Westumbled on this amazing New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc just as we were beginning to think the genre was becoming crowded and rather ordinary.
Mount Nelson Vineyard was created by the brothers Antinori (Marchese Lodovico and Piero) who had been making fine Sauvignon Blanc in Tuscany. They purchased part of a vineyard in Marlborough (Meadowbank) in 2003, produced their first vintage in 2004 and the rest has been an amazing series of better and better production. Read More
We’ve always tried to find a prime rib roast recipe that wasn’t extremely complicated or took an inordinate amount of time. Finally, we found one. Tyler Florence presents a really clever and easy way to prepare a standing rib roast that delivers a perfectly cooked prime rib. Read More
As long as I can remember, the common wisdom has stressed the serving of champagne and sparkling wines in the classic Prestige Cuvee or flute shapes. The reasoning went something like this. Champagne, being a fragile beverage, needs to be enclosed in narrow glasses with small openings in order to hold and enhance the fleeting bouquet while focusing the bead (bubbles). Sounded right and experience seemed to bear it out so who were we to question this? Read More
The winter holidays, Thanksgiving through Christmas, are all about the festive table. Though common entrees include ham, crown roast and prime rib, turkey is the star.
The good news is that nearly any wine goes well with turkey. It’s the sides that are the challenge. They run the gamut from sweet, salty, spicy, vegetative (brussel sprouts), tart, creamy and so on. Remember the rule of thumb that preparation methods, sauces and seasonings determine the wine match more than the protein (entrée) itself.
Typical wine writer hype? Not really, according to major growers and Georges Duboeuf, perhaps the most famous négociant/producer in the region. 2009 may be the best year for Beaujolais “… of a lifetime”. Which is really good news for a region that hasn’t enjoyed much popularity or notoriety in recent years. Read More
How to open a bottle of wine with a shoe. There are many versions of this going around but we think this one from a local restaurant is one of the best. Note that the foil should be cut away from the top of the bottle.
I know, I know but this really is the best chicken marinade we have ever used. Easy to put together and it’s ready in an hour… or overnight. Equally good grilled or pan-roasted.
I had a deja vu experience last weekend while walking a favorite wine shop. Like three years ago, the featured wine of this season is… Rosé? It seems that again some sort of “100 monkey syndrome” has occurred in the wine world this summer. The featured Summer wine du jour is the once maligned Rosé. Wine writers are referencing the French who have always appreciated their dry, fruity roses as a matter of course with light, savory foods as well as the increasingly available California Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and even Grenache Rosés.
This Chow.com recipe for a “Perfect Manhattan” not only created an urge to have one but raised our consciousness about selecting good vermouths. We have always felt that one of the most civilized aperitifs is dry (or sweet with Campari) vermouth on the rocks with a splash of soda and a twist. It’s also very convenient to keep a bottle of dry vermouth in the kitchen to use whenever a recipe calls for wine to deglaze a pan or add to a sauce, etc. Read More
We stumbled on this amazing New Zealand Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc just as we were beginning to think the genre was becoming crowded and rather ordinary.
As long as I can remember, the common wisdom has stressed the serving of champagne and sparkling wines in the classic Prestige Cuvee or flute shapes. The reasoning went something like this. Champagne, being a fragile beverage, needs to be enclosed in narrow glasses with small openings in order to hold and enhance the fleeting bouquet while focusing the bead (bubbles). Sounded right and experience seemed to bear it out so who were we to question this?
I know, I know but this really is the best chicken marinade we have ever used. Easy to put together and it’s ready in an hour… or overnight. Equally good grilled or pan-roasted.
