Omnivore Atlanta

I walk in the door with sweat still dewing my face, having just transitioned from goosebumpy temps at the office, walking through roasting heat, then into a baking sauna doubling as my dark-blue vehicle. In 95 degrees, the air conditioning has little hope of keeping up and it groans under the stress. I refocus on positive thoughts, the contents of my fridge: ribeye steaks, homemade Caesar salad fixings, and a few cold white wines. But wait, those two things don’t mesh, right — steak and white wine? Perhaps a red would fare better like traditional cabernet sauvignon, a burly merlot or a smoky Spanish number? But my pits still glisten, so even chilled red wine isn’t going to cut through this humid evening.

I sprinkle tart, savory Worstershire sauce on the ribeyes, along with dry sherry, garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, ancho chile powder and fresh black pepper. Geez, I’m salivating already. Not sure how vegetarians live without the bounty of beef. That would just suck — a jiggling slab of grilled tofu doesn’t reach the same level of toothsome culinary bliss.

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The snooty side of food pairings preaches “no wine with salad.” I fed on this falsehood for years, following the widely-held mantra like an evangelical wino. Then one day a miraculous salad and vino combo made me rethink my reliance on traditional not-so-wisdom.

Not that I was always so cool and contrarian. Before my re-awakening, I lapped up all the drivel wine magazines and writers spit out. But, like a rebellious teenager, I slowly realized it wasn’t adding up. Salads are simply another dish with sauce slathered on it. Match the sauce with the wine and you win. To give tradition some credit, back in the day salad dressings mostly contained robust vinegars like distilled white or cider that rendered wine lifeless and dull; it made sense to teach wine-with-salad avoidance. Times have changed, however. Now that less acidic rice or sweeter balsamic vinegars and lime and lemon use are common, wine and dressing can snuggle up and make sweet, tart love.

Continue reading Pairing Wine with Salad

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Are you a fan of Oregon wine country? Now’s your chance to tell people why their wine rocks your world, publicly. Oregon Wine Board launched their Capture the Spirit of Oregon Wine Country online video and photo contest on Facebook. To enter, you’ll need to share your experiences via “creative and memorable” photo essays or 60-second videos.

And, like other video and photo competitions, there’s a voting component. If you’re a member of Facebook, you can vote for your favorites from July 4 to August 21. Submissions will be accepted until August 21. Based on creativity, originality and fan response, six $500 cash prizes will be awarded (three photos and three videos). But here’s the best part: (more…)

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After my annual Fourth of July party, the recycling bin brims with a mountainous pile of wine bottles.
I imagine the recycling guy considers me a lapsed Friend of Bill, but it doesn’t matter — our nation’s birthday is the day to enjoy everything. In honor of our America’s independence, here are some creative tips to prepare for the celebration.

Introduce the Box

Ignore the naysayers who might not be hip to the newfangled wine-in-a-box. Once derided as an outlet for the worst vinous swill on the planet, wineries now sell good juice you squeeze from the plastic sack housed inside the box, aka the bladder. Within each three-liter “cask” — the box’s cool Aussie nickname — are four bottles of wine, hermetically sealed for your fresh drinking pleasure. Once liquid is drawn out, the bladder compresses to avoid exposure to oxygen — the element that ruins wine — so the wine stays drinkable longer, usually up to nine weeks. It’s good for a party because it’s inexpensive, unbreakable, sits handily on your countertop for easy serving, and requires no dangerous-when-drunk corkscrew. Seek out Hardy’s and Black Box selections.

Continue reading Corkscrew: Sangria and boxed wine keep July 4th cheap.

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Despite a weakening economy, the Nielson Company revealed an almost 25 percent jump in U.S. rosé wine sales in 2008. Since I’ve harped on the greatness of pink for the past five years, I’ll take at least a sliver of that celebratory pie, thank you very much. I’m rejoicing that Americans have finally begun to embrace the beauty of rosé wines.

With the red fruit and tannin of red, and the cool, invigorating acidity of white, rosé is a perfect marriage. One of the best food wines in existence, it’s like drinking a white wine with bright, ripe berry flavor. It matches summer fare — grilled burgers and ribs — but also spicy eats. I used to complain of their lack of availability — many wineries make dry rosés though not enough for major distribution — but I’m seeing increasing variety on shelves and lists. Pink from pinot noir, syrah, grenache, zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon and everything in between can be had for less than $20 per bottle. Woohoo!

Continue reading Corkscrew: Rosé Rising

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Like the violin I misused as a tot, wine requires practice. I don’t read many books about it, although I definitely should; I don’t study it much anymore, although that might make me sound smarter. But I drink. A lot. Not to alcoholic levels — though the thought has fluttered in my throbbing, hungover head — but enough to become intimate with countless grapes. It’s important since habitual tasting trains the tongue to decipher chardonnay or riesling and, with practice, you can discover what makes music in your mouth.

Each month for the past eight years, I’ve invited an eclectic group to practice their drinking in my home. We blind taste 12-15 bottles at one sitting and the attendees have mostly an untrained yet keen interest in wine. From this base camp I’ve personally converted dozens into wine geekdom; some have even moved on to California winemaking. Sure, I could taste the wines alone — my husband and I make regular progress through the bottle stash — but how much fun would that be?

Continue Reading Practice Makes Perfect

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Stains are the mundane bane of many red wine drinkers. Inevitably, juice dribbles down the shirt, drips on the carpet, or spills on the clean — mostly likely new — white tablecloth. It’s inevitable and a buzz kill. One of my cream-colored couches, which I bought long before wine controlled my life, is now dotted with pinkish splotches, whispering tales of half-drunken accidents that weren’t mopped up. But my spill knowledge has grown and I’m ready to share my expert spotty advice on remedying red wine messes.

Read the rest of Corkscrew: How to avoid and clean up red wine stains.

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It sounds like bottled baked potato with bacon topping. It kinda skeezes me out, yet intrigues. But, given the growing fascination with all things pork and cured, we should have expected it: A potato-based vodka with a “savory bacon flavor” has been invented in Seattle.

Created by Black Rock Spirits after two years of testing, Bakon Vodka celebrates the renaissance of our favorite salty slab. With no tongue-in-cheek, they are “bringing home the bacon.”

The website says: “Our vodka is column-distilled using a single heating process that doesn’t ‘bruise’ the alcohol like the multiple heating cycles needed to make a typical pot-still vodka. No tinge or burn on the tongue, no obnoxious smoky or chemical flavors, just a clean refreshing potato vodka with delicious savory bacon flavor.” (more…)

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To many foodies, attending the New Orleans Food and Wine Experience is like trekking to Mecca. Some of the best food in this country originates from this home of Cajun and Creole goodness. The folks from Bravo’s “Top Chef” and New Orleans Online are giving away an all-expenses paid, weekend vacation for two to New Orleans for the NOFWE. Dates are May 20-23, 2009 and include the following:

1) Round-trip coach class domestic air transportation for Grand Prize Winner and Guest from a major airport nearest to Grand Prize Winner’s home;
2) 4 days/3 nights at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel in New Orleans, LA (one (1) standard room, double occupancy); (more…)

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