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ZAPped!

 

You know you’ve really covered a wine event when you come back with purple teeth and a notebook coveredin red wine stains.

That’s how I ended the 20th annual Zinfandel Festival.

What a scene. More than 250 wineries participated in the event, put on by Zinfandel Advocates and Producers, from big outfits to small family operations.

Here’s a video:

I won’t lie to you; I did not taste hundreds of wines. Just do not have that kind of stamina. But I did do a fairamount of sipping and spitting and here are a few that were standouts for me, listed in no particular order:

Dashe Cellars, 2009 Dry Creek Zin. Fruity, juicy and sweet but not syrupy, blackberry compote with anelegant finish.

Artezin, 2009 Mendocino County. Refine, dark fruit, full-bodied and dry. I see this with a very superior steak.

Barefoot Wine,  non-vintage zin. Great value at under $7, an everyday wine with a weekend attitude. Juicyand plenty of fruit.

Ironstone, 2008 Old Vine Zin. Great taste, deep, black and fruity with a warm finish. And it’s $10.  ”That’sthe working man’s red right there,” says winery district manager Chris Foppiano.

Murphy-Goode, 2006 Snake Eyes. This was like chewing on a mouthful of purple. Very intense fruit, intensetaste, but nothing that seemed out of balance. You would definitely want to eat this with something bold. BBQribs, yes, delicate poached fish, no.

Mauritson Wines, 2009 Dry Creek Valley. Mauritson consistently turns out good- quality zins and this isanother. Structured tannins mean you could leave this in the bottle for a while, but it’s good now, too, a sturdy mouthful of rich, black fruit.

The organizers put a lot of thought into the presentation, ranking wines by region, name, age and price. And just to be thorough they included winemaker’s haircolor. Most people went with brown, blonde, gray. But PeachyCanyon Winery asked, ‘Is bald a color?” Carol Shelton Wines answered Very Blonde and Fields Family Wines offered up, “Brown _ when he’s not pulling it out.”

Quote of the Day, overheard from one of the guys working crowd control. “Ironically, I’m a pinot-phile.”

Cheers.

 

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Ice, ice baby!

I learned something new the other day. The practice of popping an icecube or two into a glass of wine is known in France as “piscine,” from the French word for swimming pool. The idea being that your cubes are swimming around in a pool of vino.

And really, what could be better than learning that something you’ve been feeling a wee bit guilty about doing actually has a name. A French name, no less.

I have been drinking my reds, roses and whites over ice for quite some time. More often white than red and certainly not a really fantastic bottle. (Getting a wine really cold emphasizes the tannins and inhibits some qualities you might want to appreciate in a fine vintage.) But for everyday table wine, which is the wine I drink most often, I find a little bit of icetakes the edge off the alcohol and just makes the glass more of a cocktail, less of a commitment.

I got the idea from the late, great wine pioneer Robert Mondavi, who was known to pop a couple cubes in his glass when the weather turned warm.

So I have tradition on my side, plus the knowledge that I’m positively chic.

Cheers, frostily.

 

 

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Happy birthday to me

Summer and chardonnay, the perfect pairing /Michelle Locke

Vinecdote turns one this week and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you who have read, commented on, and maybe even, ever so gently, improved what’s been posted here.

As some of you may know, I started this blog at a bit of a low point.  It was a time when I questioned everything I’d worked for, everything I thought I’d accomplished. Even writing my byline became an exercise in angst. For years I’d been Michelle Locke, staff writer. Now, I was … well, who was I exactly?

I knew one thing: I had covered issues big (San Quentin’s Death Row, the O.J. Simpson case) and small (Berkeley’s brief and goose-pimpled Naked Speech Movement), but what really fascinated me was the everyday minutia of life _ the things we eat and drink and how we choose to spend our free time.

So, I decided to start a blog focused on wine, food and travel. The ever fabulous Mr. Vinecdote bought me a digital camera;  I came up with a name _ Yeah, it is a little hard to pronounce. What can I say? As a marketer, I make a pretty good journalist. _ I forked over $10o or so to Yahoo, and away we went.

Some highlights:

Jan. 21, my inaugural post was about Martin Cate and his Smuggler’s Bar rum business in San Francisco. Nothing very spectacular about this _ except that it took me about five hours to screw up the courage to hit the “publish” button. I cannot tell you how many people I begged to look it over before I posted.

Feb. 18, my first news post, blogging about the Wine Writers Symposium at Meadowood in the Napa Valley. I came pretty close to having an opinion, too, a big change for a dyed-in-the-wool mainstream media type. And comments! Comments from people to whom I was not related! Very exciting.

May 5, now this was a fun week. I went to wine school at the Culinary Institute of America and blogged about it. Without really noticing it, I made the transition from dabbler in to student of wine.July 19. My first video! OK, this one was actually shot by the aforementioned Mr. V. But still. I edited it, cropping out the annoying blonde fidgeting around in front of us, and spent hours fighting with VideoPress to get it to post. A milestone.

In October I went to South America. A magical, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And thanks to WordPress for iPad, you went with me.

What have I learned? I’ve learned that I have a dreadful propensity for run-on sentences. That if one should happen to, ever so slightly, mock someone in a post that attracts only 10 readers, there is a 100 percent chance the person in question will be one of those 10.

And I’ve learned that, for someone who always considered herself a bit of a loner, I have some fantastic, supportive friends.

Thank you.

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Scoring a wine century

 

So many bottles, so little time ?Michelle Locke

I’ve always been in the Groucho Marx school of club membership _ I don’t care to belong to any club that will have me as a member. But a club where you drink your way in? That sounds like a pretty good idea.

The group in question is The Wine Century Club, where admittance requires trying 100 different grape varieties. For a change-a-phobe like myself who, left to my own devices, probably would drink chardonnay, chardonnay, Riesling, followed by more chardonnay, this is quite the challenge.

What’s it like?I asked my friend A. who is more than halfway toward his goal of getting to 100 within a year. He’s gotten in the habit of snapping each bottle with his iPhone, which helps keep track, and having knowledgeable and friendly wine shop allies has been a help.

The first 50 weren’t all that hard to come by and most of the wines have been pretty good, he says. “I had a lip-smackin’ Godello, a white from Spain. And have become a bona fide fan of Nero D’Avalo from Sicily — which is kind of the point — to find wines you’d never normally pick up. Fortunately I have a lot of friends (and am married to someone) who don’t particularly care what they drink as long as it doesn’t [vivid two-word combination conveying general lack of quality]. So I bring these oddities to parties and before you know it, they’re gone.”

One way to look at the exercise is as a way to save the varietals that haven’t made it into the “big six” _ Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling.

Ultimately, what A. likes is the club “turns my drinking into a project. It has parameters. It has goals. And along the way you discover new wines, you learn (from back labels) something about the region, about the year, about the topography. It’s like the booze-world’s version of stamp collecting, in this way. It’s educational and world-broadening. And I think Americans need this kind of thing. We still live with Puritan guilt. We’re wayward Puritans many of us and if you can somehow turn pleasure into a project that resembles engineering or scientific inquiry, so much the better.”

I’ll drink to that. Maybe with a Rkatsiteli or a Xynomavro.

No, I did not make those up.

Cheers.

 

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Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo

A funny thing happened to my to-do list this week. “Finish laundry,” was No. 4 or 5 on Monday. And darned if it isn’t still there today. I cannot imagine how that happened.

However, I’m happy to say, “Find a good wine for Friday,” was accomplished, and in very short order.

The wine is Concha y Toro Casillero del Diablo 2009 cabernet sauvignon which I got at Costco for $6.99.

Concha y Toro is the big wine company of Chile and was founded in the 19th century. The Casillero del Diablo line is inspired by the story that winery founder Don Melchior used to keep people away from his private reserve by saying a devil lived in the cellar.

So, kind of like our basement, only for devil read racc00n.

You can find all the details on their website, which is worth a visit. I particularly liked the little pop-up history section. And the theme music was rather catchy.

But I digress.

This is a very solid red wine with lots of dark cherry fruit and a warm finish. It packs a bit of a tannic punch, definitely better with food than without. But then again what’s the point of wine without food? I had this with a vegetable-rich ratatouille and, because I made the bottle stretch a couple nights for once, with a goat cheese pizza. Both were very good pairings.

Also? $6.99! That’s a price that even made the frugal Mr. Vinecdote smile.

Cheers, inexpensively.

 

 

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Parsing parsnips

 

Parsnip, or rather, turnip, cake /Michelle Locke

Back in the BC era (before children) Mr. Vinecdote and I used to enjoy scouting out locations for cheap eats, especially in Oakland’s Chinatown, and one of our best finds was fried parsnip cake at a place called Happy Noodle. (And if I might digress for a moment, how fun are those Chinatown business names? I always got a giggle buying groceries at the New Dick Market in Oakland, because I am 12, and I also felt the pastries we bought at the Happy Bakery, just around the corner from the sadly now-gone Happy Noodle, were just that little bit lighter and fluffier. It makes me wonder, What would happen if I billed myself as Happy Vinecdote? OK, don’t really want to hear the answer on that one.)

Anyway, fried parsnip cake may not sound super appetizing, but it’s actually very good. It’s essentially shredded and steamed vegetable with finely chopped vegetables and something spicy like sausage added in.

For once, my resident Chinese expert could not be of much assistance on this other than to say the Chinese name for parsnips is white carrot. And to further complicate the issue, white carrots covers a host of other things, too, so “parsnip cake” most likely is made of turnips or Chinese white radishes.I found one recipe online, but I would recommend trying to buy these ready-made. They can usually be found at the kind of Chinese restaurants or take-out places that have dim sum. Eaten right out of the box they’re just a bit doughy for my taste. The trick, which I learned at the Happy Noodle, is to slice the cakes in half horizontally and vertically and then fry them in a small amount of olive oil along with a few green onions roughly chopped. Turn the cakes over when the bottoms are golden brown and add one egg, beaten, stirring the egg around to distribute. Cook to desired level of crispness and serve immediately.

If you’re having this for lunch, as with a lot of Chinese food, a cup of green tea hits the spot. But if you’re looking to pair with wine, I would try a robust white, perhaps a Vouvray or a rich chardonnay like Cupcake Chardonay Central Coast.

At Happy Noodle, we always had these with a spicy, dark-brown dipping sauce that complemented the cakes perfectly. I tried recreating at home, no dice, and finally could bear it no longer, asking Mr. V to find out the secret the next time we were in the restaurant. A long conversation ensued, from which I learned basically nothing except that it came in a bottle. (You know how it goes? The other two parties chatter away for about 10 minutes and your interpreter turns to you and says, “He says, yes.”) But I persisted. Could I please see the bottle. I promise not to tell. A short while later out came the waiter solemnly bearing a bottle of … Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce.

A true moment of Sino-Anglo collaboration.

 

 

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Totally tofu

 

 

Tofu sheets drying at Hodo Soy Beanery /Michelle Locke

If there’s one thing I enjoy it’s watching other people work _ doesn’t matter whether they’re fixing lunch or fixing a pothole.

So you can imagine how much I enjoyed a recent visit to the Hodo Soy Beanery in Oakland, a state-of-the-art tofu facility tucked away in what was once a candy factory.

The beanery was founded in 2004 by Minh Tsai, who wanted to recreate the fresh, high-quality tofu he ate as a child in Vietnam. The company recently added some star power by signing up John Scharffenberger, founder of the Schaffen Berger chocolate company, as CEO.

If you think of tofu as a kind of punishment food that only a vegan could love, think again. Good tofu is tasty enough to eat raw, with a delicate, cheese-like texture. It’s even better cooked my favorite way, mixed with a spicy, juicy meat sauce.If you’re in Oakland and want to learn more, check out the Hodo Soy website. Tours are available for the public twice a month for $10.

Here’s a video I made of my visit.

 

 

Happily, the “person at work” theme didn’t end for me at the factory. I got to go home and watch Mr. Vinecdote put together a great dish of shrimp and tofu.

To make: Peel and dice about 1 tablespoon of ginger and chop one bunch of green onions into roughly two-inch lengths, frying both in olive oil until beginning to soften. Add a block of tofu, cut into cubes. Stir 1 teaspoon flour into about 3/4 cup of water or chicken broth and add to the pan. Check for seasoning and add salt or soy sauce to taste. In a separate pan, fry about half  pound of shrimp until it turns pink. Stop as soon as shrimp are cooked. Add to the onion-tofu mixture and serve over steamed rice.

For a wine pairing, the flavors of this dish are so delicate that just about any light white wine will do, and, in fact, if you have some bubbles all the better. If you want to try something different, pick up a Picpoul de Pinet, an inexpensive and delicious wine from France’s Mediterranean coast that is perfect with shellfish.

Bon appetit.

 

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Cupboard Love

 

Did 2010 make you feel like curling up with a plate of something warm and soft? You weren’t alone. Allrecipes.com just released its top recipes for last year and the list includes  such comfort food staples as brownies, twice-baked potatoes and pulled pork. According to Allrecipes, the list was compiled by analyzing data from 535 million visits and more than 3 billion page views.

In case you’re wondering, that’s just a teensy bit more traffic than Vinecdote gets. (Click more, friends!) And I can’t help wondering how many of those billions of page views translated into food on the table. I can’t count the number of times I’ve started out with the best of intentions and found my interest flagging round about the time when I got to the instruction to take out a third bowl or pan or _ and this is a guaranteed dealbreaker _ “let sit overnight in a cool place.”This is why I’m a fan of food processor desserts. Sifting, stirring, whipping? No. But even at my lowest I can just about manage to measure ingredients into a bowl, push a button and then decant the contents into the oven.Some of my efforts to process my way to quicker sweets have proved unrewarding. It appears chocolate cake can be made this way, but not well. Although I have not entirely given up on that. But the other night I gave peanut butter cookies a whirl and they turned out great. This is real American comfort food (and I say that as a British immigrant) and really very easy.To wit:

EASY PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES (recipe adapted from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook)

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into chunks
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy because I hate creamy)
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two baking sheets. Put ingredients in food processor. Process until combined. Form dough into balls. Place on greased cookie sheet. Flatten cookies with back of fork. Bake for 10-15 minutes. After the first 5 minutes or so, watch them like a hawk because, like all cookies, they go from blonde and raw to brown and burned in about 15 seconds.Curious about what home cooks were making, or at least thinking about making in 2011? Here’s the list from Allrecipes.Top Recipes of 2010

Hmm, I wonder how brownies would work out in the food processor?Bon appetit!

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A stroll down memory lane

What’s the word?

If you know the answer is “Thunderbird,” you are very well-versed in wine lore. Or fairly antique, but let’s don’t go there.

I was doing an interview today and the old ads for Thunderbird wine came up in conversation. The jingle went something along the lines of: What’s the word? Thunderbird. How’s it sold? Good and cold. What’s the price? Thirty twice. (60 cents a bottle, at least at one point.)

The topic under discussion was how far wine has progressed in the United States. Back in the ’60s, Thunderbird, a fortified, low-end wine, was a best-seller. So you can imagine how the 1976 Paris tasting in which a California red and white took home top honors in their respective categories came as such a shock to Old World wine authorities.

You can still buy Thunderbird today, although I wouldn’t really recommend it. And I’m guessing you wouldn’t be able to get a movie star to endorse it, either. Back in the day, though, James Mason shilled for Thunderbird. Here’s an ad I found on the Internet that I thought was kind of fun.

Although maybe not so much for Mason. I get the vibe he’s not 100 percent thrilled with this particular gig. 

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The Tweet Life

I love Twitter. I’ve been on it for about a year now and follow nearly 100 people, mostly in the food and wine world. And @KanyeWest, naturally.

I don’t tweet a lot, mostly new blog postings and the occasional observation about the weather or a particularly good piece of work by someone else.

I’d like to post more, but … I’m afraid the tweet bar has been set a bit high.

For instance, I’ll log in of a morning and see something like this:@WellKnownWineWriter Just checked into (major airport) on way to (hot wine destination) to meet with (legendary winemaker).

I could post: @Me Just dropped child off at (battered public school) on way to (living room) to meet (deadline that I must have been insane to agree to). But … it just doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it.

Lunch time rolls around and I might see, @FamousChef Just popped in to @OtherFamousChef”s (new restaurant). Had the (exotic entree I don’t know how to pronounce). Fantastique!

And once again, my option might be, @Me Just peeked into (fridge from which I have yet to remove stuffing crumbs from Thanksgiving). Sampled the (turkey, even though it’s been a few days and I’m beginning to wonder whether it’s still gastronomically viable). Loves!

Now that’s verging on pathetic.

But things may not be as bleak as they seem.

I just emailed two very soignée friends of mine in the food and wine business, complimenting them on their glam life and recent tweets about being out and about in the culinary stratosphere and got back a gleefully honest response that at the time they got my e-mail one half of the couple was typing away while slathered in a face mask and the other was also hard at work while sporting “two days worth of beard combined with his chic ensemble of a gray T-shirt and khaki shorts, which he keeps wearing despite the fact that his wife tells him the colors clash and, oh by the way, it’s winter.

“I feel a bit better now.

Perhaps it’s time to go sniff the turkey.

Bon appetit and Happy Tweeting!