BBQ Chicken part 2: Pairing with Idlewild Arneis
Which White to Pair with BBQ Chicken & Sweet Barbecue Sauce? As part of #NWTW, we were testing out Zinfandel with an easy grilled chicken breast smothered in sweet barbecue sauce. Always curious to find both red wines and white wines to pair with food, I wanted to try a white wine with the same … Continue reading
#NWTW: Zinfandel with BBQ Chicken
#NWTW: Zinfandel #NWTW (New Wine This Week) is fun, but it does involve working on a deadline. If I don’t finish by Sunday evening, I’m out of luck until the next wine and the next week! This week: Zinfandel. It isn’t new to many American households, but I’ll happily share my experience with my buds … Continue reading
Goat Daube and Lioco Pinot Noir
The Tail End of Braising Season We’re well into spring in Minnesota, so I’m racing to use up the last of the braising meats I picked up at our winter farmers markets (held indoors). That said, we still have plenty of cool days where a nice warm stew or braise is perfect. Today we have … Continue reading
Barolo Winegrower: Nicola Oberto and Trediberri
Nicola Oberto – Trediberri I met Nicola Oberto at a La Morra (one of the towns in the Barolo district) winetasting in early June 2013. In a room full of Barolo winegrowers from the La Morra, Nicola stood out. What a passionate young man, eager to tell his story. I enjoyed talking with him and … Continue reading
#NWTW Falanghina with Calamari & Shrimp Salad
Minnesota Spring is so short-lived. We seem to linger, locked in winter through April and suddenly it’s 80 degrees. Maybe that’s why we jump to spring-like meals at the first hint that winter has lost its grip! We had 6 inches of new snow overnight, and by the afternoon, a combination of snowplows and warm … Continue reading
#NWTW: French Sparkling, NOT Champagne
#NWTW: French Non-Champagne Sparkling Wine The #NWTW wine of the week this week is sparkling wine from France, but not Champagne. For much of France, the wines are labeled “Crémant”, but this doesn’t apply exclusively. As long as it was made in the same method as Champagne (Methode Champenoise or Methode Traditionnelle), we would be … Continue reading
Unravelling the Burgundy Mystery
The Burgundy Mystery The Burgundy region of France has long been the worldwide reference for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This storied region produces wines of amazing depth and complexity, and you can spend years learning even the basics. It’s also a huge mystery. Wines are labeled by the village name, or the vineyard name, or … Continue reading
Manzo Costatine Brasato al Nebbiolo
or: Beef Short Ribs Braised in Nebbiolo I’m still having fun with the Tourist Office of Langhe and Roero’s Recipe/Food Photography contest, #LangheRoeroinCucina. This week’s ingredient is the local beef, Razza Bovina Piemontese. Obviously, I can’t get Razza Bovina in Minnesota, but I can get local grass-fed beef from my friends at Sunshine Harvest Farm! … Continue reading
You’ll fall in love with Piemonte
Judging by recent posts, you might think we’ve gone off the deep end for the Piemonte (or Piedmont), and you’d be right. Julie and I spent six days in the Langhe (an area inside the Piemonte region) last September. Why would we fall in love with a wine region, thousands of miles away from home … Continue reading
Black Truffle Beef Stroganoff and Barolo
It’s another week in the Tourist Office of Langhe and Roero’s Recipe/Food Photography contest, #LangheRoeroinCucina. This week’s surprise ingredient? Black Truffle. The real surprise, though, is that they sent out a black truffle to each of the top ten contestants to date. A fresh black truffle, all the way from Italy? I think I already … Continue reading
