Last Friday night I was taken out for a fabulous meal at a great, well-regarded restaurant I hadn’t been to somehow. We thought the menu looked gorgeous and then the food came out even more artistically presented and attentively cooked than I’ve had the pleasure to enjoy in some time. But I digress…

The table’s biggest wine nerd, I was asked to select a bottle of wine for all to enjoy. Each of us selected a completely different entree, however, so it was no easy task – and I sense one that many of us grapple with when out with a group. Fortunately, when it comes to food and wine pairing the goal is to take things to an even higher level. It is hard to absolutely ruin a culinary experience. Think of it this way: the food can be great and the wine can be great; in an optimal pairing the two are AWESOME together. An imperfect pairing usually just means that the wine is good and the food is good. Neither destroys or substantially enhances the experience of the other. (Only when you choose a big red wine with fish can things go truly poorly – the fish ends up tasting like you’re chewing on tinfoil, or metalic.)

Our dinners consisted of steak, duck confit, lobster and salmon and our host preferred whites to red. Immediately I hoped for one of the quintessential great-pairing whites on the list: dry Reisling, Albarino or even Gewurztraminer. But the white wine choices consisted of a few Sauvignon Blancs and a few oaky Chards. The SB’s would have been too “sharp” to complement the beef and duck, and borderline at best given how the salmon and lobster were prepared. A buttery, oaked Chard would have been perfect for the lobster, our host’s selection, but would undermine the other dishes. And at a restaurant like that one, the food deserved the attention, not the wine.

What was a girl to do?! Default to a versatile red: Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is one of the most finicky grapes to grow and make into wine (hence the often higher price tag). It requires perfect weather conditions (warm days and cool evenings). And even when all the forces of nature align, the vines yield low levels of fruit. So you’re starting with less. But it’s high acidity and low level of tannin can be the makings of fabulous, lighter-medium bodied, silky, gently fruity, earthy and barely tart (read: food friendly) wines.

I wasn’t directly familiar with any of the three Pinots available. There were two offerings from Burgundy, France and one from Oregon. Burgundy produces drop dead gorgeous red wines but because of the finicky nature of the grape, each vintage really matters. Only the best domain’s make consistently solid wines even in an off year. I wasn’t familiar with either of the producers listed and didn’t see any of the acclaimed (prohibitively expensive?) vintages either. And then the obvious choice leapt from the pages: an Oregon Pinot! Pinot Noir from Oregon is often sexy, with delicate texture, and soft cherry and plum fruit. I find they are often less rustic than their earthier French counterparts, too (which I love but would be less appealing to others in the party). Jackpot!

If I had taken a poll I think all of us would have agreed that the food far surpassed the wine selection on Friday night. The food was THAT good and the wine was served a touch too warm and had an unexpected kick to the finish. But all in all, it was a tasty wine that complemented our range of fare just fine.

What’s your “go to” food-friendly wine?

Is it just me or are the Beijing Olympics stirring up all kinds of news headlines these days? One I caught this week was in regard to the unsurprisingly controversial tiger wines China has been producing for ages and ages and ages. Apparently the wines offer medicinal benefits, including help with arthritis, rheumatism and even (how come this doesn’t surprise me…?) impotence. Rrrroaaarrrr!!!

The tourists go crazy for the stuff! Of course the practice of using tiger carcasses drenched in rice wine is a teensy bit controversial and has rendered the wine illegal in China (since the late 80′s, no less). Tigers are on the endangered species list with only several thousand held in captivity.

But with some folks willing to pay upwards of $5,000/bottle, somehow the wine is still available – if you know which alley to wander down. Go figure! If I had my choice to spend thousands on a bottle of wine and do a good deed for wildlife protection, I think I’d hold out for a really amazing bottle of Mounton-Rothschild.

What wine news story caught your attention this week?

Today is Wine Blogging Wednesday! And so it is I have the occasion to divert from my typical blogging approach to bring news of a gorgeous, supple white wine from the Cote du Rhone, France: 2006 Chateau de Saint Cosme Cotes du Rhone Blanc.

But first a brief introduction to this Wine Blogging Wednesday I speak of…. WBW was started about 4 years ago by Lenndevours to bring a virutal wine tasting to the global masses. A theme is selected by the monthly host and then wine bloggers select a wine they’ve tasted based on the theme and post their impressions on the applicable day. This month Dr. Debs is our guide. She had the brilliant idea of selecting the Cote du Rhone whites as the theme.

For me this month’s “assignment” was a pleasure. The Cote du Rhone could be my favorite region in the wine making world. There is enough variation from the North to South to keep things interesting and challenging, too. The reds are full of character, offering a great sense of place and tradition – one that my palette adores. The whites are often seductive and refreshing. (Note: of course these comments are sweeping generalizations for a large and distinct region, but for the sake of keeping my posts relatively reasonable in length, I can’t help but tempt you to explore for yourself. The Rhone is quite fun!)

There are nine grapes of the Rhone. The St. Cosme blends 4 of them: 50% is Roussanne and the rest is Picpoul, Clairette, and Marsanne. Roussanne and Clairette are perhaps two of the most aromatic and elegant grapes in this area – and the St. Cosme surely benefits. Marsanne and Picpoul are more often used as blending grapes (though I’ve had the latter on it’s own and it is quite fantastically refreshing and versatile). Ok, so those are the grapes… “What about the wine?!”, you ask?

I was shocked by the St. Cosme’s stunning gold color. I couldn’t wait to put my nose in the glass! I gave it a swirl and initially found the nose to have hints of petrol followed by intense, ripe pear aromas. As it opened and warmed slightly (it has been HOT in Boston), honey notes emerged. My first taste did not disappoint either. It had an incredible, fleshy-full, mouthfeel and flavors of pear and other tropical fruits danced around in my mouth. It paired well with my meal, too: cucumber dill & walnut salad, grilled tandoori chicken and red potatoes. This wine received my highest “rating”: YUM!

I believe every taster has their own experience with and impressions of a wine; that’s why I don’t blog to rate wines, but rather focus on giving you the ‘back story’ or other tidbits about wine to increase your curiosity to play (read: taste) as much as possible. After tasting a wine for myself, I often investigate to see what other’s think. Sometimes I completely agree, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I laugh at how someone can say a wine is “close to being outstanding” (first, what exactly does that mean??) and then rate it only 89 points.

My recommendation? Go out and splurge on the St. Cosme Cote du Rhone Blanc! Taste the wine and then check out Spectator‘s and Parker‘s notes or Google it for more info. After I selected the wine I realized Gary V tasted this wine out not that long ago, too. So there’s lots of entertaining reading out there as you sip. Cheers!

I don’t know about you, but with the Euro/Dollar scenario, an increase in gas prices and my grocery bill skyrocketing (despite similar buying habits), I’m looking at my life budget a bit differently these days. A few weeks ago I noticed it’s actually getting to be cheaper to eat out than stay in! And I can’t tell you how many wine blogs and articles I’ve read that talk about ‘value wines’ in a different or more concerted way.

At the shop we’re not sure how things are going to go this summer. We keep refilling the racks so we know we’re still selling a ton of wine… Usually the summer in Boston is slower because people head to the Cape over the weekend. But – as I mentioned – with gas at $4/gallon, people may be more inclined to stay closer to home once the kiddies are out of school. We’re not sure. But we’re definitely choosing wines even more carefully. If a wine’s price has gone up beyond it’s worth, we’re finding other options for our customers. That’s just good business, I think.

Lately I keep wishing I had gotten in on the industry 10 years ago when I first got out of school and kick butt wines were $8-$10. I’d be tasting all sorts of phenomenal wines no one would have qualms about opening – now the “investment” is just too great. But I digress….

The good news about wine is that things will come back down – at least Old World wines. We’re “suffering” because of the exchange rate, rather than because European winemakers have jacked their prices for the hell of it. What I don’t understand – and I’d love to hear from some CA/domestic producers on this one – is why American wineries aren’t taking full advantage of this opportunity to sell their wines at a more affordable rate, that is, keeping their prices more static this year. I know they are spending more on gas to get their wines shipped out, but I also know that companies are being much more efficient in their distribution system.

I don’t have the answers on any of this despite all I’ve read and seen, but I’m curious to glean your feedback. What’s your wine economy like these days? How has the global economic situation impacted – or not – your wine consumption, spending or sales/pricing strategy?

If you love blueberry pie, attempt to sneak the last of the cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner or have an obsession with raspberry jam, keep reading.

A few weeks back one of our reps came by the shop with a unique offering. He had with him a gentleman from New Jersey who was pitching his fruity wines. New Jersey is a rare bird in the wine world as is. But this was also not the typical grape-based wines we all know and love. These were wines made from blueberries, raspberries, bing cherries and cranberries. My colleague and I took one look at the wines as they emerged from their cooler and nearly sent the duo packing. After all, we buy wines for a FINE wines shop and pride ourselves on our unique, quality selections.

That said, we are professionals first and foremost. So we let the pair of salesmen know we would taste the wines, but gently aired our concerns too. (Best to have low expectations and remain non-committal in these sorts of situations.) The wines were poured. The wines were sampled. And the wines won us over. We brought in a sample case (4 of each) of the wines we tasted. Can you imagine? I’m still surprised! But since I’m also a lover of a great martini and can appreciate the myriad benefits alcohol contributes when creating gorgeous sauces and other fare, I had to be an advocate for the Tomasello selections.

This winery also makes more typical wines though fewer of those wines have won any awards. Granted, New Jersey isn’t well-known for their wines; but I did read recently Windows on the World sports a solid NJ cab on their wine list. Who knew?

Have you ever tried a fruit wine? How about wine from NJ?