Archive for December, 2009

I have protein on the brain. A recent visit to a great New York steakhouse and some remarks by a superstar chef have me thinking in loop-de-loops about steak house, Americans’ addiction to meat and—gak!—global warming.

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I can’t think of a better wine for Christmas than sparkling Shiraz. It’s festive, pairs well with many holiday favorites and the color really dresses up the holiday table. 

I have to admit that it took me a few years to warm up to sparkling Shiraz (or any sparkling red wines, for that matter). I’ve had examples that made my teeth hurt from excessive sugar and others where the sparkling wine’s yeasty character seemed to fight with the fruit and tannins of the red wine base.

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Last night, I had the great pleasure of going out with a group of friends to celebrate the holidays. It was nothing ridiculous, just a group of nine guys and gals meeting for dinner at a local restaurant, each armed with a bottle of wine and rapier wit. It’s a tradition for this somewhat random group of friends to meet every year in December, and as we gathered in the private room we so appropriately (and thankfully for the other patrons of the restaurant) occupied, I couldn’t help but smile at the understanding that this is what it’s all about.

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As a wine lover, there are certain region/varietal combinations that I hang my hat on. Dry Creek Valley is good for Zinfandel, Russian River Valley is good for Pinot, Malbec in Argentina, Chardonnay in Burgundy, the list goes on. It serves as a blueprint for making wine selections. But sometimes I can get so bogged down by these preconceptions that I fail to see the larger picture. It has led me to be unfairly judgmental at times, something that I’m not proud of. These are the moments when wine lovers can get that bed reputation. It’s the moment when wine “lover” turns to wine “snob” because these concepts turn from points of guidance to points of judgment. So I love when some of my deep-rooted dogmas are challenged.

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