Wines featured in today’s show:

• Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc 2008   (~$11)
• Domaine Begude Chardonnay 2005   (~$13)
• Grans-Fassian Victoria G Riesling 2008   (~$16)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

You go to a restaurant and ask the waiter for a glass of white wine…and he brings you something ice cold in a wine glass filled an eighth of an inch from the rim.  You sip it thoughtlessly as you enjoy a fish taco and a chat with an old, dear friend.  Sound familiar?  This episode is really more about trying to get you to think a bit more about what you are drinking.  All white wines are not alike and have vastly different flavor profiles.  Once you start thinking about and become familiar with them, it makes ordering and drinking them that much more enjoyable.

• Sauvignon Blanc
  • Summary:  medium body, bright acidity, with flavors of tart lime or grapefruit flavors, and can have grassy or flinty notes
  • Great With: Mexican food, light summer fare, goat cheese (chevre), grilled fish
  • Recommended Recipe: Halibut with Bacon
• Chardonnay
  • Summary: medium to full body, rich and mouth filling, featuring flavors of pineapple, coconut, banana, vanilla (pina colada anyone?),  or even buttered toast
  • Great With:  cream soups, roasted chicken, lobster, crab legs, popcorn, polenta
  • Recommended Recipe: Duck a L’orange
• Riesling
  • Summary: medium body, clean, zesty acid, with flavors of peach, lime, honey, and apple
  • Great With:  spicy shrimp, scallops, smoked fish, egg rolls, Pad Thai
  • Recommended Recipe:  Pad Thai

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Wines featured on today’s show:

• Foxhorn Chardonnay  (~$8)
• 2008 Bohemian Highway Chardonnay  (~$10)
• 2008 Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay  (~$13)

The Som’s jive on the 1.5:

As much as I appreciate Optimus Prime sharing his opinion of our wines, there were no “1.75″ size wines presented on the program.  Perhaps things look larger under that helmet.  If that’s the case, I’ll take 3.

As we alluded to on the show, Bovee is correct;  there are many wineries that make 750 mls and put the same wine in the 1.5 liters size.   So don’t feel like you are getting a lesser wine when purchasing the larger format bottle.  It’s the same juice and might even be a better value when you consider the volume/price ratio.  These are good wines for events that call for more that a couple of bottles to be poured.  Weddings, graduation parties, family reunions, or funerals.  There are a handful I would strongly recommend for making Sangria with as well.

For me personally, I would avoid using them for dinner parties.  Nothing really against the wines themselves, mostly because of the stigma attached.  There are tons of very good 750ml for under $10 that you can use for such events and the neighbors will not talk behind you back.

Featured in today’s show:

• Ventisquero Sauvignon Blanc Reserva 2008  (~$11)
• Burgáns Albariño 2007  (~$13)
• Benziger Carneros Chardonnay 2007  (~$17)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

• We started off the show talking about Bovee’s pairing of stuffed mushrooms with a Sauvignon Blanc.   I was going to give you that recipe, but found a similar one that I think would take you to the next, more delectable level.   This recipe replaces the dubious artichoke with LOBSTER!   I’m already planning to make this one later in the week.
• This would be the perfect trout recipe to match with a Spanish Albarino.  Light, herby and grilled.  Exactly as they would serve it NW Spain.  Medium bodied, complimentary flavors, and just enough acidity and fresh fruit notes from the wine to cut through the smokiness of the grilled fish.   I cannot wait till spring!
• As we discussed in the show, a New England Clam Chowder should pair well with an oaked chardonnay.  Why?  Lets break it down.  Clam Chowder is full bodied, heavy (potentially), creamy and, if you think about it, not really about intense flavors.  I mention that because, as you may notice in the show, the spice of the barrel aged chardonnay actually adds flavor to the chowder.   One of the first rules of wine pairing is matching the “weight” of the dish to the “weight” of the wine.  A fuller bodied dish asks for a fuller bodied wine or the wine just gets lost.   A dish that is cream based asks for a wine that has enough acidity to cleanse the palette of all that cream and prepare it for the next bite.   “Hello well made Chardonnay!”  Now, there are a few other wines that fit that bill, but today is about the Benziger Chardonnay.  Here is a lighter take on New England Clam Chowder that I have made which works VERY well with something like the Benziger.  Let me know how you like it.

New England Clam Chowder Recipe ala Jeff  (Serves 4)

• 1 cup clam juice
• 48 topneck clams, well scrubbed
• 3oz bacon, diced
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 lrg potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup light cream
• Salt & pepper to taste

1. Place the clam juice in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the clams and cover.  Stir after 5 minutes, then again after 10 minutes, watching for any calms that open.  Using a slotted spoon, move clams to a large bowl as soon as they open.  Remove the meat from the shells, and set the meat aside.  Strain the clam cooking liquid through a colander lined with 2 layers of cheesecloth (look at a fabric store).
2. Meanwhile, in a heavy-bottomed soup pot, cook the bacon for 5 minutes over moderate heat until lightly browned.  Add the onion, and cook another 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
3. Add the cooking liquid, potatoes, bay leaf and thyme to the bacon and onion.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the potatoes are tender….again, about another 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, coarsely chop the clams.
4. Add the milk, cream and clams to the pot.  Bring to a simmer.  Season, and ladle chowder into soup bowls.  Serve with bread and crackers on the side.

Featured in today’s show:

• 2007 Clos Du Bois North Coast Chardonnay
• 2007 Yalumba Unwooded Chardonnay

Recommended food pairings:

• The Clos Du Bois would be a stunning match for pork chops with a mustard sauce
• The Yalumba would work well with a Wolfgang Puck recipe for grilled lobster in a herb butter sauce
• Also, remember to try an oaked California chardonnay with any quality hot dog (something a little more significant than the standard frozen frank) with yellow mustard. “The Som” says it’s his all time favorite pairing!