A few things from the web this week that we’ve seen making the rounds.
First, that age-old debate: must it be red with meat, white with fish? In a word, no!
(Actually, this first: apologies for that disturbing image[level-members] from Berry’s Wine Blog.) In the Drinks section of the Serious Eats site, their Ask A Sommelier feature posed this question to 13 sommeliers. Not a one came out explicitly in favor of that old saw. The closest they got was a “be careful” from Gillian Balance of Cavallo Point in Sausalito, CA and the feeling that, “it’s a guideline, but there are exceptions” from Chad Zeigler of RN74 in San Francisco.
The overwhelming majority recommended looking more to the sauce and preparation than to feet vs. fins.
“Salmon in buttery, lemony sauce = white wine. Salmon with sauteed mushrooms in savory sauce = red wine.”
“Oily Fish is Great with Red”
“Depends on How You Sauce It”
“… look both at the cooking technique and the sauce before choosing a wine.”
We’ll give the last word on this subject to Paul Grieco of Terroir/Hearth in New York. “The last time this expression held true, Nixon was still in the White House. Everything is up for grabs these days, except for the supremacy of Riesling …”
Over at Snooth, the 2/28 article on Top Napa Cabs Under $50 is worth a look for your well-heeled customers. The write-up has a nice discussion of Napa Cabs often being dismmissed because, well, they’ve been so successful. There’s also a clear bias toward old-world style winemaking, which is most definitely NOT what California is known for. But for your customers who are still exploring, or those who simply like this style of wine and have the bucks to buy ’em, this isn’t a bad list of wines to consider for your shop.
Two offerings from Smith-Madrone top the list. For my money, I’ll take the Markham they’ve listed at number ten.[/level-members]