Wines featured in today’s show:

• Librandi Cirò Gaglioppo  (~$13)
• Ampelo Malvasia Nera Salento  (~$18)
• Graham Beck Pinno Pinotage 2008  (~$11)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

One of the many joys of my job is turning folks on to grape varieties that they might not get the opportunity to try otherwise.  I’m often reminded of a story that a friend of mine tells about a wine dinner he attended in Napa.  The good people of Napa Valley tend to be very parochial when it comes to their wine habits….meaning, Napa folk drink Napa wine almost exclusively.  It was about halfway through the dinner, and a few bottles as well, when one fella asks my friend, “Tell me Corey, are Minnesotans as sophisticated wine drinkers as we are in the Napa Valley?”  Corey puts down his glass, looks the guy square in the face and says, “No. They are more sophisticated.”  At that, the table began to buzz and all eyes turned to Corey.  “What do you mean?” asked the incredulous fella.  Corey posed the question, “When is the last time any of you drank a wine from Bulgaria or Switzerland or Brazil or from Greece, even?”  The man then made Corey’s case by answering, “I just drink wines from Napa.”
 
My point is that we are very lucky in Minnesota.  The wine laws here make it very easy to import, distribute and sell wine from almost anywhere in the world, and stores (like Zipp’s) take advantage of that as much as possible.  So the next time you go to your local wine shop, tell your wine guy to give you something different…something off the beaten path.
 
In the show, I mentioned eggplant parmesan for the Cirò, and BBQ will work well with Pinotage.   So let’s just focus on the Malvasia Nera.  Medium to full bodied, decent acid, not much in the way of sticky tannin.  Round, ripe fruit and a fairly short finish.   Hmmm…let me see.   Ah!  Here we go:   A great curry wings recipe  from Food & Wine magazine.   I believe the heavy fruit of the wine combined with the mango notes will help tame the heat and turn this into something pretty special.  But ya know what?  A good winter ale might be better.  Try both!

Wines featured in today’s show:

• Domaine Chêne 2006 Bourgogne Aligoté  (~$13)
• Domaine Lalande 2006 Petit Verdot  (~$12)
• Saint Gregory 2006 Pinot Meunier (~$17)

Recommended food pairings from The Som:

• Vegetarians, I have heard your plight!  Here is a delicious and filling stuffed shell recipe that, when combined with the wonders of the Aligoté, will make your heart sing and your taste buds beg for more!  What type of wine works well with veggies and lots o’ sticky cheese?  When I’m faced with this dilemma I usually say Sauvignon Blanc…but not today.  The bright acid and fuller body of the Dom Chêne would cleanse the palate and add some zing and energy to a dish that has a tendency to be big and dumb.
• As mentioned in the show, meatloaf  would be a good pairing for the Saint Gregory Pinot Meunier.  Lots of intense flavors in this meatloaf recipe.  It really does need an intense, high acid-big fruit wine.
• As far as the Petit Verdot is concerned, enjoy it with friends that you have seen too much of.   It’s not a great food wine, so not much I can give you there.  If you must, give it as a hostess gift and pray they open it after you leave.

Featured in today’s show:

• 2007 Angeline Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley of Sonoma, California
• 2004 Pape Johannou Pinot Noir from Greece (more about Greek wine)
• 2006 Meinklang Pinot Noir from Bergenland, Austria

Recommended food pairings:

• For the Angeline, a very simple but elegant salmon with dill sauce recipe that would work beautifully with the light fruitiness, combined with the herbiness (the dill)and the higher acidity of the Angeline Pinot Noir to cut the fattiness of the salmon. Combine this recipe with a spinach, cherry tomato, goat cheese, or light vinaigrette salad.
• For the Meinklang, or actually ANY Burgundy (Pinot Noir) wine, here’s a classic French recipe. Coq-au-Vin is a dish born of necessity and convenience. There is a long tradition of these types of “one pot meals” in agricultural communities. They are dinners that are usually prepared and brought in one pot to the table (back in the day, they took them directly to the farm hands and workers in the field to eat). In Southwest France, they call them a cassoulet. Here in the U.S, think “casserole.” If you want to make it at home, it will cost you a day and a half of work. If you order it at a restaurant it will cost you at least $20. Enjoy!