God is in the details

There is a widely published endilible link between music and fashion, and I think there is also an endilible link between fashion, design, music, and food and wine.

The place matters. The setting matters. The aura- the music- it matters. I think back to my truly profound dining experiences and there was a soundtrack that raised the dining level to profound. I remember the flowers, the lighting, the feeling of energy in the room...even if it was just The Modern for a Sunday lunch (one of my great recent dining experiences).

When I grew up my father would play LPs of Bach, Brahms, Handel, etc...during dinner and I truly believe this grounded me in the appreciation of dining (even though I'm sure he never intended for this).

For me, I will always return to classic Baroque for dinner. It's timeless, and per above has a very important emotional connection for me with the table. But, I love my blues. I love my jazz- my Coltrane and Davis. And here, while writing this I find myself listening to live Coldplay...and seeing this being an excellent soundtrack to a glass of rose at The Modern bar.

Trump's Trump. But he once remarked, "God is in the details." In that he is spot on.

Essential Reading

I put out an offer to my client's this morning entitled "Sauce Gribiche". I took the recipe from my wife's Grandfether's book, The Seafood Cookbook. I never met Pierre Franey, but he continues to be a heavy inspiration for me in regards to COTT moments and what I consider to be quality in food.

His resume is legendary. His work at the NY Times has anchored that paper as the country's foodie newspaper even to this day. And many people don't know that he has written like 10+ books; all excellent. But I have 3 which I consider absolutely necessary:



60 Minute Gourmet
http://www.amazon.com/New-York-Times-60-Minute-Gourmet/dp/0812933028/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211943775&sr=8-4

The Seafood Cookbook
http://www.amazon.com/Seafood-Cookbook-Pierre-Franey/dp/0812916042/ref=pd_bbs_sr_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211943683&sr=8-8

Cuisine Rapide
http://www.amazon.com/Cuisine-Rapide-Pierre-Franey/dp/0812917464/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1211943683&sr=8-2


Especially Cuisine Rapide...some of the best incredibly simple recipes you will find anywhere.

My apologies for passing on the past couple of days...

Obviously a big holiday weekend, and many wines flowed with many dishes being served. Everything from 1983 Chateau Certan...which is drinking right now (and I'm not so sure about how much later, so pop the corks on your '83 Certan's if you got 'em)...to simple New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc...to house Gruner Veltliner.

We missed the rose boat...just the way the weekend went down, but it got me thinking about what I would serve to guests. It's a timeless question that every wine shop owner gets every Summer...."I'm having a party. I'm serving to varied guests of wine knowledge and/or passion, and I have a budget. What should I serve?"

Such a wide open question, so many possibilities, but mid-Saturday I oddly enough found myself at that exact party. And I started thinking and wondering. Here's what I would have advised for you:

Summer Dinner / Luncheon party

Rose (under $15 retail) from Europe. Keep it lean, mean, and offer something different. (ie, Cotes du Rhone Rose, Rose of Nebbiolo from Italy, Rose from Burgundy, etc...)

White...Anjou, Savennieres, or a very good Muscadet. If it's Italian, be very chosey on the crisp and white thing...maybe a very interesting Falanghina?

Fun, cool option: Chilled small production Beaujolais. It's a foodie classic. Chilled. Seriously.

Red: Fitou, Corbieres, or Faugeres...think grilled foods, heat, Summer, sea-based peppery reds, Mediterannean, etc...

These wines (and their prices- even in today's economic climate) have never failed me.

A Cru Ranking of California Vineyards

Over the past couple of years, as my study and profession of wine continued to move along, I have been under the notion that someone should formally write down and publish the "Cru Vineyards of California". Bordeaux has a published list. Burgundy has a published list. Alsace. Germany. Chavignol. California is definitely old enough that unique, singular, and "special" vineyards- special places for that matter- should be recognized as having superior terroir. It's a project I think I will start...now.

Grand Cru
ToKalon Vineyard, Napa
James Berry Vineyard, Paso Robles
Charles Heintz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Melville Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Hudson Vineyard, Napa
Marcassin Vineyard, Napa
Black Sears Vineyard, Napa
Monte Bello Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Mount Carmel Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Clos Pepe Vineyard, Santa Barbara
Dutton Ranch Vineyard, Sonoma

Premier Cru
Griffin's Lair Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Savoy Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Spring Ridge Mountain Vineyard, Santa Cruz
Kiser Vineyard, Anderson Valley

And I'm already lost. Well, a start. I welcome your input. Hit the "0 Comments" button below and let me know what I've missed.
Seasmoke Vineyard, Santa Barbara

How to make Loire Valley Cab Franc work

I never understood the importance of the Loire until now.

The wines are not easy; they demand a conversation, and for that reason simply can't be cocktail wines. And having visited through a slew of the top producers last July I came away a little confused. I felt like I missed something. Until tonight.

The Cabernet Franc that grows in the Loire produces meaty wines. They are often defined by a certain vegetal quality and green pepper notes. They are intensely minerally and wrought with terroir, and as I said above there's so much hitting your palate that you simply aren't allowed to gulp and swallow.

There's fruit too. There's actually tons of fruit- for me always defined by some sort of raspberry profile, usually black raspberry.

But tonight I had some Loire reds hanging out and I made a simpled marinated grilled chicken breast (in chipolte sauce). And the wines were perfect. Powerful enough to stand up to the spice. Earthy enough to not overwhelm the chicken meat. And the vegetal thing brought it all together with the little tiny pieces of blackened meat.

If you haven't tried them, go by yourself a Chinon, or a Touraine Cabernet, or a Saumur Champigny Rouge, or a Bourgeuil. Chill it down a little. Open the grill and sear some meat. You will find a delicious combination.

Kermit

It's been a long day, and a long week- and it's only Wednesday.

Overall, as the wine biz has tightened and become more competitive due to the currency and consumers tightening their own wallets, I find myself in need of inspiration. Why sell this stuff? After all, it's only fermented grape juice...why ask consumers to pay more than 2 buck chuck?

Than I go back to Kermit. Kermit Lynch is one of the old school super great wine importers. And his two books, Adventures on the Wine Route and Inspiring Thirst are living testaments to the ability of wine to create a personal culture of the table which celebrates life, love, people, experiences, and of course- food. For me, his writings make it more than acceptable to spend over $20bt on a single bottle of wine.

Go to Amazon...buy some used copies. Keep them tableside.

You will be inspired.

Monday Night Special

I just bought a house. It's my first house. Right now, for me, it's expensive (although everyone keeps telling me that it all oddly works out.) So yes, like any freaked person about their personal finances I'm cutting back. Luckily for me my work's definitely increased, so fortunately COTT moments are demanding of much shorter preparations than I would normally like. That's OK. I can have a COTT on a budget and 20 minutes.

Pasta and sauce. It's cheap. It's pre-made. It can be dressed up and elegant. After experimenting with several sauces I've actually come to like Barilla's the best. They seem to add a little sugar to enrich the tomatoes and it does kind of make the sauce taste a little fresher. Chop some parseley- throw it in there. Drizzle some very good olive oil over it. Large chunks of freshly ground black pepper. And a lot of very good grated Parmigiana.

Wine: Dolcetto. Dolcetto is like the pasta and sauce of Italian wine. You know it. You know it's good. It can be cheesy and made to be Merlot-like. But good producers make very interesting examples: DeForville, Roagna, Borgogno, Boglietti Tiglieneri, Rinaldi, Mascarello, Luigi Enuadi, etc...

Consider it...on a Monday night.