time for a drink

For some reason I don't drink as much beer aboard in the wintertime. I still drink beer when I'm out because it's just more calorie- and cost-conscious. Whatever the reason, I've been on a run of trying new wines and enjoying the Wine for Normal People podcast to learn more about wine, winemaking, and pairing. I'm on a pretty tight budget so I can't have $20 "daily drinkers," but I have come to agree with WFNP's host Elizabeth that the sub-$10 bottles are blech. Well, I do have a couple of favs (like the Santola vinho verde from Portugal) that come in at $9.99. But those $6 and $8 bottles, they really taste like bad grape juice and have painful, sugary hangover written all over them if you actually manage to stomach the stuff.

So, here are some of the bottles I've been trying. One big hit, (pictured above), though not in the daily budget, was a $20 cremant from the Loire. Made using the same method as Champagne, a cremant of the same quality may cost half as much as a Champagne. For Christmas I tried the Gaudrelle and really enjoyed it. It had a yeastiness that made it interesting. There were only two cremant at my local liquor store and this one was highly rated, so it was an easy pick.

The Montebuena Rioja is one of my favorite go-to wines. Smooth, goes well with food or without. A reliable friend and usually $11 or $12. But I wanted to branch out from my usual Spain/Portugal/Argentina rut. I had had the Matua pinot noir when I was in New Zealand and happened to see it on sale at my local liquor store. It was just $13 and is fine for a whirl, but for a serious meal I think I'd have to spring a bit more to get a good pinot. Unfortunately the grape is the most difficult to grow, and, thus, the good wine from it is pricey. I've always been a big believer in Oregon pinot noir but WFNP suggests that they are pricier than other pinots for a bottle of equivalent quality. If only I had a budget for good Burgundy.

After listening to the WFNP podcasts on the Rhone, I felt I needed to try some southern Rhone wine. I'd love a Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but since they start at $50, that wasn't happening. I agonized in the aisle for a while when the wine guy at the liquor store came over to offer some help. I explained what I was looking for and my sub-$20 budget. He recommended the Domaine La Casenove La Garrigue ($16). I had thought it might be for Christmas but I held onto it a bit longer. I really wanted to give it thought and savor it. When I opened the bottle and poured a glass the rich berry color was gorgeous and the aroma was delish. Then I took a sip and, gasp, it was awful! I expected there would be minerality and earthiness to it, but I felt like I got a mouth full of stale dirt. I decided maybe it needed to be in a different glass and switched it. I also let it sit for several minutes to get some air. Letting it "breathe" definitely helped. But the rest of the bottle was actually wonderful the next night. If I buy it again or have another similar experience I think I will decant it and just give it a little time to relax. 

A friend gave me the Los Haraldos tempranillo for Christmas. I love tempranillo and it just goes well with so much of my cooking. I enjoyed this one and would drink it again. I was drinking South American and Iberian wines before I started listening to WFNP, but I really embrace her advice that you can often get good value (i.e., higher quality for the price) when you buy wine from places where people speak Spanish (or Portuguese).

Unfortunately I haven't managed to sit and keep tasting notes. I default to a very simple rating system, which I've been using as I try to get through the 100 beers in the World Beer Club at Ram's Head Tavern: yum, meh, and ick. So very sophisticated.

Next I decided no two bottles from the same country. The Bastide Miraflors is a syrah and grenache blend from the southern Rhone, The Dr. L (for Dr. Loosen) riesling is from Germany's Mosel region, and the Altés is 100% grenache from Spain. The later is a great value at around $11 and got a 91 rating from Robert Parker (I do keep going back for the Altés). I usually love riesling but the Dr. L was way too sweet for my taste. (I like the Chateau Ste. Michelle riesling from Washington, the core one of which is about $10. Even better is the Eroica, which is a collaboration between Dr. Loosen and Chateau Ste. Michelle, but also costs twice as much.) The Bastide Miraflors was tasty enough that I bought it again and I think it went well with mushrooms and risotto.

Finally, the Cousiño-Macul Finis Terrae cabernet sauvingon, merlot, and syrah blend was very nice. It was a gift back when I renamed the boat and had been tucked away for a special occasion. But the special occasion was that I wanted to try it and not let it sit any longer. It was noted as unfiltered but I poured slowly and carefully and didn't end up with any sediment in my glass.

I have tended to avoid cabernet sauvignon, thinking it will be too "heavy." Therefore, I haven't been drinking Chilean wines lately. Chile does cabernet. Argentina does malbec and tempranillo, which is where I've been leaning in the last few years. But perhaps it's time to try some more cabernet. If I had friends interested enough in wine I would do a tasting with a bottle of Washington cab, one from Chile, and then a Bordeaux. The first step in my wine re-education has been learning about the grapes at a high level and how different winemaking techniques (e.g., American oak versus French oak) affect the wine generally. Now I need to learn more about the different styles by region/country so I can improve my pairing, and my value shopping.

Okay, one beer! Here's the Wells Banana Bread from the World Beer Club, it was amazing! I couldn't drink a six-pack at once, but one or two on a winter afternoon, sure.

Lest you think I drink several bottles of wine a night, the bottles pictured above span at least a six-week timeframe. It's not that I couldn't (or haven't) knocked off a bottle on my own in one night, but I'm a gal on budget, financially and calorically, so it's two, maybe three, little 5 ounce glasses at most.

Cheers! Salud! Prost!

Gotta run; it's time for a drink...

in vino veritas

I like this simple Rioja from Spain. The bottle was about $10 on sale at my local liquor store.

Wines from Spain and Portugal are a great value. Rather than playing it safe and getting some big-name American or Australian wine, live on the edge and grab a few bottles you've never heard of from Spain and Portugal; if one is a dud you won't be out much moolah and odds are you'll actually discover some new wines you really enjoy.

I like Douro (red) and Vinho Verde (white, slightly effervescent, my fav is by Santola) from Portugal and Rioja (it's a region) and Tempranillo (it's a grape), (both red), from Spain. While I like Garnarcha/Grenache, sometimes they can be heavy for me if not blended with other grapes, so I always drink them with food. You really can't go wrong with some Spanish Marcona almonds, Cabrales and Manchego cheeses, and some Medjool dates paired with a couple bottles of wine and a loaf of crusty bread. Just add some good friends and conversation.

I used the barcode scanner in MyFitnessPal on the Montebuena Rioja, and was told it is 118 calories per 5 ounce glass. A bottle of wine contains five 5 ounce glasses, however, most people pour 6-8 ounces in their glass at a time. Since I'm back to counting all my calories I measured out 5 ounces of water and poured it into one of my new govino glasses to identify where the 5 ounce line would be. Conveniently enough, 5 ounces is right at the bottom of the thumb-indent on the glass so now I can always pour a perfect 5 ounce glass. (This is the larger wine glass from govino; I also have a set of the smaller wine/cocktail glasses.)

I still have plenty of glass aboard, but as I buy new drinkware I am going with shatterproof items for the boat. The govino glasses are super lightweight, shatterproof, recyclable, not overly expensive, and BPA-free.

One lesson learned the hard way...they will start to melt if set too close to a fire or if you pour boiling water on them. So, of my eight glasses, three are now misfits. C'est la vie; if I drink enough wine I forget that it bugs me that they got damaged.

red pepper and feta-stuffed chicken breasts

I recently had a friend over for dinner aboard the boat. He does not eat red meat, so my much-loved chicken and italian sausage was not a menu option. Therefore, I opted for red pepper and feta-stuffed chicken breasts accompanied by a white wine and parmesan risotto and fresh spinach sauteéd in olive oil and fresh garlic, with a touch of Kosher salt.

The chicken came from The Fresh Market; large, antibiotic-free, vegetarian fed. Here is my mise en place of crumbled feta, chopped red pepper, and chopped garlic, and then the breasts before they went in the oven.


The chicken breasts were large and much thicker at one end. I took the four breasts and created six servings by cutting the breasts in half and stacking the thinner ends, then taking the thick halves and slicing them horizontally for stuffing. I put a few tablespoons of olive oil in the baking dish, added a heaping tablespoon of garlic, fresh ground black pepper, and Kosher salt to taste. I dredged each piece of chicken in the oil and garlic marinade, then placed a spoonful each of red pepper and feta on the bottom six pieces of chicken, stacked the top pieces of chicken in place, and garnished each with a little more feta and red pepper. In my propane oven aboard, they were baked uncovered at 350 degrees for 90 minutes.

Here is the finished product. You can easily tell which side of the pan was adjacent to the gas flame.

Everything was so delicious I forgot to take a photograph before plating up our meal and forgot to take a photo of the plated dish. Sorry!

Here is a snap of the risotto in the works. It begins by sauteíng half a medium onion (chopped) in two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of butter. When the onions are translucent, add one cup of arborio rice and sauté for one or two minutes. Three cups of water are called for. The only rice I ever cook in water is white basmati. All other rice should be cooked with flavor. For risotto I use one cup of vegetarian vegetable broth and two cups of wine. I often use a dry Washington Riesling, but I am currently on a kick drinking a lovely Vinho Verde from Portugal, pictured below with the parmesan that is added at the end.


Once the liquid is added, stir the risotto constantly until it is thick and creamy and stir in the parmesan at the very end. I save some time by using my pressure cooker and putting it under pressure for 10 to 15 minutes.