Seattle Bon Vivant

Drink This!: Hyatt Vineyards 2000 Merlot

Uploaded to Flickr by Seattle Bon Vivant on 13 Jun '06

When is a Merlot a Syrah? When is a bottle a case? When it is this baby, baby!  Hyatt Vineyards 2000 Merlot. Not a wimpy Merlot by any means. A Yakima Valley wine that is not only dirt cheap and v. good -but that tastes meaty and peppery, almost like a Syrah (with great legs, says my friend Peter).

As much as I love a good value wine, I don't usually drink "Three Buck Chuck", but this Hyatt is a tastyand rock bottom priced quaffer. At only $2.99 a bottle (Trader Joe's used to sell it for $4.99) if you don't buy a case ($35.88) I'll come to your house and beat you over the head with a wet noodle.

Fabulous with hearty pastas with red sauces (we had it with spaghetti with garlic, chicken, mushrooms, onion, peppers and garlic spears), red meat, burgers, venison and grilled lamb chops.

Grab it while they have it and drink over the summer with friends and family.  Buy it to give away to friends and they'll love you for it. Or you could always squirrel it away for the winter because this wine cellars for 2-5 years.

In the Seattle area, it might be absolutely gone by now at TJ's. Some stores might still have some. But I had to put this out there just in case.

And what if you do not find the 2000, you say? Well, as good as this wine is, I bet any later vintages are as good or better (even if it costs a few dollars more), since this is a Merlot grown in Washington, and we all know by now how good out Merlot really is.

So seek this one out, pronto! And don't say I did not warn you. ;-)

Barahonda Monastrell Tinto 2004 (Yecla)

 A good friend and neighbor called me last Tuesday. She wanted to get together, chat and unwind but she was just getting out of work and we were all tired and not in the mood to even walk to a neighborhood restaurant.

"How about we pick us up something nice and quick for dinner and we go outside to eat it, perhaps watch a movie and catch up while we are at it?", I said.

"Great!" (She insisted on bringing wine).

Mr. C picked up a couple roasted chickens from Larry's Market. I prepared a quick baby spinach, tomato, parmesan, peppadews, pine nut and dried cherry salad. Dark cherry balsamic dressing was tossed with it.

We sat outside to eat and the bottle of Barahonda Monastrell Yecla 2004 was opened. We ate and talked and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the view of the Space Needle from the terrace.

We drank some more wine, had some more food and then moved the conversation inside when it started to get so windy that the spinach leaves started flying off our plates.

Over the course of the meal, dreaming of running away to the south of France, taking peeks at Cary Grant's dark tan, tiny waist and high pants in To Catch a Thief my friend and I drank the entire bottle of Monastrell.

I don't recall drinking half a bottle of anything in a while.

This was a fantastic wine. Fruit forward, with restrained tannins and great legs.  A very friendly wine to enjoy in a casual setting such as this and perfect with poultry and peppadews.

The Monastrell tasted like an expensive wine but it was only this morning that while researching this baby I find out that not only it sells for less than $10 but that it is also from one of Robert Parker's favorite winemakers.

And because I know exactly where she bought it (Sixth Avenue Wine Seller @ Pacific Place) I am looking forward to picking my own.

You probably should do the same.

*About the Monastrell grape.

Wine Roasted Pears with Pecorino Toscano

For Superbowl Sunday we were looking for a nice local late harvest something or other to serve with our cheese and dessert course. I had read about McCrea Cellars releasing a Late Harvest Viognier that I was unable to get my paws on.

So, as soon as I found out about their Late Harvest Roussanne I emailed the winery to find out about where to buy it in my neighborhood.

Susan Neel responded to my email and pointed me to a few local vendors that had purchased the small release wine. I picked up a bottle at Metropolitan Market in Sandpoint and emailed the winery to thank MS. Neel and ask for a pairing recommendation for the wine.

These pears were what she suggested we served. The recipe was adapted from Mario Batali's Roasted Pears with Chestnut Honey and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

I followed Susan's instructions. Since there was no Washington Syrah around we used a bottle of a lovely 2000 Marquiz Phillips Shiraz from the cellar.

The orange blossom honey was found in our pantry. A jar of Famille Mary Miel de Fleus d' Oranger purchased while shopping the Rue Cler honey shop last March.

The Pecorino came from the cheese counter at Larry's Market in Queen Anne. A quarter pound did the trick. The cheese is so phenomenal it was quite tempting to eat it out of hand on its own. I highly recommend it.

This is definitely an über elegant, gorgeous dessert that looks very professional and gives the impression that it took hours to make when, in reality, it is as simple as it can be with hardly any prep work and less than an hour to achieve fabulous results.

Pears, honey, red wine, sugar and cheese. For a dish this utterly delectable and beautiful, it is almost obscene that it is so easy to make.

Vin Vivant: Toad Hollow Risqué Sparkling Wine

We were getting together for dinner last Friday night. Friends and neighbors, all from our building. There was to be fancy schmancy mac and cheese made with top top shelf cheeses and pancetta. There would be salads and fabulous wine and I was in charge of bringing dessert.

Since it was a work day with plans for lunch and shopping with a friend I figured a cake from Le Fournil was in order. But I also wanted to pick up a little bubbly, an apéritif perhaps, to start off with a little pizazz.

Taking advantage of the fact that I was working in Ballard in the morning, I made a pit stop for paper goods at Fred Meyer. It was there, while looking for my paper towels that I remembered how much I've always enjoyed shopping the wine department at Fred Meyer and that perhaps I could find some good bubbly in a pinch.

For a supermarket they always have a few little gems worth taking home and the wine buyers for the chain make an extra effort to feature quality Pacific Northwest wines and a few obscure producers and varietals on their shelves. I like that.

It was while perusing the sparkling wine/apéritif offerings that I found a bottle with a label that caught my eye and caused me to giggle then and there, the way one tends to do when buying funny greeting cards at the stationary shop.

The label had a frog, a lady frog, dressed in the manner of a can-can dancer, windmill in the background, leg about to kick her chorine petticoat, lips crimson red. To top it off, the label read Vin Vivant (lively wine).

Vin Vivant, what a gas!  Not only that but the price was great ($15) and the bottle also happened to have an unusual twist: one of those Grolsch beer porcelain re-sealers.

The name of the wine was Risqué (an omen, perhaps?) and it was billed as a Blanquette Méthode Ancestrale (Sparkling Wine) produced and bottled by Les Vignerons du Sieur d'Arques in Limoux, France--for Toad Hollow's, the Healdsburg, California label--with a 6% alcohol.

Fabulous! Just what I was looking for to start our meal. Odd, yet cute with a name a label to provide some laughs, something our group always welcomes. I guess you know by now what happened next.

I, of course, placed the bottle in my cart and made my way to the self-checkout area. With a label so cute and a description so me me me, I just HAD to buy it. The price was great (less than $20) but the bigger question was, would the wine be any good?

But since I had never seen or tried this wine before, finding out if it was any good would have to wait until it was properly chilled and later opened at the table. I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

When the cork popped and we started pouring the wine into our ten or so little bistro glasses I could not wait to take the first sip and see if the gamble had paid off.

It did! This little wine was just the thing. Fizzy, slightly sweet, like a French version of the Italian Prosecco. Light and fruity and lively, just like the spunky bonne vivante Mlle. Toad on the label.

This refreshing juice was not only perfect as a quick apéritif but worked very well when tasted against the Mac & Cheese and later on with the gorgeous Gateau Cassis we had for dessert. I can see it also working very well for light brunch fare or to be mixed in to make Mimosas.

This is a very fun, quaffable wine that refuses to take itself seriously and that should be enjoyed by those with a taste for bubbles, off dry wines, whimsical labels, gimmicky bottles and comedian-type winemakers.

Wine snobs are also welcomed.

Topo Gigio, Pinot Grigio

Though I still prefer the Gris Gris (Alsace, France, Oregon & Washington) over the Grigio (Italy) here's a few recommendations from Paul Gregutt in last Wednesday's Seattle Times: Pinot grigio's popularity proves the value of aroma

Wine lovers, rejoice!

From Yahoo news today: Court Strikes Down Ban on Wine Shipments

"Wine lovers may buy directly from out-of-state vineyards, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, striking down laws banning a practice that has flourished because of the Internet and growing popularity of winery tours.The 5-4 decision overturns laws in New York and Michigan, which supporters said were aimed at protecting local wineries and limiting underage drinkers from purchasing wine without showing proof of age. In all, 24 states have laws barring interstate shipments." 

Pretty soon Alfie, pretty soon! ;-)

WBW #8: Wine & Memories: a trip to Sicily with Michele Zacco of Pontevecchio

The second I read that Ronald (and Katia) of Love Sicily and ismyblogburning.com had chosen Vinni Rossi di Sicilia (Sicilian Reds) as the theme for the eight installment of Wine Blogging Wednesdays I let out a big Yes!

There would be no need for me to explore the many fabulous wine merchants in the city, drive around searching for juice or even have any of my favorite wine guys and gals special order an obscure bottling or two.

Nope, for this effort all I’d have to do is grab my phone and call my dear friend and neighbor (dinner party guest, master griller, expert taster, and host extraordinaire) Michelle Zacco, who happens to be Sicilian, the most knowledgeable person I know on Sicilian wine--and how's this for a bonus?--the chef owner of Pontevecchio in Fremont where it's all Sicilian, all the time.

His is, without a doubt--along with Armandino Batali's Salumi and my very own humble homemade efforts--my favorite Italian food in the city. The fact that he is always eager and enthusiastic to try my culinary experiments and can whip up a meal in two shakes also scores highly in my book.

And last night, around dusk, it was time to drive down Westlake Avenue to Fremont to sit down and talk Sicily, il vino Siciliano and perhaps--why not?-- even whip up a Sicilian food pairing, cooked especially for the occasion by Michele himself.

We talked about growing up in Catania, in his nonna (little bambino sitting on the counter) and mamma's kitchen (garlic first, basil last) picking up culinary inspiration and family heirloom dishes along the way.

Later on, while living in Edinburgh, falling in love with a Seattle woman and following her and his lust--his words-- all the way across the pond to Emerald City.

Before opening his restaurant, Michele taught Italian at local community colleges and through private lessons, and even worked as a pronunciation coach with Seattle Opera--opera being yet another of his passions.

He told me about how disappointed he was in the Italian offerings at local restaurants with too many Americanized dishes (spaghetti and meatballs, cheesy lasagna and not enough heart) so he saw a need that he could meet. Italian comfort food with dishes from his family's repertoire, unlike anything else in the city.

So here he is, after more than nine years living in Seattle, still in love…only this time with the city itself--the girl long gone--, its culinary scene and everything that it entails.

The restaurant, Pontevecchio, named after the Florentine bridge, sits across one of the oldest bridges in Seattle, the orange-and-blue Fremont Bridge.

Nine years ago when it opened, the neighborhood was ripe for a cozy bistro--inspired by the turn of the century Café Teatros who were in turn molded after Parisian Bistrot des Artistes, places to go be entertained with food, music and warmth, that made you feel as if you were dining in somebody's home, the kind of atmosphere that would inspire artists such as Puccini to write La Bohème.

At Pontevecchio the menu speaks of home and family gatherings. In this cozy room food and wine are 100% Sicilian. There is always music in the background--lots of Puccini-- and not a scintilla of corporate or sterile feel. The neighborhood was ready for such a place, it embraced Michele's vision and it has been a success ever since.

So it was about this point in our conversation that the wine started pouring in. A bottle of MandraRossa 2003 Shiraz, the latest varietal to come out of Sicily and the next big thing according to Mr. Zacco.

This is a wine that reflects the passionate cultural individuality and wine traditions of the Sicilians. Not content with being known globally for their fabulous citrus fruits (blood oranges and those amazing Sicilian lemons) they continue to improve an already thriving and yet utterly insular wine industry.

Sicilian winemakers have been honouring and exalting their better known varietals such as the Nero D'Avola and experimenting with grapes as brambly as the Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Mantellato (both grapes that  grow exclusively on the mineral-rich, volcanic sands of Mount Etna) that makes wines such as the Etna Rosso, tomorrow's upscale Barolo.

The MandraRossa is a wine without a hint of ego, made with Shiraz grown on the southern coast of Sicily, facing North Africa. A lovely juice that wants to be enjoyed with food instead of just showing off meaty or overpowering spiciness and intensity.

It has a beautiful ruby red color--evident even as the pale blue afternoon light gave way to the evening sky with the light of the candles growing brighter and warmer by the minute--and a subtle but beautiful and well rounded bouquet.

WBW #5: Wacky Named Wines: Owen Roe Sinister Hand Oregon 2003

"Need land, row lake, race kinsfolk for it, falling behind, need land, row harder, need to touch land first, falling behind, row harder, not going to make it, grab my sword, throw ashore, touched land first."

The minute I read that wacky name wines would be the theme for the January’s WBW, hosted by Pim of Chez Pim, I knew it would be a fun one.

Right then and there a did a quick Google search for wacky name wines and  got this, which took me to Peter May's website, with its 16 pages of unusual wine labels. How’s that for a start?

After a little scouring and sifting I wrote down a couple dozen names on my dear Moleskine. I could not wait to go shopping!

Since later that day I was going to be working in the West Seattle area for the afternoon I would stop on my way home at Metropolitan Market, just to browse around and see if I got lucky.

It was there, while perusing the shelves of the wine department that I finally came upon the two wines I wanted to use for today's tasting, well, at least one of them anyway. But more on that later.

Metropolitan Market in West Seattle is one of five Seattle locally own upscale supermarkets. The West Seattle location happens to be their flagship store.

The store is gorgeous, thanks to its attractive and user-friendly merchandising, focus on small company, artisanal and locally produced specialty items--their cheese section is one of the best in town--with a lovely selection of  fruit and vegetables, meats, beautiful deli offerings and some of the best sushi you can buy at a supermarket, anywhere.

Their wine offerings are no different. Such a lineup, scores of inspiring choices! Many of the labels sold here are well kept secret gems from Puget Sound and Eastern Washington wineries, big and small. From winemakers producing very interesting and increasingly popular juice, some of them in very in limited releases.

The selection, with generous dashes of Oregonian, French, Californian, Australian, Italian and Spanish wines is fantastic. And after a little detective work I've come to think that the quality of the wine available at this particular store has everything to do with Kate--the great--the store's wine manager.

A woman wine manager! How refreshing! And she is so nice too! Full of ideas, knowledge, helpful as can be and with one of those great smiles that could light up the darkest cellar.

When I approached her with my little notebook, asking for her favorite wacky labeled wines in stock, she went around the aisles with me pointing at over a dozen options.

Smoking Loon, Jezebel, Big Moose Red, The Stump Jump, Porcupine Ridge, Hill of Content, Jest Red, Domaine des Blagueurs, Heart of Darkness, Lone Canary, Jigsaw, "Pets" Petit Syrah, Oregon Pinot Express and at least a handful more.

I added them to my list of possibilities, scribbling furiously so as not to miss any precious and wacky morsel, each bottle more promising than the next.

And then, all of a sudden, as in a flash of divine inspiration, Kate mentioned another wine that she thought would be a great choice for today. However she warned me that they were sold out of it, perhaps without hopes of re-stocking.

Oh well, I was not in a hurry to choose that instant and besides, with the abundance of excellent wine around me, not only there but also at so many other merchants in the city, I was sure I would eventually found something wacky enough for Pim.

I took a peek at the spot she was pointing to and did a double take. Frankly, as soon as I saw the name on the tiny wine price tag, sitting so lonely on the empty shelf space I shuddered.

This was not so a wacky named wine as it was a blood-curdling and spine chilling one, like a horror film's title on a Netflix recommended listing, the kind I tend to take my eyes off it right away and press on the not interested button.

For a moment I was relieved it was sold-out. Then, walking by the corner end cap what do I spot but another unusually named wine with the most heartwarming and funny name, cute photo on the front label and an ever so tender story on the back that was so sweet I could not pass it up. Just in case, I took it home with me.

Still, I was curious about Kate’s wine suggestion. That wine's name—redolent of Edgar Allan Poe's narrative voice--even when I had not seen the label yet, was definitely gory and anathema to my life's MO.

Until then it never ocurred to me that someone would give a great wine--Kate raved about it--- such a name. One that, unless otherwise indentured, I would probably had never chosen to take home and serve to friends or family.

Little did I know at the time that I was bound to get that same old feeling again, a few weeks later while browsing the wine offerings at the Tukwila Larry's Market, when Paul-- one of my favorite wine guys in the city-- proposed the very same wine for today's WBW. 

The minute he showed me the bottle I knew I had found my wacky--albeit creepy--named wine. Kismet? Coincidence? Who knew? I thought it was surprisingly appealing yet so paradoxical. But here it was again and I was not longer faint-hearted. This would be it.

After a little wine chat with Paul, I placed the bottle in my cart. As soon as I got home, still in its bag, I stored the bottle flat on the cellar floor, as far away from my previously purchased sweet-looking and cute as can be wine. Just in case the black-hearted manus had any gruesome ideas in mind on how to dispose of its well manered and good-natured contender. :-D

On Salumi and Syrah

Two notables from the Time's Pacific Northwest Magazine

Cured with Love: In the salumi of Armandino Batali, passion and reverence wed

The State of Syrah Washington’s crop is still searching for a unique identity

Paul Gregutt on Sauvignon Blanc and a Fish Curry Recipe

Paul Gregutt, in today's Seattle Times talks Sauvignon Blanc and proposes over 15 different choices from $6 to $38. There is also a lovely Broiled Fish in a Fragrant Curry Sauce recipe from Madhur Jaffrey that sounds divine and not too elaborate to prepare.