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Posts made in January, 2010
Posted
by Adam Morganstern
on Jan 22, 2010
in Book Reviews
As organic foods and wines grow in popularity, it’s no surprise that organic cocktails are now popping up in restaurants and bars. Publishing a green version of a mixed drink book could have been as simple as taking your average bartender’s guide and adding organic before every ingredient. Fortunately, Paul Abercrombie has gone the extra mile in Organic, Shaken and Stirred – Hip Highballs, Modern Martinis and Other Totally Green Cocktails, and provided a fun well-thought-out collection of hedonistic concoctions that take advantage of why you want to drink organic in the first place; purity of flavor.
Ambercrombie has collected drink recipes from mixologists around the country, and provided a great index of organic sprits and mixers, along with their websites, so you know what to look for before your next party. Better yet, the photography in the book is fantastic. You’ll be inspired to make your own Saffron Margaritas and Frozen Berry Bellinis the moment you lay eyes on them.
Purchase Organic, Shaken and Stirred at amazon.com.
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Posted
by Greg Wacks
on Jan 20, 2010
in Reviews
The bottle was weird. There, I said it. The glass was clear, the wine was a deep garnet and the cork was synthetic green. The label showed a caricature of two (presumably) French dudes stomping grapes and strumming a Picasso-like guitar. On the back label, the words “Gypsy Melody” were written at the top followed by the appellation of this wine: Vin de Pays de l’Herault. I had never heard of a table wine from l’Herault. This was not promising, and yet I was oddly drawn to this bottle from the day it was delivered from our friends at the Organic Wine Company. So, on a particularly warm winter night in January, I decided that a funky red wine from a strange appellation with a weird label in a white wine bottle would be my drink of choice. How’s that for preconceived notions?
The rest of this story is a love affair, I assure you. From the minute I poured this wine into my glass my disposition changed. I’ve been on streak of some bad wines lately but I just approached this wine with cautious optimism. In the glass, that garnet color seemed even deeper and reminded me a bit of that cherry syrup you put over shaved ice on a hot summer day. I like shaved ice – that’s a compliment. On the nose, there were hints of strawberries and some deep fruit, but since this wine is 13% alcohol there was not a ton of heat coming off of it. The subtly of the nose threw me off a bit from such a vibrant color.
With my first sip, it seemed someone had just dropped a ton of fruit into my glass. It was startling. Intense, jammy flavors of ripe cherry and strawberry coated my palate without the faintest hint of being over-oaked. I did not expect that strong and lively a combination of flavors from something that smelled so simple and restrained. There was something mysterious yet playful about this wine, perhaps influenced by its “Gypsy Melody” name. I was smelling one thing and tasting another. I loved it for what it was. A really fun, playful and lively table wine from a region I had never heard of before.
I did a little research and found that the appellation of vin de pays l’herault was the same place in the south of France (the Languedoc to be exact) where the famous Mas de Daumas Gassac came from. I love Languedoc wines so it was fitting that I loved this one as well. Honestly, I can’t even tell you grapes are in there. Maybe some cabernet franc, some grenache, heck, even a bit of gamay (hence the strawberries) but really, I don’t care. I’d buy cases of this wine and bring it to parties just to show off the funky label and weird clear glass bottle. I’m ok with all that now. There, I said it.
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You would be hard-pressed to find Monkey Wine at your local store, but thanks to John Peragine’s 101 Recipes For Making Wild Wine At Home you can attempt to make it yourself, provided you have 3 lbs. of ripe bananas and some raisins on hand. In fact, Peragine shows you how to make wine out of anything; from citrus fruits to Brussels Sprouts. And for the sticklers among you, yes, you can learn how to make some from grapes as well.
The U.S. government allows each individual to male 100 gallons of wine per year (200 total per household) and Peragine wants you to take advantage of that to the the fullest; not just for economics sake but for the pleasure as well. As he states in the introduction:
I warn you, once you start making your own wine, you will not be able to stop. The basic process is simple, but the subtle variations in ingredients, maturation time, and other variables are what make the process so intriguing. Every batch of wine you create will take on a character and life of its own.
Peragine covers the whole process an easy-to-follow manner, from purchasing your equipment, testing your water to bottling. He also includes a number of personal stories from other home winemakers and shares their advice. If you’ve always wanted to make your own wine, but aren’t ready to spend millions on your own Napa estate, this is the book to get you started.
You can purchase 101 Recipes For Making Wild Wine at Home at amazon.com.
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The first week of the New Year is the slowest one for restaurants. We eat out then to show support and take advantage of the lower crowd levels. We also wanted to ring in the year with a toast to one of our all-time favorite wine makers Tony Coturri. We made our way to Kuma Inn on Manhattan’s Lower East Side with two bottles of Coturri in hand, a 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon from Bollens Vineyards and a 2007 Barbera from Testa Vineyards, both from California’s Mendocino County.
Kuma Inn is BYOB and enables one to pair away with abandon… what a joy. They serve Asian tapas, small plates of great food. The inspiration behind it is chef King Phojanakong, who worked with both David Bouley and Daniel Boulud. His mother is Filipino and his father Thai so fusion is in his DNA. We started out with a chuka salad; mixed seaweed, sesame and chilies and a plate of grilled baby octopus with pickled bamboo shoots. We opened the Barbera first. It was deeply luscious, fruity without any sweetness, ruby red and smoky. There was a perfect balance of acid and tannins that gave a silky mouth feel. The wine drank ripe and mature yet I think it could age for several more years. The consensus at the table was that the octopus was one of the best octopus dishes ever tasted, in any ethnicity; Spanish, Italian or Japanese. Soft and succulent, grilled to perfection with dense flavors of a balsamic reduction. The pickled shoots counterpointed the smooth flesh with a crunchy texture. There was joy in our mouths and smiles at our table as we experienced the tapas. Meanwhile the Coturri kept opening up with each minute and each bite.
Next, we chose three dishes: a Pancit bihon – stir-fried noodles with port sausage, bean sprouts and carrots, a pan roasted ocean scallops with bacon kalamansi and sake and finally sautéed tofu with Thai basil and wood ear mushrooms in spicy soy mirin. Out of control best describes this course and the Coturri Cab. Clean strong fruit greets you, then a rich smooth tar and leather feel rests on the tongue. A round smoky richness lingers too. Frankly by this time the dinner evolved (or degenerated depending on your point of view) into a series of sips and chews accompanied by grunts and hums of joy.
The food here is exquisite. I had lunch four days later at the justly acclaimed Momofuku and honestly the food at Kumma Inn is equal. The tastes and flavors are bold, innovative and utterly competent in their execution. The ingredients come together perfectly and the sauces are exquisite. This is a cash only second story joint. Ringing in the New Year with Tony Coturri and King Phojanakong augers well for drinking and eating in the coming decade.
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Posted
by Paul Howard
on Jan 4, 2010
in Features
Some moons ago I was looking forward to meeting James and Annie Millton at their winery in Gisborne but was thwarted by storms and then a huge landslide that blocked all access. On returning to the UK I exchanged emails with James about organics and biodynamics. With apologies in advance for any misrepresentation, here is my edited version.
In what way is organic wine important to your customers?
Many customers are becoming aware of the “sameness of taste”, the globalised nature of produce, the lack of seasonality. Some of our customers drink our wine because they enjoy it and also because they do not react (badly) to it. Remember, it is not only the lack of pesticides in the vineyard that makes a difference but, for me anyway, the over-use of nitrogen yeast supplements, enzymes and stabilisers that have a profound effect on the taste of wine.
How is organic wine perceived by your customers in price and quality terms? Do you think organic wine has been a sales success?
Our prices are very competitive compared to conventional wines therefore customers who know what we do find them very agreeable. Sales of organic wines might only be <4% in the world and this says a lot about who controls the shelves. Every environmental disaster creates another round of consumer questioning. Sales have been very successful for us and we know that there is a brand loyalty with our wine.
Why do you believe that biodynamic methods are important?
I’ve been doing it for 25 years. Nothing else motivated me to do this, it was my choice. I know it works and I have gone now beyond believing. It is innate and habitual. For all the right reasons BD production is important. It cares and repairs. BD respects that people are involved with the operation. We work with diversity and cooperation. If you take the logic of BD you can’t deny its existence – you become convinced. If you want to enter into the spirit of BD it is very big and very enlightening. Nature has a fond forgiveness if you respect her and give back more than you take.
What image does biodynamic wine have?
It appears that now it has a very high image, especially when you see who is now changing in this direction. Yet when we think of sheep (one following another) I thought that New Zealand was well endowed in this field yet I am still a too rare voice in this South Pacific island!
Should biodynamic wine be the leader of the organic wine category?
It is the high ground, it is the logical progression and those who say “no” have a problem with what they don’t know or are suspicious of. Biodynamic wine production answers the questions left remaining from organic production. This has so much to do with soil health and the ongoing flow on benefits going right through the chain.
How important is Certification, both to you and to your customers?
The big markets want third party endorsement and assurance. The certification requirements are huge but it makes you stop, reflect and look ahead and plan. Being certified should not really be the point but Demeter certification assures buyers that our produce is biodynamically grown. Before a wine can be great it must first be true.
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Posted
by Paul Howard
on Jan 3, 2010
in Reviews
James and Annie Millton’s established their vineyards in 1984 and make a delicious range of hand-crafted fine wines. Pioneers, they’ve been biodynamic from the outset, long before many more famous estates around the world converted to the creed. Their estate is at Manutuke, just outside Gisborne in New Zealand, in North Island’s Poverty Bay, the first city to see the rising sun each day.
While Gisborne remains an unfashionable Kiwi wine address there can be no doubt that this estate ranks as one of New Zealand’s very best and James is one of the leading lights in antipodean biodynamics.
The Naboth’s vineyard is arguably Millton’s best site, a single steep vineyard devoted to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, now incorporated within the larger Clos de Ste. Anne estate named after Annie Millton. As such, their Pinot Noir is one of their flagship wines and sits at the top table of Kiwi Pinot alongside those from the better known Central Otago, Martinborough and Marlborough regions.
A light faded crimson colour, the quality of this wine is apparent from the very first sniff, offering up a complex perfume of raspberry, cranberry and cherry fruit with Parma violets, smoke and a note best described as newly turned earth. The character of the palate is, to resort to a burgundian description, feminine. There’s elegance, grace and balance rather than naked power, with moderate alcohol and a refreshing level of acidity. It presents a silky texture but with enough grippy tannin to make it excellent with food (roast duck hit the spot for me). Undoubtedly this is fine Kiwi Pinot – high intensity red berry and cherry fruit overlays earth and forest floor before a long spice finish rounds things off.
Drinking perfectly now, it will remain at peak for around the next 2-3 years. This is exciting Pinot Noir – and at a very sharp price for the quality and personality on offer.
Availabilty in the USA: 67 Wine, New York, $44.99
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