Food, Wine, Culture TV: Episode 3- Scallops, Pork, Wine and Beer- Cooking and wine pairing!

Foodandwineblog.com’s Food, wine, culture TV Show! In this third episode, I make two simple yet delicious dishes (one is noblepig.com inspired!) and try a few different beverage pairings in our recently (and ongoing) renovated kitchen. Carlos L is back on guitar, the dogs are wandering around and dinner turned out great. So grab a glass of wine and join me for a night of cooking and wine!
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“Cellar Notes” on WYPR: Great programming, but not always great advice!

As a PhD student, I spend a lot of time sitting in front of a computer that is attached to electrophysiology equipment, a big microscope equipped with a CCD camera, and a giant laser used to stimulate neurons in rat brain tissue. I spend hours and hours recording electrical activity of neurons with the hope that I’ll positive data so I can graduate some time before the 2005 Bordeaux’s are at their peak (in the next 20-40 years). The advantage to my day is that I can listen to music, podcasts, and watch videos while my experiments are running. Most of the day, though, I am just simply listening to National Public Radio (NPR) trying to keep up on the news, politics and other things going on in Baltimore and the rest of the world.

I think it’s fair to say that I’m slightly addicted to NPR. I listen at all hours of the day and night and home. I am really impressed with our local NPR station (WYPR in Baltimore). One program I really enjoy is a short (5 minutes or so) segment called Cellar Notes. Each day around 5:30 PM Al Spoler and Hugh Sisson discuss wine topics ranging from wine pairing advice and wine events, to recently to the new up and coming varietal.I really enjoy and appreciate the programming, and try to catch it at least a few times a week. I think it’s a great way to get people excited about wines and is very informative and well produced.

In the last few weeks though, two comments were made that I completely disagree with. One, involving American Pinot Noir versus those of Burgundy. The second, being a comment on foods that go better with beer (rather than wine).

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Tasting Notes: Miscellaneous French Wines

Domaine Ehrhart Pinot Auxerrois 2004 - $16: Nice floral nose, notes of minerals and pear with good acidity. My rating: 85 pts

Domaine Marc-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 2005 - $80: Flower notes on the nose with peach, citrus and mineral notes. Complex and elegant, good fruits and spice with a touch of jasmine and honey. Good structure with crisp acidity and refreshing mineral notes. Lingering finish, very good. My rating: 90 pts

Alberto Furque Malbec 2004 - $14: Dark cherry, plum, leather, solid early with rough tannins in the finish that fall off. My rating: 84 pts

Domaine Foret de Michielle, Confidentia Cotes du Rhone Villages - $20: Cane syrup, caramel, light tar, blackberry, plum, medium tannins not perfectly balanced but overall good. My rating: 85 pts

Mas des Bressades, Grenache/Syrah 2006 - $12: Great nose nice fruits, reminiscent of a Touriga Franca based wine. Rolling flavors of plum, red fruits and spice with good tannins and a subtle, but long finish. Great value wine. My rating: 88 pts

Domaine Chauvenet Chopin, Nuits St. Georges, 2004 - $54: Earthy tones, leather, medium tannins, interesting fruits, black cherry, lovely. Bought a few bottles and look forward to trying them in a couple years…should improve with age. My rating: 91 pts

Andre Brunel Chateauneuf du Pape, Les Cailloux, 2004 $45 - 90 pts: Great nose, black cherry, pepper, spice with overall well defined fruits. Balanced with medium tannins that should even out with aging. Lean but lasting finish. My rating: 90 pts

Parmigiano-Reggiano Crusted NY Strip with a 2005 Burgundy

This is a simple way to take a NY Strip to the next level. The pairing of this Parmigiano-Reggiano encrusted steak with a 2005 Domaine Francois Capitain-Gagnerot from the Ladoix in Burgundy was almost perfect.

Wine Tasting Notes: Deep purple color. Nose was very concentrated and inviting with black berry, cherry, mushroom, liquorice. More dark berries on the palette with leather and tobacco notes and a touch of spice near the finish. The wine has good balance and medium tannins and will benefit from a few more years of aging. My rating: 89 pts. Tasted: 10/01/2007

Ingredients and preparation

• 12-16 oz NY Strip Steak
• 3 oz parmageano reggiano cheese, grated
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt/pepper

1. Cover steak with olive oil and pepper and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 mins.
2. Sprinkle steak with salt and transfer to a very hot grill on direct heat.
3. Sear each side of steak for 2-3 minutes then move to a portion of the grill without direct heat.
4. Cover steak with cheese, close grill and let cook for 7-8 mins, or until medium-rare (center temp of 125 degrees)
5. Remove from grill and allow at least 5 mins to rest before slicing.
   Serve with wine!

I served this with Portobello mushrooms that I marinated in olive oil, red wine, a few dashes of soy sauce, garlic, salt and pepper. I then grilled the Portobello’s, basting with the marinade. The juice from the Portobello makes a great dipping sauce for the steak or even just some bread!

Bin 604 Pinot Noir Tasting Recap - August 23, 2007

This week’s tasting titled “Perfectly Pinot Noir” offered a wide variety of Pinot’s from around the world. The selection was quite diverse, with a few very good bottles at good prices. Below are a list of the wines we tasted, with notes and retail pricing.

1. Domaine de Regusse Pinot Noir, Provence, France, 2006 ($9.99) This Pinot comes to us from Southern France. It was very light, with raspberry and cherry notes, as well as some strawberry that came out on the finish. Not much structure or body, but drinkable. - My rating: 83 pts

2. The Jibe Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2006 ($15.99). Marlborough is well known for quality Sauvignon Blanc and is recently making a statement in the pinot noir production. This 2006 pinot has nice acidity and some interesting fruit notes consisting of cherry, strawberry, and a hint of vanilla. The pepper and earth tones were nice, but not well integrated with the rest of the wine. Overall, I thought it was OK, but Kim really enjoyed this one. -My rating: 85 pts

3. Capitain Gagnerot Ladoix, Burgundy, 2005 ($25.99) - The only pinot on our list from Burgundy, this 2005 was very good. The fruits were distinguished and complex, with a light mineral undertone and mild acidity. The finish was very elegant and memorable. An excellent value of a great vintage Burgundy! My rating: 92 pts.

4. J. Hoffstatter “Meczan” Pinot Nero, Alto Adige, Italy, 2005 ($21.99) . A very good example of the pinot noir grape with good berry and cherry fruits and a fine texture. Complex and elegant, fresh, intense and quite satisfying - all from a region better known for it’s white wines! My rating: 91 pts.

5. Lemelson Pinot Noir, 2005 ($35.99) - From the well-known Willamette Valley in Oregon, this pinot provides a good example of a well integrated and structured wine. Mild oak, crisp, mild acidity paired with cherry, plum and vanilla notes. Spices appear on the finish that outline the earthieness and texture quite nicely. Maybe overpriced, but it’s very good. -My rating: 89 pts.

6. Cambria Pinot Noir “Julia’s Vineyard”, Santa Maria Valley, California, 2005 ($21.99) - I didn’t have much written down about this basic pinot from the Santa Maria Valley. There was some nice spice notes, with strawberry and cherry, but it was rather unremarkable. My rating: 84 pts.

7. William James “Gary Ranch Vineyard” Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, California, 2005 ($35.99). In the glass the William James Pinot is very pleasant with outstanding color and a very impressive bouquet of pomegranate and cherry, as well as floral notes. Smoky and expressive, the velvety texture leads into layers of herbs, cherry and pomegranate. The alcohol content is perfectly matched with the acidity and the tannins, leading to an outstanding finish. The wine took some time to open up and will definitely only get better in the bottle for a few years. - My Rating: 90 pts

8. Dierberg Pinot Noir, Santa Maria Valley, California, 2005 ($44.99). Our third wine in a row from the Santa Maria Valley, this 2005 Dierberg was a bit bigger than the others. The dark cherry and raspberry nose showed hints of lavender. Good acidity with silky and complex tannins, the wine took some time to open and may do well in the bottle for another couple years. -My rating: 89 pts

Louis Jadot Pouilly Fuisse (2002) - $20

The wines of Louis-Jadot are relatively inexpensive, good quality and value wines from the Burgundy region of France. The 2002 Pouilly-Fuisse is a medium bodied, dry chardonnay.

Unlike nearby Montrachet, wines from Pouilly Fuisse tend to be very green and fresh tasting. This 2002 Louis-Jadot displays an apple and cinnamon nose, a medium body, and a fruity, lightly acidic finish. The perfect amount of oak helps bring out the character of the fruits, especially melon while showcasing subtle mineral notes. A nice pairing with roast chicken, white fish in a buttery sauce, or even just cocktail shrimp!