Ten Perfect Food & Wine Pairings
Pascale LeDraoulec 03.04.08, 6:00 PM ET
Spring is on the minds of many chefs, but don’t expect to find asparagus or artichokes on the menu at Alain Ducasse’s new restaurant Adour in New York City.
“They’ve been banned from the ingredient list,” says Tony Esnault, the Ducasse protégé running the kitchen.
Their crime?
“They are just not easy to pair with great wines,” he says.
In Depth: 10 Perfect Food & Wine Pairings
He should know. That’s because Adour, located in the St. Regis Hotel, is all about the pairing. Each dish on the menu was conceived with a particular wine in mind; each wine defines the dish, and vice versa.
Wine director Thomas Combescot and Esnault worked side by side to draft the menu–a grueling process where every ingredient was dissected for its wine-pairing qualities.
In the lamb entrée for example, they came to the conclusion that accent shavings of preserved lemon were cut too large, detracting from the Domaine Templier red Bandol on the palate.
Esnault says the pairing he’s most pleased with involves the sautéed sweetbread appetizer. The delicate sweetbreads are sautéed in a Meuniere sauce and topped with a golden, molten poached egg with toasted brioche and wild mushrooms. They’re paired with a 2005 Rosemary’s Vineyard Chardonnay from Talley Vineyards in California, a wine whose “buttery nature really lifts the unctuous yellow of the egg.”
Now that we’ve become a nation of know-it-all foodies, food and wine pairings like these have become the next culinary obsession.
“Food and wine pairing has finally hit the tipping point, in that it is now expected at fine-dining restaurants, and increasingly at any self-respecting restaurant,” says Karen Page, author (with Andrew Dornenburg) of What To Drink with What You Eat. Even places like the Olive Garden are getting into the food and wine pairing act, she says.
The trend is only going to intensify as more and more chefs are educating themselves about wine, Page adds. Indeed, more chefs than ever before are enrolling in the nation’s leading wine programs.
Pairing 101
Paul Grieco, the maverick wine director at Hearth and Insieme restaurants in New York City, says there is a science to pairing, but it’s not very complicated. There are four basic components of taste: sweet, sour, salt and bitter. The trick is to find one component in the dish and then either find a wine that contrasts or emulates it.
“Most everything we learned about pairing food and wine started with mom’s traditional glass of milk and cookies,” he says. “The sweetness of the milk helped cut the bitterness of the chocolate.” As adults, we continued pairing subconsciously “by hanging out and drinking beer with pretzels,” contrasting the salt of the pretzels with the acidity of the beer.
Of Esnault’s sweetbreads, for example, wine director Combescot says not only do the dish and wine share notes of toasted bread, caramel and white peppers, but they also share a yellow-orange color with shades of brown–a common sommelier’s trick in pairing.
Read the entire article: http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2008/03/04/wine-food-pairing-forbeslife-cx_pl_0304wine.html
Sphere: Related ContentAmazon to enter US wine market
By Jonathan Birchall in New York
Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, is to start selling wine in the US, entering a business fraught with regulatory complexities and littered with the wreckage of previous failures.
Amazon is looking to recruit a senior wine buyer, whom it says will be responsible for “the acquisition of a massive new product selection” for its site. The wine sales will augment a rapidly expanding non-perishable groceries business that Amazon launched two years ago.
The supposed potential of online wine sales drew millions of dollars in investments during the internet boom but a series of start-ups struggled in the face of strict state-by-state restrictions on wine shipping.
Amazon itself invested $30m in 1999 in a 45 per cent share of Wineshopper.com, a start-up that expired the following year. Wine.com, now the largest US online wine seller, sells food gift baskets via Amazon’s site, but not wine.
Wine.com has a long history of financial problems, illustrating the challenges of dealing with state restrictions on shipping wine shaped in the 1930s after the end of Prohibition. The retailer can ship wine to customers in only 26 states and is obliged to operate 10 different warehouses that buy from state-licensed wholesalers, increasing its costs.
A 2005 Supreme Court ruling has led to an easing of restrictions on shipping by vineyards.
But Tom Wark of the Speciality Wine Retailers Association said new legislation required by the ruling has led some states to tighten restrictions on out-of-state online retailers.
Some smaller e-commerce sites have been shipping wine to customers in defiance of state laws, taking advantage of the difficulty state regulators face in identifying unmarked small shipments to individuals.
Read the entire article: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f15d68a2-ea55-11dc-b3c9-0000779fd2ac.html
Sphere: Related ContentModerate Drinkers Less Likely to Develop Deadly Diseases, Study Finds
Though beverage type was not a factor with certain ailments, wine was particularly effective in lowering the risk of heart disease
Jacob Gaffney
Posted: Friday, February 29, 2008
A study published in the December/January 2008 issue of medical journal Angiology has shown further support to the belief that drinking wine responsibly helps reduce the risk of heart disease. The scientists also found that moderate alcohol consumption, in general, is linked to a lower risk of other diseases as well, such as type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
Study co-author Dr. Dimitri Mikhailidis of the department of clinical biochemistry at the Royal Free Hospital in London, said that the purpose of the study was to obtain an alcohol “dose-related” risk for several diseases, which is uncommon among studies of this kind. “There is no point in reducing the risk of one serious condition if you increase that of another one,” said Mikhailidis of the study’s design.
The study looked at 4,153 adults in Greece who are participants in a larger, ongoing study that focuses on the identification and treatment of metabolic syndrome, which is a collection of disorders that may lead to heart disease and diabetes. The subjects were chosen from four hospitals and 22 healthcare centers across Greece (the nine other researchers listed as the study co-authors work in some of these treatment centers).
Read the entire article: http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Features/0,1197,4277,00.html?CMP=OTC-RSS
Sphere: Related ContentCredit crunch fuels thirst for art and wine
By Clara Ferreira-Marques
LONDON (Reuters Life!) - Rollercoaster markets may have cooled investor appetites for shares or property, but interest in offbeat investments is booming as a growing number of art and wine funds compete to combine passion with high returns.
Downturns typically mean a slowdown in investments that are seen as discretionary, but industry watchers say the credit crunch has left the appeal of so-called “investments of passion” — art, wine and collectibles — largely untarnished.
Instead, they say, it brought home the need for investors to take on uncorrelated assets to offset the ups and downs of the mainstream equity and credit markets.
Investing in a Picasso, a case of Chateau d’Yquem or a Bordeaux from the sought-after 1961 vintage is nothing new: wealthy enthusiasts have been filling their cellars and covering their dining-room walls for centuries.
But the specialised asset managers that have emerged in the past decade have brought sophisticated financial techniques to the pursuit, widening interest to include large institutional investors who are attracted by rising prices, and returns that can reach or exceed 20 to 40 percent a year.
In 2007, for example, the FTSE blue-chip index rose by less than 4 percent. The main index on Liv-ex, an independent trading and settlement platform for the fine wine trade, ended the year up just over 40 percent — and with excitement still bubbling around the 2005 Bordeaux vintage, now being shipped.
“More and more people are looking at wine as an asset class, discovering it is uncorrelated to bonds and equities, that there are fund managers out there to help them capture those gains,” said Andrew della Casa, a director at the Wine Investment Fund, one of the sector’s largest players with 35 million pounds ($69 million) of funds under management.
He said the credit crunch had allowed funds to demonstrate how resilient alternative assets were in a real downturn.
“On the institutional side, the credit crunch may have crystallised thoughts that have been around for years, when they’ve been tracking the wine market,” he told Reuters. “Now they have less options elsewhere they might say well, let’s give it a go.”
Although in a steep downturn, analysts say investment in art and wine will, like luxury goods, behave poorly, Della Casa said the wine market has a resilient core of demand.
“People say prices have gone up tremendously, they can only go down,” he said, referring to how demand from emerging middle classes in Russia, China and elsewhere has driven prices.
“That’s not the case — there is static demand from North America and Europe and even if we just go back to that trend, we are still going to outperform every asset class out there. That’s even if — and we don’t think we’ll get there.”
Most investors flocking to wine auctions are regulars stocking up their cellars, but a growing minority is taking a bet on key vintages. One buyer at Christie’s earlier this month snapped up a case of Chateau Petrus Vintage 1982 — one of the greatest vintages in recent decades — for 32,200 pounds, at one of the auctioneer’s most successful sales to date.
Read the entire article: http://features.us.reuters.com/cover/news/L29795611.html
Sphere: Related ContentQuestioning BevMo’s wine ratings
The retailer’s scores are set by an in-house critic, raising concerns over whether they are advice or ads.
By Jerry Hirsch
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
March 3, 2008
Walk down the aisle of any Beverages & More store and you’ll be confronted by boxes and bottles of wine — and a bevy of wine scores. There are 89 points for the Sterling Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and 90 points for a Beaulieu Vineyards Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon.
Wine merchants across California display various wine ratings to inform customers and promote their wines. There are ratings from Wine Spectator, from Robert Parker of the Wine Advocate and others.
But nobody does it quite like BevMo, and not everyone likes the ratings that figure prominently on the fast-growing chain’s wine shelves, in its radio spots and in its sales promotions.
Most of the scores are the judgment of Wilfred Wong, a veteran California wine competition judge and critic.
What many customers don’t realize is that Wong is BevMo’s hired tongue.
As the company cellar master, Wong tastes close to 3,000wines a year and distills his findings into the point scores and concise descriptions posted on cards in front of the bottles.
But are Wong’s ratings and descriptions invaluable information for wine shoppers — or advertisements masquerading as independent advice?
“For many wine lovers he is seen as a corporate tool. He writes reviews for a company that pays his salary,” said Alder Yarrow, who writes the Vinography.com wine blog. But “he is not a shill. . . . He knows what he is talking about when it comes to wine.”
It’s a sensitive position that BevMo’s top executives readily acknowledge could leave them open to charges of pandering to a wine for a profit. “If we were to impinge on Wilfred’s credibility, it would be very bad for our brand,” said David Richards, executive vice president of the Concord, Calif.-based chain.
That’s why Wong reports to Richards rather than any of BevMo’s buyers. “We have to give him independence within the organization,” Richards said.
Despite some winery grumbling, BevMo has made the combination of point scores and the cards briefly describing the wines a central component of its marketing strategy. It found that shoppers gravitate to 90-point wines because they see the number as a quality threshold.
Read the entire article: http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-tongue3mar03,0,4763814.story
Sphere: Related ContentThe Wine School of Philadelphia — A Revolutionary Wine Education
PHILADELPHIA, PA–(Marketwire - March 3, 2008) - It’s time to register for the spring semester at the Wine School of Philadelphia! This time, we are offering three newly expanded programs. We have added more classes, more tastings, and more free tutorials to our programs, including the Foundation, Intermediate, and Advanced Programs. Six hundred dollars will purchase an entire semester of the best wine education available in Philly!
Whether they are a professional sommelier or a novice, our students all begin by enrolling in the Foundation Certificate Program. This course is designed to train anyone in how to understand the very core of wine: its smells and tastes. The program focuses on sensory evaluation and the fingerprints of all the major varietals. In fact, our Foundation Graduates outperform professional sommeliers in blind tasting exams.
Students who pass the Foundation class continue their education with the Intermediate Program. This exemplary course examines the entire wine world, with a special emphasis on wine regions and their history; and on the differences between Old World vs. New World wines. Students are encouraged to use their newfound knowledge to project where the future of wine is headed. Students can take the Foundation and Intermediate program simultaneously.
Students who have completed both the Foundation and Intermediate programs are eligible to move on to the Advanced courses. The Advanced work consists of four semesters and includes: The Terroir of Italy, The History of Spanish Wine, The Wine Regions of France, Classic Terroir, and Modern Winemaking.
With its respectable cache of instructors and its arresting approach to wine, the Wine School of Philadelphia stands at the forefront of what has become a steadily growing field of study. The Foundation and Intermediate Programs are designed to provide solid bedrock for anyone wanting to attain a greater knowledge and appreciation of wine. Once students have completed their four semesters of Advanced coursework, she or he is awarded the American Wine Foundation’s Diploma Oenotropae.
– The Wine Foundation Course
Saturdays, March 29 - May 24, 4:00 - 6:00 PM
Thursdays, April 3 - May 22, 7:30 - 9:30 PM
– The Intermediate Wine Course
Wednesdays, April 2 - May 21, 7:30 - 9:30 PM
– Advanced Wine Program: Spain
Thursdays, April 3 - May 22, 7:30 - 9:30 PM
For more information on these programs, contact Keith Wallace at 800-817-7351, ext. 55, email info@vinology.com, or visit www.vinology.com.
Contact:
Keith Wallace
800-817-7351, ext. 55
Email Contact
www.vinology.com
Spanish whites step up to the palate
Frank Sutherland and Kate Sutherland
Gannett News Service
For many years, Spain really lagged in high-quality wine production.
Spanish wines, save for those from only a few regions, were unremarkable at best. But then the country’s wine industry seemed to make a unified decision to revamp its product. Winemakers replaced antiquated equipment with state-of-the-art technology and New World methods, and Spanish wine quality has skyrocketed since.
Now great, often inexpensive wines are produced all over the country.
We’ve reviewed five Spanish white wines this week; next week we’ll talk about Spanish reds. We were very impressed by this entire flight of wines, especially considering that they all cost less than $15. The results:
2006 Martin Codax Albarino, $14.99
The aroma suggested lemon rind, banana, hay, dried apricot and a hint of sea salt. On the palate, we found orange marmalade, white pepper and wet stone with a mix of flowers and minerals on the finish. The combination of a complex nose, racy minerality and a lingering finish made this our favorite.
2006 Albet I Noya Xarel-lo Classic, $12.99
The bouquet offered scents of kiwi, sour fruits, minerals, baby shampoo and cream. Bright and fresh with tart flavors on the tongue, the wine had high acids and a weighty texture. The heavy, pleasant texture was unexpected, considering the tart, acidic nature of the wine. This wine was our second favorite.
2005 Osborne Solaz Blanco Viura, $8.99
We discovered lemon-lime fruit scents with fresh fennel and tarragon and a touch of earthiness. The wine was subtle and soft in the mouth with tastes of lemon and lavender plus dried herbs. This blend ranked third in our tasting.
Read the entire article: http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080303/LIFE05/803030307/1079/life
Sphere: Related ContentSalud: Vintners raise a glass to the weaker dollar
Bargain prices entice drinkers abroad to taste California’s harvest.
By Jerry Hirsch
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
February 29, 2008
With the declining value of the U.S. dollar and increasing wine sales overseas, Charles Shaw wine, an American favorite, may seem in some places more like “One-Buck Chuck.”
That’s because the low value of the dollar is starting to turn California wines into bargains abroad. 2007 was a vintage year for wine exports, which grew by almost 9% to a record $951 million, the Wine Institute, the industry’s main trade group, said Thursday. California wineries make 95% of the U.S. wine sold abroad. Two large Central Valley companies, E. & J. Gallo Winery and Charles Shaw maker Bronco Wine Co., were among the biggest exporters.
Gallo, the nation’s largest wine exporter, has bottles on the shelves of supermarkets in China and 91 other countries, and Bronco is a big supplier of bulk wine that is bottled and sold in England, one of the largest foreign markets for California vintages.
Much of it is similar to Bronco’s $1.99 Charles Shaw wine, popularized by the Trader Joe’s grocery chain and nicknamed Two-Buck Chuck because of its price.
This could be another record year for wine exports.
The volume of U.S. wine sold abroad is growing by an even faster, 12% rate. California wine is now sold in 125 countries.
On Thursday, the euro rose above $1.52 for the first time in its nine-year history.
Further interest-rate cuts in the United States are likely to keep exchange rates favorable for wine exporters. At the same time, the low dollar helps California winemakers fend off foreign competition in the U.S. Jon Fredrikson, a Woodside, Calif., wine industry analyst, believes there are early signs that the low dollar is starting to pay off for California makers of premium wines.
“American wines are a bargain right now, and that’s showing up with what’s being shipped to Canada, where the value of our wine shipments is up nearly 25%,” he said.
But exporters and industry analysts said the rosy numbers masked a more negative truth about the global wine market: There’s a huge trade imbalance.
Read the entire article: http://www.latimes.com/business/printedition/la-fi-wine29feb29,0,3192007.story
Sphere: Related ContentConstellation Brands Completes Sale of Almaden and Inglenook to The Wine Group
FAIRPORT, N.Y., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Constellation Brands, Inc. NYSE: STZ ASX: CBR, a leading international producer and marketer of beverage alcohol, today completed the previously announced sale of the Almaden and Inglenook wine brands, and the Paul Masson winery located in Madera, Calif., to The Wine Group LLC for $134 million in cash. Proceeds from the transaction will be used to reduce Constellation’s borrowings.
“We are excited and pleased to welcome the Madera Winery and its historic Almaden and Inglenook brands into The Wine Group family,” David Kent, The Wine Group’s CEO, said in the Feb. 28 statement. “These time-honored brands — founded in 1852 and 1879, respectively — still rank among the most popular and best-selling wines in America.”
About Constellation Brands
Constellation Brands, Inc. is a leading international producer and marketer of beverage alcohol in the wine, spirits and imported beer categories, with significant market presence in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia and New Zealand. Based in Fairport, N.Y., the company has more than 250 brands, sales in about 150 countries, operates nearly 60 facilities worldwide. It is also the largest wine producer in the world and an S&P 500 Index and Fortune 500(R) company. Major brands in the company’s portfolio include Corona, Black Velvet, SVEDKA Vodka, Robert Mondavi, Clos du Bois, Ravenswood, Blackstone, Hardys, Banrock Station, Nobilo, Kim Crawford, Inniskillin, Jackson-Triggs and Arbor Mist. To learn more about the company and its products visit Constellation’s Web site at www.cbrands.com.
Website: http://www.cbrands.com/
Sphere: Related ContentSmaller wine bottles could cut alcohol consumption, says journal
Reducing the size of standard wine bottles could help cut alcohol consumption and related health problems, a leading medical journal says today.
Piling further pressure on the alcohol industry and retailers, the British Medical Journal urges them to discourage consumers from drinking “supersize” glasses of wine amid moves to ban large meal portions as part of the drive to slash obesity rates in the UK.
Dr Trish Groves, the journal’s deputy editor, said: “I like a glass of good wine with my supper. But, once two of us have had a glass each, it’s all too tempting to finish the bottle there and then. Coupled with the news that wine is getting stronger, it’s no wonder Britain’s middle-aged middle classes are getting wasted. Why does wine have to come in 75cl bottles?”
A recent report from Liverpool John Moores University showed that wealthy towns top the league table for hazardous drinking in the UK. The British Medical Association’s recent report Alcohol Misuse: Tackling the UK Epidemic also confirms that men and women who are higher earners are more likely than the lower paid to have drunk alcohol at all, and to have drunk on five or more days a week.
While beer remains Britain’s favourite drink, wine consumption rose from 10% of all alcohol in 1970 to 28.8 % in 2005. Groves asks whether a wider range of good quality and reasonably priced wine in smaller bottles would reduce consumption, identifying “a peculiarly British problem”, as restaurants and cafes in France offer wines by the carafe, pichet (small jug) and half-bottle, and mini-markets have a good range at 37.5cl at fair prices.
Read the entire article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/feb/29/health.healthandwellbeing
Sphere: Related Content