Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Macarona Maknekesh, and 2006 Baron Herzog Zin Gris Lodi

October 18, 2009 by winemusings

This past Friday night saw us lying low after a long Holiday (Sukkot and Simchat Torah) and as such we made a nice and simple meal that hit the spot.  It is called Macarona Maknekesh – which is a Tunisian pasta recipe that hails from their earlier Italian roots.  The recipe is really quite simple.  It is essentially a macaroni/pasta and lentil concoction that is served hot.  It melds classic Italian styling with a nice dose of  Mediterranean flavors and textures.

1 oz of olive oil
2 diced onions
8 oz sliced mushrooms
salt
pepper
cumin
basil
1 lb of lentils
28 oz of tomato sauce
1 lb macaroni or pasta of your choice

Fry the diced onion in the olive oil until browned.  Throw in a bit of salt to help the onions release their liquid.  Then throw in the mushrooms and brown them as well, with a bit of salt as well.  Once browned, throw in the lentils and sauté them until all the liquid has been soaked in.  Cover with water and bring to boil.  Once the lentils are totally cooked (some 45 minutes), place the tomato sauce in the pot and let simmer until the flavors meld.  Once the sauce and lentils look right, throw in the pasta/macaroni and add water or wine if necessary.  It takes some tries to get the water content correct, but it is worth the effort.

I had hoped the wine would pair well with the dinner, but it was an unfortunate disappointment.  The wine felt unbalanced and almost muted, with the nose being the shining star of the wine.

The wine note follows below:

2006 Baron Herzog Zin Gris Lodi – Score: B
The nose on this bright rose colored wine is the best part of the wine. It starts with cranberry, raspberry, strawberry, floral notes, and bright acidity. The mouth on this light to medium bodied wine is soft with raspberry, strawberry, and tart unbalanced fruit. The mid palate has a bit of acidity and more tart fruit that do not help to balance the wine. The finish is medium long with tart fruit that lingers on the palate. There is also a bit of almost green tea on the finish that really throws the wine. Quite a shame, as the nose starts off so promising.

Posted in Food and drink, Kosher Rose Wine, Wine | Tagged , | Leave a Comment »

A Few Nice Israeli Wines that compliment wonderful Shemini Atzeret Meals

October 18, 2009 by winemusings

A week ago saw us enjoying meals with friends and on our own.  The Jewish Holiday called Shemini Atzeret is the last part of Sukkot and the one that sometimes gets out of hand, when some mistaken souls confuse Shemini Atzeret with Purim (and think getting drunk is part of the deal).  However, since we did not put up a sukkah and most folks believe that one should eat in the sukkah (without a blessing) on Shemini Atzeret, we ate out for the first two meals.  On Saturday day we went to a friend’s home and were served a wonderful bounty of flavors and textures and some really fun wines.  We brought a bottle of 2003 Galil Winery Yiron, while another guest brought a bottle of 2007 Lambouri Ya’in Kafrisin.  later in the meal the host opened a bottle of 2006 Shiloh Cabernet Sauvignon.

Later that evening we laid low after a long Simchat Torah celebration, with a wonderful meal of meatballs, rice, and fresh green salad.  The recipe for the meatballs were the same we have had before, but this time we substituted a pound of ground turkey for one of the two pounds of ground meat.  The mixture was way off, as the ground turkey meat is soft and sticky, instead of firm like ground meat.  To make the mixture work we added in ground almonds bit by bit until it was he correct consistency.  The tomato sauce was the same and the meatballs came out soft yet firm to the fork.

The wine notes follow below:

2003 Galil Yiron – Score: B+
The nose on this garnet colored wine was hopping and screaming out of the bottle with chocolate, figs, ripe and plump blackberry, plum, and mounds of oak. The mouth on this full bodied, extra ripe, and mouth coating wine is filled with ripe plum and blackberry, rich chocolate, and sweet oak. The mid palate is balanced with acidity and soft tannins. The finish is super long with more rich fruit, chocolate, figs, and a hint of tobacco. Quite a nice wine, but would have been better a few months earlier. Clearly over the hill and on its way down – DRINK UP!!!  This is a change from the previous wine note we had on this wine.  This wine has become fatter and plumper and not as tight and concentrated.

2006 Tishbi Estate Pinot Noir – Score: B+
The nose on this ruby colored wine is hopping with strawberry, cherry, raspberry, and a bit of oak. The mouth on this medium bodied wine is almost mouth coating, but needs a few hours of air to show its best. The mouth is soft and lush with nice cherry and raspberry notes. The mid palate is balanced with nice acidity, soft tannins, and a hint of coffee. The finish is long with more bright fruit, light oak, and vanilla. Quite a nice balanced Pinot.  On an aside, Daniel Rogov did not give this a great score, but I wonder if it was a bad bottle, or if the wine has moved past that deficiency.  As usual Daniel tastes the wine a few times, so I can only guess that either the wines here in the US have gone through to another stage in their life, or we had a “good” bottle.  He noted that there was too much volatile acidity, but I did not see anything like that in the bottle I tasted.

Posted in Food and drink, Kosher Red Wine, Wine | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

Yarden, Galil, and Delagrave Bordeaux Wines in the Sukkah

October 6, 2009 by winemusings

This past weekend saw us spending time in a Sukkah with our family in Florida.  Yep, pretty hot temperature, but the Sukkah is shaded and we hooked up a pair of fans (attached to a timer), so that the fans are blowing when we are in the Sukkah.  The fans are on opposite sides of the Sukkah, giving us a nice cross breeze.  Further, the Sukkah walls are made of crisscrossing wood slats that have hollow parts.  So the combination of cross breeze fans, open walls, and mesh roof, made the Sukkah a nice place to hunker down.

We did not cook or prepare any of the food for this family occasion, though I did help with the decorating and electrical aspects of the Sukkah.  Beyond that I bought the wines.  I went for a simple combination of whites and reds and I was quite happy with the outcome.  Still, the clear star of the holiday was the food that was magnificently prepared by my sister in-law and a few other family members.  They are always so kind and courteous, fantastic hosts, with a lovely family, and a kind soul.  So, before the holiday (which started on Friday Night), we made our way to Crown Wine & Spirits.  There used to be a wonderfully stocked kosher wine store, called – Corks Kosher Wine Emporium, but they are gone now — just another casualty of the economic times in which we live.  The selection of kosher wines was far smaller than it had been before, because of the business that was taken away by Corks.  So in the end, the economy handed a double whammy to the Boca Raton kosher wine scene, by putting Corks out of business and limiting the selection at the only other purveyor left.  There is a small selection of lower quality wines at the Kosher Market Place, whose owner owned Corks, but not the stuff I was looking for.  The selection may be also small at Crown, but they have a nice selection still of solid wines from Israel, France, and the USA.  A nice mixture of Yarden, Galil, Herzog Reserve, Herzog (plain but good for the basic meal), Herzog Selection from France, Hagafen wines, and a smattering of Alfasi wines as well.  Again, a nice mixture of quality wines at all price ranges, and the prices were very reasonable.  I walked out with six quality wines for less than hundred dollars, which is OK.  The prices were comparable with KosherWine.com, which I use as a barometer for pricing wines at local purveyors.

The meals were out of this world.  The first evening we were served Matzah Ball soup, perfect roast, salad, moist turkey, Capon, and gobs of salads and sides, pairing lovely with some of the 2007 Yarden Odem Vineyard Chardonnay, 2005 Yarden Pinot Noir, and a blue bottle of Bartenura Moscato.  The next day we were served gefilite fish, heavenly cholent, Turkey and gobs more of side dishes, paired nicely with a bit of leftover Yarden Pinot Noir, Yarden Odem Chardonnay, and some 2007 Galil Cabernet Sauvignon.  For Saturday night we had Matzah ball soup, an unbelievable assortment of chicken dishes, and turkey, along with many lovely sides, pairing nicely with the Galil Cabernet Sauvignon.  For the second day we were served gefilte fish, veal, turkey, gobs more of sides, and a killer Sushi salad (which mimics all the components of sushi in a nice salad).  To pair with all of those flavors we had a 2004 Delagrave White Bordeaux and an overkill of a 2003 Yarden Merlot.

I would like to extend my many thanks to tour lovely hosts and the rest of the family which made our stay so comfortable.  Best wishes and a happy and healthy year to all.  The wine notes are listed below in the order they were consumed:

2005 Yarden Pinot Noir – Score: A-
This is a wine that Daniel Rogov rates as one of Yarden’s best Pinot Noirs ever, and I was not disappointing as much as I had higher hopes for it.  The wine reminds me more of the N.V. Four Gates Pinot Noir, with a touch more tannins and attitude.  The nose on this dark ruby colored wine is popping with black cherry, raspberry, black plum, rich oak, and vanilla.  The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine (once it opens) is layered and rich with not yet integrating tannins, black plum, black cherry, and oak.  The mid palate is crisp and acidic with nice tannins and oak.  The finish is long with red fruit, vanilla, oak, and spice.

2007 Yarden Odem Vineyard Chardonnay – Score: A-
The nose on this dark straw with green hues wine is popping with kiwi, papaya, lemon, peach, rich oak, and violets.  The mouth on this rich and full bodied wine is almost mouth coating with fruit that follows the nose.  The mid palate is tight yet balanced with bright acidity, and salt water – which threw me off!  The finish is long and lovely with rich oak, tropical fruit, acidity, and a bit more salt water.

2007 Galil Cabernet Sauvignon – Score: B+
The nose on this garnet colored wine has blackberry, raspberry, plum, and roasted herbs.  The mouth on this medium bodied wine is concentrated with blackberry, raspberry, and plum flavors.  The mid palate is acidic with nice integrated tannins.  The finish is medium long with more concentrated fruit and herbs.

2004 Herzog Selection Chateau Delagrave White (blend of Sauvignon Blanc and and Semillon) – Score: B-B+
The nose on this light straw colored wine is filled with lemon, green apples, light herbal notes, and floral notes.  The mouth on this light to medium bodied wine follows the nose with green apple, tropical fruit, and lemon.  The mid palate is crisp with nice tart fruit.  The finish is medium long with tart flavors that linger long after the wine is gone, along with green tea, and floral notes.

2003 Yarden Merlot – Score: A-
The nose on this dark garnet to black colored wine is popping and rich with blackberry, cherry, cranberry, green herbal notes, figs, and lovely sweet oak.  The mouth on this full bodied wine is rich, layered, and complex with blackberry, cranberry, and tannins that are still lightly aggressive.  The mouth is complex with layers of fruit, sweet oak, and figs.  The mid palate is acidic and balanced with integrated tannins.  The finish is long with rich ripe black fruit, nice tannins, sweet oak, figs, and vanilla.  The wine is rich and lovely and quite a treat and can easily pair with red meats, but is overkill for the basic food groups.

Posted in Food and drink, Kosher Red Wine, Kosher White Wine, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

1998 Langer Reserve Szamorodni Takaji and 2005 Galil Mountain Merlot

October 2, 2009 by winemusings

This past week saw us enjoying a quiet shabbos between the two of us.  After the past week, we thought it was a great time to have some Italian food again.  With all the Italian Recipes available, we looked for one that would hit the spot.  After a bit of thought, we decided to again, go with Pasta Puttanesca.  We have done this before, and we really love the altered recipe we have come up with.  By adding in the fake ground meat (soy), it thickens the sauce and it also adds meat to body of the recipe, real fun.  The sauce is best paired with pasta that holds the liquid, like rigatoni or penne – like we did.  Once that was handled, I looked to the cellar for the win to pair with, and I chose the 2005 Galil Merlot.  For two reasons, one because it is at its peak (or a bit past it), and two because it has enough acidity and body to keep up with the sauce.  The wine started off really funky!!  It started to smell brown, and a bit old and dingy, and did not get out of its funk until a day later, when it cleaned itself up and became quite enjoyable.  I also got a chance to taste another bottle; the 1998 Langer Reserve Szamorodni Takaji.  The wine is really quite pleasant and honeyed along with a nice subtle almonds undertone.  It paired nicely with cheese and other smelly/stinky flavors.

The wine notes follow below:

1998 Langer Reserve Szamorodni Takaji – Score: B+
The nose on this bright gold colored wine has strong honey, sweet honeydew, and almond notes, along with a hint of lemon.  The mouth on this full bodied wine is glycerol and oily in nature, ripe and rich, is filled with ripe honeydew, rich honey, and almond flavors.  The mid palate is bright and balanced.  The finish is long and honey sweet with more nice acidity and a hint of lemon tea as well.

2005 Galil Mountain Merlot – Score: B++
The nose on this dark garnet colored wine with brown/dingy edges starts off with a cedar box like aroma along with aged roasted herbs, dirty and dingy cranberry, plum, an herbaceous attack, and a dollop of briery/earth.  After this wine opens up, the musty and dingy notes go away, and you get cleaned up cranberry, cherry, and plum aromas, along with a hint of coffee.  The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine initially has fading tannins, and give way to fruit which is also fading.  The mouth feel is almost mouth coating.  The mid palate is OK but without enough acidity to brace it.  The finish is nice with tannins, fruit, along with an herbaceous attack, a large dollop of spice, and a hint of mint.  However, after the wine airs out, the mouth fills out quite nicely, almost velvety.  The mouth coats with ripe red fruit and a nice soft mouth.  The mid palate is medium long but OK because the fruit is less aggressive and the wine becomes more about the mouthfeel and nice residual tannins, than does the complexity.  The finish is long with tannins, red fruit, coffee, and herbs.

Posted in Food and drink, Kosher Dessert Wine, Kosher Red Wine | Leave a Comment »

2005 Baron Herzog Zinfandel, 2006 Goose Bay Chardonnay, N.V. Herzog Selection Blanc De Blanc Brut Champagne, 2005 Hagafen Napa Zinfandel, 2003 Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Superieur, Baked Gefilte Fish Loaf, Pot Roast, Roasted Orange Peel Veal

September 25, 2009 by winemusings

This past Saturday night saw us partying with friends and family for the second night of Rosh Hashanah.  The meal started with the requisite tradition called simanim.  Simanim are a play on words and are a very basic Jewish tradition of using word play to bring out symbolism and actual changes or good tidings.  Our friends brought over two of the simanim, and we took care of  the rest.  The simanim are a yearly rite of passage, and one of my favorite Jewish traditions.  Many of the recipes have been changed to protect the innocent.  My ancestral recipes call for 4 basic ingredients, oil, oil, oil, and some vegetable or fruit and one cooking style – frying.  We decided that this tradition was awesome, but that it needed to be toned down such that it could be enjoyed for years to come, and not just for the few where we are vertical.  So it called for some baking and less oil.  We ordered the symbolic food in the order of Sephardic Jewry, and here they are:

  1. Dates or Figs (Tamar in Hebrew)
    1. The symbolism here is that God should end our enemies
  2. Broad Beans coated with a mixture of olive oil, cumin, and garlic (Rubya in Aramaic)
    1. The symbolism here is that God should increase our merits
  3. Leeks – prepared masterfully by our friends, sautéed in oil and spiced Italian (Karti in Aramaic)
    1. The symbolism here is that God should cut down our enemies
  4. Creamed Spinach – prepared masterfully by our friends, creamed with soy yogurt (Salka in Aramaic)
    1. The symbolism here is that God should remove our enemies
  5. Sweet Butternut Squash – sliced butternut squash, sprayed with oil and covered with honey, then baked in an oven set to 400 degrees (Kra in Aramaic)
    1. The symbolism here is that God should tear up our evil decrees and read before him our merits
  6. Pomegranate seeds (Rimon in Hebrew)
    1. The symbolism here is that our mitzvot (observance of the Jewish laws) be as plentiful as the pomegranate seeds
  7. Sweet apples dipped in honey
    1. The symbolism here is that God should grant us a New Year as sweet as honey
  8. Fish head – Rock Cod head baked at 350 degrees.
    1. The symbolism here is that in this New year we should be at the head of the class and not at the tail

We always joke that we should try to bring out a head of a lamb instead of a fish head and freak out everyone there.  It would be totally epic, but while it is the preferred manner of implementing the head symbolism, it would fly in the face of “behaving”.

After the fish head was eaten, we moved on to our patented baked herb fish loaf, which we sliced into three-quarter inch servings, and served with the accompanying baked onions, and guacamole.  We paired the dish with a 2006 Goose Bay Chardonnay and followed it with an N.V. Herzog Selection Blanc De Blanc Brut Champagne.  The Chardonnay was solid as good as I remember it from the last time I had.  The Champagne was a logical alcoholic beverage to share with the guys, but the deliver was flawed – maybe literally.  I am not sure, but the wine was clearly flat, fruitless, and acidic.  It’s only saving grace were the few bubbles that we left in the bottle, quite a shame.

The fish was followed by a menu of; Veal with orange peel and stuffed with mushroom and onions, Shoulder pot roast with festive vegetables on the side, spinach Soufflé/kugel, and fresh vegetable salad.  The festive vegetables were cooked with the roast, but at different stages of course.  The shoulder roast was initially seared on all sides and nicely caramelized and then removed.  Diced onions and garlic were then placed in the hot dutch oven and were caramelized until nice and brown.  The meat was returned to the pot, along with half a bottle of wine.  After the meat and wine turned into a nice piece of meat, the potatoes and carrots were added.  Twenty minutes later peas and green beans were added and cooked for a few minutes and then all of this was poured into a shallow pan to cool off and sleep overnight in the chill chest.  After some 24 hours, the meat was removed and sliced, and then placed back in the pan with all of the juice and vegetables, where it would lie until it was warmed up the next day.

To pair with the meats and vegetables we started with a 2005 Herzog Zinfandel – which was a failure, and pulled quickly from the table, but not before it was inflicted upon one of my guests – AHH!  It was followed by a 2005 Hagafen Zinfandel, which was not much better out of the bottle, but after many hours of airing, and long after the guys left the house, it became quite nice actually.  It was a shame as by now three bottles had fallen to the way side, and thankfully, I had a lovely bottle already opened and airing nicely.  This was the 2003 Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Superieur, as I told the crowd that night, it was at its peak (the last time we had it, it was not nearly as good).  While it was now soft, it was still plush and lush with fruit and the wood and tannins had integrated quite nicely into an impressive presentation of wood, mouth coating tannins, rich fruit, tobacco smoke, and some really nice chocolate.

Two out of five wines, is not a record I am proud of, but the food was solid, and the two wines were enjoyable.  What can I say, you win some and you lose some.  If you grade the evening on the bottle hit count, clearly a subpar performance.  If however, you grade the evening based upon on the friends around the table, the Holy Day that it was, the camaraderie, and food, I think it was downright awesome.  We will always strive to make it better though – next time :-)

The wine notes follow below (in the order they were consumed):

2006 Goose Bay Chardonnay – Score: B+
I must say that this chardonnay is not your run of the mill chard. The fruit on this chardonnay is almost perfumed because of its intensity and the wine is nicely balanced. The nose on this bright straw colored wine is perfumed with rich peach and tropical fruit. The mouth on this medium bodied wine carried the perfumed qualities from the nose along with apple, peach, and lemon. The mid palate is acidic with a touch of minerals. The finish is long with a hint of oak and more tropical fruit acidity. The oak helps to round out the mouth, while the acidity helps to brace the fruit defined mouth. The oak is showing more now and the fruit is slightly fading with the acidity still bracing. Based on my conversation with the wine maker; Philip Jones, the wines never lack from acidity, so this wine will last another year, but start drinking up.

2005 Baron Herzog Zinfandel – Score: B (maybe B-)
Close to undrinkable, at least that was the opinion of many on the table. The boysenberry, and crushed rose petals were over the top and demanded the drinker’s attention, which is a shame. The blackberry, pepper, and oak that lies in the back are nice, but not with that much noise in the foreground and on the lingering finish. The nose is nice with blackberry, boysenberry, rose petals, and oak. The mouth is wrecked with the over the top floral presentation that is followed by enough boysenberry to suffocate a horse. The mid palate is balanced with acidity and oak, but the finish is downhill with more of the same ills. This wine did not improve with time or air.  The wine was not corked or spoiled, but clearly either in a real dumb period or highly flawed.

N.V. Herzog Selection Blanc De Blanc Brut Champagne – Score: B-
Not really impressed. The nose was flat and was actually the best part, with toast, almonds, citrus, and a drop of yeast. That was all they wrote about this wine. The table barely drank it. The mouth was filled with nothing – which was the problem. The best thing that could be said was that it had some acidity, but almost no fruit, and the bubbles were almost flat. Man, a mostly flat Champagne! Anyway, a loser and one that should be drunk quickly. Thankfully there were other wines to take this failure off our minds!

2005 Hagafen Napa Zinfandel – Score: A-
WOW! this wine turned face SLOWLY! This opens in a dull mode, this wine is clearly in a dumb state right now. The nose was flat, the mouth was redolent with boysenberry and oak, but no black fruit to be found. However, after a fair amount of time, like a day or so, the wine opened up to show its true self. The tannins popped out of their coma, the mouth filled out, the nose became redolent with chocolate and tons of fun stuff. Please make sure to open this puppy early and try it every few hours, you will see it change in phases – until it reaches its climax, it was a fun experience, but unfortunate for my guests who never had the chance to taste the real Hagafen Zinfandel.

Once awake and free of its dumb and slumbering state – the nose on this purple to black colored wine is black with ripe fruit, blackberry, mounds of chocolate, spice, sweet oak, and vanilla. The mouth on this full bodied wine fills out with mouth coating tannins that are integrating, but still present. The absurd boysenberry flavors have finally faded and the wine shows a rich, black, and full mouth with blackberry, nice tannins, and semi-sweet oak with raisins. The mid palate shows more integrated tannins vanilla, rich and sweet oak, and balanced acidity. The finish is long and supports the wine’s full mouth with more rich oak, vanilla, and bright acid that carries the black fruit, acting like a bow around this lovely package. It is one crazy wine that is clearly in a dumb state and needs a bit more time to pop out of its state.

2003 Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon Superieur – Score: A
They are all gone, and that is about the only thing “bad” I can say about this wine. We drank it at its peak, and for that I am thankful. If you have one or more lying around — drink up and enjoy, it’s time has come and it is now – RIGHT now!

The nose on this almost pure black colored wine explodes with rich sweet oak, blackberry, plum, dates, and a fantastic impression of effervescent Belgian dark chocolate. The mouth on this full bodied wine is like those wonderful large chairs you see in the movies, plush, soft, enveloping, but still ever present and firm – quite a showing. This was the clear winner of the evening. The mouth follows the nose with blackberry and plum. The mid palate delivers a powerful presentation of rich and concentrated sweet oak, integrated but present tannins, and just enough acidity that plays with the enveloping tannins and fruit, almost like an orchestra. The finish is long and wonderful with more black fruit carried by the sweet oak and tannins, tobacco smoke, and a replay of the chocolate. This is not a beast or a wine that has a statement out loud. Rather this is a concentrated and plush wine, with a quiet demeanor rich black fruit, chocolate, tobacco, all wrapped up in a nice oak box. Quite a wine! I am torn in ways, I am sad I have no more, but happy that I tasted it at its peak, and not on its way down.

Posted in Food and drink, Kosher Red Wine, Kosher White Wine, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

2002 Herzog Selection Gewurztraminer Verbau and Baked Gefilte Fish Loaf, Cholent, Roasted Chicken

September 23, 2009 by winemusings

This past Saturday day we enjoyed a simple lunch between the two of us that consisting of our patented Gefilte Fish Loaf, some roasted chicken, a nice cholent, and a bottle of 2002 Herzog Selection Gewurztraminer Verbau.  The fish was bang up as usual, the roasted chicken and the cholent were quite nice as well.  The fish was nicely herbed, the cholent was spicy, and the roasted chicken was peppery enough to make the wine quite enjoyable.  The semi-sweet, oily, rich wine was a perfect match for all the spicy food.

The wine note follow below:

2002 Herzog Selection Gewurztraminer Verbau – Score: B+ – A-
This was a really fun wine, and one that works great with spicy food or as a wonderful aperitif, though not as a dessert wine, as it is not a “sweet” wine, but one with enough sugars to ward off sharp flavors like stinky cheese and Asian or Thai dishes. It is throwing off tartrate crystals – but do not be worried, they are harmless. Also, do not let the blue bottle throw you, this is not a simple Bartenura Moscato like wine (the famous kosher blue bottle wine), but rather a real player. The nose on this light gold to gold colored wine is rich and honeyed with sweet and ethereal honey, peach, caramel, almonds, violets, and rich fruit aromas. The mouth on this semi-sweet and semi-complex medium to full bodied wine carries the nose’s fruit and stance, with more rich honey suspended in an oily and almost glycerol mouth coating presentation, which is accompanied by rich honey, caramel, a slight hints of citrus. The mid palate is bright and balances the mouths semi-sweet fruit. The finish is concentrated but only medium long (which is a shame), with more bright acid, ripe fruit, and more oily rich honey flavors that round out the wine. Quite a nice presentation, and really only lacking in its shortish finish.

Posted in Food and drink, Kosher White Wine, Wine | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

2002 Barons de Rothschild Edmond Benjamin Haut-Medoc, 2006 Gedeon Cabernet Sauvignon, and Brisket

September 23, 2009 by winemusings

This past Friday night (September 18th, 2009) was the first night of Rosh Hashanah 5770.  My friend was very kind to invite us over for the New Year and as usual the hospitality and cuisine was out of this world.  The meal started with the requisite tradition called – simanim, that we brought over along with a bottle of wine.  The simanim are a play on words and are a very basic Jewish tradition of using word play to bring out symbolism and actual changes or good tidings.  The ones we brought over are part of what one may call the “base package”, while in recent years folks have been adding on premium channels and special language channels.  The seder’s menu is as follows (according to Ashkenazi tradition):

  1. Sweet apple dipped in honey (along with the requisite blessing over fruit of the tree)
  2. Broad Beans coated with a mixture of olive oil, cumin, and garlic
  3. Leeks – prepared masterfully by the host, sautéed in margarine and spices
  4. Beets – boiled plainly and then cubed, with orange juice applied on top
  5. Dates
  6. Sweet Butternut Squash – sliced butternut squash, sprayed with oil and covered with honey, then baked in an oven set to 400 degrees.
  7. Pomegranate seeds
  8. Fish head – salmon head baked at 350 degrees

After that we had a lovely tomato and potato soup with a nice quaffing wine – the 2006 Gedeon Cabernet Sauvignon.  The Cabernet was nice, but the soup was better.  The soup was followed by a plethora of food that started with braised brisket, potatoes, Thai chicken, and assorted vegetables.  The dinner was fantastic.  We had the 2002 Haut-Medoc with the dinner, and it was truly slow to open.  However, once it did finally open a few hours into the meal, it was a fun wine that matched the brisket very well.

Many thanks to our friends for hosting us and serving us such a wonderful feast.  The wine note follow below:

2006 Gedeon Cabernet Sauvignon – Score: B

It is a nice quaffing wine with a basic nose of red fruit, raspberry, cherry, oak, vanilla, and tobacco.  I must say that the mouth on this wine is nice.  It is soft and not complex in any way, but the red fruit is evident and the acidity in the mid palate balances out the fruit forward mouth.  The finish is average long, but may well be the best part of the wine with a smoky tobacco, nice oak, and toasty vanilla.  The wine is a simple and nice quaffer, and Mevushal to boot.

2002 Barons de Rothschild Edmond Benjamin Haut-Medoc – Score: B+
This bottle starts off dead at best for a few hours. We popped the cork on this puppy at 9PM and it finally found itself at around 11PM, give or take a few minutes. The nose on this purple colored sleeping giant started off dull, but opened to black cherry, black plum, raspberry, oak, chocolate, and a dollop of vanilla. The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine filled out nicely with mouth coating tannins that lifted the wine, though not in a subtle way. The mouth starts with black plum, cherry, raspberry, and tannins. The mid palate is balanced nicely with just enough acidity, along with tannins and oak. The finish is long with nice black fruit that is carried through to the finish line with acidity, wonderful dark chocolate, and vanilla. The finish is great, the chocolate and black fruit meld in an almost magical manner. Give this wine enough time and it will deliver. This is less complex than it is wonderful, which is not bad at all.


Posted in Food and drink, Kosher Red Wine, Wine | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Mushroom/Squash/Sweet Potato Risotto, and 2005 Ella Valley Chardonnay

September 13, 2009 by winemusings

After two weeks of French food it was time to return to my roots – Italy and its fresh herbal flavors.  There is no dish and flavor that epitomizes Italy more than Risotto, and after some richer French food, we went with some creamy delight that was highlighted by herbs and Farmer’s Market vegetables.  We started with four stalks of cleaned leeks, and two pounds of Shiitake that were sautéed until browned.  I then removed the onions and mushrooms and used the same pot to soften the sweet potato and yellow crookneck squash.  We then removed the soften vegetables; added back the onions and mushrooms (yeah would have been far easier to cook in a second pot – lesson learned – maybe next time I will just roast them).  I added back a bit of olive oil, and two cups of Arborio rice, and made sure that the grains were well coated with the oil.

An aside, there is a HUGE difference between sweet potato and yams.  Many think they are the same, and I cannot but stress how foolish this line of thinking is.  The Sweet Potato nomenclature is really broken!  Sweet Potato is a firm potato that cooks and stays firm.  Yams are a soft potato that cooks soft and is better used in sweet potato pie.  So the next time you go to the supermarket and want to add some sweet flavor to your dish, figure out ahead of time, if you are looking for a firm or soft sweet flavor.  Yams are going to go soft after some time, while the “sweet potato” will stay firm like a red or yellow potato.  OK – back to risotto.

Wait – one more aside, in case you are wondering why we want two starches – Arborio rice – the king of starchy rice and sweet potato, the answer is because we wanted to :-)   Simply put, we had a sweet tooth and we wanted risotto, so sweet potato it was.  OK – this time, no more tangents.

OK, after the rice, leek, and mushrooms were properly coated, we started the risotto dance.  Yep, it is a dance that requires you to lead most of the time, but still give the partner a chance to shine.  You place a cup of hot water/broth in and then let the rice soak in the liquid.  Back and forth you go, until the rice starts to become slightly mushy and creamy.  It is truly imperative that you have a pot of just boiling chicken broth hot on the stove.  This allows for the rice to not be cooled down and then heated up (if you were to ad in cold soup).  The ironic aspect is that you start with a cup of wine, and that is NOT boiling, but it is room temperature, and the pot is boiling hot and the rice is well coated, so that is why the first wet liquid in a risotto recipe is commonly white wine.  After the wine is soaked up, we ladled in a cup of broth, waited for the rice to soak it up, and then to start the process again.  The interesting and complicated part of the recipe is when to throw in the additives.  You see the onions and/or leeks are an imperative part of any risotto recipe and are the base of all risotto recipes that I have seen.  We threw in mushrooms because we like them, and they do not get in the way of the rice cooking/creaming process.  But, the real question is when do you throw in additives – like our sweet potatoes and squash?  Some have it going in early – but that is a disaster because it does not give the rice a chance to set up.  Some have them added after the third cup, but we added it at the very end, right when folks would add Parmesan cheese – which is not my style.  I was really happy with the outcome, though one more aside (yes I lied); it is hard to make risotto for Friday Night dinner.  Since the risotto needs to be reheated for Friday Night, it is hard to remake the perfect creaminess you get when it is just made.  We did a solid job, but would love to find a way to perfect it.

4 stalks of leeks halved and sliced up thinly
2lb of mushrooms sliced
Salt to wilt leeks and mushrooms
2 yellow sweet potato
12 small yellow crookneck squash
Thyme
Basil
Rosemary
2 cups of Arborio rice
1 cup of wine
4 or more cups of broth

Once we finished the risotto, I looked around for a wine to match, and settled on a 2005 Ella Valley Chardonnay.  The wine was oaked and as it opened, it felt overoaked – almost Californian, but without the weight or sugar to hold it up.  The wine turned green as it opened, the oak and green flavors overpower the mouth, but still a nice Chardonnay.  This is definitely a wine that should be drunk soon and enjoyed with a nice fat fish, creamy sauce linguine (thinking Italian!), or light cheeses.  By the way, this wine may not be a huge winner, but its better siblings – the Ella Valley Vineyard Choice Chardonnay (both Oaked and UnOaked) are huge winners.

The wine note follows below:

2005 Ella Valley Chardonnay – Score: B+
The nose on this light gold to gold colored wine starts off with sweet oak, lemon, green apple, almond, vanilla, and eucalyptus.  The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine is more bright than rich, glycerol and oily, with apple, pear, and slight bitterness.  The mid palate is bright with bracing acidity, a bit unbalanced with green notes.  The finish is long with mint, summer fruit, tart lemon, with toast and vanilla.  As the wine open more, the fruit fades a bit, the heavy oak comes to the top, and the acidity and bitterness are a bit off.

Posted in Food and drink, Kosher Red Wine, Wine | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Ratatouille, Brown Rice, Fresh Green Salad, and Dalton Zinfandel

September 9, 2009 by winemusings

This past weekend saw us enjoying some really sick Ratatouille.  We spoke about what we wanted to eat for shabbos, and given the fact that the garden is producing tomatoes and some eggplant, my wife came up with ratatouille.  Ratatouille is one of those dishes that when done correctly is killer.  We are blessed with fresh ripe tomatoes and some small eggplants.  We have no fresh zucchini, so we had to buy some of those.  I wanted a protein to go with the ratatouille, but the wife did not want meat, so we went with Yves Hot Dogs and Tofurkey Sweet Italian Sausage.  We started the whole process by browning the hot dogs and Italian sausages in a hot pan.  I then started on the ratatouille.  I had a few questions about the ratatouille with Daniel Rogov on his forum.  Daniel advised me to make some sausages, and the best I could do were the meatless variety described above.  At the same time, I asked Daniel if he had made the ratatouille recipe that was highlighted in the move Ratatouille.  The movie’s recipe is not officially defined anywhere, but many have attempted to reproduce it.  However, we wanted to make a real stew, so we used the tried and true recipe that we have been using for a couple of years now.

Ratatouille:
Olive Oil
2 lb of sliced onions
6 Garlic cloves
Salt and pepper
2-3 peppers
3 lb of fresh and ripe tomatoes
Tomato paste (if tomatoes are not fresh and ripe enough)
Basil, Thyme, Parsley
2 eggplants
2 zucchini

  1. Coat a large dutch oven with olive oil
  2. Heat the pot until the oil shimmers
  3. Add sliced onions and garlic
  4. Cover the onions with salt and pepper (to help the onions release their water and brown)
  5. Sauté the onions until nicely browned
  6. Wash and slice bell peppers into long strips and add to the pot until a bit tender
  7. Wash and cut the tomatoes into big chunks (no peeling) and add to the pot
  8. Add the spices and tomato sauce if tomatoes lack flavor
  9. Wash and cube eggplants and zucchini and add
  10. Stir frequently until all vegetables are cooked
  11. Keep a close eye on the stew at this point as the sugars are being released from the tomatoes and vegetables and can cause the food to stick to the bottom of the pot and burn.  So continuous vigilance and  stirring will stave off disaster.

In the discussion with Daniel, he recommended a few wines, and I was interested in drinking a Zinfandel, as the previous week’s meal had a failed Zinfandel, and I wanted to clean the slate on that matter.  I had a bottle of 2005 Dalton Zinfandel lying around that was in the drink up category (according to Rogov’s Guide to Israeli Wines 2009 edition).  It does not take too much prodding to convince me to enjoy a Dalton wine, so I opened the wine early on, and tasted it before going to synagogue.  When I left it was a bit tight, when I came back for the meal, the wine was just ready and maybe a bit too far.  The ripe fruit had started to oxidize as if it was over the hill.  The wine itself is still young with tight and not integrated tannins.  However, the fruit is dying off and is ready to drink.  Please do NOT keep this wine a second more.  Further, there is NO need to decant this wine.  Just open the bottle let it sit for a few minutes to acclimate, and then drink up.  In a funny way, I would almost recommend buying a bottle if you did not have one to see how an Israeli Zinfandel tastes.  The fruit is super ripe and rich.  The tannins are still tight and the oak has made this wine super extracted, while still keeping to the classic Zinfandel style.  Definitely an interesting wine, and worth trying right away, or getting next year’s vintage, which is described as a nice wine as well.

The Ratatouille, sausages, rice, and salad were an awesome pairing.  The wine was a bit over the top for the ratatouille by itself, but was great with the ratatouille and sausages.  The wine notes follow below:

2005 Dalton Estate Zinfandel – Score: B+ – A-
The nose on this dark garnet to black colored wine is hot initially, with a deep brooding nose – almost perfumed, with ripe blackberry, raspberry, dark plum, date, oak, and cloves. The mouth on this medium to full bodied wine is rich with spicy oak, black plum, blackberry, raspberry, and heavy extracted flavors. The wine is oaky and extracted, while heavy, fruity, and mouth coating. The mid palate is packed with acidity and chocolate. The finish is long and extra spicy, with chocolate, pepper, spicy oak, and a touch of vanilla and ripe fruit.  Drink up and do not look back.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Leave a Comment »

Couscous Au Poulet, Boulette, Makoud, 2007 Hagafen Lodi Roussanne, 2004 Four Gates Chardonnay, N.V. Four Gates Pinot Noir, 2006 Four Gates Cabernet Franc, 2005 Herzog Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel/Syrah

September 8, 2009 by winemusings

Two weeks ago saw us huddled around our shabbos table enjoying some wonderful company, friends, family, food, and wine.  This past Friday Night we had my family and friends over for a classical Tunisian Friday Night dinner – Couscous Au Poulet and Boulette.  Many have had couscous, which is fine, but proper boulette(s) and fluffy couscous is what makes a couscous dish work.  Boulette is French for balls, which in this context mean meat balls.  But if you think Italian meatballs, again, you are missing the point.  My family makes boulette by frying the meatballs, and then topping them with slices of potato, obviously they are thank god all very healthy!  However, being that I care for my heart and arteries, and they work far better when not stuffed with cholesterol, I go with lean meat and braise them in a pan of tomato sauce and wine.  The meat sauce is a hit on the table often, though not true to the Couscous heritage.  But the main ingredient to meatball heaven (other than the meat), is the Quatre Epices!  WAIT!  If you are wondering what the heck is going on – yeah that is the last bit of French, I hope – :-)   Truly, there are few things that totally metamorphosize a dish like FRESH Four Spices!  What an explosion of flavor that is tempered by the sweet flavor of cinnamon.  There are those who use Four Spices that is based on Ginger – but that is not what we use!  The Four Spices we use is based on: Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves, and Black Pepper, though the black pepper is not in equal proportions as the other three spices, but that is fine with me.

Meatballs:
2 pound of sliced onions
2 tbsp of olive oil
2 tbsp of sea salt
1 pound of finely diced onions
1 pound of finely diced zucchini
4 tbsp of Four Spices
3 pounds of meat
3 slices of thick bread soaked in rice milk
5 cans of 10oz tomato sauce (or 2 large cans of tomatoes)

Heat the wide and deep pan with olive oil, once the oil starts to shimmer, add the sliced onions and sprinkle them with salt (to help them release their water), and then sauté them until they brown nicely.  In the mean time mix the rest of the ingredients (except for the tomato sauce) until the meat moves well in your hands but can keep its form.  I find that the meat we order is rarely the same in terms of consistency.  So at times it is really thick, while other times it moves far better.  I can only guess it depends on how much fat, versus God knows what else, makes the meat more solid or more fluid.  This time, we added rice milk to the mixture to make it more fluid, as after the mixture was made, it was far too thick.  Roll the meat into balls that have a rough diameter of one and half inches to two inches.  Once the onions are browned, add the tomato sauce to the pan, along with some basil, and pepper.  Cook the sauce until it starts to reduce slightly.  Then drop in the rolled meatballs and simmer them for 1 hour.

Bouillon Au Poulet (Chicken soup):
1 chicken cut up
Cubed Carrots
Cubed Onions
Cubed Parsnip
Cubed Turnip
Cubed Sweet Potato
Cubed Potato
Cubed Zucchini
Parsley
Tons of Garlic
Saffron
Bay leafs

This all depends on the size of your pot, and I always overdo the amount that I cook, which is fine with me, but too much leftovers, becomes a hassle!  So, keep the amount to a single large pot with a double boiler to cook the Couscous.  This part is important, the only way you will get the correct texture and flavor in your couscous, is to boil it over the Bouillon.  First drop the chicken into the pot and start browning the meat.  Next throw in the hard vegetables and let them get some of the chicken fat.  Once some of the chicken fat is rendered, mix the vegetables around and then remove the chicken for a bit.  Place the rest of the softer vegetables in, and then place the chicken and spices on top.  We do this to allow you access to the chicken for later on, when it is removed for making the Makoud.  Finally fill the pot till the top with water and you are good to go.  Boil the soup for an hour or two.  Be careful to not overcook the sweet potato or zucchini.  I normally pull them after an hour (or a bit less), and let them cool.  At that same time (about an hour in), I pull the chicken meat off and then return the carcass back to the soup to help it thicken the soup more. After the soup is fully cooked, we let the soup cool and throw it into the fridge for the next day.  I find the soup tastes much better after a few hours of chill on it.  Normally, I cook this Thursday night for Friday night dinner – the classic Tunisian meal for Friday Night.  The next day I will reheat the soup, and at that time I drop on the double boiler, wet the holes so that the couscous sticks to the pot, and then I pour in two boxes of dry couscous.  Now, on an aside, the folks who make couscous from scratch need to be praised, but I have no time to do that.  There is a GREAT video on how to make couscous from scratch.  I guess it is a touchy issue to the real Tunisian cooks, much like dry vs. fresh pasta is to a true Italian cook.  Now, once the double boiler it hot and MAKE SURE that there is a GOOD INCH at least between the boiling liquid and the bottom of the double boiler.  Remember, we want steamed couscous and NOT boiled couscous.  Another very important tip is that once you have poured in either the fresh or dry couscous in the double boiler make sure to create three holes in the couscous layer.  By doing this you will have three circles in the couscous layer and should be able to see the double boilers holes.  By making these holes into the couscous layer, you allow the soup steam to rise from out of the bottom pot and circulate inside the upper boiler.  Also, start the process by ladling a few ladles of broth from the bottom into the double boiler.  This will allow the top layer of couscous to not get dry off the bat.

Makoud:

This dish has been described by Ashkenazim as Potato Kugel!  AHAHHH!  What a shanda!  No way my friends, Makoud is NOT potato kugel.  It is more of a chicken potato Soufflé.  Like any good potato casserole, you MUST preheat the pan with the oil, so that the potatoes and mixture get crispy underneath and on top (from the oven heat).  Further, do NOT overcook the makoud!  In the beginning, I was like – what we do not need all of those eggs!  Wow was I wrong.  The eggs of course make it a soufflé instead of a kugel!

Canola Oil
Potatoes (from the chicken soup) – just add more to the soup for the second hour
Chicken from the soup, pulled and cubed
2 eggs per pound of chicken
Salt
White or Black Pepper
Cumin`
Basil

Place the oil in the casserole dish and preheat for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.  In the mean time mash the rest of the ingredients together, and place into preheated dish and then cook for 40 minutes or until crispy on top.  This is simple as can be, the most difficult part is stripping down the chicken when it is still boiling hot!

That makes up the Couscous menu.  There are two side dishes of sliced carrots (classic middle-eastern carrot salad) BUT without Cilantro (Cilantro is the work of the devil!), along with Marmouma (a pepper and tomato salad).

To pair with all of this lovely food, we chose a set of wines, as I wanted to taste a few of them and well, it was time to drink some of them already.  So enjoy the recipes and the wine notes follow below (in the order they were drunk):

2007 Hagafen Lodi Roussanne (15% of Marsanne) – Score: B+
This was not a winner on the table, but I kind of liked it.  It is deceptive in its nose and mouth.  Initially, you think it is bone dry from the nose.  Then you taste it and you think it is actually sweet, to only concentrate a bit more and realize that this wine is as dry as a Sancerre, but ripe with fresh fruit flavors, quite a ride.  The nose on this golden straw colored wine is popping with kiwi, melon, lemon, and dry green grass.  The mouth on this medium bodied wine is ripe with melon, kiwi, grapefruit, and lemon.  The mid palate quickly flows from the mouth in an almost shocking manner.  The fruit just ends and then there is an onslaught of bone dry green tea, flowers, and bright acidity.  The finish is long with summer fruit, slight bitterness, and toasty flavors.  The fruit attacks to start and is then annihilated by the bitterness and green flavors that come bright into the finish.  I think the finish is what turned off the crowd.  I can see this work with sweeter flavored foods, with something like maple glazed salmon, or veal.  Interesting wine indeed that exhibits characteristics that are not commonly seen in the other kosher white wines.  The closest that I have tasted recently, that compares to the Roussanne is this Chilean Chardonnay.  It may not as good as the Roussanne; but has many commonalities, the most striking one is its green dryness.

2004 Four Gates Chardonnay - Score: A
Well, after tasting that bone dry wine, any Kosher California Chardonnay will taste sweet!  Still, the 2004 vintage has a bit more residual vintage than do the 2005 or 2007 vintages.  This wine has not really changed much since our last tasting.  The oak is ever present, and the sweet tooth is receding, which gives rise to the acidity and the fresh fruit flavors that still abound.  Thank goodness I have a few more leftover.  I want to taste these soon side by side my 2005 and 2007 vintages that will be a real kick!

N.V. Four Gates Pinot Noir – Score: A-
This wine is still holding to our previous tastings, with the tannins receding further, which is allowing the dark cherry fruit to come through, while showing a bit more wood as well.

2006 Four Gates Cabernet Franc – Score: A-
What a treat, we have recently had this wine a few times, and the latest tasting is still true (which after a few weeks is almost obvious with this winery).  Of course we are not complaining.  Many thanks to Benyamin for bringing this wine to the dinner.

2005 Herzog Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon/Zinfandel/Syrah – Score: B – B+
What can I say; this is normally a wine that we love!  This vintage or bottle was not a winner.  Almost no one took more than a drop.  The wine was overly Zinny – tasting of rose and blackberry intertwined.  It may sound cool, but not great.  The wine was left open in the fridge for a couple of days and the Zin flavors (31%) finally gave way to the dominantly measured Cabernet (66%) and Syrah (3%).  At that point the American Oak and full body of the Cabernet were tempered by time and vanilla.  Still, the wine was way off balance and overall off putting.  I would recommend decanting this for a few hours in advance to give a chance for all the flavors to come out and play.

Posted in Food and drink, Kosher Red Wine, Kosher Rose Wine, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Older Posts »