06.30.08
Posted in Musings at 10:12 am by Bill St. John
Cocktail season is upon us and you can make drinks at home that will rival anything that you can order at the bar. I had the pleasure of tending bar for many years and had the good fortune of working for a five-star resort that stressed the importance of both training and creativity.
My associates and I attended many seminars taught by industry giants such as Tony Abu Ganim and Dale DeGroff. We also spent many hours in our liquor room, furtively mixing combinations of liquors, fruit juices and other ingredients to concoct just the right blend of sweet, tart, fruit & alcohol. We were mad scientists with every conceivable ingredient known to man at hand.
The annual drink contest helped fuel our competitive spirit and, with trips to Cancun or Vegas or Atlantic City on the line, we were sure that our drink was the ultimate cocktail. We also named our drinks with the same creativity – drinks such as “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” (an over-the-top, rainbow, frozen Daiquiri with all the bells and whistles) or the “Bumble Beetini” (a martini with gin, vodka, Barenjager, and fresh flower garnish) – never did win a trip, but I did learn that the proper balance is necessary to achieve a perfect drink.
Sweet to tart ratio (1/3 sweet to 2/3 tart) is the key element when building the perfect cocktail. Also keep in mind that the freshest fruits and juices and also premium spirits will result in a much better-tasting drink.
And did you know that of utmost importance is the ice that you use. If it has been in your freezer for six months and smells like freezer burn, that is exactly what your drink will taste like. Also if you pour heavy on the booze your drink will be out of balance, the alcohol overpowering the other flavors.
Whether you’re having drinks for two or hosting a large, elaborate party, just keep it fun. I’ve always thought of bartending as cooking (something that I love to do) without all of the dirty pots and pans (something that I do not love to do). You can even count on someone in your party jumping behind the bar and mixing it up for a while, and while their drinks may not be perfect, they will absolutely have a blast pretending to be Tom Cruise.
Some of my favorite flavor combinations come from recipes and foods or drinks that I love. Drinks like Raspberry Lemontini – simply raspberry Vodka and Limoncello – recall the raspberry lemonade of my youth. And Cranberry Margaritas - Tequila, Cointreau, fresh-squeezed limes and cranberry juice – remind me of summer on the gulf coast. Even savory/sweet drinks such as Thyme Lemontini – citrus Vodka with a rim of superfine sugar and dried, powdered thyme and a garnish of a few fresh thyme leaves – is all you need for an elegant, tasty drink.
I should also mention that wines can be used in many interesting cocktails. From simple Sangrias- pitchers of wines, soda, fruit and brandy (or even schnapps) – to complex drinks made even better with a “float” of sparkling wine (half bottles work perfectly here), they should not be overlooked when choosing ingredients to make the specialty drink of your house.
Also, simple syrup is simply that, equal parts sugar and boiling water with a bit of citric acid. You can opt out of the citric acid, but you’ll need to refrigerate your syrup to prevent spoilage.
Regardless of timing – brunch, dinner or late night – you can always find a great signature drink that will fit your theme perfectly. You can match your occasion or simply complement a menu with a few well-chosen cocktails. Currently a number of classic cocktails are making a comeback – and for good reason. While a Rum and Coke or Bourbon and ginger ale are great drinks and easy to make, nothing says party better than a perfectly mixed and garnished cocktail, in the perfect glass, and paired with good food and great company.
Mojitos and Caipirinhas from Latin America, Mint Juleps and Sazeracs from the southern states, even a Moscow mule – a blend of Smirnoff vodka and ginger beer created in the 1950s – can transform your event from ho-hum to a tremendous success. A little homework is all that’s needed or you can come to Sam’s and any number of experts in fermented and distilled beverages will have you partying all summer long!
~ Kat Moon, Wine Consultant Lincoln Park; Sommelier ISG
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06.09.08
Posted in Worldly Wines at 12:49 pm by Bill St. John
Wine as comfort food – or what I like to call “comfort wines” – are those familiar, simple wines that are inseparably linked to fond memories, or places or events. While they typically don’t receive rave reviews from wine critics and won’t be showcased in glossy periodicals, they do have merit.
Sweet wine
Throughout history, wine has been included in ceremonies and special occasions. Many are sweet wines made by traditional methods that have been passed down over the generations.
Palm wine and dandelion wine, for example, while still being made are not commercially available but can be experienced by reading the novels of Amos Tutuola, Barry Unsworth or Ray Bradbury.
Concord grape wines are produced in mass quantities and are still widely used in religious ceremonies. Their aroma and “foxy,” grapey flavor can transport you back in time to a wooden pew in a room filled with light, color, and music or to the PB&J that you had at lunch. Sam’s has a number of producers of Concord wine in stock and all are relatively inexpensive.
Hawaii makes pineapple wine (we can’t get any; I’ve tried) and in Japan and Korea plum wine is made by steeping green plums called Ume in Shochu (a clear, distilled Japanese spirit similar to vodka). It is a sweet, pleasant wine and is one of my favorites. It is readily available and inexpensive.
We also have Retsina, an aromatized wine from Greece (if you like gin you should try this). It is made by adding the essence of an evergreen shrub to a neutral white wine base. My sister and I always have a glass with our saganaki – the flaming cheese specialty of Greek restaurants – when we go out for Greek food.
And, as a Southerner, I enjoy an occasional glass of Muscadine or Scuppernong wine. It transports me back to my trips to Natchez Mississippi for the annual Great Mississippi River Balloon Race and to my trips to the Old South Winery.
Even if you don’t hail from a wine drinking family (mine preferred sour mash whiskey as most southerners do), you can create your own wine traditions simply by including classic wine pairings with your dining choices.
The next time you are having Greek or Asian food include a bottle of Retsina or Umeshu. Or instead of dessert, consider having a sweet fruit wine or even a wine made from honey called Mead, one of the oldest wines known to man. It is readily available. One to try is Wild Blossom Meaderies’ Desire. It is a thick golden wine aged in used bourbon barrels. It is sweet and decadent and a perfect after dinner delight.
~ Kat Moon, Sam’s Lincoln Park
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05.01.08
Posted in Worldly Wines at 11:30 am by Bill St. John
I found a message in a bottle at Sam’s. It told me of hot summer days and cool wind-swept nights, of sand beneath my feet and humid sea breezes. I found myself sipping espresso in the morning in a seaside café and anise in the evening in a laid-back night club.
It spoke to me of dark-eyed Spanish girls and Latin lovers. Ripe fruit and full tannins washed over me and I found that I had finished the entire bottle without even knowing (okay I had help). The wine that I chose was Bodegas Hijos de Juan Gil 2005 Monastrell. Monastrell is a grape variety native to Spain. It also grows in France under the alias of Mourvèdre and is an integral part of “GSM” (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre) blends from the Rhône Valley.
Juan Gil is a huge, gorgeous wine from Murcia on Spain’s eastern coast. This area produces fabulous wines from old vines, largely due to its sandy soil (mostly unaffected by phylloxera and on original rootstock) and close proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. The wines have ripe black fruits and a baked earth quality. They also possess a lovely finish suggesting coffee and liquorices.
It was almost like taking a vacay without leaving my own living room. Now the question is: where will I go next? Maybe the south of France, or Germany’s Mosel River. The choices are endless. So the next time you’re in Sam’s looking for wine – think of each bottle as a message. The French call it terroir but I consider it an adventure!
~ Kat Moon, Wine Consultant Sam’s Wines and Spirits, Lincoln Park. Sommelier, ISG
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04.07.08
Posted in Worldly Wines at 4:21 pm by Bill St. John
Your mom said, “Eat your vegetables.”
And that’s all you do. Whether you’ve decided to eschew meat for moral and/or health reasons, there comes a time when you are asked about wines that successfully would pair with “Tofu Surprise.” Well maybe not you, but I get that question a lot.
Here’s the deal: anything goes. But really, if you need some guidelines this should be of help. Green veggies, especially tender, leafy plants pair extremely well with white wines with some of the same herbaceous qualities. Root vegetables and winter squashes pair much better with reds, as do dried beans, and peas.
It’s not the color so much as the flavor profile to which you want to attend. Root veggies tend toward earthy flavors and the tannic structure of red wines normally can stand up to their fibrous, often woody flavors (as does the oak aging that a great majority of reds undergo).
Also, cooking methods pay a big part in choosing just the right wine for the meal. Roasting tends to caramelize some of the natural sugars, whereas a light sauté with olive oil will accentuate the greenness of many veggies. And of course blanching lets both the vegetable’s flavor, as well as color, shine. Also remember hot likes sweet and acid likes salt. That said, here are a couple great recipes and the wines that I like for you to try.
Moroccan Lentil Stew
To a simmering pot of lentils add the following ingredients:
1 cup of brown rice, cooked
½ cup of chopped dried apricots
1 tsp curry powder (I like red but green works also)
½ tsp powdered cumin
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Garnish with fresh chopped mint. Serve with flat bread and a fuller bodied, slightly fruity red wine. I like Casa de la Vega Garnacha or even Substance Merlot.
Sautéed Rainbow Swiss Chard
You’ll need at least 2 large bunches of chard for this dish as it cooks down quite a bit. Wash your greens well. I soak mine in a sink full of cold water with at least 2 changes of water to ensure that there is no sand in the dish. Shake off the excess water and chop into roughly 2-inch sections, including stems.
To a hot skillet, add 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, chopped, and a tsp of dried red chili flakes. Add the chard to the pan and stir to wilt. Add 2 tbsp of water and cover. Lower the heat and cook until tender, about 5-10 minutes. Serve with balsamic vinegar and crusty French bread.
A lovely German Riesling pairs beautifully with this dish because the wine’s residual sugar is a perfect foil for the red chili. Try Dr. Karl Spätlese Whelener Sonnenühr Riesling 2006.
~ By Kat Moon, Wine Consultant, Sam’s Lincoln Park; Sommelier, International Sommelier Guild
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03.24.08
Posted in Musings at 10:19 am by Bill St. John
Here is the scenario, my experience on the sales floor at Sam’s many too many a time: I approach our customers. “Good day!” I ask. “Are you looking for anything in particular?”
“Why yes,” they reply. I perk up, ready, willing and more than able to assist. Then they drop the hammer: “Um, do you know anyone [else!] who can help me with wine?”
Ouch. Had I known I was going to receive a smack on the cheek, I would have shaved closer! I’ve been in the wine industry close to 30 years – and still, every day, I find folks who can’t see beyond my particular hue, which is black, very black. It’s as if the thought was: “What possibly could a Negro know about wine?”
Well, much. A lot. It is sad, but this biased mindset exists from years of social conditioning, negative stereotypes – and simple personal ignorance.
I find that it is also – surprisingly – consistent across the color line. Many times, I’ve received the same treatment from blacks themselves, armed with the mindset that “blacks + wine = Thunderbird, or a 40-ounce bottle of brain-numb.”
As people, we must learn to look beyond a person’s skin color and to judge them by the depth of their knowledge and tasting skills, rather than their outward appearance. You would think that in these enlightened times, people would be beyond such ignorance, but prejudice still wafts in the air, fouling all that it contacts.
Here’s what matters, especially if you are looking for the best wine advice: Get to know your wine pro in the same way that you would get to know your barber, mechanic or anyone else in whom you put your trust for a personal service. Establish a rapport with them. See if you both are on the same page in terms of what you like in wines.
Give diversity a chance. Who knows? That “stock guy” whom you just passed over might just be a world-renowned expert or wine judge.
Or you might find me.
~ Charles E. Stanfield, Champagnes, Kosher & South African wines, Sam’s Lincoln Park
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03.23.08
Posted in Worldly Wines at 9:59 am by Bill St. John
Named after the black-hulled barges that used to carry Port downriver to be aged in cellars near the town of Oporto, Barco Negro comes from the hands of the J&F Lurton family, Frenchmen who have begun fine winemaking in many parts of the world outside France.
Little can be added to this praise from Wine Enthusiast as it handed Barco Negro 2005 90 Points: “The Lurtons seem to get everywhere, and they have started to make quite a mark in Portugal. It’s a country, new but old, that suits their modern style of winemaking, which still seems to respect the character of the place. . . . This is a richly ripe wine, full of tarry, dark tannins and black fruits. Despite its weight and density, it is well balanced, the dark flavors opening out with flavors of licorice, bitter chocolate and spicy wood.”
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The Douro River flows out of Spain, westerly, through the northern third of Portugal and into the Atlantic Ocean, exiting at the mouth of the river at the town of Oporto. Since the 1600s, the area has been known – revered, really – as the home of the fortified sweet wine, Port.
But since the mid-20th century, winemakers have taken the same grapes that assemble to be Port (grapes such as Touriga Nacional – the stolid, great grape of Port and perhaps the greatest of all Portuguese red wine grapes – Tinto Roriz (as Tempranillo is known hereabouts), Touriga Franca and Touriga Barroca) and have made of them a raft of dry red wines, unfortified but for their very stout native alcohols.
(Barco Negro is comprised of 30% Tinta Roriz, 30% Touriga Franca and 40% Touriga Nacional.)
Over the past few years, just beginning in the 1970s, these dry wines of the Douro [pronounced, quickly, as DOE-oo-rroe, the “oo” hardly spoken] have gained a solid following, especially in Britain and the United States, for offering wallops of flavor at reasonable prices.
A staggering number of close to 85,000 grape growers produce grapes along the Douro, in steeply terraced hillside vineyards and, while most of their production is destined for Port, more & more finds its way into the dry wines of the region.
The torrid-in-summer, gelid-in-winter Douro is composed of three different districts, each with its own characteristics (and plusses & minuses): closest to Oporto is Baixo [BYE-show] Corgo, coolest & wettest of the three and, though a third of the area in acreage, producer of good, not great, grapes; in the middle is the most prestigious area, Cima [CHEE-mah] Corgo, producer of nearly half of all Douro grapes; finally, closest to Spain is the Douro Superior, the hottest & driest of the area.
The soils of the entire region are particularly good for grape-growing. That is, they are poor: slates and schists (a metamorphic crystalline rock and the most carefully pronounced word in geography) that force vines to sink their roots deep in to the earth in search of nutrients and water, thereby concentrating their energies and producing low yields of full-flavored, thick-skinned grapes.
Beginning in the late 17th century and the advent of Port as we know it, the wine trade shifted from the production of Port by individual “quintas” [KEEN-tahs] – what we would call simply a winery with its own vineyards – to its marketing by large Port houses in and around the town of Oporto. Many of these firms were English in origin – Graham’s, Dow, Smith-Woodhouse, etc. – because it was the British who both pioneered and furthered the Port trade. These houses bought grapes or wine from many various quintas, assembling their Ports under their own roofs and, essentially, turned Port into the world’s first branded wine.
By the 1950s, quintas failed to play any significant role as producers of individual wines because their entire annual productions were simply destined for the Port houses. A law even was passed making this system mandatory. But in 1986, a new law allowed Douro producers – quintas and other wineries by other names – to produce, mature and sell wine (both Port and dry Douro reds) under their own names.
So, to today. Quinta upon quinta now sell dry red wine from the Douro – most of it as very reasonable prices because the wines are still to be known to the world at large.
~ Bill St. John
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03.22.08
Posted in Worldly Wines at 3:00 pm by Bill St. John
All in all, Franciscan friars may have done more for California winemaking than any other group – check out how the “Mission Trail” along the West Coast effectively maps the state’s more significant appellations – but, dagnabbit, it was them good ol’ ‘49ers, during the Gold Rush of the 1850s, done kicked the Golden State’s wines into the cellars of the rest of the country.
And they did it in Amador County, along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California’s eastern provinces. Those boys were thirsty and not just for whiskey. Along with stream sluices and Deadwood-like shanty towns, a whole raft of wineries sprung up to slake the miners’ parched throats. Many of these prospectors were European and had a stronger yen for red wine than American Bourbon.
And so, it was “America’s grape” – Zinfandel – that found its home here in Amador County, no matter that this robust, heady red wine vine actually came from Croatia (via who knows what route . . .). See the photo to the left to glimpse how Amador County Zinfandel is often head-pruned to this day in a very old-fashioned way of tending a vine.
Around 25 wineries make Amador County their home, clustered mostly in the Shenandoah Valley and around the town of Plymouth, in the Fiddletown appellation. It’s a warm, very sunny climate, with moderately dense soils that retain rainfall, allowing grape growers to dry-farm (not irrigate) and – this is key – nighttime temperatures that drop 35-45 degrees from the daytime highs. All this means that Amador Zinfandel ripens to heady levels of color, alcohol and extract and also retain nice tangy acidity more than red wines from comparatively warm areas of California. Red wine with acidity – that’s a great combo and terrific at table.
Another neat facet of Amador Zinfandel is the age of many of the vines. Out of a total of 2,700 acres of vineyards dating back to the 19th century, more than 600 are 60 years or older. These deeply rooted, head-pruned vines give grapes with intense concentration of flavor and aroma.
So, how did Amador County become the great influence on American wine appreciation that it was? During Prohibition, under the Volstead Act, home winemakers were allowed to produce up to 200 gallons of wine for their own and their family’s consumption. It was Amador County Zinfandel that found its way into thousands of Slavic, Italian and Portuguese homes, throughout the entire country. Bingo.
Here’s a delicious Amador County Zinfandel, with notes from our wine director, Efrain Madrigal, the 2005 Egret Zinfandel. “I love Amador Zins, they have a more exotic, burly character than the hyper-fruity styles found in Sonoma. Egret’s version is spot-on. It has buckets of fruit, but there is so much more: Asian spice, dried herbs, cigar box and dark cocoa, with a touch of mineral. Gutsy and weighty, but never over the top, with a long, luscious finish. An awesome match with anything off the Weber.” 91 points ~ Efrain Madrigal, Wine Director
~ Bill St. John
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01.31.08
Posted in France at 7:52 pm by Bill St. John
Sam’s Wine Director, Efrain Madrigal, along with his colleague Gérard Nespoux, Sam’s Lincoln Park’s Bordeaux Buyer, has been scouting out wines in France & Spain for Sam’s shelves. Here is his latest blog.
Gérard and I just had dinner with Yves Vatelot of
Château Reignac. We did three flights of reds, each flight from the same vintage tasted blind (each flight had at least one classified first-growth). Château Reignac, an unclassified estate located in the humble appellation of Bordeaux Supérieur – despite its great terroir and the near-fanatical devotion of Vatelot to high quality – won each flight (the dining group voted on their favorite wines before knowing the vintage and the specific wines poured). We were all stunned – except Vatelot – who does this type of showdown all the time.
We will be doing a Reignac dinner with this exact sort of blind tasting on February 19 at 160 Blue on Randolph. Vatelot is flying in for the dinner. Fantastic. This will be one of the coolest dinners we’ve done! Spread the word.
Here are the results (* = my favorite of the flight)
Round 1: 2004’s
Reignac
Reignac’s Balthus*
Cheval Blanc
Round 2: 2003’s
Reignac*
Reignac’s Balthus
Latour (100 points Parker)
Round 3: 2001’s
Reignac*
Cheval Blanc
Latour
~ Efrain Madrigal
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01.30.08
Posted in France at 11:02 am by Bill St. John
Sam’s Wine Director, Efrain Madrigal, accompanied by Sam’s Bordeaux guy, Gérard Nespoux, have been searching out wines for the stores in France & Spain. Here’s Efrain’s latest blog.
After six busy days of tasting and involuntary gluttony in Bordeaux (man, they love to eat here!) we are at the airport getting ready for the last leg of our trip - Paris.
I always learn plenty visiting Bordeaux and this trip was no exception. There is continual quest for better quality and so they are putting much more focus on vineyard management and winemaking. The Bordelais are hungry not only to maintain their market share in the U.S., but to grow it (despite an ever-growing market in Asia). They have learned their lesson after losing ground to the South Americans and Australians, as well as the Spanish and Italians.
Now, this doesn’t mean you’ll see bright labels with pictures of animals on the label such as “Henri le Chien” (Henry the Dog) that taste sugary and dull. But they are making delicious wines with easier-to-understand labels at prices that make them affordable for everyday consumption.
Also, there is a new generation of brokers, winemakers and consultants that are about to turn the winemaking world on its ear. If you think the hot-bed of innovation is Australia, California or Spain . . . well, just wait ’til you see what’s coming from good “old” Bordeaux. It’s like the new-wave French cinema of Astruc or Melville in the early ’60s. History is in the making!
Look for tasting notes on new arrivals, and pre-offers on some of these new Bordeaux in an upcoming issue of Toast.
We will be in Paris the next couple of days to taste the portfolio of two American ex-Pats, Jack Siler and Tom Calder. I’ll be sure to report back.
~ Efrain Madrigal
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01.28.08
Posted in France at 7:48 am by Bill St. John
Hello,
It’s been a whirlwind few days since we got to Bordeaux. This place is unlike any wine region in the world. It’s equal parts beautiful, bucolic wine country and a big city commodities exchange. While we have tasted at a few wineries and toured the wineries, we also taste in brokers’ or “negociants‘” offices. They usually have a tasting room that looks like a labrotary complete with a long tasting counter and built-in spitoons.
It may seem clinical but I love tasting this way - mostly because you can concentrate on the task at hand and not have someone give you a speech about each wine. I also can taste more quickly and with a better sense of the wines I have tried. Since we have been here Gérard and I have tried several hundred wines. Friday was particularly challenging because both of us were suffering from eating a salad that included some questionable sardines. We muddled through somehow and found some brilliant wines.
While every visit has yielded some finds, the three best tastings were with Jeffrey Davies of Signature Selections, Xavier Serin of Jean-Luc Thunevin’s negociant firm, and Domaine Select. These companies represent some of the most exciting new discoveries of Bordeaux as well as other regions. That and the fact that the wines are incredibly well priced make these three visits alone worth the trip. We are so excited by these producers that we have started making arrangements for them to come to Chicago to do wine dinners and in-store tastings. Wait until you try these wines!
Today should be an easier day with just two visits. One of them to Chateau Gigault, my favorite producer in the right bank appellation of Blaye. We have their wonderful 2004 vintage on sale for only $17.99.
Until tomorrow.
- Efrain [Madrigal, Sam’s Wine Director]
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