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Top Chef Quiz: Pigs and Pinot

partysugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:15:13 -0700

Last night's Top Chef highlighted the love story between a chef and a pig. The contestants had to create dishes using a specific piece of pork, and then pair their creations with wine. I enjoyed seeing Dana Cowin, the editor of Food & Wine, compare Laurine's dish to cat food. Want to find out how well you were watching? Take my quiz now!

Photo courtesy of Bravo

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Happy Hour: Codorníu Sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé

partysugar — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:15:23 -0700

My favorite dance scene from the 1963 Ann Margret musical Bye Bye Birdie is entitled "Lot of Livin to Do." In it, she sings of "drinking Champagne as if it were water." But, not just any Champagne - pink Champagne. When I was little, I too, dreamed of drinking pink Champagne as if it were water. Well as luck would have it, sometimes I do!

My current favorite "pink Champagne" is actually a sparkling Cava Pinot Noir Rosé from Spain. It's refreshingly dry with light airy bubbles. It's an elegant, yet playful wine that is both crisp and fruity. The aroma is reminiscent of berries and it has a light body that coats the tongue.

What I love most about this sparking Rosé is its easy drinkability. I've enjoyed it with everything from cheesy rich appetizers to roast chicken to a light green salad. The affordable $15 price is the icing on the cake. Do you sip sparkling Rosé?

Happy Hour: The San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

partysugar — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 16:15:08 -0800

Last week I attended a huge wine tasting hosted by the San Francisco Chronicle. The event showcased wineries from over 25 states that competed in the nation's largest wine competition. After the judging takes place - at another location on an earlier date - the newspaper hosts an impressive, almost overwhelming, public tasting. Although I tried countless wines, here are the bottles I plan on seeking out in the future.

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Happy Hour: 2007 Mark West Pinot Noir

partysugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 16:15:31 -0800

Not hosting Thanksgiving, but in charge of bringing wine to a family member or friend's dinner? I highly recommend seeking out a bottle of Mark West's 2007 Pinot Noir. It's not only affordable ($11.99), but its also delightfully drinkable and silky smooth.

Described as Pinot For the People, Mark West's manifesto is to "demand rich, fruit-inspired, easy-drinking wine." With its jammy black fruits, full perfume, vanilla undertones, and light acidity, this Pinot delivers. I enjoyed it with cheese fondue, roast chicken, and mushroom pasta making it extremely versatile - a necessary characteristic for a Thanksgiving wine.

Happy Hour: 2006 Iron Horse Estate Pinot Noir

partysugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:15:04 -0700

Last night I attended Jack Falstaff's first Farm to Table Grower's Dinner. The special menu features seasonal ingredients from local producers. The most exciting part of the meal (besides the delicious food) is that the farmers and wine makers dine with you.

I was lucky enough to speak with Audrey Sterling, the grande dame of Iron Horse vineyards. After fabulously describing the wines, she told me about how Iron Horse is served at the White House! Their varietals have been selected by the past five presidencies, dating back to Ronald Regan. It's a fun fact to tell guests when serving Iron Horse.

While I enjoyed all the wines they poured, my favorite was the 2006 Estate Pinot Noir ($40). It was subtly complex and incredibly smooth. Like the perfect little black dress, it's elegant, but stylish. It rolls through the mouth with fruity, earthy flavors and a rich aroma. The wine's made with a special precision-harvesting technique that closely examines each vines needs, resulting in a silky, wonderful wine. The wine was served with an intensely crispy, suckling pig porchetta, but I think it would be lovely with everything from comforting macaroni and cheese to braised beef.

Happy Hour: Michlits Frizzante 2006 Rose Burgenland

partysugar — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:28:19 -0700

If you are looking for an interesting new wine to try, I highly recommend this sparkling Austrian Pinot Noir. I tasted it at a recent party for CandyBar - San Francisco's new dessert-only restaurant - and instantly fell in love with the pink champagne. Fizzy, light, and refreshing, this wine paired perfectly with savory appetizers and small sweets. Flavors of citrus mingle with a mineral undertone making it a complex, yet easily drinkable bubbly.

Michlits Frizzante 2006 Rose Burgenland is a popular wine-list wine, so look for it at your favorite wine bar. An exotic import that retails for only $19 - reasonable for the taste and quality -it's also a great wine to seek out for a celebration.

Happy Hour: Vignette Wine Country Soda

YumSugar — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 13:36:18 -0800

Last weekend, I headed over to 'wichcraft (Tom Colicchio's casual sandwich spot) for a tasty fried egg sandwich (which was yummy, if not a bit too heavy on the frisée). I was originally going to grab a nice refreshing bottle of water to accompany my meal when out of the corner of my eye I spotted this lovely little soda bottle. Upon inspection I saw that it was called Vignette Wine Country Soda, and well, I can't explain it, but just looking at it made my mouth start drooling like one of Pavlov's dogs.

So naturally, I put down the bottle of water and grabbed a bottle of the Chardonnay flavored soda instead. Now I assumed it would be a refreshing addition to my lunch, but I was not expecting it to be as delicious as it was. It was a crisp, bubbly kick in the tastebuds - not too sweet and with a subtle fruit flavor. I only wish all Chardonnay could taste this nice.

Also, while I was at the Fancy Food Show I had the opportunity to talk to founder Patrick Galvin. He let me know that Vignette is the first carbonated soft drink completely sweetened with the juice from Californian varietal wine grapes and is completely natural. While there, I took a taste test of the Pinot Noir flavor. Although it was also tasty, it just didn't seem to have the crisp, freshness that the Chardonnay had. But then again, regular Pinot doesn't really have the same crispness as real Chardonnay either.

Order yourself a bottle at Hello Delicious, but be warned, it's $4 a bottle. I'd like to say it's worth the price (it is delicious), but I'm pretty cheap and know that I purchased it for much less than that. Unfortunately it's slowly rolling out into stores, so unless you live near a store that carries Vignette, you'll have to pony up and pay the price.

January 26 UPDATE: Patrick Galvin just informed me that the price is now back to $2.50 a bottle at Hello Delicious. Now that's a price I can handle.

He also wanted to let me know that at the show, the "preference for the Chardonnay or Pinot Noir has consistently been split 50/50."

Happy Hour: Kono Marlborough Pinot Noir

partysugar — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 12:35:56 -0800

When YumSugar and I were trend watching at the Fancy Food Show earlier this week, I was really into tasting all of the wines and liquors. Ok I was really into tasting just about everything, but I was paying special attention to anything that would make my next party super duper fabulous (yummy international wines, infused and organic vodkas, martini glasses shrunken to the size of a shot glass, etc). While there, I was lucky enough to meet John, a handsome fellow with sandy colored hair who was pouring tastings of his Kono Marlborough Pinot Noir from New Zealand. It was love at first sight. With the wine that is, not with John (who was disappointingly not even from New Zealand). He imports the wine in from the Marlborough region of the country. Think "Marlborough is to New Zealand as Napa is to California", the premium wine location.

The Pinot Noir was so incredibly smooth that it would pair well with anything from sausage pizza to roast leg of lamb. It had a savory ripe plum, smoky oak and dark spice aroma with a long elegant finish. The wine slipped down my throat like silk and all I wanted to do was ask John to pour me a full serving so I could leisurely walk through the cheese and salami aisles enjoying the Pinot to its fullest. Unfortunately I only had one sip left and I was saving it for YumSugar to taste, so my fantasy of savoring the wine was put on hold. Until this afternoon when I went to pick up my very own bottle (Trader Joe's for the moderate price of $12.99).

If olive oil can be called liquid gold than Pinot Noir should be named liquid rubies. Now if I only I could find a good-looking sandy haired guy from New Zealand to share my bottle with...

For more information on John and his Pinot Noir (including their interesting indigenous story surrounding the company) visit Kono New Zealand's website.

13 Under $20 Wines Perfect For Hostess Gifts

partysugar — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:15:34 -0800

Do you have an iPhone? Then stop what you're doing right now and download the Nirvino (my preferred online drinking community) wine ratings guide. With over one million wines listed by name, price, grape varietal, flavor profile, region, and producer, the wine application is an amazing resource to always have at your fingertips.

Not only does it provide food pairing suggestions, but there's also lots of fun lists to browse. Food Network's Aida Mollenkamp shares her favorite wines to drink while cooking, Sommelier Mark Bright rounded up his top bottles from Whole Foods, and yours truly has even created a list!

I headed to Safeway to pick out the best wines - all of which are under $20 - for hostess gifts. I've tasted and enjoyed these wines and would bring them to a party. Be it a birthday bash at Hog Island oyster farm, an intimate Thanksgiving dinner, or an upcoming holiday soirée, there's a bottle for every occasion. To check out my list, keep reading.

Come Party With Me: Bold Flavorful Thanksgiving - Drinks

partysugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:00:49 -0800

Jump-start your Thanksgiving with a bold, flavorful cocktail like this appropriately named pear and rum concoction, spice. It's a mixture of dark spiced rum and pear and lime juices. Freshly grated nutmeg is a special garnish that makes it particularly festive.

For the rest of the meal, stock up on sparkling wine, dry rosé, and a light, fruity red like Pinot Noir. Don't forget to set pitchers of water on table as well. Flavor them with orange slices, mint, or cucumber.

To look at the cocktail recipe, read more.

Spice
From Food & Wine

Ingredients

Ice
2 large mint sprigs, torn and bruised
1 1/2 ounces spiced rum
1 ounce pear nectar or juice
3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
3/4 ounce Simple Syrup
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 thin slice of pear

Directions

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the ingredients except the pear slice and shake well.
Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with the pear slice.

Makes 1 drink.

Print recipe with images | without images