What!!!!! A Chardonnay from Argentina

I just don't like Chardonnay!!!

If I plan a dinner party. Usually it will be 3 courses. A starter of fish or salad. A main Course of meat and a dessert. For me Chardonnay is a hard grape varietal to pair a starter with. My preference is a Sauvignon Blanc, Albarino or Viognier. They just go so much better with shell fish or a salad with a homemade vinaigrette. Sometimes I think the reason is because I was just so spoiled early on tasting white Burgundy's. The French have a way of getting perfect balance in there white wines especially white burgundy. That being said, I have to continue to look in the mirror and say!!

"I AM A WINO" "I AM A WINO"

I must taste more Chardonnay. My preferential Chardonnay leans more toward the butter scale then the mineral scale. I feel if the wine has to much Oak it starts to taste to much like a Sauvignon Blanc or Viognier. BUT!! If the wine is a true "BUTTER BOMB" it becomes un-drinkable. It's a balance game! Oh yeah! This is why I don't like this varietal. In California the style usually is over oak the wines. Lots of new oak will hide the imperfections of the wine. There are some good California Chardonnays out there, don't get me wrong, but prepare to pay threw the nose.

So my quest is to seek out other alternatives that won't break my bank account. But Argentina??? Huh? Well I am not gonna say it is the best Chardonnay you will ever have, but when I tasted this wine I was pleasantly surprised at just how good and balanced it was. Argentina is not an area I usually think of for white wines. Hell! I am barely starting to try more Malbec wines from the area.

The 2007 Catena Chardonnay is harvested from 3 distinct vineyards on the property. They each have different altitudes. The Catena family explains that in blending from the 3 the wine gains a balance of tropical fruit, citrus and minerality. This wine does exactly that. I was very pleased with the balance of both butter and mineral on this wine. The wine does see 35% new french oak, but does not come off showing to much of the wood components. Overall it was a good fine and a wine that I wouldn't mind pairing a roast chicken with.

The best part was the price. $18.99 per is a solid deal for this wine. I purchased it at my favorite wine shop. Vinatero Wine Shop in Whittier California. http://www.vinaterowineshop.com/

The wines importer is Winebow, Inc. in New Jersey!

Give it a try!

Cheers

Para mi Madre Y Abuela

Lucia Perez y Olimpia Rodriguez

I thought I would finally release a Cuban recipe from my heart out to my fellow bloggers and wine Lovers. The photo above is of my grandmother and mother back in 1992. The photo was shot by my big brother. Of course, they were the most influential women in my life and both of them taught me to be a man and have a love for cooking. Both my grandmother and mother have passed. My grandmother of bone cancer in 1994 and my mother of Lou Gehrig's disease in 2002. I still remember the days when my grandmother lived in my parents guest house when I was very young and she would be cooking all of those Cuban staples like picadillo, papas rellenas, tamales, empanadas, croquetas and of course black beans and a lot of rice. My mother on the other hand never attempted to out-cook my grandmother. I think it might of been a sign of respect, but my mother always had home cooked meals on the table for me growing up. I can still taste her pinto beans, mariquitas and of course every morning coming to visit her where she would have a cup of Cuban coffee waiting for me. These are the fondest memories of my childhood.

So being that my grandmother's birthday and my mother and father's wedding anniversary are celebrated this month, I pass onto you the one Cuban recipe that I didn't mention above. "Ropa Vieja" aka Old Clothes. I actually made this recipe this pass week for a birthday party we attended that had an "Old Clothes" theme. I believe that my dish was well received by all of the guests. This recipe is not passed on from my grandmother recipe. I believe that this is the way that I honor her, but I cannot help myself in attempting to make Cuban food. When both of your parents are Cuban, you better learn. So here is my recipe, with the cooking instructions.

Oh!! and my wine of choice with this meal would be any Tempranillo or this one. http://vosselections.com/Domains/1188.html

Which is bad ass!!

Enjoy

"Ropa Vieja"

1 (2 1/2 pound) Flank steak cut in half.

2 bay leaves

2 carrots

2 onions

1 tablespoon of dry Oregano

1 Tablespoon of Cumin and extra for rub

1 Red Bell Pepper julienne

2 green bell Peppers (one julienne and the other rough chopped)

2 heads of Garlic. (one smashed and one finely chopped)

2 Cups of Whole tomatoes, Canned then hand crushed.

1 1/2 Cups of Tempranillo Wine (A good one OK!!!)

1 can of Beef Stock

1/4 cup Mojo Criollo marinade (Store bought is OK - Goya)

1/4 cup of Good Sherry

Olive Oil

salt and pepper to taste

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

Dust the flank steak with a little cumin, salt and pepper and sear off in stock-pot. Add 1 of the onions, 1 head of garlic crushed, the 2 carrots rough chopped, 1 green bell pepper, the bay leaves, 1 cup of the wine and the can of beef stock. Make sure the liquid is high enough to cover the meat completely. If the liquid in the pot isn't high enough add water to cover. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for approximately 2 1/2 hours. Pull the meat out and let cool. Dump the contents of the pot (or save for a good stock some other time). Cut the meat against the grain into 2 inch cubes. Then shred the meat with 2 forks with the grain.

Bring the pot back up heat with olive oil and add the julienned, onion, finally chopped 2nd head of garlic, 1 red and green bell peppers. Saute for a few minutes and deglaze with the 1/2 cup of wine, 1/4 cup of mojo sauce and 1/4 cup of sherry. Add tomatoes and hand crush in the pot, 1 tablespoon of Cumin and 1 tablespoon of oregano. Cook for about 15 minutes. Add the shredded meat and mix well. Cook for half and hour. Salt and pepper to taste. If dish appears to dry. You can add a bit more wine or tomato sauce.

Serve over white rice or on top of a Cuban cracker with a dab of Avocado.

Enjoy!

Cheers!

The Glass Makes a Difference!

Myself - Tammy(aka Riedel Stemware Representative) - My big Brother

http://www.riedel.com/


I have been wanting to write about this subject for the longest time. Now that I have a blog this might interest some of my fellow wino's. I have lots and lots of wine glasses in my home. Glasses from wineries that you get after a tasting. Glasses that were given to me as gifts. I use them all the time. When friends come over that love wine or don't love wine. I keep those glasses in a cabinet in my dining room.

But in another "SPECIAL" cabinet I keep my good stemware. This is the only stemware that I bought and paid for myself. What is that stemware! Riedel! I own 6 Bordeaux, 6 pinot, and 6 Chardonnay glasses. Now you might think why own all of these different stemware when you usually taste wines at events from one type and only one type of glass. Well! that all changed after a great seminar that my brother and I got invited too last year.

George Riedel the 10Th generation glass maker from Austria and owner of Riedel put on an event showcasing his Stemware. The catch was tasting 3 wines, a chardonnay, a Cabernet and a Pinot from 5 different vessels. 4 of the glasses were all different sizes with the last glass not being a glass at all but a plastic cup. The 4 glasses represented his signature series for different wines. The first glass made for young White wines, 2ND glass was his standard series that you probably see in every restaurant or wine bar, the 3rd Glass for Burgundy Wines, and his last for Bordeaux style wines.

Mr Riedel walked us threw the tasting starting with the Chardonnay, the Cabernet, and then the Pinot. We were asked not to move ahead and not to dump the wine. Until told!. At first you are wanting to question if this is even true, but as Mr. Riedel began explaining the wines structure in each glass, you really wanted to pay attention. All of the aroma notes and flavor profiles came off exactly like he explained in each glass. The Chardonnay was beautiful in the young white wine stem while there was to much citrus coming off of the wine in the Bordeaux and standard Stems. The Pinot and Cabernet seemed closed up with hardly any aroma notes from the white wine stem. While all of those beautiful flower, earth, chocolate or wood notes come threw in the Pinot and Bordeaux stems. In some cases the wines flavor profiles completely change as the wine will tend to roll into your mouth at different speeds from the different shapes of the glasses. His explanations make you say that without a brilliant Glass there can really be no understanding of the different structures in a wine.

George Riedel made me a believer to the point where I had to own at least a half dozen proper glasses for 3 different grape varietals. I spent some bucks, but it was well worth it.

Oh and what about that plastic cup that he made us drink out of. Well! Lets just say that all wino's should try this sometime. Taste a wine from a proper stem and taste it from a plastic cup.

Where did the wine go?????? I don't Taste anything!!!!!!

Give that I try someday!!!!

Cheers!!!