Make Good Use of Wine That's Not So Good

Have you ever opened a bottle of wine that you just didn't enjoy quite so much?  I am not talking about a bottle that was corked or bad for some other reason.  It was just one that wasn't pleasing to your palate.  I've had that experience more than a few times.  Even though I know pretty much what I am buying when I shop for wine, there are still many times that I pick up a new vintage that wasn't as good as the last or a grape varietal that I typically love from a winemaker with whom I am less than familiar.  It just doesn't taste like I expected it to taste.  It happens!  What do we do with the less than appealing wine?  

Waste Not!

I had a grandmother who made you clean your plate no matter what.  You didn't have to like what was on it. You just had to eat it.  And if you said that you didn't like, she gave you more!  I was smart and learned quickly to never say a word at her table.  Just eat those turnips, liver, or eggs that she had prepared and to keep my mouth shut.  Make no facial gestures, pretended that it tasted like chicken, and finish the meal.  So I have sorta taken that approach with wine.  Typically, I cook with leftover wine.  I add red wine to my tomato based pasta sauces or create pan sauces for my beef, pork, or lamb dishes.  With the whites, pan sauces for chicken or just add them as the liquid in the pan when I am sauteing.  Once I had a Chef do a demonstration in my wine shop.  He used a Pinot Grigio to make his Chicken Piccata.  You can Google and find many, many recipes with wine as an ingredient.  I saw a recipe using red wine to make a chocolate cake!  

When I did my search, I found a few things to be quite interesting.  Did you know that white wine can be used to eliminate a red wine stain?  Did you know that red wine could be used to clean produce (it removes bacteria)?  White wine mixed with baking soda removes grease stains?  Did you know that by dumping wine into the compost bin (red wine), it becomes a great fertilizer for your plants?  

As I finished a bottle of wine that I probably won't purchase again, I found it quite interesting to learn what I could have been doing with the wine had I not been so determined to finish it.  Not only is wine delicious but it is functional.  Can't do that with milk!

Grape Expectations

As you may know, Fridays are a big day for The Vine Wine Club because we taste wines to place in our shop.  We look forward to it!  Last week was filled with as much anticipation as the others Fridays.  There is a child-like excitement in the room as our rep pulls the samples from her bag.  My favorites tend to be the reds that I know that she's opened early enough in the day that they've been allowed time to breathe.  Last Friday, she pulled out an Amarone.  My absolute favorite.  Known for its full-bodied mocha richness, ripeness beyond regular harvest, and relatively high alcohol volume, I was bracing myself for this little touch of heaven in a glass.  As I tasted through the rest of the offerings, my mind stayed on what awaited me...what was certain to be the last tasting of the evening...the bottle that I was assured to finish later on that evening.  The process of making Amarone sets this wine a part and places it in an elite category.  The grapes are allowed to hang on the vines a little longer than other grapes.  When they are finally harvested, the grapes are placed on a screen to dry out even more, allowing the sugar to become more concentrated and the grapes to lose water.  When the grapes are finally pressed, the resulting juice is normally aged about 5 years.  When my Amarone was poured, my mind had already made up in my mind that it was going to be the best thing that I would have today.  Even though it wasn't as dark in color as an Amarone typically is and poured a little light, I was still anticipating greatness.  I wasn't so pleased.  I didn't taste that rich glass of raisins that I expected.  I didn't get that mouthful of ripeness that I anticipated.  Disappointed, I realized that I had just had my first experience of a bad year.  My educated guess was that 2009 had possibly been a wet year which would have presented a challenge for winemakers.  But what do I know?  What I did know is that this wasn't what I expected and I will wait for a better vintage for my customers.  You're welcome!

In case you are curious, it was a wet year.  I did some homework.
http://italianwinereview.wordpress.com/2013/02/02/the-2009-amarone-to-be-approached-with-caution/

Benita

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Bratwurst and Wine?

I cook with wine often.  My thought is that if what I'm preparing requires a liquid, make it something that has flavor.  Water works as it meets the liquid requirement but falls far short in the taste category.  Of course, I'm not saying that water can be replaced...you know what I mean.  Anyway, this weekend my sons wanted Bratwursts.  No problem.  I had poured myself a glass of wine already because, as I've said, I cook with wine often. Typically when I cook bratwursts, I simmer them in beer first before I finish them on the grill.  Those lucky "brats" got to simmer and soak up one of my favorite beers, Hoegaarden.  Nothing but the best for my "brats".   As the beer simmered out of the pan, I added Vidalia onions.  Once the brats had graduated to the grill, I wanted to make something extra special out of those pan drippings and caramelized onions.  So I decided to share what I was drinking with what was left in the pan.  With a little butter and a drop of Worcestershire Sauce, I poured in some Pietra Santa Sacred Stone's Master Blend.  Masterful!  Those onions were the perfect accompaniment to the brats but I bet they would have been fantastic on the bun by themselves (if you've ever craved an onion sandwich).  In the glass, the wine is bold, a little earthy, but filled with hints of cherries and plum.  It would go great with your grilled meats this summer!  

Membership to The Vine Wine Club will open in June.  Be sure to join because Sacred Stone's Master Blend will be one of our monthly featured wines.  Stay tuned for membership information and upcoming events by following us on Twitter and on Facebook.

Benita

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