Find our most recent blog posts below, right after our Monthly Feature, and on our Wine of the Week page.

March always makes me muse about lamb. With its occasional intimations of spring, those first “warm” days after a hard cold winter, I immediately start think about Easter and spring lamb. (I know: always food.)  In my Italian household, abbacchio al forno, roasted baby lamb, well cooked, yet juicy, with plenty of crispy fat, and served with rosemary roasted potatoes, is the norm. And we enjoy it, more often than not, with a crisp white like a Vernaccia di San Gimignano from Tuscany, a Peccorino from Abruzzo, or a Frascati from Lazio.

In the states, however, most people enjoy their lamb a little less cooked and a little more pink. Also, more often than not, lamb here is a little more mature than the baby lamb, which usually has to be special ordered for abbacchio. Consequently, a white may not be the best choice.

Therefore, for American spring lamb, I generally recommend a good red that has plenty of flavor and that is structured with adequate acidity to stand up to the strong flavors and fattiness of the lamb. I’m not suggesting a wine so big or powerful that it might overwhelm the unique flavors of the roast, but rather one that has sufficient body and fruit to complement them.

With a simply prepared roast leg of lamb as our main course, to be served with pan-seared potatoes, roasted tomatoes, and steamed asparagus, we set out to find in a one local wine store, ten wines that we thought would be perfect partners for our meal.  We also wanted an international assortment of wines, all under $20, that could be found throughout the U.S.  Our selection includes wines from France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Argentina, and the United States from some rather well known producers that we think you might enjoy with your holiday meal.

As is our custom here at TableWine, we evaluated each of the wines on their own without any food and then tasted them with our meal. They are ordered more or less by alcohol level, from lowest to highest.

Georges Duboeuf Fleurie Flower Label 2008 $14.99 Pale ruby in color, this wine has a dusty nose with restrained strawberry aromas. Light bodied, with very sour cherry flavors and an astringent finish. It was a little too light for the lamb and the nose continued to have a distracting dustiness to it.	Duboeuf Fleurie Flower Label
Michele Chiarlo Barbera d”Asti Superiore “Le Orme” 2007 $10.99 Ruby in color, this northern Italian red has a fruit-forward, earthy, vinous nose. Light bodied and elegantly structured, it offers red-cherry flavors accompanied by hints of violets on the finish. The flavors linger. While good with the rare lamb, it might have been better with a more well done roast.	Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti
Torres “Malena” Garnacha Catalunga 2007 $8.99 Deep purple in color, this wine from the famed Spanish producer Torres, has an intense bouquet, with oak, blueberry, and black-fruit aromas. It’s smooth and fuller bodied with plum and raisiny flavors complemented by cinnamon and spice notes. Tightly structured, it has a lingering finish with hints of blue plums. It was very good with the lamb.	Torres Malena Garnacha
M. Chapoutier Bila-Haut Cotes du Rhone Villages 2008 $9.99 This Rhone blend of Grenache, Syrah, and Carignan is ruby in color. The enticing nose is all rock candy and strawberry. Lighter bodied, it delivers black-cherry and cocoa flavors encased in sweet, supple tannins. It was excellent with the lamb,and at its price, is an outstanding value.	Chapoutier Bila Haut
Mark West Pinot Noir California 2008 $9.99 This popular California Pinot Noir is light garnet in color with orange reflections. It has a forward nose, with aromas of earth, mushrooms, and raspberry. It is light to medium bodied, with fresh, soft, and fruity flavors that yield to deeper layers of beef and spice. It has good length and a a sweet, spicy finish. It provided a powerful complement to the lamb. Another outstanding value.	Mark West Pinot Noir
Catena Malbec Mendoza 2007 $16.98 This Argentinian Malbec has a deep ruby color. The nose is red fruit with hints of earth. Medium t0 full bodied, it offers plumy flavors together with sweeter berry notes. The flavors evolve with a subtle minerality and chalkiness below. It is beautifully structured, with a lingering fruit and spice finish. It provided a powerful complement to the lamb.	Catena Malbec
Francis Coppola Diamond Series Black Label Claret 2007 $15.99 Purple in color, this member of Coppola’s popular Diamond Series has a big, warm nose, with cassis and black oil-cured olive aromas enhanced with some red-fruit notes. Full bodied and elegantly structured, it’s packed with loads of black-cherry and spice flavors. The finish is long and lingering. It was very good with the lamb.	Francis Coppola Diamond Series Claret
Philips 7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel Lodi 2007 $14.99 This sinful California Zinfandel is penitently purple in color. It has a classic zinfandel nose with earthy and cherry aromas. It’s unabashedly full bodied and silky on the palate and is packed with huge berry flavors, with underpinnings of black licorice. A wonderful blend of sweet fruit and spice, it has a  long, lingering finish. A multilayered, smokey zinfandel. It was very good with the lamb and we rated it a star of this tasting.	7 Deadly Zins
Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero 2006 $17.98 This Spanish Tempranillo is opaque ruby in color. It has a smokey, earthy nose with emerging berry notes. The aromas evolve in the glass. Medium to full bodied, it is perfectly structured, with balanced fruit, tannins, and acidity. It delivers rich black-cherry, raisin flavors with a nice tart quality. There are hints of cocoa as well. The finish is long and persistent with an explosion of black cherry at the end. Beautiful. Definitely the star of this tasting. It was perfect with the lamb.	Emilio Moro Ribera del Duero
Greg Norman Shiraz-Cabernet Limestone Coast 2007 $11.98 This Australian blend of Shiraz (77%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (23%) is deep opaque purple in color. The nose is warm and inviting yet restrained, with mineral and red-fruit aromas. It has beefy flavors followed by dried plums. Soft and elegant on the palate, it has good length and classic crushed black-pepper spice on the finish. It was good with, but perhaps too powerful for, our simple lamb. It would be better matched with a more seasoned dish.	Greg Norman Shiraz Cabernet

Reviewing champagnes and sparkling wines is always a lot of fun. They happen to be one of our favorite types of wine, and somehow, by evening’s end, the effervescence in the glass manages to transform a group of serious tasters into a party of sparkling conversationalists. Indeed, maintaining our focus and objectivity while conducting such a tasting takes a good deal of work. Nevertheless, I think we succeeded and managed to accurately evaluate nine bubblies and to separate the good from the bad.

It’s always been my contention that when buying champagne or sparkling whites, as with any wine, a high price tag does not guarantee high quality. That’s not to say that some of the great vintage Champagnes from renowned houses like Roederer’s Cristal, Salon’s Clos de Mesnil, or Pol Roger’s Cuvee Winston Churchill are not worth their lofty prices; these beautiful bottles always rank among the very best. However, there are some highly priced offerings out there that sit on the same shelves as these, but that, at least in my opinion, don’t always deliver what they promise. Although these wines are not actually bad, they just don’t merit their asking prices. In fact, even in our tasting of bubblies under $20, which reside a few shelves down from the aforementioned rarefied beauties, some of the least expensive far outshone their more costly competitors, a few of which were disappointments and others, just outright bad.

Given the state of the economy these days, a lot of us will probably be looking for ways to celebrate special days like Valentine’s Day a little more frugally than before. So, here are a couple of guidelines.

• Get more bang for the buck with non-vintage Champagne. After all, when blending a non-vintage champagne, the well known houses have a whole palate of vintages from which they can select to achieve a blend that reflects their particular style, whether it be full bodied (e.g., Veuve Clicquot and Bollinger are among my favorites), medium bodied (Pol Roger, Moet & Chandon), or light bodied (Taittinger).
• Look for domestic wines made by good foreign producers. I have found, at least here in the U.S., that French houses like Roederer, or Taittinger are producing elegant and tasty alternatives to the imports. They have all the hallmarks of a good champagne: good mousse (bubbly foam), fine perlage (steady streams of small to tiny bubbles), and great taste.
• Seek out imported sparkling wines that are not Champagne. Remember that “Champagne” is a specific appellation just like “Bordeaux” or “Burgundy.” Wines made with the same or a similar method as Champagne but that come from another district may not legally be called “Champagne,” although they may be kissing cousins. For instance, a Cremant de Bourgogne or a Cotes du Jura is reasonably priced yet still possesses all the old-world style and finesse that we expect from a Champagne. And these days, there seems to be a wide selection of high-quality, affordable Prosecco.
• Look for fine domestic producers. Names like Schramsberg and Iron Horse produce some wonderful sparklers. Granted these producers make some pretty expensive wines as well, but they can be considerably more affordable than imports without sacrificing quality.
• Ask your wine merchant. If you have a knowledgeable wine merchant that you trust and who has recommended good selections in the past, ask him or her to suggest a reasonably priced sparkling wine. Be sure to make clear, however, exactly what your tastes are. Do you like your sparklers dry, or sweet, or somewhere in the middle? Do you plan to serve the wine with dinner or as an aperitif? Also try to find bottles that are still in boxes or are at least protected from direct light. Light can damage a good bottle.
• Look for sales. I have found that just after Thanksgiving, Champagne and sparkling wines seem to go on sale for about a week or so. This is just a personal observation and not based on any marketing surveys or research. You might also go shopping right after the holidays and pick up some bargains. This is the time to buy a variety of these wines and find the ones you like. If you have the proper storage space, stock up for next year. But on second thought, it’s hard to resist popping those corks. You’ll probably find yourself celebrating anything you can think of, like Groundhog’s Day or They Only Raised Our Rent 2% Day, and so on.
• Buy by the case. Granted twelve bottles are a lot of Champagne for one family. But if you split a case or even two among friends, you all benefit from the case discount, which can be as much as 20%. So plan ahead. Get together with your friends and neighbors and go Champagne shopping.

We hope that these guidelines will help you save a few dollars and that the reviews, which follow, will save you from paying good money for not so good wine. But then again, good friends can make even a bad bottle drinkable.

For this feature, we tasted the wines in ascending order by price. We tasted each wine by itself and then with an assortment of “hoover doovers,” better known as hors d’oeuvres, some baked brie, brie with raspberry in phyllo, Thai-style chicken sate,  grilled shrimp, smoked salmon on pumpernickel, bacon-wrapped dates.

Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava Seleccion NV $8.99 With a good mousse and relatively big bubbles, this pale-straw cava from Spain has a pleasant, forward yeasty nose. It offers dry, white-peach flavors and a rather good, lingering finish albeit with a touch of sulfur. It was very good with the baked brie.	Freixenet Cordon Negro
Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut Columbia Valley NV $9.99 This sparkling wine from Washington state has a good mousse, tiny bubbles, and is pale-gold in color. The nose is reminiscent of blue cheese, with hints of toast. It’s relatively light on the palate and the flavors seem diluted.  The finish, however, lingers with pleasant white-fruit notes. It was very good with the smoked salmon.	Domaine Ste. Michelle Brut
Korbel California Champagne Brut NV $11.99 OK, we all know this is not “true” champagne, but somehow Korbel continues to maintain the name on its label much to the dismay of many Francophiles. It has a good mousse and small bubbles. Pale-straw in color, it has an herbaceous, cut-grass nose. Fuller bodied and off dry, it delivers grapefruit citrus and peach flavors, followed by a lingering white-peach finish. This wine was very good with the phyllo-wrapped raspberry and brie appetizers.	Krobel California Champagne
Willm Blanc de Blancs Brut Vin Mousseaux de Qualite NV $12.99 Pale gold in color, with a good mousse and small bubbles, this Alsatian sparkler is a Pinot Blanc blend with Riesling and Chardonnay. It has a musky nose; toasty, honey flavors; and a lingering, honey finish that makes it perfect for desserts like fruit tarts. It was extremely good with our phyllo-wrapped brie with raspberries.	Willm Blanc de Blancs
Gruet Blanc de Noirs Brut NV $14.99 The sparkling white, made from Pinot Noir in New Mexico, has a big mousse, is light-gold in color, and has a delicate, nutty nose reminiscent of almonds. Light bodied, it offers nut-like flavors and a delightful, lingering, bitter-orange marmalade finish. It was outstanding with the grilled shrimp and very good with the baked brie. We selected this wine as one of the two stars of this tasting.	Gruet Blanc de Noirs
Chandon Blanc de Noirs California NV $14.99 With plenty of mousse and lackadaisical, tiny bubbles, this California sparkling wine, with a French heritage, is produced from Pinot Noir. It has a forward, yeasty nose and offers dry, bitter-almond flavors followed by a lingering, toast finish. Truly French in style, it was perfect with our bacon-wrapped dates.	Chandon Blanc de Noirs
Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut NV $15.99 This wine has an adequate mousse, lively tiny bubbles, and a delicate white-flower, daisy nose. On the palate, the flavors are bland and dry, verging on bitter. One taster commented, “Watered down.” The finish has a cardboard-like character. This wine was was lackluster even with the food.	Gloria Ferrer Sonoma Brut
Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Blanc de Blancs Brut NV $17.99 This pale-straw Alsatian blend of Pinot Auxerrois and Pinot Blanc has a big mousse, lively tiny bubbles, and a seductive floral and vanilla bouquet. Fuller flavored, it delivers pleasant off-dry, rock-candy flavors, with notes of violets, followed by a lingering, toasty finish. It was very good with the Thai style chicken as well as with the baked brie. We selected this wine as the other star of this tasting.	Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Blanc de Blancs
Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose NV $17.99 This wine is made totally from Pinot Noir and has a peachy-pink, copper color, a huge mousse, and tiny, athletic bubbles. The fruit-forward nose is followed by white-peach and pith flavors. The finish is dry, with grapefruit-pith notes. This wine was excellent with the phyllo-wrapped brie with raspberries and very good with some cheesecake desserts that found their way onto the table at the end of our tasting.	Lucien Albrecht Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose

What I know about football can be summed up in two words: absolutely nothing.  Sure, I’m familiar with words like “goalposts,” “touchdown,” “quarterback” and the like. But if you asked me for a precise definition, I’d be at a loss.

Nevertheless, I never turn down an invitation to a Super Bowl party. It’s probably the only football game I watch all year and, even then, the new television commercials are my major interest (unless one of the New York teams is in the game).

The food at these parties always seems to be the same: chili, nachos, and Buffalo wings followed by some gooey desserts. After all, it’s time to kick back and relax. Beer usually takes precedence over wine at these gatherings, but more often than not there’s always a red and a white on the table.

So when it came to decide on a theme for this month’s feature, we thought: Super Bowl food. The wines we selected to match the above-mentioned trinity had to be all-American, widely available, and under $20.  In fact, in keeping with the sports theme, we divided the wines, all from California, into two teams: The Whites (5 Chardonnays) and The Reds (5 Cabernet Sauvignons). These grape varieties are, after all, the wines that made California famous and continue to account for a large part of the state’s production.

Unlike my colleagues at TableWine, I am more of an Old World guy and tend to prefer European wines to New World offerings. However, I was pleased to find that the wines we tasted were all quite good. The Chardonnays were not the overly oaked ones I remember from the past, and the Cabernets were not the excessively extracted and high alcohol ones that could overwhelm almost any dish except a steak.  They all had a certain degree of finesse and restraint. They opened my eyes to the great values we have right here in the USA.

As is our custom at TableWine, we tasted all the wines first on their own and then re-tasted each with the food. We paired the Chardonnays with the cheesy nachos and spicy Buffalo wings and the Cabernets with the well-seasoned chili and beans.

One final note: we selected team captains based on our preferences and like the Manning brothers, both came from the same family: Hess.

Hess Select Chardonnay Monterey 2008 $9.99 Pale gold in color, this classic California Chardonnay has a forward citrusy, buttery nose. Medium bodied, it offers lemony flavors with some pleasant burnt-sugar notes. Well balanced, it has a lingering finish. It rose to the challenge and stood up well to the spicy chicken wings. As one taster said, “It completes the pass.” Given the price and the quality, we chose this as the Captain of the Whites Team.	Hess Select Chardonnay
Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner’s Reserve Chardonnay California 2008 $11.99 Pale gold in color, this perennial favorite has an oaky nose with hints of citrus. On the palate, it is light bodied yet buttery and offers bold lemon-zest flavors followed by a lingering vanilla finish. It complemented the wings nicely, almost like a coating. The full flavors stood up to the spice.	Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve Chardonnay
Toasted Head Chardonnay California 2008 $11.99 Pale straw in color, the nose is subdued with butterscotch aromas. Almost unctuous on the palate, it delivers caramel flavors consistent with the nose and finishes with tart-apple and caramel notes. This wine popped with the cheese nachos with jalapenos and re-fried beans.	Toasted Head Chardonnay
Edna Valley Chardonnay Paragon San Luis Obispo County 2008 $12.99 Bright gold in color with a restrained nose, characterized by hints of butterscotch and pineapple. Light bodied, it offers dissipating butterscotch flavors that seem to improve with time in the glass followed by a pithy citrus finish. This wine was good, but not great, with the food. It would have been much better with a grilled white fish.	Edna Valley Chardonnay "Paragon"
Simi Chardonnay Sonoma County 2008 $13.99 This famed Sonoma Chardonnay is pale straw in color. The forward nose is characterized by crisp apple aromas with some hints of musk. On the palate, it is medium bodied with tart apple and caramel flavors, followed by a lingering, buttery finish. This wine was very good with both the wings and the nachos.	Simi Chardonnay
Bogle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon California 2007 $9.99 Opaque ruby in color, this wine has a warm, forward raspberry nose. On the palate, it is medium to full bodied with ripe red-berry flavors. Nicely balanced with good acidity and a tart blue-plum finish. This wine stood up well to the chili.	Bogle Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon
Cartlidge & Brown Cabernet Sauvignon North Coast 2008 $11.99 Deep ruby in color, this wine has a voluptuous red-cherry nose. Medium bodied, it offers tart wild-cherry flavors. However, the nose promises more than is delivered on the palate. It finishes nicely again with tart blue plum. “A one-note wine,” commented one taster. This wine provided a nice backdrop to the chili, a good complement.	Cartlidge & Browne Cabernet Sauvignon
Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon 47% Mendocino, 37% Lake, 16% Napa 2007 $12.99 Purple in color, this wine has an inviting nose of ripe strawberries with earthy underpinnings. Medium bodied, it is packed with earthy, black-fruit flavors. It is well structured, with balanced fruit and acidity. Finishes well with fruit, earth, and cocoa notes. This wine was perfect with chili, almost intermingling with it and making you want to eat more. We selected this wine the Captain of the Reds Team.	Hess Select Cabernet Sauvignon
Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley 2007 $13.00 Deep purple in color, this wine has a subdued cassis and earth bouquet. Light to medium bodied, it delivers dry cassis and cherry flavors enveloped with sweet tannins. The finish is lingering and smooth with black-fruit notes. This wine seemed to enhance the chili.	Beringer Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Cabernet Sauvignon Ivory Label California $15.99 Deep ruby in color, this wine has licorice and subtle cherry aromas. Light to medium bodied on the palate, it delivers juicy berry flavors supported by supple tannins. A good, persistent cassis and cherry finish.  This wine was excellent with the chili.	Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

As we get closer to winter, I’ve been turning to the south of Italy, looking for some “comfort wines” as they call them. Below are two examples of Aglianico from Basilicate that I recently enjoyed with roasted lamb. Aglianico is sometimes referred to as “the Barolo of the South” because it is capable of yielding wines of power and complexity. Usually, these wines are not intended to be enjoyed in their youth, but the two wines below are more approachable when young.

Bisceglia Terra di Vulcano Aglianico del Vulture DOC 2006 $14.99 Dark ruby in color, with a forward nose of cherry and red berries, this wine is light to medium bodied. It’s full of ripe-cherry and plum flavors complemented by burnt-sugar notes. Persistent on the palate. it finishes nicely with sweet spice notes. This wine sees no wood aging. Great with roasted meats or rich baked pastas.	Bisceglia Terra di Vulcano Aglianico
D’Angelo Sacravite Aglianico Basilicata IGT 2006 $17.99 Opaque garnet in color, with licorice, pine, and beefy aromas, this wine is full bodied and smooth. Well structured and not overly extracted, it delivers dry, tart plum and berry flavors followed by a lingering crushed-black-pepper finish. Again, perfect for a roast leg of lamb or lasagna al forno.	D'Angelo Sacravite Aglianico

Find our most recent blog posts below, right after our Monthly Feature, and on our Wine of the Week page.

At this time of year, my favorite meal has always been our Christmas Eve dinner. As a boy growing up in a New York Italian-American family, I would anticipate it almost as much as the gifts on Christmas morning. It wasn’t only the meal that was exciting; it was the days of preparation before the dinner. The soaking of the salt cod a day or so before, the live lobsters squirming around in the sink, the tons of shellfish in every nook and cranny of our Frigidaire.

And then, the dolci, or desserts. The “hidden” (but always found) boxes of Perugina torrone, assorted chocolates and Baci, the panetone, the panforte. My aunt Carlotta’s dried figs stuffed with walnuts, candied citron, a tiny chip of dark chocolate, and lemon rind and drizzled with honey; her almond brittle; and, of course, her struffoli, like no other struffoli in the world. Guests and neighbors would always praise these wreathed-crowns of tiny honeyed fritters interspersed with pieces of candy citron and sprinkled with multi-colored anise-flavored diavolini. When they would ask for her recipe, however, she would either avoid answering or perhaps, if she did, would leave out her secret ingredient (baking-powder) that made her puffs of dough so much lighter than anyone’s.

Cooking for the feast would always start early in the day with cleaning of the fish and the greens (broccoli rabe), the shucking of the clams, the roasting of the peppers, and it would continue throughout the day. Both my mother and my aunt would be in the kitchen for hours, boiling, baking, and frying fish. And then, when I was about 11 or 12 years old, came my contribution to the meal. I got to slaughter the live lobsters. “Go ahead,” my aunt would say. “Don’t be afraid. Hold down the tail and aim the cleaver between its eyes. Non esitare, don’t hesitate.” It’s a job that remained mine until only recently, when I handed it down to my best friends’ son.

Alas, nostalgia has made me go on way too long about this special meal and I’ve lost sight of the focus of this month’s feature, which is wines for the Vigila Napoletana as well as other seafood dinners.

In the 50s and 60s, our family’s wine selection was often limited to what was available in those days. For the whites, there was usually Soave, Trebbiano, Lacrima Christi, Verdicchio, and for the reds, Chianti Classico, Bardolino, or Valpolicella. (Barolo and Amarone were just too big for this dinner.) Later on, as lesser-known Italian wines became available in the US, the selections would vary and my dad would take a long time selecting and tasting. My mother was glad because it kept him (and me) out of the kitchen during the day. Ah! What happy times.

The popularity of this southern Italian seven-fish feast has spread throughout the United States. During the season, it’s often a topic on the morning talk shows or Martha Stewart. Some Italian restaurants are recreating it and making it available to their guests on Christmas Eve. There’s even a blog devoted to it.

The number of fish included in the meal seems to vary from 5 to 13, as do the explanations for the number 7 (the 7 sacraments, deadly sins, virtues, etc.) A great and quite authentic menu with recipes by Mario Batali is available on Epicurious.

For this tasting, our schedules did not allow us enough time to prepare such a feast. But we wanted to taste wines with one dish that we thought would at least have hints of the flavors of this meal. So we prepared a Neapolitan recipe from Arthur Schwartz, author of Naples at Table. It’s a tasty spaghetti dish with swordfish cooked in a fennel-seasoned tomato sauce. You can download the recipe here.

We also chose to look beyond Italy for our wines and so our tasting includes wines from the United States, France, and Argentina as well. The vast selection of wines available today, both domestic and international, makes finding just the right wine either for a dish layered with different flavors, like our swordfish pasta, or for a menu comprised of  courses with conflicting tastes, like many holiday meals, a little easier provided we keep a few basic principles in mind.

•    Consider the weight of the dish. I’ve said this in an earlier feature. We’re not talking about calories here, but rather about the robustness or delicacy of the ingredients and the preparation. Heavier foods fare better with heavy wines. For example, roasts, stews, and even chops tend to shine when paired with heavy, full bodied wines like Cabernets and Rhone wines. Simple, light-bodied dishes like chicken breasts, flounder fillets, or sea food do better with lighter whites like Rieslings, Muscadets, or Sauvignon Blancs. Grilled salmon, because of its fatty quality, goes better, in my opinion, with a medium bodied Pinot Noir, and pork chops might do well with a fuller bodied Pinot Blanc or medium bodied Dolcetto D’Alba. These wines work well because they cut through the fats and bring out the flavors in the food.

•    Consider the sauce. Think about the ingredients, the texture, the herbs and spices. Creamy white sauces generally call for fruitier whites, with good acidity, like Vouvray, Viognier, or Chenin Blanc. These fuller flavored wines enhance the sauce, while their acidity helps cut through the fat. Sweet sauces and relishes do better with crisper, more acidic wines like Rieslings or Sauvignon Blancs to provide a counterpoint and enhance the flavor of the underlying dish. Spicy sauces, on the other hand, do better with spicier wines like Zinfandels or Rhone-style wines for reds or Gewurztraminers and even Tokay-Pinot Gris for whites.

•    Consider basic tastes like salty, acidic or sweet. Salty dishes don’t do well with tannic wines. The salt just accentuates the bitter, puckery tannins. For example, a baked ham or sliced prosciutto would be wonderful with a fruity white like a Viognier, or with a dry Cabernet Franc, which is relatively low in tannin. Some salty foods go extremely well with sweet wines like Roquefort with Sauternes.  More often than not, acidic foods (or dishes with acidic sauces) should be matched with acidic wines and sweet foods with sweet wines.

One of the best books on the subject of food and wine matching, and one on which I’ve recommended here before, is Joanna Simon’s Wine with Food. Not only does it explain the basic principles of wine and food matching, but its final chapter is a handy reference guide arranged alphabetically recommending foods to go with wines and then wines to go with foods. It’s a great starting point.

These principles seem to have been validated by the wines that stood up best to the swordfish recipe. We found that the most successful wines were the ones chosen to match the fattiness of the swordfish, the acidity of the tomato sauce, and the spice of the fennel.

As is our custom at TableWine, we always taste the wines first by themselves and then again with food. We tasted the whites followed by the reds and in each category went in order of the weight of the wine.

Our best wishes for this Holiday Season!

Henri Bourgeois Petit Bourgeois Sauvignon Blanc Val de Loire Vin de Pays 2008 $10.99 Light gold in color, this Sauvignon Blanc has an attractive grassy, gooseberry nose with subtle hints of honeysuckle. It’s light bodied with tart grapefruit-citrus notes and structured with good acidity. A nice citrus finish. With the food, this wine wove its flavors into the flavors of the fish. One taster, however, felt that the food and the wine were like “two ships passing in the night.”	Henri Bourgeois Petit Bourgeois
Sartori di Verona Ferdi Bianco Veronese 2007 $14.99 Yellow diamond in color, this wine made solely from Garganega has an alluring honeysuckle bouquet. Medium bodied, its flavors are initially sweet, with some hints of honey, and almond; however, it finishes totally dry, with a nice minerality that reflects the volcanic soils of Soave. This wine was a perfect match for the dish, complementing the food while retaining its own personality. (In the interest of full disclosure, I represent this producer in the United States but thought it would be a good addition to this tasting.)	Sartori Ferdi
Conundrum Proprietary White California 2008 $18.99 Pale gold in color, with a muscat bouquet, this wine is medium bodied, with fruity white-grape flavors together with some tart acidity. It has a lingering, sweet fig finish. This wine was a lovely match with the food and nicely complemented the spicy sauce of the dish.	Conundrum Proprietary Blend
Angeline Chardonnay Sonoma County 2008 $14.99 Light gold in color, this Sonoma Chardonnay has a very subtle nose of toast and vanilla. Medium bodied, it offers butterscotch and lime-citrus flavors. It’s nicely structured with good acidity and a lingering finish consistent with the initial flavors. A judicious use of oak. This wine was very good with the fish, but perhaps a tad too delicate for the spiciness of the sauce.	Angeline Chardonnay
Alamos Torrontes Argentina 2008 $9.99 This wine is pale straw in color with greenish hues. It has an aggressive herbaceous nose with some floral notes. Light to medium bodied, with flavors of fennel or anise, this wine is well structured and balanced and has a lingering fennel finish. It was the perfect match for the food: its flavors complementing those of the dish, and the fruit working with the spice.	Alamos Torrontes
Saintsbury Garnet Pinot Noir Carneros 2008 $17.99 Opaque garnet in color, this California Pinot Noir has a forward nose of bramble and berry with attractive hints of raspberry. Light to medium bodied, with red-fruit and strawberry flavors, it has a good finish with smoke and spice. A real WOW! with the food. A perfect match for the tomatoes  in the dish. This was a case where the wine enhanced the food, and the food the wine.	Saintsbury Garnet Pinot Noir
Regaleali Lamùri Nero d’Avola Sicilia IGT 2005 $17.99 Deep dark red in color, this wine has an earthy mushroom nose with nuances of black fruit. Light bodied, it offers dry, earthy flavors with notes of dried plums and has a persistent fruit-and-spice finish. Great with the swordfish, it seemed to add a dimensionality to it, picking up the spice.	Regaleali Lamuri
Mas Carlot Les Enfants Terribles Costieres de Nimes 2006 $13.99 Deep ruby in color, this equal belnd of Mourvedre and Syrah, from France’s Languedoc region, has an earthy, rustic nose. Medium bodied and smooth, it offers plenty of spicy black-fruit flavors. It has a lingering finish, with notes of leather, cedar, and fruit. It provided a nice counterpoint with the fish.	Mas Carlot Les Enfants Terribles
Areo Malbec Patagonia 2007 $9.99 Deep, dark opaque purple in color, this wine has a restrained nose of burnt sugard and grape jam. It’s medium to full bodied with black-berry flavors. It has a long, lingering finish, with hints of caramel and berry. This wine shined with the food; a perfect duo. One taster commented, “Like a tango with the pasta–the masculinity of the wine and the femininity of the pasta.”	Areo Malbec
Newton Claret Napa Valley 2006 $19.99 This cuvée (Merlot 43%, Cabernet Sauvignon 41%, Cabernet Franc 9%, Petit Verdot 4%, Syrah 3%) is opaque garnet in color. It has an alluring yet subtle nose of woodland berries, mushroom, and leather. Full bodied and elegantly structured with balanced fruit and acidity, it delivers plenty of mocha and black-cherry flavors with an underpinning of spice. It has a long finish, with mocha and cherry. Another winner with the food, showing more of a European character.	Newton Claret

Have been in a Pinot kind of mood these days, so I decided to do a quick post on two California Pinot Noirs that I recently enjoyed.

Castle Rock Pinot Noir California Cuvee 2008 $12.99 Garnet in color, this affordable Pinot Noir has a woodsy berry nose. Light bodied, it offers both tart and sweet raspberry flavors. It’s delicate on the palate with nice acidity for dining and has a persistent finish with dry berry notes.	Castle Rosck Pinot Noir California Cuvee
Hayman & Hill Pinot Noir Santa Lucia Highlands 2008 $18.99 Garnet red in color, with an attractive burnt-sugar and red-berry nose, this Pinot Noir is light bodied and relatively dry with deep ripe raspberry flavors and a lingering tart-berry finish. It’s nicely structured with balanced fruit and acidity.	Hayman and Hill Pinot Noir

Find our most recent blog posts below, right after our Monthly Feature, and on our Wine of the Week page.

For some reason, I always associate zinfandel with autumn. It seems that as soon as the leaves start to turn and the first chill sets in, I get a craving for this rich red wine, usually high in alcohol content, with bold tastes of red fruit, chocolate, raspberries, and pepper. These characteristics make a good zinfandel the perfect accompaniment for a roasted leg of lamb or as the braising liquid for a hearty beef stew. (Obviously, I’m talking about real zinfandel and not the white impostor.)

Styles of zinfandel will, of course, vary. But for the most part, they seem to fall into two categories: the fruit-forward and the spicy. My preference has always been for those that emphasize the spiciness of this varietal; however, there seems to be an increasing number of fruit-forward zins in the market. Let your own palate be your guide.

So what makes a zinfandel good? First off, it should be full bodied with an alcohol content close to or above 13%. The nose should be rich with red fruit or berries, with undertones of spice or vanilla. On the palate, don’t always expect finesse but more often bold assertiveness: its flavors should be well defined and accompanied by supple tannins. The flavors of a truly great zin will burst forth on the palate and not fade on the finish.

Finding an affordable zin isn’t too difficult these days. Indeed, given its jug-wine roots, there are plenty of zins under $12 a bottle. (One of the best wines we tasted, Cline Zinfandel California 2007, goes for $10.99.) However, in this price range the trick is to separate the true champions of the full-bodied zinfandel style from the lightweights. It becomes a little easier to find truly exceptional zins in the $15 to $20 range.

My favorite zin producer has always been Ridge. Unfortunately, over the years, their prices have taken them out of our range here at TableWine ($20 and under).  However, we have included one in our tasting solely as a benchmark: the Ponzo Vineyard California 2007 ($24.99).

As is our custom at TableWine, we always taste the wines first by themselves and then again with food. For this tasting, we prepared a simple roast leg of lamb with garlic and rosemary, accompanied by roasted heirloom tomatoes and roasted cauliflower. We decided to taste the wines in order of their alcohol level, starting with the lowest (13.5%) to the highest (15.5%).

I might also suggest that, if you’re looking for a red for your Thanksgiving table, you might want to consider a zin. This truly American varietal provides the perfect accompaniment not only for the turkey but also for all the sweet and savory sides that make up our holiday’s feast.

We hope you will add your thoughts and opinions in a comment to this post.

Ridge Zinfandel Ponzo Vineyard California 2007 (15.5%) $24.99 This was our benchmark for the tasting and was tasted before the other wines. This blend of 95% Zinfandel and 5% Petite Syrah is ruby red in color and has a huge berry nose with hints of clove, strawberry, and smoke. Full bodied and elegant on the palate, with rich flavors of ripe strawberry and blueberry with a tart counterpoint. Its lingering finish is characterized by cloves. The wine’s elegance truly belies its high alcohol level. This wine was excellent with the lamb.	Ridge Ponzo Vineyard
Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Zinfandel 2006 (13.5%) $15.99 Garnet red in color, this wine has an earthy nose, with hints of mushroom and blackberry. Light to medium bodied, it offers stewed-fruit flavors.  The structure is unbalanced and the berry finish is rather short. Although the food enhanced this wine, it was one of the weaker ones of this tasting. (We were surprised by this wine’s showing because, in the past, we have enjoyed many of the wines in the Diamond Collection.)	Coppola Diamond Collection
Rosenblum Cellars Zinfandel California Cuvee Michelle N.V. (13.8%) $9.98 Ruby red in color, this wine has a forward nose of maraschino cherry with mild spice notes. Light to medium bodied, it has elusive jammy fruit flavors that fade too quickly. The finish is short. The wine vanished with the lamb. Another disappointment from a usually reliable Zinfandel producer.	Rosenblum Cuvee Michelle
Dancing Bull Zinfandel California 2007 (13.9%) $7.99 Ruby red in color, this wine has deep, rock-candy and cherry aromas. Medium bodied, it offers monochromatic red-cherry flavors with some earthy tobacco notes. Tobacco and spice best characterize the adequate finish. This wine showed very well with the lamb.	Dancing Bull California
Cline Zinfandel California 2007 (14%) $10.99 Ruby in color, this wine has earthy, toasty notes on the nose together with some mushroom. It is light to medium bodied, with toasted-wood flavors accompanied by an underpinning of red berries. It has good length and finishes dry with some black-pepper notes. A somewhat complex, attractive wine with balanced structure. This wine blossomed with the lamb. A star of this tasting.	Cline California
Joel Gott Zinfandel California 2008 (14.4%) $12.99 Ruby in color, this wine has a restrained nose with earthy mushroom and berry notes. It is medium bodied and well structured, with balanced fruit, tannins, and acidity. It offers red-cherry flavors complemented by hints of mushroom. It has a pleasant red-berry finish. Very good with the lamb.	Joel Gott California
Bogle Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel California 2007 (14.5%) $9.99 Dark ruby in color, this wine has a red-berry nose with some sweet-Marsala like notes. Light to medium bodied, there is a preponderance of acidity on the palate that throws off the structure. It offers cherry flavors with some hints of spice. Finishes with spice and acidity. The lamb seemed to tame this wine’s acidic profile.	Bogle Old Vine California
Hook & Ladder Zinfandel Sonoma County Russian River Valley 2005 (14.9%) $19.99 Ruby in color, this wine has a forward, succulent nose of spice and ripe red cherries. It is medium bodied and elegant on the palate with a lot of finesse for a zin. It offers tart, juicy berry flavors accompanied by hints of spice and cloves. It has a lush, berry-note finish. “Seductive,” remarked one taster. This wine was excellent with the lamb and was another star of this tasting.	Hook & Ladder Russian River Valley
Renwood Zinfandel Old Vine Amador County 2005 (15%) $15.99 Deep red in color, this wine has a raisiny nose. On the palate, it delivers a range of flavors, ranging from dried fruits, like raisins and figs, to dark chocolate and currants. It is full bodied and big, with a lingering spice finish. It complemented the lamb nicely.	Renwood Old Vines
Ravenswood Old Vine Zinfandel Napa Valley 2006 (15.4%) $17.99 Dark red in color, this wine has burnt-sugar and cherry aromas. It is, however, awkwardly structured, with the acidity overwhelming the fruit. Its cherry flavors dissipate quickly, and the finish is tart and acidic. This wine, however, was great with the lamb. A real food wine.	Ravenswood Old Vine Napa
St. Amant Old Vine Zinfandel Mohr-Fry Ranch Lodi (15.5%) $19.99 Dark ruby in color, this wine has a surprisingly vegetal nose with some charred notes. On the palate, it is full bodied and extremely smooth, delivering plenty of strawberry and other red-berry flavors. A long, persistent finish. A disconnect with the nose. This wine was extraordinary with the lamb and considered another star of the tasting.	St. Amant Old Vine Lodi

Find our most recent blog posts below, right after our Monthly Feature, and on our Wine of the Week page.

It seems that the popularity of “little plates,” like tapas in Spain, cicchetti in Italy, or mezze in the Middle East, has returned. Usually enjoyed abroad on a stroll to a restaurant, they appear designed to stimulate rather than sate the appetite. Although small in size, they are often big in flavor. In their native environment, these dishes are served with local aperitifs like sherry or simple white wines. But in the U.S., these plates often become the meal and finding the right wine for them can be a little challenging.

When pairing wine and food, weight is the key. Pair the weight of the wine with the weight of the food and you’re on your way to becoming a first-class sommelier, or at least a good f00d-and-wine matchmaker.

What do I mean by weight? Not talking pounds or kilos here; rather, the heft of the dish. For food, I think we know when we’re tasting something that’s light or heavy. Salads, poached white fish, fruit–all relatively light. Grilled salmon, sauteed veal, semi-aged cheeses might be considered medium weight foods. Stews, grilled red meats, roasts and the like may be considered heavier fare. The sauces and spices may also add a certain amount of weight to a dish. A poached chicken with a heavy white sauce may easily move up from a middle weight dish to a heavy one.

As for the weight of a wine, I like to use (and I hope without offense) milk as an example. For light bodied wines, think of skim milk, totally fat free. For medium bodied wines, think 2% wines; full bodied wines, whole milk; heavy wines, you guessed it, cream.

Of course, in addition to weight there’s also flavor to consider. Delicate citrus flavors are wonderful with lighter dishes. Mineral and light-berry flavors pair well with the middle-weight foods. Earthy and black-fruit flavors are the perfect matches for the big guys.

But above all, trust your own taste. It may take some time before you’re fully comfortable with food-and-wine pairing, but learning and experimenting can sure be a lot of fun.

One book that I find very helpful on this subject is Joanna Simon’s Wine with Food. Its last chapter, “Matching Wine and Matching Food” is a handy, two-part quick reference guide to finding the best wine for a particular dish or the perfect food to complement your favorite bottle.

For this tasting, we ordered in a variety of tapas from a local Spanish restaurant. Among the dishes we sampled were: Calmar a la Plancha, grilled seasoned calamari, Gambas a la Plancha, grilled shrimp with olive oil and lemon, Chicharon de Bacalao, chunks of light fried fresh cod, Caracoles, escargot with parsley, garlic, and olive oil, Pinchos Morunos, marinated grilled pork cubes, Patatas Bravas, spicy potato cubes with tomatoes, paprika, and wine sauce, Fritos, a selection of fried tapas, Albondiguillas Estofadas, beef meatballs stewed in a brandy sauce, and Maduros, fried sweet ripe plantains. We also enjoyed some grilled Chorizo sausages and Manchego cheese.

Our custom at TableWine is to taste the wines first on their own and then again with the food. We sometimes find that a wine that was just OK on its own can start to sing when it’s well matched. The wines are listed in the order in which they were tasted. Please share your thoughts and suggestions for other pairings by adding a comment to this post.

Cava Parxet Cuvee 21 $11.99 Quick-fading mousse, light straw in color ,with medium sized bubbles. The nose is yeasty, and the dry flavors are reminiscent of toast. Light bodied and effervescent. We found this wine overwhelmed by all the dishes we paired with it.	Parxet Cava Cuvee 21
Maculan Pino & Toi 2008 $11.99 We left Spain and went to Italy for this one. From the renowned Veneto producer Maculan, this blend of Tocai, Pinot Grigio, and Pinot Bianco is pale gold in color. The nose is exquisite with floral aromas like acacia and honeysuckle. On the palate, the wine is medium bodied and delivers dry flavors, with hints of apple and caramel or burnt sugar. Well structured, with good acidity, it has a nice finish with some honey notes. This wine was excellent with the calamari and the shrimp. A star of this tasting.	Maculan Pino & Toi
Mas Que Vinos Ercavio Blanco 2008 $11.99 This wine from Spain’s Castilla region is 100% Airen. Pale straw in color, it offers attractive grapefruit aromas. On the palate, it is light bodied and flavorful with crisp citrus notes. A nice, persistent pithy finish with some hints of pine or cedar. This wine was wonderful with the pork.	Ercavio Bianco
Burgans Albarino 2008 $12.99 From Spain’s Rias Baixas region, this wine is pale gold in color. Beautifully aromatic, with notes of muscat and vanilla, it is medium bodied and delivers flavors of orange zest and dried apricot. Light on the finish with hints of apricot and minerals.	Burgans Albarino
Bodega Norton Lo Tengo Torrontes 2008 $9.99 Pale gold in color, this wine from Argentina has an attractive forward nose of white flowers, citrus, and pear. Medium bodied and off dry, it’s packed with juicy pear and citrus flavors, complemented by some mineral notes. Very well structured with a persistent finish. This wine was excellent with the food, especially with the shrimp and the pork. Another star of this tasting.	Lo Tengo Torrontes
Castaño Monastrell Yecla 2007 $7.99 Deep ruby in color, this wine has a subdued sweet red-cherry nose and rich cherry flavors. Light to medium bodied, with cherry flavors and a nice tart finish. This wine was outstanding with the pork and the meatballs. An excellent value at this price.	Castano Monastrell
Casa Castillo Monastrell Jumilla 2007 $9.99 Deep ruby in color with a rich cherry nose. Medium bodied, it delivers tart wild-cherry and spice flavors. Well structured with good acidity for dining and supple tannins. A persistent spicy finish. Excellent with the food, especially with the beef and, at this price, another star of the tasting.	Casa Castillo Monastrell
Bodegas Olivares Monastrell Altos de la Hoya Finca Hoya de Santa Ana 2007 $9.99 Deep ruby verging on purple in color, this single-vineyard wine from Spain’s Jumilla region has a rather odd vinyl, synthetic nose with notes of wet tobacco. Light bodied, it offers tart fruit flavors and a tart finish. This wine was too light for the food.	Olivares Altos
Maipe Bonarda Mendoza 2008 $9.99 Deep ruby verging on purple in color, this wine from Argentina has black-fruit aromas of plums and berries, complemented by notes of earth and beef. Light bodied on the palate, with sweet supple tannins, it offers vinous flavors with notes of spice on the grapey finish. It was very good with the beef and pork.	Maipe Bonarda
Bodegas Alto Almanzora Este Vino de Mesa 2007 $9.99 This blend from Spain of Monastrell, Tempranillo,  Syrah, Garnacha, Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon is deep ruby in color with red-fruit and berry aromas. Light bodied and smooth on the palate, it offers black-cherry flavors with hints of spice. Beautifully structured, with good acidity, it finishes nicely with notes of cherry. This wine was very good with the food.	Alto Almanzora Este

Vino Sfuso

How long can you keep an opened bottle of wine before it goes bad?

I often hear many people say a day or two.

There also seems to be a plethora of gadgets and pumps designed to protect our precious wine from wine’s arch enemy, oxygen.

Personally, I have at times kept an open bottle of red for a week without using any gadget and only making sure to cork it tightly.

Granted, each day the wine lost some of its original quality; but was it still drinkable? Yes.

The same with whites. Many times, I have enjoyed a week-old white from the fridge with dinner.

In Italy, so many families go to local wineries or wine shops with their 50 liter demijohns and fill them up with what is called “vino sfuso,” usng a nozzle attached to a large tank. (See the picture for an example.) The same with many local osterias and trattorias. Quite often, this is the wine that’s served from a ceramic pitcher or a glass carafe when we order the house red or white.

My point in this short posting is that bottled wine can still be enjoyed for more than a day or two after it’s been opened. Just be sure that you cork it tightly, keep it away from any heat source, and for whites, keep them in the fridge. You may even find that some of your reds that were a little tight the first day you opended may even taste better after a few days.

Could we perhaps be too obsessed with freshness?

If wine were a religion, Verona Italy’s Bottega del Vino would be its cathedral. And at this Mecca for wine lovers, when a bottle of wine is ordered, the capsule is skillfully turned into a cork holder, remaining attached to the neck of the bottle. Then, the first ounce or so of wine is poured into a glass, which is then carefully turned to slowly coat its entire inside. This same wine is then transferred to the next glass, which goes through the same process, and this is continued until all the diners’ glasses have been coated with wine.

It’s really mesmerizing to watch this ritual, which the Italians call avvinare. But it is not at all carried out for showmanship. Indeed, it has a most practical purpose. It is used to rid the glass of any malodorous taint from soap or rinse agents.

As I travel through the US for my job and dine out several times a week, I am finding more and more smelly glasses that can often make a wine smell corked or off. In fact, at one wine dinner, after sniffing my first wine, I turned to my guests and apologized for the corked bottle. They all looked at me with great surprise. None of them found the wine to be tainted. I then proceeded to swirl the wine in my glass, emptied it, and then refilled. All was as it should be.

Although I have seen the avvinare process used at some restaurants here in the US, (New York’s city famed Babbo is one example.), I fear it will never catch on given the manpower and time constraints. But this does not mean, you can’t do it yourself. Next time, when dining out before you sniff the cork, sniff the wine glass. If it smells off or like soap, ask the waiter to pour a little wine in your glass and proceed to avvinare your dining companions’ glasses.

But please don’t make a show of it; be subtle. There’s enough pretentiousness about wine already. The video below demonstrates how to do this without any affectation.