Food Republic

Food Republic, a new online food, wine, and culture magazine for men co-founded by Chef Marcus Samuelsson and featuring writers from all over the food-and-drink universe, made its debut less than two weeks ago, and in that short amount of time has already become a serious source for coverage of news, trends, and other information that serious eaters and drinkers should know about.

I bring this up not only because it’s definitely a site you’ll want to bookmark and return to often, but also because I’ll be contributing a food-and-wine pairing column to it, which, especially for readers of this blog, will be a very handy addition to the wine coverage provided right here. My first column is about a spectacular, perhaps unexpected pairing: Bollinger Rosé Champagne and Shanghai-style soup dumplings. Check out my original tasting note here on UncorkLife.com, and then click over to Food Republic for the pairing suggestion. After that, try the pairing yourself--it’s ridiculously delicious, and totally unexpected for Champagne to work so beautifully with a dish like that.

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Wine Review Wednesday: Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Oakville

After skipping Wine Review Wednesday for a couple of weeks, we're back this one with a wine that I'd call absolutely necessary for any collection--or dinner table, for that matter.

Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, Oakville

What a beautiful, glass-staining garnet color, even 6 years into its life. The nose shows lots of deep, dark currants, black cherries, licorice, birch bark, and a touch of bonfire. On the palate, it’s a plush pleasure to drink, with that licorice, birch bark, smoke, and dark cherry coming through, joined by black tea. This is starting to take its turn to a more secondary expression of itself, and it’s wonderful for it. Still, I’d recommend holding it for another 2 - 3 years in order for it to really complete its evolution into a fully mature wine. On the finish, baseball glove leather and a hint of dried brown spice and menthol peek through. Complex and fabulous, with plenty of life ahead of it.

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Valentine's Day with Bollinger Brut Rosé

It’s Valentine’s Day, which for many people means spending hours gazing lovingly into the eyes of their loved ones, “Unchained Melody” playing softly in the back of their head like some sort of cupid-y soundtrack, and uttering phrases more suited to Hallmark cards than real human conversation.

But for me, it means Champagne.

Don’t get me wrong here: I plan on sharing a bottle with my wife, and probably even rubbing a bit of it on my daughter’s lips--because, after all, Champagne is always meant to be shared with those you care about and love. (And, in my 10-week-old daughter’s case, it’s never too early to get her to appreciate good Champagne.) Personally, though, Valentine’s Day is a fantastic annual excuse to pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly and pair it with something special.

Tonight, then, I’ll be cooking up something with lobster and mushrooms, probably a risotto, and enjoying a bottle of Bollinger Brut Rosé, a consistently excellent wine that seems custom-made for this day.

Laser-point bubbles, delicate lacing, and a beautiful burnished salmon color make this wine intensely appealing before you even take a sip. The first sniff from the glass is enough to remind you both why Bollinger is among the most revered of the top houses, as well as the intrinsic and multi-faceted benefits of rosé Champagne in general. It speaks of some sort of perfect bakery first thing in the morning, just as the strawberry-filled pastries are coming out of the oven. There are candied cherries in there too, as well as a bass-note of pie crust. These are supremely evocative; you just want to keep smelling them. When you do finally take a sip, the house-typical creaminess is cut by beautifully balanced acidity, tiny farmers’ market strawberries, and cherries. It manages to be both bright and deep at the same time, eliciting notes of minerals, lead pencil, and subtle fruit, though the fruit of the palate is less sweet and pronounced than the overall impression of the nose--a very appealing bookend.

Drinking this well, and sharing it with the two ladies of the house on our first Valentine’s Day as a family? What a perfect way to celebrate the holiday.

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Birth Day Wines

Just a quick post today about celebratory wines, which I’ve been drinking plenty of since this past Tuesday night when my wife gave birth to our daughter. And while something bubbly and festive is usually popped to mark a moment like that, I wanted to make sure that we kept the party going throughout our stay in the hospital. (Within reason, of course.)

We started off with a bottle of J. Dumangin Fils Brut Rosé 1er Cru, an amazingly expressive Champagne with berry fruit of astounding ripeness backed up by all kinds of toast. We also enjoyed a bottle of Heitz Bella Oaks 1998, a Bollinger Brut Special Cuvee, and, to toast a sweet life ahead, some beautiful Dow’s 40 Year Old Tawny Port.

Come to think of it, whether you’re celebrating the arrival of a new child, a birthday, the holidays, or absolutely nothing at all, these are wonderful wines to mark the occasion with, and to savor either in their own right or in the context of an occasion worth toasting.

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