Wines featured in today’s show:

• Francis Blanchet Pouilly Fumé 2008  (~$23)
• Drylands Sauvignon Blanc 2008  (~$19)

Show synopsis and recommended food pairings from The Som:

I have some friends that recently did a pretty extensive sauvignon blanc tasting.  They used the sauv blanc section of  Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl’s book Drink This as their guide.  It took them through about seven different sauvignon blancs in different price ranges, styles, and countries.  I believe the consensus was that Marlborough New Zealand’s Kim Crawford was the winner.   That doesn’t really surprise me because there is something about NZ sauv that screams “Love Me.”  Wine writer Oz Clarke says he loves using them in wine classes because the flavors you claim are there are so obviously there.    Grapefruit?  Obvious.  Lime?  Duh.  Cat pee on a gooseberry bush?   Well, yeah.  It’s all there and very noticeable.

On the food pairing side, wrap up some lightly peppered scallops in prosciutto, stab them with a skewer and put them on the grill, prosciutto side down, for about 2 minutes a side and set them on a bed of baby greens. Drizzle with your favorite citrus based vinaigrette.  Pop the Drylands and thank me later.

And now for the Blanchet Pouilly Fumé.   Do you remember your mom’s best tuna casserole?  I know I do.  When I was a kid I hated canned peas.   But in the casserole?  Awesome.   Here’s what I want you to do: grill 2 trouts and substitute the tuna for the grilled trout.  Rich and creamy but the great acid and citrus notes help temper it and keep it all so fresh.

Wines featured in today’s show:

• Ranga Ranga Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2009  (~$10)
• Monte Volpe Primo Bianco 2009  (~$10)
• Alexander Valley Vineyards Sangiovese Rosé 2009  (~$13)

Show synopsis and recommended food pairings from The Som:

It’s always fun doing the “Summer Sippers” show because our first public show was an SS episode.   They’re always about freshness and fun, so this episode rejuvenated us and for another year of WineGeekTV excellence .  Be prepared for the best year of WGTV yet!

As I mentioned in the show, look for freshness in your back patio sippers.  Try to find the most current vintage available.

Geez…that Ranga Ranga Sauvignon Blanc sure has developed quite the following at Zipp’s, and with good reason.  Enjoy the bright, lime zest and grapefruit note and slight herbaciousness reminiscent of freshly mowed grass. Mix up a marinade of fresh lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper and chopped cilantro, mix in some E.V.O.O. and drop in the shrimp.  Refrigerate for 1/2 hour, line them up on scewers and grill them up.

The Monte Volpe Primo Bianco is quite different; a burly blend of several grapes that is fuller bodied, but the acidity is still spot on.  It’s something that can be enjoyed with heavier dishes like pan pizza, grilled pork chops or meatier fish.

Look at that Alexander Valley Vineyards Rosé!  I do love the color.  This wine is from grapes grown specifically to produce Rosé.  Believe it or not, that’s more rare than you think.  More often than not the winemaker just bleeds the juice from their regular bottling further concentrating that wine.  When you think of summer fare, a good Rosé will work really well with almost any of it.  Why?  It’s just light enough to pair with delicate fish but has that fuller red fruit flavor that it’s able stand up to fuller bodied dishes like BBQ and/or grilled veggies.  And as Bovee pointed out…it’s stellar with pizza!

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

Wines featured in today’s show:

• Ventisquero Sauvignon Blanc 2008  (~$11)
• Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo 2006  (~$28)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

C’mon…Sauvignon Blanc is one of the great food paring “cheater” wines of all time.    So, when in doubt suggest a Sauv Blanc.  The fuller body, bright acid, and tell-tale grapefruit notes work well with so much stuff that you really can’t miss.  Fish, fried chicken, shrimp, oysters, grilled pork chops; you get the idea.

Nebbiolo on the other hand, is so unique that it can only be great if grown in a small are in Northern Italy.  When was the last time you drank an awesome Nebbiolo from Napa or Sonoma or Greece or Tuscany or France?  It does not happen.  Great Nebbiolo’s are grown in Piedmont, Italy;  PERIOD!

That being said, what shall we enjoy with one of the great grapes of the world?  How about his unreal first course of Risotto al Barolo courtesy of Mr. Batali?   Then work your way into a fantastic grilled rib-eye with miso butter.

Can you imagine?  Rib-eye, miso butter, and Nebbiolo?  YOU WIN!

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Wines featured in today’s show:

• Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2008  (~$18)
• Fish Eye Pinot Gris 2008  (~$5)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

I’m going to concentrate on the Pinot Grigio only because I feel like it gets short shrift in the wine world nowadays.  Us wine snobs love to poo-poo Pinot Grigio because it’s the only thing our moms and rebellious sisters drink.  But honestly, its a very user friendly food pairing wine.

Let’s break down the typical P.G. for a moment:  medium bodied, evident but not overbearing fruit, and great acidity.  Dishes that work with that kind of structure are going to be of moderate weight, moderate flavors (don’t think spice or heat or intensity…think Minnesota), and perhaps a sauce, cream, or dip in play.  Right off the bat I think of fish tacos, scallops in an herbed cream sauce, shrimp scampi, rice and beans, or chicken salad with ranch dressing.  Perhaps you notice a pattern?   It’s almost an “I’m eating heathier” wine.  On that note check out this scallop recipe (I swear, this mumbling moron must be from Wisconsin, but it appears he knows how to make some nummy scallops).    Ask your wine guy for a quality Pinot Grigio.  There is a lot of crappy P.G. juice out there, but if you find a quality bottle, you will wonder why wine snobs ever get snobby about them.

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.