Digest San Francisco Chronicle Wine Section

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, May 18, 2006

OREGON'S EMERGING PINOT-SCAPE: Winemakers define success on their own terms, Cole Danehower

This dramatic influx of new money, people and market demand has affected the character of Oregon's wine community. What was once a collegial cottage industry that thrived on eccentricity and zeal is rapidly becoming a potent economic force, where success requires coping with unaccustomed issues of competition, marketing, product quality and brand identity.

Two Buck Chuck creator ups the ante in wine feud, W. Blake Gray

Fred Franzia lost a six-year court battle with the Napa Valley Vintners earlier this year, but the creator of Two Buck Chuck says he'll win the long-term war for American consumers.

Bargain Wines: Simple styles for easy sipping, Leslie Sbrocco

Whether you're planning to pick up dinner and need a takeout-friendly wine or simply want to relax with a glass after work, seek out these bargain bests. From innovative to familiar, this week's wines highlight light-hearted whites and fun red blends alongside well-known varietals like Chardonnay and Merlot.

Spirits: New Scotch, without the bagpipes, W. Blake Gray

Two innovative companies in Scotland -- one founded by an American -- are determined to break the stereotype of Scotch as a tipple worthy of spending one's Social Security check on. And they're not afraid of upsetting the Scotch establishment.

Letters to Wine: 'Sommelier secrets' irks readers

The rise of Oregon's signature flavors, Cole Danehower

Pairings: Sear a sirloin for a Stroganoff worthy of a count, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Beef Sirloin, Stroganoff Style

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Napa Valley Meritage and Bordeaux-style reds, Linda Murphy

The Cheese Course: For easy grating, pick a Pecorino Romano, Janet Fletcher

Unfortunately, most of us pass it up for Parmigiano-Reggiano, believing that's the superior choice for grating on pasta. But I, for one, couldn't make it through spring and summer without Pecorino Romano in my refrigerator. To my taste, it's the grating cheeseof choice for pasta with spring or summer vegetables such as fava beans, zucchini, tomato, eggplant and peppers.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Nile Cafe

CRITICS' PICKS: ROSY FRUITS, Amanda Berne

"It's no surprise that strawberries, with their conical beauty and perfect green caps, are part of the rose family. When buying them at the market, look for ones that are deep red all the way through, with little to no white near the top, and make sure to buy only the ones with the green tops to guarantee freshness."

Dining Update: A16, Michael Bauer

Dining Update: The Rotunda, Bill Addison

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, May 25, 2006

The brains behind Scarecrow: A onetime Hollywood mogul's grandson finds inspiration in 'old men' and 'The Wizard of Oz', Linda Murphy

...when Bret Lopez considered names for his new Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, the choice was a no-brainer: Scarecrow. It paid homage to his grandfather, Joseph Judson Cohn, who oversaw production of "The Wizard of Oz" as an executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and who planted the vineyard that supplies the grapes for the wine.

Cocktailian: There's more than one way to skin an advocaat, Gary Regan

Recipe:

Golden Rye Flip

Adapted from a recipe from Rye, 688 Geary St., San Francisco.

Letters to Wine: If you cross the line, it's not Scotch

Bargain Wines: Ten hot picks for the start of grilling season, Leslie Sbrocco

When the grill calls this holiday weekend, be ready with warm-weather sippers. Whether the party is poolside or includes a day at the beach, this week's roundup of worldwide bargains is all about crowd-pleasing wines.

Wine Business Insider: Cabernet, Syrah and Pinot Grigio entice beer drinkers, Cyril Penn

"Wine continues to steal drinkers' attention from beer and spirits, according to a recent survey...Brown-Forman Corp., owner of Jack Daniel's whiskey and Fetzer Vineyards wines, announced last week that the company is combining its now separate wine and spirits sales and marketing organizations into one unified team...The third annual Hospices of Sonoma Pinot Noir barrel auction raised more than $357,000 for children in life-threatening circumstances...Tom Cole, chief operating officer of Republic Beverage Co., and Charlie Andrews, chief operating officer of National Distributing Co., jointly announced an agreement in principle to merge their respective companies...The newly formed society the American Association of Wine Economists has published the first issue of the Journal of Wine Economics...Alexander (Sandy) Purcell, one of the world leaders in Pierce's disease research, is retiring from UC Berkeley...David Campbell has stepped down as chief executive officer of Napa's Clos Du Val Wine Co...

Pairings: Curry perks up summer's salad days, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Lightly Curried Pasta Salad

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Domestic Rosé, Linda Murphy

The Cheese Course: Just 6 months old and better tasting every day, Janet Fletcher

Laura Chenel, the Sonoma County goat cheese pioneer, realized early in her company's life that she needed to make an aged cheese that would preserve the abundant summer milk for winter.

She sought out Ig Vella, whose Vella Cheese company in Sonoma makes the renowned Vella Dry Monterey Jack, and he mentored her in the art of making aged cheese. Although Chenel altered the recipe to suit her goat's milk, her aged Goat Tomme is loosely modeled after the famous Vella Dry Monterey Jack, a cow's milk cheese. Tomme is a generic French cheese term applied to cheeses of varying styles.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Champa Garden

CRITICS' PICKS: Eating your way to Italy, Amanda Berne

"Summer vacation? Yeah, right. That trip to Italy sounds great, but so does a paycheck.

Lucky thing there are enough regional Italian restaurants in the Bay Area to make it seem as though you're on vacation. "

Dining Update: The Caprice, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, June 1, 2006

Judgment Day: Part Deux What the 2006 showdown between California and France really proves, Linda Murphy

On May 24, simultaneous tastings were held in London and Napa to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that groundbreaking Paris event. In yet another surprise, an international group of wine experts gave California a repeat victory, awarding its wines first through fifth place among the 10 Cabernet Sauvignons aged 30 years or more from California and Bordeaux.

Pairings: Sweet and sour flavors meet their mate in Riesling, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Five-Spice Fish with Spicy Sweet & Sour Sauce

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: 2004 German Riesling: Spatlese, Auslese and Eiswein, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Andante Dairy Nocturne is at its prime, thanks to greener pastures, Janet Fletcher

For several years now, cheesemaker Soyoung Scanlan has shown a decidedly un-American attitude toward business. As proprietor of the tiny Andante Dairy in Sonoma County, Scanlan has excess demand for her goat's and cow's milk cheeses but no plans to boost production to meet it.

Bargain Wines: Easy-drinking California Pinot Grigios are picnic-perfect, W. Blake Gray

Letters to Wine: Scarecrow tactics

Spirits: Kentucky's beasts of bourbon are true to America's spirit, Josh Krist

One of the pleasures of bourbon is getting to know the character of not just the drink, but the character of the people who make the drink.

In the rolling hills of Kentucky, where horses in pastures stare and then scatter as cars approach, there are plenty of larger-than-life figures whose families have been making bourbon for generations.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Sunrise Deli

CRITICS' PICKS: Peas in a pod: Give (fresh) peas a chance, Amanda Berne

"Opening up a bag of frozen peas is way too easy. Besides, once you try the real thing -- the fresh, sweet, straight-from-the-pod variety -- you'll be ordering English peas off every menu during their peak."

Dining Update: Albona, Bill Addison

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, June 8, 2006

Bordeaux for less dough: Region's expensive wines steal the spotlight, but there are also good deals, Tim Teichgraeber

The quest to match -- and outclass -- the best wines of Bordeaux has long driven California's most ambitious estates. When a handful of California wines outscored their French rivals in the now famous "Judgment of Paris" tasting in 1976 and the loose re-creation of that event on May 24 in London and at Copia in Napa (see "Judgment Day, Part Deux," June 1), the Californians were justifiably thrilled.

A TASTE OF BORDEAUX, Tim Teichgraeber

Pairings: Riesling tames tart tomatillo sauce, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Grilled Achiote Pork

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: German Rieslings: QbA & Kabinett, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: A roll in the hay does wonders for Vento d'Estate, Janet Fletcher

Vento d'Estate (VEN-to dess-TAH-tay) debuted less than 10 years ago but already has a considerable American following. This Italian cow's milk cheese, robust in flavor, won't be to everyone's taste, but anyone would have to admit that it has a personality.

The Cocktailian: Love Potion gets its zing from ginger vodka, Gary Regan

Recipe:

Love Potion

Adapted from Typhoon on Broadway, in Portland, Ore.

Letters to Wine: Judgment Day II - the fallout

Commentary: Exclusive auction party actually benefits the masses, Linda Murphy

Wine Business Insider: Washington's largest wine company buys one of Oregon's oldest, Cyril Penn

Dick Erath, one of Oregon's pioneering winemakers, has sold his 70,000-case winery Erath Vineyards to Washington's largest wine company, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates...Charles and Shirley Roy, owners of Roy Estate, a 17-acre vineyard on Soda Canyon Road in Napa Valley, settled a lawsuit with Helen Turley and John Wetlaufer in Napa County Superior Court on May 31...Imported wine sales are on the rise, taking market share from domestic wines...

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Yucatasia, Linda Compton

CRITICS' PICKS: THE SCOOP ON THE UNUSUAL, Amanda Berne

"Scoop shops are opening up like mad and are an ideal stop-off for a cone any time, but restaurants are doing a fine job of wrapping up a meal with interesting house-made flavored ice creams."

Dining Update: La Salette, Bill Addison

Dining Update: Scoma's, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, June 17, 2006

Time in a bottle: Older wines capture the imagination; do they still enrapture the palate?, W. Blake Gray

Yet we retain a fascination with older wines. People want bottles from a special year to commemorate a wedding anniversary or the birth of a child. Auction prices for aged wines keep going up. And if you want to get wine lovers to speak with wistful fondness, try asking about the oldest wine they've ever tasted.

Wine Business Insider: Lawsuits seek to let shops nationwide ship wine here, Cyril Penn

California residents may be able to order wine from retail stores around the country if several lawsuits filed in the state are successful....Cosentino Signature Wines in Yountville has purchased St. Helena's Lorenza-Lake Winery...IKoves-Newland Vineyards and Winery in Napa Valley has been acquired by L'Attitude Wines...Paul Dolan has been elected board chairman of the Wine Institute...Wines & Vines magazine in San Rafael has hired wine publishing veteran Jim Gordon as editor...Dominique Demarville, the chef de cave (chief winemaker) for Champagne Mumm in France, is moving to take over a similar position at Veuve Clicquot...

Letters to Wine: Bordeaux wines from the garage

Bargain Wines: Ten food-friendly wines you can bring home to dinner, Leslie Sbrocco

Bigger is not always better, especially when it comes to sitting down at the dinner table with a glass of wine. Highly alcoholic, overly fruit-driven wines with an abundance of new oak are generally thought of as the antithesis of "food friendly."

Benefits

Rub elbows with Mendocino vintners and growers and sample wines at the eighth annual Mendocino Wine Affair June 23-24...Sample Sonoma's best in the Sonoma County Vintners 26th Showcase of Wine and Food July 13-15...

Pairings: Cook up thin cuts of meat for a fast, fresh meal, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Creamy Lentils & Potatoes

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: California White Rhone Varietals, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: A cheese to please those who like it mild, Janet Fletcher

Galicia, in the far northwest corner of Spain, is a rugged, remote, sparsely populated region whose inhabitants make their living largely from fishing or farming. The climate is damp and the pasture plentiful, so dairy cattle thrive there and are responsible for the region's large production of cow's milk cheeses. Its best known cheese, and the local favorite, is Tetilla (teh-TEE-ya), a diminutive word for breast, so named because of its resemblance to the female shape. Americans, weaned on milk chocolate, may be more inclined to liken its shape to a giant Hershey's kiss.

Are older wines better?, W. Blake Gray

Ageworthiness is "the opposite of how you should judge wine," says Mark Squires, a wine educator who runs the bulletin board for critic Robert M. Parker Jr.'s Web site, erobertparker.com. "It's a historical anomaly."

How should wine be stored?, W. Blake Gray

If you want to put aside wines for the future, storage conditions are crucial. Few experiences are more disheartening to wine lovers than opening a bottle saved years for the right occasion only to discover that it's corked, oxidized or damaged by heat.

Which wines will stand the test of time?, W. Blake Gray

Just as Americans often marry the wrong person (judging by the divorce rate), we often choose to cellar the wrong wine.

Spirits: Drink to your health with pomegranates, Leah Greenstein

Looking for the fountain of youth? It may be at the bottom of your martini glass. That is, if you've ditched the staid old cosmopolitan for what one savvy bartender calls the Posmo.

Recipes:

Pomegranate Martini

Courtesy of Martini House, St. Helena

Regina Viola

Courtesy of Santi, Geserville

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Jazz Caffe, Karola Saekel

CRITICS' PICKS: Happy Hour Nibbles, Amanda Berne

"As the clock ticks toward 5 p.m., that cocktail couldn't look better. But, three drinks into a primal happy hour, you're three sheets to the wind with no food in your stomach. For shame."

Dining Update: Fog City Diner, Bill Addison

Dining Update: Zibibbo, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, June 22, 2006

GRAPE FLICKS: SEE Steve Martin as a sommelier! HEAR playboys sing praises to Champagne! TASTE Hannibal Lecter's wine pairings!, W. Blake Gray

Unlike whiskey, which has been a crucial prop for the tough and the heartbroken since the invention of cinema, wine and movies have rarely been a great pairing.

Top 10 wine movies, W. Blake Gray

The list is limited to American films, with the exception of one British action flick that many Americans may be surprised to learn wasn't made in Hollywood. It's not that French, Italian, Spanish and German movies aren't excellent; there simply weren't enough evenings to watch enough movies to pick the Top 10 wine films in the world. Perhaps a sequel is in order.

Pairings: Rioja's traditional reds favor Spanish flavors, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Lamb Meatballs with Thyme-Scented Rice Pilaf

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Rioja reds, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Same sheep, different cheese, Janet Fletcher

The Aveyron region of France, where Roquefort is produced, has a long history as sheepherding country. Archaeological finds in the region include ancient pierced ceramics clearly intended for draining cheese. Although no one knows for certain when the locals began making the small, bloomy-rind sheep's milk cheese called Perail, it was probably well before the name first appeared in writing, in the 19th century.

Books: Mother-son team creates 'Perfect Pairings', Lynne Char Bennett

"Perfect Pairings: A Master Sommelier's Practical Advice for Partnering Wine with Food," by Evan Goldstein with recipes by Joyce Goldstein

Recipes:

Pasta with Greens, Chickpeas, Toasted Breadcrumbs & Pecorino

Toasted Breadcrumbs

Osso Buco With Mushrooms & Tomatoes

Benefits

Celebrate the start of summer Friday with wine and live jazz at the El Dorado Wineries' Summer Solstice Celebration...The Napa Valley Center for Jewish Culture this weekend will sponsor L'Chaim, to Life, an event celebrating the ancient traditions of Judaism and wine...Sample Italian food and wine while helping the Los Gatos High School Millennium Foundation at the First Sip of Summer celebration...

Letters to Wine: Whining and dining

The Cocktailian: An award-winning cocktail to drink between the sheets, Gary Regan

Recipe:

The Wet Spot

Adapted from a recipe by Willy Shine and Aisha Sharpe, mixologists at Bed, New York.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Balompie Cafe, Bill Addison

CRITICS' PICKS: Dining in the Castro, Amanda Berne

"At the Pride fest this weekend, revelers will be marching down Market Street, straight into the Castro. Despite what are sure to be long waits and enormous crowds, you might as well eat well while you're there."

Dining Update: Poggio, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, June 29, 2006

Fine whine: The sound of NASCAR's engines brings wine marketers running, Linda Murphy

"We're turning beer guzzlers into wine sippers, one race at a time," says Randy Lynch, who with his wife, Lisa, owns Bennett Lane Winery in Calistoga and the Bennett Lane Winery Ford that races in NASCAR's Grand National West Series, two rungs removed from Nextel Cup.

Bargain Wines: California bottles spark fireworks, Leslie Sbrocco

Raise the flag and raise a glass on July Fourth with this week's roundup of patriotic picks.

Wine Business Insider: Jess Jackson buys Murphy-Goode, Cyril Penn

Jackson Family Wines has signed an agreement to acquire Murphy-Goode Estate Winery...Fetzer Vineyards will place what it calls the wine industry's largest solar system atop its winery bottling facility in Hopland..Rodrigo Soto is the new director of winemaking for Benziger Family Winery...

Beer: Do the white thing with Belgian brews, Linda Murphy

Whether they are made in Belgium or elsewhere in the Belgian style, white beers (also called wit, witte, witbier or biere blanche) are made with a significant portion of wheat in addition to traditional malted barley. The wheat gives the brew its fresh, citrus character and a cloudy, white appearance. The addition of various flavorings to the brew kettle -- almost always coriander and dried orange peel, and sometimes other "secret ingredients" -- gives the beer its zingy, complex taste.

Letters to Wine: Readers' favorite wine flicks

Pairings: Blue Cheese Onions cry for grilling, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Blue Cheese Onions

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Lodi Zinfandel, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Feeling sheepish? Try a P'tit Basque, Janet Fletcher

I would have guessed that I've been enjoying P'tit Basque, the French sheep's milk cheese, for much longer than a decade, but my guess would be wrong. The cheese debuted only in 1997, created by the French dairy giant Lactalis, and its enormous success -- most cheese counters stock it -- testifies to its broad appeal. Lactalis exports about 400,000 pounds a year of P'tit Basque, half of that to the United States.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Pagolac, Amanda Berne

CRITICS' PICKS: Burgers, Amanda Berne

"Burg’s and burbs’ best They’re the subject of blogs and songs, they’re the fare of comic book heroes. But making a great burger isn’t as easy as just patting some raw meat into a ball. No way — especially not in the Bay Area. Here are some of our favorite hamburger places."

Dining Update: Helmand, Bill Addison

Dining Update: Village Pub, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, July 06, 2006

Tawny time: Portugal's aged tawny Port is accessible, affordable and ready to drink now, Dawn McIntyre

Though it only accounts for 5 percent of all Port production (vintage Port accounts for 1 percent), aged tawny has enjoyed a slow but steady growth in popularity in the U.S. market in recent years, especially as consumers learned to distinguish it from common tawny Port, a mass-produced, generic product. Confusing tawny and aged tawny is akin to mistaking an unexceptional California appellation Cabernet Sauvignon for one of Napa Valley's finest.

Cocktailian: Devious Cocktail's secret hangs in the balance, Gary Regan

Deviation is an unusual product to say the least, and it's not widely available outside of the Bay Area, though it can be purchased at the winery in Madera (Madera County). The Quady Winery makes the wine by flavoring its Essensia Orange Muscat dessert wine with scented geranium and damiana, a shrub native to Central and South America that bears odors similar to chamomile and reputedly has aphrodisiacal properties.

Receipt:

Devious Cocktail

Letters to Wine: Was the Paris tasting a stacked deck?

Bargain Wines: Refreshing German Rieslings are sweet, but not to a fault, W. Blake Gray

German Rieslings are consistently among the most excellent wine bargains. The best ones are complex, delicious and refreshing. Plus, they're generally low in alcohol, allowing you to have one more glass than usual.

Benefits

Wine and volunteers...Charity wine auction...Get Lucky in Sonoma...

Pairings: The umami of miso lifts Chardonnay, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Fish in Coconut-Miso Broth

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Carneros Chardonnay, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Luscious Montbriac oozes appeal, Janet Fletcher

Laurel Koledin, a sales associate with Cheese Works West, a local distributor, believes that Montbriac is a modern creation, dating perhaps from the 1980s. I first recall seeing it on the menu at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville several years ago, served with dried fruit compote. The producer is the Fromagerie de l'Ance, in the village of Beauzac, a large dairy launched in 1979 that also makes the popular blue cheese Saint Agur.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Pakwan, Amanda Berne

CRITICS' PICKS: Say Cheese, Amanda Berne

"A cheese course is served either in place of or before dessert, and provides a nice way to stretch out the end of meal. A cheese course can range from a thin slice drizzled with honey and paired with nuts to a choice of three cheese with seasonal fruits, breads and other accoutrements."

Dining Update: Iberia, Miriam Morgan

Dining Update: Campton Place, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, July 13, 2006

Australia's western frontier: Maverick vintners make sophisticated, well-priced wines on the other side of the Outback, Michael D. Apstein

Western Australian wines "have a lot more in common with the French style than they do with South Australia," says Chuck Hayward, wine buyer for the Jug Shop in San Francisco. "They're more food-friendly -- not as oaky. The Shiraz is very spicy, gamy, meaty. The Cabernets are very sophisticated, very elegant. The most exciting area is Chardonnay. They're dead ringers for white Burgundy, especially Puligny-Montrachet. There's a chalky, white chocolate component in there. They're lovely."

Bargain Wines: Revolutionary wines from France, W. Blake Gray

Over the past year, sales of French wine are down 0.2 percent in U.S. supermarkets, according to ACNielsen, while domestic wine sales are up 2.8 percent, Italian wine sales are up 5.0 percent and Australian wine sales are up 8.2 percent.

Spirits: A taste as sweet as a World Cup title, W. Blake Gray

Limoncello is a pretty simple liqueur; there are usually just four ingredients -- lemon peels, grain alcohol, sugar and water. It's sweet, lemony and packs an unexpected wallop.

Pairings: Duck game for berries, Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Duck with Savory Berry-Onion Compote

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Wisconsin's Buttermilk Blue adds pizazz to summer salads, Janet Fletcher

Roth Kase, a Wisconsin cheese producer best known for Gruyere, markets Buttermilk Blue but is not its creator. The cheese is made at a cooperative dairy in Fond du Lac, Wis., according to Roth Kase's specifications. Before Roth Kase entered the picture in 1993, the co-op had been selling cow's milk to two Danish cheesemakers, who made blue cheese with it. But their business ran aground, and the co-op approached Roth Kase to take over the marketing of the cheese. Roth Kase rechristened it Buttermilk Blue, a name that aptly reflects its flavor.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Hukilau, Tara Duggan

CRITICS' PICKS: Hats -- or heads -- off for Bastille Day, Bill Addison

"Frenchmen, expats and Francophiles of all nationalities will join the grand celebration du jour on Friday in honor of Bastille Day. Known as "le 14 Juillet" and "la fete nationale" in France, the day honors the storming of the Bastille prison that sparked the beginning of the French Revolution."

Dining Update: XYZ, Michael Bauer

Edited July 14, 2006 by eje (log)

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, July 20, 2006

Wine country moves north: Affordable land and unique soils lure vintners to Lake County, Kathleen Buckley

Geologists plan trips to Lake County just to look at the soil. The volcanic cones and diamonds in the landscape are a result of millions of years of environmental history. And now winemakers and viticulturists are beating a path through the rocky soil to plant vineyards and build wineries.

Portuguese wines grab attention, Jancis Robinson

Portuguese table wines are a mystery -- to most non-Portuguese anyway. This is a great shame, as Portugal has many unique attributes as a wine producer, not least its dazzling range of indigenous grape varieties, many of them, such as Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Trincadeira and Castelao Frances among many reds and Arinto, Bical and Fernao Pires among whites, with their own powerful and attractive identities.

Two of Britain's finest inventions combine in unexpected fashion, Gary Regan

The Compass Box Cocktail was developed by beer writer Stephen Beaumont, and it's an unusual drink to say the least. Imperial stout forms the base of the drink, and this style of ale is heavily hopped, hence fairly spicy.

Recipe:

Compass Box Cocktail

Hot and sexy wines cool summer's heat, Leslie Sbrocco

From barely pink blush wines to voluptuous reds, this week's roundup of bargains is all about drinking pleasure.

Eggplant and wine: Similarities attract, Lynne Char Bennett

Eggplant is a surprisingly good partner with red wines like Syrah, Zinfandel, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon. It's the combination of the eggplant's creamy, palate-coating texture and its skin's slight tannin-like quality and occasional bitterness that brings it and the wine together, though other flavors in a dish can also play an important role.

Recipe:

Warm Sausage, Eggplant & Potato Salad

THE CHRONICLE'S WINE SELECTIONS: Washington State Red Blends, Linda Murphy

Chronicle tasters are big fans of red wines from Washington state, particularly Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines -- made largely from fruit grown east of the Cascade Mountains, in the irrigated desert that is the Columbia Valley -- typically show the ripe fruit character of California wine and the crisp acidity of Bordeaux.

From goat's to sheep's milk, Spanish producer makes it all taste good, Janet Fletcher

Perhaps I should not have been surprised that one of my favorite new cheeses from Spain comes from the experienced hands of Josep Cuixart, an esteemed Catalonian cheesemaker whose Nevat I have already praised in this column. But I was surprised, largely because Nevat and my latest Cuixart discovery, Ros, are so different.

96 Hours

BAR PATROL, Tara Duggan

"Here are some exceedingly pleasant places to get a drink that involve leaving San Francisco and the East Bay city hubs."

BARGAIN BITE: Moishe's Pippic, Amanda Gold

"Windy City natives recognize a Chicago-style hot dog by the snap of Vienna beef inside a soft poppy-seed bun, but unless you live there it's almost impossible to find. Yet, although it might not have quite the same allure as downing one in Wrigleyville, Moishe's Pippic in Hayes Valley serves a close version in its kosher deli."

Restaurant Roundup: Tummy growling? Go ahead, plan your weekend around eating out. Here are recaps of restaurant reviews by Chronicle critics.

Dining Update: Cafe for All Seasons, Bill Addison

Critics’ Picks: Margaritas - Beyond on the rocks Salty, sweet, puckery ... and just a bit boozy. That's how a winningly crafted margarita should hit your palate. The following are among the Bay Area restaurants that do the drink justice., Bill Addison

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, July 27, 2006

RAVENS TO RICHES / Ravenswood founder Joel Peterson could retire wealthy -- but he still loves making wine, W. Blake Gray

When Joel Peterson reaped a multimillion-dollar payoff from the sale of Ravenswood, the winery he founded, he could have taken the money and run. Most winemakers who strike such gold do. But five years later, Peterson still loves what he now calls a "brand."

Summer is the time to transform Bloody Mary into a blonde, Stacy Finz,

Scala says her seasonal version, made with golden tomatoes, white Worcestershire sauce, green Tabasco and either a serrano or jalapeno chile, has become a Napa classic.

Recipe:

Blondie Mary

Bankrupt Legacy Estates to be bought by joint venture, Cyril Penn

Bill Price, a founding partner of the Texas Pacific Group, and the Huneeus family announced this week that they have made an offer to purchase the assets of Legacy Estates Group out of bankruptcy protection for approximately $90 million.

Sauvignon Blancs fit for a king, W. Blake Gray

Sauvignon Blanc is my default wine for so many foods: shellfish in black bean sauce, green salads, grilled vegetables, goat cheese. Its vibrant acidity cleanses the palate, and its green-fruit flavors are particularly refreshing on hot summer days.

Grilled skirt steak befriends Central Coast Cabernets, Lynne Char Bennett

Marinated Skirt Steak & Onion Wraps takes advantage of a cut of beef that is perhaps best known for fajitas. The skirt steak is anatomically the steer's diaphragm muscle. Skirt steak's long muscle fibers take well to marinating and quick cooking because the cut is relatively thin. This flavorful cut is best sliced thinly across the grain for maximum tenderness.

Recipe:

Marinated Skirt Steak & Onion Wraps

THE CHRONICLE'S WINE SELECTIONS: Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon, Lynne Char Bennett, Linda Murphy

Our panel will taste Santa Cruz Mountains Cabernet Sauvignon in the near future, but we thought it time to check in on Cab from California's large Central Coast region -- including Livermore, Paso Robles, and Monterey and Santa Barbara counties. We found some wines worthy of attention, most priced significantly lower than Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa or Sonoma.

Old-fashioned cottage cheese is a rarity, but still exists, Janet Fletcher

If you are used to the bland, sweet taste and slippery texture of most American cottage cheeses, Nancy's may not win you over at first, admits Nancy Hamren, the cheese's namesake and a longtime creamery employee. "You're surprised at the tang," says Hamren, "and pretty soon you're hooked."

96 Hours

BARGAIN BITE: Jerusalem's Organic Kitchen, Stacy Finz

"Free-range meats and organic ingredients are the staples of this small North Berkeley cafe, which specializes in Middle Eastern food and hamburgers."

Critics' Picks: Barbecue, Bill Addison

"Searingly good Barbecue can sate our most primordial appetites. Who but avowed vegetarians can resist a thick sandwich of moist, smoke-infused meat daubed with spicy-sweet sauce? Or a slab of caramelized, crisp-edged ribs worthy of Fred Flintstone's appetite?"

Restaurant Roundup/Tummy growling? Go ahead, plan your weekend around eating out. Here are recaps of restaurant reviews by Chronicle critics., Bill Addison

DINING UPDATE / Fork, Michael Bauer

DINING UPDATE / Left Bank, Bill Addison

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, August 03, 2006

Worth its weight in gold? Why some people happily pay $500 for a bottle of wine, Linda Murphy

California cult wines, the vast majority of them Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet-based blends, also entice investors looking to make a quick profit. They purchase wines at the release price and then "flip" them -- sell them for more than the amount they paid. It's risky business, as some flippers are unable to recoup their investment upon resale, yet visit www.winebid.com, www.winecommune.com and other online sites and it's obvious that many wines are being bought and sold without any intention of being consumed.

Wine Business Insider: Wine falls behind beer in U.S. popularity poll, Cyril Penn

"In Gallup's 2006 survey of Americans' drinking habits, 41 percent of American drinkers surveyed said they drink beer most often, 33 percent said they drink wine most often, and 23 percent said they drink liquor most often...Randall Grahm, owner of Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, announced this week the sale of two of his leading wine brands -- Big House and Cardinal Zin -- to the Wine Group, a management-owned wine company in San Francisco..."

Bargain Wines: California wineries produce crowd-pleasers, Leslie Sbrocco

If you're headed to the beach to cool off from the scorching heat, consider toting a Pinot Grigio. California is becoming a hotbed for production for this trendy wine, but its roots are in Europe.

The Cocktailian: Does time exist? Drink and pontificate, Gary Regan

Recipe:

Under the Mexican Sun

Adapted from a recipe by David Touye, bartender at Restaurant Gary Danko, San Francisco. At the restaurant this drink comes garnished with a slice of candied orange and the glass is rimmed with lavender-scented sugar. We have simplified the garnish to make the drink easier to make at home.

Letters to Wine: Winemakers, forget about getting rich

Pairings: When it's too hot to cook, ceviche is a great choice, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Citrus & Coconut Milk Ceviche

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: California Pinot Gris/Grigio, Linda Murphy

The Cheese Course: Ewephoria tastes like candy -- but it's from sheep's milk, Janet Fletcher

Although we tend to think of Europe's cheeses as established and time-tested, new ones are created all the time. One example, a new sheep's milk cheese from Holland called Ewephoria -- is that clever or what? -- looks likely to become a classic, at least in this country. It has the candylike sweetness Americans love and, at under $15 a pound, an approachable price point.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Marvin Gardens, Miriam Morgan

CRITICS' PICKS: French fries, Bill Addison

""Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are," Anthelme Brillat-Savarin stated famously in "The Physiology of Taste." It wouldn't surprise me a whit to learn he was contemplating a plate of frites when he wrote that line. French fries bring out the idiosyncrasies in folks."

Dining Update: Parc Hong Kong, Bill Addison

Dining Update: Maya, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, August 10, 2006

Good libations: Cool and fruity cocktails are making a splash on summer drink menus around the Bay Area, Stacy Finz

Aah, it's really summer. For many Bay Area mixologists that means lots of fresh, seasonal herbs, fruits, vegetables and juices. It also means putting vodka bottles on the back shelf and breaking out the rum and tequila.

Recipes:

Neptune's Garden

Created by Martin Cate of Forbidden Island in Alameda. Named for the long-lost Neptune Gardens beach resort in Alameda, which was later renamed Neptune's Beach.

Leilani Volcano

Forbidden Island got this recipe from the Polynesian Village Resort at Walt Disney World.

China Clipper

Created by Martin Cate of Forbidden Island. Named for the world's first commercial transpacific aircraft, which left on its maiden voyage from Alameda.

Coconut Batido

From Rye in San Francisco

Basil Gimlet

From Rye in San Francisco

Watermelon Margarita

Created by Jay Foster, co-owner of Farmer Brown in San Francisco.

Sidewinder's Fang

The mixologists at Forbidden Island got this drink recipe from the now-defunct Lanai restaurant in San Mateo, where it was the house specialty.

Letters to Wine: Spreading the credit around

DEBBIE ZACHAREAS UNCORKED: Wine expert pours her heart out, Stacy Finz

Debbie Zachareas, 41, is wine director and co-owner of Bacar restaurant and the Ferry Plaza Wine Merchant. She is also a wine instructor at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone and was named by Bloomberg Markets one of the country's leading sommeliers.

Bargain Wines: Refreshing whites are just right for summertime, W. Blake Gray

"My favorite wine this week, the 2005 Dry Creek Vineyards Clarksburg Dry Chenin Blanc ($11.50), is a reminder of what we might soon be missing. This racy, tropical wine has flavors of pineapple and passion fruit; it's a little pungent on the medium-length finish. The 2004 vintage was chosen by The Chronicle as one of the best Bargain Wines of last year, and this one is also a contender."

Benefits

The private gardens of Korbel Champagne Cellars in Guerneville will set the scene for an evening of wine, champagne and dancing beginning at 6 p.m. Saturday...St. Francis Winery & Vineyards in Santa Rosa goes to the dogs -- and cats and rabbits -- in a benefit for the Humane Society and SPCA of Sonoma County on Aug. 25...Savor, sip and bid on the best Sonoma Valley has to offer at the Sonoma Valley Harvest Wine Auction, Sept. 1-3.

Pairings: Spare a rib for Pinot, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Black Bean Spareribs

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Santa Cruz Mountains and Northern Central Coast Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Buffalo milk's curds and whey, Janet Fletcher

Heick, the company president, has been in the buffalo-milk mozzarella business since 2002, when he and a partner bought an existing 3-year-old business. But Heick's wife, Grazia Perrella, comes from a mozzarella-making family in Naples. She is the third generation of her family in the business, and although she doesn't make the Bubalus Bubalis cheese, she is the one who makes sure it tastes authentic.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Meal Ticket, Karola Saekel

CRITICS' PICKS: Consummate California cooking, Bill Addison

"In a golden state Summer is the ultimate time to splurge on amazing meals in restaurants where chefs feature the state's bounty."

Dining Update: Carneros Bistro, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, August 17, 2006

Westside story: Russian River Valley veterans raise the standard for Pinot Noir, Linda Murphy

Yet sometimes an Old Great Thing, long hidden in plain sight, deserves another close look. Three Old Great Things -- wineries located on the same rural road in the Russian River Valley in western Sonoma County -- have produced spectacular Pinot Noir wines and/or grapes that went into those wines, for more than 30 years, showing California winemakers who came after them just how it's done.

Benefits

Spend an afternoon sampling food and wine and help provide creature comforts to shelter animals at Cause for the Paws, a benefit for Napa Humane on Aug. 27 in Napa....The Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens will set the scene for the 22nd annual Winesong charity auction on Sept. 9...Sonoma Odyssey of Food & Wine brings together chefs and wineries on Sept. 16 at Richard's Grove and Saralee's Vineyard, 3575 Slusser Road, in Windsor...

Conflict threatens Israel's wine harvest: Upper Galilee grapes are almost ripe, Janet Fletcher

Cocktailian: The 411 on a Cool Cucumber, Gary Regan

Recipe:

The Cool Cucumber

Adapted from a recipe created by Shell Thomas for Bong Su Restaurant & Lounge, San Francisco.

Bargain Wines: 10 bottles for tonight's takeout, W. Blake Gray

"Maybe it's just me, but by mid-August I need a break from the kitchen. Between the months of visiting relatives and kids who've been home all summer, my barbecue, oven, stove and microwave have been running at full speed.

It's time for takeout. "

Pairings: Marry little lamb kebabs with Pinot, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Spiced Lamb Kebabs

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir, Linda Murphy

The Cheese Course: Traditional Chevrot from France is a beauty, wrinkles and all, Janet Fletcher

A perfectly ripe Chevrot could make a convert out of the most reluctant goat cheese eater. Creamy, even molten under the rind, yet firm and velvety smooth at the heart, a Chevrot in its prime is a peak experience. Many people find goat cheese too tart, too chalky or too downright goaty, but Chevrot is none of the above. Made by a century-old cooperative in the Poitou region of western France, just south of Brittany, Chevrot reflects expert cheesemaking.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Troya, Jane Tunks

CRITICS' PICKS: Dining near Devil's Slide, Bill Addison

"The reopening of the panoramic 4 1/2-mile length of highway on Aug. 4 gave locals cause for celebration -- and impetus for tourists and Bay Area residents alike to come chow among the rolling hills and picturesque towns."

Dining Update: Sociale, Bill Addison

Dining Update: Chez Papa, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, August 24, 2006

Field of blends: Interplanted vineyards produce some of California's most captivating wines, Tim Teichgraeber

In old field-blend vineyards, there can be several different varieties in a single row of vines, planted in a mosaic-like pattern. The growers would often pick all of the grapes at the same time, even if they weren't equally ripe, and jumble them into the same vat to ferment together -- a technique called co-fermentation.

Spirits: Key West sojourn brings on Dark and Stormy nights, Bill Addison

"With the appropriate high-quality ingredients, however, this is a drink you can easily concoct with confidence at home -- or on vacation."

Recipe:

Dark and Stormy

Uncorked: A's wine enthusiast steps up to the plate, Stacy Finz

Six years ago, Mark Kotsay, center fielder for the first-place Oakland A's, invited his future wife, Jamie, to dinner. It was their third date. She brought a bottle of 1997 Jordan Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma's Alexander Valley. He drank one glass and then begged for a beer. In retrospect, he realizes the full-bodied Cab was delightful, but Kotsay jokes that what he knew about wine at the time could fit into a Boone's Farm bottle. The problem was, he really liked Jamie and she really liked wine. So Kotsay, now 30, had to develop his palate. He went to the wine minors -- first studying Merlots and working his way through other varietals to Cabernets. Now he has 750 bottles in his collection, most of which he stores in his Reno, Nev., home, and keeps a couple hundred bottles for drinking in San Ramon, where he lives during baseball season, and in San Diego, where he has a vacation house.

Wine Business Insider: Jacksons, Mondavis snap up more wineries, Cyril Penn

Jess Jackson purchases Legacy Estates Group...Trinchero purchases Napa Cellars...Billington Imports purchases Havens...

Pairings: Tomatoes souped up for Sauvignon Blanc, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Summer Gazpacho

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Italy's scamorza is smoky stand-in for mozzarella, Janet Fletcher

Melted on a burger or sliced on an antipasto platter, smoked scamorza comes into its own. A mild and straightforward cheese, it doesn't offer much in the way of complexity but it's an appealing alternative to mozzarella in some dishes. You can substitute it for mozzarella in eggplant and tomato recipes or in lasagna for a smoky background note; a grilled cheese sandwich with smoked scamorza would be sublime.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Bangkok Restaurant, Laura Compton

CRITICS' PICKS: Peachy keen, Bill Addison

"When I interviewed Julia Child on the occasion of her 90th birthday, I asked her about her dessert preferences. After a bit of rumination, she replied, "I'd have to say one favorite is to eat a perfectly ripe, juicy peach cut into slices in a bowl and eaten with a spoon.""

Dining Update: Schnitzelhaus, Bill Addison

Dining Update: Scott Howard, Michael Bauer

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Thursday, August 31, 2006

Please note, starting next week the Chronicle will be re-organizing it's Food, Wine, and 96 Hours sections. They will be adding features to the wine section and moving it to Friday. The "dining updates" now in 96 hours will be moving to the Food section.

SAKE'S REGIONAL REVIVAL: Japanese breweries embrace terroir and a return to local flavors, W. Blake Gray

It's at the "ordinary" junmai level that you can taste the terroir of sake, which brewers in Japan are increasingly trying to highlight. Like the "return to terroir" movement among California winemakers in the late 1980s and early '90s, it's part of the global slow-food movement toward prizing each area's unique qualities.

Harvest Report: This year's crop looks smaller as harvest season begins, W. Blake Gray

This year, crop sizes are expected to be much lighter. Nat DiBuduo, president of Allied Grape Growers, says he expects the total statewide harvest to be about 10 to 15 percent smaller than an "average" year -- which might make it as much as 30 percent smaller than last year...."There's nobody out buying Cabernet and Merlot. There's no market for Syrah," DiBuduo says. "But if anybody has Pinot Noir, they're in a negotiating position. The two grapes in demand are Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. There's just not enough Pinot Noir out there."

Wine Business Insider: Zinfandel bill terminated, Cyril Penn

"Though it has been grown in the state for more than 150 years, Zinfandel will not be officially designated as "California's historic wine." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill Monday that would have given it that status...Vintners and growers in the Paso Robles wine region are working on a proposal to create several new American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)...Constellation Wines U.S., a division of the world's largest wine company, last week celebrated the grand opening of an expanded state-of-the-art crush facility at Blackstone Winery that increases capacity in Gonzales to 75,000 tons, making it Monterey County's largest winemaking facility. The winery previously had a capacity of 45,000 tons."

Uncorked: Winemaker gets down to earth, W. Blake Gray

"(Mike) Benziger has become a true believer in -- and evangelist for -- biodynamic viticulture, which he says gives both grape growers and eventual drinkers of the wine a much greater connection to the land."

Cocktailian: Ouzo gives margarita a Greek accent, Gary Regan

Recipe:

Greek Margarita

Adapted from a recipe by Heather Branch, beverage director at Dona, a southern European restaurant in New York City.

Benefits:

"New Orleans in Oakland...New Orleans in Sebastopol...Cannery festival in San Francisco...California flavors in Oakland...For chocolate lovers in San Francisco...A day in Yolo County celebrating its bounty."

Bargain Wines: Hot deals from below the equator, Leslie Sbrocco

Just as California is gearing up for the 2006 harvest, producers in the Southern Hemisphere are winding down. Their harvest is long over, with most of this year's wines resting in cellars, so sample the bounty of current-release Australian, Chilean and Argentine wines in this week's roundup of bargains.

Pairings: Pull some pork for a crowd on Labor Day, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Pulled-Pork Sandwiches with Kalamata Coleslaw

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Dry Creek Valley and Russian River Valley Syrah, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Clisson -- a bathing beauty washed in Sauternes, Janet Fletcher

The world's most famous washed-rind cheeses -- Epoisses, Muenster, Reblochon, Taleggio -- are all made from cow's milk. Goat's milk cheeses with washed rinds are rare, which makes Clisson all the more captivating. Made from pasteurized goat's milk at a dairy near Nantes, in western France, Clisson is bathed occasionally with brine mixed with the local Muscadet for the first few weeks of its life.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Crepevine, Miriam Morgan

CRITICS' PICKS: Kid Friendly, Bill Addison

"Neighborhood spots like Picante in Berkeley and Chow in San Francisco and Lafayette are natural destinations for harried parents and hungry kids. Ella's in San Francisco and Hobee's in Belmont offer family-friendly breakfast menus that appeal to adults and youngsters alike."

Dining Update: Destino, Amanda Gold

Dining Update: Foothill Cafe, Michael Bauer

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, September 08, 2006

TINY POURS EQUAL BIG BUSINESS: Tasting rooms are a crucial source of income for California wineries, W. Blake Gray

MKF Research managing director Barbara Insel says that in a recent survey, 72 percent of consumers cited a previous visit to a winery as a factor in why they buy a particular wine -- just behind recommendations from friends and sommeliers or wine shop owners..."It's very profitable because there's no middleman," says wine industry analyst Jon Fredrikson, who says per-bottle profits are about twice as high on tasting room sales as they are on wine shop or supermarket sales.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• STRAIGHT UP / MIXING WITH HERBS
  
• THE DRIPLESS POUR
  
• Enjoy homemade spiced nuts that go perfectly with a beer
  
• SOCIAL SWIRL / WINE FOR HIPSTERS
  
• ON TAP / Brewphoria in the city
  

Spirits: Contemporary cuisine inspires vodka makers' exotic infusions, Linda Murphy

Four years ago, Melkon Khosrovian had a problem. His fiancee, Litty Mathew, detested vodka, the beverage his Armenian family members drink during Sunday dinner and at celebrations.

"They would toast her with vodka," Khosrovian says of their engagement celebration, "but the taste to her was like gasoline."

So Khosrovian, a software company owner, began infusing vodka with fresh, sweet, savory and exotic ingredients in hopes of finding combinations that Mathew, a culinarily trained freelance writer, could not only swallow, but enjoy. At the time, his efforts were in the name of marital bliss and not commercial success.

Recipes:

Lavendar Lemonade

The Loh Down

Red Gatsby

Letters to Wine

Your guide to good pours and tours

Coppola: Keeping it casual in Geyserville, W. Blake Gray

With the staff giving simple explanations to a wine-novice clientele, and a publicity DVD running for Coppola's inns in Belize, it feels like a friendly, uncrowded cruise ship. If you want glitz, go to Rutherford. If you want a more casual encounter with the expanding Coppola empire, Geyserville's the place. A wall of graffiti separates the large, airy tasting room from the cafe. Granted permission to add to the wall, I wrote, "We want Godfather IV" and initialed it.

Parducci: Wine Country's northern outpost, W. Blake Gray

Drive any farther north than the Ukiah tasting room of Parducci Wine Cellars and you're out of what most people would consider Wine Country. But it's worth a visit to taste one of Mendocino County's most recognizable brands.

The Cheese Course: Cheddar-like Flagship has a sweet side, Janet Fletcher

Kurt Dammeier, a young Seattle food entrepreneur, launched Beecher's in late 2003, and the dairy is already making 500,000 pounds of cheese a year and operating around the clock. Initially, one Washington farm provided all the cow's milk for Beecher's cheeses. Last year, Dammeier and cheesemaker Brad Sinko had to add a second milk supplier. Now they are planning to buy a farm and move production there as the Seattle facility is already too small.

Pairings: Braised meatballs have the zing for Zin, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Braised Meatballs

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: South Central Coast Zinfandel, Lynne Char Bennett

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Kate's Kitchen, Amanda Berne

CRITICS' PICKS: Pizza, Amanda Berne

"When The Chronicle's Food section ran a pizza article in April comparing different styles, hundreds of passionate readers e-mailed in their favorites. This comfort food could start wars over thin or thick crust, fresh or aged cheese, lots of sauce or a mere smattering."

Dining Update: Empire Grill and Tap Room, Miriam Morgan

[Hest88]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, September 15, 2006

A new name in Tequila/San Francisco socialite provides the cash; Southern California woman, the image, Linda Murphy

Blue agave occasionally draws blood from the jimadores who harvest it, but it also attracts an increasing number of spirits producers who use the sap from the succulent plant to make Tequila, Mexico's national spirit, its most important export, and the fire that fuels many a margarita in the United States.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• DIY WINE / Crashing Crushpad
  
• Put your stomp on the harvest at Grgich
  
• Fresh tomatoes, even at their peak, can be tough to pair with wine
  
• Heads up: The buzz is on about artisan brews
  
• ON TAP / Brewphoria in the city
  

Winemakers canned during busy season, Cyril Penn

It's been an unusual crush at Langtry Estate & Vineyards in Middletown (Lake County). No sooner was the Sauvignon Blanc pressed and the Viognier in the hopper at Lake County's largest winery than the winemaker and assistant winemaker were let go, as was most of the management team.

Most wineries still waiting for red grapes to ripen

LETTERS TO WINE: 'Winery only' wines aren't always special

Spice up Scotch to create a 'gift from God', Gary Regan

Recipe:

Donata

PMERRYVALE VINEYARDS: A working winery in St. Helena attracts out-of-town visitors, Karola Saekel

Merryvale is all of 23 years old. However, that is only the date when the winery acquired its current name. The building was already half a century old, being the first winery built in the Napa Valley after the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Before it became Merryvale, it was called Sunny St. Helena Winery.

The Cheese Course: An 'extreme cheese' so pungent that it'll curl your tongue, Janet Fletcher

Spain's most famous blue cheese, Cabrales keeps a low profile in the Bay Area. By any measure, it is extreme cheese, more searingly pungent and challenging than almost any other dairy product I know.

BENEFITS

Dine out for a cause & Harvest bounty

Beyond the labels / Vintner Richard Ward, W. Blake Gray

When Saintsbury winery in Carneros released its first wine, a Pinot Noir, in 1981, the venture seemed outlandish -- the prevailing thought was that great Pinot couldn't be made outside of France.

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Sonoma County Syrah, Lynne Char Bennett

Hold the meat -- pass the portobellos, Hold the meat -- pass the portobellos

Recipe:

Grilled Portobello, Onion & Tomato Sandwich

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Pho Hoa Hung, Carol Ness

CRITICS' PICKS: You say tomato - Sweet or sour, take a bite, Amanda Berne

RESTAURANT ROUNDUP/Tummy growling? Go ahead, plan your weekend around eating out. Here are recaps of restaurant reviews by Chronicle critics., Miriam Morgan

[Hest88]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, September 22, 2006

THE ULTIMATE TEST / Notoriously difficult and outrageously expensive to earn, the Master of Wine title is the wine professional's grail, Janet Fletcher

And you thought college was tough. For about a half dozen serious students of wine in the Bay Area, a far more arduous effort looms, the notoriously grueling exam for the Master of Wine credential.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• One wine from both coasts
  
• BOOKS / Looking for Australia's best wines?
  
• NEW RELEASES / Monster goes to Hollywood
  

Wineries' need for grape pickers clashes with immigration policy, Cyril Penn

Just add water and think of France, W. Blake Gray

After eight tries, success, Janet Fletcher

One of two new American Masters of Wine, Sonoma resident Geoff Labitzke got the good news two weeks ago while on business in Anaheim.

Kunde Estate: A historic family-owned winery that's friendly and casual, Tara Duggan

Unique sippers from Spain and Portugal, Leslie Sbrocco

Europe's Iberian Peninsula is a hot spot for bargain wine lovers looking to sip something unique. This week's picks hail from northern Spain and Portugal, where native grape varieties such as Garnacha, Carinena, Monastrell, Tempranillo and Touriga Franca create wines with character.

The Cheese Course: Cow's milk cheese from the toe of Italy's boot, Janet Fletcher

Caciocavallo (cah-cho-cah-VAH-lo) is one of the most widely used cheeses in southern Italy, but it is surprisingly uncommon here.

BENEFITS

Stomp out cancer...Raise the roof...Bid for health care

THE CHRONICLE WINE SELECTIONS / South Central Coast Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett

Farm-fresh plums highlight spice of Pinot Noir, Joyce Goldstein

Recipe:

Roast Pork Loin with French Plum Sauce

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Downtown, Laura Compton

BARGAIN BITE: Lime Tree, Tara Duggan

CRITICS' PICKS: Piece of pie, Amanda Berne

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, September 29, 2006

American dream, Sonoma style: Ulises Valdez goes from pruning vines to making his own wines, Linda Murphy

Ulises Valdez swells with pride as he talks about his wife, Adelina, and their four children; his vineyard management company and the 900 acres of Sonoma County grapevines he oversees; the Ulises Valdez Vineyard he planted in the Russian River Valley in 2002 and the wines made from there by superstar vintners Mark Aubert and Paul Hobbs; the new Valdez Family Wines brand.

Yet nothing lights up Valdez's chestnut eyes more than when he stops his truck on a knoll above his Silver Eagle Vineyard near Occidental, points below and says, "Look, señora, there's my lucky tree."

Harvest Report: Last year's big crop causes this year's grape glut, Dan Berger

Hundreds of acres of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not be harvested this year because of three converging forces, one of which is a huge surplus of wine that could cause a collapse in prices within weeks, say wine industry experts.

Cocktailian: Drink an apple a day to keep the doctor away, Gary Regan

Recipe:Autumn Apple

Adapted from a recipe by Scott Beattie, bar manager at Cyrus, in Healdsburg. At the restaurant, this drink is garnished with a Pink Lady apple chip that's sprinkled with cinnamon. We have substituted a lemon twist for ease of preparation.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Books on wine often read like textbooks
  
• GROOVY IN NAPA VALLEY
  
• You knew you shouldn't have worn your new white sweater to the Petite Sirah tasting.
  
• NEW RELEASE / Diva in a bottle
  

Harvest tale: Birds save grapes from literary foe, W. Blake Gray

Falconers used to be part of any self-respecting king's retinue, hunting other birds for food and sport. This month, they were employed by Huntington for a more modern purpose: to protect a vineyard of Chardonnay grapes with distinctive floral aromas.

The Tasting Room: Hopland winery offers animal encounters and free tastes of amusing wines Birds save grapes from literary foe, W. Blake Gray

"Hopland" literally means land of hops, an important ingredient in making beer. The town ought to be renamed "Grapeland," because wine has taken over.

Milano Family Winery shows this transition better than any of the other wineries crowding this tiny Mendocino County town. It's located in a converted 1940s-era hop kiln, where hops were dried and baled for shipping.

Letters To Wine

Pairings: Lamb unites pasta, Syrah, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Easy Sausage & Lamb Bolognese

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Napa Valley Syrah, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Former local cook concentrates on Comte, Janet Fletcher

Zepos believes that Comte is one of the world's finest cheeses -- no argument there -- and that few Americans have had a chance to taste it at its best because most of the Comte imported here is young and selected on price. A cow's milk cheese from the Jura mountains of eastern France, near the Swiss border, Comte can be sold at 4 months old, but careful aging improves it. Young Comte is perfect for a potato gratin or a cheese sandwich, in Zepos' view, but only mature Comte has the complexity of character to merit a place on the cheese board.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: The Slanted Door, Laura Compton

Bargain Bite: Marvin's, Amanda Gold

CRITICS' PICKS: Thai me up, Bill Addison

"Still some gems In the '80s, the American palate developed a serious crush on Thai food. The cuisine's fragrant, fiery and occasionally funky flavors seemed a leap in sophistication after our long-standing affair with the sweet-and-sour stylings of Chinese American restaurants. Of course, if the odorous tang of fish sauce or the sting of chile proved too potent, we could always fall back on chicken satay with peanut sauce."

edit - forgot tasting room section.

Edited September 30, 2006 by eje (log)

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, October 06, 2006

The cosmo-free zone: Bartending purists demand respect for the art of mixology, Camper English

Bourbon & Branch opened in the last days of August with a new-to-the-city reservations-only policy that has thrilled and annoyed locals. Despite a decoy "Anti-Saloon League" sign outside, an unmarked door buzzer as the only way to gain entry, and an unlisted address and phone number, the bar has been nearly at capacity since opening day.

Then things really get interesting. The Pimm's Cup is topped with an aromatic cucumber-mint foam thickened with soy lecithin. The Deconstructed Negroni is served as a glass of cold gin with sweet vermouth and Campari "caviar" on the side. The "caviar" is made by squeezing the liquids (mixed with sodium alginate) from a syringe into a dish of calcium chloride solution, which forms a skin around the droplets.

Elements of craft cocktails, Camper English

Creating craft cocktails is far more complicated than using fresh-squeezed lime juice in place of mixes. Every ingredient in the drink and element of its presentation -- down to the glassware -- can be fresh, homemade and prepared specifically for the individual drink recipe. The following are elements of craft cocktailing found around San Francisco.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Now you don't have to finish a bottle of wine the day you open it -- or feel guity about consuming the whole bottle in one evening.
  
• Add Lillet cocktails to the growing list of inventive drinks that skirt liquor laws.
  
• Save the odd ends Save the odd ends and uneven slices of your tomatoes for bruschetta.
  
• HEADS ABOVE THE REST
  

The Tasting Room: Stonestreet Vineyards & Winery, W. Blake Gray

Like many moguls best known for mass market products, Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates founder and CEO Jess Jackson wants to be taken seriously. Stonestreet Vineyards & Winery is one such statement of artistic intent.

Buyer beware: Attack of the giant bottles, Jancis Robinson

My principal gripe is with really heavy bottles. Whatever is the point of them other than to satisfy an ego or a marketing concept?

Uncorked: Negociant Cameron Hughes, W. Blake Gray

Hughes, 35, is a San Francisco negociant who buys excess wine from wineries and sells it under his own label. He sells some wine through his Web site, but the great majority of his wines go to Costco, where his followers snap them up right away.

Pairings: Dried mushrooms are always in season, and so is this pasta dish, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Mushroom Lasagna

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: MENDOCINO COUNTY PINOT NOIR, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Discover goat in a haystack, Janet Fletcher

Jim Schott started Haystack Mountain Goat Dairy in 1989 with five goats and 7 acres near Boulder, Colo. He and his wife, Arlene, both self-taught in everything having to do with a dairy, built their herd and made their first cheese in 1992. For the next 12 years, their cheese remained mostly in Colorado, with only a sporadic presence in the Bay Area. But two years ago, Schott built a second creamery that allowed for expansion, so we are now seeing Haystack Mountain cheeses in Bay Area stores.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Redd, Jane Tunks

Bargain Bite: Jimmy Bean's, Stacy Finz

CRITICS' PICKS: The Wine Country, Bill Addison

"Most Wine Country restaurants focus on California cuisine that celebrates the bounty of the state, but if you're in the mood for a European twist, try La Salette on Sonoma Square. Its Portuguese specialties include caldo verde, salt cod and a sexy tapioca pudding with fig compote. And if you just need a quick nosh between jaunts to wineries? Grab sandwiches, salads or rotisserie chicken at Cafe Citti on Sonoma Highway in Kenwood. "

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, October 13, 2006

Turning the wine industry on its head, Stacy Finz

The elder Sebastiani, whose family has been in the wine business for more than a century, likes attention. He's a former Republican legislator turned wine provocateur who thumbs his nose at the Napa wine establishment and turns it up at the mention of New World wines -- even though that's what he and his sons make and sell. They are also negociants, buying bulk wine from around the world and blending it into their own wines. This year, the company predicts that it will sell 1.7 million cases of wine, and hopes to be up to 2 million next year. Wine Business Insider ranks the company as the 14th largest in the United States; it's about 30 percent of the size of No. 9-ranked Kendall-Jackson.

Vintners learn from butterflies, Carl T. Hall

"We were trying to measure light and temperature from a butterfly's point of view, and that turned out to be a lot like trying to measure light and temperature from a grape's point of view," Weiss said.

His clients now include vineyard managers of Etude Wines, who used Weiss' microclimate analysis to evaluate trellis design and orient rows while laying out new acreage. The work has generated some buzz from presentations at scientific meetings and reports in technical journals.

The Cocktailian: Cut the fog with a well-balanced cocktail, Gary Regan

Recipe:

Ana Mandara's Beach Street Fog Cutter

Adapted from a recipe by Bradley Plymale, beverage manager, Cham Bar, Ana Mandara, San Francisco.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Brushtech crystal stemware brushes are made of soft yet sturdy foam
  
• California wine's Italian roots
  
• Bubble up
  
• A Ruinart sparkler comes with a rich history.
  

Ignoble rot spells trouble for Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, W. Blake Gray

If you like dessert wines, 2006 is shaping up as an amazing year in California, thanks to a bumper crop of botrytis fungus that is currently foremost in many winemakers' minds.

Letters to Wine:

Pairings: Mac 'n' cheese turned virtuous, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Vegetable Mac & Cheese

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Oregon Pinot Gris, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: A frail traveler that tastes robust, Janet Fletcher

With its cool, coastal climate and grassy meadows, Normandy is cattle country. France's best butters are made in the region, as is the world-renowned Camembert. But in times past, another Normandy cheese was even more prominent and esteemed, the washed-rind Livarot (lee-vah-row). Documents suggest that Normandy farmers have been making Livarot for at least 300 years.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Bar Kitty's, Karen Reardanz

Bargain Bite: Curry Cafe, Karola Saekel

CRITICS' PICKS: Tap into the fun of Oktoberfest, Bill Addison

"Oktoberfest has now been embraced worldwide as a reason to chugalug Bavarian-style brewski. San Francisco marks the occasion with Oktoberfest by the Bay, today through Sunday at the Fort Mason Festival Pavilion. The revelry includes live music, folk dancing and plenty of sauerbraten and Spaten lager."

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, October 21, 2006

Getting wine in sip shape: Splendor in the glass: Different designs bring out the best in different varietals, Richard Carleton Hacker

Clearly -- a word to be taken literally -- the shape of a glass affects the taste of the wine. As proof, try this experiment the next time you dine out. If you are drinking red wine, have the waiter leave the white wineglass on the table. (Don't let his befuddled look intimidate you.) Then, when your wine is poured into the red wineglass, give it a swirl, smell its bouquet and taste it, noting the aroma and flavor. Next, pour some red wine into the white wineglass, give it another swirl and taste it again. You will find that the bouquet is not as pronounced and the flavors are slightly more muted than they were in the red wineglass.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• BIG IN JAPAN / Artisanal shochu finds a forum in San Francisco
  
• Cork control
  
• CHEESY, CRISPY AND CURVY
  
• Students of wine can put a hefty addition on their wish list.
  
• Catch up with San Francisco 49ers great Dwight Clark
  

The Harvest Report: Cabernet Sauvignon season kicks off, W. Blake Gray

Just as with baseball, mid-October is when casual fans start paying attention to the wine harvest. Northern California's superstar grape, Cabernet Sauvignon, takes center stage, and everyone waits to hear whether it's officially another good year or another really great year.

The Tasting Room: Silver Oak Cellars, W. Blake Gray

If you like Silver Oak's wine, you'll probably like the Geyserville tasting room. It's a well-manicured, frills-free place with a pure focus on the wines. The tasting room staff says it's less crowded than the company's tasting room in Oakville.

Bargain Wines: Whimsical wines that ask you to take them home, Leslie Sbrocco

With recent data from the Wine Market Council showing strong interest in wine from twentysomething wine drinkers, hip marketing, affordable pricing and attitude-free packaging have made wine fun and opened the doors to many customers -- younger and older -- who might not be wine drinkers.

Spirits: Tequila's rural cousin gussies up, W. Blake Gray

One of Northern California's leading artisanal spirits impresarios, Hangar One co-founder Ansley Coale, is hoping to change mezcal's image. It may be about time, since Tequila is nothing more than mezcal -- distilled juice from cooked agave plants -- made in Mexico's Tequila region.

Wine Business Insider: Copia cuts a third of staff, Cyril Penn

This week Copia announced it is restructuring its bond financing, eliminating 25 positions (one-third of the staff), selling its five-acre South Garden property to a developer for future development, and continuing to focus on wine education while working on various brand-building initiatives.

Pairings: Brussels sprouts, duck confit conjure fall flavors for Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms with Duck Confit

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Oregon Pinot Noir, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Virginia dairy learns from Europe, Janet Fletcher

Inspired by some of Europe's best washed-rind cheeses, Helen Feete at Virginia's Meadow Creek Dairy has created a winner of her own. Named for the county where she and her husband, Rick, tend 87 Jersey cows, Grayson is one of the best new domestic cheeses I've tasted in a long time.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: La Bodeguita del Medio, Mandy Erickson

Bargain Bite: Pork Store Cafe, Bill Addison

CRITICS' PICKS: Haight Street, Bill Addison

"We're bonkers for the Tuesday-only hamburgers at Rosamunde Sausage Grill, but the Haight offers a wealth of other diverse dining options as well, including the following:"

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, October 27, 2006

North stars: Washington wines reach for the stratosphere, Jon Bonné

Washington wines have long been contenders in the score wars, but winemakers there saw Golitzen's back-to-back perfect ratings as an undeniable affirmation that the state had arrived as a world-class winemaking region, on a level playing field with California and Oregon.

A new face in Wine

Jon Bonné is The Chronicle's new Wine Editor. Before coming to The Chronicle, Bonné was lifestyle editor and wine columnist for MSNBC.com and lived in New York. His writings have twice won him the top award for Internet food coverage from the Association of Food Journalists.

The Tasting Room: A pleasant place to idle, Tara Duggan

Sidle up to the tasting room bar at Arrowood Vineyards & Winery and you're treated to a dramatic view of the Sonoma Valley in a narrow slice between the Sonoma and Mayacamas mountains. The vineyards cling to an oak-covered hill, and the tasting room is a relaxing, breezy place to sample wines from winemaster Richard Arrowood.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• The Great Pumpkin Batch
  
• Here lie old vines
  
• Tricks and treats from the bar
  

The Cocktailian: Voodoo Priestess puts a spell in a glass, Gary Regan

Recipe:The Voodoo Priestess

Adapted from a recipe by Thayer Lund of Forbidden Island, Alameda.

Uncorked: Ted Allen, 'Queer Eye' for a wine guy, W. Blake Gray

Allen visited local Safeway stores recently as part of one of his many side gigs: promoting Robert Mondavi Private Selection wines. He says his favorite Bay Area restaurants are Ame and Zuni Cafe in San Francisco, but laments: "The great tragedy is that I don't get to eat out enough."

Pairings: A steak sauce worthy of Syrah, Joyce Goldstein

Recipe:

Grilled Steak with a Sauce of Cognac, Raisins & Black Pepper

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Columbia Valley Syrahs, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Duet of milk produces a fresh robiola with a lush personality, Janet Fletcher

Robiola may be made from a single type of milk, or from a combination of any of the three. The two-milk robiola that I've purchased in recent months in the Bay Area is a cow-sheep blend, with the percentages varying according to the seasonal changes in milk yield. It's impossible to know the blend with any precision, but it's likely that the sheep's milk percentage peaks in late spring and summer, when those animals are most productive.

Bargain Wines: Fine wines to please Elves, Dwarves and Men, W. Blake Gray

Letters to Wine:

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Lime, Dabney Gough

Bargain Bite: Green Chile Kitchen, Jane Tunks

CRITICS' PICKS: Bunches of brunches, Bill Addison

"Brunch, more than weekday lunch and dinner, is a meal dictated by moods and predilections. A languid midday meal on Sunday (or sometimes Saturday) means you get to cave in to your culinary cravings."

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, November 03, 2006

Artisan brewers thrive in the Wine Country, Thom Elkjer

It seems like a long leap from monks in Belgium to Fourth Street in Santa Rosa, but Sonoma and Mendocino counties were known as beer country long before they became known as Wine Country. That's because hops were grown and roasted along the Russian River until the middle of the last century. Roasted hops are one of the two essential ingredients in most beer (the other is malted barley). Hop Kiln Winery, on Westside Road near Healdsburg, is an atmospheric reminder of this era, as is the Mendocino town of Hopland.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Wine to the 10th power
  
• New trick for aging wine
  
• Chartreuse!
  
• It's always been difficult to pair candy with wine.
  

Wine Business Insider: Weak scores for '03 Cabs from Napa, Sonoma, Cyril Penn

"...the Nov. 15 edition of Wine Spectator magazine rates the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon vintages in Napa Valley and Sonoma County an 85 and 84 respectively...Constellation Wines U.S. last week announced that it finalized an agreement to sell its Zillah winery...Twenty-one registered bidders gathered at Grande River Vineyards in Colorado last week for a two-hour auction that resulted in the sale of the land for $2.8 million."

Spirits: Inventive gimlets stray from tradition, Camper English

The traditional gimlet recipe is even simpler. It calls for gin and Rose's Lime Juice, but now it is being served around San Francisco with everything from cucumbers to cardamom.

Recipe:

Kaffir Lime Gimlet

Courtesy of Hangar One Vodka

Tastings: Texas tycoon pairs fine wine and contemporary art at 120-year-old winery, Karola Saekel

Proprietor Craig Hall is a Texas tycoon who has written a number of books, including the best-seller "The Responsible Entrepreneur: How to Make Money and Make a Difference." He has certainly made a difference in this once-quaint small winery, built in the 1880s by William Peterson, a New England sea captain riding the newly fashionable wine waves.

Pairings: Syrah doesn't need meat, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Winter Squash & Shiitake Mushroom Gratin

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Washington’s Smaller Appellations, Lynne Char Bennett

The Cheese Course: Limburger is worth sniffing out, Janet Fletcher

Every so often, I get a letter in spidery handwriting from a reader, usually a gentleman, who wants to know why he can't find Limburger in the supermarket anymore. This aromatic German cheese has a fan club, although I would guess that the average age of its members is high and rising. German immigrants and Americans of German ancestry tend to be Limburger's most loyal enthusiasts. Lucy Saunders, a Wisconsin writer who specializes in beer, tells me that Baumgartner's Tavern in Monroe, Wis., is famous for its Limburger sandwich: a slab of cheese and a thick slice of onion on rye.

Bargain Wines: Cool weather means Cabernet Sauvignon season is here, W. Blake Gray

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Va de Vi, Jennifer Tomaro

Bargain Bite: Dessert Republic, Miriam Morgan

CRITICS' PICKS: THANKSGIVING ON THE TOWN, Bill Addison

"With increasing frequency, Bay Area restaurants of all genres and price ranges offer interpretations of Thanksgiving dinner. Some stick close to American tradition: Celadon in Napa, for example, offers free-range turkey breast with mushroom stuffing, sauteed green beans and fresh cranberry stuffing as the meal's centerpiece. For dessert? Pumpkin or pecan pie, of course."

Dining Out: Vegan Japanese dishes are pristine, healthy but tend to taste bland, Bill Addison

Cha-Ya in the Mission provides just that sort of respite for meat eaters -- and an occasion for staunch herbivores to bask in an entire menu full of animal-free options. Its vegan Japanese offerings mirror those served at Cha-Ya's original and enduringly popular location in Berkeley, where lengthy waits for the small restaurant are customary.