Tag Archives: beef

To a Happy 2011

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Last year was a year of new wines. Starting at a new company as well as completing WSET Advanced opened my palate to a plethora of exciting wineries and wine-producing countries that were formerly outside of my comfort zone.

I fell in love with Sangiovese, confirmed my convictions for Riesling (the king of all white grapes!), and rediscovered Syrah and Zinfandel, not to mention rekindled my romance with Japanese blended and single malt whiskies!

It was also a year of record high – and low – points in my life as a gourmande.

I started buying groceries at farmers’ markets, I tried wine-fed Sezmu beef, I ate organic Alberta rabbit in Alberta, and I dined (multiple times!) at one of the top winery restaurants in the world.

I made small steps toward eating more sustainably, too – I stopped eating farmed salmon and mass-produced livestock, which pretty much means I am a vegetarian on most days – something I never would have foreseen myself doing a mere 10 years ago.

On the flip side, I also knowingly consumed countless frozen pizzas and snacked on innumerable Pizza Pops (an Achilles Heel, one might say).

I also accepted a coworker’s gift of an Egg McMuffin, which in doing so, I halted a nine-year boycott of McDonald’s (both a health decision and a consumer statement against globalized food chains – I’ll save that topic for another day) by favouring politeness to others over personal integrity.

I felt terrible about eating all that junk, and clichéd as it sounds, my body did too.

I realize there is the argument that people of ordinary means lack proper access to sustainable food; I confer, and agree that I too often lack the budget and/or time to get out to where there is sustainable food (there’s certainly nothing within walking distance). But the older I get, and the more discriminating I get when it comes to wine, culture and the people around me, the more I wonder – why am I not more judicious about the staples that actually keep me alive: Food?

So I am making a goal for myself to keep treating myself better in 2011. Whether it’s using supreme ingredients in everyday meals or using everyday ingredients to cook supreme meals; I want to be active, aware and ethical about choosing what goes in my glass and on my plate. Ultimately I think this will increase my happiness as well.

With that thought, my 2011 new year’s wishes for you: May your glass and stomach always be full with satisfaction, may you be healthy, and may your table always be full of good company.

Yuletide Tipples

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How quickly have the holidays crept up on you this year?

For me, 2010 is wrapping up (and unwrapping) way too fast! Summer seems like just yesterday, and I’ve barely had enough time to document all the bottles and glasses that have crossed my palate since (and I apologize).

However, I do have some interesting and awesome news to report:

1) I completed my WSET Level III Advanced course!

Last week, I wrote my final exam, which consisted of 50 multiple choice questions, 5 short answer/mini-essay sections and two blind tastings.

This course is largely why I have absent from the blog in the past month and a half, but it is my hope that future posts will be much better and more enlightening because of it! I feel very positive that I achieved a high score, so I am eager to find out and share my final marks with you. Here’s to a Pass with Distinction!

2) I am going to Boston Wine Expo 2011 in January!

It’s been a while since I last travelled, and I definitely wanted to visit somewhere new that just happened to feature vinous excitement in the dead of winter.

Fortunately, Boston is one such place! At the Expo, I’ll be at the trade tastings, and I’ve signed up for a Maison Drouhin tasting featuring Premier & Grand Cru wines from Burgundy, a Ribera del Duero seminar and a vertical tasting of Champagne Ruinart.

Needless to say, I’ve also been researching Boston dining and plan to eat my way through the city, so I’m very excited and can’t wait for my trip – please stay tuned for upcoming posts about my Bostonian adventures in food and wine!

I leave you temporarily with a couple of lip-smackingly tasty libations and one mulled wine recipe below, because of course, no Christmas season is worth toasting without having something yummy to toast with!

Until the next post, I hope you all enjoy a safe and happy holiday, and wish you all the best in 2011!

- Debbie

P.S. Suggestions on fun and interesting sights and flavours in Boston cheerily accepted in the Comments section!

Arran Amarone Cask Finish Single Malt Whisky

From the Isle of Arran’s only malt whisky distillery comes this unique Amarone-cask finished single malt, featuring single malt whisky of at least 8 years old that is matured for a further 8 months in a used Amarone cask.

Exhibiting a nose of dark chocolate, dusty wood and dried fruits (not to mention notes of classic Amarone’s passito-dried grapes), this copper beauty with rosy highlights is delicate on the palate, with mild notes of cherry, fragrant wood, spice, cocoa and dried fruit, finishing long with a dryness that hints at its tannin-soaked wood finish. I’m thinking this would be a spirited (!) food pairing with spicy/nutty dishes featuring raisins or other dried fruit, like Moroccan lamb tagine or Lebanese rice pilaf? Also sure to be wonderful after dinner with a wafer of very dark or bittersweet chocolate. $85

Pinhal da Torre Vinha do Alqueve 2006

I’m starting to discover the light wines of Portugal, a country that, like Spain, is represented on Canadian liquor store shelves with bottles of amazing value for their complexity and drinkability.

Vinha do Alqueve is the mainstream regional red blend of Pinhal da Torre, a winery from the Ribatejo province (now known as Tejo, Portuguese for the River Tagus, since 2009). For this blend, varietal wines made from indigenous grapes Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca plus Cabernet Sauvignon and Tinta Roriz (aka Tempranillo) are vinified separately and then blended and aged in barrel, following a traditional Bordeaux method of production.

This is an inky, purplish black wine with a soft but complex nose of black and red fruits, tar, fall leaves, herbs, oak and earth. The palate is a plush, thick array of soft black and red fruit flavours with a nice savoury, foresty layer – a deliciously easy-drinking combination. Try this with boiled beef brisket or tongue with a crusty loaf of bread and spreads like aioli, grainy mustard, horseradish and/or pistou on the side. A terrific value at $12.

Chef Debbie Presents: Glöggignon Blanc

This is a really simple white mulled wine recipe that has all the flavour of regular Glühwein without the embarrassing maroon stains that those who love a good mulled wine are likely to incur. I eyeballed a batch this week for a work potluck, and it turned out so well that I figured I may as well record the recipe and share it with you all!

Ingredients (Serves 10 – 12; double the recipe and make it in a stockpot over the stove for a bigger batch)

  • 1.5 L dry white wine (I used Sonora Ranch Sauvignon Blanc)
  • 750 ml water
  • 3 – 5 oz. spirit of your choice (brandy, rum or vodka work well; I used my cardamom and cinnamon-infused vodka from this post! Or just add Christmas cheer for a subdued, less punchy version)
  • 1 large orange
  • 1 lemon
  • 3 slices of ginger root, peeled
  • 20 – 25 cloves
  • 3 cinnamon sticks
  • pinch ground nutmeg
  • 3 star anise (I didn’t have this on hand for my initial batch, but it would be an excellent addition)
  • 10 pink or white peppercorns
  • Honey or syrup to taste (I used golden cane syrup)

Directions

  1. Into a slow cooker (turned off) or stockpot, add your wine, water and liquor.
  2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel the zest off the orange and lemon into strips. Add to pot. Slice orange and lemon crosswise into thin slices and then in half again to make small half-moons. Add to pot.
  3. Add ginger, cloves, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, star anise and peppercorn to pot.
  4. Set slow cooker to its Low setting or your stockpot over medium-low heat until the mixture just reaches a slow simmer. Let brew for at least 3 – 4 hours, stirring in honey or syrup to taste just before serving in heat-proof (not plastic) cups. Enjoy!

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