It feels like every time I read about something gastronomic these days, it’s all about Spain. From the trend setting ‘molecular gastronomy’ pioneered by Ferran Adría (El Bulli), to the now de rigueur tapas that we find everywhere to the increasing hip “hospitality architecture” that is evident in designs like the Hotel Marques Riscal, owned by the wine producer of the same name and architected by Frank Gehry.

As such it was not that surprising to read in the International Herald Tribune this past week that Spain will overtake France in terms of wine production by 2015 due in large part ot declining domestic consumption (in France) and “…France’s failure to adapt to new consumption habits and new competitors”. The former is true throughout most of Europe. Undeniably outside of Spain and Portugal, most Western European wine countries have seen their consumption freefall over the past few years. It’s the latter point (France’s failure to adapt) that should be the most telling. Continue reading »

For years I have been brought up in a wine think that has unequivocally pronounced that white wines should be served chilled (but not glacial) and red wines should be served at “cellar temperature” but not too warm..nor too cool (sort of like those three bears, Goldilocks and the porridge). In fact, I have written so in my book, taught it at MS classes and preached it to all my friends and those who have asked. Yes, of course there’s the obligatory “OK” and tip of the bottle to slightly chilling a Pinot Noir or Beaujolais or adding a snap of cool to a Dolcetto, a basic Côtes du Rhône or young Tempranillo. But bring down the temp on a bottle of Cabernet or Zin? Never- or at least so I thought… Continue reading »

We have a culinary understanding in San Francisco that suggests if you want to have a relaxing ‘date night’ dinner where you can whisper sweet nothings into the ear of your companion then you should avoid all restaurants in SOMA (South of Market Street). While this is a bit of a broad stroke generalization, it seems to hold water more times than not. Many of these trés hip, modern restaurants are to be found in converted buildings that probably were never intended for restaurants, with smaller angular spaces and an abundance of hard surfaces. If you don’t mind shouting while you’re dining, you’re sure to find some wonderful food in a myriad of dining rooms throughout this über-chic part of town.

Being loud by nature, it doesn’t bother me as much as it does some of my friends. I am also ‘of’ that world so perhaps I am more forgiving than non restaurant folk. That said, I recently noticed when dining out that it really did effect my perception of my wine. In this case it was a bottle I brought in and knew well… Continue reading »

As summer furthers itself along, I find myself increasingly doing two things I love: al fresco dining- celebrating the summer’s bounty, and watching lots of baseball as a fan (and as a ‘arm chair’ manager). Both provide great enjoyment, some creative planning and, when well executed, are the source of both pride and pleasure.

Indeed over the past weekend , cooking in the heat of an Alamo (California) summer afternoon, a friend and I were discussing the merits and importance of baseball leadoff hitters whose job of getting on base (with regularity) and setting the stage for their fellow hitters is a crucial role. A team’s chances of winning are greatly improved if you have a leadoff hitter that executes consistent hits. And how does this relate to wine and al fresco dining you ask?

Quite simple. As you set up outside, prepare your grill/bbq/smoker (or whatever heat source you intend to utilize) and plan your lazy afternoon of eating and drinking, you need to have the right ‘leadoff’- wine… and, I would add, foods. The recipes for me are pretty consistent- prosciutto and melon, grilled asparagus, heirloom tomatoes with olive oil and basil and plates of oysters on the half shell with a ‘choix’ of mignonette sauce or juicy and squeezable meyer lemon wedges. So, who do you ‘bring to the plate’ to face such a dizzying array of timely fare? Continue reading »

When most people are asked about Sacramento, California’s capital, they think of governing branches and quite possible our celebrated Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Many know that “theGovernator” enjoys fine things including great cigars, exceptional food and a deep love of wine. Fortunately, he doesn’t have to travel far to Napa or Sonoma to explore one of the state’s best-kept secrets: the historically significant and romantically unspoiled Amador County.

Just south and west of Sacramento, Amador County sits on the outskirts of the Gold Country and the Sierra Nevada Mountains where the well documented Gold Rush in 1849 brought great interest and wealth to northern California. Many of the fortune-seekers who flocked to the Sierra foothills in the 1850s were European immigrants who planted extensive vineyards upon their arrival. After the mines ran dry, many of these wine-loving prospectors turned their focus to the craft. By the 1890s, there were over 100 wineries in the foothill region, more than in Napa and Sonoma counties together at the time! Trouble came to the California wine industry in it’s entirety in the form of America’s Prohibition, and Amador County was hit hard. It took Amador a long time to bounce back and wasn’t until the 1970’s that wine was once again flowing from this region in any significant quantity. Continue reading »

In chatting with some aspiring wine enthusiasts over the weekend I was delighted to inform them that all fifty states are now producing wine- what a far cry from a decade or so ago.

I began teaching about wine in 1990 for the trade, and had a class that I instructed called ‘Wines of America”. Now as then, California dominates/dominated the landscape being responsible for nine out of every ten bottles of wine made in the USA driving the majority of American wine sales. I’ve read differing statistics but now-a-days, that number is closer to seven out of every ten bottles sold, with California still maintaining a vinous stranglehold of sorts.

Yet, things have changed. Those initial classes I offered up in the 90’s always began with the question of how many states in the USA made wine commercially. I recall that the answer started in the low 30’s in that first offering and gradually climbed as the American wine industry grew and matured. The rest of the Pacific Coast is well established and has always been a contributing part of that answer. Washington and Oregon indeed have very healthy and thriving industries in wine and have for decades. The growth in quality, number of wineries and the like has been staggering. The Pacific’s dominance now meanders deeper and “internationally” to the north (Canada’s Okanagan) and the south (Mexico’s Guadalupe valley in the Baja peninsula). Continue reading »