Archives for 2010

30 December 2010

My Top 10 Wines Under $20 for 2010

December 30, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

If you read my blog, or follow me on social media platforms, you know that I enjoy trying wines from many regions, varietals and styles so I try not to judge wines by their price points. Having said that, I thought I’d highlight some affordable wines I’ve particularly liked this year (in no particular order).

Top 10 Wines Under $20 for 2010:

Have you tried any of these wines? Please leave a comment with your thoughts about them. Haven’t tried them yet? Please do and let me know how you enjoyed them!

Cheers,

Veronique

27 December 2010

2007 Carmes de Rieussec Sauternes

December 27, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

'07 Carmes de Rieussec Sauternes

Although the second wine of Château Rieussec, this dessert (fortified) wine is not a second rate Sauternes in any way. The color is a rich golden hue. The nose is honey and ripe citrus. On the palate, this Sauternes is unctuous, thick, sweet and bold with juicy peach.

Know most of us think of sparkling wine when celebrating, but this affordable Sauternes should also come to mind. Served this wine with foie gras and confit onion and carrot and it was a fantastic pairing.

Around $25 for 375ml bottle.

Filed Under: Dessert Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: 2007 Carmes de Rieussec Sauternes, Château Rieussec, dessert wine, fortified wine, sauternes

27 December 2010

Where to Eat 2011

December 27, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

Where to Eat 2011 by Adam Platt of NY Magazine.

Have you dined at any of these establishments? http://bit.ly/f5pOBz

Filed Under: Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: adam platt, where to eat

25 December 2010

2008 Kaiken Corte

December 25, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

2008 Kaiken Corte

Decided to uncork this wine at Christmas dinner (turkey, spiced meatball stew, dark meat stuffing) even though it wasn’t the best option and my fellow diners unanimously said that they’d drink this wine any day with food it shouldn’t be paired with. It was great!

The 2008 Kaiken Corte is a dark purplish ruby in the glass. It’s jammy fruit, black licorice and dark chocolate on the nose. In the glass, this wine is velvety yet bold with layers of ripe dark berries, spicy notes and a lonnnnnng finish. Kept thinking of BBQ ribs as I sipped on this Argentinean wine. 80% Malbec , 12% Bonarda, 8% Petit Verdot.

This wine was provided to me for sampling and I’m adding to my repertoire as it’s truly enjoyable.

At around $12 a bottle, a case won’t break the bank but will have your guests praising this neat wine at your next BBQ.

Filed Under: Red Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: 2008 kaiken corte, agentine malbec, argentina wine, argentinean wine, Bonarda, malbec, petit verdot

20 December 2010

2009 Kellerei Cantina Terlano Gewurztraminer

December 20, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

2009 Kellerei Cantina Terlano Gewurztraminer

This wine might be pale yellow and innocent-looking in the glass, but appearances betray the intense floral nose and the bold palate. Paired this Italian wine with spicy Vietnamese food and thought it was a great match.

You’ll get tons of value out of this wine compared to much more expensive Alto Adige Gewürztraminers.

This wine was provided to me for sampling and I’m adding to my repertoire as it’s truly enjoyable.

Around $20.

Filed Under: White Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: 2009 Kellerei Cantina Terlano Gewurztraminer, Alto Adige Gewürztraminer, italian gewurztraminer, italian white wine

19 December 2010

2008 Montes Alpha Syrah

December 19, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

2008 Montes Alpha Syrah

If you’re into a smoky, spicy, leathery, big, full-bodied wine, this 95% Syrah and 5% Viognier winner is for you.

I was given this bottle to sample and really enjoyed it. I look forward to stocking up on it as it’s an affordable, crowd-pleasing wine.

Wine Spectator rated this Chilean wine 90 points.

Around $20.

Filed Under: Red Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: 2008 Montes Alpha Syrah, affordable wine from chile, chile wine, chilean wine, syrah, wine from chile

13 December 2010

2006 Duckhorn Napa Cabernet Sauvignon

December 13, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

Enjoyed this cab at a holiday party last week where my friend decided to uncork all the wines they’d received from friends in the last couple years. The first few bottles were what you’d expect from such an arrangement, but then, I saw him uncorking the 2006 Duckhorn Napa Cabernet Sauvignon and made sure to stay close by to get a couple pours.

Big mouthful or ripe dark berries and cherries with chocolate nuances and a bit of spice. Tannic finish that yearns for roasted meat. Complex yet refined wine – yum.

Around $65.

Filed Under: Red Wine, Wine Reviews Tagged With: 2006 Duckhorn Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, california cabernet sauvignon, california wine, napa valley cabernet sauvignon, napa valley wine

9 December 2010

My Pinot Moment – Compliments of Tantara Winery

December 9, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

This post is my contribution to “Pinot Moment” as created by Evening Land Vineyards. The purpose of this December 9^th, 2010 social media event (#pinotmoment) is to get a flock of Pinot Noir fans to share their “Pinot Moment”, or the wine that got them hooked on this finicky, yet pretty darn perfect grape.

2005 Tantara Pinot Noir

For me, this wine is the 2005 Tantara Solomon Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir. I’m a veteran of the travel industry, professionally, and as such, my business often takes me to Las Vegas. Those trips west from the east coast are brutal: 3-hour time change, long tradeshow hours and late nights of entertaining clients. In the fall of 2006, my team and I attended a conference at Mandalay Bay. To me, a perk of being in that nutty town is the ever expanding list of top notch restaurants. One of my favorites place to entertain is Alain Ducasse’s Mix atop THEhotel at Mandalay Bay. Completely black lounge and perfectly contrasting white restaurant on the 64^th floor of the golden tower offers the most incredible view of the Strip while catering to foodies.

On that particular November evening, we were completely drained of all energy from the long 2-day tradeshow and were looking forward to a nice meal and a good glass or three. I was handed the wine list and decided on a predictable Pinot Noir that I’d enjoyed a few times. The sommelier asked if I’d be open to trying a new wine that he found particularly interesting that I might not find back in New Jersey. He was so adamant about this selection that I agreed to sample it. When he poured me a sip, the color of the wine was deep purple and somehow mesmerizing. My first sniff caused me to close my eyes and the first taste was pure velvet perfection. I wondered if I was simply tired, hungry and thirsty or if this wine was this fabulous, so had my team sample it. My PR person actually said “Oh my god” and said it might be the best Pinot she’d had. Needless to say, the sommelier got a fat tip from me and I got a great Pinot tip from him.

The sommelier was right, for a while, I wasn’t able to find Tantara in New Jersey. A clever friend of mine got a California wine store to ship me a bottle for my birthday (not kosher in NJ) and I was later able to find it at one local store.

This, was my “Pinot Moment” and started my love for the grape. Can’t wait to read everyone’s stories about my favorite varietal.

Cheers,

Veronique

Filed Under: Culinary Travel Tales, Other Neat Things, Red Wine, Restaurant Reviews, Wine Reviews Tagged With: 2005 Tantara Solomon Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir, alain ducasse, evening land vineyards, mandalay bay, mix las vegas, tantara pinot noir, tantara winery

8 December 2010

Québec Sucre à la Crème

December 8, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

Sucre a la Creme

Sucre a la creme (butterscotch fudge) is a French-Canadian tradition. Growing up in Quebec, my grandma, who was an amazing baker, made sucre à la crème for us and froze batches of it so we’d have this sweet treat year-around.

Conceptually, sucre à la crème is similar to fudge, but with a sugary-grainy consistency and caramel flavor that’s decadent and delicious. Back in the day, mom or grandma would hand-mix the hot butterscotch mixture to its desired texture. For me, the hand-mixer works just as well and saves me 30 minutes of arm wrestling with my wooden spoon.

Although several of my family members have great recipes for sucre à la crème, my grandma’s sister, Marie-Laure, was the queen of the sweet treats and here is her interpretation.

Ingredients:

3 cups brown sugar
3 cups granulated sugar
3 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

: Ice Bath

: Sucre a la Creme

Directions:

Place the sugars and cream in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stirring constantly, bring the sugar mixture to a boil, and then cook for 12 minutes. Don’t stop stirring as the mixture will quickly stick to the bottom of the pan or worse, boil over causing a HUGE mess.
Place 2 cups of ice cubes in a large bowl, then add 4 cups of cold water. Place a slightly smaller bowl over the ice bath then pour the hot sugar mixture in the medium bowl over the ice bath, making sure no water touches the hot mixture. Add the vanilla to the sugar mixture then beat with an electric hand-mixer for 8 minutes, or until the mixture lightens in color and has thickened.
Pour the thickened sugar mixture in a greased 8×8 pan, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate for several hours to harden. Cut into small squares.

Yields about 30 candy pieces.

Notes: You could add a cup of chopped walnuts to the mixture before pouring into the 8×8 pan. The candies can be frozen for up to a month, wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in an air-tight container.

Filed Under: Canadian, Desserts Tagged With: butterscotch fudge, christmas candy, quebec recipe, sucre a la creme, sucre a la creme facile

7 December 2010

Why Stop at Three or Four Courses? Make it a Ten-Course Meal!

December 7, 2010 By FoodandWineChickie

Brined Kurobota Pork

Chimichurri Skirt Steak in Handmade Tortilla

Some of you have already seen the photos I posted on my Facebook page of the 10-course tasting meal I served last week, but I wanted to take an opportunity to recap the evening.

During Thanksgiving week, I was fortunate enough to have dear friends in from out of town for a few days. We made sure we had a few good foodie adventures, including a 10-course meal that my girlfriends and me prepared for most of the afternoon and ate for most of the evening. What a great way to get caught up on each other’s lives than over a 4-hour meal!? Here are the courses we enjoyed:

Course 1: Butternut Squash & White Asparagus Bisque (recipe).

Course 2: Panko-Crusted Goat Cheese & Beet Salad (photo).