Hello, lovely readers!  I have received a few emails lately about cooking with wine so I thought I’d share a little bit of helpful info…

First off – the rule of only cooking with a wine that you would actually drink.  This is absolutely, 100% TRUE.  Think about it.  Cheap wine often tastes like vinegar.  Do you want your scampi to taste like vinegar or the citrusy Sauvignon Blanc that the recipe actually calls for?  It makes a big difference.  Now this is not to say that you need to spend big money on cooking wine, but you normally only use a half a cup or so in any given recipe so go for a wine that has good flavor and that you wouldn’t mind sipping while you cook.

Moving on, recipes often call for “dry” wine.  So, does this mean dry as in an old Cabernet that leaves a fuzzy taste on your tongue?  Or a stiff Zinfandel with a super-strong alcohol taste?  Well, this really just means dry as opposed to sweet.  Pretty simple.  There are not a ton of sweet wines out there (well, they are not as popular here in the States so most package stores carry a small variety of sweet wines), so unless you see “sweet” specifically marked on a label (a la Jam Jar Sweet Shiraz) you are most likely getting a dry wine.  So what is the best way to pick a dry wine to use in your recipe?  Look at the recipe, analyze the ingredients, and pick a wine that you think would compliment the finished dish.  Just as if you were picking a wine to pair with the meal!  If you are making a meat sauce to serve over pasta with a tangy parmesan topping, select a bold, flavorful wine like Chianti or Cab.  If you’re making duck with a berry sauce, select something more mild that won’t overpower the food, like Pinot or a soft California Merlot.  Does this make sense?  I hope this helps you budding culinary masters out there, if you have any questions don’t hesitate to email me at sara@morethanmerlot.com!

 

 

(photo credit: uniformmarketstore.com)

Happening right now, Jam Jar featured on the Today show as part of a wine & chocolate Valentine’s pairing!!

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I think everyone knows how I feel about Pinot Noir / Burgundy wine at this point – it’s just great.  It’s the perfect wine to bring to a dinner party since it compliments practically everything, a good pinot is always smooth without harsh tannins or a strong alcohol taste, it is just a pleasant wine to drink.  I have reviewed some newer pinots I’ve discovered on More Than Merlot already (Arrogant Frog, Bloom, etc.), but today I want to review a pinot I’ve known for some time – Concannon Limited Release Pinot Noir.  Concannon is a California winehouse founded by – wait for it – an Irishman!  See, we Irish really know our wine…

I have enjoyed Concannon for several years but haven’t purchased a bottle in some time in my quest to expand my repertoire.  I found myself going back to Concannon to match a recipe I was attempting because I had no idea how the food would turn out and wanted a versatile wine to cover a variety of results…  You know those people who really bother you at the farmer’s market?  You know, “Oh, I just saw this beautiful aubergine and just HAD to buy a dozen, I know I’ll figure out something FABULOUS to do with them, along with the luscious fromage blanc and organic agave nectar I picked up…”  As annoying as these people can be, don’t you kind of want to be able to do that too?  Just pick up something and transform it without a recipe or any advanced research?  Well, I recently found some gorgeous blueberries on sale at my local grocery store and totally had one of those moments.  I mean, I am marrying a Mainard soon, I need to know my way around a blueberry!  So I ended up concocting what actually turned out to be an amazing blueberry sauce with scallions and balsamic vinegar and ran to the grocery store to find a meat, vegetable and wine to make a meal.  I only had 7 minutes in the store and in my haste I picked up some chicken, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, and the Concannon.  The flavors of the dish didn’t blend quite as well as I hoped, but the wine complimented the creation perfectly!  It didn’t overpower the mild sweetness of the blueberry sauce or the soft flavor of the cheese, and the spice paired well with the salty cured meat.  Concannon ranges anywhere from $12-$15 per bottle but I found it on sale for $11.  If you want a wine that will consistently deliver and don’t mind spending a couple more dollars than most other MoreThanMerlot selections, you should pick one up!  Let me know what you think, slainte!

It’s February, hurrah!  This means we are THAT much closer to sunny skies and milder temperatures.  It is always this time of year that I start dreaming about sipping wine by the beach and relaxing the day away in the sun.  One of my favorite beach experiences was in Nice, France.  Bars everywhere, right on the sand, serving superb seafood,  cheese plates, and crisp rosé wine.  Although I can’t recreate that exact moment, I can recreate that feeling with the right music, food, and of course the right libations.  So last night I decided on beer-battered tilapia with mango salsa and a bottle of Tapeña rosé.  Let me tell you, it was just right.  Contrary to their American counterparts (ie White Zinfindel), imported rosé wines are generally dry with a crisp, fruit forward flavor.  The hint of strawberry on the palate paired perfectly with the mild sweetness of the mango in the dish without being overpowering.  Tapeña offers a variety of wines (their tempranillo is also quite good!), and I chose this rosé over a French rosé because Tapeña is made from Spanish garnacha (aka grenache) with just a splash of shiraz – many French rosé wines are made primarily of Shiraz which does not tend to be quite as fruity.  Still excellent wine, but I thought the fruit would pair well with this particular dish, and I was very pleased with the result!  Tapeña wines can usually be found for around $10-$12 per bottle (but I only paid $8.07 because I redeemed a carton of Coors Light cans left over from the last Pats game and used the tickets towards my purchase – we needed a lot of “venting” after that mess…).  Make sure to serve any rosé chilled for maximum enjoyment, I also suggest Suite Bergamasque as background music for true relaxation.  Cheers!

(photo credit: tapenawine.com)