Digest San Francisco Chronicle Wine Section

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, November 10, 2006

East Bay rising, Winemakers find fertile ground in the urban environs of Alameda County, W. Blake Gray

Go south from Napa County across San Pablo Bay and you leave behind the precious tasting rooms and the landed gentry who have $150 Cabernets made in their names. Instead you'll find unpretentious city dwellers getting their hands dirty making wine. There's a bustling urban wine scene developing in the East Bay, with wineries nestled into warehouses beside factories and tasting rooms accessible by BART and commuter ferry.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Barrel-aged beer is a growing favorite among aficionados.
  
• Can you change a tire? Then you can make wine.
  
• New release: Beaujolais Nouveau
  
• Sweet and unusual couple: Moscato d'Asti and chocolate
  
• Soap can cloud your crystal glasses permanently.
  
• "Fill 'er up" is not usually a phrase heard at wineries.
  

The Cocktailian: Heavenly drink inspires musings on bartender as God, Gary Regan

Square One, made from 100 percent American rye, isn't the only organic vodka on the market. Rain, another American product, but made from 100 percent organic white corn, has been around since 1996...It's probable that we'll be seeing more organic spirits and liqueurs on the shelves in the very near future.

Recipe:

Washhouse

Adapted from a recipe by Neyah White, bartender at Nopa, San Francisco

Letters to Wine: Beer drinkers know their hops

The Cheese Course: Coat your tongue with the lush creaminess of Rocchetta, Janet Fletcher

Fresh cheeses rarely have the compelling character of mature ones, in part because young cheeses are higher in moisture and thus less concentrated in flavor. What's more, a 2-week-old cheese hasn't had time to undergo all the enzymatic changes that generate the multiple aromas of an aged cheese. That's why it's so surprising to find a cheese like Rocchetta, a young mixed-milk wheel from Italy's Piedmont region that delivers impressive flavor

Pairings: Syrah and short ribs make a meaty matchup, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Asian-Style Beef Short Ribs

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: South Central Coast Syrahs, Jon Bonné

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Sky Terrace (at Medjool), Tara Duggan

Bargain Bite: Mega Mouth Burgers and Beer, Bill Addison

CRITICS' PICKS: White magic, GETTING A TASTE FOR THE FUNGI, Bill Addison

"Some Bay Area restaurants are using truffles as decadent grace notes to rich dishes. Servers at Michael Mina grate truffles over lobster pot pie or Kobe beef prepared three ways. Acquerello offers a classic Italian preparation: tagliarini with parmesan, butter and a showering of white truffle shavings. Other restaurants offer extravagant events at this time of year in celebration of the fabulous fungi. It may cost a pretty penny to savor this seasonal prize, but, in the right hands, the mysterious taste of white truffles can haunt your taste buds -- and memory -- for weeks."

Dining Out: Saha surprises with eclectic Middle Eastern dishes, Bill Addison

Chef Mohamed Aboghanem's eccentric, sultry cooking reinforces the daydream. Aboghanem is a native of the Republic of Yemen, for centuries a key stop along the spice trade route. His food -- which he has termed Arabic fusion -- tastes like an extension of the country's long history of culinary cross-pollination. French and American undercurrents drift through his creations, but the essence of his cuisine remains steadfastly Yemeni.

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, November 10, 2006

Sass by the glass: Wine bars come of age in the Bay Area, Bill Addison

Wine bars are malleable concepts, and each one seems to mirror the personality of the community in which it opens. Some are tiny storefronts with specialized wine lists that offer restrained nibbles like cheese and olives. Other, swankier spots represent an evolving nexus of wine bar and restaurant where folks can hang with friends, dabble in obscure wine varietals -- and perhaps even stay for dinner.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Whip up a white bean puree to spread on pita chips or crostini.
  
• Crantini cocktails
  
• Don't stop believin'
  
• So much wine, so few people
  
• For peat's sake
  
• Thanksgiving weekend is a popular time to escape the extended family for a Wine Country visit.
  

The Tasting Room: Jeriko, W. Blake Gray

Jeriko is also ambitious in its winemaking program. Only organically grown grapes from the estate vineyards that surround the tasting room are used in Jeriko's wines. But within those 120 acres, Jeriko grows five different varieties; when we asked, the laconic tasting room staffer showed us a map of where each type of grape is located.

Bargain Wines: Be thankful for these great values, Leslie Sbrocco

Stuffing with sausages, yams with brown sugar, salty gravy and tangy cranberry sauce are the elements you're really pairing. Since it's a national holiday, this week's picks highlight domestic wines that take on the turkey table with ease.

Letters To Wine: Don't rip Napa to praise Oakland

Wine bars vary, just like wine, Bill Addison

San Francisco's wine bars defy easy categorization, as discovered on recent visits to the following 12. Some are neighborhood haunts with basic by-the-glass lists; others are flashy spots that cater to the see-and-be-scenesters and specialize in arcane varietals from around the globe.

Spirits: England's classic Pimm's cocktail experiences a Bay Area revival, Camper English

Many of San Francisco's British-style pubs keep a bottle of Pimm's No. 1 on hand, but Pimm's fan Crisson says she's no longer ordering them at neighborhood venues after some negative experiences. "Pimm's is not the kind of liqueur that you keep on the shelf unless you know what you're doing with it. I'm not going to order it from just any old bar. To have a disappointing Pimm's Cup is really disappointing."

Recipe:Pimm's Cup

As made at Town Hall restaurant in San Francisco

The Cheese Course: Creamy labneh is perfect for breakfast, Janet Fletcher

Labneh is made just like yogurt, by culturing milk with bacteria. Some producers add cream or nonfat milk solids to the milk. The former adds richness; the latter adds protein without adding fat. Some add pectin or other stabilizers, and some add salt. In any case, labneh is always thicker than yogurt because some of the whey has been removed. Although the consistency varies slightly from one manufacturer to another, you can expect labneh to be closer to sour cream or soft cream cheese than to custard-like American yogurt.

Pairings: Gewurztraminer offers pairing solutions, Lynne Char Bennett

Recipe:

Spiced Winter Vegetable Braise with Coconut Milk & Chipotles en Adobo

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Domestic Gewurztraminer, Jon Bonné

TURKEY TRAINING CAMP: Riesling wins trainees' favor, Stacy Finz

Uncorked: Swirl owner's spin on buying wine, Stacy Finz

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Paragon, Deb Wandell

Bargain Bite: Cafe Pippo, Carol Ness

CRITICS' PICKS: Crab, Plain or fancy, it's delicious, Bill Addison

"East Coasters may clamor for blue crab, but West Coast folks prize the larger Dungeness for its feathery, sweet meat. And one of crabmeat's many virtues is how well it adapts to various cuisines -- as evidenced by its many interpretations on the menus of local restaurants.

Dining Out: Asian flavors dance at tiny neighborhood haunt, Bill Addison

David's Kitchen in San Francisco's Parkside is the kind of good-willed spot any neighborhood needs: inexpensive food cooked by a chef with a quirky but wholly approachable style. Chef-owner David Chang reinforces that amiable quality by visiting the dining room frequently to check on his customers and make conversation.

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, November 24, 2006

Cheers to the holidays, Jon Bonné

The Chronicle's Wine Section Gift Guide is designed to make buying gifts for the wine lovers on your list a lot less stressful than engaging in hand-to-hand combat at the toy store.

Gift Guide:

• Turn leftover wine into vinegar
  
• Obnoxious oenophiles? Send them to the other room with Viti Vini,
  
• Fizz finesse: Your favorite mixologist can satisfy the creative urge by making tonic and soda water at home.
  
• Too good for vinegar? Keep wine fresh with a preservation system.
  
• Trivia for tipplers: A gaming gift to shake up parties.
  
• Soak and sip: For the sybarite on your gift list,
  
• Corkscrew technology: For all the advances, simple solutions seem to work best.
  
• Squeeze it: Teach a man to juice and he'll juice forever.
  
• Instant beach party: Don't let another day at the beach be ruined by gentle breezes,
  
• Crushing news: Don't settle for ice cubes.
  
• Hipster hip wear: Fishing and beer go together,
  
• Wine wet suit: Stylish tote bags keep bottles and cans at drinking temperature.
  

Glassware: Chill factor, Camper English

A warm martini is a bad martini, and a warning sign that either you're drinking very slowly or your drink is too big. The 7.5-ounce Clio Martini Glass solves that drink problem and allows you to drink as slowly (or as much) as you want without your raspberry cosmo reaching room temperature. The stemless glass fits into a bowl to be filled with cooling ice and water when it's not in your hand, or use it to keep shrimp cocktails cold or toddies hot.

Glassware: Shattering expectations, Jon Bonné

The wineglass market is rapidly expanding these days: glasses with bigger bowls (are we supposed to drink more?), glasses with big names and price tags to match, like the new Robert Mondavi by Waterford line ($50 for two), and of course, the utterly puzzling craze for stemless glasses.

Glassware: Swirling style, Jon Bonné

Few wine accessories travel further on looks and looks alone than decanters. Many look chic; not so many actually work that well.

Parings: GIFTS FROM JOYCE GOLDSTEIN'S KITCHEN, Joyce Goldstein

A gift of homemade food shows you care enough to spend time working in the kitchen. Renowned chef and cookbook author Joyce Goldstein created these six recipes for holiday gifts. To make them even more special, make a wine-pairing gift set with one of the wines she recommends with each.

Recipes:

• Pomegranate Marinade & Basting Sauce
  
• Parmesan Almond Biscotti
  
• Romesco Sauce
  
• Persimmon Pudding
  
• Romanian Cheese Spread
  
• Indonesian Sweet Soy Basting Sauce and Marinade
  

Wines: Forget the cashmere; give soft tannins instead, Jon Bonné

Buying a gift bottle can be a bit like buying a sweater. You might delight the recipient, but there's always that lingering worry that they'll find it hideous. (Good luck getting as much pleasure from a sweater, though.)

Wines: Party wines that won't bust your budget, W. Blake Gray

The wines below will impress your friends with your good taste, without forcing you to tap deeply into your gift funds.

Wines: Great gift wines that won't reveal your tight fists, W. Blake Gray

When buying Bargain Wines as gifts, it's crucial that the wine not look -- or taste -- as cheap as it actually is. These wines won't blow your cover...if you hide this newspaper from your friends.

Spirits and Port:

• NOT JUST ANY PORT
  
• INSIDER TIP FOR BRANDY FANS
  
• WHISKY HITS THE SWEET SPOT
  

Spirits and Beer:

• California Gin Martini Kit
  
• DESIGNER VODKA COMES ACCESSORIZED
  
• HOW TO PLEASE A BEER SNOB
  
• A SPICY ADDITION TO THE LIQUOR CABINET
  

Infusions: Do-it-yourself flavored vodkas, Dabney Gough

In this era of the rejected, maligned fruitcake, few holiday traditions remain that successfully unite the kitchen, gift giving and hard alcohol. One such instance, the art of infusing liquor, is an easy project. Aside from being a worthwhile endeavor for personal enjoyment, infused liquors are especially well suited for gift giving; they always elicit a "wow" when you tell the recipient you made them yourself.

Recipes:

• Pomegranate-Lime Vodka
  
• Spiced Orange Vodka
  
• Cardamom-Ginger Vodka
  

Cheese Gifts Janet Fletcher

• Truffled Brillat-Savarin.
  
• Redwood Hill Camellia.
  
• La Tur.
  
• Vacherin du Jura.
  
• Montbriac.
  

Wine Books:

• "Corks & Forks" (Shoemaker & Hoard, $23) by Robert Finigan
  
• "Mr. Boston Platinum Edition" (Wiley, $19.95)
  
• "The Sake Handbook" (Tuttle Publishing, $12.95) by John Gauntner
  
• "A Wine Miscellany: A Jaunt Through the Whimsical World of Wine" by Graham Harding (Clarkson Potter, $16.95)
  
• "History in a Glass: Sixty Years of Wine Writing from Gourmet" (Modern Library, $24.95) Edited by Ruth Reichl
  
• "What to Drink with What You Eat" (Bulfinch, $35) by Karen Page
  
• "Oxford Companion to Wine" (Oxford University Press, $65), edited by Jancis Robinson
  

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Cortez, Laura Compton

"The bar at Cortez is the perfect place to either start your evening or cap it after a play in the theater district. The narrow space, which connects the Hotel Adagio lobby and restaurant, boasts hip decor by designer Michael Brennan that's instantly captivating: cork walls, mobile-like lighting fixtures and Mondrian-inspired backlit walls."

CRITICS' PICKS: The Western Addition, Bill Addison

"The runaway success of boisterous, community-oriented Nopa on the corner of Hayes and Divisadero streets has reinvigorated the Western Addition in San Francisco as a go-to dining destination. But the neighborhood's protracted history of ethnic diversity has long made it a diverse area for all kinds of restaurants."

Bargain Bite: Marnee Thai, Tara Duggan

"It can be hard to find Thai restaurants that serve regional specialties, but chef Chai Siriyarn is an exception to the rule at longtime San Francisco favorite Marnee Thai. His menu at both Sunset District locations offers many alluring specials, everything presented in elaborate Thai style, despite the low prices."

DINING OUT: Ethereal tofu stars long with classic sushi at friendly Eiji, Bill Addison

I was first drawn to Eiji, chef-owner Onoda's eponymous restaurant on the edge of the Castro, by the brown vertical banner hanging outside its door. One side says "sushi," the other proclaims "tofu." Why, I wondered, would humble tofu receive the same top billing as ever-popular sushi?

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, December 02, 2006

The bubbly issue: Champagne houses take root in California soil, Jon Bonné

During the past three decades, the Champenois have come to feel at home in California. Not all have stayed, but those who did quietly played a defining role in the style, and quality, of American sparkling wines. After years of confusion in the marketplace about what their California-made wines represent -- brand extensions of familiar names or inexpensive second fiddles? -- they seem to have hit their stride.

The bubbly issue: Easy-to-fix nibbles that go with sparklers, Olivia Woo

If only it were easy to pull together last-minute food that is as classy and bubbly as a sparkler. Something beyond a bag of chips, and more personal than a tray of purchased sushi. Something that highlights the popping of bubbles on the palate, stands up to the crisp acidity or plays against the yeastiness or the fruitiness of the wine.

Recipes:

• Crab Sandwiches on Brioche
  
• Pigs in Blankets
  
• Savory Prosciutto & Gruyere Palmiers
  
• Baked Potatoettes with Bacon & Chives
  
• Oyster Gazpacho
  
• Quinoa-Nori Rolls
  

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Digital Wine Thermometer
  
• History in a bottle
  
• Ancient Chinese wine
  
• Let the pros pour: Don't get stuck behind the bar while your guests have all the fun.
  
• If only the party could last forever
  

The Tasting Room: Iron Horse Vineyards, Carol Ness

At the top is a sweeping view of some of the prettiest vine-covered hillsides in the Russian River Valley, clear across to Mount St. Helena, and Iron Horse's winery and outdoor tasting bar.

Mireille Guiliano: Stay slim -- and drink Champagne, Stacy Finz

Mireille Guiliano, author of "French Women Don't Get Fat," is promoting her new book, "French Women for All Seasons" (Knopf; $24.95), a guide to savoir vivre. We figured that as President and CEO of Clicquot Inc., this is one writer who knows her wine. So we recently caught up with her.

Letters to Wine

Spirits: Leftover Champagne? Sacre bleu! Time for Champagne cocktails, Camper English

Jonny Raglin, bar manager at Absinthe, theorizes that the drink wasn't created merely because it tastes good. "It was created out of necessity. That cocktail came from people trying to rescue yesterday's Champagne," he says.

Recipe:French 75

As served at Top of the Mark

Wine Business Insider: Small California wineries gain entry to N.Y. restaurants, Cyril Penn

Restaurant wine lists in New York and elsewhere could soon get more interesting, thanks to a new Internet-based service that connects wineries with restaurants that want to purchase directly from them...A biodynamic trade association is in the early stages of organizing to promote awareness of biodynamics, work as an oversight organization to uphold Demeter certification and protect the biodynamic trademark...Inniskillin Wines appointed Jackson-Triggs Okanagan Estate winemaker Bruce Nicholson to lead production of Inniskillin's ice wines and table wines at the Niagara winery...Jean-Michel Cazes of Bordeaux's Chateau Lynch Bages is handing over the running of the property to his son Jean-Michel.

The bubbly issue: Which reigns supreme -- terroir or the winemaker?, Jon Bonné

Of the four, Roederer's wines tasted the most clearly like Champagne, which made them the hardest to identify as coming from Reims or Philo.

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Domestic Brut and Blanc de Blancs, Jon Bonné

The Cheese Course: Displaced Sardinian families make a gem, Janet Fletcher

Italy's pecorinos are dependably among my favorite cheeses. I always have a chunk of Pecorino Romano in the refrigerator for grating on pasta -- I prefer it to Parmigiano Reggiano for many recipes -- and I gravitate to any pecorino on a restaurant cheese list. Carol Field, the San Francisco-based authority on Italian food, piqued my curiosity about pecorino di Pienza a few months ago when she told me it's one of the edibles she routinely brings home from her visits to Tuscany.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: EDK, Stacy Finz

Bargain Bite: Hilary's House of Bagels, Amanda Gold

CRITICS' PICKS: Asian noodle soups, Pho and more, Bill Addison

"The Bay Area is abundant in one of the world's best feel-good dishes to grab between gift shopping and office parties: Asian noodle soups. They come in many guises, from Vietnamese pho and Japanese ramen to Chinese wonton soup and spicy Thai curry variations."

Dining Out: 'Witchcraft, Bill Addison

One hopes that when a talent like Colicchio puts his name on a restaurant, whether it's a pantheon of fine dining or a corner sandwich shop, the results will match the intent behind the menu. After all, Colicchio made his name at places like New York's Gramercy Tavern and Craft by forging an ahead-of-the-curve comfort food sensibility with pioneering New American creativity.

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, December 02, 2006

WINEMAKER OF THE YEAR: Paul Draper, Jon Bonné

Simply for the consistent excellence of his wines in the course of nearly four decades, Draper could easily have claimed our top honor this year. Two Ridge wines scored spots on The Chronicle's Top 100 Wines; neither is the paradigmatic Monte Bello, which wasn't tasted for the Top 100 (but which we'll return to shortly).

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Truffle salt with wine is a luxe gift.
  
• Not your grandmother's gingerbread house
  
• Potato chips and bubbly?
  
• Luis Miguel is one of the biggest names in Latin music.
  
• Zesty salad bites
  
• Pinot goes pop
  

Wine Business Insider: Thriving middle-aged, overweight mice drive up red wine sales, Cyril Penn

Sales of red wines in food, drug and liquor stores surged in the four weeks ending Nov. 18, following extensive media coverage of a study that found resveratrol, a substance found in red wine, extended the life and improved the health of middle-aged, overweight mice...Phylloxera hits Yarra Valley...A new study of Zinfandel consumers and producers found that a majority of consumers do not associate Zinfandel with high alcohol levels...Precept Brands, the third largest wine company in Washington state, has purchased Waterbrook Winery of Walla Walla...A memorial service honoring the life of Don Talley will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Talley Vineyards.

WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: ADAM AND DIANNA LEE, Jane Tunks

Adam, 42, and Dianna, 36, call their style "gentle winemaking" -- they use some cultured yeast, but they don't make any additions after fermentation, and don't fine or filter the wines. The Lone Star transplants moved to California in 1992 and launched Siduri in 1993 with just $24,000. Not only did they lack the financial clout of corporate-backed, land-owning wineries, the couple had no winemaking experience.

WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: JIM MOORE, W. Blake Gray

Moore, 55, had left a job as an assistant winemaker at Bonny Doon Vineyard nearly a year before to concentrate on his own label and passion, L'Uvaggio di Giacomo ("the blend of James"). He had taken the Bonny Doon job in the first place because L'Uvaggio -- which makes Italian varietal wines from California, often called Cal-Itals -- wasn't paying the bills.

WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: ADAM LAZARRE AND PAUL CLIFTON, W. Blake Gray

In a sea of unremarkable $10 wines from California, the Cycles Gladiator lineup -- introduced this year -- stands out immediately. The fruit-forward wines taste far better than almost all of their peers.

WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: MITCHELL KATZ, W. Blake Gray

Katz, 43, is an unlikely candidate to be a star winemaker. He's a plumbing construction foreman with no formal winemaking education. A burly 6-foot-4, he looks every bit the former Long Beach State offensive lineman he actually is.

WINEMAKERS TO WATCH: KRISTIN BELAIR, Stacy Finz

In the last nine years at Honig, Belair's been making richly textured Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc reminiscent of those from France's Loire Valley. The winery has gained a devoted following thanks to its wink-wink marketing, but Belair's affordable food-friendly wines have consistently drawn plenty of attention on their own. In fact, Honig's 2003 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was chosen this year to be one of The Chronicle's Top 100 Wines. Of the Napa Cabs on the list it's the second least expensive, retailing for $35.

Beer: Brewers plan for hoppy holidays, Camper English

City Beer owner Craig Wathen, who sells a wide range of seasonal brews at his San Francisco store, says that in winter two styles of beer temporarily populate store shelves and bar taps: winter warmers and holiday ales. He says that both have higher alcohol content than brews produced for hot weather, but winter warmers are the darker and heartier of the two. Holiday ales are not usually quite as potent, but often contain added spices like cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. The spices can be added to the brew kettle if the whole batch will be flavored, or directly into the barrel if the brewer wants to spice a subset of beer.

Bargain Wines: Turn up the game, grab a burger and bust open Wines for Men, W. Blake Gray

Why Syrah? It's a man's wine: big, bold and often high in alcohol (men don't drink for flavor alone). Syrah sometimes causes pinky-waving wine critics to use descriptors like "raw meat," "burnt rubber" and "sweat." Throw in a little gasoline and you've got yourself a tractor pull.

Pairings: Lobster sparkles with top-of-the-line bubbly, Joyce Goldstein

Most people serve Champagne with cocktail party food and appetizers, or pair it with a slice of overly sweet cake. Why not consider serving this spectacularly versatile wine throughout the meal? It really will surprise you with its ample acidity, light weight, low alcohol and its ability to brighten and highlight many a dish, even those with complex spices and acidity. The effervescence is a refreshing foil for heat and richness.

Recipe:Roast Lobster with Champagne, Lemon & Tarragon Butter

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Tete de Cuvee Champagne and Sparkling Wines, Jon Bonné

The Cheese Course: A miniature fresh goat cheese from France, Janet Fletcher

"This diminutive fresh cheese resembles the goat cheeses you would find at any village farmers' market in France, proudly sold by the cheesemakers themselves. It is chalk white and rindless, the shape of a hockey puck, with a smooth, soft texture similar to that of natural cream cheese. The aroma is subdued, but the flavor is lemony, fresh and unmistakably that of a cheese from goat's milk."

The Tasting Room: Friendliness matters, W. Blake Gray

"In addition to being a good winery, Sawyer Cellars is an homage to what a good winery should be -- and that makes it well worth visiting."

Letters to Wine

The Cocktailian: Mother Earth gets a taste of a new pisco-based drink, Gary Regan

"Peruvian pisco is a grape-based spirit that's made in very much the same way as Cognac, except for the fact that it's not aged, and therefore it looks much like vodka, but it tastes, well, it tastes like pisco. There can be a slight smokiness in some bottlings of pisco, though the smoke is extremely light. And many piscos come bearing lots of vegetal flavors, but they aren't the same vegetal notes that can be found in Tequila. Pisco is a product unto itself. In Peru, it's often sipped neat."

Recipe:The Cuzco Cocktail

Adapted from a recipe by Julie Reiner, Flatiron Lounge, New York.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse, Laura Compton

Bargain Bite: Gyro King, Stacy Finz

CRITICS' PICKS: Open Christmas Day, Bill Addison

"After all the holiday rigmarole -- the partying, the shopping, the crowd dodging, the gift giving and exchanging -- do you really want to cook dinner on Christmas Day?"

Dining Out: Chef Wai, Bill Addison

"The restaurant has certainly attracted serious devotion in its two months of operation. Fans remember Andy Wai from his long tenure as executive chef of San Francisco's now defunct Harbor Village. He floated around a couple other Bay Area Chinese restaurants before striking out on his own with his Eponymous venture."

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, December 16, 2006

BEYOND ANIMAL MAGNETISM: The Lesson of Critter Labels, Jon Bonné

Three Blind Moose, Four Emus, Funky Llamas. A menagerie of critter labels on wines has emerged in the past three years, all hoping to emulate the success of a certain Yellow Tailed marsupial. In 2005, these wines locked up $605 million in sales, and average sales of 77 new animal labels launched since 2003 more than doubled those of their non-critter rivals, according to ACNielsen. So, it seems, what's on the label does make a difference.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• A new shop focuses on Italian wines
  
• THE CHOSEN BEER
  
• Avocados go well with just about any wine.
  

Bronco's 'copycat' label miffs Santa Barbara Winery, W. Blake Gray

Franzia's Bronco Wine Co. has introduced a new brand called Santa Barbara Landing at Trader Joe's stores with a label and typeface somewhat similar to that used by area pioneer Santa Barbara Winery. The 2005 Santa Barbara Landing Santa Barbara County Chardonnay sells for $4.99; Santa Barbara Winery's similar-looking county appellation Chardonnay sells for $14.

Wine Business Insider: State's wine industry getting greener, Cyril Penn

Sustainability Spreads...Roche Winery Sold...Big Plans for Patterson's...

Uncorked: A novel approach to wine writing, W. Blake Gray

(Jay) McInerney's wine columns have been collected into two books, the most recent of which is "A Hedonist in the Cellar" (Alfred A. Knopf, 2006). Even for a wine writer, he drinks very well, as is apparent from the columns, which often concentrate on seeking out and drinking with producers of the best small-production wines the world has to offer.

Pairings: Winter holidays go big with prime rib and Napa Cab, Joyce Goldstein

I love to poke around my wine cellar and see what treasures are ready to drink and then set the table with my best china and big wineglasses. This is not the time to go artsy and experimental. I might fool around with a new dessert or salad, but it's the holidays, so it's Cabernet and prime rib.

Recipe: Roast Prime Rib

Chronicle Wine Selections: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Over $50, Jon Bonné

This spring, The Chronicle's panel found an embarrassment of riches in terrific Napa Cabs under $50. As we approach year's end, with wine lovers looking for great wines as gifts and for special holiday dinners, the stakes are raised.

The Cheese Course: Artisanal Cheddar hails from across the pond, Janet Fletcher

Keen's, a fourth-generation family business in Somerset, remains one of England's most traditional Cheddar producers. Strict constructionists like the Keens believe that authentic artisan Cheddar can only be made with raw milk from the farm's own herd for maximum freshness and quality control. The bacterial starter must be a traditional culture derived from local microflora, and the coagulant must be calf rennet, not the microbial rennets that are growing in popularity. The Keens and other traditionalists believe that animal rennet yields a rounder flavor in the mature cheese.

Spirits: S.F.'s restaurant industry carries on a bitter tradition, Julia Bainbridge

R Bar in the Tenderloin , the No. 1 Fernet bar in the city, goes through 120 bottles a month. Every night, the place is littered with Fernet lovers who each have different tales from Fernet Land. Here's where people know the history of the drink -- used in the past to treat menstrual discomfort, baby colic and cholera. Chris Fogarty, co-owner of the bar, says his father, also a bartender (at Perry's on Union) still drinks it as a hangover cure.

World View: Stick out your tongue to see if you're a 'hypertaster, Jancis Robinson

Professor Linda Bartoshuk of Yale University first published her groundbreaking work, dividing the population into so-called supertasters, normal tasters and non-tasters, back in the 1990s. But it has taken the world of wine a while to catch up with the implications. With colleagues she identified a substance called PROP (6-n-propylthiouracil, a thyroid medication) that can help identify which of us has an abnormally high or low number of taste buds (which are found on fungiform papillae) on our tongue. Roughly a quarter of the population seem genetically programmed to have a markedly high number of taste buds, about a half have an average number, and another quarter have relatively few.

Letters to Wine

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Fonda, Stacy Finz

"There's often a crush at this hopping Albany tapas spot. Tucked into a corner of the restaurant, the bar is small, with a view of the exhibition kitchen. However, the intimate two-story restaurant's cushy upholstered chairs, throw pillows and small-plate portions give the entire place a loungelike atmosphere. Brick walls, worn wood floors, small mosaic tables and dim lighting add to its romantic charm."

Bargain Bite: Annapoorna, Mandy Erickson

"... I sat down and enjoyed a pleasantly sour, crisp-at-the-edges, platter-size dosa filled with buttery potatoes, carrots and onion. The restaurant's servers take pride in their vegetarian South Indian cuisine, parsing it for those who appear confused and setting dishes down with reverence."

CRITICS' PICKS: Last meal of '06 , Bill Addison

"Here are some restaurants celebrating the start of 2007 with special menus. Contact restaurants about prices and seating availability."

Dining Out: Weird Fish, Bill Addison

"Holt, who also will be opening a cafe next door in May, stressed during a phone conversation that Weird Fish and its menu are actively evolving: He's hired a new chef who will specialize in nightly vegan and vegetarian specials, and he's hoping the restaurant will soon be granted a "green" business certification."

[Hest88]

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

Pinot Noir beefs up: Big-bodied Pinots confound sommeliers as they delight fans, W. Blake Gray

Elegant Pinots still exist. But they seem outnumbered on store shelves by new styles of Pinot Noir that are unabashedly big-bodied, fruit-forward and high-powered.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• SF trumps NY in number of master sommeliers
  
• Rockin' Trockenbeerenauslese
  
• Mike Ditka creates line of wines
  
• LABEL WATCH: Prince Charles
  
• Mike Grgich bobblehead available
  

Silver Oak buys Roshambo Winery

Roshambo Winery near Healdsburg is selling its Westside Road winemaking facility and tasting room to Silver Oak Cellars.

Roche Winery sold out of bankruptcy, Cyril Penn

The sale of Roche Winery to HP Land LLC for $7 million closed last week.

Alcohol-free alternatives keep the party sparkling, Tara Duggan

Luckily there are plenty of interesting nonalcoholic sparkling juices as well as wine-grape juices around to make things a little more fun for those who abstain.

BENEFITS:

• Auction for education
  
• Benefit for wishes
  

The Professor risks his job for a drink, Gary Regan

"Vermouth, an 'aromatized wine' that's flavored with a variety of botanicals such as wormwood, chamomile, orange peel, rose petals, calamus root, elderflowers and gentian, is a very important ingredient to the cocktailian bartender. In the late 1800s, when vermouth was first utilized by masters of the craft, a whole new category of drinks came into being, spawning cocktails such as the Manhattan, the martini and the Rob Roy. Bartenders today continue to employ vermouth regularly in new creations, as well as in the classics."

Chilly weather prescription: Cab and brisket, Joyce Goldstein

As a bona fide Jewish mother, I have been preparing brisket for my family for many years, and not just for Hanukkah. It is our favorite pot roast. But when you have been cooking something for a long time, you need some change or diversion from the norm to keep it interesting.

Recipe: Braised Brisket of Beef with Pimenton

The Cheese Course: Luxuriously rich, new triple creme from France among best in its class, Janet Fletcher

"Pierre Robert, a triple creme made in the region just south of Paris that also gives us Brie and Coulommiers, is the invention of the esteemed French affineur (cheese ager) Robert Rouzaire. Many professionals rank it among France's best cheeses in this category."

THE CHRONICLE'S WINE SELECTIONS: Cabernet Sauvignon Over $50 — Napa Valley Subappellations, Jon Bonné

Napa's individual subdivisions tend to polarize Cabernet lovers. Some love the warmth of valley fruit from Oakville and Rutherford. Others opt for the refinements of rocky Stags Leap. The unyielding structures of fruit from the mountain appellations make for durable, long-lasting wines.

Family winery with a yodeler/Like many Napa Valley wineries: Peju Province is the result of an individual's hard work and foresight., Lynne Char Bennett

Anthony Peju had a landscape architecture business in Southern California before founding his own winery and living out his dream of becoming a winemaker. Peju crafted the winery grounds into something visitors enjoy as much as his wines.

Stunning garden makes up for Vegas-style cellar: Ferrari-Carano brings a bit of Nevada casino-style flash to rural Sonoma County, with mixed results., W. Blake Gray

"The vibe: It's like the '70s B-horror flick "Don't Look in the Basement." The grounds are stunning. Wander through the well-planned gardens; pause in the hidden gazebo to ponder your day of wine tasting. That's free, and well worth visiting. The large upstairs tasting room is crowded but friendly. But avoid the new Enoteca reserve room downstairs -- the tasting fees are outrageous and the staff suffers from "money talks" snootery in their standoffish yet grasping demeanor."

Letters to Wine

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Junnoon, Mandy Erickson

"Indian-fusion Junnoon, featuring spicy chutneys and tropical drinks, is unexpectedly cozy on a cold, rainy night."

Bargain Bite: Just For You, Jane Tunks

"At this tiny Dogpatch storefront, the all-American coffee shop gets a sassy update -- Day-Glo punk-rock posters deck the wall, and the menu extols the virtues of grits 'like you had in prison.'"

CRITICS' PICKS: Satisfying that sweet tooth/Seasonal local fruits flavor the end of meal, Bill Addison

"The Bay Area's penchant for local, seasonal ingredients pays off come dessert time. Even winter seems bountiful when you can indulge in creations like Meyer lemon tart with creme Chantilly at Cafe at Chez Panisse in Berkeley or warm persimmon budino with caramel at Delfina in San Francisco."

Dining Out: Miss Millie's faves make the move to Somerset, Bill Addison

For 10 years, Miss Millie's was one of San Francisco's most popular brunch spots, but Rizzo wanted his business to be known as something beyond a weekend destination. So, when a promising location in Oakland's Rockridge neighborhood became available, he decided to put his restaurant through a radical change: new East Bay location, new name, different look and a revamped business model emphasizing dinner service.

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

BARGAIN BONANZA!, W. Blake Gray

The rules were simple: The wine could be anything -- red, white, sparkling, dessert -- from anywhere, but had to actually be available in the store for $10 or less. And I would be the sole judge of which ones are best.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• A bit of extra cheer for sparkling winemakers
  
• Sick of fishing cork from your wine? Haley's Corker keeps bits at bay.
  
• A cocktail for the day after
  
• New Bronco wines are too pricey for owner Fred Franzia
  
• Ring in the New Year with a luxe, late-night snack that's the perfect partner for sparkling wine.
  

Spirits: For hangovers, bartenders prefer the 'hair of the dog', Camper English

Now that we've got that out of the way, let's face facts: On Jan. 1, plenty of people will be hurting from overindulgence the previous evening. Hangovers are a fully preventable condition that most of us forget to prevent. We needn't feel terribly bad about having one (focus the guilt on what you said to your ex last night) because even people who work with alcohol on a daily basis slip up occasionally and pay the price, just like the rest of us.

Uncorked: Wine educator keeps her roots close to the vine, Jane Tunks

It's been nearly 25 years since Karen MacNeil accidentally stumbled into wine writing. A well-published food writer in the mid-'70s, MacNeil was asked by Elle magazine to write an article about wine. MacNeil's younger, female voice was a breath of fresh air amid the mostly stodgy wine world of wine writing, and within a year, she went from writing 100 percent about food to 90 percent about wine. "Wine itself is endlessly fascinating -- it's historic, it's cultural, it's mystic, it's pleasurable," she says.

Letters to Wine

The Cheese Course: Even blue bashers like Gorgonzola dolce, Janet Fletcher

If you find most blue cheeses daunting, you may still appreciate Gorgonzola dolce, the milder version of the famous Italian blue cheese. Commercialized after World War II and aimed at palates that prefer more subtle flavors, Gorgonzola dolce (gor-gon-ZO-la DOHL-chay) -- literally, sweet Gorgonzola -- lacks the pungency that develops in the more traditional product, known as Gorgonzola naturale.

Pairings: Cured meats love Lambrusco, Carol Ness

Though the trend is new in Bay Area restaurants, eating fatty, salty cured meats with fruity, lightly fizzy red wine is an age-old way of life in northern Italy's Emilia-Romagna region.

Chronicle Wine Selections: Paint the town red with Italian bubbles, Jon Bonné

THE CHRONICLE'S WINE SELECTIONS: STARS OF 2006, Jon Bonné, Sarah Fritsche

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Michael Mina Lounge, Amanda Berne

"Still in holiday splurge mode? It's hard to top Michael Mina, one of the swankiest restaurants in San Francisco. It can be hard to snag a reservation, but we know the secret: Sneak into the lounge area, just off the bar. It's open seating, and the service is as impeccable if you sat at one of the tables, but there's no commitment to Mina's three-course, triptych meal."

Bargain Bite: Peoples, Karola Saekel

"The 30-odd seat Middle Eastern cafe, just a block from the UC campus, manages to be both cutting-edge and homey at the same time. A free wireless Internet connection attests to the former; pleasant decor, including a ceiling-high, well-stocked bookcase, to the latter. Small, dark, wood tables and a few window stools accommodate guests, and one wall features mosaiclike paintings of Mediterranean scenes."

Dining Out: Om, Bill Addison

"Om gives Marin County residents an opportunity to sample some of the South Indian delicacies that have grown so popular in other parts of the Bay Area, particularly in the Peninsula/South Bay. But several elements of Om also make it a destination for adventurers who are looking for some refreshingly novel Indian restaurant offerings."

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 05, 2007

Lodi revival: A new generation of grape growers is going into business for themselves, W. Blake Gray

Only 80 miles from San Francisco, Lodi (San Joaquin County) is the backbone of the California wine grape-growing industry, and has been for decades. It leads the state in production of Cabernet Sauvignon -- with more than twice as much as Napa County -- as well as Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc, according to the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Minerally and slightly fizzy
  
• Ice wine harvest on thin ice
  
• Graveyard Grapes
  
• Whiskey world
  
• All H20 is not created equal.
  

Tasting Room: St. Francis maintains the trappings of an Italian church, Tara Duggan

Alot of wineries go for the California Mission look in their tasting rooms. So it's not surprising that a winery called St. Francis would go for a similarly churchy architectural style. Visitors approach the tasting room via a stone bridge, strolling past a bell tower that evokes an Italian hill town. The bell was actually made in Italy and blessed in the St. Francis Cathedral in Assisi, the saint's hometown. Inside, slate tile floors, serene statues and wrought-iron chandeliers add to the experience.

Cocktailian: Order a Scorched Earth cocktail and watch sparks fly, Gary Regan

Nicholas Hearin, a bartender at Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta, calls for Cynar in a drink that he named Scorched Earth. "I really wanted to use Cynar to create an aperitif cocktail, and I found that it paired well with brandy," he says.

Recipe:

Scorched Earth

Adapted from a recipe by Nicholas Hearin, the bartender at Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta.

Letters to Wine

Hot-climate Mediterranean grapes thrive in Lodi soil, W. Blake Gray

Zinfandel, Lodi's most abundant grape, thrives in the area's warmth. But some other varieties are widely planted even though they probably shouldn't be. The climate and soils are not a great fit for Chardonnay and Merlot, yet Lodi produces more of both than any other area of the state because large wineries have historically asked Lodi farmers to grow whatever's selling well.

Cellar doorstop or indispensable resource: 2007's wine buying guides, Jon Bonné

It is the wine writer's annual tradition: With the new year comes a new round of wine buying guides, tailored to reflect the latest vintages. We leafed through the latest releases, both annual updates and newly published overviews.

Pairings: Catalonian beef stew plucks out the best notes in Lodi Zinfandel, Joyce Goldstein

For Estofado a la Catalana, or Estofat de bou, a beef stew from Catalonia, a region on the eastern coast of Spain and whose spiritual heart and soul is Barcelona, I turned to three cookbooks in my library: Colman Andrews' "Catalan Cuisine," "Paula Wolfert's World of Food" and Penelope Casas' "The Foods and Wines of Spain."

Chronicle Wine Selections: The Best of Lodi, W. Blake Gray

The Cheese Course: A delicate Swiss cheese, ruffles and all, Janet Fletcher

One of Switzerland's few AOC (appellation d'origine controlee, or name-controlled) cheeses, Tete de Moine traces its origins back 800 years, to the Abbey of Bellelay in the Jura Mountains. For centuries, the abbey's monks made a renowned cow's milk cheese, until they were driven out in the turbulent aftermath of the French Revolution. Locals kept up the cheesemaking tradition, eventually rechristening the Bellelay cheese as Tete de Moine for reasons that are lost to history. Today, the official AOC name is Tete de Moine Fromage de Bellelay.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Hop Yard American Alehouse & Grill, Jennifer Tomaro

"Shamrock green carpet and an electronic display board that counts down to St. Patrick's Day are the first things that catch the eye at this tried-and-true alehouse in Pleasanton that is known for its beer selection. Shelves are filled with beer bottles and various brewery taps, and the music is cranked up to correspond with the lively atmosphere."

Bargain Bite: Sai Jai Thai, Laura Compton

"This Tenderloin restaurant features a hot orange color scheme that's matched by the spicy demeanor of its homey offerings. The liberal use of lime juice, chile sauce, and sweet and sour sauce enlivens otherwise ordinary sounding dishes, from the soothing pad kee mao ($5.95), stir-fried noodles with vegetables and meat, to spicy string beans ($5.95) with basil and peppers."

Critics Picks: Culinary globetrotting

"Elude the post-holidays blues Beat palate fatigue with an inexpensive, intriguing meal out. Here are some of our favorite ethnic restaurants, which offer a wide selection of delicious discoveries, from Burmese to Afghan"

Dining Out: Troya swathes Turkish cuisine with sensual sauces, Bill Addison

"And then there's Troya, handsomely poised at Clement and Fifth, which also has a coffeehouse vibe. The room is spare but warm. A guitarist may be strumming in the corner while tables of diverse patrons chatter quietly. Stylized paintings depict key scenes from the Trojan War."

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 12, 2007

Spirits: New flavorings could make gin the new vodka, Gary Regan

I don't remember what brand of gin was in my very first cocktail, but I do know that it was highly perfumed, and it fell into what I now call the "slap me upside the head with juniper and dab a little behind your ears" category. Think Tanqueray. Think Beefeater. Think Boodles. Think Plymouth. Traditional gins all, these stalwarts are as dry as a bone, and in varying degrees they're all about juniper and perfume. Not all gins follow this path, though, and some of the new bottlings on the market come bearing rather unusual flavor profiles.

The Essentials: Spain's Priorat region flexes its muscles, Michael Apstein

In just 20 years, wines from Priorat have gone from obscurity to being the most expensive in Spain. The surging popularity of wines from this rugged mountainous area in Catalonia, 80 miles southwest of Barcelona, stems from their ability to deliver the power and ripeness associated with California or Australia wines balanced by an uplifting freshness. Their chief drawbacks are their limited production, availability and steep prices.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Senate Bill 1548 allows brewers to offer up to 8 ounces of free samples per person per day.
  
• Hugh Johnson's royal honor
  
• A whole lotta shakin' will be going on tonight at Martini Madness.
  
• Single-spirit bars rise
  
• Yes, there is a beer for wine lovers, and it's Duchesse de Bourgogne.
  

Letters to Wine

Wine Business Insider: Regular domestic beer loses its grip on U.S. market, Cyril Penn

"...domestic beers as a whole are losing market share...Legalizing charity...Wineries buying pumps...Mail-order wine...Cazes expands..."

Uncorked: A long love affair with the Rhone, Jane Tunks

Since last fall, Kitty Puzon has been wowing the crowds at San Francisco's Nopa restaurant with her shaking and stirring behind the bar. Though Nopa is well known for its innovative cocktail program, it also has an eclectic wine list, with many interesting wines by the glass.

The Cheese Course: French invention has a nutty bite, Janet Fletcher

One of my new favorites, Gabietou (gah-bee-ay-too), debuted in 2001, the creation of Gabriel Bachelet, a respected cheesemaker, retailer and affineur (cheese ager) in France's Bearn region.

Pairings: Syrah doesn't need meat, Joyce Goldstein

Recipe:

Mrouzia (Lamb with Raisins & Almonds)

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, Jon Bonné

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Ozumo, Amanda Berne

"While the dining room looks as orderly and serene as a carefully composed bento box, the Sumo Lounge area at Ozumo, the Japanese restaurant near the Embarcadero, is like one of those crazy sushi rolls. Every color of the rainbow and every texture on the palette is contained within this scene. The after-work hot spot attracts suits in their 30s, or guys dressed down in Paper Denim & Cloth, eyeballing the well-coiffed Seven jeans-wearing ladies who are sipping the fruity cocktails and tossing a little hair. Put wheels on this bad boy, and you could cruise down the Embarcadero like one of those crawling party buses, complete with a DJ spinning ambient tunes."

Bargain Bite: Whispers Cafe & Creperie, Miriam Morgan

"I keep hearing the refrain from that Roy Orbison song, "Anything you want, you got it,'' run through my mind when I walk into the Whispers Cafe & Creperie in Belmont. You might, too."

CRITICS' PICKS: The little crucifer that could, Bill Addison

"Many restaurant kitchens coax diners toward the assertive pleasures of Brussels sprouts by pairing them with one of America's most beloved ingredients: bacon. San Francisco's One Market tosses roasted Brussels sprouts with applewood-smoked bacon. Lafayette's Pizza Antica creates a salad of Brussels sprouts with bacon lardoons and hard-cooked egg in red wine vinaigrette."

Dining Out: Zoya's quirky space belies refined cooking, Bill Addison

"The exterior looks like a funhouse circa 1967. A squat square base supports a circular second floor with windows overlooking either a leafy street or a parking lot full of government-issued cars, depending on your vantage point. The whole building is painted avocado green. Guests must climb outdoor stairs covered with Astroturf to reach Zoya's upstairs dining room."

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 19, 2007

Australia's undiscovered reds, W. Blake Gray

But if you look closer, there are princesses in some of these bottles. The best Australian Cabernets are wines of elegance and refinement. They don't squawk for attention like Cinderella's sisters (or like overripe, overoaked wines). If you're a Cab fan -- particularly if you like good Bordeaux -- and you haven't tried one of the best from Oz yet, it's about time.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• With tasting room fees creeping upward, a visit to Wine Country can become a pricey affair.
  
• A stout breakfast
  
• You've heard about Slow Food, get ready for Slow Wine.
  
• What's hot and what's not in the world of wine
  
• Buzzless
  

Wine Business Insider: Sales of expensive wines booming, Cyril Penn

"...American wine consumers are buying more higher-priced wine than ever...Trinchero Family Estates has sold its Zinfandel Ranch facility in Rutherford to an investment group known as Rutherford Studios..."

Spirits: Reinventing bitters, Camper English

Even bartenders with access to all the commercial bitters have begun experimenting with making their own, often following and modifying recipes in out-of-print bartending books from the early 1900s. Absinthe's Jonny Raglin made bitters by infusing herbs in gin and rum for just a few hours, then reducing the proof of the resulting liquid using an espresso machine. His co-worker Jeff Hollinger includes a recipe for cherry-vanilla bitters that can be swapped in for Angostura or other bitters in his book "The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics" (Chronicle Books, 2006).

Recipe:

Dr. Schwartz's Cherry-Vanilla Bitters

From "The Art of the Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the Classics" (Chronicle Books, 2006) by Jeff Hollinger and Rob Schwartz

Pairings: A noble dish for the wine of kings, Joyce Goldstein

Recipe:

Tajarin with Sugo d'Arrosto (Fine Noodles with Sauce from a Roast)

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Barolo and Barbaresco, Jon Bonné

The Cheese Course: In winter, you'll find Pierce Point in an herb coat, Janet Fletcher

At Cowgirl Creamery, the Point Reyes cheese producer, proprietors Sue Conley and Peggy Smith had terroir in mind when they created Pierce Point seven years ago. This small cow's milk cheese, made with organic pasteurized milk from the nearby Straus Dairy, takes its inspiration from Brin d'Amour, a Corsican sheep's milk cheese thickly crusted with dried local herbs.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Ritz-Carlton at Half Moon Bay, Olivia Wu

"It's a scene straight out of a Conde Nast resort magazine: luxury hotel in cozy, getaway location with fire cauldrons burning as you look out at the Pacific Ocean from the Conservatory. This "big room" features wide views, as well as more intimate spaces within and attached to the room. You can perch at the cocktail bar with piano close by, retreat to a dedicated, all-wood Wine Room tucked in an alcove or lean back in upholstered armchairs spread out around tables."

Bargain Bite: Pearl's Deluxe Burgers, Bill Addison

"Pearl's Deluxe Burgers in San Francisco's Tenderloin makes a convincing case for sliding back into old eating habits. Save for the dulcet lavender stucco walls, the tiny space has no decor to speak of. But the menu -- a near duplicate of the restaurant's first location, Pearl's Phat Burgers, in Mill Valley -- cuts right to the caloric chase with satisfying renditions of fully loaded hamburgers."

CRITICS' PICKS: Happiness on the half shell, Bill Addison

"Whenever friends come to visit San Francisco, I take them to Hog Island Oyster Company at the Ferry Building Marketplace. Slurping the tiny, glistening mollusks somehow augments the panoramic view of the bay. We drink a glass or two of Champagne with the oysters, devour one of Hog Island's transcendent grilled cheese sandwiches -- and then perhaps order more oysters and Champagne."

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Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 26, 2007

Social Swirl, Stacy Finz

Now they're both members of wine groups that meet once a month to taste and talk about varietals, vintages and vintners. It seems that all manner of soccer moms, suburban dads, young professionals and retirees belong to a wine club or knows someone who does. And it isn't just because it's a lot easier and more fun than having to come up with a coherent and intelligent discourse on James Joyce's "Ulysses." It's because wine, which has been growing in popularity for decades, is a hot commodity. So it only stands to reason that people want to know how to hold their stems, swirl their liquids and speak the lingo with even the snootiest sommelier.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Mondavi, the next generation
  
• Wines from South of the Border
  
• Strong beer month
  
• San Francisco Mayor endorses the screwcap
  
• Ready for "French wine," with one of those black-and-white generic supermarket labels?
  

Uncorked: Spilling on 'Sideways', W. Blake Gray

Imagine if Miles from "Sideways" actually sold his novel, then became famous and beloved by the entire Santa Barbara County winemaking community.

That's the reality for Rex Pickett, 54, who wrote the novel that became the film that switched Middle America's wine-by-the-glass preference from Merlot to Pinot Noir.

How to host a wine tasting, Tim Teichgraeber

Stick to wines of a similar type and price range, and keep the tasting blind by having different people open, wrap and label the wines. Make sure that everyone arranges their glasses in the same way, with each of the mystery wines in the proper glass. Pour a flight and give everyone enough time to taste and compare the wines, take notes and score or rank each flight. In no time you'll start to see what wines from the same region or variety have in common, and just how different they can still be.

Tastings: THE CAT'S MEOW, Carol Ness

From the plate glass windows in J. Rochioli Vineyards & Winery's simple tasting room, the fabled West Block and East Block vineyards can be spied down the hill on the Russian River Valley plain and far off to the right.

Letters to Wine

Spirits: Bartenders mix it up in contest, W. Blake Gray

Judging a cocktail contest is pretty high on the list of "I can do that" jobs, right up there with Zamboni driver and video game tester. So when Greg Lindgren, co-owner of Rye in San Francisco, invited me to be one of four judges for the bar's monthly cocktail contest, what was my response? See above.

Alsatian whites love a big entree, Joyce Goldstein

Recipe:

Cornish Hens with Wine-Marinated Sauerkraut

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Alsatian Whites, W. Blake Gray

The Cheese Course: In the mood to melt? Try Baita Friuli, Janet Fletcher

Baita Friuli, an aged cow's milk cheese, conveys its birthplace in its name. Officially known today as Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the Friuli region in far northeastern Italy shares a border with Austria and Slovenia. Its famous gastronomic products include San Daniele ham, sparkling Prosecco and the white Tocai Friulano wine. Lidia Bastianich, the television chef and New York restaurateur, is another renowned export from Friuli.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Coi, Jane Tunks

"Attracted by the neon lights of North Beach but really just want a quiet place for a drink and a bite to eat? Head a little further east on Broadway, past the strip clubs, to the lounge at Coi ("tranquil" in French), to escape the neighborhood's bump and grind. Settle into the long banquettes, prop yourself up with oversize white shag pillows and enjoy chef Daniel Patterson's three-star food for half the price. The long, narrow room, all done up in natural hues and fabrics, straddles the line between comfy and chic."

Bargain Bite: Falafel Hut, Amanda Gold

"Insiders know to ask for the fresh-baked pita, which is delivered throughout the week. It's thick and doughy, and it pairs well with the garlic, mint and yogurt salad (half-pint $3.75). The bread doesn't split open, so the falafel ($5.50/$5.95) comes packed into a thinner version. It's pumped up with roasted eggplant, potatoes and rich baba ghanoush."

CRITICS' PICKS: Passage to Peru, Bill Addison

"Many of the Bay Area's Peruvian restaurants explore the haunting subtleties of ceviche. Limon and Mochica, both in San Francisco, include native Peruvian chiles, such as aji amarillo and aji rocoto in citrusy marinades for fish and shellfish. The chiles impart a gentle spice along with deep, fruity flavors."

Dining Out: Zoya's quirky space belies refined cooking, Bill Addison

"The steep entree prices suggest that Mijana is striving to appeal to a fine-dining crowd, although it seemed the customers tended to be mostly younger folks ordering meze. It's certainly a lively, quirky space in which to hang out. The dining room's interior takes you on a Disneyland-esque magic carpet ride. Orange and white arches and evocative light fixtures provide ceiling-level eye candy. Banquettes are upholstered in rich red and caramel colors, and the tabletops in the back of the restaurant are made of large brass platters."

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, February 02, 2007

Riesling's California comeback, Janet Fletcher

Riesling sales climbed 29 percent in 2006, more than any other white wine variety and a close second only to Pinot Noir, according to Impact Databank, a wine industry report. Although the report attributes the Riesling boost largely to German imports, some California Rieslings boast strong showings, too. A few of the state's producers of midpriced Riesling have exhausted their supply of California grapes and resorted to bottling German Riesling under their label.

SUPER BOWL XLI: Game Day Food and Wine Pairings, Christina Kelly

• Guacamole
  
• Chili
  
• Potato chips
  
• Nachos
  
• Buffalo wings
  
• Pizza
  

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Label watch
  
• We aren't big fans of stemless glassware.
  
• Alsace comes to Mendocino
  
• Tequila could be the spirit of the future in the U.S.
  

Bargain Wines: Chart-topping Chardonnay still No. 1, W. Blake Gray

Chardonnay dominates the U.S. wine market the way "American Idol" dominates TV ratings. About one in five bottles of wine sold in the United States is Chardonnay, nearly as much as the number two and three wines -- Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon -- combined. Put another way, there's more Chardonnay sold here than Pinot Grigio, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Riesling combined.

Beating the heat in Zin pairing challenge, W. Blake Gray

Most successful pairings were more old-school. Alfred's Steakhouse in San Francisco cooked up an open-faced New York strip steak sandwich with creamy horseradish that brought out a smoky quality in the 2004 Peachy Canyon Westside Paso Robles Zinfandel.

German labels lose big words, gain bigger audience, Olivia Wu

I don't usually peruse labels carefully when a wine is under $10, but when I tasted the rabbit Riesling, my interest was piqued. I liked it; and I liked it even better when I double-checked the price (yep, still $6.99). And when I read the back label, it leapfrogged to "the best wine I've bought in a long time." It turns out my new discovery was a German Riesling, not a New World pretender from Mendocino or Washington state's Columbia Valley, but a Riesling from the great wine's home soil.

The Cocktailian: Warm up with hot Tequila drink, Gary Regan

The Professor is referring to a Tequila-based hot drink created by Junior Merino, a New York cocktail consultant. Using Tequila as the base for a hot drink isn't very common, but this one works very well, indeed. Merino calls for Partida Reposado Tequila in the Mayahuel...The most unusual ingredient in Merino's drink, though, is d'Aristi Xtabentun, a liqueur that's flavored with rum, anise and honey.

Recipe: Mayahuel

Adapted from a recipe by Junior Merino, cocktail consultant, the Liquid Chef Inc., New York

Pairings: An Indian feast for domestic Riesling, Joyce Goldstein

Recipes:

Spicy Lemon Lentils, Saffron Rice Pilaf, and Fresh Fruit Chutney

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: West Coast Rieslings, W. Blake Gray

The Cheese Course: Velvety, smooth goat cheese just the way Grandma made it, Janet Fletcher

Goat cheese is almost always made in small formats because the curd is fragile and doesn't have enough structure to hold up as a large wheel. Perhaps that's why the Tomme de Ma Grand-Mere (cheese the way grandmother made it, sometimes labeled as Tomme Affinee) caught my eye at a cheese counter recently.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: À Côté, Karen Reardanz

"The sister restaurant to Citron next door, this Rockridge hot spot dishes up French-Mediterranean small plates in a warmly intimate setting, with jewel-tone walls, iron sconces and very flattering lighting. The restaurant/bar hops every night of the week, as neighbors pop in for a quick bite, couples cozy up at small tables and groups celebrate at the large communal ones. But much of the action happens at the curving granite bar, where attentive bartenders carefully craft, muddle and shake A Cote's popular cocktails."

Bargain Bite: Cock-A-Doodle Cafe, Stacy Finz

"A brunch spot with a Latin bent in downtown Oakland."

CRITICS' PICKS: Valentine's Day, Bill Addison

"Many Bay Area restaurants are rolling out the romantic red carpet with special meals to entice a range of appetites. But you'd better get on the horn now to make reservations before all the good slots are filled -- your paramour won't swoon over eating at 4:30 or 10:30 p.m."

Dining Out: At hidden Japantown gem, small is definitely better, Bill Addison

"Kappa focuses on a style of eating, popular in Tokyo, known as koryori-ya: small plates that emphasize the ingredient's freshness and intensity. There are two ways to approach a meal: omakase (the chef's tasting that starts at $85) or a succession of a la carte dishes."

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, February 10, 2007

A bittersweet affair, Laura Compton

With Valentine's Day approaching, restaurants and wineries are eager to set up dark chocolate and macho red wines, the sexy sirens of the epicurean world. Decadent prix-fixe dinners promise truffles, rich cakes and other chocolate delights. In Wine Country, Rodney Strong's "Wine and Chocolate Fantasy" tomorrow and Copia's annual Death by Chocolate Festival are just a few of the opportunities for tasting California's signature reds and equally elegant artisan chocolate together. But whether these two indulgences are soul mates or just a one-night stand depends on how they're paired.

Tastings: Husband-wife team bridge Napa Valley wine-food divide, Tara Duggan

Some make a big distinction between foodies and wine geeks. Foodies don't always feel totally comfortable in front of a wine list, while wine fanatics often suspect they are lacking behind the stove. Either type would feel at home in the elegant tasting room of Robert Sinskey Vineyards, where the culinary arts are integrated into the wine-tasting experience.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Wine has always had a spot on the White House dinner table
  
• Beerapalooza
  
• Pinot Noir Summit
  
• Oysters and Champagne make a sexy couple.
  
• Vintners Hall of fame honorees announced
  

Essentials: Rhone's Cornas cleans up its act, Tim Teichgraeber

Through the 1990s, wines from Cornas endured faint praise. They've been called coarse, rustic, even "knuckle draggers." Robert M. Parker Jr. described Cornas' tannins as "savage," and after a disappointing tasting of older Cornas wines in 2000, a frustrated Jancis Robinson (a Chronicle contributor) dubbed them "obdurate." I'm pretty sure she didn't mean it as a compliment.

The Cheese Course: Pecorino Lucano among Italy's finest, Janet Fletcher

The region of Basilicata in southern Italy was known as Lucania in ancient times, a history reflected in the name of the pecorino made there today. The excellent pecorino Lucano deserves to be better known in this country as it surely ranks among Italy's finest. Basilicata, a mountainous region with rich pasture, is sheep country, with a long tradition of pecorino production.

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Domestic dessert whites, W. Blake Gray

Spirits: Love potions for two, Camper English

Dipping straws into a shared cocktail isn't the most romantic way to celebrate Valentine's Day, especially given the kitschy reputation of extra-large drinks. Yet some bartenders are trying to show that extra-big doesn't have to mean extra-bad.

Fugu for Two

This recipe was created by Forbidden Island's Martin Cate.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Ottimista Enoteca, Joe Bonne

"The sister restaurant to Citron next door, this Rockridge hot spot dishes up French-Mediterranean small plates in a warmly intimate setting, with jewel-tone walls, iron sconces and very flattering lighting. The restaurant/bar hops every night of the week, as neighbors pop in for a quick bite, couples cozy up at small tables and groups celebrate at the large communal ones. But much of the action happens at the curving granite bar, where attentive bartenders carefully craft, muddle and shake A Cote's popular cocktails."

Bargain Bite: Casa Lupe, Olivia Wu

"About 10 tables draped in hot pink vinyl, and walls painted tones of red, cobalt blue, orange and lime green, fill the single room of Casa Lupe. Those walls are decorated with clay, metal and paper crafts -- a playful take on folk art that avoids dipping into the kitschy, despite pinatas and holiday lights."

CRITICS' PICKS: Blood oranges

"Just in time for Valentine's Day, the deep raspberry hue of blood oranges has captivated chefs and consumers alike."

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, January 17, 2007

Sonoma on the verge, Tina Caputo

But as Sonoma County continues its upscale trajectory, residents and vintners fear it's in danger of losing its identity. Is Sonoma County, with its rural charm and eccentric personalities, destined to become the new Napa?

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Moldova, a landlocked country between Romania and Ukraine, is the world's 10th largest wine exporter
  
• Ring in the year of the boar
  
• Drink to Rumfest
  
• Sports fans spending more on wine
  
• Guess who has the largest per-capita wine consumption in the world.
  

Biodynamics sheds kooky image, Jon Bonné

Forget buried cow horns and hippie mysticism. Some of the world's greatest vintners have signed onto the biodynamic message, names such as Domaine Marcel Deiss of Alsace, Italy's Emidio Pepe and Araujo Estate Wines in Calistoga. This has provided a major selling point to Joly's crusade: Take or leave the philosophy, but the wines are fantastic.

Cocktailian: A drink for your chakras, Gary Regan

The Professor grins and goes about making a round of somewhat labor-intensive drinks that call for 10 Cane rum, a wonderful bottling from Trinidad. It's made from sugarcane juice as opposed to molasses, the base for the majority of rums. It's erroneous to say that sugarcane juice-based rums are always superior to their cousins, but 10 Cane, nonetheless, is a well-knit rum, with clean vanilla notes and a very smooth palate. The rum is distilled in French pot stills, and aged in French oak before bottling.

Recipe:

The Welcome 10

Adapted from a recipe by Xavier Herit, head bartender at Daniel in New York.

The Cheese Course: Wisconsin Parmesan strays from Italian tradition, Janet Fletcher

Stravecchio Parmesan debuted five or six years ago, the creation of Wisconsin's Antigo Cheese. Last year, the company was acquired by Sartori Foods, a giant Wisconsin manufacturer that makes cheese for food service and industrial use. Although Sartori plans to rebrand the cheese soon as Sarvecchio, because it can't trademark the original name, it is still making the cheese in the original plant.

Pairings: Bandit Steak, Cabernet Franc turn up the heat, Joyce Goldstein

While talking with Chronicle Wine Editor Jon Bonné about what to pair with Cabernet Franc, I mentioned a recipe we called Hungarian Bandit Steak at Square One restaurant. He mentioned something mysterious about the grape's cultivation in Hungary. Who knew? I decided to go for it.

Recipe:

Hungarian Bandit Steak

Chronicle Wine Selections: West Coast Cabernet Franc, W. Blake Gray

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Press, Christina Ducklow

"This lounge has stolen the Napa Valley spotlight because of its industry-veteran owners and its obsession with pristine local ingredients and wines. The menu's sensibility (good food, served unadorned) translates well to the slightly more casual bar, and the barnlike space, both cozy and elegant with its enormous fireplace, makes everyone, from vintner VIPs to local workers and out-of-towners, feel at home."

Bargain Bite: Ichiro, Carol Ness

"You wouldn't expect to find a sake cooler stocked with 70 bottlings at a bargain sushi place in downtown Oakland. Or just about anywhere. But there it is, across the rear wall at Ichiro, otherwise a bare-bones Japanese restaurant where good, well-priced sushi is the other main draw."

Critics Picks: The reign of Spain

"Spanish food is hot these days, what with ingredients like sherry vinegar, the smoked paprika called pimenton and silvery marinated anchovies called boquerones more widely available than ever."

Dining Out: Edgy fare mixes sweet, savory, Miriam Morgan

"NO ONE COULD EVER SAY THAT ELIZABETH FALKNER plays it safe. She opened Citizen Cake as a South of Market bakery, then moved it to her present location in 2000. She added a full-service bar and restaurant, all the while maintaining an in-house retail patisserie and ice cream shop."

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, February 23, 2007

The little appellation that could, Jon Bonné

Cole Ranch is often considered a footnote in the realm of California wine -- a tiny patch of land yielding tiny amounts of wine. Certainly it is not an easy plot to farm. Cold nights, late harvests and frugal yields make for a lot of work and relatively little return -- not exactly an easy sell in Mendocino, whose restrained wines already have to shout to be heard in a world of steroidal fruit bombs.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Wine, food and an intelligent sense of vice.
  
• Blossoming scents of tangerine peel in the glass hint that Daphne is sweet as can be.
  
• Oscar goes green
  
• The tail end of citrus season
  

Tastings: In Amador County, Gold Country morphs into Wine Country, Laura Compton

Mellow Amador County may be only 45 minutes east of Sacramento, but it feels a world away as strip-mall sprawl gives way to fields of cows, lambs and even a few peacocks. Most of the wineries are off Highway 49 in the Shenandoah Valley, between the Gold Country towns of Plymouth and Fiddletown and reflect the sleepy, small-town pace. Domaine de la Terre Rouge/Easton even has a white picket fence surrounding the vineyards as one approaches the low-slung, rust-colored tasting room and adjoining picnic area.

Much-maligned Merlot so unhip it's cool again, W. Blake Gray

Merlot has suffered two years of insults, ever since the release of a certain directionally named movie. Bottle sales flattened, and last fall some vintners reported that they were offered premium Merlot grapes for free if they would pick them.

Spirits: Mastering Tequila, one glass at a time, Camper English

Tommy's Mexican Restaurant, with a mere 275 bottles squeezed onto its shelves, no longer has the largest selection of 100 percent blue agave Tequila outside of Mexico, but likely has the most Tequila-savvy clientele. The restaurant's Blue Agave tasting club is the nation's largest, with more than 6,000 members -- not too shabby considering the restaurant is located out in San Francisco's avenues and the bar has only nine stools.

Pairings: Sole hooks California Chardonnay, Joyce Goldstein

Recipes:

Sole Amandine

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast Chardonnay, W. Blake Gray

The Cheese Course: Wisconsin's epic Dante makes seasonal debut, Janet Fletcher

Dante is a seasonal cheese, made between February and September, when the ewes are milked. For much of that time, they are on pasture. The milk is gathered from co-op flocks -- which aren't all in Wisconsin, but in Minnesota, Nebraska and Iowa as well -- and delivered to the Wisconsin plant, where it is pasteurized, cultured, coagulated and shaped into 10-pound wheels.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Velvet Cantina, Amanda Berne

"The place might give Puerto Alegre a run for its money as the hot Mission newcomer for the margarita-swilling crowd. Off the main drag, this place opened a little over a year ago with a darker, clandestine look -- perhaps to match its location? It's a full-service restaurant and bar with two rooms to spread out in. Insiders go for a certain cute bartender; the rest of us go to have a margarita and a bite without being rushed out the door -- at taqueria prices."

Bargain Bite: Old Jerusalem, Tara Duggan

"AThe best bargain restaurants often are places you might normally walk by and never notice. With an unassuming sign fighting for attention on jam-packed Mission Street, Old Jerusalem is a great find."

CRITICS' PICKS: Shh ... quiet

"Cozy and soothing restaurants, serving everything from sushi to salads to souffles, where you can have a conversation without shouting to your dining companions -- or just hear yourself think"

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, March 02, 2007

Higher ground, Tim Teichelgraeber

Napa Valley is a great place to compare mountain wines with valley floor wines because Cabernet Sauvignon is the preeminent grape both on the valley floor and the mountains that rim the valley: Mount Veeder, Spring Mountain, Diamond Mountain, Howell Mountain and Atlas Peak. Each of the mountains produces a distinct sort of wine, but they share similar qualities when compared with valley floor wines from Rutherford or St. Helena. The gently sloped transition between the valley floor and steeper mountainsides is usually called the "bench." Benchland vineyards, usually only a couple of hundred feet in elevation, offer something of a hybrid of valley and mountainside fruit character.

France's unsung wines play well in snow, Derrick Schneider

Few wines belong on a ski trip more than those from France's Savoie region. Clean and light, they revive the spirit like the mountain air that flows from the nearby Alps. Just ask the skiers and hikers who quaff carafes of the local beverage after a day of outdoor exercise. Savoie vintners, small growers who speckle the region's nooks and crannies, produce rivers of generic white wine for these tourists, and this flood has tainted the area with a reputation for wines that travel poorly.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• $833.33 for a bottle of Napa Cab
  
• Stalking an asparagus pairing
  
• Guzzling monarch
  
• Dessert cocktails
  
• Lone sharpshooter sent packing
  

Tastings: A historic winery in Anderson Valley's still going strong, Olivia Wu

Husch Vineyards, still family-owned, has been handed down since 1971 through two generations of the German Husch family. Founders Tony and Gretchen Husch, along with Edmeades of Edmeades Folly were the first to plant wine grapes in the Anderson Valley after Prohibition.

Cocktailian: Daytime bar crawlers find perfect setting for a Pearl, Gary Regan

The Professor grins and ambles down the bar to fix a round of gin-based cocktails that call for Aperol as a secondary ingredient. Aperol has only recently been reintroduced to the American market, and it's a big hit with cocktailian bartenders. There are similarities to be drawn between Aperol and Campari, but Aperol is a somewhat "kinder, gentler" aperitif that bears the flavors of orange zest, gentian and rhubarb, among other botanicals.

Recipe:

The Pearl

Adapted from a recipe by Jon Santer, bartender at Bourbon and Branch, San Francisco.

Letters To Wine

The Cheese Course: Gorgonzola's lesser-known sister from Italy's alpine region, Janet Fletcher

The valley's cheeses are few and also not well known, but I am quite taken with one of them. Blu del Moncenisio (mohn-cheh-NEE-see-oh) belongs to the small realm of Italian blue cheeses, a category dominated by Gorgonzola. It resembles the French Fourme d'Ambert in its cylindrical shape and natural rind, and in the mellowness of its flavor. It is a raw-milk cheese, which Fourme d'Ambert rarely is anymore, aged about 90 days before sale.

Pairings: A hedonistic dish worth the indulgence, Joyce Goldstein

White Burgundy has been a benchmark for me. Although many know me as a Mediterranean chef, I started my teaching career in the early '60s cooking mostly French food. In those days, when Americans were learning how to cook in another language, it was called "gourmet French." I'm sure the reason I loved, and was able to eat, those rich and creamy seafood dishes was because of white Burgundy. The wines, with their gorgeous acidity, cut through them like a hot knife in butter.

Recipe:

Scallop Gratin

Chronicle Wine Selections: 2004 White Burgundy, Jon Bonné

96 Hours

Bar Bites: P.F. Chang's, Jennifer Tomaro

"The life-size Ming Dynasty-style horses on display at nearly all of the restaurants in the P.F. Chang's franchise stand guard at either side of the long, curved bar in the bustling Walnut Creek establishment. The stonelike monoliths flank a Chinese mural and the hustle and pours of busy bartenders. Sheer red curtains, hanging wooden lanterns illuminating sunset-orange hues and overall dim lighting create a stylish environment atypical of chain restaurants. Coupled with conversant and educated servers who keep the vibe going, the bar at P.F. Chang's keeps you entranced."

Bargain Bite: Little Star Pizza, Jane Tunks

"But, as the newest of three pizza places on a four-block-long stretch of Valencia Street in San Francisco, Little Star Pizza disproves that notion, with admirable renditions of both deep-dish and thin-crust pies. (Arinell, near 16th Street, dishes out New York-style slices, while Pauline's, near 14th Street, serves up a California pizza with toppings grown in its own garden.)"

Critics Picks: Chinese

"The big decision, then, lies in what regional interpretation of Chinese cuisine to sup on: Hong Kong-style seafood like that at R&G Lounge in San Francisco or Koi Palace in Daly City? Shanghai food the way chef-owner Nei' Chia Ji prepares it at Jai Yun, his tiny restaurant in Chinatown? Beijing hot pot and halal lamb dishes at Old Mandarin Islamic in the Sunset District?"

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, March 09, 2007

A Tame Hall of Fame, W. Blake Gray

Tonight the CIA inducts its first group into the Vintners Hall of Fame at a posh $500 dinner held at Greystone. Robert Mondavi leads the class, as he should -- he's arguably the most important person in California wine since Prohibition. Oddly, the CIA didn't trust the 80 wine writers they invited to vote to agree on this: The CIA just put Mondavi in without a vote.

APPRECIATION: Ernest Gallo, wine's master salesman, Jon Bonné

But always, there was the tale of Ernest and his brother Julio's hard-fought climb to the top. They began in 1933 with $900.23 of Julio's savings and a $5,000 loan from Ernest's mother-in-law, Teresa Franzia. From those modest beginnings -- and driven by the devastating murder-suicide of their mother Susie and father Joe -- the pair turned their business into the largest winery in the world. E. & J. Gallo Winery is still responsible for nearly one of every four bottles of wine sold in the United States. "They built their company from the ground up, from scratch, and in turn were instrumental in building the American wine industry," says Robert Koch, president of the Wine Institute. "It's a wonderful American success story."

Spirits: Chefs' favorite libations get a shot of sophistication, Amanda Berne

Chefs' favorite drinks are transcending the three-letter PBR (that's Pabst Blue Ribbon, for the uninitiated) and shot of Jack (that's Daniel's) to the more sophisticated cocktails, wines and beers that regular restaurant customers are also clamoring for.

Recipe:

Marked Car

Bar manager Tim Bowman of Redd in Yountville updates the classic sidecar.

Letters To Wine

Uncorked: Biodynamic dynamo, Jane Tunks

Olivier Humbrecht practically grew up in the wine cellar. The 43-year-old owner and winemaker of Domaine Zind-Humbrecht is a 12th-generation grape grower; his family has been tending vineyards in Alsace since 1620, selling most of their grapes to negociants.

APPRECIATION: Belle Rhodes -- Napa Valley's patron of the culinary arts, Janet Fletcher

A tiny, elegant woman with an impeccable palate, Rhodes was one of the first women wine judges at the Los Angeles County Fair, according to Bay Area radio personality Narsai David, a close friend. A talented home cook with a library of 3,500 cookbooks (later donated to Napa Valley College), Rhodes "set an extraordinary table," recalls David. "There was always something on the cutting edge. The first time I had radicchio was there. Whenever something new showed up, Belle knew about it."

Pairings: What goes with a flock of Pinot? New Zealand lamb, of course, Joyce Goldstein

Our family visited New Zealand a few years ago. We stayed at a winery guest house in Hawkes Bay and, as we had access to a good kitchen, we went to the nearest farmers' market and came home with lamb, olive oil, cheeses and lovely vegetables. I was amazed at the number of sheep ranches we passed as we drove around. I learned that the population of New Zealand is 4.5 million people -- and 60 million sheep. With those statistics you can be sure I am not going to look for a recipe with veal or beef. As much of the lamb coming into our country is from New Zealand, why ignore the obvious?

Recipe:

Greek-Inspired Lamb Kebab

Chronicle Wine Selections: New Zealand Pinot Noir, W. Blake Gray

The Cheese Course: Bliss out on this bloomy-rind find from Vermont, Janet Fletcher

Brothers Mateo and Andy Kehler made their first batch of Constant Bliss less than four years ago, in a 5-gallon bucket with the milk of one cow. Today, this small bloomy-rind cheese contributes mightily to the fine reputation of the Kehlers' Jasper Hill Farm in Greensboro, Vt.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Farallon Oyster Bar, Tara Duggan

"For a dreamy, decadent escape from the hustle and bustle of Union Square, head to the new oyster bar at Farallon Restaurant, the acclaimed restaurant that's known for its seafood menu, fantastical underwater design and excellent desserts. Though it has had an oyster menu for some time, the restaurant recently added a French-style oyster bar with a wider selection, including rare oysters from Chesapeake Bay. Diners can sample the bivalves, signature cocktails and new bar menu, or the restaurant's full dinner menu, at either the oyster bar or the adjacent Jelly Bar."

Bargain Bite: Brennan's, Karola Saekel

"Forget about Berserkeley and jokes about political correctness. Brennan's, an institution since the late 1950s, is only a block from the super-trendy Fourth Street array of boutiques and restaurants that get written up as destinations, but it might as well be 100 miles away."

Critics Picks: Financial District

"Those who work there, as well as visitors and tourists, can find culinary excellence and variety, often in a historic setting"

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, March 17, 2007

Spirits: Rye, resurrected, Gary Regan

After falling out of favor for nearly 70 years, rye's popularity has returned. American distillers have been issuing some incredible new bottlings, such as the 18-year-old Sazerac and the 21-year-old Rittenhouse rye. Without missing a beat, bartenders are getting very creative with this spicy whiskey.

Spirits: Which Whisk(e)y, Jon Bonné

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Shake it up
  
• Hops make you smell better
  
• Look out, world
  
• Green parties
  
• Stags Leap redux
  

Letters To Wine: Vintners Hall of Fame inductees gets readers talking

Pairings: A Greek classic for lush Merlots, Joyce Goldstein

Textbook-style Merlot should be milder than Cabernet, more herbaceous, higher in acid and softer in tannin, with a lush mouthfeel. Some, however, are more like Cabernet Sauvignon. After tasting several big and assertive young Merlots, I knew I needed a robust dish with fat and cream to counterbalance the tannins. These wines won't be overpowered by a dish that combines meat, some tomatoes and even mild dairy. Merlots' earthy, green character can stand up to assertive vegetables, such as eggplant, too.

Recipe:

Moussaka

Chronicle Wine Selections: Napa Merlot, Jon Bonné

The Cheese Course: A dairy farm with a mission to make Ouray, Janet Fletcher

Frankly, I was surprised that an operation so devoted to educational activities was producing such a fine cheese. Made from the raw milk of a herd of only 20 to 30 cows, Ouray is matured for at least three months before release. During the aging period, it develops a thick, rustic rind dusted with plenty of white mold. The interior ranges from butter colored to deep gold, a reflection of the cow's diet. Given the rigors of the Hudson Valley climate, the cows are on pasture only from about late April to mid-November, so the wheels in the marketplace now are probably made from the milk of cows that dined on hay. They are still delicious.

Bargain Wines: Southern Hemisphere bottles shake off the vacation blues, W. Blake Gray

Let's slay a persistent myth about the Southern Hemisphere: Water does not drain in a different direction there. Coriolis force, which actually does affect the direction tornados spin, isn't powerful enough to have an impact on a bathtub.

The Tasting Room: NAPA'S MERLOT KING, Janet Fletcher

Focusing on Bordeaux varietal wines, Duckhorn has seven vineyards scattered throughout the Napa Valley, including on the slopes of Howell Mountain, from which it makes its estate wines. The winery also buys grapes from other Napa Valley vineyards for some of its Merlots, Cabernets and Sauvignon Blancs.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: N.V. Restaurant & Lounge, Leah Clark

"How far would you go for a good drink in a cozy atmosphere? On a recent Saturday night, newlyweds from Redding who had been to N.V. Restaurant & Lounge on their honeymoon were back to share the experience with friends. It's no wonder: The lounge is warm and inviting, with a fireplace and couches where people can sit and chat over a cocktail or glass of wine and share a cheese plate. If you don't like crowds, go earlier on a weekday to beat the after-work crowd."

Bargain Bite: Asqew Grill, Laura Compton

"When the weather turns unexpectedly balmy, and the neighbors start firing up their grills, what's the backyard-less city dweller to do? Try Asqew Grill in the Castro, one of five locations this Bay Area chain has in San Francisco (there are also locations in Emeryville and San Jose)."

Critics Picks: Japanese

"Sushi and more ? Bay Area boasts top-notch fare; can't-miss options can be found from Menlo Park to Rohnert Park and points in between"

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, March 23, 2007

Albarino is in the air, Tim Teichgraeber

You would think that with so many travelers passing through Santiago over the years, the great local white wines would have caught on sooner. Fresh, zesty white wines made from Albarino grapes in the nearby Rias Baixas (REE-ass BY-shuss) region have long been a favorite match for seafood in Spain, but 15 years ago they were rarely tasted in the United States.

Tastings: A route less traveled, Jon Bonné

Since 1974, Navarro has been known for its interpretations of Alsatian wines. That includes Edelzwicker, which refers to a blend of grapes, usually for a basic white wine, as well as Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Muscat and even Pinot Noir (which, yes, grows in Alsace). It was an early pioneer in establishing Mendocino's cool climate winegrowing and helped define the Anderson Valley as a prime site for these varieties. Navarro's devotion to the wine routes less traveled has won it a legion of dedicated fans.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Sitting pretty in the Veuve Clicquot loveseat
  
• The making of a wine lover
  
• Local beer pairings
  
• Vineland, the Musical!
  
• A toast to the Opera House
  

Uncorked: Pairing wine with pleasure, Jon Bonné

Burgundy's Henri Jayer and Domaine Leroy. The Rhone's Domaine du Pegau. Names to make a French wine lover drool. Thank Martine Saunier for putting them on your table -- or perhaps the table of your dreams, since these wines are as scarce as they are stellar. A mere 75 cases of Jayer's Cros Parantoux made its way to these shores. Individual bottles from Leroy's lone barrel of Musigny start around $1,100. And after Pegau's Laurence Feraud received perfect scores for her Cuvee da Capo, the cutthroat demand was such that she stopped making the wine.

Wine Business Insider: Paso Robles asks for 11 new AVAs, Cyril Penn

A group of Paso Robles-area vintners and growers are submitting petitions that, if approved by federal regulators, will create 11 separate American Viticultural Areas with no overlapping boundaries, all within the broader Paso Robles AVA.

Pairings: A beef stew that's almost as good as a Roman holiday, Joyce Goldstein

I could not go to Rome but I could bring Rome to my kitchen. Thus my recipe choice: Garofolato di Manzo alla Romana, or beef stew braised with pancetta and perfumed with cloves. It was perfect for the wine and it revived my spirits.

Recipe:

Clove-Scented Beef from Rome (Garofolato di Manzo alla Romana)

Chronicle Wine Selections: California Petite Sirah, Jon Bonné

The Cheese Course: French farmsteads craft the best Saint-Nectaire, Janet Fletcher

It's not easy to write authoritatively about a cheese that varies as much as Saint-Nectaire. What will you encounter if you buy a piece of this French cow's milk cheese, an AOC (name-controlled) classic? Will you have a smooth, moist and creamy raw-milk version with a roasted peanut aroma and attractive fruity notes? Or a sorry pasteurized-milk cheese with a rubbery texture, wet cement smell (or worse) and a bitter finish?

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Nihon, Amanda Berne

"If the Kabuki Springs & Spa in Japantown opened a lounge, it might look like Nihon. With a pebbled floor, dim but warmly lit room and a fashionable, affluent and relaxed-looking crowd, the only difference is, well, the whiskey list. Guests can nibble on small appetizers or order lots of little plates to make up a meal with Nihon's interesting takes on Japanese classics."

Bargain Bite: La Petite, Miriam Morgan

"Vietnamese-food lovers tired of waiting to get into the perpetually jammed Saigon City in downtown San Mateo now have a new option: Saigon City's sister, La Petite, a couple of miles south on El Camino Real."

Critics Picks: Hayes Valley

"What a difference In a neighborhood once defined by the Central Freeway roaring overhead, a plethora of restaurants has come to life, including the German Suppenkuche, the Japanese Sebo and French brasserie Absinthe"

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, March 30, 2007

Drinks Gone Wild!, Amanda Gold

And they can, with seemingly endless flavors at their fingertips -- as a walk through any liquor store will confirm. Liqueurs that have flooded the market in the past decade have changed the face of cocktails. Apple Pucker schnapps gave birth to the appletini and chocolate liqueur to the chocolatini, both dessert-like variations of the vodka martini. Coconut rum will instantly transport you to the tropics, if you're not already there. Every fruit now has a schnapps; every berry a brandy. Based on what's available, there are thousands of combinations to be had, and bartenders have taken full advantage.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• Out: Trucker hats, In: Boone's Farm T-shirts
  
• WINERY WATCH / 39 Degrees and Redtree
  
• Beyond Manischewitz
  
• Chariots of Chablis
  
• Very berry
  

Wine Business Insider: Jeriko Estate, Vino Venue Snapped Up, Cyril Penn

Brunton Vineyards, Inc., a division of Brunton Vineyards Holdings, Inc. has announced its intent to acquire a 120-acre Mendocino-based vineyard and winery, Jeriko Estate, for $16.5 million…

The Tasting Room: Out to Lunch at Geyser Peak Winery, W. Blake Gray

In 1982, the winery, then owned by Stroh Brewery Co., was making gross amounts of 4-liter wine boxes when it was bought by Santa Rosa entrepreneur Henry Trione. Trione changed the focus to quality wines and sold a share of the company to Australian wine giant Penfolds in 1989. Penfolds imported Australian winemaker Daryl Groom to shape up the wines.

Letters To Wine: Hall of Fame talks back

Bargain Wines: 10 Haikus to Celebrate Spring and Sauvingon Blanc, W. Blake Gray

Forget any wistful odes to traditional styles of wine production. Protected from oxygen by stainless steel fermenting tanks, and kept chilled and fresh throughout shipping, Sauvignon Blanc is a modern delight. It's also one of my favorite Bargain Wines, because there are fewer outright duds in the $12-and-under price range than with any other varietal.

Corporate Cheddar Rocks Our World, Janet Fletcher

Usually, cheese made on a vast scale does not have much to recommend it, just as winery giants rarely produce memorable wines. But Black Diamond's 4-year-old cheddar, an extra-aged version of the company's usual cheddar, dispels the notion that the big guys can't make exceptional cheese. It is truly tasty.

Pairings: Hunting for Eggs in Meatloaf, Joyce Goldstein

Recipe:

Meat Loaf with Mushroom & Tomato Sauce

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: 2005 Cru Beaujolais, Jon Bonné

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Quattro, Karen Reardanz

“First East Palo Alto gets the Bay Area's second Ikea, and now the city once best known for its crime statistics is home to a swanky Four Seasons Hotel. With its stone walls, original paintings by Joan Miró and expansive glass windows, Quattro, the hotel's bar and restaurant, offers a refined yet comfortable setting in which to sip generous specialty cocktails and nosh on bites from a Cal-Italian bar menu. Four Seasons elegance comes at Four Seasons prices, but the special touches make it worth a splurge. The perfectly made drinks, attentive service and abundant bar snacks might be all you'll want.”

Bargain Bite: Taylor’s Automatic Refresher, Stacy Finz

“There aren't many bargains left in St. Helena. But at this old-style hamburger stand, there are lots of good eats -- I mean James Beard good -- for cheap.”

[Hest88]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, April 7, 2007

SON OF SILVER OAK: The scion of one of Napa's biggest legends makes a name for himself in Mendocino County with Meyer Family Cellars, Thom Elkjer

Matt also didn't want a winery handed to him, but he got one anyway. Justin was diagnosed with late-onset Type 2 diabetes in the late 1990s and his health was failing. He wanted to set Matt up in a winery. So when his son came home during breaks from his undergraduate work in biology at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon, the elder Meyer would drive him around the North Coast to look at wineries for sale. Matt resisted, but his father was a hard man to refuse.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• A wine to jeer
  
• The perfect wine for Easter eggs
  
• Heavy medals
  
• Passover palate cleanser
  
• New to the mix
  

IN OUR GLASSES: What we've been drinking, Jon Bonné

Our new regular feature, In Our Glasses, will showcase wines and other drinks that The Chronicle's Food & Wine staff has recently tasted.

There's a taste of Turkey in every Praguetive, Gary Regan

The Praguetive is a drink created by Joe McCanta, an American mixologist who specializes in using organic and homemade ingredients in his cocktails. McCanta is presently a barman and sommelier at Saf Organic Bistro & Martini Bar in Istanbul, Turkey. There are no organic ingredients in the Praguetive, but it does call for a very unusual liqueur called Becherovka, an intricate herbal potion from the Czech Republic.

Letters To Wine: Two different takes on spring break drinks

THE CHRONICLE'S WINE SELECTIONS: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon $35 and under, W. Blake Gray

When we did the big unveiling of 49 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons priced at $35 and under, we noticed that many of our favorites were made by people who have been doing the same thing for decades.

BELLY UP TO THE BARN: Santa Cruz Pinots star at Savannah-Chanelle, Carol Ness

The vibe: High-energy clusters of 20- and 30-somethings crowd the long tasting bar. There are lots of perks for members of the two wine clubs (especially tastes of the better Pinot Noirs) and lots of wine paraphernalia, like "Wine Princess" T-shirts and cookbooks interspersed with a few choice antiques.

Cherry-picked goat's milk cheese hails from Southern Italy, Janet Fletcher

Cheesemaker Giovanni Samela uses pasteurized goat's milk only from his own and his brother's herd. The disks weigh about a pound and have a bloomy rind dusted with gray mold underneath their crispy leaf coat. They ripen under Samela's care in Avigliano, near Potenza, for about 20 to 25 days before being shipped.

Rustle up steak for Napa Cabernet, Joyce Goldstein

Recipe:

Grilled Flank Steak in Churrasco Marinade

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: 2005 Cru Beaujolais, Jon Bonné

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Frisson, Jane Tunks

“The vibe: The lounge is very midcentury, with low-slung sectionals scattered throughout the dark space, which is awash in shades of brown. It opens up onto the circular dining room, where patrons dine under a gorgeous dome that emanates orange light. On most nights, a DJ spins anything from jazz to house after 7 p.m., adding considerably to the urban ambience.”

Bargain Bite: Roadside Barbecue, Amanda Gold

“Barbecue lovers from every region will find something to eat here, whether it's the Texas brisket, a Memphis pulled-pork sandwich or chicken doused in spicy Carolina vinegar sauce.”

[Hest88]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, April 13, 2007

East of Napa: Inside Yolo County's emerging wine scene, Georgeanne Brennan, Ann M. Evans

The county has a diverse climate. The western side, where Yolo abuts the Coast Range and the border of Napa County, is hot. It's also hot in the east, along the Sacramento River, but cooler evening breezes flow through the river delta from San Francisco. The soils vary from the clay and gravel of the Dunnigan Hills to the loams along the river in the Clarksburg area.

THE SIPPING NEWS:, Jon Bonné, Camper English

• What we've been drinking
  
• Wine disasters averted!
  
• Bay Area bartenders invade the Interweb
  
• eBob gets a dose of Brit wit
  
• 7 whiskey survival tips
  

The Tasting Room: A warm welcome from Duckhorn's Philo sister, Olivia Wu

Sit down and look out toward the front, where a bubbling stone fountain and path lead up to French doors, but more surely, your gaze will be pulled by the perfect, geometric rows of vines in back of the house. The rows themselves form a lovely design incorporating precise straight lines, vertical shoot pruning and drip irrigation, now common in Mendocino, but new when the Duckhorns of Napa Valley brought the technology into the Anderson Valley nine years ago.

Cantillon, a brew for wine lovers, Derrick Schneider

Barley, wheat and neutral hops go into the quiet, musty Brussels brewery; beer as tart and complex as any wine comes out. Its sour taste is so unusual that brewer Jean Van Roy says, "We get many visitors each year who like wine and not beer."

Letters To Wine: Hall of Fame talks back

Giants crush A's in wine pairing, W. Blake Gray

Why drink an $8 beer when you can have a $7.75 cup of wine? The Giants don't serve cult Cabernets, but their wine list has improved enough in the last three years so that there are several ballpark food-friendly wines worth having.

LETTERS TO WINE: The good, the bad and the sorry, W. Blake Gray

A Gorgonzola souffle bold enough for Cabernet, Amanda Gold

Recipe:

Gorgonzola Dolce Souffle

The Chronicle's Wine Selections: Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignons $36-$50, W. Blake Gray

Caña de Oveja exceptional in every way, Janet Fletcher

The snow-white, fluffy coat of mold that develops on Caña de Oveja -- the so-called bloomy rind -- arises because the fresh milk is inoculated in the vat with selected mold spores or, in some cases, because the young cheese is sprayed with these spores. These are good molds. They ripen the cheese from the outside in, which explains why Caña de Oveja is softest and creamiest just under the rind, like the French Bucheron it resembles.

96 Hours

Bargain Bite: Sushi Sam's, Olivia Wu

“From tempura to grilled and teriyaki dishes (beef and chicken) to rice-based dishes and bowls of noodle soup, the prices generally stay under $10. Especially good is the saba shioyaki, grilled mackerel ($8.50 lunch, $9.50 dinner) whose skin is crisped to perfection, sealing in the moist meat underneath.”

Bar Bites: Di Bartolo, Karen Solomon

“Like a glowing lighthouse on a dusty block of old coffee shops -- including the decade-old Cafe di Bartolo next door -- Jon Di Bartolo's namesake western Mediterranean restaurant has made a splash in Oakland's Grand Lake area.”

Edited April 14, 2007 by Hest88 (log)

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, April 20, 2007

Man, 35, seeks grapes for serious relationship, Olivia Wu

He adds, "Wine critics have killed softer wines. If they taste 50 to 100 wines at one sitting, the high alcohol ones will come out on top." In some ways, he intimates, he can't argue with the results: "Robert Parker Jr. has been generous to us. We certainly make some unabashedly big Syrahs that collectors love." His own heart, he suggests, lies with lower alcohol levels.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• In our glasses
  
• Vodka for special moments?
  
• Organic wines need sheep -- and sulfites
  
• New Zealand water trickles into U.S.
  

Wine Business Insider: Bronco president unveils proposal for glass plant in Napa, Cyril Penn

Bronco Wine Co. president Fred Franzia said Tuesday his company is exploring the possibility of building a $200 million glass container plant in Napa Valley...Santa Barbara vintner William "Bill" Foley II has announced his purchase of the iconic property Gaia Vineyards, formerly known as Fess Parker's Ashley's Vineyard...L'Expansion, a French business Web site, reported last week that Patrick Ricard, chairman and CEO of Pernod Ricard, the world's second largest drinks company, has nominated Pierre Pringuet as his successor.

Spirits: New Orleans cocktail journeys to Cognac, Gary Regan

On the last day of our trip my fellow bartenders and I staged a cocktail demonstration for various and sundry Cognac dignitaries. We'd been asked to create new drinks with a Cognac base for the occasion, and I created a variation on the classic American cocktail the Sazerac. I wondered how would it have been made if the drink had been developed in Orleans, France, instead of New Orleans. I had no time to actually experiment with the formula that I came up with through my musings, though, so I prayed that it would prove at least palatable.

Recipe:

La Tour Eiffel

Uncorked: Buoyant sommelier reveals what floats his boat, Jane Tunks

After beginning his career in wine at some of Southern California's most heralded restaurants -- Water Grill and Melisse -- Paul Einbund arrived in San Francisco three years ago to help open George Morrone's Tartare.

Recently, Einbund became chef Daniel Patterson's partner at the three-star Coi restaurant in North Beach. Though he oversees the front-of-the-house staff, he maintains a close relationship with wine.

The Essentials: Super Tuscan producers size up Syrah, Michael Apstein

Syrah is making its first foray into Tuscany -- causing a subtle shift in the signature of Super Tuscan wines, even appearing as a varietal wine. Super Tuscans originated in the late 1960s as a response to insipid wine made primarily from Sangiovese grapes, the mainstay of Chianti. Growers had failed to limit yields of Sangiovese and the resulting wines lacked concentration and flavor. To make matters worse, regulations required inclusion of white grapes like Trebbiano and Malvasia in the Chianti blend.

Pairings: Nothing too fishy about pairing salmon and Pinot Noir, Joyce Goldstein

When pairing red wine with fish you need a fish with some richness and a young wine with bright acidity to cut through that richness. Cooking fish in the wine is sure way to create a felicitous marriage. The spice notes in the wine -- clove, cinnamon and light pepper -- are repeated in the sauce. If you are a fan of ginger, you can add a slice to this mix. And the caramelized shallots echo the wine's sweetness. If you can't find shallots, or find them rather costly, you can use red onions cut into wide slices. Start with about 4 cups of raw onions and they will reduce down to 2 cups cooked.

Recipe:

Salmon Braised in Red Wine with Wine Caramelized Shallots

Chronicle Wine Selections: Russian River Valley Pinot Noir $35 and Under, Jon Bonné

The Cheese Course: Pecorino di Moliterno aged in cool mountain town, Janet Fletcher

The interior is firm and a little crumbly, with a golden hue that darkens near the rind. In the center of the wheel, the cheese smells sweet, with faint caramel notes. Toward the rind, the aroma becomes less pleasing, more like wet cement or a damp cellar. If you find a similar smell, cut away the rind and some of the cheese just underneath, and you will be able to fully enjoy the remainder. It has a pleasing sweet-salty balance, with a piquant finish. I gave some of this cheese to a friend from southern Italy, who cut it into neat triangles and topped them with hot pepper jelly, a traditional way of serving it in the area.

96 Hours

Bar Bites: CAV Wine Bar & Kitchen, Carol Ness

"Even in San Francisco, rare is the cocktail spot that gives you a choice of 31 wines by the glass -- and that doesn't even count the 13 dessert wines, ports and Madeiras. CAV's wide-ranging list is the main reason to resist Zuni's still-powerful siren song and head a few storefronts west on Market Street. None of it is the same old same old. And the seasonal California cooking is meant to go with the wines."

Bargain Bite: El Zocalo, Tara Duggan

"The Bay Area is rich with restaurants that have become such institutions you really should try them at least once, and El Zocalo in the Outer Mission District, in business since the 1960s, is one of them."

[eje]

Digest: San Francisco Chronicle Wine Digest and 96 Hours section, Friday, April 27, 2007

Paso Robles at a crossroads, Stacy Finz

Its storied Western past -- Jesse James' uncle, Drury James, once held a half interest in the town -- still embodies the area known for cattle ranching and agriculture. But what were once fields of grain and grazing livestock are now vineyards. Twenty-six thousand acres have been planted in grapes -- about 75 percent of it for red wine, according to the Wine Country Alliance. Napa Valley has about 45,000 acres in grapes. Although Paso Robles is nearly half the size, its 2006 yield was roughly 50 percent more grapes per acre than Napa Valley, according to crop reports.

THE SIPPING NEWS:

• In our glasses
  
• The Wrath of Pong
  
• Parducci goes carbon neutral
  
• Mix it up with a video bartender
  

A vintner's career -- through the out door, Jon Bonné

Tablas Creek never followed the rules. While most California wineries seek proximity to tourist magnets like Napa or Sonoma, Haas and his partners searched the state's more remote corners for a perfect site that would approximate the growing conditions of the southern Rhone. The 120-acre site they found in 1989 in the walnut tree-dotted western hills outside Paso Robles was hardly on the tourist route.

The fights -- and subfights -- of creating AVAs, Stacy Finz

Paso Robles vintners, in their quest to show the diversity of the area, have submitted two separate proposals to federal regulators, requesting permission to divvy the area into subappellations.

Spirits: What's in a name? A cocktail with attitude, Amanda Berne

"People are paying more attention to classic cocktails and where they are getting inspiration from," says Jeff Hollinger, general manager of Absinthe in San Francisco. "There is a desire to get away from naming drinks that are dirty and raunchy, which at the time is what would get most people to order the drink in the first place."

Recipes from Daniel Hyatt of Alembic in San Francisco:

Mellow Yellow

Mediterranean Homesick Blues

The Tasting Room: Fun-loving haunt for wine lovers, Jane Tunks

At the end of the road is the tasting room at PlumpJack Winery, named for the rotund Shakespearean character Jack Falstaff, who is perhaps best known for his fondness of the drink. Dubbed Plump Jack by the Queen of England, the comic character was so popular that legend has it Her Royal Highness requested the playwright reprise his role in the "Merry Wives of Windsor."

Pairings: Ease into warmer weather with sausage and watercress salad, Amanda Gold

Today's recipe pairs the crisp, grilled sausage with a medley of wilted watercress, mushroom and fennel, which essentially becomes a substantial salad. It's still a less heavy option for the gentler Pinots, and lets you dispense with serving a grain or creamy side dish as an accompaniment.

Recipe:

Grilled Chicken Sausage with Wilted Watercress, Mushroom & Fennel Salad

Chronicle Wine Selections: Russian River Valley Pinot Noirs $36 and up, W. Blake Gray

The Cheese Course: Sharpham Rustic stands up to aging, Janet Fletcher

Sharpham Rustic, a bloomy-rind cow's milk cheese from England, demonstrates the creativity that invigorates the artisan cheese world today. Resembling no other cheese I can think of, Sharpham Rustic debuted about 15 years ago, the invention of cheesemaker Debbie Mumford. Using the rich, raw organic milk of 80 Jersey cows, Mumford has devised a farmstead cheese with a distinctive appearance and personality.

Letters to Wine: Get a life, you snot-nosed snob

96 Hours

Bar Bites: Faz, Jane Tunks

"Long gone are the days when "happy hours" went by the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary's strict definition, and we quote: "happy hour (noun), a period of time during which the price of drinks (as at a bar) is reduced or hors d'oeuvres are served free." Though you can often find discounted cocktails during that transitional time between work and play, free snacks to go along with them are rare. But, luckily for us, the folks at the Pleasanton branch of Middle Eastern minichain Faz dish up a generous spread from 5 to 7 p.m. every weekday."

Bargain Bite: Uncle Wong's, Karola Saekel

"The name suggests old-fashioned coziness, and Uncle Wong's meets that expectation. Never mind that this 14-year-old family-operated venue is on the street level of a nondescript, multistory building adjacent to the El Cerrito Del Norte BART station and features familiar Chinese dishes common before restaurants started to focus on specific regions."