MAC, CHEESE, WINE AND WOW!

Last year “Best Wines with Pizza” was a huge hit and I knew that I was on to something. I wanted to show everyone that comes to the tasting that wine can accompany just about any meal and enhance the eating experience. It does not have to be steak, ham, lamb or exotic cheeses. Mac & Cheese is probably one of the last meals a person would consider uncorking a bottle of wine for. Prior to the tasting event, a gentleman came to me at the store and questioned the food and wine pairing saying, “Why mac & cheese?”. It turned out after a few questions that he didn’t like mac & cheese. The point is that regardless of your culinary preferences wine can and should be a consideration at any meal.

As I was pouring the whites for all those in attendance, someone came to me and said, “I find it quite interesting and I have learned tonight that wine really makes the food better, even if it is mac & cheese.” Although the person did not know it, that was one of the greatest compliments I received that night. I had accomplished what I intended and it felt good.

I want to thank the six participants in the mac & cheese cook-off. All of them did an excellent job and everyone who had a chance to try the dishes felt the same way. I was impressed at how seriously everyone took their responsibility to judge the entrees and cast their vote. Impressive too was the effort made to see how the wines chosen paired with the food. After counting the votes, we had a winner. Congratulations go to Marilyn Kline for getting the most votes for best mac & cheese. Kings Deli department came in a close second and Lori Stokes took the third spot.

Of course we know that the primary reason for holding these events is to feature different wines for everyone to try. To kick off the new year, we had Karen Nelson and her boss Lisa there to present wines from the Columbia Distributing portfolio. Karen and I spent some time going over the wines we felt best matched up with mac & cheese. I think we did a decent job and here is a brief review of the wine that we tasted that night and some thoughts from the tasters.

2009 Barone Fini Vadadige Pinot Grigio Alto Adige, Italy… $12.99

Anyone that knows me will tell you that pinot grigio is not my favorite subject in wine right now. I like pinot grigio but I find that too many wine drinkers have gotten into a pinot grigio rut that has prevented them from stretching out their palate horizons, which I am a firm advocate for. However, it was decided that a pinot grigio was appropriate for this food pairing. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this version had a wonderful mineral quality about it. A nose of crushed rock, honey and lemon notes was a very nice start. The minerality continued on the palate with notes of lemon and kiwi that are fairly big on the front yet the wine finishes dry with that crushed rock feel that lingered. Let me tell you that this is one of the better grigios I have had in awhile and it goes for a prayer.

88 points

2008 Hogue Cellars Genesis Viognier Columbia Valley Washington … $12.99

Papaya, mango and banana on the nose that is not over-powering. Big and round on the front of the palate that stays fairly fat on the middle. Notes of melon and banana with hits of papaya and white flowers. Very pleasant on the finish with some spice and tangerines. Viognier is starting to gain in popularity but unfortunately most wine drinkers fall back on pinot grigio instead of expanding their palates. This is very unfortunate since there is a ton of very interesting whites to try out there. 90 points

2009 Chateau St Jean Chardonnay Sonoma, California … $13.99

This is one of those chards that one might take for granted. It has been around for a long time and I cannot tell you the last time I have tried it. I am happy to report that it is worth keeping around.

A wonderful nose of pears, oak, nutmeg, spice and fig. Creamy on the palate with notes of vanilla, pear, fig some nice warm spice notes and a finish of red delicious apples and pears that lingers for some time. This wine has a nice balance of oak and fruit. I was impressed. 90 points

2008 Artesa Chardonnay Carneros, California… $17.99

The last vintage of this wine received a 90 point rating in the Wine Spectator so I was curious to give this vintage a try. I have to say that I was slightly disappointed although I had a feeling that a lot of tasters would probably like it.

Toasty oak and caramel were large on the nose. Creamy and round on the palate with butterscotch notes ALL DAY. Seriously, this wine tasted just like butterscotch juice. The butterscotch was occasionally interrupted by some oak tones and just a slight hint of pears on the persistent finish. Like I said, I had a feeling it would go over well, but I felt it was a little one-dimensional. 87 points

2009 Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages Burgundy, France… $13.99

2009 is an unbelievable vintage for Burgundy, in particular southern Burgundy where the gamay grape hangs out. I’ve tasted at least twenty or more Beaujolais so far from this vintage and I have yet to be disappointed.

This had some classic notes on the nose of leather, tart raspberry and cherries with a splash of dirt. This wine is old world with notes of dark berries, wood, cassis, leather, mushrooms and a little celery. Soft tannins with an excellent freshness on the palate that left a little grip on the finish. I loved this wine and I felt that it would not hit a home run with the crowd. 89 points

2008 14 Hands Merlot Washington State… $10.99

Easily one of the most popular wines I carry at the store. One customer liked it so much they declared that it must have msg in it and that was why is was so addictive. Not likely but I think you get the point.

A very pleasing bouquet of plums and dark cherries with a side of anise. Good balance with generous notes of blackberries and spice backed by hits of anise and caramel resting on silky smooth tannins. This wine is soft and easy to drink. In fact, it is so easy that it should come with a warning that it is possible to consume the entire bottle without being aware of it. 87 points

2009 Ruta 22 Malbec Patagonia, Argentina … $10.99

Hmm, another ten dollar malbec from Argentina that is good. Surprised? You shouldn’t be, they are all over the market. This one was new to me and it delivered. The nose was very interesting with notes of vanilla, red currants and cedar with just a slight hit of stinkiness. Ripe and round right up front with sweet blackberries, plum and fennel. Some nice spice on the mid-palate. The finish was medium to long with a nice freshness. This was a little larger then some of the malbec I have tasted in recent memory. 89 points

2007 Susana Balbo Crios Syrah-Bonarda Mendoza, Argentina … $13.99

I love syrah, I love bonarda, and I love this producer. So guess what? I loved this wine. A nose of clove, bacon fat and blackberries that was quite powerful. In the mouth the wine had great depth with layers of flavors. Vanilla, mocha, bacon fat, white pepper and cocoa dust that were very persistent from start to finish that highlighted a nice peppery edge. This wine is a steal for this price and will be a staple in my wine rack. 91 points

2008 Folie a’ Deux Zinfandel Amador County, California … $17.99

This is both typical and not typical zin as you will find out. Generous on the nose with notes of vanilla, white pepper and dark cherries. Like most zins this is huge on the palate vanilla, mocha, dark cherries all day. Underlying notes of black raspberries and black currants on the mid-palate. A very pleasing and long, seductive finish that left your mouth coated with mocha and vanilla. Typical big zin, but not so typical in it’s complexity and confusion of flavors that were well integrated from start to finish. Not as much pepper as I would like to see, but that is a very small flaw in an otherwise excellent zin. 90 points

2008 Liberty School Cuvee California … $12.99

This kitchen sink red is a blend of syrah, petite sirah, grenache, mouvedre and viognier. One of those wines at the tasting that really needed to be decanted. On the nose it displayed green bell pepper, celery and red currant notes. This red reminded me a lot of a cab franc from the Loire Valley with its notes of red currants, celery and pepper along with fresh tannins. Towards the finish it started to open with some blackberry and red cherry and the slightest hits of celery and vanilla on the finish. As the wine opened up, the vegetal aspects died down and the blackberry and cherry notes started to take over. Actually, this is a wine with two faces. If you want a herbaceous style red, drink it fresh out of the bottle. If you want a little New World love, decant it. This red would be great with lamb , pizza or a juicy hamburger slathered in blue cheese. I liked it, but it is certainly not for everyone. 87 points

2008 Michael David Petite Petite Lodi, California … $17.99

A blend of petite sirah and petite verdot this wine has always been very popular. The bouquet of this wine is intense with notes of vanilla, blackberries, toast and black currants. Massive and fruit forward on the palate showing notes of brown sugar, hits of pepper, bacon fat, molasses and figs. The wine coats the mouth with sweet tannins and underlying notes of dark sweet cherries followed by a persistent finish. I found this wine to be very close to Port-like in a lot of ways. 87 points

I think you can almost guess which were the taster’s favorites and that they do not match up with mine. That is what I love about wine; it is all about individual palate. Top white went to Artesa Chardonnay. I think the creaminess and butterscotch notes were just too much to resist. Coming in a close second was the pinot grigio.

In the red category, the favorite was the Folie a’ Duex Zinfandel followed closely by the Ruta 22 malbec and the Petite Petite. I did not find this surprising at all. These were very good wines and had very few flaws. The one that did surprise me was the lack of interest in the Crios syrah-bonarda. I found this wine to be very complex and delicious leaving me with a lot to think about. Again, that is the beauty of the wine world… Unpredictable and challenging.

I had a lot of fun at this event and it was encouraging to see so many participate in the tasting and food pairing. I will try to get the recipe for the top 3 mac & cheese and post it soon. Here’s to keeping it real. Cheers! Stan The Wine Man