Post 060108
As the weather gets warm, our dinner moves out to the screen porch. That’s where we reach for a glass of rose to accompany grilled chicken, or salmon drizzled with olive oil. Forget sickly-sweet white zinfandel, our favorites are clean and refreshing, with mineral and fruit flavors and a whiff of flowers – they’re spring in a glass. You'll find below some of our new rose favorites.
We’ve also included two late additions to the fun blends theme: Flagstone “Noon Gun”, and Penfolds’ Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet. That Penfolds, by the way, is one of those rare wines that comes at a nice price, in large volume, with the personality of a far more expensive bottle.
These wines are just a few of the top picks from our full Wine Hotlist tasting report (Signup is at
www.tastingtimes.com, click on subscribe). As always, use this list as a starting point, but don’t forget that others from the same region, and if possible that same vintage, are likely to offer a similar experience.
Order of information in each review: Winery, Region, type of grape, vintage, Country, our enlightened (?) comments, our grade.
*** Rose Wines ***
Cave de Saumur, Saumur, Lieu-dit les Pouches, Chenin Blanc, 2006, France, $10
A citrus bowl with clear and delightful ruby red grapefruit front and center, with hints of orange, lemon and, wait, is it kumquat? Perfect with chili. A-
Sarl Jean-Maurice Raffault, Chinon, 2007, France, $16
Ripe raspberries wreathed in floral notes - roses I think. One taster said a sip reminds him of dusk in the garden on a warm evening. Hm - poetry in a glass? B+
Marquis de la Tour, Sparkling Rose, Cabernet Franc, Grenache Blanc, Syrah, France, $11
Bright cherry, strawberry, spice, and a hint of almond and tangerine. Yum. B+
*** Two More Fun blends ***
Flagstone, Cape of Good Hope, Noon Gun, Riesling, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon (in decreasing proportions), 2004, South Africa, $9
This white blend missed our radar sweep for the last issue, so here it is. Grapefruit, citrus, vanilla bean. Not too minerally, not too buttery. Tasty. A-
Penfolds, South Eastern Australia, Koonunga Hill, Shiraz Cabernet, 2006, Australia, $10
One more late entry on the fun blends theme is this new wine from Penfolds. Apricot, cherry, cinnamon, blackberry, all wreathed in a smoky room. Run; don't walk, to pick up a few of these. Put a few in the cellar and see how it's doing in a few years. Delicious. A
*** Recipe ***
Asparagus-Cranberry Risotto
(Adapted from the "Date Night" chapter of
The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Cooking for Guys)
Creamy rice with colorful vegetables and fruit, this risotto is unusual but easy. The key is slowly adding hot broth in small quantities, to allow the rice to absorb the broth gradually. Use a 1/2-cup measure to transfer the broth.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves: 2 people
3 TB. Olive oil
1 TB. Butter
1/2 small onion (about the size of a golf ball), peeled and chopped into [1/4]-inch pieces
1/2 cup Arborio rice
1/2 lb. slender asparagus, washed, bottom inch of the stems removed, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 cups chicken broth, heated to a simmer
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook onion, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add risotto, asparagus, and cranberries, and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring to coat. Then add 1/2-cup hot broth and stir. Broth and risotto will bubble, and risotto will absorb the liquid over the course of a few minutes. Add another 1/2-cup broth, and keep stirring. In total, you'll want to add about 2 cups broth, but you'll know it's done when rice is creamy but still has a bit of firmness. If risotto is too firm, add a little more broth. Stir in Parmesan cheese, and you're done.
Serve risotto alongside grilled chicken or a substantial fish like salmon, and a bottle of rose wine. The rest of the date is up to you.
Variation: Substitute brown or white rice for the arborio. In this case, cook the rice and asparagus separately (Steam or sauté the asparagus), and when the rice is done combine the rice, asparagus, cranberries and Parmesan.
*** Wisdom ***
If food is the body of good living, wine is its soul.
-Clifton Fadiman
***
In vino veritas,
Tod Dimmick
Editor
tastingtimes.com
