April 7, 2004
EasterEaster's this Sunday. Good dry rose is always a nice pairing with ham and scalloped potatoes. Two local favorites come from Tablas Creek west of Paso Robles and Sanford Winery in the Santa Rita Hills. The Tablas rose is made from Rhone varietals; the Sanford is made from pinot noir.
For whites, in the viognier department, I would search out Qupe and Silver, made by Benjamin Silver. There are splendid sauvignon blancs from our region too-Santa Barbara Winery from its vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills, and Fiddlehead Cellars, and Westerly from grapes grown in Happy Canyon are three that come to mind. Sauvignon blanc coming out of the Happy Canyon area of the Santa Ynez Valley is particularly impressive! Viognier is a white Rhone varietal and sauvignon blanc is the venerable white varietal from Bordeaux and from the Loire Valley in France.
I think for reds, syrah and pinot noir also match well with ham. For syrah, Qupe is always a good bet. Kunin syrah made by Seth Kunin is also a good choice, and so is Alban, if you can find it. Pinot noir that really strikes my fancy these days comes from Huber in the Santa Rita Hills, Drew Family Cellars, Loring Wine Company and Fiddlehead Cellars. Syrah is the red grape of the northern Rhone of France; pinot noir is the red grape of Burgundy in France.
Cork enclosures!
I'm still on the warpath!
Last week-once again-I had another bottle of corked wine. I have yet another descriptor you should note. It's that chlorine smell associated with a swimming pool! I had dinner with the person who made the bottle of wine at one of my favorite restaurants. The owner/winemaker had brought the bottle. I told him I wouldn't identify him because consumers usually "blame" the winery for a corked bottle, which is totally wrong. I have to stress that wineries always go out of their way to get the best cork possible. That hideous "corkiness" in wine always comes from tainted cork and has nothing to do with the winery.
On occasions when I have sent back a bottle of corked wine, I have to admit, I usually feel embarrassed. That's wrong! It's not my fault. I guess I am afraid of being branded by the server as one of those awful "wine snobs." I have done it apologetically-ridiculous I know!
A reputable winery, wine retailer or restaurant should always take back a corked wine. Most do. As a retailer myself, I do because I know my suppliers will always credit or make good the tainted bottle.
I can understand a restaurant's possible concern about taking back a corked bottle. A wily consumer might try to pass off a wine as corked. There is a big difference between a flawed bottle and the consumer's not "liking the wine." Not liking a wine is never a valid reason for returning it or not having to pay for it.
Smart restaurateurs who feature very old and rare wines on their lists should always print a caveat on their wine lists, something to the effect, "no returns." Occasionally a customer will order simply to "taste that 1908 Margaux or 1934 Vosne Romanee" just to taste it and then try to send it back on the pretext it's "bad" or "over the hill." If a wine is "over the hill," that is not the restaurant's problem. If I were the restaurateur, I would throw that customer out on his or her you-know-what!
Restaurant proprietors and serving staff should be trained in identifying corked wine. Greg Brewer of Melville and Brewer-Clifton conducted server seminars for the Santa Barbara County Vintners' Association years ago. Heublein has also offered server seminars which I have attended.
Red Mountain?
In last week's column I lamented, "what ever happened to those gallon jugs of 'Red Mountain' brand with screw tops?" Some of my favorite early culinary moments were dinners with my roommates, enjoying voluminous amounts of Red Mountain and homemade spaghetti and lasagna. This venerable old brand I learned became Carlo Rossi.
Bon appetit!
Wine lover and Santa Maria Times Wine columnist, Bob Senn, lives in the bucolic Los Alamos Valley and owns the Los Olivos Wine & Spirits Emporium.
