Page 57 - Blog

This bisque recipe incorporates sunchokes (also known as Jerusalem Artichokes), a tuberous vegetable of the sunflower family native to North America. It's a fairly unfamiliar vegetable that I've found diners really want to know more about after they have it. It is at its best during the winter months, and I thought its earthiness might pair well with the end-of-season sweet Maine shrimp. 

Yield: 4-6 servings

Shallots, minced - 3 each
Garlic clove, minced - 1 each
Sunchokes, peeled, diced - 3 pounds
Chicken stock - 24 ozs.
Heavy cream - 8 ozs.
Sweet Maine Shrimp, peeled - 12-18 ea.
Pancetta, diced and sauteed - 6 ozs.
Olive Oil, Extra Virgin - 6 ozs.
Chives, minced - 1-2 T

1. Sweat garlic and shallots until lightly golden
2. Add sunchokes and sauté lightly
3. Add chicken stock to cover and bring to simmer
4. When sunchokes are tender,

Robert Parker's scores for 2009 Bordeaux need no introduction. The release of his scores two weeks ago threw the wine world into one heck of a frenzy. Parker awarded an unprecedented number of 100 point scores in the 2009 vintage - 19 to be exact - 18 red and 1 white. Serious wine collectors and buyers scooped up these wines in the blink of an eye. This vintage was chased like the 2005 & 2000 vintages were. Buyers came out of the woodwork to purchase what Parker labeled as "...unquestionably the greatest Bordeaux vintage I have ever tasted..." And with such a powerful statement from arguably the world's most powerful critic, the 2009 Bordeaux campaign was beyond hot.

When we tasted many 2009 Bordeaux wines in bottle back in January at the New York UGC tasting, we thought these wines were sensational! After tasting these wines, we had a gut feeling Parker was going to give very high bottle scores to many of the 2009s. This vintage is beyond amazing. It offers superb freshness,

A couple years ago, I was introduced to some wines from the slopes of Mount Etna in Northeastern Sicily, and since then have always jumped at the opportunity to taste more. This week I had the pleasure to taste a set of wines from Calabretta and am continued to be impressed by the quality and value of this region.

Located on a south facing estate on the north slope of Etna, Calabretta's vines, like most in the area, are grown on volcanic soils. Composed mostly of ash and sprinkled with pumice, the soil is resistant to the phylloxera bug and most of Calabretta's vines, a good portion ungrafted, are 70-80 years old. Combine this with strong southern sunshine and cool nights at an altitude of about 750 meters above sea level, as well as an extended growing season that lasts until mid-October, and you get ripe grapes filled with amazing aromatics and elegance.

Calabretta produced a mere 175 cases of Bianco in 2008, predominantly from old vine Carricante with a bit

I'm constantly getting asked "what's new?  What's exciting in the wine world?!" So I thought this would be a great opportunity to write about one of my favorite "new & exciting" wines. It also doesn't hurt that this wine is a perfect one to go with the beautiful spring weather that's finally upon us and great for the upcoming Easter holiday. The wine is the newly released 2010 Hoandlhof (Manfred Nossing) Kerner.

It comes from a very small artisanal producer in the Alto Adige region of Italy. The Alto Adige region is starting to grow in popularity mainly due to the excellent whites that are being produced there. The climate is ideal for producing Riesling, Kerner, Veltliner & Silvaner, just to list a few. Many of the wineries produce very tiny productions. 

Manni Nossing happens to be one of the top artisanal producers in the region & is known for producing one of the top Kerners. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate had this to say about Manni Nossing:

With a very mild winter and Spring's early arrival, we are thinking about summertime white wine and rosé earlier than we usually do. We've been busy tasting through a lot of wines and carefully selecting the best ones for our clients, so that their summers can even be more enjoyable.

One rosé in particular that we consider a summertime staple at Sokolin is the popular Chateau D'esclans Whispering Angel from Provence. Year after year, this is one of our best-selling rosés that is always a must-own item of the summer. Our customers buy this wine by the caseload every spring and summer.

The former winemaker of Mouton Rothschild entered the world of rosé at Chateau D'esclans, and their rosés are fabulous! One sip, and you'll taste the top quality of their wines.

The new 2011 Whispering Angel Rosé just arrived - and in time for all of the warm weather festivities, Easter and Passover. We opened a bottle last evening

Working in the wine industry gives you the access - and spikes your intrigue - for some of the world's most unusual foods and unique wines. Foie Gras paired with Sauternes will never get old, but sometimes one longs for a return back to the classics. And sometimes, you just crave an aged Cabernet paired with a perfectly grilled steak. After raiding the wine fridge, we settled on a tasting between a 20 year-old Cali Cult classic and a village-level Bordeaux from the monumental 2000 vintage (that turned out to be the star of the night!).

1992 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
2012 marks the 20th anniversary for 1992 Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve, and with a drinking window of up to 2015, it seemed like a good time to enjoy this beauty. Upon opening, the wine was very expressive - rich and fruity, with notes of crème de cassis and black

This dish is one of the signature spring dishes at the Plaza Café. I add it to the menu as soon as asparagus and morels come into season. I made this dish recently at a private dinner, and it's amazing, especially when paired with the perfect wines as suggested below by Christopher Kiegiel.

Yield:  4 appetizer servings

INGREDIENTS:
Pencil asparagus, peeled - 16 ea
Morels, cleaned and roasted - 4 ozs.
Shallots, minced - 2 ozs.
Butter - 1 T
Lobster meat, blanched - 8 ozs.
Lobster sauce - 6 ozs.
White truffle oil - 2 ozs.
Dried lobster coral (optional) - as needed
Lobster antennae curl (optional) - 4 ea.

PROCEDURE:
1. Brush asparagus with olive oil and grill over low flame
2. Sweat

Chianti quality has come a long way since the mass-produced straw covered bottles that once were synonymous with this red wine from Italy. Chianti must contain at least 80% of the red grape variety Sangiovese, and to be called Riserva, it ages for more than 3 years. It is a wonderfully versatile red wine that goes well with a wide array of Italian fare. Let me tell you about one of my favorites...

Chicken Cacciatore over angel hair pasta is great comfort food for anytime of year, and my wife makes an incredible recipe that she scored while living in Tuscany. We prefer to use thighs in this dish because the dark meat creates an even richer balance along with the peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes.
 
On a recent evening, while enjoying this wonderful dish, we opened a bottle of the 2007 La Maialina Chianti Classico Riserva. What a great surprise! This wine paired perfectly with

It's been all about the Rhone region for me recently.  I started to explore this region in more depth a little over a month ago first with some 2003 CDPs and then moved onto older vintages.  From there, I moved north into Hermitage and spent a few nights with some older bottles.  What I was beginning to figure out was these wines are an unbelievable deal!  When I first entered the wine world, I was unsure of Rhone wines because of the power that they provide when they are young.  This is not the case as they age.  The wine seems to shed some of that alcoholic pretense and meaty tendencies and awaken a more refined and acceptable palate. 

I kept hearing how amazing white Rhone wines could be - that they compare to Montrachet at a fraction of the cost.  What was all this buzz about I wondered to myself?  Recently, we were offered an amazing deal on 2007 Beaucastel Roussanne VV, and I took the opportunity to grab a six pack. 

I want to introduce a new solid red Burgundy for under $30.  This price may surprise some Burgundy enthusiasts, but this high value 2010 Henri Boillot Bourgogne Rouge (91 Points Sokolin Tasting Panel) was quite pleasing.  It was paired with a medium cut pork chop and warmed apple sauce.  I wanted to squeeze in one last (what I consider to be) winter comfort meal even if it is almost May.  After all, the temperature in the northeast dipped into the high 40s at one point over the weekend!

The first thing I knew I wanted to do is decant since this wine is on the young side of life.  To compare though, I had a taste before decanting.  This taste confirmed that decanting would be the way to go.  90 minutes later, this wine had its delicious appeal. 

With a light bouquet, the 2010 Henri Boillot Bourgogne Rouge was