right from the start.

First Returns

Opening day arrives. The reserve list will open with holes intact. It will be a constantly evolving list, as any good wine list should be. Everyone says that their list is constantly evolving, but most aren’t. They become static creations because no one has the time to constantly update them. Our approach has to be different, and my assistants will free more of my time to do that.

I wish I had months to add more whites and to add wines from other parts of the world. I’d like to see more wines representing the lighter side of life. Balance will come with time. On the other hand, we know that the public, and the critics, will come looking for the holes and, finding them, will assume that we haven’t thought it through.

I add an opening statement onto the first page of the wine list, explaining our concept and evolutionary approach. It has no effect on a restaurant critic who arrives before we open, looks at a draft of the list and pronounces judgment on it. One shows up the day after we open and announces that we don’t have the wine that the reviewer wants. We have 11 other vintages of the very wine, but… yawn… well, an interesting list. A neighborhood restaurateur comes in, combs through the list and asks for an obscure wine. “You don’t have it? I thought you were going to cover everything.” He leaves, no doubt to return to his own restaurant and pass the word about Veritas’ inadequate wine list.

After a day or two, I realize that when you come into the New York City market with what we are offering, this reaction is unavoidable. Most patrons and colleagues are excited for us. There are always going to be those who feel that they have to criticize. We have over 1,300 wines on a brand new list. We’ll never cover everything. If we tried to cover everything in a list this size, we’d have one selection from each appellation, and that’s about it. Who’d be interested? Who’d be excited?

Santé is a glossy format trade magazine for restaurant wine buyers and educators. I wrote as a freelancer for them on and off from the first issue in November 1996 until November 2002 when they decided to stop using freelance writers.

Magazine articles, Santé

Marketing, NYC, Restaurants, Sommeliers, Wine

Desserts and Dessert Wines

Dan P.Tuesday, January 5, 19990

Q San Francisco
January 1999
Page 56

Desserts and Dessert Wines

“Oh,no, I couldn’t eat ANOTHER bite. Well… MAYBE I’ll just look at the DESSERT list.”

Dessert is one of nature’s most perfect inventions. Properly made, it contains elements of all four basic food groups–sugar, fat, caffeine and a touch of salt. These of course correspond to the cardinal essences of life: earth, air, fire and water. In point of fact, dessert is a true Zen experience.

For some inexplicable reason, heated debates often occur after dinner over dessert–arguments about dieting, health, and even people who claim not to like a good chocolate mousse. These poor, deluded individuals have merely strayed from the path of all that is good, decent and moral in life. You, as a righteous individual, have a decision to make. You can reach out to them and bring them back into the fold. Or you can reach out and take the extra helping yourself.

Dessert should be accompanied by a beverage. I’ve never understood why perfectly sensible people who enjoy liquids of various sorts with their appetizers, entrees and cheeses suddenly seem to feel that nothing but water should accompany their last course. It remains shocking, but the most often overlooked part of the winelist in a restaurant is the listing of dessert wines.

Understanding sweet wines is not as difficult as it may seem at first. There are a few basic types, the rest is all variation on a theme. Perhaps most common are late-harvest wines. Simply, these are wines that have been made from grapes that are, well, late-harvest.

A basic premise in winemaking is that you leave grapes on the vine until enough of the acids in them have converted to sugars which will enable you to get a sufficient level of alcohol when you ferment the grape juice. With late-harvested grapes, you leave them on the vine till there’s so much sugar that only a portion will be converted to alcohol (the fermentation yeasts die off when the alcohol level reaches around 15%). This leaves the wine very sweet.

If you read any food and wine magazines, you’ve probably read about “botrytis” or “noble rot”. This is a fungus that develops on grapes. What the fungus does is drill little holes in the grape skin and suck the water out. This concentrates all the flavor and sugar elements in the grape, almost to the point of turning the grapes into raisins. Needless to say, the wine made from what little juice can be pressed from these grapes is highly flavored and rather sweet. The most famous of this type is Sauternes.

A similar result happens with ice-wines. Here, the grapes are left on the vine till the first frost. They are picked early in the morning while still frozen and crushed. Because much of the water is crystallized as ice, the juice is once again very concentrated and flavorful. The risk, however, of just killing off the grapes or having them rot before the first frost is high. That’s why the prices are too. Ice-wines made from Riesling in Germany generally top the quality list.

The last category are the so-called “fortified wines”. Ports, sherries, and other similar wines are made in a variety of methods, but the underlying idea is the same. Neutral grape brandy is added to grape juice or sweet wine to a level that prevents or stops fermentation (remember that 15% yeast die-off thing), resulting in, you guessed it, sweet wine.

Okay, enough of the technical stuff. Let’s get some dessert whipped up and pick a few dessert wine favorites to try out. I happen to love banana bread (like any reasonably sane individual), and then there’s this chocolate thing…

The Ultimate Banana Cake

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup corn or canola oil
1/2 cup maple syrup
4 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup of chocolate chips

(Note: All four basic food groups are indeed represented.The bananas and whole wheat flour are purely spurious…)

Mix the flour and salt. Blend in the oil and syrup. Beat the egg yolks lightly and mix into the flour mixture. Add milk and bananas and stir thoroughly. Add chocolate chips and mix. Beat the egg whites till stiff and fold in carefully till it is just blended through. Don’t over-mix at this point or you will deflate the egg whites and the cake will be just a little too dense. Pour in a loaf or cake pan and bake in a 350ÉF oven for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream.

Dessert Wine Picks

For something a little light, refreshing and just plain fun, I like Moscato d’Asti from Piedmont in Italy. This is the sweeter, less sparkly version of Asti Spumante. My current fave is Giorgio Carnevale’s “Sori”. Other great choices, Bologna’s “Vigna Senza Nome” and Bava’s “Bass Tuba” (don’t ask).

In the sweeter, more serious vein is anything made by Alois Kracher of Austria. Personal top pick (and only because I had it most recently), his Scheurebe Beerenauslese. It may be unpronounceable, but delicious definitely. Another top pick is from Chambers in Southern Australia, any or all, but the best is the Rare Muscat.

Now for something a bit heavier and red. Yes, red–dessert wines do come in all colors. I think I would have to go with Paolo Bea’s Sagrantino Passito from central Italy. But I could easily be talked into a Banyuls from Dr. Parce in southern France or Ridge’s Zinfandel Essence from California.

Q San Francisco magazine premiered in late 1995 as a ultra-slick, ultra-hip gay lifestyle magazine targeted primarily for the San Francisco community. It was launched by my friends Don Tuthill and Robert Adams, respectively the publisher and editor-in-chief, who had owned and run Genre magazine for several years prior. They asked me to come along as the food and wine geek, umm, editor, for this venture as well. In order to devote their time to Passport magazine, their newest venture, they ceased publication of QSF in early 2003.

Magazine articles, Q San Francisco

Baking, Desserts, Wine

Chile’s Hot Values

Dan P.Friday, December 4, 19980

Santé
The Magazine for Restaurant Professionals
Winter 1998
Pages 30-31, 60-63

Chile’s Hot Values

Let’s face it. We never though that we’d be drinking Chilean Merlot. In truth, most of us never thought about Chilean wine at all. It was partially the source; except for those geography nerds who sat in the front row, who knew where Chile was anyway? We were sure, if someone had asked, that it was somewhere in South America, and it was probably a perfectly nice place to live if you were South American, but wine? I mean, even the name, Chile, comes from the Indian word Tchili, the “deepest point on earth.” Who would grow grapes there?

It was also the grape – Merlot. A few years ago, Merlot was a wine that mostly was left to people who hadn’t quite figured out if they liked red wine or not. Sure, we drank it when it was blended with Cabernet in Bordeaux. (But we didn’t think about that.) Now and then we even poured it as house wine. Then someone decided they had a lot of the stuff to sell. Amazing what a good publicist can do for a disregarded grape, no?

Now the “M” grape is everywhere. The trend of the moment is to rip up whatever grapes you have and plant it, and nowhere is this more apparent than in Chile. In the last ten years, Merlot has taken to the Andean foothills and valleys like no other grape before it. Winemakers from the world over have flocked to the South American continent to lend their expertise, stake their claim and generally just get some grapes in a bottle.

Geography and Climate

Not that I want to bring up geography again, but it will help to put Chile in perspective. For those who don’t remember from class or who haven’t run for their dusty atlas, Chile is located on the “left-hand” side of the tail of South America. It stretches an amazing 2,610 miles from north to south, while averaging only 110 miles wide from seashore to the top of the Andes, and remember, that long stretch is north to south, making for wide climate differences.

In addition, the altitude ranges from sea level on the shores of the Pacific to over 22,000 feet at hte top of the Andes. Soils vary from sea-sand to volcanic rock; as a matter of fact, two of the areas where grapes are grown, Tupungatu and Maipu, are volcanoes. With desert in the north of the country and mountains, fjords and forests in the south, the grape growing region is centered around the central and capital city, Santiago. This is where 70 percent of the population live, and it is also where the climate is most conducive to grape-growing. Here, the summer temperatures average in the low 70s, while the winters are moderate, with mid-40 mean temperatures. The rainfall is around 15 inches per year, almost entirely during their winter, from May to September. What more could a grape ask for?

What is a Chilean Merlot?

General Characteristics and Aging: While it’s hard to generalize, Chilean Merlots fall into two styles: young, fresh wines, with bright berries that are made for casual drinking upon release, and rich, plummy, almost chocolaty wines, with solid oak contact that are made for developing over three-to-five years and that go well with grilled or roasted red meats. The latter are often designated as reserva wines.

Recent Vintages: Because of the consistent climate and the reliance on technological winemaking, Vintage is an insignificant factor in Chilean wines at this time. Having tasted several vintages of some of the more popular wines, house style remains notedly consistent from year to year.

Identity Search

While Chileans have made wine for centuries, the Chilean wine industry is “born-again.” Old styles of overripe, cooked fruit and native wood barrels that produced wines that only the Chileans loved have disappeared in a wave of modern technique and technology. Stainless steel, imported oak and laboratory analysis are now de rigueur rather than the exception. Natural pluses, such as no phylloxera, just add to the temptation to grow grapes and to make wine.

It would be nice to say that there is a definitive style for the wines of the valleys of Rapel, Aconcagua, Colchagua, Lontue, Curico, Central, San Fernando, Casablanca, Peumo, Maipo and Maule, or for that matter, to say that there is a definitive style for the Merlots of Chile, but there is not. Instead, hype about the “fun and flavor,” the “Latin American personality”and the “exuberance and fruit”of these wines dominates any discussion. In some cases, one or the other of these descriptors even holds true.

In fact, the quality and style of Chilean Merlot ranges from thin and weedy to overextracted and tasting of two-by-fours, but at the same time, it can range from ripe, fresh, berry fruit quaffs to rich, full-bodied, dark fruit, age worthy entries. This isn’t all that surprising given that the price range of these wines starts around $30 a case and goes up to five times that. What is surprising, however, is that in many cases, the low-end wines outshine the high-end choices.

As the saying goes, not all that glitters is gold, and in this case, not all of it is Merlot. Research done by the Chileans and others has shown that much of what is planted in fields of Chile is actually Carmenére or Grande Vidure. Although these grape varieties constitute a large percentage of plantings, bottle labeling almost excluisvely states “Merlot.” This accounts for a good amount of the differing palate profiles.

Veramonte Vineyards, Casablanca Valley, Chile

Similar to California, there is little in Chile in the way of vintage variation. The climate is steady from year to year – heat, sunshine and long growing seasons. Fresh, well-extracted fruit with a bit of oak put these wines squarely in the international style, and for the most part, the Chilean wines are made for early consumption. On the other hand, there are those who see the potential for treating each vintage differently by making reserve wines for aging when appropriate. Unfortunately for the consumer, the reserve designation is no guarantee of this style or level of quality. Caveat emptor.

Perhaps the most definitive thing I can say about the Merlots (and perhaps all varietals) of Chile is that the winemaker is the important factor. While there are soil differences between appellations, there is no notable terroir difference in the wines. Likewise, there is little that distinguishes Chilean Merlot from that of other countries, but a distinctive, fairly consistent house style emerges within each winemaker’s products.

The Price is Right

As a value house quaff, Chilean Merlots are certainly up there near the top. It’s hard to find decent red wine at these prices. The demand for Merlot from all points has, strangely enough for the world of competition, not driven prices down, but driven them up. The value wines that I recommend here are ones that I would certainly be happy to see poured at a bar or as a house wine at a table. For the higher-priced entries, what we have now is aging potential. The future remains to be seen, but certainly for short-term aging, these wines appear to be great choices for not a lot of money.

Reviewer’s Choice

Caliterra / 1997 Valle Central
100% Merlot
An absolutely delightful entry, this wine has what I look for in a quality Merlot. Dark, ripe fruit, peppery, a touch of cedar, an overlay of bitter chocolate, good acidity and alcohol. Unbeatable for the price, and a great partner with grilled meats.

Concha y Toro / 1994 Rapel Valley / Marqués de Casa Concha
100% Merlot
This elegant entry has notes of cocoa, tobacco, pepper, ripe dark cherries and an intense, long finish. It opened up beautifully with time. Try this with a solid red meat meal. The outstanding wine of the tasting, not just in the value category.

Cousiño-Macul / 1995 Maipo Valley
100% Merlot
Entry has dark cherry fruit, bitter chocolate, pepper and herbal qualities. A long finish, good tannins and alcohol show a definite promise for aging. This is a great choice any time you want a solid, full-bodied red with dinner.

VALUE

Alameda / 1995 Maipo Valley / Santa Maria Vineyard
100% Merlot
Light and simple, this makes a nice house pour. Bright berry fruit, with good acidity and just a touch of tannin and oak on the finish. [Alameda Wine Cellars, 518-756-7015, $52/case]

Alameda / 195 Maule Valley / Special Reserve, La Violeta Vineyard
100% Merlot
Ripe cherries and cinnamon are prominent in this nicely balanced entry. The small dose of oak and tannin on the finish round this out well. Serve with lighter meat dishes, such as veal and poultry. [Alameda Wine Cellars, 518-756-7015, $68/case]

Carta Vieja Merlot / 1997 Maule Valley
100% Merlot
Ripe fruit, herbs, pepper, a good touch of oak and a slightly off-dry palate make this a perfectly acceptable house quaff. Given the price, this is an outstanding value. [Frederick Wildman & Sons, 212-355-0700, $34/case]

Casa Julia / 1995 San Fernando Valley
100% Merlot
A light style with nice acidity, bright berry fruit and a touch of tannin and oak on the finish. Better than the typical house pour, this is a good choice with lighter dishes. [T. Edward Wines, Ltd., 212-233-1504, $72/case]

Casa Lapostolle / 1996 Rapel Valley
100% Merlot
Fresh, sweet cherry fruit, with a touch of cinnamon and a nice round finish. A bit of tannin and good acidity make this quite tasty. Try it with pasta or risotto. [Schieffelin & Somerset, 212-251-8200, $96/case]

Chateau La Joya / 1996 Colchagua Valley
100% Merlot
Vegetal and herbal, this wine seems as if it is made from underripe grapes, yet it is rather pleasant and certainly a nice choice for those who want a “non-fruity” option. [Marie Brizard Wines and Spirits, USA, 305-893-3394, $56/case]

Chateau La Joya / 1995 Colchagua Valley / Gran Reserva
100% Merlot
Somewhat herbal, though far more complex than the non-reserva, with spicy notes, a slightly bitter finish and a bit more plummy fruit. With roasted poultry, this makes a nice partner. [Marie Brizard Wines and Spirits, USA, 305-893-3394, $96/case]

Concha y Toro / 1996 Peumo Valley / Trio
100% Merlot
Ripe, bright fruit with a touch of pepperiness, a good dose of alcohol and a long finish. This wine has an unusual petrolly note that is unexpected, but not unpleasant in a Merlot. Try it with a lighter meal. [Banfi Vintners, 516-626-9200, $76/case]

De Martino / 1996 Maipo Valley
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Light berry fruit, simple and smooth, an interesting note of soap or perhaps cilantro, which also appears in this producer’s reserve wine. Nice with spicier Asian cuisines. [O.F.S. Imports, 707-526-9111, $78/case]

La Playa / 1994 Maipo Valley / Estate Reserve
100% Merlot
Chocolate and sweet, ripe plums dominate the nose and palate here. Good acidity, sweet oak and mild tannins flesh out the package and make this a delight to drink. One of my favorites in this tasting, this is perfect with lighter meals. [La Playa Vineyards, 516-868-3363, $88/case]

Montes / 1996 Curico Valley / Special Cuvée
100% Merlot
This wine is potentially age worthy, with a good concentration of ripe fruit, nice touches of oak and a good long finish. A great “casual dinner” wine. For those to whom it matters, this was my favorite packaging as well. [T.G.I.C. Importers, Inc., 818-769-1821, $80/case]

MontGras / 1996 Colchagua Valley
90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon
Spicy, peppery and a nice concentration of ripe, red fruit. A good dose of alcohol and tannin give it some nice backbone as well. This one might even age for a bit. A tasty accompaniment to lighter meats. [The Hess Collection, 707-255-1144, $65/case]

Saint Morillon / 1995 Lontue Valley
100% Merlot
Bright, delightful, ripe berry fruit and light in style, with just a touch of a spritz and a little shoe polish on the finish make this a tasty house pour. [Billington Distributors, 703-541-0115, $48/case]

Santa Ema / 1995 Maipo Valley / Reserve
100% Merlot
Definitely a wine for those who like oak, this wine has an intense oak, butter, vanilla and coconut nose, with ripe berry fruit underneath. A good barbecue wine. [T.G.I.C. Importers, Inc., 818-769-1821, $84/case]

Santa Rita / 1996 Lontue Valley / 120
100% Merlot
In some wines I like a “barnyard”nose but young Chilean Merlot may not be the best place for it. Still, for those who want the funk, this is the only option I found in the genre. [Vineyard Brands Inc., 205-980-8802, $65/case]

Santa Rita / 1995 Maipo Valley / Reserva
100% Merlot
With just a touch of that earthy, barnyard funk, this wine is far more interesting than its non-reserva counterpart. Great spicy finish, lots of ripe cherry fruit and a structure that says it will age well. [Vineyard Brands Inc., 205-980-8802, $90/case]

Stony Hollow / 1996 Aconcagua Valley
100% Merlot
Dried cherries, light spice and a touch of minerals. A nice, rounded package that works well with lighter meals and a good choice for a bar pour. [Joseph Victori Wines, Inc., 914-637-0100, $59/case]

Terra Nova / 1994 Maipo Valley
100% Merlot
Ripe plums and apricots, with a touch of cocoa and cedar. Good acidity and tannins show promise for some development with time. This one works well with lighter meals, such as poultry and pasta. [Freixenet, USA, Inc., 707-996-4981, $96/case]

Sergio Traverso / 1995 Rapel Valley / Reserva
100% Merlot
Ripe, plummy fruit, with a touch of pepper and spice. The sweet oak carries through and onto the finish making this a great choice with spicy foods. [Parrott & Co., 212-734-2782, $64/case]

Undurraga / 1996 Cochagua Valley
100% Merlot
Bright red fruit that could only be described as “juicy,” a nice touch of oak and earthiness make this one of the best choices in the low-end bunch. A nice complement to lighter meals. [Kobrand Corporation, 212-490-9300, $56/case]

Veramonte / 1996 Valle Central
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon
Ripe cherry fruit, with well-balanced tannins and acidity. Just a touch of spice and oak add to the package. This tasty wine is a delightful drink with fish, poultry and veal. [Franciscan Estates, 707-963-7111, $80/case]

Viña Santa Carolina / 1995 Maule Valley / Reserva
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
An oddity for Merlot, this wine has strong tropical fruit flavors of banana and pineapple, with light spice and an intriguing softness. The off-dry finish works well with the flavor profile and pairs nicely with spicier cuisines. [Canandaigua Wine Co., 716-394-7900, $84/case]

Viña Tarapacá / 1995 Maipo Valley
100% Merlot
Black pepper and dried herbs dominate the light-styled fruit here. A touch of bitterness on the finish is a nice touch, if not typical. This would work well with pasta dishes. [Beringer Wine World Estates, 707-963-7115, $64/case]

Viña Tarapacá / 1005 Maipo Valley / Reserva
100% Merlot
Riper, richer fruit and definitely more oak than its non-reserva counterpart. Still a strong dose of black pepper and dried herbs that works well with Mediterranean cuisines. [Beringer Wine World Estates, 707-963-7115, $76/case]

MODERATE

Carmen / 1996 Rapel Valley / Reserva
100% Merlot
A soft, delicious dark fruit character, with notes of chocolate and a delightful bittersweet oak finish put this in the top lineup. A tasty choice with roast poultry or veal. [Brown-Forman Worldwide, 502-585-1100, $99/case]

Casa Lapostolle / 1995 Rapel Valley / Cuvée Alexandre
100% Merlot
Amazingly juicy, cherry fruit, loads of spice and plety of tannin and acidity make this a delicious quaff now and a contender for one of the most age worthy entries. Pair with your veal entrée. [Schieffelin & Somerset Co., 212-251-8200, $138/case]

De Martino / 1996 Maipo Valley / Prima Reserve
85% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon
Ripe, dark fruit, lots of juicy acidity and a healthy dose of tannins. Similar to the non-reserve entry, there is a hint of soap or cilantro on the nose. Cellar it a bit and then serve it with an Asian-style meal. [O.F.S. Imports, 707-526-9111, $104/case]

Stonelake / 1996 Lontue Valley
100% Merlot
Earthy, dark fruit, with a pepperiness and an off-dry finish. There is a nice dose of alcohol and tannin that will give this wine some life over the next few years. Serve with red meat. [Billington Distributors, 703-541-0115, $112/case]

Veramonte / 1996 Casablanca Valley / Primus
100% Merlot (Carmenère)
Black cherries, cedar and a bit of tobacco in a well-rounded wine. For the price, this is a great value that will please any customer looking for a good, solid Merlot. [Franciscan Estates, 707-963-7111, $108/case]

Santé is a glossy format trade magazine for restaurant wine buyers and educators. I wrote as a freelancer for them on and off from the first issue in November 1996 until November 2002 when they decided to stop using freelance writers.

Magazine articles, Santé

Chile, South America, Wine

Tag Archive: Wine

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