National Pie Day: January 23

Did you know about an organization called the American Pie Council? I learned of them this morning upon receiving their press release about the upcoming National Pie Day (I’d never heard of National Pie Day, either). But I’m a sucker for a home-made berry pie---the best ones I've ever had have been at Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero, California---so I ambled over to the Pie Council's website and took a look around.

 According to the website, the American Pie Council (APC) is “the only organization dedicated to preserving America’s pie heritage and promoting America’s love affair with pies.” The APC sponsors many national pie-related events, including the Great American Pie Festival, the National Pie Championships, and, of course, National Pie Day.

The APC’s message for this year’s National Pie Day is rather compelling:

"As the nation steers through a series of challenges, the American Pie Council (APC) recognizes that we still have much to be grateful for and many to say thank you to: men and women who defend our nation, friends and neighbors who volunteer time to worthy causes, and family members who are always there for us.  So to help say 'thank you' the best way they know how, the APC and its associate members have decided to highlight National Pie Day (January 23rd) by helping people across the nation recall the simple pleasure of presenting a pie as a gesture of kindness."

To help you do just that, APC commercial members have posted award-winning recipes on the site (one that appeals to me is called “Ginger, You’re a Peach Pie”). In addition, some retailers throughout the country are offering discounts (download a PDF listing participating retailers). So you can either bake a fabulous pie or get a discount for a store-bought pie, and then go gift someone who deserves such delicious bounty.

A few interesting facts I picked up on the site:

• Pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians.
• The early pies were predominately meat pies. Pyes (pies) originally appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The crust of the pie was referred to as "coffyn". There was actually more crust than filling. Often these pies were made using fowl and the legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies or tarts (pasties) were probably first made in the 1500s. English tradition credits making the first cherry pie to Queen Elizabeth I.
• If you lined up the number of pies sold at U. S. grocery stores in one year, they would circle the globe—and then some.
• Nearly one out of five Americans (19%) prefer Apple pie, followed by pumpkin (13%), pecan (12%), banana cream (10%) and cherry (9%). 

 The Culinary Gadabout Suggests:

Want to bake your own pies? This book is all you need...

From the Amazon review: At 640 pages and nearly two inches thick, Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie, the big book with the shortest possible title, is difficult to read in bed. It's hard to hold up. It weighs on the stomach. But bed is where you will want to take it, night after night, following author Richard Haedrich's lead through fruit pies, berry pies, nut pies, custard pies, turnovers, ice cream pies, and more. Headrich has the most reassuring voice in food literature, and his lifelong passion--the making and baking of all manner of pies--soon begins to fit the reader like new skin.

The first 60 pages are given over to general directions (for example, Haedrich is a firm believer in reading a recipe through to completion before lifting a finger; he rolls his dough on wax paper) and the making and shaping of crust. You will find everything you need to know about creating terrific pie crusts including a friendly pat on the back and the sage advice that great crust comes with experience. This is all but permission to bake several pies a week for the rest of your life. The 300 some recipes in Pie will help you on your way. There are 21 crust recipes alone, everything from that perfect flaky crust to Choco-Nut Press-In Pie Crust.

Books like Pie don't happen overnight, or even over a year of nights. Haedrich didn't apply his considerable food writing skill to a subject he simply pulled off the shelf. While the tone may be easy going, there's nothing casual here about either the task or the accomplishment. Pie represents a considerable chunk of one man's life wedged between the covers of a book. The tens of thousands of bits and pieces of valuable information, quotes, lines of poetry, not to mention the recipes and careful instruction comes from years and years of both accumulation and winnowing down to the very best.

Buy Pie: 300 Tried-and-True Recipes for Delicious Homemade Pie

Diet Tips for 2010 from...Hershey?

Hershey sent me a press release just before the year ended geared to diet and health. At first I scoffed, but the more I read the better it sounded. Here's the story:

Bob Greene is a noted exercise physiologist. His first book, a New York Times best-seller published in 1996 and co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, was Make the Connection: Ten Steps To A Better Body--And A Better Life. His most recent book, also a best-seller, was published last November: The Best Life Guide to Managing Diabetes and Pre-Diabetes.

Greene is the founder of Best Life, an umbrella organization designed to help people achieve their own personal best life. Among other things, Best Life bestows a "seal of approval" on foods that are both easily available and offer healthy benefits. One of those products is Hershey's Extra Dark Chocolate, available in most supermarkets nationwide and less expensive than more boutique brands.

Naturally, the Hershey Company is pleased about all of this and is now running a campaign that highlights Best Life, Bob Greene, Greene's "Best Life Diet" plan, and--of course, Hershey's extra dark chocolate. But that's a good thing. The diet makes sense, and we all know dark chocolate is good for you in moderation. Let me stress those two important words: in moderation. If you sit down and gobble up an entire bar of chocolate, you are doing your body no favor.

The Best Life Diet is a three-phased plan developed by Greene that helps people to live healthy lifestyles. To keep living your best life in 2010, Greene recommends three easy-to-follow steps as a part of the Best Life Diet:

1. Change Habits: Making a few key adjustments to your routine can mean big results, both in terms of health and weight-loss. The dietary changes include eating three meals, a snack or two, and a treat, and curtailing eating and drinking at least two hours before bedtime. On the exercise front, aim to gradually add minutes to your regular workouts and keep up your intensity – it doesn’t matter if you’re walking or working out at the gym.
   
   
2. Manage Hunger and Control Portions: Use Bob’s 10-point hunger scale to differentiate true hunger from emotional eating. Ideally, you should start a meal when you’re just beginning to get hungry, but not ravenous (a three or four on the hunger scale) and finish the meal when you’re at a five (you’re fairly satisfied, but could eat a little more) or six (perfectly comfortable and satisfied).
   
   In Phase Two, you’ll also be zeroing in on portion sizes of all foods, including treats. Enjoying your favorite treats is key to sticking with a healthy-eating plan. The key is to keep a lid on portions. The number of calories you can spend on treats depends on how many total calories you can eat to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. (The more total calories you can eat, the more treat calories you can have. For instance, on 1,700 calories per day, you can have 150 treat calories, about three Hershey’s Extra Dark tasting squares.)
   
   
3. Fine-Tune Your Diet: Include a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables in your diet. Colors are a good indicator of the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that each food contains. Also, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds help maintain a well-rounded and wholesome diet. 

You can download a PDF that offers a more detailed look at these three steps. Also, visit Hershey's for recipes that incorporate dark chocolate into a healthy diet (e.g., Chocolate Ginger Spice Muffins, Baked Pears with Chocolate Sauce, Chocolate-Banana Sherbet, etc.).

Hershey's dark chocolate has its critics. Check out this post on Starling Fitness; it offers a jaundiced view of Bob Greene teaming up with Hershey, and points out that 3 squares of the chocolate are stated on the packaging to be 210 calories, not 150.

On the other hand, a 2008 study by Yale University Prevention Research Center, using Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate, was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; it found that consuming 75g of the chocolate lowered blood pressure and improved endothelial function in 45 participants two hours after consumption.

My advice, which I usually follow (except for occasional mouth-stuffing blips): exercise daily, eat lots of veggies and fruits, and enjoy anything else you want as long as you do it in moderation.

Two Great Food Products of 2009

As a food writer, I'm occasionally sent products for review. I'm happy to try them out, but it's rare that I find a product to be so exceptional that I'm willing to fork over valuable real estate to write about it. In fact, all this year I only reviewed two products: chocolates from Jean-Philippe Patisserie (in the Belagio, Las Vegas) and Fever Tree's new Ginger Beer.

However, there were two more new products this year that I wanted to tell you about. Since time is running out on 2009, I'm going to do quick reviews on both:

Donsuemor French Almond Cakes: Last year I wrote a review about Donsuemor's Madeleines, which were sinfully delish--as good as any madeleine I've ever had in France, and better than many. So earlier this year, when I received these French Almond Cakes, I approached them with a bit of skepticism. How could they possibly improve on the madeleines?

And, in fact, they don't actually improve on the madeleines; but they're not supposed to. These petite and elegant cakes head in a different direction, one that's equally luscious. They have a more "cakey" mouth presence, while being moist and light and almond-ish. I savored them slowly, one a day, always with a glass of milk. They are just heavenly. Donsuemor does a fabulous job with their packaged delights; they really do seem to be bakery-fresh. I continue to be really impressed with this company. For more info and to buy a supply of your own, visit Donsuemor's website.

OliVaylle Extra Virgin Olive Nectar: An Australian company, OliVaylle unabashedly describes this ultra-premium product as "the finest extra virgin olive oil in the world." It just might be! I have treasured every drop of this taste-explosion, saving it for simple salads where the nectar's slightly biting taste can rule in all its glory.

Australian olive oil imports are something new, but at one time the importation of Australian wine was new, too--and just look at what's happened with that. The climate in that part of the world is similar to other wine- and olive-producing regions in the world: California, Italy, France, etc. So, really, it should come as no surprise that Australia can turn out a fabulous olive oil.

OliVaylle was founded in 1997 by Jorge de Moya with the express intent of producing the world's best olive oil. Moya's family-owned olive plantation and olive oil producing facility are both located in Victoria.

Why do they call it nectar? Simple: in classical mythology, nectar is considered the life-giving drink of the gods.

Visit the Olivaylle site, where you'll find lots of info and recipes for an Australian Family Dinner, a Cuban Fiesta, an Italian Date Night, a South African Fusion meal, and an evening of American Entertaining Elegance. You can also order Olivaylle's olive oil nectar in the site's shop.

Pop those corks tomorrow night, readers, and here's to a great 2010!

Bottle Shock: A Must-See for Wine Lovers

 Bottle Shock's  Jim and Bo

Over the Holidays I finally had a chance to watch Bottle Shock. This somewhat fictionalized 2008 movie recounts the stunning wine competition of 1976 that has come to be known as The Judgment of Paris. This blind tasting pitted then-upstart California wines (mostly from Napa Valley) against “unassailable” French wines such as Mouton Rothschild and Puligny Montrachet. To the shock of everyone involved, California's wines won easily in both white and red categories. At that moment, California wines stepped from obscurity and onto the world stage, where they have not only remained---but ruled.

Bottle Shock's judges

“The contest was as strictly controlled as the production of a Chateau Lafite,” wrote Time Magazine on June 7, 1976. “The nine French judges, drawn from an oenophile’s Who’s Who, included such high priests as Pierre Tari, secretary-general of the Association des Grands Crus Classes, and Raymond Oliver, owner of Le Grand Vefour restaurant and doyen of French culinary writers. The wines tasted were transatlantic cousins---four white Burgundies against six California Pinot Chardonnays and four Grands Crus Chateaux reds from Bordeaux against six California Cabernet Sauvignons.”

“The French judges,” stated the New York Times, “voted the 1973 chardonnay from Chateau Montelena and the 1973 cabernet sauvignon from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars the two best bottles in the tasting. Both wineries are relatively new; both are in California’s Napa Valley.”

We don’t really hear about Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Bottle Shock, which focuses on Napa’s Chateau Montelena and its owner, as well as on the tasting’s organizer. Jim Barrett, played by Bill Pullman, owns the winery; he’s assisted, sort of, by his hippie son, Bo Barrett (Chris Pine). Alan Rickman plays Steven Spurrier, the British wine shop owner who lived in Paris and organized the event.

Chateau Montelena

There was plenty enough in the actual events to provide lots of interest and dramatic tension, but for some reason the movie makers threw in a couple of side plots. Bo Barrett’s romance with a beautiful winery intern really didn’t add much (I’ve no idea if it was fictional or true, and don’t care). The other side plot was better: a real-life winery worker at Chateau Montelena named Gustavo Brambilia (Freddy Rodriguez) added color and depth to the Napa Valley story. However, after doing a little research today, I learned that Brambilia didn’t join the winery until after all these events had occurred. So even though he himself is not fictional, his actions in the movie were. Today Brambilia is in partnership with Thrace Bromberger in the Napa Valley winery, Gustavo Thrace.

The real Bo and Jim today

But the above paragraph is a mere quibble. If you’re at all interested in California wine, you’ll enjoy Bottle Shock. It's not brilliant, but it's amiable and fun. The Judgment of Paris is big and important history in the wine world, so it’s worth knowing about. And the Napa scenery is gorgeous--almost as good as driving through it yourself.

Also, one of my favorite-ever wine movie moments is in this movie. Alan Rickman, as Spurrier, travels all over Napa Valley, sampling wine to come up with the best selections for the blind tasting. You see him in hotel rooms, sitting on farm porches or in restaurants, always sniffing and tasting. In my fave scene he’s sitting at a small table outside, on a hill, with vineyards all around him and fading into the distance. He’s gazing at a glass of red wine in his hand.

Alan Rickman at work

The humble-looking winemaker walks to the table and places a small bowl of Guacamole and another bowl of chips on the table. Rickman, the proper Brit with French appetites, gazes curiously at the bowls and then takes a chance, scooping the guacamole onto the chip and into his mouth. It tastes good…he thinks, though he’s not quite sure. Then he lifts his glass and takes a sip. Rickman’s face lights up. It is the perfect pairing of moment, food and wine. If you have ever had a moment like that, and I hope you’ve had many, you will know exactly how he feels.

À votre Santé!

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The Culinary Gadabout Recommends:

Judgment of Paris: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine -- a book by George M. Taber

From Publisher's Weekly: In 1976, a Paris wine shop arranged a tasting as a gimmick to introduce some California wines; the judges, of course, were all French and militantly chauvinistic. Only one journalist bothered to attend, a Time correspondent, looking for a possible American angle. The story he got turned out to be a sensation. In both red and white blind tastings, an American wine won handily: a 1973 Stag's Leap cabernet and a 1973 Chateau Montelena chardonnay. When the story was published the following week, it stunned both the complacent French and fledgling American wine industries—and things have never been the same since. Taber, the Time man, has fashioned an entertaining, informative book around this event. Following a brisk history of the French-dominated European wine trade with a more detailed look at the less familiar American effort, he focuses on the two winning wineries, both of which provide him with lively tales of colorful amateurs and immigrants making good, partly through willingness to experiment with new techniques. While the outrage of some of the judges is funny, this is a serious business book, too, sure to be required reading for American vintners and oenophiles. Photos.

A look at mythical NYC restaurant Le Cirque

Starchefs, a website devoted to professional chefs, has begun an interesting new series of articles devoted to the nation's "Mythic Kitchens." The articles will explore historic eras in famous kitchens---times when the stars lined up just right to combine the kind of food and chefs that helped build the definition of American cuisine.

First up in the series is an article by Heather Sperling that examines New York City's Le Cirque under Chef Daniel Boulud (whose legendary years at Le Cirque were 1986-1992). Below you'll find the first two paragraphs, and you can continue reading here.

Le Cirque, 1989

It’s 8:30pm, and kitchen of Le Cirque is working at a frenetic, feverish pace. The pre-theater crush has passed, the tourists are midway through their meals, and the crème de la New York crème have just settled into their coveted 8pm seats. Owner Sirio Maccioni strides into the kitchen: “Chef! I forgot to tell you that Paul Bocuse and Roger Verge are here, and the King of Spain is going to be 12 people, not eight.” Daniel Boulud nods tersely. As soon as Maccioni disappears back onto the dining room floor, the chef begins tearing through boxes of produce picked up at the market that morning. Truffles, foie gras, and Tuscan lardo di Colonnata, smuggled into the country after Maccioni’s last trip to Italy, are gathered and lie ready to be spun into special courses for the VIPs. As the kitchen buzzes around him, cooking for the nearly 100 other guests, Boulud puts down his head and begins to create. It’s 1989, and it’s just another night at Le Cirque.

“Sirio was such an unpredictable madman,” says Boulud, “and the greatest restaurateur in New York City.” Le Cirque always was—and remains—Maccioni’s creation. It was 12 years old in 1986 when Boulud took over for Alain Sailhac, and critic Bryan Miller had praised it in a recent three-star New York Times review: “Nowhere in the United States, nor anywhere else as far as I have seen, is there a dining room that crackles with the high-voltage energy of Le Cirque.” The restaurant was utterly vogue; the food, under Sailhac, was mid-century French with a touch of Italian, by request of the Tuscany-born Maccioni...  Continue reading

The Culinary Gadabout Recommends: Want to cook like Daniel Boulud? A good place to start is with Daniel Boulud's Cafe Boulud Cookbook: French-American Recipes for the Home Cook. Says Publisher's Weekly: "Echoing the French-American accent of food from his casual Café Boulud, the New York City chef also acclaimed for Restaurant Daniel encourages home cooks to prepare meals as he does, by attending to four inspirations: his own French tradition, seasonal foodstuffs, international flavors and the kitchen garden."

Top 10 Food Trends for 2010: The Food Channel

Not surprisingly, the economy is a big influence on food trends for 2010, leading to less time spent in restaurants and more cooking at home; more experimentation in dining; a boost in purchase of foods that are beneficial to health, and more. That’s according to Cable TV’s Food Channel, which lists as the upcoming year’s hottest Top 10 Food Trends:

1. Keeping it Real: In a back-to-basics economy perhaps it is natural to return to basic ingredients. This isn’t about retro, or comfort food, or even cost. It’s about determining the essentials and stocking your pantry accordingly. It is about pure, simple, clean and sustainable. It's a shift from convenience foods to scratch cooking, now that we have more time than money and more food knowledge and concerns. Read more
2. Experimentation Nation: Restaurant concepts are in flux as people redefine what going “out” to eat means. Gastropubs, fusion dining, shareables, and communal tables are all being tried. While this started because of the economy it will finish because consumers will indicate what works for them and what doesn’t. New concepts around “fresh” and DIY will do well. Experimentation is the trend, so we’ll see concepts come and go. Read More
3. More in Store: The Food Channel predicts growth in grocery stores, particularly as private labels assume prominence. Those old generics have morphed into their own brands, so that there is a blurring and less of a caste system—there is no particular glory in using a “name brand” anymore (unless you are ketchup). And that’s not the only way grocery stores are growing. They have been paying attention to the trends and are doing things such as upgrading their delis and fresh take out sections, and are even returning butchers to a place of prominence. Just as in restaurants, the stores that can help redefine the family dinner table are going to show the most gains. Read More
4. American, the New Ethnic: This is all about flavor delivery. Immigration has come to the plate, and we are now defining a new Global Flavor Curve. Part comfort, part creativity, the latest flavors are coming from the great American melting pot. So, it’s about grandma’s food, but the recipes may be written in Japanese. American food is distinctive in its lack of identity outside of the hamburger—until, that is, you mix in our heritage. This is the year we’ll do it in a big way. The presentation of food, the flavor, and the experimentation is coming into its own in 2010. Read More
5. Food Vetting: You are what you eat, and we are big into understanding ourselves! That’s what’s leading this trend—our constant need for assurance that we are eating the right things, that our food is safe, that we are not ingesting pesticides or anything that will someday prove harmful. If we can provide jobs, help the economy, protect animals and ensure a sustained food supply at the same time, well, that’s all the better. Call it food vetting, sourcing or whatever you want—the issue is that people are asking where their food comes from. We call it the “new luxury food” because it can be more expensive to include that traceability into delivery, but we want it anyway. Read More
6. Mainstreaming Sustainability: Sustainability has become mainstream. Unlike a year ago, when we were somewhat afraid to use the word, now it flows trippingly off the tongue. America is just now learning how to be sustainable, and Americans are holding themselves responsible. In 2010 we’ll see people and companies becoming sustainable for authentic reasons; they are doing it to make a difference. After all, that’s what comes with understanding. Read More
7. Food with Benefits: Call it what you will—nutritional, healthful, good-for-you—but this trend toward beneficial foods is growing at a pretty big rate. Expect food to either have nutrients added, or have the word “free” (gluten-free, allergy-free). Just last year we talked about “functional food,” which was really about adding ingredients to pump up the nutritional value. Before that, it was “fortified.” Next year we see this idea morphing into a grown-up version. Read More
8. I Want My Umami: The “foodie” has settled into a more universal designation of someone who loves food—not a food snob. The point is experimentation and a willingness to try new things. They are the ones who find their adventure leaning over the cookstove rather than climbing the mountaintop—although a mix of both would be just fine. The new foodie is driving all kinds of adventures in flavor, too. Read More
9. Will Trade for Food: What do we do in a bad economy when we have more time than money and skills that we still want to put to use? We barter. The Food Channel predicts that we’ll all see more of the barter system come into play now that technology can assist with the connections. Read More
10. I, Me, Mine: It really is about you. It’s the rise of the individual. While sharing has come into its own in restaurant concepts (goodbye additional plate charge), there is a separate but equal trend toward individuality. It’s part of the reason why we are making our own cheese, smoking our own meats, and making our own specialty desserts. Expect more attention to the individual, but it’s not just about portion size—it’s also about food that reflects personality. With the decline of the economy, it’s more important than ever that you have a voice. Read More

Great ways to use canned salmon

Fresh, wild-caught salmon is one of my favorite things to eat, but it’s expensive. So for a few years I’ve also gotten into Alaskan canned salmon. I really like it because:

• It’s made from salmon caught in the wild, in cold Alaskan waters, with nothing added except a bit of salt
• Like fresh salmon, It contains massive amounts of omega-3 and calcium, and is a good source of vitamin B12
• It’s inexpensive
• It’s versatile in the kitchen

For years I’ve been using canned salmon only to make salmon burgers, but lately I’ve been branching out. That’s thanks to a website I discovered run by the Alaskan seafood industry, which has an entire subsite devoted to canned salmon.

This subsite serves up a generous helping of recipes using canned salmon. Some of them don’t do much for me, but others open new possibilities for enjoying salmon in a can:

• Alaska Salmon Albondiga (Salmon Meatball Soup -- see photo, below)
• Best Bagel Alaska Salmon Spread
• Mediterranean Salmon Sandwich Loaf
• Alaska Salmon Chili (See photo, below)
  
• Curried Alaska Salmon
• Salmon and Spinach Pasta Marinara( (See photo, below)

There are many more recipes for you to enjoy here.

From left: Salmon Meatball Soup,  Salmon/Spinach Pasta, Salmon Chili

Monterey’s Great Wine Escape Weekend

Earlier this month I attended Monterey's annual Great Wine Escape Weekend and had a fabulous time. But who wouldn’t? The scenery is gorgeous everywhere you go. Outdoor and cultural activities abound. The cuisine is splendid, with top-rated chefs taking full advantage of just-picked produce in the region known as America's "salad bowl.” Not to mention just-caught fish landed by the local fleets, and locally-raised farm animals.

And, of course, there was the wine. In the last decade or so many of California's wine-growing regions have emerged from the huge shadow cast by Napa and Sonoma with strong contenders of their own. One of the greatest success stories is Monterey County, which is producing sensational wines with intense varietal flavors. In an upcoming post I’ll discuss a few of these wines in more detail, but right now I’d like to pass on a few highlights of my trip just in case you’ll be heading coastward sometime soon.

Monterey Plaza Inn and Spa

I stayed at the luxurious and excellent Monterey Plaza Inn and Spa, located on the bay side of Cannery Row. Whoever designed this hotel had the priorities straight: no matter where I walked or stood I was confronted with a view of that big blue bay and the endless Pacific stretching beyond. Throughout the public area are dozens of viewing platforms, balconies, plazas, umbrella tables, benches, and chairs where you can lounge while gazing outward. The huge lobby offers a veritable surfeit of comfy couches, all arranged in cozy conversational groupings with full-on views.

I criss-crossed the outdoor piazza half a dozen times a day as I came and went, catching those awesome views at dawn, when the sky turned pink with the rising sun; at mid-day, when everything seemed to be one shade or another of blue; and late at night, when lights twinkled all the way down the Monterey Peninsula.

My room was quite spacious and beautifully done. Even the best hotels seem to have boring art on the walls, but there was something here—a reproduction of an ancient Monterey Bay map—that I would like to own. I had a pretty garden view (water views are much more expensive). The highly-rated Duck Club Grill is here, as well as the more casual Schooners Bistro. A full-on spa and a fitness center are resident, but, alas, I never had time to use either one.

River Road Wine Trail

If you’re into visiting wineries, you can’t miss with the absolutely beautiful drive along the River Road Wine Trail in the Santa Luca Highlands, where a dozen or so wineries—including Paraiso, Sleepy Hollow, Smith & Hook, and La Estancia—reside in bucolic splendor (many are open for tasting). Spending some time here, sampling wines and enjoying a picnic, would make for a memorable experience.

The Highlands became an AVA in 1991. The vineyards planted high in the southeast facing terrace of the Santa Lucia mountains, looking out toward Salinas Valley, experience long sunny days tempered by elevation and cool maritime breezes in the afternoon—particularly good conditions for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In the warmer canyons and slopes, Syrah and other Rhone-type grapes do quite well.

As always, I encourage winery goers to drive with care. If you know you’ll be sampling a lot, consider going with a professional driver. In Monterey, as in many wine regions, you'll find something to suit just about any pocketbook, from private limos to van tours. Our media group was very happy with Ag Venture Tours; they have pre-set tours you can join, or can work with you to craft a personalized itinerary.

Carmel Valley Wineries

Another great wine adventure awaits on a drive through Carmel Valley, where many boutique wineries and tasting rooms have sprung up in recent years.

Our group of writers visited the tasting rooms for Heller Estate Organic Vineyards, Joyce Vineyards, and Robert Talbott Vineyard and Winery.

At the impressive Chateau Julien Winery Estate (pictured to the left) we sampled not only their excellent wines, but those of Galante Vineyards and Cima Collina. We also had a knockout lunch in one of the private rooms.

All the wines we sampled that day were excellent—not just my opinion but that of most of the other writers—but my favorite wines of the day were from family-owned Joyce Vineyards. The story about how this family got into winemaking to begin with is pretty interesting: after buying land high on a Carmel Valley hillside, they determined that the slope behind their house was so extreme that a landslide might wipe them away, so they decided to plant vegetation to hold down the soil. Grapes seemed a logical choice, given the southwest facing slope and loamy chalk rock soil, and so in 1987 they planted their first grapes.

As it turned out, Dr. Joyce had a talent for making wine. The winery now produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. We tasted only Pinots on our visit, and they were among the best I’ve ever had: extremely berry, sometimes cherry, notes; soft tannins; always elegant, with layers that just keep coming. Marvelous! The wines have won many awards.

The tasting room is in the Lyonshead Art Gallery in Carmel Valley Village (see below), with tastings Friday through Sunday. More details


Carmel Valley Village

On our Carmel Valley wine exploration we spent a few really delightful hours in Carmel Valley Village. Though I’ve lived in Northern California for a long time, and traveled in and around Monterey/Carmel/Carmel Valley countless times over the years, I had never heard of Carmel Valley Village.

This charming, bohemian place has evolved on its own over the years; there’s nothing even remotely commercial about these two short streets of small, simple bungalows that date from (I’m just guessing here) sometime in the 1920s to maybe the mid-1950s. Many have courtyards and arbors, all are surrounded by long-established trees and gardens. They hold shops, cafes, an antique shop, art galleries, and, of course, wine tasting rooms.

If this sounds good to you, the Village is about 12 miles in on Carmel Valley Road after you turn off Highway 1.

The Farm

If you’ve ever driven through the Salinas Valley on your way to and from Highway 1, you’ve probably seen the giant, 18-foot tall cutouts of farm workers beside the highway (left). That’s the outdoor art gallery of The Farm. The figures, by Salinas artist John Cerney, show men harvesting lettuce, one of a great many products grown here.

This high-energy agricultural showplace is not only a farm but an education center where school groups and others come to learn about farming in today’s world. You can also buy fresh produce, take a tour, pet farm animals, and more. This is an enjoyable stop for anyone, but I imagine that kids, in particular, would really love it.

Cannery Row Tasting Rooms

Cannery Row has a few tasting rooms these days, and I managed to visit two.

• Scheid Vineyards Tasting Room, 751 Cannery Row: A relaxed and convenient way to sample Scheid’s superb artisan wines. You’ll find a tasting and lounge area with a fireplace made of local stone; wine-related items are also for sale. Classes are given (winemaking to blending), as well as food and wine seminars, and you can arrange for trips out to the vineyard. Scheid makes delectable wines, many in the $50 range. But when I visited, the big hit among a group of wine writers was the $19 2007 Odd Lot Red. It was delish—and, as it turned out, consisted of a happy blend of various lots of wine that “highlights the best traits of each to achieve a harmonic whole.” That’s not marketing hype; it’s true! 

• Pierce Ranch Vineyards Tasting Room, 499 Wave Street: Just off The Row and just opened, this attractive and friendly tasting bar is the place to go if you want to try something new. To be sure, Pierce offers wines you know about such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, but you’ll also find an eclectic mix of Bordeaux, Rhone, and Iberian varietals you may not know: Tempranillo, for instance, acknowledged as the flagship wine of the Iberian Peninsula. Or try Touriga, Cosecheiro, Vinho Doce, or Albarino. These varietals have been chosen because they grow quite well in Monterey County.
  

So, there you have it—a few good ideas, I hope, for your next Monterey County visit. You’ll have to wait until 2010 for the next Monterey Great Wine Escape Weekend: November 12-14, 2010

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The Culinary Gadabout Recommends: For a trip to any of California’s wine countries, bring along a copy of Backroads of the California Wine Country: Your Guide to the Wine Country's Most Scenic Backroad Adventures. The gorgeous pictures by Gary Crabbe and the lively text by award-winning travel writer (and my friend) Karen Misuraca make this book a “can’t miss.”

Photo Credits: MCVGA/Steven Gunnerson (Chateau Julien, Directional road sign for wineries, Hahn Winery); Suzie Rodriguez (Carmel Valley Village); The Farm (farm worker)

Fast Food, Obesity, and the USA

Click the chart to see its entirety

I just came across a fascinating New York Times article from last May. Written by Catherine Rampell, it refers to a report entitled "Society at a Glance" by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This report offers an overview of social and policy trends in the 30 member countries.

One of the trends tracked is how much time people in these countries spend eating and drinking. The French are at the high end, with nearly 140 minutes devoted to the table each day. Countries on the low end include Mexico, Canada, and--yep!--the USA. Americans rank third from the bottom with about 75 minutes per day spent on eating/drinking.

Rampbell plotted out the relationship between the time an average person in a given country spends eating and that country's obesity rate (measured by the percentage of the national population with a body mass index higher than 30). As you can see from the chart, Americans rank at the top, with nearly 35% of the population having a 30+ BMI. Korea and Japan, with less than 5% of the population reaching those BMI levels, ranked at the bottom.

Looking at this chart, it's difficult to deny the connection between eating speed--i.e., fast food--and obesity.

Viva slow food!

St. Helena Media Wine Tasting

Last week St. Helena held its annual media wine tasting, and I was there---lucky enough to sample five separate flights of Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, a few other red varietals, and a few red blends. Nearly 50 wines in all, and with two exceptions they were all 2006 or 2007 vintages.

The tasting was held in the multi-million dollar, state-of-the-art, sleekly-modern Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies, on the California campus of the Culinary Institute of America, just north of St. Helena.

St. Helena AVA: An Overview

Courtesy Appellation St. Helena

The birthplace of Napa Valley’s wine industry, St. Helena has been an official appellation since 1995. Appellation St. Helena (ASH) is one of 14 sub-appellations within the Napa Valley Appellation. To see an interactive satellite map of ASH, with hot-linked wineries super-imposed, go here.

According to the association of Napa Valley Vintners, vineyards in this appellation are largely protected by the western hills from incursions of fog and wind. This helps to keep growing conditions warm, with mid-summer temperatures often in the mid- to high 90s.

St. Helena elevations range from about 150’ (the valley floor) to 600’ (in the hills); and soils are primarily sedimentary/gravel clay with low fertility to more fertile volcanic. With its Mediterranean climate, the valley has moderate rainfall primarily in winter.

Principal varieties/characteristics grown here include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot (deep, ripe, often jammy flavors, with firm tannins for structure, and appealing aromas of currant and black fruit); Rhone varieties such as Syrah and Viognier (fleshy, supple and slightly earthy); and Zinfandel (blackberry-like, well-structured).

So, anyway, the tasting…

Place Setting for the First Flight

Bob Dye, ASH President and co-owner of Charmu Winery with his wife, Louise, got the ball rolling with a quick welcome and then introduced three winemakers.

Mark Porembski, winemaker of Anomaly Vineyards, Charmu, and Zeitgeist, discussed the 2006 vintage, which he described as a “bit of a sandwich vintage” between the ‘05 and ‘07---a very good vintage, as it turns out, but one that apparently had had everybody worried at one point, since it had to work its way through massive rains, a delayed growing season, etc.

Bob Biale of Robert Biale Vineyards talked about the 2007 vintage, which he described as the sort of “idyllic vintage winemakers hope and pray for.” Everything about the growing season was ideal, from elevated temps at the end of January, a slightly early bud break followed by perfect weather (moderate), and the harvest coming in a little early.

Pam Starr. owner/winemaker of Crocker & Starr Wines, discussed the 2009 vintage, just coming to the end of its harvest. Another wonderful year, with a dry-season start, followed by a burst of rain and then warm weather. A mild summer, with splashes of heat followed by cool-downs. And an early harvest: when the surprisingly early heavy rains hit on October 13th, most of the harvest was in.

The Wines

A few of the wines poured at the media tasting

When you’re talking Napa Valley wines, let’s be honest: there usually isn’t much, or even anything, to complain about. And that certainly held true for this tasting. A couple of wines tasted somewhat sour to me, but I’d need to try them again under different circumstances before I’d venture to pass judgment publicly. I don’t know what it’s like for others, but when I taste so many wines at once I find that negative taste feedback isn’t always accurate (on the other hand, when a wine strikes me as outstanding in the midst of such a tasting, it almost always holds up on later inspection).

Anyway, here’s a general comment about the tasting: with some exceptions, most of the 2006 and 2007 wines needed another year or two before drinking, and a few needed more than that. But for most of the wines, everything a wine should have was right there; that all-important structure was firmly in place. A little maturity and they will do very well; a few will do brilliantly.

Looking at my tasting notes, a few wines that stood out to me include (in no particular order):

• Charles Krug/Peter Mondavi 2007 Limited Release Zinfandel St. Helena
• Bressler Vineyards 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Jaffe Estate 2006 Metamorphosis (a blend of 85% Cab and 15% Merlot)
• Robert Biale 2007 Varozza Vineyard Zinfandel
• Salvestrin 2006 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• Spottswoode Estate Vineyard 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Vineyard 29’s 2006 Aida Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and its 2006 Clare Luce Abby Estate Cabernet Sauvignon
• Charmu Winery’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Whitehall Lane 2006 St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon
• Wolf Family Vineyards 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Crocker and Starr’s 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
• Chase Family Cellars 2007 Zinfandel (which comes from 106-year-old vines).

By the way, bottle price of wines tasted ranged from $25 (Charles Krug/Peter Mondavi 2007 Limited Release Zinfandel St. Helena) to $175 (Vineyard 29 2006 Aida Estate Cabernet Sauvignon). Both of these wines made it onto my informal “favorites” list before I had any idea of their price.

If you’d like to see a list of all wines tasted, as well as the winemaker’s tasting notes for each, go here.

All photos: Suzie Rodriguez