A couple recent bottles

Wines like these are right up my alley.

Although people who spend their free time thinking about wine (nerds) like to debate the utility of Aligote, I've long found it interesting, I'm sure in part due to its relative obscurity. The Bouzeron AOC is the northernmost land in the Cote Chalonnaise, just south of the famed Cote d'Or (home to legendary expressions of Chardonnay). Made from Aligote, the whites of Bouzeron certainly aren't life-changing, but they can be simple and pleasant, especially with appropriate fare. Lesser examples may be nondescript and a little too round for my liking, but in the right hands I find them distinctive and refreshing. Best of all, the freight is cheap, with top examples, from the likes of famed estate A&P De Villaine, maybe around $25, and solid examples significantly less.



The 2007 from Domaine Rois Mages (Anne-Sophie Debavelaere, proprietaire), imported by Wine Traditions, Ltd., hit the spot with strong acidity, minerality and citrus. I purchased it from Garagiste. For some reason drinking this bottle made me think of pinot blanc (not usually a flattering comparison), but I learned from the oracles that that might not be a coincidence since Aligote is a member of the "greater pinot family," whatever that means.

I don't drink a lot of wine from Spain (with the joyous exception of the riojas of R. Lopez de Heredia, an iconic winery the bottles of which I try to always keep close at hand), but this region in general and estate in specific speaks to me. Rather than attempting to summarize great writing, read all about it for yourself here.



This 2007 vina do burato from D. Ventura (Ribeira Sacra D.O., mencia grape, imported by De Maison Selections) had a near perfect balance of fruit and earth, with supporting acidity running throughout. I bought this on super sale at Wine Discount Center for $10, for which this wine scores a big win in the value column. I wish I had more of it. Buying wine before tasting is a no win situation- if you buy only a little, it will be good, and you will regret not buying more. If you buy a lot, it will be mediocre, and find its way into a pot on the stove.



January in Chicago makes me crave food like this: Buffalo and Pancetta Meat Loaf with a side of mac and cheese, which the D. Ventura cleaned up nicely. It's the simple things in life.

Avec

I've said it before and I will say (write) it again. Pound for pound (dollar for dollar) Avec is the best restaurant in Chicago.

We were treated to a rare dinner out last night, sans Melrose, and we spent it at Avec, not only because of its proximity to our home (about a five iron), but because we love it. We chose it over other good options (including Sepia, which has one of my favorite lists in the City).

What's the occasion for dining at Avec? Big night out? Casual bite with friends? Something in between? All are possible and probable at Avec.

We make friends every time we eat there, and last night was no exception, when we befriended Matt and Chelsea, a disarming young couple from Detroit and Georgia, respectively. Matt works at the Atwood Cafe, a destination for Daniel Burnham fans if not food cognoscenti, and informed us that it offers killer Sunday brunch. We intend to visit there soon.

Avec's kitchen did not disappoint. Smelts atop a creamy but restrained spinach romesco, finished with speck, began our restoration on a frigid Chicago night. Crispy burgundy snail polenta with lemon aioli, chervil and chives really struck a cord with us, delicious and balanced. To cap the meal we devoured braised pork cheeks with blood sausage, barley, cabbage and artichokes. The chemistry of Koren Grieveson's dishes demands attention- always unique and nuanced.

The wine list is adventurous by almost any measure, as VDPs and IGTs abound. We chose a Calabrian rosso to warm our souls- a Ciro Rosso Classico from Fattoria San Francesco. Calabria is a special place for us- we visited in 2008, and stayed in a beautiful seaside village called Tropea. The region is one of many in Southern Italy that are largely unknown, although some top flight restaurants in the U.S., like A16 in San Francisco and Convivio in New York, bring well deserved attention to Southern Italian cuisine and wine. Based on what we read before the trip, we were expecting a barren landscape; quite the opposite, it's vibrant and apparently bountiful, but rural and poor, which probably leads to its reputation as no-man's land. The people were very kind, and it's the only place we've been in Italy where we didn't encounter anyone who spoke english.



From Gaglioppo grapes, this is the kind of wine I want on my table most nights of the week- simple, satisfying, enough character to keep you coming back. Ciro is probably the best known DOC in Calabria, and home to Librandi, a notable producer that's well distributed in the States (I saw some at Whole Foods a while back). I think Ciro Rosso Classico is a relatively recent designation, but I haven't researched it. Perhaps the good doctor can confirm or disabuse me.

Iowa

Not only is Iowa home to the BCS bound Iowa Hawkeyes, it's also proud to produce some of the finest artisan food and drink in the country. La Quercia meats from Norwalk, Iowa (not far from a little town called Adel) can be found on top restaurant menus from coast to coast, and Templeton Rye (Templeton, Iowa) is riding the wave of small batch whisky (whiskey) to national acclaim. You'll be happy to have the latter the next time you're mixing a pitcher of Manhattans.

Pastoral, a top-flight Chicago cheese shop (with prices to match), recently introduced me to another Iowa treasure: Prairie Breeze Cheddar from the Milton Creamery. Milton is in southeast Iowa, near the Missouri (Mizzura to some) border, a ways past Eddyville, Iowa, where my parents grew up. As the name might suggest, this creamy cheddar is rich and smooth; although not as formidable as the great English farmhouse cheddars, it made for a satisfying winter's supper served with a hunk of bread and squash soup.

A Rockin' New Year

Six week-old Melrose wasn't really up for a blow-out New Year's Eve. We rang in 2010 (at 10 p.m., still in '09) with Melrose and my mom, kicked-off by fat-free pork rillettes, followed by a delicious beet and radicchio salad with goat cheese and pistachios, and capped by braised pork chops with tomatoes, anchovies and rosemary. I overcooked the pork chops (nothing worse than dry pork- it's fatal), but the piquant sauce was a great foil, served alongside polenta. This is a good time to point out that The New York Times proffers some of our favorite recipes. Required reading.





The celebratory sparkler was De Vallois Grande Cuvee from Saumur. Alert readers recall that I'm not an authority on sparkling wine, but this one served our meal ably. Thanks to our good friends Matt and Sidney for the bubbles.

First Time

Having a first child requires preparations innumerable, and I was frequently surprised (and only occasionally annoyed) by the things to consider and choices to make as we prepared for the arrival of our daughter, Melrose Mae, on November 20. One of the happiest decisions this guy had to make was her first wine. Champagne was a given, but I have very little experience with Champagne. My attitude is similar to that of Burgundy- I know Champagne is good, and I would love to drink it regularly, but it's quite expensive, and the number of producers and geographic designations is dizzying, even for the wine obsessed.

So, I set out with a list of grower-producers culled from various sources to see what I could turn up in Chicago. Since he works with so many estates, I knew there was a good chance I would end up with a Terry Theise selection. And then, as luck would have it, Alder Yarrow, a wine blogging pioneer, posted a review of Billiot Cuvee Laetitia. As noted in Alder's review, this cuvee is named for the vigneron's daughter. What could be better? I found some bottles for sale at a shop not far from our condo.



I had plans of a perfect moment in the recovery room at the hospital, toasting our new daughter, and touching a little bubbly to her lips. Although the bottle made the trip to the hospital, reality reigned, and the right occasion never arose.

Since Melrose's disposition is best in the morning, brunch has become a popular event in our family. We were joined this morning by our friends Heather and Alessandro (newlyweds who just threw a fabulous wedding celebration in Wicker Park) and Matt and Sidney, good winos all. Brooke put together a nice spread, including a smoked fish tart and a leek and brie tart.





We kicked off brunch with a wine that has fast become a staple in our house, Bottex La Cueille, a sparkling rose from Bugey-Cerdon. Light, refreshing, delicious, this wine is perfect for any occasion, a wine I hope I will always have in the refrigerator. It's available at Binny's in Chicago.



This seemed like a perfect occasion for Melrose's first wine, so we popped the Billiot, raised our glasses, and touched a finger to her lips. I think she's hooked.

The wine was sharp, pure and remarkable. Given my lack of experience with high-end Champagne, I can't make comparisons, but it was unlike anything I've ever tasted. I wouldn't say I loved it, but it's a reference point I'm happy to have. Disgorged in '09, I assume I will age well (if anyone thinks otherwise, please let me know). We bought a second bottle to hold onto for a while. It might make for a nice toast on her sixteenth birthday.

Crabby Eggs and Maple Bacon Biscuits- Hallelujah

Our healthy eating habits continued Christmas morning. God is good, and so are these Maple Bacon Biscuits. I'm always torn when faced with a breakfast menu of sweet pancakes, french toast, and such on one hand, and savory bacon, eggs and the like on the other. Here, harmonious balance.



Dirk's crab legs yielded plenty of leftover meat for scrambled eggs. I owe what little I know about scrambled eggs to culinary legend and Iowa native Richard Olney. His salient work, Simple French Food, is required reading for anyone interested in French food (and, really, who isn't?).

Although we didn't have any noteworthy beverages with breakfast, we opened several good bottles with our friends Matt and Izzo for Christmas dinner, including a Domaine Sauvete Blanc de Blancs Brut and '07 Selvapiana Chianti Rufina. Both wines are available from Craig Perman, one of Chicago's top wine merchants. Read about the merits of Selvapiana in the words of scholar, blogger and all around good guy, Jeremy Parzen.

Christmas Eve Goodness

Christmas Eve brought a familar yearning for a seafood feast. Brooke's family tradition is crab legs on Christmas Day; my family always serves oyster stew on Christmas Eve. We crossed the two, and ordered a mess of crab legs from Dirk's. Dirk's prices are stratospheric, but they sure have good stuff. We kicked things off with one of our favorite appetizers, a salmon tartare adapted from Saveur. It's mouthwatering with homemade potato chips.



The crab legs were succulent, served with usual accompaniments, but I forgot to snap a pic.



We washed this all down with an '05 Bisson Golfo Del Tigullio Vermentino Vigna Intrigoso (Rosenthal). I bought a couple bottles of this last summer with caprese salad on the brain- a fine pairing, indeed. It served the tartare and crab legs fine as well- it's full (you could argue fat when I let it get too warm, but I wouldn't), distinctive and layered. Like most wines I favor, it recalls the place from which it came- the Ligurian coast. Bisson makes several game-changing wines, including a rosato that's a must have for summer. The wines can usually be found in Chicago, and I've purchased several at Wine Discount Center.

My other chore for Christmas Eve was making pork rillettes. We had two recipes lying around, one calling for pork loin, and the other for pork belly. I love easy decisions. We haven't tried it yet, but I'll be sure to post the results.