Love Wine? There’s an App for That!
Wine.com has launched a new iPhone app just for oenophiles. Availableat Apple’s App Store, the freeapplication puts over 45,000 wines at users fingertips! You can review wines you love (or hate), discover new favorites, and share your findings with other members of this wine-loving community.
From the press release: The app connects consumers with easy-to-understand wine descriptions, professional ratings, winemaker notes, pricing information and label images. Additionally, customers can save wines in their virtual cellar, create shopping lists, rate wines and share them with friends. Wines can also be added to a shopping cart for purchase.
Soon, Wine.com plans to add a wine and food pairing tool to the application, making meal-planning a snap. All you do is input your main ingredients and the perfect wine pairings will magically appear! Cheers and bon appetit!
Recipe of the Week: Steak with Parmesan Butter, Balsamic Glaze, and Arugula
photo by Flickr user thebittenword.com
Baby, it’s cold outside… Rainy too, now that you mention it. To warm up, try uncorking a bottle of Malbec and devouring a savoury steak dinner with someone you want to get cozy with! The following recipe from Bon Appétit is ridiculously simple, but sure to fill you up and make you forget all about the nasty weather. It shouldn’t be difficult to find a great-value Malbec to pair it with, so check your local wine shop for the best deals. At $15.99, this Terrazas de los Andes Malbec Reserva Mendoza 2005 looks pretty tasty!
Steak with Parmesan Butter, Balsamic Glaze, and Arugula
Serves 2.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese plus Parmesan cheese shavings
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 1 12-ounce rib-eye steak
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
- 1/2 teaspoon (packed) dark brown sugar
- 4 cups (lightly packed) arugula
- 2 large lemon wedges
Directions
1. Mix grated cheese and butter in small bowl.
2. Season generously with salt and pepper; set aside.
3. Sprinkle steak generously with salt and pepper.
4. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat.
5. Add steak; cook to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.
6. Transfer to plate.
7. Add vinegar, shallots, and sugar to skillet; boil until reduced to glaze, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.
8. Divide arugula and Parmesan shavings between 2 plates.
9. Squeeze lemon over.
10. Slice steak; place atop arugula.
11. Top steak with Parmesan butter.
12. Drizzle lightly with glaze.
Would YOU Drink Wine Out of a Tumbler?
photo by Flickr user jenny downing
Matt Kramer, long-time contributing editor of Wine Spectator and renowned wine critic, has a new web column. In Drinking Out Loud, of course devoted to wine, Kramer’s opinion-peppered articles are full of searing commentary. He’s an exceptional story-teller and uses his personal experiences as a jumping off point for sharing his deep insights about wine culture. And he isn’t shy about it!
In his second and most recent installment – “All Right, It’s Elitist. So What?” – Kramer poses the question, “Is deliberately serving wine in inadequate glassware any less pretentious than demanding the right stem?”. The question may seem dull at first glance, but how he arrives at the answer is far from it. He blatantly calls out a Napa Valley restaurant and chef, blasting the establishment (and an unsuspecting waiter) for committing his idea of a cardinal sin in the world of wine. Would you drink wine out of a tumbler? Probably not after reading this column. If you want to know which Napa Valley restaurant is now in the hot seat, and exactly how Kramer let ’em have it, read the column here.
This snippet makes his argument clear, but you’ll have to read the juicy bits for youself:
“And we need wines that are served co-equally: well-chosen, decently priced and presented to us in glasses that allow the wine to shine, that signal a respect for the effort that went into creating such wines and that, not least, allow us to effortlessly enjoy the wine.” Well said!
Wine and Chocolate at Theo’s Chocolate Factory for Seattle Uncorked Members
Theo Chocolate pic courtesy of Flickr user xmatt
When the days start getting dark and chilly, there’s nothing better than seeking comfort in a decadent holiday confection and a soothing glass of wine. If you’re a member of Seattle Uncorked, Seattle’s fun, unpretentious wine enthusiast club, tonight you’re invited to do just that at Chocolate & Wine at Theo’s Chocolate Factory.
(If you’re not a member – sign up here! It’s totally FREE, and all they need is your email address).
That’s right, the city’s favorite chocolatier is offering a tour of its factory along with tasty chocolate treats for $17.50 a person. A fun twist is that guests are asked to bring a bottle of their favorite red wine to share with the group! Again, you must be a member of Seattle Uncorked to attend so signup now and get the rest of the details for yourself! If you can’t make this evening’s festivities, there will be more!
Burnt Caramel Almonds from Recchiuti
Whether you attend or not, if you find yourself craving wine and chocolate, treat yourself (and a loved one, if you’re feeling the holiday spirit!) to an exclusive Holiday Caramel Almond Gift Set from RivkaSimone Wines. The set includes a bottle of 2007 Russian River Valley Viognier and delectable burnt caramel almonds from San Francisco chocolate-maker Recchiuti Confections. Recchiuti’s description of the almonds reads: “The whole, organic almonds are drenched in dark chocolate with a hint of burnt caramel before getting a generous dusting in cocoa.” Happy holidays indeed!
Recipe of the Week: Eggplant with Creole seasoned Wild Rice Stuffing
photo courtesy of Flickr user Robyn Gallagher
Thanksgiving may be over, but stuffing should stick around all year long! This is a delectable and hearty vegetarian recipe from Snooth author Gregory Dal Paz. Eggplant with wild rice, garlic, and French bread…. Yum!
It pairs perfectly with a glass of Roussanne – a tasty, acidic Rhone varietal. If you’re looking for a bottle to drink with this dish, try our RivkaSimone Wines 2008 Santa Ynez Valley Roussane.
Keep the holidays alive while you enjoy this creative twist on stuffing 🙂
Eggplant with Creole seasoned Wild Rice Stuffing
Serves 6.
Ingredients
- 2 large or 3 medium eggplants
- 1 cup wild rice, uncooked
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 cup onion, fine dice
- 1 cup celery, fine dice
- 1 cup red bell pepper, fine dice
- Scooped out insides of eggplant, 1/2inch dice
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 chipotle chili pepper, finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 4 cups vegetable stock
- 3 cups of French Bread, ½ inch dice, baked until well toasted, Toasting the bread cubes before adding them to the stuffing will help produce a crisper crust for the finished dish.
- ½ cup chopped celery leaves, or parley leaves
- 2 eggs, well beaten
Directions
- Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise, and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin, about an inch, so that it holds its shape when baked. Dice the scooped out flesh, and reserve for use in the stuffing.
- Preheat the oven to 350F, make sure to place racks in the lower and middle thirds of the oven.
- In a strainer, rinse the rice well with cold water.
- Place a large (6qt or larger) stock or sauté pan over medium high heat. When the pan is warmed, add the butter and allow to melt. When the butter is melted, and just beginning to brown, add the onions, celery, peppers, diced eggplant and salt.
- Sauté the vegetables until the have softened, about 6-8 minutes, then add the garlic, chipotle, dried thyme and paprika. Blend well and sauté until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add 3 ½ cups of the vegetable stock. Raise heat to high until the stock comes to a simmer.
- Add the rice, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot.
- The rice will take about 40 to 45 minutes to fully cook.
- While the rice is cooking you can slice and toast the bread cubes and turn your attention to preparing the squash.
- Toast the bread cubes on a baking sheet placed on the middle rack of the pre-heated oven. After 4 minutes or so give the cubes a stir to help promote even browning. Allow to bake for an additional 3-4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Remove the bread from the oven and raise the heat to 425F
- Once the rice is fully cooked remove the pan from the heat and blend in the bread cubes, adding additional stock as required. Allow the rice to cool enough so that the eggs won’t cook when you stir them in.
- Add the celery (or parsley) leaves and eggs and blend until well combined.
- Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
- Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among the halves. Place them on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 40 minutes, on the lower rack in the preheated oven.
- Let cool briefly, slice widthwise and serve.
Del Paz offers this recommendation to make this dish even more delicious:
- I like to top the eggplants with a bit of cheese for color and flavor but I’ve omitted the cheese, keeping this strictly vegetarian. For this dish I like a Sheep’s milk cheese such as Manchego or Pecorino.
Muy Malbec 