Cook it, Chill it, Drink it!

I am all about Sherry right now. It's great to cook with---both in the pan and in your mouth---is super affordable, easy to keep around, and is super versatile. I baked a pie with a dry sherry this week, and it was phenomenal! Even this cheap Lustau Amontillado (slightly sweet) tastes delish as a chilled apéritif while marinating mushrooms to juicy perfection. I often prefer sherry over the use of white or red wines throughout the cooking process due to it's amazing viscous texture with complex sweetness and salinity that makes for some kick-ass deglazing. Yummy!

And, though I've never owned a proper ice bucket, I find my french press looks quite dapper as an alternative for chilling split bottles. Cute!

Cab Franc: on Trend this Fall

I've noticed Cab Franc has been all the rage this year, and it seems the hype will lead us straight through Autumn. Some of my favorite expressions of this grape come straight-up from France---no blending necessary---more specifically Bourgueil. The region, besides being one of my favorite words to say [pronounced: bore-goy!], is one of roughly six sections in the Loire Valley known for the variety, and is perhaps the greatest "French-drinker's" Cab Franc, featuring less fruity, angular characteristics of gravel and spice. Our recent faves:

Domaine du Mortier Boisard et Fils - 2008 St. Nicolas de Bourgueil Graviers

This soul-satisfying wine is latent with iron, slate, & steel, though manages quite well in keepin' it funky-fresh with some rustic blueberry & wintery spices. Mortier's wines are wild and beautiful, and besides sporting très cute labels (they know how to get me!) become ever more charming through the magic of Google Translate: "we find in this wine quite pronounced fruit notes and then move to more complex notes of spices and often type 'animal.'" Adorable and delicious.

Domaine Bruno Dufeu - 2008 Cuvée Grand Mont Bourgueil
Oh, oh, oh!---am I drinking Spanish coffee? It's got all that fresh, voluminous pizzaz with mineral, slate, and caramelized sugars, & a hefty dose of meaty texture. My palate is pleased.

À la Sofia

Ah, Coppola's Sofia Mini! Très chic, oui?!

I've been constantly amazed by the growing accessibility of wine to consumers. While I agree that the de-snobbifying of the seemingly esoteric wine world has been fabulous, I can, on occasion, get a little miffed with unnecessary gizmos that look like they came straight off an infomercial (see also: The Hip Sip... don't even get me started.)

Enter Francis Ford's answer to grocery store ease: single-serve cans [with straws attached!] of California bubbles. Eating pizza and don't want to get those Reidels smudged with finger grease?! Crack open a 6 pack of these bad girls to compliment those PBR tallboys. The mini is perfect for a covert picnic operation ('cause hey---they look like petite Coca Cola cans, and who'd drink bubbly with a straw anyway?!) and certainly an entertaining party novelty. The mini is an easy-sipping 11.5% alcohol from a non-traditional "blanc de blanc" blend of Pinot Blanc, Riesling & Muscat. The big-kid's bottle features the same grape varieties in variant percentages. Now this is a de-glamification I can get behind!

Red Wine Time!

Autumn! My brain just flipped the switch from white to red. I literally woke up yesterday with a changed craving (because, you know, who doesn't think about wine first thing in the morning?) The sunlight is fading as summer slips away, and soon I will be enjoying a luscious glass of Cabernet Franc by the space heater fireplace. 'Tis the season for comfy scarves, red meats, fabulous films, and warm sweaters. I love sweaterrrs! These things combined with the atmospheric charm of Fall are best paired with gripping red wine and close friends.

Happy Autumn.