Monthly Archives: February 2010

Warm Winter Reds

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It seems almost counterintuitive to blog about these warm winter reds right now, because here in Vancouver we’re experiencing the balmiest, sunniest winter ever recorded – thanks, El Niño! – but I did want to introduce you to a couple of fairly tasty little wines with big value that I tasted last month.

It's mid-February, and my plants are in full bloom.

Locorosso Toscana IGT 2006

Pratesi’s Locorosso Toscana IGT 2006 is 100% Sangiovese. The Wine Advocate (WA) noted that Locorosso was put in French oak for four months, which manifests itself in the glass in a delicately spicy way. Antonio Galloni of WA gives this wine 87 points (review here).

I no longer remember what DVD I was watching... Anyone able to tell off this blurry screencap?

Tasting Notes

Opened January 13, 2010. A youthful ruby red colour in the glass, with violet edges. Savoury herbs and soft, woody spice mingle with red berries to form a pleasing bouquet with touches of meat on the nose (think charcuterie). This medium-bodied red is on the dry side, with a kicky palate of spicy tannins and lots of red fruit and cherries with hints of leafyness – this is definitely a wine for food. I enjoyed the Locorosso with vegetarian penne, but it would also be great with a platter of salumi, olives and cheeses. Normally $20; on sale for $13.50.

Anakena Carmenère Rapel Valley DO 2008

For me, Carmenère is a tough grape to really sink my teeth into, if you’ll excuse the pun. This Merlot relative, a Chilean specialty, is thick, black, brooding and unforgivingly Gothic – mass-produced versions tend to exude little else apart from ink, black olive juice and jam. In that sense, it’s quite like South African Pinotage, where mediocre quality and subpar expressions of the varietal at the entry price level have turned lots of people off the wine.

That said, well made Carmenère (and Pinotage) can be sought at a much higher price, but it’s worth the exploration if one is truly into discovering varietals. Montes’ Purple Angel ($55), for example, is a very refined, cellar-worthy Carmenère with lots of finesse, structure and complexity that tells a story in the glass yet still evokes the characteristics of the grape. I’ve been very lucky to have previously tasted Purple Angel in my WSET Intermediate course, but I’ll save it for another review.

Anakena’s Carmenère, on the other hand, falls nicely somewhere between the two extremes. This wine is not high-end by any means (Anakena has a few tiers of reserve wines above this “varietal” level), but the producers have taken care in the growing and site-specific selection of the grapes to create something expressive of its origins. Have a look at their detailed website here: Viña Anakena

Tasting Notes

Opened January 17, 2010. Deep blackish ruby in colour with purple edges. The nose carries subtle aromas of tapenade, black fruit, black olives, pepper and ripeness. Soft tannins help create a lush and meaty, earthy mid-palate that oozes black fruits, plum and cassis flavours. Throw a generous splash of this into your next beef stew or ragoût. Excellent value. $13

Soft-Boiled Egg Bruschetta alla Fiorentina

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I briefly mentioned Uva Wine Bar’s delicious bruschettas in my last post on Lungarotti Rubesco, which is currently on their wine list.

Uva has a great variety of snacks and treats that pair wonderfully with their wines, including the best tripe I’ve ever had (and believe me, I’m Chinese – I’ve eaten a lot of tripe).

Suffice it to say I found myself visiting Uva three times in the last month – and I don’t often frequent an establishment with such regularity. (The only other such place would be Sushi Yama, but I’ll save that for another post.)

Inspired by their sublime fried egg bruschetta with chili and pecorino, I decided to gather what was available in the fridge and make a similar dish for brunch today.

My semi-policy for this blog is that I stick to articles on libations only, but this recipe is so simple yet so tasty that it’s well worth sharing.

I also decided to share with you my foolproof method for Perfectly Soft-Boiled Eggs – it’s almost too easy!

I recommend this dish for any event at time of day. Who doesn’t like eating breakfast for dinner? For cocktail parties, using smaller toasts and quail’s eggs for this bruschetta would make a lovely spread of canapés.

Eggstacy. (Click photo to enlarge)

Ingredients

  • Sliced bread (I used an Italian Calabrese loaf but just use what you like – Black Russian Rye would also be a delicious and interesting choice)
  • Perfectly Soft-Boiled Eggs – one per slice of bread
  • Spinach (Baby spinach salad mix, the kind with a bit of radicchio and arugula, works well here and has great texture. Just remember that wilted spinach reduces your volume to about a quarter of what you had to begin with, so make sure you have enough on hand. Fresh spinach pays off immensely in this recipe – don’t use frozen blocks)
  • Mayonnaise (Homemade would be great but I used Hellman’s Olive Oil mayo and it was fine)
  • Grapeseed oil
  • Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red chili powder to taste

Directions

  1. Make Perfectly Soft-Boiled Eggs (see below).
  2. Meanwhile, heat grapeseed oil in a pan on medium-high heat and cook the spinach until just wilted. (Use 1.5 to 2 tbsp. oil for every 5 oz package of spinach.) Add salt to taste (a little goes a long way). Set aside in the pan to keep warm.
  3. Pop bread in toaster. Peel the eggshells at this time if the eggs are ready.
  4. Prepare bruschetta. On each slice of toast, spread a generous amount of mayonnaise. Pile approximately half to one cm of wilted spinach onto each toast.
  5. Place bruschetta on your intended serving plate. Top with a whole de-shelled Perfectly Soft-Boiled Egg and cut into sections with a knife. (It’s important to cut the egg on the toast as you want to keep the runny/gooey yolk – the best part – on the bruschetta, not the plate).
  6. Sprinkle Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and/or chili powder over each bruschetta to taste. Serve immediately.

Wine Suggestion

I had mine this morning with coffee, which was great, but a medium- to full-bodied, refreshing white wine with either some crispness or nuttiness to play off the flavours of the spinach or egg would be quite tasty with this dish. Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio (Italy, $20) and Sandhill Pinot Gris (BC, $18) come to mind. I drank a white wine made of Grechetto grapes at Uva when I had the egg bruschetta there, and it was fabulous too – that’s worth a try if you can find a bottle.

Perfectly Soft-Boiled Eggs

Spartans of this world will rejoice in this recipe because you don’t even need a stove – an electric kettle (the kind with a hidden heat coil) works just fine. Room temperature eggs are ideal.*

Example of Step 4: Runny Yolks. (Click photo to enlarge)

Directions

  1. Put eggs in pot or electric kettle and cover with cold or room temperature water.
  2. Bring to a rolling boil for one minute and remove from heat / unplug the kettle. Leave eggs in the heated water for a few minutes according to desired yolk consistency, as shown below.
  3. Super-Runny Yolks: 2 minutes.
  4. Runny Yolks: 4 minutes.
  5. Gummy/Gooey Yolks: 6 minutes.
  6. Drain the water and cool eggs by running under cold tap water for 30 seconds – 1 minute.
  7. Crack and peel the eggs and serve immediately. (Tip: Running the cracked eggs briefly under cold tap water so that the water gets between the shell and the egg white also helps with peeling.)

* Note: This cooking method is only accurate for medium to extra large chicken eggs. To prepare quail’s eggs for canapés as I suggested above, you may wish to remove one test egg from the water immediately after it reaches a boil and checking its yolk consistency for your desired softness.

Lungarotti Rubesco di Torgiano 2004

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Torgiano is a beautiful commune in the Umbria region of Italy, situated exactly between the “calf” and the “shin” of the wonderful boot-shaped country.

Time stands still in Torgiano. (Photo from Wikipedia)

It’s apparently a hotbed for (agri)tourism too – a quick internet search for Torgiano reveals primarily vacation home, hotel and B&B sites. One can rent a cozy farmhouse (similar to a California rancher) to soak in all the sights and smells for anywhere between 350 – 550 Euro a week.

Lungarotti is probably Torgiano’s best-known winery, and verily what put the commune on the proverbial map. The local wine and olive oil museums, two of Torgiano’s largest attractions, were founded by the winery’s namesake and winemaker, Giorgio Lungarotti.

Rubesco, roughly translating to “blushing”, is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, the popular Tuscan grape, and 30% Canaiolo, an indigenous varietal native to the region.

This is a terrific, versatile wine for food pairing or simply enjoyed with a cheese plate and a good book. If you’re not into trying a full bottle, it’s currently on the by-the-glass wine list at Uva Wine Bar and is excellent with their Umbrian lentil bruschetta.

Tasting Notes

A rather light, clear garnet hued wine with some bricking around the edges – this is a wine to drink now or very soon. Red fruits, cherry, subtle herbs (like dried oregano, sage or thyme) and a bit of sweet spice and milk chocolate form a mysterious bouquet. Fine tannins frame this evenly acidic and flavourful medium-bodied wine with lots of finesse. More red fruits and savoury herb on the palate with a sweet oakyness that provides a lengthy finish. My instinct tells me to stick with Italian fare and opt for full-flavoured dishes such as chicken cacciatore or pesto – other bistro classics like tapenade or pissaladière would be great too. $20

Useful Links

A great New York Times article on Lungarotti’s reserve Rubesco wines:

Uva Wine Bar (open every day during the 2010 Winter Games!)