Blogger’s Note: I want to preface this post with the old adage, ‘All things in moderation.’ You might get the impression when reading this particular post that I spend all my days drinking wine. Not true. In fact, I probably don’t get the medical benefit that derives from one or two glasses of red wine per day, not because I drink MORE than that, but because I drink LESS. Days and even weeks go by when I don’t have a single glass . . . which makes it all the more enjoyable when I do, right? So, with that caveat in place . . . . read on!
I love wine. No secret, right? I enjoy it on a lazy Saturday afternoon or on a weekday evening when a couple of glasses stretch out across a few hours. I enjoy it late at night while listening to music and talking with friends. I love to drink it inside kicked back in a comfortable chair. I love to drink it outside under a tree or under the stars. I love it for a lot of reasons.
Maya (from the movie, Sideways) probably articulates my thinking best when Miles asks her how she became enamored with wine. About halfway into the conversation she says, “And the more I drank, the more I liked what it made me think about.” She goes on to say, “I like to think about the life of wine. How it’s a living thing. I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it’s an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I’d opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it’s constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks. And then it begins its steady, inevitable decline. And it tastes so good.” (Okay, so I edited a word or two because my mom might be reading this post.
Anyway, I really think Maya expresses it well. But the truth is, most wine is at its best when it’s consumed with food. I mean, that was really the original purpose anyway, right? And some wines – most wines actually – only reach their finest, most spectacular presentation when paired with exactly the right food.
I was reminded of that again this past week. There’s a little restaurant on Greenville Avenue that Lisa and I have come to love over the last several years called, “The Grape.” Frankly, one of the greatest things about living downtown is that we’re only about five minutes away from The Grape. We first discovered it when Lisa attended a cooking class several years ago taught by Chef Brian Luscher, who owns The Grape with his wife Courtney, who is the restaurant’s GM and who manages the “front of house” with a flair commensurate with Brian’s artistry in the kitchen.
While we love going to The Grape on almost any occasion (including to have the absolute BEST hamburger in Texas only served on Sunday and Monday), we have come to really enjoy attending their monthly “Chef’s Come-As-You-Are” Wine Dinners. Each month, Courtney invites a different winery or distributor to showcase their product and Brian creates a menu designed to show off the wines at their best.
This week the dinner featured wines from Washington State. The first wine was a 2007 Northstar Merlot (93 WE, 92 WA, 91 WS). The merlot grapes were blended with cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot in a “Right Bank” Bordeaux style. Northstar is a small producer in the Walla Walla Valley, and Winemaker Merf Merfeld was at The Grape to show off his “baby.” Chef Brian Luscher chose to pair the Merlot with a parmesan gnocchi with sweet and spicy Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, and arugula pesto cream. Not only did I tell Brian that his gnocchi is the best I’ve had outside Italy (it’s true), but I also told him that Merf owed him a special thanks because while the Merlot was very good when tasted on its own, when paired with the gnocchi it was raised to a completely new level. All the tannins and “hot” alcohol in the wine (those things that make it possible to age a wine long enough for the complexity of the wine to be revealed) stepped back and the black cherry, plum, and spicy vanilla took center stage. It went from being “very good” to being “excellent.”
Next, Marcus Notaro showed off his 2006 Col Solare (94 W&S, 93 WA, 92 WS, 91 WE), a traditional “Left Bank” Bordeaux dominated by cabernet sauvignon with merlot, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and (in a break from the Bordeaux model) a little bit of Syrah. Marcus is the winemaker in this collaboration between Chateau Ste. Michelle (a well-known Washington State wine brand) and the famed Antinori family from Italy. Again, this wine was VERY good on its own. But when Brian’s herb and garlic rubbed pork roast with mustard jus, shitake risotto, and oven dried tomatoes joined the Col Solare at our table, the wine came ALIVE!
Finally, Domaine Ste. Michelle’s Blanc de Noirs NV (a sparkling wine) arrived with a valrhona chocolate terrine with French brandied cherries. I don’t even have the words to describe this one. It was a perfect finish to a great meal with spectacular pairings of incredible food and wines.
As always, Courtney and Brian were “on their game.” I would highly encourage you to make it to The Grape next time you’re in Dallas. In fact, if you’d like us to join you I’m sure you wouldn’t have to twist our arms! And if you do go without us, be sure you tell Courtney that Tim and Lisa sent you. There’s nothing in it for us but the pleasure of connecting favorite people with favorite food and wines. And that’s one of our favorite things!
And be sure and remember . . . wine is always good. But when paired with the right food, it reaches its full potential and becomes . . . spectacular! Call us. We’ll be glad to show you!