Wine Club 61: Pork, Bacon & Bonuses!

Date: January 25th, 2014
Host: Kim
Served: Honey-Soy-Roasted Pork, Quinoa and Bacon Salad, green beans with toasted almonds
Bonus bottles: a trio of Italian reds from Waterford Wine Company

La Granja 360 Cava Brut NV (Spain) 70% Xarello + 30% Parellada, 11.5% alcohol, $6 at Trader Joe's

Kim says (17): What hit me right away was the strong aroma of pear and honey, as well as something else that was familiar to me... something I'd come across in another varietal but can't quite put a finger on. I'll figure it out eventually! Anyway, really enjoyed this... light and fun. Definitely stopping by Trader Joe's to pick up a bottle (or two)!

Christine says (16.5): Very pale lemon color. Smelled like lemon and pear. Kim also picked up honey and Andrea, green apples, and I agreed. Nice palate-cleansing bubbles, medium finish with minerals. It was good with the meal and stood up well to the flavorful, slightly sweet pork. This wine had a good quality-to-price ratio (QPR).

Andrea says (14.5): A nice frizzante Cava with a very light, clear color. It smelled crisp and clean, green apple, apricot, and honey. Nice mouth feel. Light, tart, slight mineral taste. Bubbles all the way across the tongue. I could really taste the green apple and honey. Good with pairing with the honey in the pork.

Contadino Pinot Grigio 2012 (Italy) 12% alcohol, $5 at Trader Joe's

Kim says (11): At first I picked up English toffee. Upon my next smell, musty basement. Next smell, I detected apple peels. Next time... well, you get the idea. Each time, the smell had morphed into something drastically different. What I found interesting was that these aromas were not layered... I did not smell them all at once, like English toffee and a hint of musty basement underneath. The smells were singular and separate... and I am glad I missed the paint thinner that Christine smelled!

Christine says (8.5): Lots of small bubbles in this wine--looked like fun! Very, very pale, like water. Smelled like paint thinner: ick! In the crazy glass, I also smelled white grapes. The taste was nice, had a light body, tasted like green apples and the oil from lemon peel. The meal overwhelmed it. And the smell was unforgivable.

Andrea says (16.5): I really liked this wine! Also a very clear wine, pale lemon in color. Very fragrant - vanilla, floral, grape. Yes, I could also smell the chemical-paint thinner smell, but I didn't find it overwhelming. Mostly I smelled cream soda and powdered sugar. Light flavor, but again, I liked it - honey, white grape, lemon and pineapple with a little bit of mineral flavor. 

I had never done a roast before but my friend Robert does pork roasts regularly so he kindly came over and we did a practice run. The finished product was very dry, which we both agreed was the fault of the specific piece of meat I had selected. As a result, I wanted to make sure there was plenty of gravy or sauce to accompany the pork roast when I hosted Wine Club, and I came across this recipe from Food & Wine magazine. Since there were several variables between the recipe and what I would actually be serving, I partially incorporated Robert's instructions and the finished product was (I believe) fabulous!
     • Used loin roast rather than shoulder roast
     • Skipped the braised veggies
     • I placed the roasting pan on the 2nd rack from the bottom, and did use the rack that it came with
     • Roasted at 350°F for 20 minutes per pound until thermometer read 160°F
     • In my paranoia, I made double the basting glaze
     • Whole Foods does carry veal demiglace but they happened to be out of stock. Both Sendik's and The Fresh Market also carry it (although it is made from veal+beef stock)

Christine says: I scored some fun, highly drinkable Italian reds at a recent Waterford staff training, and they came along to Wine Club. The highlight was the Sagrantino, an inky-black red that leans pricey because the very small grapes are difficult to harvest. So yum. I was doing a financial fast at the time, and the Trader Joe's wines were ones I already had at home. I felt good being able to up my game by bringing along these wines!

Wine Club 51: French Wines, Low Country Grill

 
Date: August 10th, 2013
Host: Christine
Served: Brie and baguette, Low Country Grill, sugar-bomb donut
Bonus bottles (from the host's personal inventory): Tequila! And Parallel 44 Frozen Tundra

Georges Dubœuf Mâcon-Villages 2009 (Burgundy, France) 13% alcohol, $7.50 at Woodman's

Christine says (16): Light gold color. Smelled yeasty, and of bread dough. Mineral taste, peaches, medium body. Very good with the meal.

Kim says (16): At first smelled like raw bread dough but then (sadly) went away; then the aroma of green apples. Thought this wine would be fantastic with the brie but was just average (however, better than the rosé).

Andrea says (16): A nice golden yellow color. I smelled the bread dough too. I could also smell oak and minerals but not very fruity. The body was smooth and full. Nice tartness and acidity. I thought it was tangy and good with the brie and the meal.






Michel Chapoutier Vin de Pays d'Oc Les Vignes de Bila-Haut Rosé 2012 (Languedoc-Roussillon, France) Grenache + Cinsault, 13.5% alcohol, $9.50 at Woodman's


Christine says (17): Beautiful salmon pink color! Smelled and tasted like watermelon, floral and cotton candy, with strawberry hints. I loved it. While both wines were awesome with the meal, this one got a slight edge for being good with the sausage (and so darn pretty). Good summer drinker!

Kim says (14): Smelled exactly like it looks! Like strawberry Starburst, and somehow smelled juicy. Appearance was a beautiful, whimsical color but disappointed with the flavor. If this wine were a person, I would categorize her as beautiful but dumb.

Andrea says (18): This wine was a cute, watermelon pink. Smelled very sweet! Strawberry, floral, and bubble gum. Smooth, good body, and a little tart. Very good with the meal!

 

Kim says: while Christine's repertoire does include professional pastry chef, she is also a crackerjack on the grill! This meal was absolutely incredible... by far, the best grilled corn on the cob I've ever had, and one of my favorite Wine Club meals so far!

Was that a giant piece of mint floating atop Andrea's cantaloupe margarita? Nope: it was a little green bug! She carefully put him on the ground and he seemed OK, if a little drunk. He walked it off. We loved the cute Froot Loop donut, cherry-tasting Frozen Tundra (Green Bay-area) wine, and playing with the calico cat and her purple ribbon.

Wine Club 46: Mas des Bressades Rosé, Grand Claret Red Bordeaux

Date: May 30th, 2013
Host: Kim
Served: pulled pork sandwiches, potato chips, fruit salad, caramel with sea salt ice cream bars
Bonus bottle (from the host's personal inventory): Chateau Thivin Côte de Brouilly 2010 (Beaujolais, France)

Mas des Bressades Rosé 2012 (Costières de Nîmes, France) 50% Grenache + 30% Syrah + 20% Cinsault, 13.5% alcohol, $11 on sale at Whole Foods

Kim says (9.5): Huh. For the score, you'd assume there was something bad about this wine but that was not the case... simply a matter of being average. First impression was the aroma of wet adhesive, like when you first lick an envelope but only for a second. And then musty, maraschino cherries. The taste? Uhh... nothing. Nada. Observe a sad moment of silence. Interestingly enough, while there was no flavor and the sides of my tongue (tannins), front (sugar) and back (acid) were quite bored, this wine was all mid-palate!

Andrea says (13): Pretty color, like watermelon or strawberry candy. Nice smell of pear and strawberry, honey and maybe bubble gum (but that could just be because of the color). Taste was not strong and hard to pick out predominant flavors, maybe some honey. Nice acid, slightly tart. Was just ok with the pork, but very good with the fruit salad.

Christine says (14): True to my word, I jumped at the chance to try a Costières de Nîmes again, even though we all got a laugh out of the Terre des Chardons Marginal. Besides, I'm a sucker for rosé and I couldn't resist this one's pretty pale watermelon color. It smelled like strawberries and minerals, with a sweet, slight whiff of granulated sugar. For taste, I got alcohol, a nice streak of acidity, and not as much fruit as expected. Plus a medium-long finish that tasted like twigs...a bit like a rose bush. I only found the wine average to good. Not special, and no great shakes with the picnicky food that Kim prepared.


Grand Claret Red Bordeaux 2011 (Côtes de Bordeaux, France) 13.5% alcohol, $11 on sale at Whole Foods

Kim says (13.5): I did make note that my allergies were bothering me today, which might explain the 5-ish point discrepancy between the three of us for both wines! At any rate, I liked the color- vibrant edges and surprisingly translucent. I couldn't pick out any particular aroma in this one except possibly coffee. This Bordeaux was the opposite of the Rosé... very good aroma and I enjoyed the taste but the extremely high tannins wrecked it for me... almost sticky.

Andrea says (17): I really liked this wine! A nice burgandy color with hints of violet and a clear edge. Very berry smell! Lots of different aromas: smokey, coffee, licorice, current, raisin, and red apple peel. The taste was a little thin, high alcohol but nice tannins. Tasted like berry and raisin. Christine mentioned plum which I think nailed the flavor. I liked the Beaujolis best with the pulled pork, but this was also very good.

Christine says (18.5): I was seduced by the sign in-store that described this wine, even though I thought the label had a lot of puffery (like putting "Grand" in the title to make it feel, well, a whole lot grander than an $11 Bordeaux). I was not disappointed! The wine was burgundy, with clear edges. It had lots of red and black berries in the bouquet, plus chocolate, a soft and fresh green stemminess, and plums and violets, too. Andrea smelled red apple peel, which I could also detect. Nice plummy taste, a little thin, herbaceous finish. I liked!


Christine and I opened a 2010 Beaujolais while Andrea battled the traffic... fortunately, she arrived on time and we were able to share the bottle together!


For whatever reason, I was actually nervous about this meal... I think it was because I'd never used a slow cooker before. But it turned out great and with only three ingredients, this recipe is a definite keeper! Next time I will use bone-in pork shoulder, be sure to use enough root beer to cover the meat and shorten the cooking time to six hours. Also noteworthy... the pretzel buns, Sweet Baby Ray's and creamy coleslaw (rather than the oil and vinegar version) was a winning combination. In an attempt to have something healthy on our plate, the fruit salad was an easy addition... I tossed in some blueberries for contrast.

The potato chips go in the sandwich, of course!



Christine says: One helluva sandwich. Amazing on the pretzel bun with chips and creamy coleslaw. I felt like I died and went to heaven! Wonderful Kim gave us take-home packs to enjoy the leftovers for lunch. Oh, yeah! Beautiful w/ the Beaujolais bonus. My favorite wine club dinner yet!

♥ Wine Club 44: Spanish Wine with a German Name

Date: May 8th, 2013
Host: Andrea
Served: Chicken noodle soup, club sandwiches with sweet potato fries, dessert
Bonus Bottle (from the host's personal inventory): Makulu Iswithi Pinotage 

Vigne di San Martino Gavi di Gavi 2011 (Italy) Cortese grape, 12% alcohol, $15 at Otto's

Andrea says (14): Clear wine, the color of champagne. Smells nice and sweet, honey, pear, floral, and a little bit of plastic smell. Tart, acidic taste. Had flavors of honey, grapefruit, herbal, and grass. Thin body, left something to be desired.

Christine says (14.5): Light lemon yellow. Floral, honey, peaches and pears in the nose. Smelled good! Wasn't as fruity as expected: bright-tasting, acidic and grassy. Good with the soup. I didn't like it as much as the less-expensive Principessa Gavi we had earlier.

Kim says (11): Well, my seasonal allergies were bothering me this night so that may have had an effect on how I scored this wine in Aroma and Bouquet. Oh, who am I kidding... I always need help in those categories! Anyway, for a split second I caught some sort of smell that made me think, "Adhesive," but then it was gone. I swirled my glass and was instantly transported back to my childhood, watching my mom curling off apple skins until there was a heaping pile of them in the sink (and warm, homemade applesauce would follow). That's all I could smell with this wine... raw apple skins. It also had a very thin body, especially in comparison to the Principessa Gavi which was nice and full. This Gavi di Gavi was also very acidic and the finish- although long- was pure citrus. Not impressed.


♥ Blau Red Wine 2010 (Montsant, Spain) 50% Mazuelo + 25% Syrah + 25% Garnacha, 14% alcohol, $13 at Otto's
♥ Love love love ♥ : This wine scored 18 or higher with each of us.

Andrea says (19.5): A dark burgundy color with clear edges. My first smell was of alcohol, then chocolate, tobacco, raspberry, blackberry, vanilla, and pepper. I loved the smell. The taste was really nice! Berry flavors, nice tannins, good balance, nice body. I think that this wine would go really well with a lot of foods. I docked it half a point for the finish, but easily could have given it the full 20! I would definitely get this wine again, I thought it was very drinkable for being so high in alcohol.

Christine says (20): Very pretty intense burgundy color with magenta edges. Visible alcohol that floats on top and falls down the side of the glass in sheets. Bouquet had peppercorns, tobacco, alcohol, berries and a little fresh mint leaves. BIG taste! Good and perfect tannins. Rich, round mouthfeel. Fruity, but not a sissy wine. A lot of personality. I considered docking it 1/2 point for finish, but I decided to give this wine a perfect score since I wanted to give it greater than max points for its amazing body. Win! It was good with the Andes candies-like brownies. Another delicious 2010 Spanish wine.

Kim says (19): Okay, I take back all the bad things I may have said about Spanish wines! I had recently become disillusioned with them but Herr Blau has solidly reestablished their rightful place in my Top Five! This red blend had a pretty, cranberry meniscus and thick color. Smelled like black pepper and brown sugar; had a wonderful taste, perfect balance and nice, strong tannins. If possible, I would have scored them higher than the maximum allowed in Body and Balance! The missed point was in Bouquet.




image

Makulu Iswithi Pinotage NV (South Africa) 13.5% alcohol, $4 on sale at Discount Liquor-Manitowoc

Andrea says (17): Burgundy colored, transparent, with clear edges. Smelled like caramel, plum, and currant. Tasted fruitier than it smelled. Very jammy, tasted like strawberry and vanilla. Good body and good tannins. I great deal at $4.00!

Christine says (18): Deep claret color. Smelled like plums, berries, currants and alcohol. Thinner body, but nice. Good fruit. Nice tannins and a long finish that included tobacco. Would be great with barbecue ribs.

Kim says (18): I smelled alcohol and raisins. Although there was no vintage, I did detect a slight tinge of brown so possibly approaching its peak. Regardless, I very much enjoyed this wine... perfect scores in all the technical and subjective categories except Bouquet.

For dinner I made my mom's chicken dumpling soup, baked club sandwich rounds, sweet potato fries and mint brownies.

Wine Club 30: Wisconsin Wines & Christmas Brunch

Date: December 15th, 2012
Host: Christine
Served: Cranberry salad, blueberry muffins, sweet potato-andouille hash, lemon meringue pie
Bonus bottle: Poinsettias!

Wollersheim River Gold NV (Prairie Du Sac, WI, USA), Seyval Blanc grape, 10% alcohol, $8 at Wollersheim

Christine says (16): Very pale; cool, silvery color. Smelled of must, pear and floral. Sweet, with a tart bite. Short finish. Bright taste. Pleasant, likeable wine.

Kim says (16): A pale silver color which I found odd but attractive. Musty (but not too bad) and honeysuckle on the bouquet that made me think of a hot, summer day. Flavor was sweet (high sugar), buttery and rich (nice body). Rather unique for a wine... I could literally just drink this like juice!

Andrea says (17): This wine was very pale, looked like water. Bouquet that smelled like pear, banana and flowers. The taste was sweet and smooth. Pear and green apple flavors. This wine complimented the spices in the hash. I really like both (the hash and the wine).

Wollersheim Prairie Sunburst Red 2011 (Prairie Du Sac, WI, USA), Foch grape, 13% alcohol, $9 at Wollersheim

Christine says (11): Plum/garnet color. Thin appearance, but pretty. Cherries and vanilla in the bouquet. Tasted thin. Burned in the nose when tasted. Some spice, and slightly acidic. It reminded me of Barbera d'Asti with its light body and streak of acid.

Kim says (9): Hmm. Well, I apparently didn't have much to say about this wine because I didn't actually write anything down! Tannins were correct, and I felt this wine had good balance, good appeal and overall was a good wine. Looks like the low score was a result of being slightly off in all the other technical categories (color, body, acid, sugar, etc).

Andrea says (13): Ruby color like cranberries. I also smelled cherry and vanilla and something a little smokey. Tasted cranberry, raspberry and cherry. But I agree with Christine, thin taste. It seemed very different from when I had tasted it at the winery.... Unlike the River Gold, I thought it really clashed with the hash, made it extra spicy and burned my tongue.

I mixed Jaume Serra Cristalino Brut Cava NV (Spain; $7 on sale at Whole Foods) with cranberry juice to make poinsettias. The humble hash doesn't look like much, but it tastes like heaven. What a delicious way to use up sweet potatoes! Top with a fried egg or two.

The salad is great for the holidays. I used 5 T. red wine vinegar instead of 3 T. balsamic. I subbed chopped green onions for the chives and shallots called for, and also tossed some green onions into the salad. Hold back some dressing to dress it to your tastes.

Wine Club 15: Barista Pinotage Coffee-Inspired Wine

Date: June 19th, 2012
Host: Christine
Served: BBQ ribs, pasta salad, some pita chip what-nots, strawberry brownies


Elena Walch Merlot; Barista Pinotage

Barista Pinotage 2010 (South Africa), 13.5% alcohol, $15 on sale at Waterford Wine

Christine says (18): A coffee-inspired wine? Sign us up! We loved this wine when we tasted it at Waterford, and I built a meal to go around it. The Pinotage is aged in nearly blackened and burnt oak barrels to give it coffee-like characteristics. It had a ruby-violet color and amazing bouquet of peppercorns, chocolate, strawberries, and coffee (though not as much coffee as I'd remembered in store). The wine was delicious, complex, rich and fruity, spiced, and a bit brambly. It went well with both the spice-rubbed ribs and the brownies. I would love to try it with steak au poivre.

Kim says (17): I had never heard of Pinotage before and assumed this was a blend but that is incorrect. As Christine referenced, Pinotage is made from a grape that is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault (known at the time as Hermitage)... what I might loosely call a hybrid grape but is not strictly accurate. This wine had a distinct bouquet of roasted peppers, rosemary and wet coffee grounds (but not in a bad way). I very much enjoyed this... it had the potential to be overbearing and brash but wasn't. Just right! And Christine did an amazing job creating a meal around this wine... an excellent combination!

Andrea says (17.5): I am not a coffee drinker but I did enjoy this wine. It was a violet-ruby color. I could smell vanilla, pepper, chocolate, coffee, and strawberry. It has a very smokey, oak-y flavor. almost burnt taste. Went very well with the ribs!

Elena Walch Merlot 2006 (Alto Adige, Italy), 13.5% alcohol, $6 on sale at Waterford Wine

Christine says (11): Claret, blood-red color, though pretty translucent. Bouquet of wet leaves, must, blueberries, raspberries and Brie. Though the wine would be good with a variety of food, I thought it was flabby (yes, flabby!) and one-dimensional. I wouldn't mind trying it with Brie.

Kim says (10): Well, I thought this Merlot had a distinct bouquet and unfortunately, it wound up tasting exactly what it smelled like- must, mold and brie rind; pleasant blueberries and strawberries but then twisted into something flat. Think old, abandoned Christmas decorations- stale orange slices and dried up pine needles.

Andrea says (14.5): I did not enjoy the smell of this wine, but there is no arguing that it had a distinct bouquet. I definitely agree with Kim and Christine, I smelled Brie, along with mold, must, and feet. But I also smelled berries. Taste was a little boring.

I mixed up strawberries, sugar and a little cinnamon to go over the homemade brownies and call out more flavors of the Barista Pinotage. Kim took a beautiful photo!

  

Toasted pita wedges with kalamata olives and goat cheese.

BBQ Ribs
3# pork baby back ribs
1/4 c. minced onion
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. each onion powder, garlic powder and cinnamon
1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 c. water
1 c. BBQ sauce



Cut ribs into serving-size pieces. Combine the minced onion and spices; rub over ribs on both sides. Stack in a slow cooker, layering with sliced onion. Add water to slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours if you can. (If cooked on low for 8, they will be more fall-off-the-bone as shown.)

Remove ribs; discard cooking liquid. Dip ribs in sauce; return to slow cooker and cook on low for 1 hour.