Learn How To Easily Find Wines Of $50 Quality For $10 Or Less. Impress Friends With Your Expanded Wine Knowledge. Eliminate Your Dependence On Wine Salespeople. And Take The Hassle Out Of Buying Wine.
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I can't hold Thai food entirely responsible for making me uproot my life and move halfway around the world to Sydney, Australia. But it did play a role.
In Sydney, incredible Thai restaurants are as ubiquitous (and about as affordable) as burrito joints in San Francisco. But no matter how authentic the cooking, it's hard to beat paying 20 baht (about 50 cents) at a bustling Bangkok market for curry that's bursting with tangy lime; tempered by the salt of fish sauce and the caramel of palm sugar; and followed, ideally, by a bold aftershock of chili. I decided a long time ago that if I couldn't eat out that way every day, the next best thing was knowing how to make it.
Having cooked up many a dish of Tom Khai Kai, Mee Khrob, and Massaman Curry, I thought I was pretty well versed in the cuisine for a Western chef. But it wasn't until a culinary tour of Thailand, including an amazing cooking course in Chiang Mai, that I really felt like I "got it."
Whether fiery hot or comparatively mild, when it comes to Thai, harmony's the guiding principle. Overpowering spices are toned down by pungent fresh herbs, like lemongrass and galangal. Salty sauces are tempered with sugars and offset by acids, such as lime. Moreover, rather than being served in courses, a Thai meal is presented all at once, so diners can enjoy the juxtaposition of contrasting flavors.
Yet despite the apparent complexity of Thai food, many dishes are surprisingly easy to concoct. Much of the art lies more in the prep work than in employing tricky techniques. In fact, you'll often find that having the ingredients lined up and ready to go is half the battle.
Of course you can just go to a restaurant or buy ready-made curry pastes and sauces, but trust me, Thai is almost certainly easier to master than you realize. And if you can't afford to travel, cooking this marvelous cuisine is the next best thing to a trip to Thailand. Or Sydney.
Wine & Thai Food
When choosing a wine to accompany a Thai meal, the same thought should be given to equilibrium as it is in cooking Thai. Riesling and pinot noir are probably your two best bets for spicy hot dishes: a good rule of thumb being that the spicier the food, the sweeter the wine. For example, pair a slightly dry number with a tangy but mild lemongrass and coconut chicken soup. But use a more sugary vintage to tone down the fire of a curry.
The German Auslese style rieslings are excellent and reasonably priced. Two U.S. producers, Bonny Doon (whose Pacific Rim is marketed to serve with Asian cuisine) and Hogue, both make good, affordable rieslings. As for pinots, their delicate flavors, which can be smothered by heavy steak or barbecue, are enhanced by hot and spicy food.
Remember that spicy food exaggerates the tannin and natural bitterness in wine. The addition of salt and sour flavors will help counteract this effect, as they make the wine milder, fruitier and less bitter.
Thus, if you're drinking a merlot or cabernet sauvignon with duck in red curry, the addition of fish sauce to the curry - or salt to the duck - will help counteract the chilies. Similarly, the addition of lime juice to a green mango salad will offset the spiciness and pair nicely with a sauvignon blanc/semillon blend. For a moderately spicy, ginger-rich dish, a good gewurztraminer makes an excellent contrast.
Another thing to consider is the method of food preparation. Generally speaking, grilled or pan-roasted foods will be better matches with your wines than those that are deep-fried. For example, Kai Yang (chicken marinated in garlic, pepper and lemongrass, and then grilled) is delicious with a crisp white wine or a fruity red.
Tips and Tricks
Never cut kaffir lime leaves, as too much oil will come off on the knife and diminish the strength of the flavor. Tear them gently instead.
When kaffir zest is unavailable, substitute lemon peel rather than lime, as the latter is too bitter.
Ginger, in smaller quantities, can be used as a substitute for galangal (also known as ginza or laos powder).
When making large quantities of curry paste to store in the fridge or freezer, it's best to fry it first in oil, and then store both the oil and the paste. This helps retain better color and flavor. Dried chilies provide a better color in paste than fresh ones.
Always add lime juice after the heat has been turned off.
Mung beans should be stored in salt, not water, to keep them crunchy.
Don't fry garlic and shallots together, as the garlic will cook quicker and turn brown. Shallots soaked in water for 10 minutes won't make you cry when cutting them.
Use a tablespoon of coconut milk as a garnish for curries to provide an attractive color contrast.
To separate coconut cream from milk, refrigerate it for 10 minutes, then skim off the top.
Milk, cucumber or tomato will stop the burning sensation from chilies; water will amplify it.
When stir-frying, always preheat your wok at least five minutes, until it's smoking hot. Add your oil and wait 10 seconds before beginning to add meat and vegetables.
Although Thai people eschew appetizers in favor of eating a variety of dishes all at once (proving yet again that it's the harmony of opposing forces that define this cuisine), for us Western cheats, this makes a great appetizer that can serve as a prelude to a wide range of main courses.
4 cups pork spareribs cut into 1-inch pieces Enough oil to deep fry 3 cups chicken stock or water 1/2 cup oil 1/2 cup chopped garlic with skin on
SAUCE 1/2 cup chopped garlic 1/4 cup roughly chopped coriander root and stem 1 t crushed white peppercorns 2 T oyster sauce 1 T light soy sauce* 1 T soy sauce 1/4 t sweet soy sauce
*You can easily cheat and just use 2 tablespoons of regular soy sauce. But try to get the sweet soy. In a pinch, just add a little palm or brown sugar instead.
Mix the spareribs together with all sauce ingredients, then put them in a pan along with the stock. Simmer 20 minutes. Drain the stock, and set the ribs aside.
Put 1/2 cup oil into a wok. When it's hot, add the unpeeled garlic, and cook on high heat until the garlic starts to turn brown. Lower the heat, and keep stirring until the garlic is crispy (about 2-3 minutes). Drain the oil, and put the garlic on some kitchen paper.
Put the oil for deep frying into a wok. When it's hot, fry the spareribs until golden brown (4-5 minutes), then drain.
To serve, put the ribs on a plate, and sprinkle with garlic.
If you can't get pandanus leaves or don't want to fry the chicken, this dish is also excellent when the marinated chicken is baked, covered, for about 30 minutes. If you do use leaves, be sure to remove them before serving, as they aren't edible.
1 cup chicken breast cut into 20 equal-sized pieces 20 pandanus leaves 4 T roasted sesame seeds 1 t ground black pepper 1 cup of oil
SAUCE 1 T light soy sauce 1 T tapioca flour 1 T sesame oil
Put chicken in a bowl, add sauce ingredients and mix well. Marinate at least 10 minutes. Then add the sesame seeds and pepper, and mix well.
Wrap each piece of chicken in a pandanus leaf, cutting off the ends if too long. The chicken can be stored in the refrigerator until ready to fry.
Put oil into pre-heated wok, and turn to medium heat. When oil is hot, add chicken pieces, frying until cooked through - about five minutes. Drain on kitchen paper and serve immediately (ideally with a sweet chili dipping sauce).
NAM JIM GAI (Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce) (serves 4)
This sauce makes a fantastic accompaniment to most Thai dishes and is added like salt and pepper. Once cooked this can be stored in a bottle for about one month at room temperature.
3/4 cup finely chopped coriander root 5 cups chopped pickled garlic 7 finely chopped big, red chilies 3 1/2 cups sugar 2 cups white radish, cut into thin strips 1 1/2 cups vinegar 1/4 t salt
Put all ingredients into a pan, and simmer on low heat about 20 minutes, until sauce is thick. Stir occasionally.
Recipes adapted from A Passion For Thai Cooking by Sompon and Elizabeth Nabnian.
Part of becoming a connoisseur of cheap wines is knowing where to look for them. I’ll share with you one of my little secret places I attempt to seek out cheap wine: the “Reduced for Quick Sale” shelf at your local supermarket. At Meijer, my local super-mega-ultra-store, this shelf is usually located in the bottle return area. Not a very pleasant place to be searching for wines, but just think of it as a treasure hunt! You may find a bounty of cheap wines that you never knew existed.
While picking over the wines yesterday, a cartoon label caught my eye: Big Daddy Vineyards Merlot. I picked up the March 2002 vintage for about 6 dollars.
Why was this reduced for quick sale? Was it worth enduring the stench of the bottle return area to bring home this wine? Yes, yes it was. It’s almost sad that this wine traveled all the way from Argentina to end up in my bottle return area.
Big Daddy knows how to make a good cheap wine. Believe it or not, the first attribute of this wine I picked up on was the light hint of bacon. Mmm bacon. Who doesn’t love bacon? Big Daddy loves it, that’s for sure. Look at that belly! On top of the bacon was a strong berry with a leathery taste.
If you’re looking for a full bodied cheap red wine with a lot of character, give the Big Daddy Merlot a try.
Rating: 8/10 - High score for originality Price: 6.00 Place of purchase: Meijer Vineyard Info: Big Daddy Vineyards Mendoza, Argentina www.bigdaddyvineyards.com
Imagine a corner of Italy where rice is as commonplace as pasta. Where you can visit a university of gastronomy and a university for truffle-hunting dogs all in the same day. Windsurf a secluded lake, mountain bike old Roman trails, hot-air balloon above vineyards, or test the powder on an Olympic-quality ski run. And through it all, taste some of the flat-out finest food and wine anywhere.
Welcome to Piemonte. Meaning ?foot of the mountain,? and tucked in between the Italian Riviera and the Alps of France and Switzerland, Piemonte (pyeh-MOHN-teh) has aptly been called Italy?s ?green treasure chest.? Home of Barolo and Barbaresco wine, wild boar and venison, butter and cheese, and the ?Holy Grail of cuisine? ? the white truffle ? this prosperous province offers something for everyone, every month of the year.
The Truffle Shuffle They may look like mutant potatoes, but white truffles rank among the priciest and most sought-after foods on the planet. Finding them ? in the woods, underground, in the dead of night ? involves a keen-nosed mongrel dog and arcane lore (including moon phases) passed down from father to son. Every trifolau (truffle hunter, in Piemontese dialect) guards his best spots like secret fishing holes. No wonder ? the prize fungi fetch stratospheric prices (a 1.2-kilo giant recently brought more than $120K at auction, and even ordinary ones can cost hundreds).
Every fall, the world celebrates Tuber magnatum pico at the Truffle Market in the historic town of Alba. You enter below a larger-than-life poster of Sophia Loren holding a monster truffle, then thread your way past booth after booth of cheeses, sausages and other local specialties. Sample the truffled wild boar salami, the testun cheese with its crust of grape pressings, the breadstick dipped in chestnut honey, the dense hazelnut cake, and follow the heady aromas to the café bar in back.
For 25 euros you can taste what the fuss is all about. While you watch, one stately gentleman shaves tissue-thin truffle slices over a pair of sunny-side-up eggs; another pours you a big glass of Barolo from magnum. (This is Breakfast of Champions Piemonte style!)
Around the bend, past fragrant heaps of porcini mushrooms, the trifolai themselves display their finds. If you buy a truffle to bring home, keep it dry and cool (some suggest packing it in dry rice) and use it as soon as you can. (Oh, and it will perfume everything in your suitcase.) Or avoid the hassles by getting bottles of truffle oil instead ? it?s available year-round, it keeps for months, and a few drops go a long way. (Tartufi Morra, in Alba, is a great source for all things truffle.)
Drinks Move over Chianti, make way for the world-class reds, whites and sparklers of Piemonte. They?re varied, versatile, and supremely food-friendly, with a history that traces back to Etruscan times (~800 B.C.). From the castle-studded Langhe and Roero regions to the Alpine foothills, here are a few of the best.
Arneis: A dry, fragrant, food-friendly white with great acidity and clean flavors from stainless-steel aging. Great with freshwater perch from the lake district or trout from the mountain streams.
(Cortese di) Gavi: Dry and crisp; an ancient varietal with DOCG (Italy?s highest) status. Try it with a fritto misto (?mixed fry?) of freshwater fish.
Chardonnay: Piemonte?s cool hillsides make for a balanced, fruit-driven chard, usually with little or no oak. A natural with buttered tajerin (fresh, thin-sliced egg noodles) and local game birds such as quail and pheasant.
Moscato (muscat): Made dry, sweet or sparkling, the highly fragrant moscato shows ripe, honeyed fruit-and-floral aromas. Great with hard-to-pair foods, and as a lower-alcohol afternoon sipper. Moscato passito, a hyper-sweet version, is made by raisining the grapes, either on the vine or in the winery. And love it or loathe it, the muscat-based Asti Spumante is hard to beat with Piemontese hazelnut cake, or with cheese and cogna? fruit chutney.
Alta Langa, a fairly new DOC (regional appellation), produces metodo classico (Champagne-styled) dry sparklers, primarily from chardonnay and pinot noir grapes.
Dolcetto: Medium-bodied and dry despite its name. Soft tannins, forward fruit and reasonable price make it an easy-drinking intro to Piemontese reds. A good partner for a sampler plate of local cheeses.
Barbera: Piemonte?s most popular everday red; quality has vastly improved in recent years. Bring it on a vineyard picnic or team it with Piemonte?s garlicky staple, bagna caoda (see recipe).
Nebbiolo: When produced without much barrel aging, this varietal is fresh and lively, with medium body and berry-spice flavors. It?s easy-going enough for a rustic lunch of bread, aged sheep cheese and wild boar sausage; heady enough to take on braised veal or wild hare at dinner.
Barolo and Barbaresco: Big and burly, both made from the nebbiolo grape, they?re aged for up to three years in oak and can develop in bottle for decades. Locals call them the ?king and queen? of Piemontese reds and serve them with the region?s heartiest fare including venison, risotto with porcini, and anything with white truffles. Barolo Chinato, seasoned with botanicals such as quinine bark, juniper and rosemary, makes a potent after-dinner digestivo.
Piemonte Producers Many wineries are open to the public for tours and tasting; others require an appointment. In addition, most restaurants and bottle shops feature a wide range of wines from the entire region. Here?s a sampling: Aldo Conterno Bruno Giacosa Castello Banfi Ceretto Fontanafredda Gaja Gancia Gianni Gagliardo Michele Chiarlo Pio Cesare Prunotto Renato Ratti Sandrone Vietti
Eats Fonduta ? Piemonte?s alpine fondue, made with fontina cheese and often stirred into risotto. For a high-ticket version, shave white truffles on top.
Agnolotti del plin ? Ravioli stuffed with veal, pork, spinach and nutmeg; often topped with sage butter.
Riso (rice) ? Many varieties (look for short-grain ?Vialone Nano? or black ?Venere?). Piemontese risotto recipes vary from the salami-studded Panissa of the northeast to the wine-country mainstay, Risotto al Barolo.
Polenta ? The best is stone-ground, from heirloom varieties of corn. Served hot and creamy with butter and/or melted cheese, or poured out, cut into squares, and baked or sautéed.
Carne Cruda ? Piemonte-style steak tartare; made with beef or veal and dressed with olive oil and lemon.
Bollito misto ? ?Mixed Boil? tastes much better than it sounds. Assorted long-simmered meats (some recipes include a pig?s foot and calf head along with the veal breast, capon and cotechino sausage) and seasonal vegetables.
Manzo Stufato ? Braised beef, with varied seasonings such as bay leaf and nutmeg.
Tartufo Bianco: The white truffle, ?Jewel of Piemonte,? tastes best as a last-second topping for simple hot foods such as eggs, buttered pasta and risotto. Shave it as thin as possible (a special tool is available locally) to release its musky, earthy aromas. Learn more at a 90-minute class in the sensory analysis of the truffle?s elusive aromas, or join the fourth-generation rector of the University of Truffle Dogs, and his ace sniffer ?Lady,? on a simulated truffle hunt.
Cheeses Piemonte produces a huge variety of cheeses. The intense, blue-marbled Castelmagno is often stirred into fresh pasta or gnocchi. Caprino, made from goat?s milk, is tangy and creamy when young; denser and punchier as it ages. Murazzano, a sheep cheese from the Langhe region, has its own festival in August. Bettelmat, from the lake district, gets its distinctive flavor from an aromatic local grass that the cows feed on. Melt some Fontina for a classic après-ski fonduta; slice some firm Toma, creamy Taleggio, or nutty, rich Robiola over hot polenta. Families who make their own cheeses often dry-age them to various stages of hardness and pungency, and also cure them in olive oil with wild or garden herbs.
Sweets Bonet: Caramel-cocoa custard, usually served cold.
Giandujotti: Mini foil-wrapped chocolate-hazelnut confections, reportedly invented by Napoleon when chocolate supplies were low.
Torta di Nocciole (Hazelnut cake): Made with or without cocoa powder, cinnamon and orange peel, it stars Piemonte?s famous and flavorful tonda gentile (round and friendly) variety of hazelnut.
Frutta: Piemonte?s fruit ranks among Europe?s finest. Try fresh summer strawberries or peaches soaked in Moscato, with some crunchy brutti ma buoni (ugly but good) mini-biscotti. Ciliege al Barolo (wine-marinated cherries), on menus in season, are also available in jars. Madernassa pears (an ancient local variety, recently saved from extinction) are wonderful as is, stewed with spices, or distilled into grappa. (The agricultural cooperative at Cascina del Cornale sells these and more.)
Bicerin: Torino?s hot coffee, chocolate and cream pick-me-up; it originated in an 18th century café? that still features it.
Caffe? Corretto: Cuppa joe, wine-country style, served even at breakfast: splash in some red wine to ?correct? the coffee?s bitter edge.
Where to Eat Ristorante Elvezia, in the town of Stresa on Lago Maggiore. Try the lake fish ?in cartoccio? (cooked in parchment)
Gianni Gagliardo in La Morra. Restaurant features truffle menus in season; adjoining winery. Vintner Gagliardo founded and hosts the annual Barolo Auction.
Piola on the town square in Alba. Cozy trattoria owned by the winemaking Ceretto family, featuring their wines. Great house-made ravioli.
Belvedere, on the hilltop in La Morra, for agnolotti, wild game and a spectacular view of the Langhe wine country.
La Contea, in Neive. Traditional Piemontese specialties, with home-cured meats, fresh-made egg pasta, game birds, and truffles in season. A ?Buon Ricordo? restaurant: you get a hand-painted souvenir plate when you order the specialty of the house.
Combal.Zero for cutting-edge food and presentation, next to the ancient Rivoli castle near Torino. Innovative chef-owner Davide Scabin puts ?ingredients together in an unusual way: semi-solid soups, semi-liquid pizzas, cyber-eggs.? (These last come with white helium balloons attached, which make for unique after-dinner conversation?) He numbers each version of a dish ?like a new edition of software? ? Albese 2.4, for example, for his Alba-style veal recipe.
Golosi di Salute in Alba. Gorgeous pastries and confections with a health-conscious twist. Just ask, and they?ll steer you toward dairy-free, yeast-free, or sugar-free options. Must-try: the butter-free croissants, enriched with extra-virgin olive oil.
Baratti e Milano in Torino. Café? and confectionery shop, dating from 1875, with ultra-luxe inlaid marble floors, carved mahogany and silk-upholstered furnishings.
Caffe? Florio, an elegant Torino landmark, since 1780. It?s said that Garibaldi planned the future of Italy here. Renowned for gelato, especially the hazelnut-chocolate gianduiotto.
Where to Stay Lake district: Hotel San Rocco in Orta San Giulio ? A former convent, with ancient stonework, beamed ceilings, updated rooms. Lakefront indoor-outdoor dining (chef Paolo Viviani won top prize in the ?06 ?Rice Olympics? chef competition), great lake and mountain views. Hit the nearby shops for picnic supplies or foodie souvenirs: varietal rice, dried porcini mushrooms, multicolored pasta ribbons.
Torino: Hotel Santo Stefano ? Sleek and contemporary. Its modern brick façade, with recessed color-changing LEDs, makes a neat old-meets-new contrast with the nearby Roman arches.
Wine Country: Foresteria Conti Roero in Monticello d?Alba ? Up a steep, winding mountain road, this remote, country-elegant retreat started life as a hunting lodge for Piemontese nobility. Great wine list geared to regional specialties at its restaurant, Conte Roero.
Albergo dell?Agenzia in Pollenzo, a four-star hotel on a Savoy country estate. Each guest room is named for a local wine, and the fitness center features a Turkish bath. The Agenzia also houses the University of Gastronomic Sciences (the first of its kind in the world) and the Wine Bank (a ?bottle library? from producers throughout Italy). You can take the Wine Bank guided tour and taste several bottlings from the cellar. Or book the two-day crash course in Piemontese food and wine, which includes wine-themed dinners and tastings at nearby wineries.
Torino ? Museums, Shopping and More
Torino, Italy?s capital of contemporary art, offers over 40 museums and outdoor exhibits. Its Egyptian Museum is ranked second in the world, after Cairo, and the Automobile Museum houses a large collection of rare and vintage cars. (If you?re staying for 48 or 72 hours, consider the Torino Card for free public transport, and free or deep-discount tickets to concerts, museums and more. Some hotels even include the Card with a two-night booking.)
For movie buffs, the five-story Cinema Museum, in the Mole Antonelliana (?Italy?s Eiffel Tower?), traces Italian film history from its beginnings in Torino. Charlie Chaplin?s bowler hat is here, along with a shark head from Jaws and an archive of some 200,000 films. An interactive tour leads you through the stages of filmmaking, and spotlights typical movie themes in ten different ?chapels.? (In the ?love? chapel, reportedly, you lie on red, heart-shaped cushions to watch flicks; in the ?humor? chapel, you sit on a toilet.)
Just outside town, the Castello di Rivoli, built for the Savoy royal dynasty, now houses a knockout modern collection in the Museo di Arte Contemporaneo. Along with an extensive permanent collection of Italian and international modern masters, the museum hosts special exhibits (the current show features Claes Oldenburg) of both established and up-and-coming artists.
Throughout Torino?s city center, covered walkways and glassed-in arcades make it easy to shop, snack and people-watch in any weather. The sprawling Porta Palazzo, with over 700 stalls, claims the title of Europe?s largest open-air market, and the former Fiat factory in Lingotto has morphed into a multi-story shopping galleria. (Don?t miss the test track on the roof, overlooking the ?06 Olympic Village.)
For nightlife, head to the wine bars, clubs and dusk-to-dawn discos of the Murazzi del Po, Quadrilatero Romano (Roman Quarter), or Docks Dora in the old warehouse district. Craving a martini? Salute ? vermouth was invented here!
Recipe adapted from Seafood Pasta and Noodles, The New Classics by Rosina Tinari Wilson (Ten Speed Press)
Bagna Caoda
Piemontese for ?hot bath,? it?s a fondue-style regional specialty featuring assorted raw and cooked vegetables and a rich garlic-anchovy dipping sauce. Add some baguette slices to round out the meal, and to mop up any extra sauce.
Bagna Caoda Sauce
1 cup small whole garlic cloves, peeled 1 cup olive oil 1 cup butter 1 can (2 oz.) anchovies, drained and coarsely chopped 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
Vegetables Arrange your choice of seasonal vegetables on a serving platter ? raw, cooked or some of each. Examples: carrot and zucchini sticks, string beans, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and cauliflower florets, green onions, cabbage wedges, radishes, tiny potatoes.
How To Simmer garlic in olive oil and butter over very low heat (an electric fondue pot is ideal) until garlic becomes very soft and golden, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir in anchovies and parsley and keep warm while everyone ?bathes? their veggies.
This multiply reviewed wine is always a super value and a great quaff. It has an intense deep black cherry color with vegetal aromas with rich dark berries.
Palate is a rich, big, juicy Cab. that is a blockbuster wine with big dark fruit that's bready and delicious finishing with subtle chocolate. What a bargain at $15
Upgraded to 96-100 points Parker: "This offering has been controversial as its price increase ranged between 300-400%, but this is a great terroir, and since the remarkable winemaking team of Nicolas Thienpont and Stephane Derenoncourt took over in 2002, Larcis Ducasse is finally showing its true colors. Located near Pavie, it possesses undeniable potential as demonstrated by the profound 2005. A 3,000-case blend of 78% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon fashioned from yields of 27 hectoliters per hectare, it underwent all of the standard garagiste winemaking techniques. It is not surprising that just about all the famous estates in this neighborhood on the Cote Pavie, including Pavie and Troplong-Mondot, did unbelievably well in 2005. A dark, dense purple color is followed by an extraordinary perfume of roasted herbs, espresso, tapenade, creme de cassis, and sweet kirsch. It is a wine of sheer opulence, extravagant richness, sweet tannin, and an amazingly layered texture as well as length. A blockbuster with superb elegance, finesse, and precision, it represents an exceptional achievement. Kudos to everyone involved for turning out this modern day legend. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2030."
Today was the Culinary Showcase of IACP. Like any trade show, you have your big ass sponsors whose money subsidizes the whole shebang and get to fete the attendees, thus solidifying their market share, and you get little gems like… Gourmet Sardinia: These products make my heart race. Imported by chef Elfisio Farris who wrote the [...]
When people find out that I enjoy cheap wine enough to devote a website to it, they usually ask me if I have been to Trader Joe’s. My response, until last week, has always been “No, not yet”.
Well, I finally caved and took a trip to Detroit, the nearest Trader Joe’s location for me here in Lansing. Ann Arbor might actually be closer, but as an MSU Spartan, I try to stay out of there.
I’d like to preface this review of Charles Shaw Cabernet with a synopsis of Trader Joe’s. If you have one near you, go there. If not for the wine, then for the thousands of food items that pack the small market. I spent 80 dollars, which sounds like a bit much especially for me. I ended up leaving with 2 cases of wine and enough food for a week. Fresh mozzarella, fresh gnocchi, fresh salsa (notice a pattern?), Guacamole chips, Trader Joe’s Marinara, soups, veggies…. I was in heaven. They have got all kinds of cheeses, breads, meats, micro-brewed beers, and their wine selection was out of this world. What a great store!
Trader Joe’s is the exclusive retailer of Charles Shaw Wines, better known to most as “Two-buck Chuck”. In California these wines sell for $1.99, which is just amazing. Here in Michigan, though, the price was $2.99.
Did we like it? Was it worth the trip?
Hell yes it was! For 3 dollars, I don’t think it could have been any better. The Cabernet was great. At first, I found it to be a little sweet, but looking back, I was actually enjoying the salsa with the wine, which probably wasn’t a great combination. Along with the Cab, I also purchased some of the Shiraz, Merlot, and Chardonnay (reviews coming soon).
Congrats to Two-Buck-Chuck and Trader Joe’s for achieving the highest rating available here on Cheap Wine Reviews. Hats off to you!
Rating: 10/10 Price: $2.99 Place of PurchaseTrader Joe’s
Kansas City, there I came, for an evening of 1947 Bordeaux assembled by one of the Midwest?s top connoisseurs, Mark. When it comes to Kansas City and wine, there is only one Mark. It was actually a wine weekend, but I could only get away for a Saturday night due to a June catalog production [...]
Recently, at a dinner with friends, one man's date turned to me and complained, "He's so boring. All he ever talks about is wine. All day long he talks about wine." I probably looked hurt, because I was just as engrossed in our discussion of Syrah as he was. Lorraine leaned toward me and whispered, "She's right, you know. We're all hopeless wine geeks. Look at us from an outsider's point of view."
Tequila. Whether it conjures images of swarthy, ammo-strapped banditos sidled up to the bar in a captive Mexican border town or fantasies of idyllic hours in hammocks on tropical vacations, the word tequila is perhaps the most evocative in the drinker's lexicon.
Tequila's siren song is mysterious and sexy, with a hypnotic off-key recklessness. She lures you in by seducing your mind, secure in the knowledge that your body - and taste buds - will have no choice but to follow.
While this exotic spirit has tempted drinkers around the world for centuries, few of us who make margaritas a staple of summertime understand or appreciate the journey tequila has taken from Mexico's highlands to the local supermarket shelf. It's not all blender drinks and body shots. Tequila has a long and increasingly turbulent history - one that's almost as complex as the spirit itself.
Once Upon A Time In Mexico...
The tale of tequila is at least as long as the history of Europeans in North America. The spirit's precursor, mezcal wine, was produced shortly after the Spaniards arrived in the New World in 1521. Unaccustomed to drinking plain water (which, in their European homeland was rife with bacteria and bugs, and often a one-way ticket to the plague pit), the Conquistadors were eager to create a new alcoholic beverage. They found the makings at hand in pulque, a nutrient-packed brew derived from the fermented sap of agave plants, which had been a staple of the native diet millennia before the arrival of these thirsty men. The Conquistadors set to work distilling pulque into a drink considerably more potent, and in less than a century they were cultivating local agave and turning pulque into mezcal wine for exportation back to the Old World. Fortunately for generations of drinkers that followed, the Conquistadors never did know how to leave an indigenous people's traditions well enough alone; mezcal wine eventually evolved into the treat we now call tequila.
Though the origin of the word itself remains a mystery, it's believed that tequila was named for the small town of Tequila in the Jalisco state of Mexico. The "Father of Tequila," Don Pedro Sanches de Tagle, Marquis of Altamira, saw the potential for this potent liquor and established the first tequila factory in his hacienda in 1600. Over the next hundred years, tequila was used for everything from generating taxes for public works to curing New World illnesses. It became so popular, in fact, that Spain's king began to worry about the competition tequila was causing, and in 1785 banned production of all spirits in Mexico in order to promote the importation of Spanish wines and spirits. Unwilling to give up their livelihood to a monarch an ocean away, makers of mezcal wines simply continued their trade in secret - at times literally baking agave underground - until the ban was lifted when King Ferdinand IV took the throne the following decade.
The tequila manufacturer who remains perhaps the most famous today, Jose Antonio Cuervo, was the first licensed manufacturer in Mexico in 1758. His family's Casa Cuervo proved very profitable, by the mid-19th century boasting fields of over three million agave plants. Cuervo was the first distiller to put tequila in bottles instead of barrels, selling the first in 1906. Though other tequila distillers rose to compete with Cuervo and continue to join the market today (perhaps the most notable being Sauza), pioneer Cuervo remains the world's largest tequila manufacturer.
Improvements in transportation during the 19th century helped take the fruits of Mexican distillers' tequila labor into North America and beyond. As its popularity increased beyond Mexico's borders, tequila also experienced a growing reputation within the country during the revolution of the early 1900s, when the drink became a symbol of national pride. Caught in a nationalistic fervor, Mexicans quickly cast aside imports in favor of home-grown products of all kinds. Before long, tequila became synonymous with hard-living, fearless gunslingers like Pancho Villa - heroes of the era. In America, the Mexican favorite experienced a surge in popularity during Prohibition, when thirsty drinkers were tempted by tequila smuggled across the border, and again during WWII, when hostilities made European imports scarce.
Legend has it that the drink tequila made famous, the margarita, was first mixed in Mexico or a nearby state sometime between 1930 and 1955. The cocktail made its way into gringo hands, and no lime or Mexican flag on a toothpick has been safe since.
Don't Call It Cactus
Though often confused, mezcal and tequila are not one and the same. Both are distilled from the agave plant, a succulent from the same family as the lily and the amaryllis, but only liquors made from the blue agave are called tequila. Contrary to popular belief, agave is not a cactus. Though agave shares a common habitat with many prickly cacti neighbors, it has a different life cycle, and there are 136 Mexican species in its own unique agave family.
The process of creating tequila begins when the blue agave plant ripens, usually eight to 12 years after planting. Because the plant must be ripe enough to have sufficient sugars for fermentation, a jimador first performs the crucial task of chopping leaves away from the plant's core to assess its ripeness. If the plant is deemed ready, the core - or piña - is cut away and taken to a distillery for roasting in furnaces called hornos. After roasting, the piñas are shredded, and the juices pressed out and placed in vats or fermenting tanks. Once in the vats, yeast is added to the juices to convert the sugars of the agave to alcohol. These agents are so vital to the process and to creating unique tastes in tequila that distillers keep very tight-lipped about their individual yeasts. The resulting juices then ferment 30 to 48 hours before undergoing distillation twice. The outcome is a rich, potent, colorless liquid between 70 and 110 proof. The color comes later, brought on by wooden barrel aging, or from the addition of caramel or wood essence. In the final step of processing, most tequila is filtered through cellulose filters or activated carbon before bottling.
Protecting a National Treasure
Mexicans are understandably proud and protective of their national alcoholic spirit, and between World Wars I and II, the Mexican government began efforts to closely monitor production and distribution of tequila. In 1944, the government decreed that any product called tequila had to be made by distilling agave in the state of Jalisco. Today, there are only five regions where tequila can be legally made; most are in the semi-arid plateaus and highlands of Jalisco and the adjoining states of Guanajuato, Michoacan and Nayarit, and the northeastern state of Tamaulipas.
To help guarantee the quality of tequila, in 1978 the Normas Oficial Mexicana (NOM) was established, regulating all agricultural, industrial and commercial processes related to the spirit. Since then, the industry has continued to grow, with more than 50,000 hectares of agave under cultivation and more than 500 brands of tequila available today. To help control the burgeoning industry, the Tequila Regulatory Council (TRC) was founded in 1994 to oversee industry production, quality and standards.
The fundamental standard set by these oversight agencies categorizes tequila based on the percentage of blue agave juice it contains. Tequila 100 percent Agave must be made with solely blue agave juices and bottled in Mexico. Tequila or "ordinary tequila" must be made with at least 51 percent blue agave juices and may be exported in bulk for bottling in other countries according to the NOM standard.
Which tequilas are "best" is primarily a matter of individual taste. With increasing manufacturers pumping cash into spiffy packaging, sexy bottles and glossy ads, a more expensive tequila doesn't necessarily mean a better product. There are numerous quality tequilas available for $20-$50 USD. Most brands available for under $20 are usually mixto (not 100 percent agave) and are mass-produced for local markets. A good and tasty way to find a favorite is to sample a wide variety of brands in the different styles: Blanco for its young, rough edge and rich agave flavor; Reposado, which is sharp and peppery; and the woody, smooth Anejo. Trying to settle on a personal favorite is a good excuse to work one's way across the tequila shelf at the local bar, one bottle at a time.
Tequila's Uncertain Future
While tequila has a good-time reputation as the key ingredient of backyard fiestas and frat parties, there's a dark side to this South-of-the-Border libation. The popularity of Mexico's national treasure has, in some ways, caused tequila more harm than good. Growing demand has led to discontent among agave farmers who, in 1996, organized a protest against exploitation by some producers. Their blockade ultimately cost the industry millions, and the loss was passed on to consumers via price increases.
Another blow struck the tequila industry in 1997, when producer Don Jesus Lopez Roman was killed in a gangland-style execution outside his factory. Roman, whose Tequila San Matias distillery was founded in 1884, had become unpopular after taking a vocal stance in support of bottling all tequilas in Mexico and banning bulk exports to ensure content and quality. His murder remains unsolved.
If labor disputes and murder aren't enough, a recent plague of pests, diseases and impending shortage of agave has led to potential crisis. Faced with spiraling agave costs, several distillers have discontinued their low-end brands to concentrate on their premium, higher-priced tequilas. The buzz among bartenders is that as availability of blue agave declines, the price of tequila will rise and quality may not go along for the ride.
But those who love tequila for its unique, sultry taste and colorful history won't be dissuaded by these natural and man-made dramas. As the Conquistadors discovered, once you've been captivated by this ancient spirit, there's no turning back from tequila.
RECIPES
True aficionados say the only way to enjoy tequila is straight up, but these tasty recipes are definitely worth a shot.
1 1/2 oz. tequila 1 oz. Galliano 1 oz. Blue Curaçao Cream
Shake tequila, Galliano and Curaçao with ice, and strain into cocktail glass. Float cream on top.
How to Drink Tequila
Leave lime-and-salt shooters to the chain restaurant happy hour and sip tequila slowly. This is a rich, complex liquor that deserves full sensory attention.
Serve tequila at room temperature (though those who like it icy can keep a bottle in the freezer).
Enjoy Tequila Blanco and Reposado from a traditional "caballito" glass; sniff the aromatic Anejo from a snifter.
Serve up Blanco and Reposado with a "sangrita" made of tomato and orange juice with salt and chili.
When drinking tequila on the town, ask your server to bring the bottle and pour it in your presence to be sure you get the gusto you deserve (and the brand you actually ordered).
What About That Worm?
Everyone's heard tales of folks who ate the worm in a bottle of tequila and were rendered temporarily able to glimpse into a parallel universe. Truth is, tequila worms and their supposed visionary properties are the stuff of Hollywood movies and high school urban legends. One will never see a worm in Mexican-bottled tequila, though some U.S. bottlers toss in a critter for novelty.
If you're really hankering for a worm with your booze, it's possible to find some types of mezcal that include a gusano or "butterfly caterpillar" in the bottle. Even this isn't a Mexican tradition. Those in the know say the addition of worms was a marketing ploy developed in the 1940s - the drinkers' equivalent of the toy prize in cereal boxes.
Some notes taken at a New Years Eve event … in 2006 leading into 2007.
Seppelt Salinger 1994 A slightly better bottle than the last one, this was fresher on the palate. On the nose there were aromas of creme brulee, toast, lime and a dab of oak. Still not amazingly complex on the palate, but the length is good and it is well balanced. 88/100
Moet et Chandon 1999 Green apples and grass on the nose. Very lean palate, acid stands out and this is very simple and short. 82/100
T’Gallant Moscato 2006 A pale salmon colour. Very light spritz. Strawberry, turkish delight and cherry on the nose. Palate has a medium level of sweetness, needs a touch more acid to be refreshing but it is still quite nice. 86/100
Tyrrell’s Vat 1 Semillon 1994 Honeyed nose with toast and lemon as well. There is an oily texture to the medium intensity palate. No rough edges, this was very nice drinking now. 91/100
Raymond Boulard Cuvee Reserve NV Apples, some florals and some candy style raspberry notes. Crisp palate, medium length. No elements of great excitement but it is well made and enjoyable. 87/100
Best’s Great Western Chardonnay 1986 Grapefruit, honey and wet wool aromas. Incredibly youthful palate, it was fresh, balanced and long. Seemed as though it could live another 10 years as well. 90/100
Robert Groffier Les Amoureuses 1996 Brilliant, shifting, challenging nose of cherry, earth, violets, spice and fleeting notes of coffee beans. The palate is so delicate and wonderfully poised. the mouthfeel is beautiful with well integrated tannin and acid. Superb. 94/100
Charles Melton Sparkling Shiraz (disg. February 99) Cola, chocolate and a strong horse stable component. The palate is almost sickly sweet. Worst bottle of this that I’ve had. 79/100
Orlando Lawson Shiraz 1991 Dark crimson colour. Sweetly fruited with a touch of mint. Nice intensity to the palate, it is bold without being over the top or losing focus. Very youthful, it will go another 5 years without any trouble and it wouldn’t surprise me if people were saying the same thing in 5 years. 89/100
J. Vidal-Fleury Cote-Rotie Brune et Blonde 1998 From magnum. Lifted florals, pepper, five spice and red cherries. Savoury palate with good acidity and a medium length finish. Very good. 90/100
Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanee Clos des Reas 1998 Deeply coloured. Very perfumed nose, with florals and light raspberry. Tannins are quite grippy at present, but contribute to the good structure. Well balanced acidity. 90/100
Casanova di Neri Tenuta Nuova Brunello 2001 Briary and tobacco aromas followed by vanilla, coconut and some floral characters. Quite aggressive tannins on the palate, but the length and structure are both excellent. Give this time and you will be rewarded. 91/100
Larmandier-Bernier Champagne Brut 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs 1998 Opened to drink at midnight. Corked. Happy new year. NR/100
Pol Roger Brut 1998 Apples, yeast, toast and some smoke. Good length and balance, with medium flavour intensity. Will be nice to drink over the next 5 years. 89/100
Henschke Cyril Henschke 1994 DMS city with blackcurrant, tinned corn, blackberry and chocolate oaky aromas. Palate is alright, but the wine as a whole isn’t up to the standard of one had a year prior. 84/100
Chateau d’Yquem 1958 An incredibly generous gesture from a friend of Phil’s to bring this along to share. This has been open for a while, the nose was deeply scented and consisted of caramel, burnt sugar, orange peel and almond. Luscious mouthfeel, the acid struggling a little bit to keep pace. I was immensely glad to have gotten the chance to try this. 92/100
Veuve Fourny Blanc de Blancs 1er Cru Brut NV Apples, cinnamon, honey and smoke. Dry on the good length palate, with racy acidity and great refreshment value. 88/100
Usually when people give a bottle of wine as a gift, it’s in one of those pricier velvet-style gift bags that get lost before it can get reused, or those metallic ones. The folks at Random House are offering a new, unique alternative and, best of all, if won’t break the bank.
These Wine Lovers Gift Tags run $13 for a pack of 50, and come in various shapes and sizes and even include the ribbon for tying it to the wine bottle. They might just add a little bit of humorous conversation to the next party to boot.
I'm going to buy this wine...because I just think it's terribly cool that a winery would honor one of the greatest jazz vocalists in the history of the genre. (Have you ever heard Ella sing "mack the knife"?!!?)
However, I'm probably not going to drink this Domaine Carneros Sparkling Wine while listening to any jazz, including Ella. Here's why.
I've long believed that even given the range and the diversity of the Jazz genre, the absolutely most appropriate drink to accompany Jazz is something that attacks the senses, throat, palate and body with a Velvet Bite.
No pure wine I've ever consumed possesses this quality.
By "Velvet Bite" I mean, first, that sensation of a subtle sting that warms just as the sting diminishes when the liquid is poured over your palate. You need to feel the relief of the alcohol sting diminishing just as the alcohol also begins to warm the throat and stomach.
There must be a soft clamping down on the palate that does not linger, but also is not escapable. The sensation alerts the senses in a momentary shock like no wine can do, yet fades away, relinquishing its bite in favor of alertness and warmth.
This state, I think, is best suited for listening to Jazz. Bourbon, Whiskey, Scotch and even cognac and armagnac are the proper drinks to pair with Jazz; best suited to provide a velvet bite.
Further, I believe the full affect of pairing the Velvet Bite with Jazz occurs when a shot of any of the above beverages is taken in advance of sipping on a second round of the same. And, how this shot is performed can affect the pleasure of the pairing even more if done right.
The shot, while it should be taken in all at once, should not be targeted at the throat so that it slips down past the palate with minimal contact. On the other hand, taking time to swish the beverage around the palate will also ruin the experience. Rather, the throat should be half to 3/4s closed when the shot enters the mouth. The partially closed throat will promote a slow movement of the bourbon over the palate, followed in quick order by it slowly sliding down the gullet. The technique delivers the bite, but does not sear the palate. And at the same time, a decent amount of alcohol enters the body and the blood stream in relatively quick fashion.
Yes, I'm suggesting that Jazz is best appreciated with a slight buzz. Not a "drunk". But a warm, comfortable, smirk inducing buzz.
It should be noted that after the initial shot of our preferred beverage, the second round can be sipped, and probably enjoyed even more due to the palate, body and mind having been properly prepared by the initial shot.
Wine is simply too week to stand up to the challenging nature of jazz; the subtle, complex and sometimes jolting nature of jazz rhythms require the body to be properly prepared with an anesthesia that both weakens one's grip on convention, yet provides a bite.
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Tecnorati
Usually when people give a bottle of wine as a gift, it’s in one of those pricier velvet-style gift bags that get lost before it can get reused, or those metallic ones. The folks at Random House are offering a new, unique alternative and, best of all, if won’t break the bank.