Cheers To You

Brynn writes:

Here’s an affordable chardonnay for all you oak haters out there. This chard is crisp, clean, has hints of citrus fruits and best of all — it’s cheap!

I saw this wine recently at Costco and the label caught my eye. It looked like a Hedges Family Estate wine, but as I inspected the label all I could find was “Independent Producers” as the maker. The label also told me the grapes came from the famed Dionysus Vineyard and that the producers were against the 100-point wine-rating system (hence the 100 in the middle of a red circle with a line through it).

A quick search on the Internet though confirms my original suspicions — Hedges Family Estates is behind this wine. I have come to love some of their affordable wines like their CMS red and white, so I was happy to try this one too.

It’s a good chardonnay, and as I said, a great one for those who truly despise the over-oaked chardonnays that have plagued the industry. Mineral notes take the stage with this wine, lending it a brightness that would pair well with a lemon chicken or white fish in a light citrus sauce. It reminds me somewhat of a white Burgundy from France.

Through my search to learn more about this “La Bourgeoisie” label and its anti-100-point system motto, I came across its website, www.scorevolution.com. Here’s the producers’ opinions about rating wine, as posted to the website:

“The 100 point rating system is a clumsy and useless tool for examining wine. If wine is, as we believe, a subjective, subtle, and experiential thing, then by nature it is unquantifiable. Wine scores are merely a static symbol, an absolute definition based on a singular contact with a wine, and thus completely ineffective when applied to a dynamic, evolving, and multifaceted produce.”

For someone who often describes a wine she likes because, well it “just tastes good”, I can appreciate this rebellion against the 100-point system. Bottom line, if you like a wine it shouldn’t matter what rating it got, you’re the one buying and drinking it afterall.

The 2010 La Bourgeoisie Chardonnay is available for under $15.

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Brynn writes:

A couple weeks ago I was having a rough couple of days, well more like a rough long weekend. It wasn’t any one thing that was making it stressful, it was more like 100 things.

I decided to allow myself the luxury of a glass (or two, or three) of wine to relax after a long day of juggling work and being a single mom while my husband was away covering a wrestling tournament at the Tacoma Dome. (Have you ever tried to write a 40-inch story while trying to keep a 9.5 month old entertained? I don’t recommend it.)

I had a hankering for white wine, but when I went to our collection I realized the whites I had to choose from were a little pricier than what I was looking for. Don’t get me wrong, I’m more than happy to pull the cork on a nice, $40 bottle of white, but when I’m drinking just a glass (or two, or three) I feel better pulling it from a $8 to $10 bottle.

Deciding to remedy this problem, I went to Fred Meyer to look for some “everyday” whites. And that’s where the J. Lohr Estates Riverstone Chardonnay caught my eye.

I’ve had this white before and really like it. (Warning if you’re not a fan of oaky chardonnays, this wine is not for you). What I like about this wine is, for roughly $12 you get a wine that tastes like it comes from a much higher price point. It’s full-bodied mouthfeel is creamy and rich and balanced by acidity.

Here’s what the website says about the California-based winery’s 2011 vintage:

2011 joins 1991, 1998, 1999 and 2010 as the coolest vintages of the last twenty years. These years are characterized by either El Niño or La Niña Pacific Ocean influence, with above-average rainfall and unseasonably cool summers. Despite the challenges that cold weather can bring, such as increased mildew and botrytis pressure, these cold vintages have produced outstanding varietal definition in our Chardonnay and White Riesling in the Arroyo Seco. The Chardonnay showed ripe apple, citrus and nectarine flavors with high levels of natural grape acidity. As a result, we incorporated higher levels of malolactic fermentation to balance the acidity in our 2011 Riverstone Chardonnay, creating a wine with intense varietal character, palate weight and palate-cleansing acidity.

Winemaker’s comments:

This elegant Chardonnay has an attractive pale straw-yellow color. The aromas are of nectarine, pear and apple, combined with a perfumed roasted hazelnut and butterscotch bouquet from the barrel fermentation and sur lie aging. The flavors are very soft with ripe pear, tangelo citrus and vanilla toastiness, producing layers of complexity with a silky balance of fresh fruit acidity and palate weight. —Jeff Meier, Winemaker

Food pairings:
Pair with dishes such as lobster pappardelle with chive butter, grilled late summer vegetables and creamy butternut squash soup.

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Now that we’re a few weeks into the new year, you may be in one of two groups: You’ve done a great job of sticking to your resolutions, or you’ve already thrown them out the window.

We hope the former applies to you, and not the latter — especially if you resolved to drink better wine this year — but if you find yourself already abandoning your pledge to eat healthier and drink less, our wine recommendation and Ann Vogel’s healthy recipes for the new year will hopefully get you back on track.

Vogel suggests two dishes that are loaded with veggies and colorful super foods — and recipes that can be easily tweaked to keep them interesting time and time again. They are fresh and quick to make.

The wine we’re recommending for this dish is also fresh, easy to find and it might fit into a third resolution category — it’s affordable.

Vinho Verde is one of our favorite wines for salad. It’s a light, bright, low-cal white wine with a little spritz that makes it especially refreshing. It’s alcohol percentage is fairly low at around 11 percent, but it is more tangy than sweet, unlike most wines with alcohol at this level.

Translated the wine means green, although the term refers to the wine’s youthfulness rather than its color or taste. Though technically Vinho Verde can be a red wine, it is typically made from the white grapes Albarino, Loureiro, and Trajadura.

Vinho Verde comes from the Minho region of northwestern Portugal, a denominação de origem controlada. Vines are grown in a lush countryside from along the coast and into the foothills. These mountain-grown vines produce fuller bodied wines.

The wine’s flavor profile is filled with tart citrus and green apple flavors.

So as you head into 2013, consider this typically budget-friendly, low-alcohol white wine that is a heathy drink and a great pair to Vogel’s stir-fry with shrimp and veggies and her tasty greens with fresh Mandarin oranges, almonds and ginger-soy vinaigrette.

Consider this favorite: José Maria da Fonseca Vinho Verde for around $8.

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It seems like we’ve been recommending this wine a lot lately. That’s because it’s versatile — it goes with everything from a Thanksgiving turkey to citrus fruits like lime, a primary component in both of Ann Vogel’s recipes.

The grape Gewürztraminer shares similar qualities as limes, including acidity and floral aromas. In fact, Gewürztraminer is a very aromatic wine, and the name literally translates to “Spice Traminer”.

It’s similarity to limes, as well as its aromatics and ability to stand up to spicy food are why we think this wine is a perfect pairing for the Ceviche and the Key lime pie.

It might be hard to pronounce, but it’s easy to drink. Referred to it as “Gewürz” by those in the know, the grape’s skin color can vary from pink to red but its finished wine is definitely white.

Naturally high in sugars and, here in Washington acidity, Gewürz is white and ranges from dry, off-dry, sweet, and our favorite, ice wine. All Gewürz have a heady bouquet that may remind you of lychee nuts. And interestingly enough, Gewürztraminer and lychee share the same aroma compounds in addition to aromas of passion fruit and sweet rose.

Gewürztraminer’s sweetness is highly recommended for spicy Mexican, Vietnamese, Thai and Chinese cuisine.

Mary remembers one of the most memorable matches she’s had in Kitsap County: A Ceviche with a Washington Gewürztraminer. The juicy sweetness and high acidity were perfect with the seafood, green peppers, onions and jalapeños. Give it a shot and let us know what you think.

Even though the following companies are big, make no mistake, Gewürztraminer is not widely grown and is tough to find. But once found, it’s worth the search.

We recommend Chateau Ste. Michelle Columbia Gewürztraminer 2011, which retails for just under $10. Also consider the Columbia Crest Two Vines Gewürztraminer 2011, which has lots of acidity, is juicy and has just the right amount of sweetness. It also retails for just under $10.

Another favorite would be the Bonair Gewürztraminer, but you may have to wait for spring for that one.

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Brynn writes:

Here’s a tasty winter white wine for you. Produced by Washington winemaker Mike Januik, this white Rhone grape varietal has quickly become one of my favorite.

Add Januik’s winemaking touch and you’ve got a winner. I bought this wine at the winery in Woodinville after tasting it there, but I’ve seen it in our local grocery stores/wine shops.

At first whiff you could be inclined to think you’re about to try a chardonnay, but don’t let the nose or warm yellow color fool you.

We drank this wine Sunday night with stuffed acorn squash and a garlic seasoned brown rice and quinoa mix. The finish at first left the impression of white grape juice, but the more I let it linger the more I noticed the sweet honeysuckle notes. I also tasted peaches and pear.

Here’s what Januik has to say about his Roussanne:

Vibrant and expressive with wild honeysuckle, juicy melon and fresh citrus aromas and flavors that linger across a lengthy, refreshing finish.

What I like about this wine is it provides crisp citrus notes, but also a medium body that gives some weight to the wine. The wine is aged sur lie for 10 months (which means the discarded yeast cells during fermentation stay in the juice, giving it a rounded mouth) and barrel fermented in neutral French oak. Only a small number of cases were produced, meaning some good TLC went into making this wine.

The grapes are handpicked from Stillwater Creek vineyard — the family vineyard — and fermented in small batches. I believe the price range is below $20.

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Brynn writes:

Yes I’m reviewing a chardonnay, again. Sorry, but as much as I’ve branched out, there are still some wines that I just can’t stay away from.

This wine is from Napa Valley. But unlike the over the top chardonnays that can come from this region, this one has a great balance between oak flavors and the fruit.

The Cakebread Cellars 2010 Chardonnay is a beautiful straw yellow color, has a citrus nose that makes your mouth water in anticipation of the crisp apple flavors to come. The oak aging — 88 percent of the juice was fermented in barrel — lends notes of vanilla. The mouthfeel is medium-bodied, but I’d say on the lighter  end of the scale so it’s not overpowering.

What’s nice about this wine is the balance between the oak and the true flavors of the grape. According to Cakebread’s tasting notes, 12 percent of its chardonnay is fermented in a stainless steel tanks, while only 11 percent of the wine goes through malolactic fermentation — this is what produces those buttery notes. The wine that is aged in the barrel is aged sur lee with periodic stirring. This means the dead yeast cells stay in the juice during fermentation, giving it fuller body.

I liked the marriage between the oak and stainless steel blending. While the oak flavors rounded out this wine, I could still taste the grape’s flavors, including apple, melon and citrus. This gave the wine a brightness that reminded me of a white Burgundy.

This is definitely a food wine, although I’ll admit it was my dessert the other night…

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Brynn writes:

This past weekend I went over to my mom’s house so she could get some quality time with her grandson, and so I could catch up with a childhood friend who came down from Bellingham to visit. She brought her adorable little ones with her — her son is a month younger than our little guy, so we wanted to get them together to “play”.

My mom had read Ann Vogel’s recent column with the gumbo recipe and decided that’d be a perfect dinner to serve — plus it was easy, throw everything in the crock pot and play with the babies until it’s ready.

I told her I’d bring the wine, but since I didn’t have time to run to the store and buy one of the New Zealand sauvignon blancs we recommended, I instead went to our wine rack. There I found a 2011 Hedges C.M.S. White.

Why I like this wine: Because while sauvignon blanc is the dominant grape, it’s blended with chardonnay and marsanne (that’s what the C.M.S. means: Chardonnay, Marsanne and Sauvignon Blanc). So you still get the crisp, herbal sauvignon notes, but they’re rounded by the chardonnay and marsanne.

Here’s what Hedges Family Estates says about its CMS White:

A blended white wine with Sauvignon Blanc dominating over 75 percent of the wine, this was one of the original malic-acid friendly white wines released from Washington State. Rounding out the blend is a touch of chardonnay accompanied by just a pinch of Marsanne. Beautifully structured with wonderful Sauvignon Blanc fruit character, the mouth feel has a delicate balance of acid angularity and defined herbal sophistication.

This wine paired great with the gumbo. It’s available at the grocery store — or Costco, which is where I bought it. It retails around $14.

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Brynn writes:

One of my favorite dishes growing up was baked squash, its insides spilling out the top and brown sugar bubbling around the rim.

To be honest I don’t remember what my dad filled the squash with except for bacon and brown sugar. I know there were other ingredients but when you’re a kid nothing else matters when bacon or brown sugar are involved.

Fast forward 20-some years and now I wear the chef hat. Every year around this time I’m intrigued by the abundance of squash spilling from the produce section at the grocery store. Retreating to my childhood memories of this delicious fall treat, I always think I should dig up my dad’s recipes and create new mealtime traditions for my family.

I finally followed through on the idea this year. I didn’t dig up my dad’s recipes, but instead created my own. My first experiment was with Acorn squash. I filled the shells with a mixture of the softened baked squash, bacon, sauteed onions, mushrooms, garlic, shredded Parmesan cheese and Panko bread crumbs seasoned with Parmesan and Italian herbs.

I recently repeated this recipe, this time opting for Butternut squash.

Both were huge hits with my husband, who at first made a face when I told him I wanted to make squash for dinner. (Our little guy, who is just starting out on solids, happens to love pureed white Acorn squash, so while he’s not eating the tasty filling, he is sharing the squash).

There’s just something about pulling a baked squash from the oven that screams Fall, so with that in mind I wanted to share my recipe to help shepherd in the new season. Below the recipe are our wine recommendations to pair with this dish.

*I should note, when I cook I don’t follow measurements, I eyeball what I’m doing. The below measurements are my estimates, feel free to tweak them to fit your tastebuds.*

Stuffed Baked Squash
(makes 2 healthy servings)

• 1 Acorn squash (or 1 Butternut squash)
• A dozen small portobella mushrooms (or crimini mushrooms), sliced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 8 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs (I buy the Italian Herb/Parmesan blend)
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice squash in half the long way. (If using Butternut squash, slice long way, then slice in half — creates four servings). Scrape out seeds and strings. Place squash on baking sheet cut side up. Brush with olive oil. Cover with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (you may need more time on the Butternut squash).
• While squash bakes, cook bacon using package directions, set aside on paper towel. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until lightly brown. Add mushrooms, stirring regularly. Saute mushrooms until soft, adding garlic at the very end. Saute until garlic is fragrant. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Chop bacon and add to mushroom/onion mixture; add Panko crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
• Once squash is done (it should be tender to touch and easy to scoop with a spoon), set aside to cool slightly. Scoop out squash, leaving 3/8 inch thickness around shells. Add squash to stuffing mixture, try not to break up pulp. Scoop stuffing back into shells. Dot with butter.
• Bake at 375 uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until top is brown and crusty.

Wine Recommendations:

We have three wine suggestions to go with this dish. I can’t remember what we drank when we had the acorn squash, but we drank a 2007 Bordeaux with the Butternut squash. Unfortunately the Bordeaux didn’t stand up well to the dish. I was looking for something with a little more weight and I think the age on this wine kept it subdued, leaving me wanting more.

Next time around I’ll try a Chardonnay, which with a flavor profile of tropical fruit and buttery texture will pair nicely with the herbaceous mushrooms, bacon, onion and Parm.

Washington makes some wonderful Chards. Here are three favorites in three different price ranges:

Abeja: Simply the best. Winemaker John Abbott has a lot of experience with this grape. First at Napa Valley’s Pine Ridge winery and then Acacia and then Walla Walla’s Canoe Ridge. This wine is made to pair with food with its balance, rich buttery texture, crisp apple and lush tropical fruit flavors and genuine burgundy barrlels to age it in. (Around $30)

Rulo: The Schlickers are another transplant from California to Walla Walla. Their chardonnays are barrel fermented with minimum of oak but lots of butter, ripe pears and a nice bit of spice. Unfortunately the winery is sold out of its 2010 Chardonnay, but keep an eye out for it in the store. Otherwise wait for the release of their 2011 Chardonnay next fall.

Waterbrook: Founded in 1984, Waterbrook was the fourth winery in Walla Walla. It has always been a value brand, but don’t let that trick you into thinking the wines are just so-so. Waterbrook has always made scrumptious chardonnays, and they’re easy to find at the grocery store. The 2010 chardonnay won a Gold at the 2012 Seattle Wine Awards. It retails around $10.

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We had some great ideas for what wines would go with a Sunday football favorite gumbo feast, but once we looked into where to get those wines, we realized our suggestions would be about as easy as finding a needle in a haystack.

Our immediate choice for Ann Vogel’s gumbo recipe was Sancerre. From France’s Loire Valley, this sauvignon blanc ranges from medium- to full-bodied and is intensely flavored with citrus, herbs, melon and minerals.

It’s a beautiful wine, but it’s also higher up on the price scale than what we’d normally recommend.

Our next thought was its shirt tail cousin: Touraine. Also from along the Cher River in the Loire Valley and made with sauvignon blanc, Touraine is more available than Sancerre, which to the consumer translates to more affordable.

With the typical citrus, melon and grassy flavors all wrapped in a bottle that is about $10, this could have been a contender. Except for the tiny little fact that finding it in Central or South Kitsap is impossible.

But what you can find is a Bordeaux Blanc. However, this wine does not have the requisite citrus we feel would make a perfect pairing for the spicy gumbo.

We decided to leave the vineyards of Europe, taking off to head “down under” for a wine on the other side of the world in New Zealand. Sauvignon blancs from this country are crammed with juicy gooseberries, are mildly herbaceous and have a lot of bright acidity.

And they’re easy to find in Kitsap.

Here’s two we think fit the flavor profile needed to stand up to the fan favorite gumbo.

Massimo 2011 Sauvignon Blanc is made by the winemaker of Kim Crawford wines — one of the more well-known New Zealand wineries. It’s fermented in stainless steel, which brings out bright citrus flavors and a hint of herbs. This wine retails for $10.

Monkey Bay Sauvignon Blanc is our second recommendation. This wine is crisp with acidity and the typical New Zealand flavors of ripe gooseberry and grapefruit.

Sauvignon blanc is the best wine to accompany vegetables, both cooked and raw, and seafood and chicken dishes.

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*** Note to readers: Ann Vogel’s weekly recipe columns are now going to be run twice a month because of the redesign of the Kitsap Sun Life section, which runs in Sunday’s paper. We’ll continue to recommend pairings for her recipes on the Friday before the Sunday publication, and will also try to write recipes and pairings of our own on the weeks when Ann’s columns don’t run. ***

Thai Vietnamese salads could get the highest score for the most ingredients in a dish. And that covers just the dish, not its sauce.

A Thai dish like Ann Vogel’s “out of this world salad” combines a wide variety of taste sensations. There is salty, sweet, sour, spicy, bitter, herbal and earthy and all these flavors are interacting with each other. On top of all that, we’re tasked with adding another component: a wine to go with it.

So we’re going to cover all our bases and recommend three wines.

The first is a Torrontés. This Argentine grape produces a wine with beautiful aromatics and lovely citrus tones. Argentina’s Don Rodolfo Torrontés 2011 is $10 and has a very floral nose with lots of citrus, great balance and a fresh finish.

Our second recommendation is a riesling which is always a perfect partner with most Asian cuisines. It has a sweetness level to match the sweet-and-sour sauce. For this, look for Latah Creek Winery’s 2011 riesling that sells for $8.

And then there is that unpronounceable, Gewürztraminer. It has the aromatics, the sweetness and the complexity to work with a complex dish.

Château Ste. Michelle’s winemaker Bob Berthau says the 2010 Columbia Valley Gewürztraminer “is an enjoyable wine with exuberant fruit and clove spice.”

He describes the wine as “lush” with floral characters but even with all that the wine “still maintains the grape’s natural crisp character.” Berthau recommends his wine with Thai food or “any cuisine with a little ‘bite’ to it.”

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