January 2019 - Marczyk Fine Wines

Riesling
Gallery
Riesling

Education, White, Wine, Wine & Food Pairing

Riesling

Every wine professional, always and everywhere, adores Riesling. (It is possible to make such a claim because it is true.) So why doesn’t everyone else? In fact, so why do so few others? The World’s Greatest White Wine Winemakers, wine writers, cooks high and low, serious amateurs—people in the know about what makes a grape great—cannot slurp enough of Riesling’s purity of delivery, its juicy flavors or super-taut acidity, the latter quality its best feature at table. Dry, sweet, German, Australian, Austrian, it does not matter—many call Riesling the world’s greatest white wine. But certainly not the world’s most popular—that [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T21:53:11+00:00 January 27th, 2019|

Merlot
Gallery
Merlot

Education, Red, Wine, Wine & Food Pairing

Merlot

In this country, the role that Chardonnay plays for white wine, Merlot plays for red. That is, it’s what’s asked for first. And it isn’t merely because Merlot is easier to pronounce than Cabernet Sauvignon—the wine not so long ago unseated by Merlot as America’s most commonly requested red. It’s because Merlot is just so appealing—plush, round, low in tannin, loaded with juicy tastes of black cherry, chocolate, ripe plums and licorice (or, if from Bordeaux, even an acceptable turn on the flavors of fruitcake). Merlot is the “wine without tears,” while, contrariwise, it often may seem that Cabernet Sauvignon [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T21:52:26+00:00 January 27th, 2019|

Nebbiolo
Gallery
Nebbiolo

Education, Red, Wine

Nebbiolo

Not only do Italian grape varieties frequently make for some of the world’s tastiest wines, but they also have some of the coolest names. Sangiovese, for example, comes from the Latin words sanguis Jovis, “the blood of Jove (Zeus).” Not at all a bad name for a red grape. The name Nebbiolo is thought to derive from the Italian word nebbia or “fog.” In the Langhe, a hilly area in Italy’s Piedmont, milk-white mists and vapors settle into the valleys during harvest time—hence, the name (made even more endearing because the diminutive suffix “-olo” makes Nebbiolo mean “little fog.”) Not [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T21:53:44+00:00 January 27th, 2019|

How to Read a Wine Label
Gallery
How to Read a Wine Label

Education, Wine

How to Read a Wine Label

Trumping whatever esthetic value that a wine label may have, its main function is to impart information to the consumer. As such, both the bottler (or producer, winery or winemaker), as well as the legal authority where the wine is sold, have an interest in shaping that information. For their part, the people who put the wine in the bottle want the consumer to buy it. Consequently, wine labels may contain visually attractive or eye-catching graphics or art; descriptions of how the wine tastes, how it was made, or what foods it best accompanies; technical information (pH or acidity level, [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T21:56:01+00:00 January 27th, 2019|

Chenin Blanc
Gallery
Chenin Blanc

Education, White, Wine

Chenin Blanc

We’ve all sipped some Chenin Blanc in our day— fine Chenin Blanc such as dry Vouvray, if we were smart, or all that California “chablis” that we may have swilled in the ‘70s and ‘80s, if we weren’t. No other white wine grape exists that, simultaneously grown in separate parts of the world, can make a ravishingly electric wine like the Loire’s Savennières, as well as the blandest, most lifeless South African Steen, in flavor only one wee step beyond water. Because it is a true workaday grape and, with even a modicum of skill in the winery, makes an [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T21:57:08+00:00 January 26th, 2019|

Cabernet Sauvignon
Gallery
Cabernet Sauvignon

Education, Red, Wine, Wine & Food Pairing

Cabernet Sauvignon

Like Chardonnay—but far more dependably—you’ll find Cabernet Sauvignon nearly everywhere wine grapes grow. Because it can. Stick some Cabernet Sauvignon wood in the ground and out pop leaves—in Bordeaux, famously; in California and Italy, famously and infamously; and in Washington State, Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, even Uruguay and Mexico. (And many other places, too.) What Cabernet Likes About the only thing that Cabernet Sauvignon needs is warmth. Too cool a soil or climate and the wines it makes are vegetal-tasting and green, with flavors such as bell pepper or asparagus. (Too warm, and it comes off jammy and [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T21:58:01+00:00 January 26th, 2019|

Cabernet Franc
Gallery
Cabernet Franc

Education, Red, Wine

Cabernet Franc

One night, many hundreds of years ago, the grapevines cabernet franc and sauvignon blanc nuzzled up to each other, somewhere in the Bordeaux region of France, and made a baby. They took the first halves of each of their names and called the kid “cabernet sauvignon.” As with so many children, cabernet sauvignon has mightily outshone its parents. It is the most sought-after red wine grape on the globe and, unlike either of its parents, is planted in nearly every country that grows grapes into wine. It ripens later than either of its parents, developing more color, structure and flavor. [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T21:59:08+00:00 January 26th, 2019|

Linguine Scallops with Lemon Cream
Gallery
Linguine Scallops with Lemon Cream

Wine & Food Pairing

Linguine Scallops with Lemon Cream

Why do so many cultures dine on fish for dinner on New Year’s Eve? Some say because fish prefigure prosperity (their scales resemble coins and they travel in multitudes called schools); also that they swim only in a forward direction. Scallops and caviar aren’t fish like that, although one is countless and the other resembles a stack of coins. So, at this year’s end, go for the gold with this elegant preparation. Any number of dry, off-dry or sparkling white wines, crisp with acidity and refreshing in character, would do nicely with this preparation’s elements of fat, salt and acidity. [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T21:59:58+00:00 January 8th, 2019|

Garlicky Crab with Pasta
Gallery
Garlicky Crab with Pasta

Wine & Food Pairing

Garlicky Crab with Pasta

Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve dinners tend to be deluxe, even sumptuous affairs. This crab-and-pasta preparation fits the bill. It would seem fitting to pair such fare with wines equally rich and opulent. But nuanced, aged reds or buttery, oaky whites also overplay and tire the palate. Sometimes simple and clean is better, as a yin to the (in this case) crab’s yang. And the unique white from the south of France is the perfect, humble “background” wine to let the dish shine. Garlicky crab with pasta Add 2 pounds king crab legs to a stockpot of salted boiling [...]

By Bill St. John| 2020-09-28T22:01:05+00:00 January 8th, 2019|