In the Cellar - Learning the Wines of Portugal!

Portugal is now creating some of the world's best values for table wine, take 10 minutes and learn about Portuguese wines with Managing Director of Marquee Selections, Christopher Cribb and Bonnie Rabicoff - Host & Food Expert of In the Kitchen With Bonnie!

In our second episode we bring you a brief introduction on Marquee and dive into two wines from the Iberian Peninsula, specifically Portugal! Learn about the award winning Clemen Reserva Vinho Verde - a white table wine from the North of Portugal that is 2010 was featured as one of Wine & Spirits Magazine's Top 100 Wines (regardless of price... and it is only $12.99) as well as a red blend, the Lua Nova Em Vinhas Velhas (Old Vines) from the Douro region, an outstanding value at only $14.99.



Marquee Selections has partnered up with the award-winning chef focused program " In The Kitchen with Bonnie" (http://inthekitchenwithbonnie.com) to produce an exciting new wine segment entitled "In the Cellar" with Marquee Selections . During each episode we will unravel the wine world one grape at a time! Each week we invite you to join us for an engaging conversation for our food and wine lovers to see why wine has been a worldwide tradition for centuries and how learning more about it can help bring the stories and flavors to life. Learn more about exciting regions, new wine types, varietals, how to pair wines with food, decanting, proper serving temperature, what wine goes best with pizza and more! A great 10 minute break from your day to learn and "wet" your taste buds for more"!

Please enjoy this web-episode of In the Cellar with Marquee and additional details are available below for more information on Marquee Selections! I am a bit new to the HD Camera, so please bear with me as I get my sea legs as an action reporter ( with today's technology you can find the grey hairs if you look) :) and thank you so much for tuning in and supporting Marquee Selections!

Check back next week as we move around the map and explore new wines!

Cheers!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
cjcribb@marquee.com

In the Cellar - Visit to Northern Italy - Piedmonte

Marquee Selections has partnered up with the award-winning chef focused program " In The Kitchen with Bonnie" (www.inthekitchenwithbonnie.com) to produce an exciting new wine segment entitled "In the Cellar" with Marquee Selections . During each episode we will unravel the wine world one grape at a time! Each week we invite you to join us for an engaging conversation for our food and wine lovers to see why wine has been a worldwide tradition for centuries and how learning more about it can help bring the stories and flavors to life. Learn more about exciting regions, new wine types, varietals, how to pair wines with food, decanting, proper serving temperature, what wine goes best with pizza and more! A great 10 minute break from your day to learn and "wet" your taste buds for more"!

JCCCF2F Cellar from In the Kitchen with Bonnie on Vimeo.

In our initial episode we bring you a brief introduction on Marquee and dive into two wines from Piedmont, Italy the Quattro Leoni Monferrato Bianco and the Quattro Leoni Barbera D'Asti by Castello Di Gabiano! These wines are both perfect for back to school and the fresh harvest bounty available at markets as farmers start tidying up for fall. Castello Di Gabiano last year was awarded the prestigious "Best Barbera" medal at VinItaly and focus its red wines on this signature grape as well as doing an elegant blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Cortese for our white wine drinkers! Please enjoy this web-episoded of In the Cellar with Marquee and additional details are available below for more information on Marquee Selections! I am a bit new to the HD Camera, so please bear with me as I get my sea legs as an action reporter ( with today's technology you can find the grey hairs if you look) :) and thank you so much for tuning in and supporting Marquee Selections!

Check back next week as we move around the map and explore new wines!

Cheers!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
cjcribb@marquee.com

Five “Go To” Methods of Food & Wine Pairing that just DON’T MISS!

When I talk with an event planner, chef, or even my family about pairing up food and wines for whatever the special occasion, I first start by asking good questions…

• Is it a daytime event or an evening event?
• Are you going to have a cocktail hour or might there be a silent auction that you want people to look at?
• What is your theme for the night, casino; masquerade ball, Italian castle, a night in Paris?
• Will you be inside or outside (and accordingly what is the temperature / season of year)?
• How many courses are you serving and what type of staff and what do you want to be the focal point of the dinner, the food, the wine, both?
• What is the main course?

Answers to questions like these will help you move forward and narrow down your overall search. Simple knowledge of having a Saturday afternoon grilling party (something similar to a 4th of July event) will sway you towards serving more light alcohol, less tannic wines at the event. At this point, I tend to rule out things more than make choices, for example – I would pass on the Cabernet Sauvignon for my grilling party, most are heavy, higher in alcohol, with oak and tannin and look towards lighter reds like a Pinot Noir, Rioja, Grenache, Barbera or Red Blend.

Back to the Meat & Potatoes – FIVE “Go To” Food & Wine Pairing Tips

• ONE - MATCH THE WEIGHT – One of the best tactics and the central approach I take to pairing wine with food is to pair and serve lighter wines with more delicate foods and heavier wines with richer, more robust items. This simple approach ensures that neither the food, nor the wine overtakes the other and allows the diner to appreciate the nuances and flavors in everything. A big fan of examples, think about Sea Scallops and Beef Brisket; one is light, one is heavy. I would pair a simple grilled Sea Scallop with a lighter wine such as the Blue Fin Vinho Verde from Northern Portugal. The lime and stone fruit flavors, high acidity & 11% alcohol pair well with a delicate dish. For the Beef Brisket, I would first hope that the grill master used my favorite KC BBQ Sauce in cooking it, Gates Original in slow cooking the beef, and then move to a robust red wine to pair with it, the Caligiore Organic Reserve Syrah would be a nice choice, the spicy notes in the BBQ would bring out more of the white pepper, clove notes in the wine.

Takeaway – Delicate Food = Light Wine; Hearty/Rich Food = Big Robust Wine

• TWO - LET THE SAUCE SPEAK LOUDLY – The accoutrement sauce to your dish can significantly change the food’s compatibility with wine. A lighter fish like poached sole loves a delicate white wine like a Pinot Grigio but this same fish swimming in a rich, creamy butter sauce or pan fried with a thick batter would become a great candidate for a heavier white wine as in a rich Chardonnay. In many cases I look first at what the sauce is and then find a nice wine to match up to it. One example of this I find is very effective, think Chicken Breast and plan your wine pairing by the sauce. If done in a light lemon sauce with capers this to me screams for medium bodied wines with citrus fruit but a bit of depth, the Castello Di Gabiano Quattro Leoni Monferrato Bianco would be a great choice (Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Coretes Blend). The 2nd chicken breast has been used with a rich cream alfredo sauce to transform a plate of pasta into a hearty meal. I would stick with Californian or New World Chardonnay for this wine pairing, the Marquee Classic Chardonnay a great choice. If you are at home, try using just a bit of your wine in the sauce, most of the alcohol will burn off in the pan and it is another trick to tying your dinner together with flavor!

Takeaway – The Sauce is king, match the flavor and wine to the sauce 1st, the protein – main portion second!

• THREE - LET OPPOSITES ATTRACT – Think nuts in chocolate or peanut butter and jelly, a great way to find a lovely wine and food pairing is for a flavor or textural contrast to transport a meal to new heights! Contrasts in acidity of a crisp white wine with the grease of fried foods or with the smooth creaminess of soft cheeses are interesting direct pairing. One chef I know makes a delicious pan Fried Chicken that the restaurant has been known to pair up with different types of Sparkling Wine! The acid and fizz in the bubbles help to cut through the grease and cleanse the palate. Likewise, I have had other success with the Grazioso Organic Torrontes from Mendoza Argentina with Tempura fried vegetables; the contrast makes the pairing work. The time honored food and wine pairing of this type I must mention is a late harvest honeyed “dessert wine” such as Sauternes with a salty richness of foie gras or Roquefort cheese!

Takeaway - There are reasons why different sides of a color wheel look good together, this same principal applies with food and wine, just think what you want to Contrast against!

• FOUR - SPICY FOOD CAN BE TAMED – The key to taming the heat in some spicy foods is to balance that heat with the sweetness found in “Off Dry Wines”. In particular I have found that there is nothing better than a slightly sweet Riesling or Gewurztraminer to tackle mildly hot Asian food. One fondness I have in particular is for Kung Pao Chicken, and the Marquee Classic Riesling from Victoria, Australia is the perfect wine to quench the heat. With a touch of sugar, it pairs well and the acidity allows you to taste more exciting flavors in the Asian fare. If you want to see something that doesn’t work, next time you see somebody with Cajun shrimp, hand them a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon, the hot spices make the dry wine seem harsh and metallic and unfortunately the food spicy factor also goes up in the food!

Takeaway – An off dry, low alcohol, white wine like Riesling is the choice for Spicy Ethnic food.

• FIVE - PEPPER & SEA SALT PACK A GREAT PUNCH – Despite it being a very pungent spice, pepper is far more wine friendly than people give it credit for. A small sprinkling of freshly ground pepper on food will sensitize your taste buds and make many wines taste more vivid and flavorful. As restaurants and home kitchens have access to greater varieties of course salts, such as traditional sea salt, these can also assist in bringing the natural flavor out of your dishes and enhancing the notes you find when pairing with wines.

Takeaway - One or two cracks of the Pepper Shaker or Ground Salts will enhance your meal!

Have a great day!

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
Managing Director & GM
Marquee Selections - Green, Global, Grapes
1.888.MARQUEE (627.7833)
www.marquee.com

Five Great Cheese & Wine Pairings!

Recently I was given the opportunity to pair up the wines for two different charity events going on in the same city, at the same time. Both parties handed me lovely menu’s that were catered by great chefs and wanted a theme to their evenings, a lovely challenge that I was happy to rise to the occasion for. A week after both events I had feedback from the attendees at both parties that they loved the food and wine pairings, that the wines were very well received and that they are excited to make plans for doing something similar next year (now if I can just get them to not plan the events on the same evening)!

What were the hardest items to get a handle on, not the themes, the appetizers or the entrees, the hardest part for was for sure pairing up the desserts and the cheeses. We will save desserts for another time and concentrate this month on Cheese!

In preparation for writing this blog I dug out a great gift I got from my wedding, the book “Cheese & Wine” A guide to selection pairing and enjoying by Janet Fletcher. Desserts I feel confident to handle without a lot of extra advice, but with Cheese, there is a real art to finding wines that balance in a harmonious way without being overpowering.

Let’s separate the two and start with a bit about the world of Formaggio and Vino!

PS – I may be a bit biased towards Italian Cheeses at the moment because of my recent trip to Castello Di Gabiano in Italy where I was taken on a multiple day adventure into the culinary world of Italy, but I do not forget going to the local market in Nice, France and picking out some delicious Charcuterie and Cheeses for an afternoon snack! If anyone has trip plans that bring them to Piedmonte, contact me for a tour and treat of seeing our friends making Quattro Leoni!

Two Great “Dry Cheese” and Wine Pairings

Parmigiano – Reggiano – A dry, raw cow’s milk cheese from Italy that belongs on a cheese board. This is not just a grating cheese, nor does the good stuff come in a plastic can or pizza shaker… the good stuff comes in large eighty-five pound wheels (trimmed down of course for one serving) and has been well aged (between 12 and 36 months usually). This lovely cheese gets a bit crystallized over time breaking into chunks. A couple lovely wine pairings for this are: as part of an aperitif with an unoaked sauvignon blanc based white, at the end of a meal with a rich medium bodied to full bodied red wine such as a Nebbilo based red or Zinfandel. From the Marquee portfolio I love the complexity shown with pairing either the 2008 Quattro Leoni – Monferrato Bianco or the 2006 Classy Lake County Zinfandel. We aren’t carrying one yet, but a dry amontillado sherry also makes a fine match!

Manchego – A dry, raw sheep’s milk cheese from Spain. Originating from La Mancha, this cheese does make me think of Sancho Panza ridding across the high plateaus in Central Spain with windmills in the background. At first taste this cheese usually brings up a sea-salt character that moves to a bit nutty. Some versions have very small holes in the cheese and the wheels are small and drum shaped – about four to eight pounds. If you are out and about at a local Spanish Tapas bar you will likely find this treat, a few good pairings I recommend would be a rich, Spanish Albarino or Portugese Alvarinho or at the end of your meal with a big red wine such as a Rioja or Monastrell . Try the 2008 Clemen Reserva Vinho Verde or 2007 Old Hands Organic Monastrell from Bodegas La Purisima in Yecla, Spain and you will not be disappointed!

Two French Classics and an International Favorite

Brie – A raw or pasteurized cow’s milk cheese from France. A lovely cheese that combines an interesting texture with loads of flavor when served correctly. There is not one true Brie but several and they are controlled by the AOC governing board just as stringently as wines are. Brie de Meaux is generally considered the “bee’s knee’s” and in most cases the type exported to the US are pasteurized versions (the finest raw milk Brie’s do not meet the FDA’s import regulations because they are too high in moisture and insufficiently aged to the US standards). Brie is known for it’s rich, supple inside, buttermilk flavor and in many cases a hint of mushrooms. Small and disk shaped, the wheels are generally have a white downy exterior that is aging the cheese from the o utside in. As to wine pairings with this classic, I look to white wines with some body / texture, a rich Chardonnay such as the 2008 Marquee Signature Yarra Valley Chardonnay or a Loire Valley Chenin Blanc are good choices, as well as a more full bodied Pinot Noir (one from Oregon I love is the Penner Ash Pinot Noir) or something with a medium body and lighter tannins like a mellow Syrah or Merlot are a great pair. A new wine for Marquee that also fits this bill is the 2008 Rio Real Reserva from Lisboa, Portugal; Syrah based, but it has a bit of Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz included with it for a more complex finish.

Mimolette – A pasteurized cow’s milk cheese from France. I could not write an article about wine & cheese and skip one of my favorites! This cheese is a bright orange /pumpkin in color and makes a striking statement on a cheese board! Shaped like a flattened ball this cheese comes in various sizes from five to nine pounds and is characterized by a thick, rind with small pockmark s. This cheese is semi-hard and with time brings out a bit of caramel or butterscotch that leaves a lovely finish. A great mix with apricots on a tray (note the similar orange coloration), I tend to usually only pair this wine with rich whites like white burgundy, oaked chardonnay’s or something with a nutty character like a light tawny port. My go to for under $15.00 retail is the 2008 Marquee Classic Chardonnay, the tropical flavors are a great compliment.

Blue Cheese – OK so this is a stretch category because Blue cheese is really a general classification of either cow’s or sheep’s or goat’s milk cheeses that have had Penicillioum cultures added to them to become spotted, blue cheeses I thought I would concentrate on particular cheese in this category and some wines that pair well with it. One interesting cheese that I love in this category is the “Roaring 40’s” Blue Cheese from King Island, Australia. If you ever see this cheese for sale and are looking for a treat, go for it. King Island is a small island just North of Tazmania and this is a handcrafted cow’s milk cheese made from that location. Encased in a thick wax for shipping it is noticeably sweet, mild, creamy and complex with a bit less saltiness than other well veined blue cheeses, this cheese exhibits a real nuttiness that keeps you coming back for more. After tasting this delight down in Australia over ten years ago I think the perfect companion for this wine is a smoky Australian Shiraz! Two lovely wines that take you back to Australia to compliment this wine are the 2007 Marquee Signature McLaren Vale Shiraz and the 2004 Silver Wings Old Vine Vincenzo. Both are complex wines and the spice with a smoky, rich backbone goes deliciously with Roaring 40’s.

My last bit of information and assistance with your cheese and wine pairing advice is that to spice up any cheese board or plate you are making, toast / bake a few nuts in the oven for a lovely pairing on your plate. The caramelization from oven baking on the outside of the nuts makes a delicious treat that your guests / patrons will appreciate.



~C.Cribb

Christopher J. Cribb, CSW - cjcribb@marquee.com
GM – Marquee Selections

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