Sunday, April 26, 2009

wow - gamay on a warm afternoon

I recently read someone lamenting the warm weather as it prompted them to set aside the reds in favor of chilled whites. Oh, wait - that was me! But why fall into such "rule traps"? Drink what you like fer cryin out loud! So if warm weather means turning to lighter fare, maybe a light fruity red is in order. Pinot is a given. Gamay is great too and not as pricey. Here is a cru Beaujolais from Brouilly that is a great example. Perfect with coconut curried lentils and pan seared jerk snapper. The fruit driven juicy berry flavors are a nice balance to the warm (not hot) spices.

Sunday, April 05, 2009

WOW as the weather warms pinot grigio chills

It was a mostly warm weekend in Texas and promises to get warmer, so meals are likely to lighten up and wines cool down. Perfect conditions for pinot grigio with a nice caesar salad. Jamaican jerk chicken was the next course and it worked even better as the cool well-rounded fruit of the pinot grigio chilled the burn of the peppers and ginger in the jerk seasoning. Awesome! Experiment with a variety of pinot grigios: Italian for sure, maybe some California or Oregon and for sure try some pinot gris from Alsace - crisp and bone dry. And yes, those silver slivers are anchovies on the salad, and not the oversalted brown thingies from a can. Mandola's grocery on Lamar sells the real deal: anchovies in vinegar that are perfect on a good caesar. They come from the deli case so you can get exactly enough to put in your salad without a bunch left over to scent the fridgie. Of course all by themselves they make a nice little tapas plate...