When one is asked to recount his greatest experiences with wine, it is seldom a matter of simply denominating the finest wines one has tasted. Instead, the response usually begins with an effusive description of the setting, tasting companions, and the culinary fare.
As we approach the holiday season and begin reading the articles in the food magazines and Web sites about the feasible feasts we can offer our families and friends, we are confronted with the issue of wines to be served.
In a prior article, we dealt with four fundamental attributes of wine: body, texture, depth and concentration of flavor, and balance. In this issue, we will consider two additional characteristics of wine, COMPLEXITY and FINISH, both of which are essential to excellent wine.
“How would you like to host a dinner for Aubert de Villaine?" asked my friend Gib Rockwood of Wilson Daniels, a wine importer. I have been a sommelier for 12 years and have had some wonderful wine evenings, but I knew I was in for a special treat.
Some restaurant chefs go to extraordinary lengths to find exactly the right ingredients for their dishes. One is John Besh, who once wanted to strengthen the flavor and texture of his veal-stock reductions at Restaurant August in New Orleans by adding collagen, the protein found in cattle that also produces gelatin.
My friend Tom Jamison and I were spending some time wandering around Murfreesboro, Tennessee, near Nashville, which, as you might know, is great ‘cue country. Tom had just moved into an old farmhouse outside town, and I was helping him break in the kitchen by splattering grease around and dripping barbecue sauce on the newly sanded counters.
Integral to an appreciation and understanding of the diverse food cultures of the American South is the collection and preservation of the stories behind the food. The Southern Foodways Alliance’s Oral History Initiative seeks to capture stories of Southerners who grow, create, serve, and consume food and drink.
One of the most frequent frustrations of culinary enthusiasts about wine and food pairings involves the pleasures of the grill. And, to be sure, there are several aspects of the flavors and textures common to grilled, smoked, or barbecued food that significantly impact the enjoyment of wine.
Over the past 20 years, the level of dining sophistication among Americans has risen dramatically. The offerings by restaurants, specialty food shops, and even generic grocery stores have expanded to an extent that avails truly fine dining to anyone with the requisite interest.
Viking was recently featured in HBO Max's 2022 Father of the Bride reboot. Warner Bros Andy...