Wine Animals

I am totally guilty of buying wines whose labels display cute animals, especially dogs. There was the Papillon Willamette Valley Pinot Noir that Trader Joe's used to sell whose label was adorned with the cutest brown and white Papillon. And I could not resist "Pug Wine" Pinot Noirs from Sonoma County. But I am now tasting a whole new world of wines with new animal mascots.





#1: Mosel Riesling Qualitatswein 2009 Zeller Schwarze Katz
This is the "Black Cat" wine they sell at Cost Plus World Market, and just in time for Halloween. Before I review this wine I must admit that I know very little about German Rieslings and cannot decipher the German label. All I know is that the vintage is 2009 and that it comes from the Mosel region. But I am not gonna let that stop me so here is the review: Light gold in the glass with some effervescence. The palate is medium-sweet with high acidity. Nose is green apple (not cat piss hahaha!) with some yeasty and minerally notes. Is it good for a German Riesling? I don't know. I don't drink them but I think this wine is well-made for $10 and I certainly did not spit it. If you like sweetish, light, fruity whites then I would say go for it. The Black Cat would be a great match for spicy Thai curries. Plus the sleek feline-shaped bottle will one day make a lovely vase. Meooooowwwww...




Wine #2 - The Wild Duck
2008 Canard Sauvage Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel
Trader Joe's has done it again. A delicious $10 Zinfandel.

I see a gorgeous dark purple core with a magenta rim. I smell muddled black raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries with a whiff of black cherry liquer. The palate is medium-bodied, with low tannins, and a blackberry linger on the palate.

Unfortunately the 2008 vintage is gone. The palate was more complex than the younger 2009. It also had higher alcohol (15.5%) making it hot, hot, hot. The 2009 alcohol content is a little lower at 14.5% and the palate is younger but the nose is very similar to the 2008.

The winery actually bills this wine as "better than most at this price point" and I am not about to argue with that. Try the 2009. I think you will pleasantly surprised.




Wine #3: And the winning animal is:
2006 Running Tiger Syrah

Okay, this is not a $10 bottle of wine you will find at the Supermarket(it is $32.) This wine is sold in fine restaurants and wine shops all over California. I first tried this Syrah at a winemaker dinner at Pican restaurant in Oakland, CA. where they specialize in Southern cooking and BBQ.

Running Tiger Syrah is made by vintner Daniel Bryant who specializes in Syrah and he has made a 2004 and 2006 bottling. The fruit for each vintage is from Dry Creek Valley. We tried the 2006 vintage and it was as sleek, unique and as graceful as a tiger.

Daniel describes his wine as a "bite of plum, hint of vanilla, a sip of smoke and pinch of white pepper." I also detected a nice mocha note and this rich Syrah is defintely a wine to pair with bbq.

Visit their website at www.runningtigerswine.com.


Winemaker Daniel Bryant


So tell me, what is your favorite wine animal?

Rave Wine and Food Pairing of the Month - Octopus and Vermentino!

Who does not love a good deal especially in the world of fine dining?  The Brixchicks certainly do (especially when one of them is unemployed!)  So when BrixChick Liza found a $45 prix fixe menu featuring Sardinian cuisine at San Francisco's Jardiniere we jumped on it.  Three courses including wine for $45 on a Monday night at a well-known SF resto.  SCORE! 

 

Being a lover of seafood there was one course that really stood out to me which was the Octopus Salad paired with a Vermentino from Sardinia.  Here are the details:

 

The Wine - 2008 Canayli Vermentino di  Gallura Superiore DOCG Sardinia

Vermentino is the most widely-grown white grape on the Italian island of Sardinia.  This wine is a medium straw color.  There are aromas of orange blossom, herbs, coconut and green pepper.  The thing about this dry white wine is that it is acidic yet it has a smooth texture on the palate.  It totally gratified my discerning palate that is not usually so gratified by dry white wines!

 

 

The Food - Salad of Octopus with potatoes, tomatoes, and herbs on a pool of aioli

If you have never eaten octopus because you are afraid it may be chewy and tough, perish the thought!  Octopus is tender and mild and delicious.  In this particular salad the glistening chunks of octopus swim in a pool of garlic aioli with acidic tomatoes and supple pieces of potatoes all sprinkled with oregano and thyme. 

 

 Together the wine and octopus become a symphony of smooth and acidic flavors complementing one another.  It was heavenly.

 

And yes, the rest of the prix fixe was fantastic which included roasted pork, pork belly terrine and fennel salad which was expertly paired with a Sicilian Nero D'Avola.  Dessert was Semolina Cake with bruleed figs accompanied by a Late harvest Moscato from Napa.  If you are are in search of a new yet inexpensive dining adventure on a Monday night go to www.jardiniere.com to make a reservation. 

Fleming's Tasting Menu - a pictorial!

Everything was just perfect...

Liza and I got a great introduction to the menu at Fleming's in Palo Alto, CA. If you think the food looks good, I wish you could have tasted it. Paired with a lovely Sanford Chardonnay and Frog's Leap Merlot, we had a memorable meal, courtesy of the great team at Fleming's.



Roasted Portabella Mushroom Ravioli - 5/5 stars I call it "Umami Heaven."


Crab Louis Salad



Prime New York Strip Steak with peppercorns and porcini dust - one of the best steak dishes I have had in Northern CA.



Tilamook Sole



Roasted Carrots with golden raisins and almonds



Lava Cake! Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!




 
Creme Brulee

Executive Chef Chris Bennett at Fleming's Palo Alto and managing partner Wayne Hanseth are standing by, ready to make your next occaison special

While some of these seasonal offerings are gone, it's definitlely worth it to become a "friend of Flemings:
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To keep up with the new treats for "Friends of Flemings" every month.

They have state of the art video teleconferencing and BrixChick Liza has used them to bring several states together for fun and informative and super green (No air travel!) meetings.  Flemings works with you to provide the right time zone offerings from cocktails in Miami to steak and Artemis in Palo Alto for memorable meetings that are a breeze to plan!