Surprising Professional Pairings with Ryan Williams of Ana Mandara

RYAN WILLIAMS C.S.

I'm pleased to announce the start of a Vin de la Table focused interview series of those professionally involved in the delicious art of food and wine pairing. Inspired by a friend Keith Stevenson, who, after a Vin de la Table post asking readers what they'd like to see more on this blog, sat down at the wine bar where I work and said, "Well, I was thinking,....."

His idea was that I should ask people intimately involved with matching food and wine in their profession, such as wine directors and vinophile chefs, about their most surprising, but excellent, food and wine pairing experience. Needless to say, I thought that it was a great idea and am happy to explore this venture. In addition to employing Stevenson's idea, I'll be throwing a few other questions in the mix to meet the interest of readers, and so we'll know a bit about the person and professional behind the answer.

I hereby announce that this day, July 17th, 2008, marks the first of a series, titled, "Surprising Professional Pairings."

Actually, I was hoping that we could work together to come up with a better title than the one that I sadly labored over. While effective, it's not... interesting. Ideas are very welcomed in the comment section of this post.

The series kicks off with a short interview with one of the sweetest men I've met in wine, Ryan Williams. Williams works as Assistant Sommelier and manager at Ana Mandara, one of the most awarded, inventive, and all-around favorite Vietnamese focused restaurants in San Francisco. If you'd ever been to San Francisco and seen the competition, you'd know that this is a title does not go without defending. William's is passionate about wine and is always seeking out new ways to deepen his already extensive pool of knowledge. Best of all, he helps to dispel the myth that sommeliers or wine directors are intimidating, unfriendly people. There are few people that I'd rather ask for help with a thick wine list.

Here is the man himself, Ryan Williams, C.S.


What led to your career in food and wine?

My love and passion for both. I have been cooking since the age of 9 and wine since I was 22. I am currently 42 so that's quite a bit of time. I really love everything about both and would cook for family, friends, and others till it became a request for functions and events. As far as wine after my first visit to Napa in the late 80's I fell in love. I met so many different winery workers who eventually became friends and I would arrange wine tours for friends and associates in limos with the breakfast and lunch being provided by my catering company and we would have a great time. When I realized there was a career path, especially in the wine arena, I began to pursue my passion and here I am.


You work at Ana Mandara, what is said to be one of the best Vietnamese restaurants in the U.S.
How did you end up there?
What positions do you fill at the restaurant?
What impassions you about Ana Mandara?

My pursuit of the hospitality industry initially was going to be in culinary arts. I visited several schools and one stood out. Professional Culinary Institute (PCI) in Campbell, CA had a wine program. It is the only one in the world where after completion, Court of Masters, one accreditation body for sommeliers, comes and administers the first two levels of exams and if passed declares you a certified sommelier. This was amazing so I signed up. It is taught by Master Sommelier David Glancy. After passing the course and both exams I became a certified sommelier. As an alum, we receive job announcements from David. One came across from Joanna Breslin, Wine Director of Ana Mandara Restaurant and third level, Advanced Sommelier, of a need for an Assistant. I found the website to be great and the wine list outstanding so I inquired to David.
He made the introduction to his friend Joanna, I got a series of interviews and am now a proud member of the Ana Mandara team.

I am a Manager/ Sommelier/ Assistant Wine Director. A mouthful.

What I love about Ana Mandara is the family environment, the great staff, both front and back of the house, the consistently phenomenal food,and the outstanding wine list, which stands on its own but is even more so outstanding for a Vietnamese Restaurant. Rarely do you find such variety, quantity, reasonably priced, and most of all excellent quality wines in restaurants with our cusine.

What are the two most surprising food and wine parings that you've experienced in your career?

The first would be truffle popcorn (Michael Minna) with a Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru "Clavoillon" 1999. UNBELIEVABLE! I will give details later. Just thinking of it makes my mouth water.
The second was a ginger creme brulee (Ana Mandara) with Casta Diva Cosecha Miel, Muscat 2006. AMAZING and unexpected.

If you could share one bit of information about food and wine pairing with Vin de la Table readers, what would it be?

There are so many rules and practices such as high acid and/or sweet wine cuts spicy food, and the ancient red with meat, white with fish but my overall advice is drink what you like and like what you drink, then everyone is happy.



Thank you Ryan, for your generosity and time with this interview.

What Would You Pair With.....?"

Today's "What Would You Pair With.....?" question concerns boquerones.

Boquerones are white Spanish anchovies, and these in particular have been marinated with white wine vinegar and olive oil, paired with Valtellina cheese, rustic bread, and lightly garnished with a piece of wilted basil.

Not particular to my picnics, the little fish are a staple at tapas bars all over Spain, and at the wine bar where I work.

Valtellina, is an aged, somewhat sharp and herbaceous mixed milk cheese (90% cow, 10% goat) from the hills of Italy, where happy cows make happy cheese.

The basil was wilted. By chance. But was fabulous with the boquerones and helped to break up the whiteness of the photo. If the basil is just too much for you with the cheese, fish and bread, take it off and go purist.

The question(s) of this post is:
What would you drink with this little snack? I tasted it with more than one wine, and was happy with many of the selections, but what are your ideas? White? Bubbles? Spritz? Red? Bonus question: Who and where would you like to nibble and sip your pairing....

Answers can be left in the comment link at the end of this blog.

Potato Chips and Sparkling Wine: K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Word around town is that potato chips and sparkling wine have it for each other something fierce.

Theirs is a somewhat private relationship. There have been relatively few sightings of the potato crisps and bubbly beauty holding hands at public places, such as high end restaurants or Dean and Delucas. However, my people-in-good-standing have reported seeing them in dimly light eateries or behind closed doors. I've also received at least five anonymous texts about their appearance in the movie the "Seven Year Itch," where Marilyn Monroe, in high heels and a charmingly flimsy white dress, exposes the passion of the two lovebirds.

Why they are attracted to each other needs little explanation. With their naughty crunch, sprinkling of salt, and healthy douse of oil, chips are the the (insert your following star and vintage here) Benecio del Toro/George Clooney/Billy Joel of the food world. And although sparkling wines should be consumed at far more occasions and in far more vast quantities than they currently are today, as it is, they are still the beautiful, rare Uptown Charlize Theron/Juliette Binoche/Christie Brinkley treat. To put it in scientific terms, when the duo gets together, the creamy and high acidity sparkling bubbles lift the salt and fat molecules to a deliciously higher plane.

The Test:
At a recent event at the wine shop/wine bar where I work, I decided to put their love to the test. Are sparkling wine and potato chips a pairing made in a Sommelier's heaven, I asked an equal mix of wine representatives, our favorite customers, fellow employees, and an infant who only burped in response. Some people spoke to specific pairing possibilities, others branched out to cover varied sparkling topics. The chips were Kettle Lightly Salted Krinkle Cut Chips. The starring sparklings will be revealed in all of their glory with each researched response.



THE FINDINGS:



Wonderful wine bar friend Jason LeCount was happy to respond.
"The chip is savory and fatty, but still mild flavored, and the acidity in the champagne cuts through all that and more. It also seems that the salt in the chips is enhancing the flavors in the wine, like salt does to a properly salted dish."




Wine bar advocate Will Mariano liked the Sorelle Branca Prosecco 68 best with his chips.
"After it sat in my glass and opened up, I could taste the creaminess of the Prosecco. My downfull is buttery, creamy in white wines. With these chips at that sparkling, the flavors in the wine and food enhanced each other."




Fellow employee Matt Stevenson was eager to share his findings.
"Ah...good question, do sparklings and potato chips go well together? Well, I overheard Sparkling Wine Advocate Mike Werther talk about champagne and chips, so I think I can propagate upon our earlier discussion. The acidity in champagne matches really nicely with the saltiness in chips. I prefer grand cru blanc de blanc & plain old basic Lays. With a rose or darker saignee, you can do the black pepper Kettle chips. In Indian food, classic curries have been known to be fantastic pairings with your favorite Blanc de Noir. By the way, I've also heard that there is a direct correlation between IQs, overall happiness, and the amount of sparkling wine you consume."




Wine rep extraordinaire Tom Switzer shared his favorite pairings.
"My favorite thing to drink with our Sorelle Branca Prosecco is anchovies, with Frito Miso. I probably wouldn't put out chips to go with Champagne, but chips do go with everything. My favorite champagne pairing is smoked salmon with cavair or Brillecart brut with oysters."




Says chip and Champagne lover, Benny, ""I appreciate these two together because I think that it's a taste of elegance mingled with everyday flavor."




I unfortunately asked Tracy late in the night to participate in the research and by that time all chips were eaten by those NOT engaged in the investigation, so she hadn't enough time to properly evaluate the pairing. But her picture was still cute, so here is Tracy, one of our favorite customers.




Our wine shop manager, the skilled pourer Jason Lefler had this to say about his prefered pairing:
"My favorite sparkling that we sampled with the chips tonight was the Raventos Blanc Cava Reserve. It had sufficent fruit and umptiousness to not be too acidic with the chips. Because it had far less acid that other wines present, the pairing was quite pleasurable."




Wine rep Marc West-Teixeira, who was happy that his baby was born a couple days earlier so he was able to make it to our Bubbles Party, shared his thoughts too.
"The winner of the sparkling wine and chip pairing was the A. Margaine [Champagne Rose of Pinot Noir]. For me, nothing else clung together, either because the chips were too fatty, or something else got in the way of the match."




As for me, my favorites of the night was the Raventos Blanc Cava Reserve (both 2003 and 2005 were lip smacking), and the Lalliment Champagne. My reasons were similar Jason Lefler, so I'll just copy his well-phrased, completely spur of the moment response below. But overall, this research reinforced by chip and wine love, and reminded me that we are indeed lucky to be living in a world of wine that allows populist snacks to converge with luxurious bubbles.


Anyone tried Sparkling with Beer and Cheddar chips?

Spice Braised Meats: Because the Sun is Hiding

Due to a seemingly endless trend of wildfires around Northern California this past week, the air is as smoky as a windowless room that's contained only Lou Reed and a carton(s) of cigarettes for three and a half days. The smoke is keeping the sun from shining, and the fog and the haze is blanketing the San Francisco Bay Area in a thick layer of pure asthma love.

Resulting from our sunless summer, the SF Bay Area is even cooler than normal. This has inspired me to put down my inhaler spray, halt my light cursing, and return to a post that I started in winter but never finished because we had an early heat wave.

Welcome back braising!

One of my favorite ways to prepare meat this winter was with a recipe featured in Saveur magazine's Chicago issue. It involved beautiful amounts of spices, citrus fruits, and aromatic wine. After I made it once the chefs way, I experimented with other meats, wines and herbs.

For example, after finding chicken thighs (ah.... dark meat) in our freezer one night that my mother-in-law donated to our poultry cause, I switched the meat base. I used the thighs for the dish instead of lamb, lessened the cooking time and worried a little less about creating a sauce and more about surrounding the chicken with lush flavors.





Another time I cooked pork butt. Which is actually pork shoulder, but who's ever been worried about the ramifications of misnaming a shoulder a butt.... The point of the matter is, any way I worked this recipe, the dish worked. Chef Bruce Sherman is a skilled man. I encourage you to play around sometime with this recipe too. The recipe is long, but the result is worth actually months of your time. Once you've mastered the basic idea, feel free to alter steps. I did.

The first time I made this recipe, I served the dish with the wine with which I used to cook the meat and pour in my glass during the cooking process. Then I opened an additional bottle of a different wine when the first ran out. The chef who created the recipe, Bruce Sherman, suggested using a dry Gewurztraminer in the braising liquid. Instead, I used a blended Alsatian wine called "Solis L"Exception" by Julien Meyer which contained 60 % Pinot Blanc, 35 % Sylvaner, and 5 % Muscat, but either wine suggestions will produce happy results. Gewurztraminer is a a lychee and rose scented grape, and often both Sylaner and Muscat evoke those scents as well as apricots, peaches, and other members of the floral families. As long as you stick with what is called an "aromatic wine", like a dry Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Roussane or Sylanner, your braise should come out beautifully. The exotic aromatics in these wines love the flavors in the recipe such as Cardamon, star anise, and cinnamon. Don't the scents of cinnamon, apricot, rose and pear sound like they'd pair well together? Play some.

Once we finished (four people, I swear) the first bottle, I opened a bottle of Barberesco that I recalled exhibited aromas of citrus along with dark fruit and other Nebbiolo characteristics, but nearly any lightly oaked, earthy and spicy wine would have worked in the realm of red, such as a Cote du Rhone (Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre). Even an aged Cabernet Sauvignon would have been lovely.

Would the ingredient list or description of the braised lamb of this recipe inspire you to open a particular bottle to sip with dinner? What about if you went with chicken instead?

Prosecco & Peas

On none too rare of occasions, one will find a better wine pairing while sipping a bottle of wine that they forgot about in the fridge and shelling peas for steamed mussels, slicing cheese for pizza, or tearing basil leaves for a lasagna then one will ever create with hours of contemplation.

Sometimes this pisses me off. How dare something so simple bypass me when I was envisioning the magical mix of twenty ingredients?! But most time, I embrace the spirited nature of the universe that blesses the most basic of foods and the simpliest of wines with hearts that are so happy to meat each other.

Enter fresh shelled English peas, Drussian Prosecco, and my husband's chile pepper chef pants that his mother made. The peas, so sweet and green, were so excited to meet the likes of the peachy, lemony Prosecco that they simply exploded in my mouth. Prosecco is a sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy made from the grape it's named after. And the chile pants, well, they were so thrilled by the pairing that they had refused to get out of the picture. They wanted to be a part of the perfection.

We ate at least a handful of the fresh peas straight from the pod, and although I love them many ways, one of my favorite being lightly blanched, with butter and fresh thyme or mint, at the moment, nothing was better.

Any favorite pea pairings?

An Ode to Picnic Wines and a Note About Raccoons

Sometimes you go on a picnic and it is as relaxing as walking through redwood forrest with a mojito in hand, and other times, wild animals attack. The later was reflective of the latest picnic I went on. But I still liked it. We still got to drink wine.

My mother, my Aunt Lin who was in town for the day, and we together went up to Tilden Park in Berkeley to enjoy a beautiful picnic spray in the lush green nature reserve. We spread our goods on the table, sliced some Fatted Calf Toscano salami, poured some wine into our plastic cups, and then we had a visitor. A crazy visitor.

Our little friend was a raccoon that could no longer hunt. He was a sad little raccoon, and demanded that we feed him. Instead of running away like another wild, friendly raccoon did when the women of the family (excepting myself, who stood with her mouth open and salami slice in hand) waved things at him and made a lot of noise, he came full force at our table, limping with a recently shortened tail. And then he came closer. Then he charged at my mother. That was when we submitted and threw him a third of our baguette. We aren't normally the family to feed wild beings, especially when there are signs around warning us of the danger, but after we relocated and he followed us with the same crazy look in its eyes, we realized that if we wanted to finish our picnic, were left with little choice. Later the raccoon was joined by a feral cat and a healthy raccoon, who also watched us. We did not feed them. We were able to enjoy our picnic regardless of the uninvited visitors, but I admittedly was frightened by how many times that he walk/limped aggressively towards my mother. Especially because two weeks ago, she was bit by a poisonous spider and had to be hooked up to a IV. I thought it would be such a shame if she had to return to the hospital night due to a raccoon attack. The hospital workers might have questioned the way she spent her leisure time.

Anyhow. It's picnic time.

Once again the season is upon us that requires the filling of straw baskets with luscious meats, cheeses, fresh salads, pie, leftover Girl Scout cookies that magically appeared in our cupboards, and at least two to five bottles of good wine. Those of you who treasure the good life or just enjoy the opportunity to wear your Hawaiian print culottes in public, get ready; it’s picnic season. Pack an extra baguette

Although picnics are somewhat casual events when compared to weddings or baptisms, there is no excuse to get lazy. Like the aforementioned events, picnics have rules too. They are:

Picnic Standards
1. Bring plenty of cheese, charcuterie and bread.
2. Pack plenty of wines that go with cheese, charcuterie and bread.
3. If you’re going to wear your culottes, call other event attendees to coordinate Hawaiian prints, and don’t wear socks unless they are exactly the same print as your partner’s.

An Exploration of Picnic Wines

Good picnic wines are not hard to come by. Essentially, not even wine that overwhelms the lighthearted picnic food will get in the way of you enjoying your day, because you are on a picnic! If you are, however, one of those people like me who like your wine to match your food even when drinking out of plastic cups, there are a couple wines that will match nearly any picnic food that you bring.

Two wines in particular that stand out as super picnic wines, and not just because they earned gold in the Picnic Olympics, are the 05 Stepahn Tissot Poulsard San Soufre, from Arbois, and the 07 Chateau Mourgues du Gres “Les Galets Dores,” a Grenache Blanc and Rousillion Rhône blend from Nîmes.

The Tissot Poulssard comes from Arbois, the charming French town that produces such classics as Morbier, Gruyere and Comté cheeses. It’s a round, raspberry, strawberry, earthy little wine with bright acidity that’s gentle to cheeses and cuts the fat in charcuterie. Some cheeses in particular I’d suggest with the Poulsard would be the Gruyere, Comté, fresh chevre, and Mt. Tam by Cowgirl Creamery.

Next is the Chateau Mourgues, a general picnic pleaser. This pretty, fresh wine will charm everyone from your wine snob cousin to your picky grandmother, pear, vanilla and white peach flavors pair wonderfully with grandma’s chicken salad and brilliantly with the expensive cheeses and French olives your sophisticated cousin brought.

Have a wonderful picnic and watch out for the contentious raccoons.

Chocolate & Wine: Dry Reds, Sweet Wine, or Milk?

There's a great debate in the wine world concerning the pairing of chocolate and wine. It goes something like this: are they simply the best, most romantic duo ever, or are they the worst pairing cliche since Ross and Rachel?

At the request of Vin de la Table readers, I decided to put the question to test. It's a hard job, but someone gets a discount on wine and that someone's husband also works at a gourmet food shop where they sell Michele Cluizel chocolate. So the burden falls on my shoulders; the task falls on my table. Husband's input also included.

Before I divulge the results, however, it's important to note that the pairing question inherently needs clarification. Just to start, the chocolate and wine seeker must ask themselves:

When I seek to pair chocolate and wine, do I mean red wine? Do I mean dry red wine? Why? Am I imagining a chocolate dessert like cake or mousse with my wine, or do I really want a flavored chocolate truffle? With caramel or tarragon filling? Or, would I rather consume chocolate with a high percentages of cacao- 65% plus? Lastly, am I only to drink dry red wine, or can I indulge in that sweet or off-dry wine like Madeira or Sherry that I have lounging in my kitchen?

These are things to ask oneself before one's quest begins, because the answers dictate the chocolate and wine tasting results. Let me be your guide in this post.

We'll answer the questions together.

1. When I seek to pair chocolate and wine, do I mean red wine? Do I mean dry red wine?...... Why?

Good freaken question. Most times when people come into our wine shop on a chocolate quest, they request a Cabernet Sauvignon. I ask why. Is it because the pictures of chocolate and wine together feature a hazy, dimly lit, golden photo of a cab next to chocolate chunks? I think so. In my opinion, cab and cocoa is as good together as peanut butter in a dog's mouth. Everything just interferes with each other. The saliva, the chewing action, the sticky peanut butter. The heavy oak, the acidity, the fruit in the wine, all conflict with the chocolate. Yet this is the standard on which people base their wine/chocolate consumption. My advice- if you're going for a red wine, a dry red wine, go for a Petite Sirah, an almost-sweet Zinfandel, or a rich and rustic Tempranillo or Malbec, or chewy red from the Madiran region of France. They are heavy, full-bodied, have a hell of a lot of fruit, smoke, depth, and tannins. All of these blessed ingredients equate to a warm blanket that wraps around chocolate and makes it feel good inside. However, if you love chocolate and Cabernet Sauvignon, rock the two with all your heart and don't let me stop you from your loves.

2. Am I imagining a chocolate dessert like cake or mousse with my wine, or would I rather have a flavored chocolate truffle? With caramel or tarragon filling?

Yikes. If you are lusting after a composed chocolate dessert with your dry red wine, I'd advise you to look elsewhere. It will never treat you right. It is almost certain that the dish will be too sweet. Sugary desserts and red wine don't mix. However, if you are lusting and imagining a sweeter wine with your fourless chocolate torte, three cheers for you! Sweet and sweet? What a match!

3.Or, do I want to consume chocolate with high percentages of cacao- 65% plus, with my wine?

Good thinking. You do want to consume chocolate with high percentages of cacao, from 65%- 75% with your wine. This is best way to go if you are hoping to experience the magic of both subjects. 65% is about as low as you want to go because anything under that, you'd be introducing too much cream or sugar and would out-sweet the wine. Anything over 75%, you are matching tannins in chocolate to those in the wine. Not what you want to do unless you want to whip your tongue and palate into submission. Keep in mind, however, that there's plenty of give and take in the percentages. Play around. Play around a lot. This is an area where red wine, such as Petite Sirah, Malbec, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, and Madrian reds can shine with the wine. Here, the combo of the fine cacao and the wine bring out the fruit in each other. Cherries, berries, cassis.

4. Lastly, can I indulge in that sweet or off-dry wine, or fortified wine like Madeira or Sherry that I have lounging in my kitchen?

Oh my, I hope so. In all respect to chocolate and dry red wine fans together, I don't belong to the same fan club. While "enjoying" the two together, I find myself looking around the kitchen to see if I can find some milk for my chocolate. Or, I imagine the cheese I could be eating. It's sacrilegious, somewhere, I'm sure, but real nonetheless. The pairing isn't bad, per say, but I prefer other flavors in the chocolate besides the blaring fruit and acidity that the chocolate brings out. The wines that I really like with my cocoa are the sweeter types, like Madeira, certain versions of Sherry, Port, or late harvest Zinfandels. Sauterenes is a beautiful wine, but I'd rather have it with my fruit tart. Same goes for late-harvest Chardonnay.



Back to what I tasted. Out of the three wines pictured above that I tried, the best with chocolate was the Tempranillo. It was rich, tannic, fruity, and delicious, and was the perfect chocolate blanket. The Chianti was good, but didn't scream "chug me." The Mas des Brousses (Cab-Merlot blend) was just too acidic for the wine. Lovely with meat, not enticing with sugar.

What do you like to drink with your chocolate? I'd heard beer and peanut butter cups are delicious together.....

What Would You Pair With.....?"

It is the return of the "weekly" question, "What would you pair with....?'

The food at hand today- cheese and chile tomales from Echo Park L.A. Meatless, yes, but lardless, unlikely.

So, dear readers, I'm wondering, what wine(s) would you consider pairing with this lush, mildly spiced, tender tomale, with a touch of fresh corn and tomato?

Straight Outta Chocolate

Just like the Hip Hop group N.W.A, Straight Outta Chocolate Cakes is a musically inspired organization founded in Los Angeles with smooth sweet style and more skills than any of those cats who call themselves artists and play with dough on the East Coast. Headed by My Friend Kate of My Friend Kate's Tours, Straight Outta Chocolate specializes in the high art of juxtaposing music with chocolate.

For those of you who have never heard of Straight Outta Chocolate cakes, let me take you on a tour.

Kate and I went to culinary school together. She was enrolled in the pastry department and learned how to form gorgeous shapes with chocolate. I, on the other hand, completed the program that includes two weeks of butchery. Since culinary school, Kate has gone on to earn a degree in fashion design, and not only can she design as a result, damn, the girl can sew. If left alone in a fabric store for a week, Kate could create enough clothes to lavishly adorn all of the groupies for the band members featured on her cakes. That's a whole lot of clothes. When she's not designing cakes or clothes, she might be also found DJing or making amazing music with friends in the cooler joints around L.A. That is, if she's not working on other art. Or reading. Or cooking North African peanut stew or lemon pound cakes.

Kate does a lot. Having experienced some of her many talents, one might think that I wouldn't be surprised upon hearing she started her own cake baking company that highlighted her art skills and utilized her endless music knowledge (if we ever play music trivia, Kate's on my team). But I was! And moreover, I was so...... impressed. Not jealous because I could never create a face as smooth as that of Eazy-E's on her chocolate cake mind you, but rather, overcome with her chocolate and art skills.

In honor of Kate's skillz, this post is devoted to pairing past Straight Outta Chocolate Cakes with alcoholic beverages, or.... wine. Also included below are some videos of the musicians featured on the cakes. If you are in the L.A. area and wish to commission a cake, contact Kate at hifivalentine@yahoo.com. Enjoy!


First cake- featured at top.
Eazy-E Chocolate Cake: As suggested by a N.W.A song called Don't Drink That Wine, Eazy-E wasn't completely into the fermented grape juice. Knowing this, I would feel good about pairing this cake with Calvados, a drink made by distilling apple cider. An amazingly good Calvados from Bonny Doon.





Love, the cover of Forever Changes
Meyer lemon curd cake with whipped cream frosting. Although I know very little about Love's alcoholic preferences, lemon curd always pairs with with a sparkling Moscati D'Asti. It's floral peach tones pop with the tangy lemon curd. And Moscato, as I'm sure many of you know, pairs sexily with whipped cream frosting.





Johnny Rotten

Angel Food Cake with whipped cream icing and carmel crunch candy. This one's a tough one. If I were enjoying the cake, I'd sip some Niepoort Tawny 10 year port. Caramel in the port, caramel in the cake, enchanting in the glass and on the plate. But I'm compelled to ask, "What would Johnny Rotten drink with a cake with his face on it?" Not having any personal drinking experience with Johnny Rotten, I'd guess that he'd consume aged Scotch, over ice. Or a Kahlua and Cream.









T-Rex
Carrot Cake. The lead singer of T-Rex, clearly one of the best British folk-inspired rock bands of the 60's and 70's, rocks just as hard on this cake as they do in the video below. The appropriate match for this cake would be a Santa Julia late harvest Torentes. This wine oozes with pinapple and apple and manages to be sweet without being over the top, like carrot cake and that cute, voluptuous haired singer from T-Rex.

T-Vine Wine Burger Extravaganza (No burgers filmed during this sequence)

We recently had an event with winemaker Greg Brown of T-Vine Vineyards, where we served his wines with Niman Ranch burgers. Great pairing for a heavily-fruited, intense red. Thought you might like to see some of the pictures of our BBQ party. I know everyone was really crossing their fingers, but the burgers were consumed to quickly for photography.



a) Brown with the sporty burger chef and my co-worker, Matt.




b) Below, one of our fine bar patrons and friends, Keith (on right), and his brother. We're a family place.




c) The winemaker and Vin de la Table author.




d) Two other fine bar patrons.

Wine Blogging Wednesday: a Gorgeous Riesling

A brief intermission is taking place before I explore Straight Outta Chocolate cakes so I can play in the world of Wine Blogging Wednesday. The assignment: pick a Riesling from northern Europe, drink it out of a brown paper bag at night, and blog about it. Mission accomplished.

04 Jakob Schneider Riesling Kabinett, “Niederhäser Hermannsöhle Vyd," Nahe, Germany

Regardless of their bright, citrus zest acidity or bustling minerality, there are some Rieslings that make me think of Baked Alaska. But not Grandma’s Baked Alaska (bless her soul). An accomplished pastry chef’s take on the dish. When I was cooking in a fine dining establishment, for example, our resident pastry expert would place hand-made vanilla bean ice cream in a lengthwise sliced pineapple half that had been lovingly cored, top the whole thing with piped meringue, and go at it with a blow torch. Imagine that, sprinkled with lychee essence, meyer lemon zest, and kissed with petrol. With a snappy acidity. At this same restaurant, they served seared Hamachi with Yuzu-Miso sauce. That’s exactly what I would serve with this wine. Or fried oysters.

T-Vine Vineyards: An Interview with Winemaker Greg Brown

I am very happy to add an interview with the winemaker/owner of T-Vine Cellars (pictured with flowing hair above) to the growing collection of winemaker Q & A’s on Vin de la Table. Most certainly one of the best of the two, this interview invites us into the wine world of Greg Brown, a talented and successful winemaker who only wishes the best for his fellow craftspeople, and who would be happy pairing baked beans with his finest T-Vine wines. In short, he’s a Vin de la Table interview dream.



Although T-Vine has a cult following for their berry-luscious Grenaches, purple Sryahs, decadent and fierce Petite Sirahs, jammy Zinfandels, brooding Cabernet Sauvignons, and occasional Merlots, winemaker Brown has little need to uncork his bottles to sell his wines.

His power to garner a following pre pouring has as much to do with his gracious and spirited nature as much as the fine reputation of his wines. Thankfully for those of us who have occasionally been swayed to buy on the basis of pure winemaker charisma, Brown does pop his corks for the public. And by god, his wines are terrific. They are concentrated, stunning, and in short, a California wine lover’s dream.

THE REBELLIOUS BROWN STORY

One day the corporate banker called Greg Brown was invited to a Cain Cellars wine crush, and his life changed overnight. Brown had already begun to feel in his heart (the one behind the breast pocket of his well-tailored Italian or American or British suit, below the ends of his slicked back hair, and far above the shined leather of his fine dress shoes) that banking was not his life calling.

That crush day, the grapes were so ripe with inspiration that almost immediately, Brown quit finance to “drag hoses at Cain Cellars for $7 an hour.” It was all wine from here on out.

After years as a cellar rat, Brown got the itch to try his own hand with wine. His grape of choice was Grenache, a grape indigenous to the Rhone Valley in France which Brown was crazy about.

At this point of inspiration seventeen years ago, few to none were making Grenache in the northern wine country. Most people hadn’t even heard of the grape. Tony Soter, Cain’s consulting winemaker at the time told Brown how funny he thought it that Brown wanted to play with this Rhone grape in a land where the favorite game was making Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Later of course, Soter loaned Brown his crushing facilities. Regardless of the raised eyebrows, the rebellious Brown knew exactly what to do. He made his first Grenache and put it in a Bordeaux bottle so that people would know that it was red wine.

In the millionaire’s game of winemaking, “with only $15,000 and true grit,” Brown worked hard, put his wine out there, helped build awareness for Grenache, and went on to wine hearts.

Proud of the manner in which T-Vine has become successful from the ground up, Brown sees his gumption and passion especially in the early years as crucial to his wine’s draw. Earning a following that loves his wines because of the contents of the bottle and for the inspiration behind them rather than for their ratings is important to Brown, who generally avoids press and ratings systems.

Unlike many winery representatives that actively send their wine to critics or wine ratings organizations, Brown prefers that T-Vine accolades come organically, or not at all. He hasn’t asked wine critic Robert Parker NOT to rate his wines, for example, but he hasn’t sent him sample bottles like so many others do either. Brown normally also avoids interviews, saying that "he could be having morning coffee for years with someone before they know I'm a winemaker.” In Napa, when wines are far too often used trophies, Brown prefers to utilize his as sources to inspire pleasure rather than fame.

INSPIRATION

On the back of his wine bottles, Brown inscribes quotes meant to share pieces of the T-Vine spirit and intention with its drinkers. With it’s main feature being a short newsletter, the T-Vine website stresses simplicity and serenity over marketing. While it's true that Brown's wines have no problems selling, it's clear that his point in life is not making money. Rather, It seems to be to exist in a space of inspiration and peace.

When I asked Brown why winemaking inspires in him more spirituality than other acts in life, he spoke of the act and the end result.

“Nothing else produced has the spirit of the person as infused in the product as wine. In wine, you can see personality, the traits of the person who made it, and if they were inspired, you can taste it. And there are so many metaphors in wine: the new growth in spring time, the pruning back, and these all conjure up thoughts of spirit and consciousness.”

Which brings us to Brown’s model of winemaking, which is invoked with spirituality but refuses to take itself too seriously. Comparing making wine to breathing, Brown states that “it’s extremely important, but no big deal.”

Brown thinks likewise about FOOD AND WINE.

One of the best memories he had, he says, with food and wine was one experienced "at the top of a slide in a French playground, straight out of a brown-bagged bottle with a baguette." While it hurt my cheese-freak heart to hear that Brown’s memory didn’t involve cheese, not even at the top, middle, or lower portion of the slide experience, it’s endearing to hear a winemaker say that his one of his favorite food and wine pairings required only love for the products involved. And a child’s recreation tool.

If there did happen to be cheese present during the playground adventure, I told him, his T-Vines Rhone Wines and Zinfandels in particular would have been good to have handy. At a recent Wine and Food Pairing class session at work, we served three different cheeses, and I was amazed to find that they paired perfectly with all of them. All were a bit funky, perhaps a little stand-offish- either salty and aged, washed cow’s milk or natural rind goat, but after the T-Vine wines strutted their stuff a bit, they were melting with simple pleasures of the pairing within minutes.

Brown was happy to hear his wine was a hit, but let it be known that he was for “rebellious wine drinking,” the sort that inspires blending wines at the dinner table rather than inflicting rules. Which may be why at an upcoming event with T-Vine at the wine shop where I work, we’re serving his wines with big, juicy burgers.

When not sipping T-Vine with America’s favorite sandwich, Greg prefers simple food with his wines and says that people should drink red with fish if they want to. Even though he loves French country or peasant style food such as roast lamb and vegetables with his wines, he’s also cool with “opening a can of Annies’ split pea soup and adding some garlic.”

Brown’s not afraid to admit his not-elitist preferences in the vineyard either.

In a time when it’s become fashionable to knock wines for being “fruit-bombs,” Brown freely admits that he likes his own wines laden with fruit. Why shouldn’t he, he asks.

Instead of picking by brix, Brown picks by intuition. He tastes the grapes like he would a peach. If they taste ripe, sweet, he’ll consider other properties such as mouthfeel and color. Although a some point during the winemaking process he might utilize scientific instruments, Brown relies more on what he’s learned by roaming the vineyards year after year and his own taste preferences than scientific measurements or what people profess is best at the moment.

Not that Brown would say anything negative about his fellow winemakers who might use such analysis systems or be otherwise influenced. He wouldn’t say anything bad about his fellow winemaker’s methods or wines period. He’s not ashamed for liking sweet fruit, canned soup or beans and he wouldn’t criticize other winemakers for staying true to their vision either.

“It’s what makes this country so great. They’re doing what they want and listening to their heart. There’s just too much press focusing on what’s wrong, and not enough focusing on what’s right. People have so many more mentors now instead of corporations leading them on- that’s terrific. They follow their vision. As far as I’m concerned, so much of the wine out there is 95% better than what I was making when I first started anyhow.”

He named one winemaker in particular, David Phinney of Orin Swift’s The Prisoner fame, as someone who really inspired him, because “he’s one of the sweetest guys you’ve ever met, his wines are terrific and really fun, and you can’t help but be happy for him and how successful he’s been.”

Another common theme in Brown’s life besides the showering of those around him with the positive energy he so values in others, is to not take oneself so seriously. With a healthy does of his naughty humor in mind, I will close this interview with a favorite joke of Brown’s.

"A blond and a brunette pass by a flower shop and the brunette looks in to see her boyfriend. "Oh," she groans, unhappy "My boyfriend is buying me flowers." "Why, what's wrong with that, don't you like flowers?" asks the blond. "Well," the brunette replies, "After he buys them, I spend at least a week with my ankles around my neck." "Oh. Why," the blond asks, "don't you own a vase?"

This vintage promises to be a good one for T-Vine.