St. Patrick's Day Wine

As I walked into Balaban's yesterday I thought that I would see some type of special featuring corned beef.
And Chef Scott didn't let me down. There it was on the special sheet, corned beef and .... colcannon.
Colcannon?
As they say, you learn something new every day.
For those of you who are like me, and have no clue what colcannon is, it is a blend of mashed potatoes and cabbage. You can also spice it up with onions, ham or bacon. It's delicious.
So I call my personal chef (and wife), Judy, and ask her if she would make colcannon with our corned beef Monday evening. She made hers with the bacon.
But I'm rambling here about colcannon, when I should be talking wine.
Corned beef is a challenge to pair with wine. It's fatty, salty and funky tasting. Then you have the earthiness of the potatoes and the "I don't know what" of the cabbage.
Why do you think beer is the beverage of choice on St. Patrick's Day?
But, I'm up for this challenge.
First, no big, tannic reds.
Second, no oaky, buttery Chardonnay.
I think those wine styles would clash horribly with the meal.
My short list is Pinot Noir, Champagne and Riesling.
I always choose Pinot Noir when in doubt, so scratch that.
Champagne always does well with salty foods, but Judy isn't as crazy about bubbles as I am.
So Riesling gets the nod.
I just did a newsletter on a great Riesling from Washington State, so that's what I select:
2012 Long Shadows Poet's Leap Riesling - $22.
It was one of the best corned beef dinners we've ever had, and the wine went perfectly.

Tom

PS: I'm so ready for baseball to start!

      

This is going to be a year of great wine

The 2012 vintage in California, Washington and Oregon had nearly ideal growing conditions.
Producers are excited and major wine critics are rating the vintage from 92-97 points.
And not only was quality high, so was the quantity.
So that means there's going to be lots of great wine at all price levels for us to enjoy.
The Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are being released now, and I have yet to taste a wine of questionable quality.
I imagine we will see similar quality from the wines that spend a little more time in the barrel and bottle, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Owner/winemaker, Adam Lee of Siduri visited Balaban's about a month ago with 9 different bottles of his Pinot Noir.
We tasted one outstanding wine after another and just gushed with excitement over how good everything was.
Geez! What a bunch of wine geeks.
I imagine the wines will only get better with some bottle age, but they are certainly excellent in their youth.
Here are a few 2012's that are new to Balabans:
Treasure Hunter Chardonnay, Russian River Valley - $17
Beringer Luminus Chardonnay, Napa Valley - $35
A to Z Pinot Noir, Oregon - $20
Siduri Sonatera Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma County - $42 (one of my favorites from the tasting)
So, stock up on these 2012's. It looks like the 2013 and 2014 vintages will be a bit more challenging.

Tom

Wine geek Adam Lee

French Wine 101 - Unravelling the Mysteries

I'm not going to sugarcoat this. Understanding all there is to know about French wine is a daunting task. I could learn something new about French wine every day, and still feel pretty ignorant.
Entire books have been written about the major French wine regions, so you can really get into this if you want
But, here are a few of the basics that will get you well on your way to talking the talk of a true Franophile.

Burgundy: Grapes not on label (most of the time); Price: Under $20 to over $10,000 per bottle.
Red Burgundy: Pinot Noir
White Burgundy: Chardonnay
Also within Burgundy:
Chablis: Chardonnay
Beaujolais: Gamay

Bordeaux: Grapes not on label. Price: Under $20 to over $2,500 per bottle.
Red Wine: Blend (usually) of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and sometimes Malbec.
White Wine: Blend (usually) of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon

Rhone: Grapes not on label. Price: Under $20 to over $2,500 per bottle
Rhone is split into two major regions with sub-regions within those regions.
Northern Rhone red grape: Syrah; Northern Rhone White grape: Viognier
Major Northern Rhone regions: Hermitage, Cote Rotie, St. Joseph, Cornas and Condrieu (white).
Southern Rhone red grapes: Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, Carignan and Cinsault.
Southern Rhone white Grapes: Grenache Blanc, Marsanne and Rousanne.
Major Southern Rhone regions: Chateauneuf du Pape (red and white), Cotes du Rhone (red and white) and Gigondas.

Loire: Grapes not on label. Price: Under $20 to over $1,000 per bottle.
Major Loire regions and grapes:
Vouvray - Chenin Blanc.
Sancerre and Pouilly Fume - Sauvignon Blanc.
Chinon - Cabernet Franc

Champagne: Grapes not on label. Price: Under $40 to over $2,000 per bottle.
Grapes used to make white and rose' Champagne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.

Alsace: Grapes are on the label. Price: Under $20 to over $500 per bottle
Riesling
Pinot Gris
Gewurztraminer
Muscat

Sauternes: Grapes not on the label. Price: Under $30 to over $500 per bottle
These are very sweet dessert wines made from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blends.

Languedoc: Grapes not on label. Price: Under $20 to over $100
Languedoc is the largest producing region in France in terms of overall volume. Most of the wines are value driven.
The two regions you will encounter the most are Cotes du Languedoc and Cotes du Roussillon
Languedoc is just south of Southern Rhone and uses the same grapes, but will also use Chardonny in their whites and Cabernet Sauvignon in their reds.

I hope this helps with your understanding of French wine.
If not, forget about understanding it and just start drinking the amazing varieties of French wines that are available.

Tom

Weird Wine Words

So, I pop open a bottle of Chianti for a customer to try and tell him: "that wine is going to be a little closed since I just opened it". 
One of my colleagues here at Balaban's comments: "do you know how totally ridiculous that sounds, except maybe to a bunch of wine geeks"?
Well, now that I think about it … yeah, that does sound kind of goofy.
Goofy. Now there's a word I haven't used in long time.
"Goofy" is actually one of my favorite Disney characters.
But I digress.
It's true. I suppose just like any other industry, the wine world has its words and phrases that can cause some head scratching.
Take, for example, the word "disgorgement".
No, this is not something that occurs in your bathroom after a night of raucous drinking and nasty eating.
Disgorgement is actually a process in making Champagne and other sparkling wines whereby sediment - specifically dead yeast cells -  is removed from the bottle to make the wines crystal clear, and well, "sparkling".

If you are interested in more information on "disgorgement" check out the link below:

Have a great weekend!

http://www.thekitchn.com/wine-words-disgorgement-177889

Tom

BYO Wine Etiquette

Restaurants make a good profit on their wine and other alcohol offerings, yet, most St. Louis restaurants are gracious enough to let their customers bring in their own wine in exchange for a "corkage" fee, typically between $10 and $25 per bottle, with $15 being about the average. 
I have no problem with corkage fees. After all, the waiter opens the bottle, pours the wine and provides the restaurant's glassware.
There are a few more things to remember though:
Call ahead and make sure the restaurant supports BYO. This will avoid an embarrassing situation for you and the restaurant.
If possible, check the restaurant's wine list to determine if the wine you're planning to bring is also on their list of wines. You really don't want to be bringing in a bottle of wine that you can purchase at the restaurant. It's poor "BYO etiquette".
Next, try to buy a beverage from the restaurant. This could be a cocktail or glass of wine before dinner, or an after dinner liqueur with dessert and coffee.
Finally, always offer a taste of the wine you bring to your waiter and the restaurant manager or owner. They will usually decline, but not always - especially if it's later in the evening.
Remember these few tips, and you're sure to be welcomed with open arms from your favorite restaurant when you BYOW.
Here at Balaban's, there is absolutely no reason to BYOW.
Why?
Well, we have a fantastic selection of wines at all price levels.
We have a library of amazing "aged" wines.
We sell you the wine at retail - not restaurant prices which are typically double the retail price or more.
And finally, we only charge an $8 corkage fee. On Monday's, there is NO corkage fee.
So there's my Balaban's commercial for today.
Stop by soon and have some great food and wine.

Tom

I NEED SPRING!

This winter has been relentless here in St. Louis.
We're bracing for yet another winter storm this weekend as I write this.
And … I know, it's only March and the "in like a lion, out like a lamb" stuff.
Blah…blah…blah.
I want Spring. 
I want flowers, and warmth and green.
AND BASEBALL!
So, I'm going to start "thinking Spring", and that starts with wine.
As warmer weather approaches, wine trends experience a slight, but very definite shift. I've copied a link below from Time Magazine regarding their take on how the advent of Spring affects wine trends. I don't know where they get their information. It's interesting, but doesn't necessarily track with my observations.
Here they are:
White Wines: While Chardonnay is a year round staple, it's the other whites that pick up the pace come Spring. Sauvignon Blanc, especially the crisp, refreshing styles from New Zealand really start to gain traction. Other crisp styles like Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris also emerge. I'm also very fond of the relatively unknown whites from Italy, for example, Gavi (Cortese grape), Soave (Garganega grape), Verdicchio (Verdicchio grape) and Vermentino (Vermentino grape). These Italian varietals, with their higher acidity levels, are terrifically refreshing, and excellent with mild white cheeses, lunch meats, and salads - ideal warm weather foods.
Rose' Wines: We may carry one Rose' wine at Balaban's during winter, but, as the weather warms, we expand to 3 or 4 Rose' wines - depending on the quality in a given year. These are such versatile wines, perfect to sip by themselves, but also great with all kinds of "grill" foods. Hamburgers, hot dogs, brats, chicken and barbecue all pair well with Rose'.
Producers have gotten more creative with Rose', too. They are now made from almost every red varietal, for example: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Grenache, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo and Sangiovese. That's quite a list, and it doesn't take into account all the interesting blending that gets done with the grapes.
If you haven't done so yet, it's time to open your mind, and palate, to Rose' this season.
Red Wines: Cabernet Sauvignon always has a place as long as you're grilling steaks. But lighter reds also start to make their presence known. Zinfandel, Grenache and lighter Syrahs are ideal barbecue wines.
Red blends also become very popular. These wines can be blends of almost any red grapes - oftentimes they're just that, with 8 or more varietals in the mix. They are fruit forward, low in tannins, high in value and way up on the "enjoyability" chart.
Have a great weekend!

http://style.time.com/2013/03/07/the-world-of-wine-whats-trending-this-spring/

Tom

Don't Know What's For Dinner? You Can Still Bring The Wine With Confidence.

Ever get invited to dinner at a friend's and they don't tell you what they're serving?
Do you ever ask: what's for dinner?
Probably not.
So, if you always bring a bottle of wine, like I do, you have a bit of a dilemma.
What can you bring that will go with just about anything?
I'm going to copy a link to an article with some pretty good suggestions about this topic, but in a nutshell here is what they recommend, and I agree 100%.

1. Sparkling Wine: whether it's expensive Champagne, an $18 Prosecco or a semi-sweet Moscato, a sparkling wine is the perfect choice to kick off the evening.
2. Crisp whites like Chablis, Pinot Grigio or a Gavi will get the taste buds ready for food, plus they go perfectly with light cheeses, appetizers and salads.
3. Lighter reds like domestic Pinot Noir or Spanish Grenache offer much more food flexibility than big, bold reds like Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. Pinot Noir is my "go to". It will compliment a steak just as easily as a pasta dish or halibut.
4. Dry Rose' is another versatile option. Unfortunately, Rose' wines are a little disrespected in the wine world because they are incorrectly associated with white Zinfandel. Rose' offers the refreshing qualities of the crisp whites with a little more body and complexity. They may not stand up to a big steak, but anything else is fair game.
5. Dessert wines. If you just can't stand the thought of not bringing the "perfect" pairing to whatever dinner might be, bring some dessert - wine. There are many choices here, but if it's me, I'm bringing Sauternes or Tawny Port.

Here's the link:

http://www.thekitchn.com/5-styles-of-wine-to-bring-to-a-dinner-party-when-you-have-no-idea-what-will-be-served-199925

Tom