Food & Wine

Voice of the Vine Thanksgiving Values
All About Apples

Voice of the Vine
Thanksgiving Values

– By Lou Campoli –

We recently held a class on wines under $20, and it went so well I wanted to share the wines with you, especially since all of them go extremely well with Thanksgiving dinner.

Château Bonnet Blanc 2005 ($10) - This white from the Entre-deux-Mers area of France's Bordeaux region is always a wonderful wine value. It is a blend of 50% sauvignon blanc, 40% sémillon and 10% muscadelle. Wine has been made at this André Lurton property for over 100 years. It is unoaked and spends four months aging on its lees (sediment, deposits of dead yeast and fruit debris) to add complexity. It shows honeyed orange, apricot and grapefruit flavors with an underlying grassiness. The acidity on the steely finish makes it a good pairing with pan-seared scallops and herbed seafood and poultry.

Ponzi Pinot Gris 2004 ($17) - Dick Ponzi is one of the pioneers of wine making in Oregon's Willamette Valley. His daughter, Luisa, is now making the wines there and carrying on Ponzi's reputation for outstanding wines. These pinot gris (also known as pinot grigio) grapes survived an unpredictable vintage, only to relish in the warm, dry, lightly windy weather at the end of September to produce intense fruit. This white was fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and was allowed to go through partial malolactic fermentation (conversion of tart malic acid to soft, smooth lactic acid) to expand its flavors. Bright pear, tropical fruit, apple and cantaloupe flavors abound, with hints of spicy herbs and almond on the lingering finish. This wine matches well with spicy cuisine.

Viña Izadi Rioja Tinto 2002 ($13) - The estate harvests the tempranillo for this delicious red from its own vineyards and from others with which it has long-term contracts. This wine is elegant and balanced, with layers of intense black berry and cherry fruit followed by a touch of oak on the long finish. It is great with all grilled meats and vegetables, and especially with paella.

Falesco Vitiano Rosso 2004 ($11) - Luscious and explosive, this Umbrian blend of one-third each of sangiovese, cabernet sauvignon and merlot is medium-bodied with balanced acidity. It is packed with flavors of black currant, licorice, black cherry, plum and tobacco leaf, with notes of dried herbs and earthiness on the long, smooth finish. Robert Parker calls this wine an "amazing value." Enjoy it with red and white meats, and with meat-sauced pasta dishes.

Masi Campofiorin Ripasso Rosso 2003 ($16) - This complex red from Italy's Veneto region is a blend of native corvina, molinara and rondinella grapes. Ripasso (re-passed or passed again) indicates the technique of putting wine though a second fermentation on the lees of Amarone wine to add body and intensity. The technique was created by Masi in 1964. Campofiorin, called a "baby Amarone" and a "supervenetian red," combines simplicity and grace with power and majesty. Rich cherry and dried fruit flavors abound. This red matches well with richly sauced pasta dishes, grilled and roasted red meats, game and full-flavored cheeses.

St. Francis Red 2002 ($10) - What a value! St. Francis is one of the finest producers in California's Sonoma Valley. Winemaker Tom Mackey produced this fabulous "red" from a blend of merlot, zinfandel, grenache and sangiovese grapes. Each grape is vinified separately, aged in a combination of French and American oak, and then blended. The flavors of spicy black fruit, dark berry, plum, raspberry, blackberry, licorice, cedar, black pepper and oak explode in the mouth. A great wine with all grilled meats, poultry and vegetables.

Lolonis Ladybug Red Cuvée V ($13) - Lolonis uses organic methods to produce its wines. During the summer, for example, millions of ladybugs are released in the vineyards to control the pests naturally, instead of using pesticides. This is a blend of zinfandel, carignane, merlot and cabernet sauvignon grapes, from vines that average 40 years in age. This wine is packed with blackberry, plum and cocoa flavors, with noticeable touches of pepper and oak on the long finish. Excellent with roasted red and white meats.

Alamos Malbec 2005 ($10) - This red is made by Bodegas Catena entirely from the malbec grape in high altitude vineyards of Argentina's Mendoza region. It was aged in American oak (55%) and French oak (45%). It exhibits floral notes with blackberry, plum, black raspberry, cassis, coffee and chocolate flavors. The finish lingers with toasty spice overtones. Pairs well with roasted meats.

Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos 2004 ($14) - Robert Parker calls this red wine an “unreal value.” And it is! The garnacha (grenache) grapes for this wine are grown on high elevation mountainsides in Spain's central-eastern region of Borja. It is lush, dense and full-bodied. Concentrated, bright red berry and cherry flavors leap from the glass and coat the inside of your mouth. Spice, licorice and pepper notes prevail on the long finish. A wonderful accompaniment to all grilled and roasted meats, poultry and vegetables.

Fess Parker Frontier Red Lot No. 51 2005 ($12) - This red from Santa Barbara celebrates the 50th anniversary of Fess Parker's Davy Crockett role on television, the 40th anniversary of his role as Daniel Boone and the 15th anniversary of the Fess Parker Winery. About half the grapes are syrah, with the remainder cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon, mourvèdre, grenache, merlot, petite sirah, zinfandel, counoise, carignane and cinsault. Talk about a blend! Sounds complicated, but the wine is delicious. Cherry, blueberry and blackberry flavors abound, and subtle notes of spice, cocoa and oak can be found on the warm, spicy finish. This wine screeches out "barbecue."

All of these wines are great examples of full-flavored wines that won't break the bank. Let's count our blessings and enjoy a wonderful tasting day.

All About Apples

– By Paul Hicks –

The eminent New York Times correspondent, R. W. Apple Jr., who died recently, spent much of his later career writing about his favorite foods and places while traveling around the world on a Times expense account. His tastes were far from plebian as indicated by his paean to a rare Asian fruit: “I can no more describe mangosteens than explain why I love my wife and children.”

Alas, he never devoted one of his colorful columns to the subject of apples, even though he was nicknamed “Johnny” after the legendary Johnny Appleseed. So, following in the footsteps of Johnny Apple, I set out to discover the gustatory and other appeals of the fruit of malus domestica, the common apple. Fortunately, it did not require an expense account to sample the numerous varieties that are available locally.

First, I needed to learn a bit of history, including the fact that apple trees are not native to America. They were originally cultivated in Central Asia and later in the Middle East. However, no one knows whether they produced the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden because the Book of Genesis does not specify the type of tree. When the Romans conquered the British Isles and other parts of Europe they planted lots of apple orchards. From there, apple cultivation was introduced to the New World by the early settlers and spread westward by people like John Chapman, the real Johnny Appleseed.

Of the roughly 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the U.S. today, about 100 are produced commercially in 35 states. The top sellers in New York, which ranks second in production nationally, are McIntosh, Empire, Red Delicious, Cortland, Golden Delicious, Rome and Idared. In Washington State, the nation's largest producer, the list of best sellers includes some different names, such as Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith and Braeburn.

Apples varieties differ in many ways, including flavor, texture and color (both skin and flesh) as well as in how they are rated for eating, baking or making pies, cider and apple sauce. You can learn a lot about the different varieties plus other useful consumer and nutritional information on websites such as www.bestapples.com and www.nyapplecountry.com.

For decades supermarkets around the country have carried apples throughout the year. This has been possible because the fruit is kept firm before shipping by regulating oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in warehouses where they are stored. Now, according to a recent New York Times article, growers are using a gas called SmartFresh, approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, to slow the ripening process of stored apples.

Next March I may be very happy to buy some well-preserved apples from Washington, but right now the ones I want are the freshly picked varieties found at local farm stands and farmers markets. One of the best sources in the area is Augustine's Farm on King Street in Greenwich, (near the airport), which has been operated by the same family for more than 50 years.

During a recent stop at Augustine's roadside market, I learned from Kathy Augustine some of the different features of McCouns, Cortlands, Empires and several other varieties they sell. Thanks to her, I also discovered how to look for the russet tinge on a Golden Delicious that shows it was grown in this region, compared to the waxier look of its western cousin.

I continued my education at the Harrison Avenue Market in Harrison, which has been owned by the Ippolito family for over 70 years. There you can find such old-fashioned names as Baldwin, Northern Spy and Winesap, as well as newer varieties like Honeycrisp and Crispin (also called Mutsu, reflecting its Japanese origins).

“Adam's apple” may still conjure up an image of the forbidden fruit sticking in our progenitor's throat, but modern medicine keeps confirming the healthy benefits of an apple's fiber, Vitamin C and antioxidant compounds. Since we can no longer enjoy the smell of burning leaves, there is no better symbol of autumn in our area than the crunch of a crisp apple or a mug of mulled cider.