Indian Wine Tasting

An expedition for our palates...wines of India

A group of us got together recently to taste an array of 8 wines from India. This unusual tasting included 6 wines that had been shipped directly to us from India, through a friend of my father. The tasting came about when my father, who grew up in India, visited our office a few months ago and talked with our office mate and friend Kimberly Charles of Charles Communications about India and the growing wine industry there. Kimberly was intrigued, and the next thing we knew, a mysterious, tightly shut crate arrived for her.

Kimberly, whose business develops marketing and public relations campaigns for wine and spirit companies, made the occasion of the arrival of the Indian wines into a fun event, inviting some impressive palates to taste them: Scott H. the restaurant reviewer of San Francisco Magazine, Alder Yarrow of Vinography and Olga KatzNelson, who works with Kimberly and is known, along with Kimberly, for impressive, funny one-liners. The wonderful Meredith Arthur and Eric from CHOW came to film our tasting for a web video for their site.

We got food from Chaat Café (the place has the wonderful aromas of India, and even has Kulfi, an Indian type of ice cream, in to-go bowls and in a popsicle form! I didn’t try them but can’t wait). We got saag paneer, lamb curry, chicken tikka masala, naan, and loads and loads of pakoras.

A quick background on Indian wines that we all just learned: The major wine producing areas are in the state of Maharashtra, in the central western part of the country, inland from Mumbai, and further south near Bangalore, which is also home to lots of tech companies. There are about 38 wineries throughout the country and 36 of these are in Maharashtra. In the 1980s, winemaking began in earnest, with wineries importing French grapes to cultivate.

On to the wines. We tasted all the wines without food first, in pairs. Here’s a quick overview of our notes. If you’re interested in creating a Indian winetasting, visit the winery websites (links below), and send an email to the distributors to see where you can find these wines. They tend to cost between $16-$35).

Alder offered a helpful perspective on pairing Indian foods with wine: he noted that spices tend to accentuate alcohol in wine, especially when the spices have heat, so you might want to look for lighter-bodied, sweeter and more aromatic wines.

WHITE WINES

Grover Vineyards , Sauvignon Blanc, 2005, Nandi Hills

The winery is located in southern India, on the outskirts of Bangalore. Michel Rolland collaborated on this wine, and it is exported to the US, UK and Japan. The winery is partnered with the French champagne house Veuve Clicqot Ponsardin.

Comments: This is a “competent” wine; “I like it as is”, The wine has lots of acid, so might be good with certain kinds of food, “The wine tastes tired; I’d like to try a younger vintage.” In general, this group was impressed with the winemaking of this wine.

Sula Vineyards, Chenin Blanc, 2006, Nashik

Sula may be the most easy-to-find of these Indian wines. This winery is located in northern Maharashtra, 2000 feet above sea level.

Comments: really well made; I enjoy this, but it doesn’t taste like a typical Chenin Blanc; musky, peachy aroma, and a nice balance of sweetness and acid. I like it! (me); aromas of apple and caramel. Alder prefers his chenin blancs to have aromas of parchment paper, almost like an old library, and this wine doesn’t have that.

Chateau Indage, Chardonnay, 2005, Sahyadri Valley This winery is partnered with Piper HeidseickMe: Musky aromas and a finish of honey and butter, balances by acid. I’m not a fan of buttery, CA chardonnays, so I enjoyed the restraint of this one. But I was very much alone! Others gave it a thumbs down, except one person had this mixed comment: Tastes like the winemaker poured in a few drops of flavoring for oak, butter, fruit, and then mixed it up. BUT, I’d also like to drink the whole bottle with Indian food.

Grover Vineyards Shiraz Rose, 2006, Nandi Hills

Light, raspberry juice color. Olga may have had the best description of the flavor: Bollywood movie in a glass! It was sweet and, as Kimberly described it, had a candy apple aroma and may suffer from too much skin contact. Alder added that there is an acetone flavor at the finish, and Scott, a Rose fan, did not like this at all.

RED WINES

Grover Vineyards, la Reserve Red Wine, 2004, Nandi Hills

Grover Vineyards, la Reserve Red Wine, 2003, Nandi Hills

Satori, Merlt NV, Nashik

Chateau Indage, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005, Sahyadri Valley

Generally, none of us loved these red wines, and to be honest, there were some much stronger negative feelings about these. Some of the descriptions included: acetone, artichoke, very simple, Band-Aid aroma (Kimbelry noted that it has an aroma of a horse covered in Band-Aids!), and with the final wine, we all seemed to find aromas of movie candy: mint chocolate, good and plenty, jelly beans, and more, but not in a good way (and I love candy!). Overall comments: stick with the Indian white wines, and explore those.

Scarily Scintillating Halloween

A wine and candy tasting for your adult trick or treaters

Did you say candy and wine? If you get bored sitting around waiting for the cute kids to ring your doorbell this Halloween, how about hosting a Halloween-themed wine tasting party? This will be a huge hit for you friends and all the adult trick or treaters.

You’ll really impress your guests by pulling out your copy of WineParty and offering a wine game to the adults who visit your house on Halloween. When they arrive offer them a taste of the blinded wine and ask them to guess what kind of wine it is. If they guess correctly, they get a tasty treat, if not they get your most devilishly devised trick.

While many people think that wine and candy don’t mix, we disagree. Get all your favorite Halloween candies, and offer a selection of wines that might pair well with them. Here are some ghoulishly delicious combos*:

1) Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and California Meritage
2) Sweet Tarts and Sauvignon Blanc
3) Candy corn and dry Riesling
4) Almond Joy and Syrah
5) Snickers and Cabernet Sauvignon
6) M&Ms and Zinfandel
7) 3 Muscateers and Malbec
8) Hershey’s Kisses and Merlot
9) Butterfinger and Chianti or Sangiovese
10) Hot Tamales and Pinot Grigio
11) Nestle Crunch and Dry Rose

*WARNING: some of these pairings might be a fright. You decide!

If you’re hoping for a bit more elegant of an evening, serve your adult guests a selection of quality dark chocolates paired with red wines, Madeira, Port, or even some ales or dark beers (Barley Wines are particularly delightful).

CocktailSmarts Preview

Getting Ready for CocktailSmarts
Preview & Recipe

The final proofs for CocktailSmarts arrived today, and we couldn’t be more excited about our newest creation. I admit, historically I’ve shied away from making drinks at home (and for that matter drinking them when I’m out). But as we’ve developed this product, the whole art of the cocktail has become quite intriguing to me, and I’ve been trying out lots of fun concoctions both in and out. Over the next few months, we’ll share with you some fun cocktail recipes and facts, including a particularly yummy one this week.

Like our other products, CocktailSmarts has the fascinating question and answer cards with a scorepad that you can play at your next cocktail party. And the Companion Guide is packed with tips and tricks about how to make drinks at home. This time we’re also including a dozen festive coasters with drink recipes and it comes in a fantastic tin that will make is an especially stylish addition to any home bar or coffee table.

We’re busy planning launch parties in New York and San Francisco later in the year, and if you haven’t already done so, sign up for our newsletter now.

We’ll be sending out information about these parties as we get closer to the date, and the guest list is sure to fill up fast. We’re curious about your favorite drinks and bartenders. If you have drinks, bars, or cool bartenders, you think people need to know about, send a note to cocktail@smartsco.com and we may to blog about them.

In the meantime, we thought we’d share with you some of the recipes and factoids that will be in CocktailSmarts.

Question: What do you get when you add gin to an Americano?

Answer: Negroni

If you want to make one of these popular drinks at home, here’s how:

1 ounce gin
1 ounce Campari
1 ounce sweet vermouth
Orange slice or twist
Yield: 1 drink

* Note: In this drink, gin replaces club soda.

Combine gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth in a cocktail shaker with ice. Stir and strain into a chilled short glass such as an old-fashioned. Add a splash of club soda to taste, garnish with the orange slice, and serve. This drink can be served up or on the rocks, although in the U.S., the up version is usually served by default.

All three ingredients can be combined in a pint glass with ice, stirred and strained into a chilled cocktail glass, or served over ice in an old-fashioned glass.

Cars in Carmel

Artichokes, Land Rovers & Concours d’Elegance

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a simply decadent day of food, wine, perfume, and cars down in Carmel, one of the most beautiful locals California has to offer. After driving through picturesque farmland on Highway 1 and entering Carmel, a police car raced around us to stop traffic. While normally, one would be pretty bummed to be the first car to be stopped, we quickly realized this was a good thing as we got a front row seat for the “Tour” of the cars participating in this year’s Concours d’Elegance. The Concours is “an international gathering of automotive enthusiasts for ‘a celebration of the automobile’”. In other words, a really cool car competition and exhibition featuring some of the most luxurious classic cars from around the world.


With the fancy cars and wealth enthusiasts in town, all sorts of luxury goods companies take the opportunity to show off their stuff. So when a friend got an invitation to the Land Rover Experience Driving School at Quail Lodge in Carmel, we jumped on it. After checking in at the stunning golf club, we jumped in the Land Rovers with a professional driver who gave us a mini-class in off road driving. Our instructor trains special forces troops for the U.S. military, so he certainly knew what he was doing. I’m typically not a fan of cars (in fact I don’t even have one any more, opting for the bus), but I have to admit, it was pretty fun. I was a bit scared on the back roads, but the Land Rover pretty much does everything for you (including handling the breaking as you go downhill), so I felt quite safe. An exhilarating 1.5 miles / hour!

After our road trip, the event promoters had all sorts of activities for us – including a cooking class and a perfume class featuring L’Artisan Parfumeur, which apparently is the perfume of choice for the stars. My favorite was their “La Chasse Aux Papillons” which, I’m told is the perfume of choice of Kirsten Dunst.

The best part of the day was the cooking class, from Tony Baker, the exec chef at Montrio Bistro in Monterey. We had a great time, learning how to make fire roasted artichokes with a spicy, Moroccan style charmoula mayonnaise dip. So delicious! Being a native to the SF Bay Area, I grew up on artichokes, but always just had the old standbys – steamed with mayo & lemon. It’s definitely worth experimenting with these yummy thistles. You can now find them year-round, but they are in fact perennials that bloom twice a year—peaking in March & September. There are four types of chokes: Green Globe, Imperial Start, Desert Glob, and the Big Heart. The Green Globes are typically considered the best.

Many argue that it’s difficult to pair a wine with artichokes, but I think a mellow low-acid white wine, such as Riesling would do quite well. Or better yet, I’m thinking a nice amber beer (easy on the hops) would make a great companion. I think I’ll have to do some experimentation on the subject – I'll keep you posted.

Drink Wine. Save Water.

Drink Wine. Save Water.

That’s the name of a recent Wine & Spirits Magazine winetasting event in Seattle where SmartsCo featured a mystery winetasting using WineParty and WineSmarts. The crowd was great..over 250 fun people eager to try great wines from all over, including Portugal, Spain, France, California, Washington, and more. All while raising money to protect the Puget Sound, with Puget Soundkeeper Alliance





If you want to test your WineSmarts as well, here are the questions and answers from the event. Thanks to all the wineries who offered their wines for everyone to taste in our mystery winetasting!

Name another term many California winemakers use for sauvignon blanc.

A) Chardonnay
B) White grape
C) Fumé Blanc
D) California Blanc


ANSWER: C) Fumé Blanc
Back in the 1960s, it was difficult to sell Sauvignon Blanc wines, so California winemaking pioneer Robert Mondavi coined the term Fumé Blanc to glamorize this grape and persuade more Americans to drink it. We tasted the Chilean Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc.

Wine #2 Hint
True or False: Chardonnay is often found in white wines from Bordeaux.

ANSWER: FALSE
The white wines of Bordeaux star Sauvignon Blanc. It’s the whites from Burgundy that star Chardonnay. The wine we tasted was from Geyser Peak.


Wine #3 Hint
This wine, described as "full-bodied, tannic, with hints of tobacco and black currant" likely describes:
A) Beaujolais
B) Cabernet Sauvignon
C) Merlot
D) Viognier

ANSWER: B) Cabernet Sauvignon
We tasted Cabernets from both Smoking Loon and Concha Y Toro.

Wine #4 Hint
During Prohibition, what type of wine grape was still widely grown in California?
A) Concord
B) Cabernet Sauvignon
C) Pinot Noir
D) Zinfandel

ANSWER: D) Zinfandel
Zinfandel was often shipped from California to the East Coast where family wine makers (often the mafia) made it into wine. Prohibition laws prohibited mass commercial winemaking, except for use as sacramental wine, medicine, or food flavoring. However, it allowed family, or home, winemaking. We tasted Dancing Bull Zinfandel.

Delicious Outdoor Summer Dinner...lots of grilling

Delicious Outdoor Summer Dinner...lots of grilling

I was recently lucky enough to be invited by my friends Matt and Ron to a delicious evening of food and wine hosted by Heidi and Chris (Chris is the owner and impresario of the delicious Park Avenue Bar and Grill at 4184 Piedmont in the East Bay. No website yet, but check it out – open 7 days each week. 510-985-0990). Dinner was so yummy that I thought I’d share it with others in case they want to replicate it.

I felt like I was in a photo shoot for an elegant gourmet magazine, so I took lots of pictures. The evening started with an informal offering of wine glasses placed on a beautiful green (my favorite color) tray, near a bucket filled with ice and several kinds of wine for the tasting. I had a delicious Markham Sauvignon Blanc and a Domaine De Pellehaut -- a light, citrus-y, summer rosé.

Our hosts set out several cheeses, and I had found a fig-almond spread that was great with the stronger cheeses. Chris shucked several kinds of oysters including Kumamoto – tiny little oysters, that even I, scared of oysters, could try. He prepared them with a squeeze of lemon and champagne vinegar with shallots. Yum!

On to the main course, where Chris grilled asparagus and yellow squash (that cool implement I’m waving around is called a Pig Tail– shaped just like a pig’s tail and perfect for spearing veggies on the grill).
I learned a good grilling tip – that the hot spot of the grill is near the hinges where the grill closes because the walls are higher and the heat reflects there.

Heidi prepared crisp, thin layers of polenta with tomato sauce; iceberg with blue cheese dressing (unlike any blue cheese dressing I have had at a restaurant..this was creamy and smooth and not overpowering). And they grilled fresh wild salmon that their friends Brad and Tony had recently caught. Yum!

One of the wines we were lucky enough to try was Flowers Pinot Noir. And then for dessert (always my fave meal) Matt and Ron grilled fresh peaches and figs and served them warm with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

We ate this with dessert wines, brilliantly suggested by the folks at K and L wines. We had a delicate, slightly sweet rosé sparkling: Cerdon de Bugey from Caveau de St. July, which is a mix of Gamy and Pulsard grapes--slight peach flavors, and, as Ron described it "summer in a glass." We also had a Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, Domaine Bouletin--sweet and yum. Both were very resonable, under $14.00.


MENU
3-kinds of 0ysters
cheeses
Guacamole

Grilled salmon
Polenta and tomato sauce
Iceberg wedges and blue-cheese dressing
Crab legs
Grillesd asparagus and yellow squash

Grilled peaches and figs with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce

Keeping Cool in the City

Tricks for Staying Cool on Sweltering Days

Here at the SmartsCo offices in San Francisco, we’re typically clad in jeans and sweaters of some sort. The only difference between summer and winter is whether we wear sandals or boots on our feet. And our favorite item on the lunch menu is a nice bowl of soup from some of our favorite nearby jaunts such as Kate O’Briens or Town Hall. But this summer is quite different ...

Typically we San Franciscans get a nice little chuckle in the summer as we relish in our 55 to 65 degree weather knowing that our neighbors just over the hill are sweating it out in 100 degrees temperatures.

We relish in the fact that if we feel cold in the summer, we can take a short drive, ferry or better yet bike ride to Sam’s Cafe in Tiburon and enjoy the warm weather over tasty Ramoz Fizz and Crab Louie, and then return to our typically foggy home and snuggle up under a nice warm blanket. The best part of living in San Francisco is we can choose whether we’re hot or cool.

But this summer is quite different. It’s hot! Really hot! And most of us don’t have fans, much less air conditioners. And at SmartsCo HQ, we are on the top floor of a building with no AC that just sucks in the hot air. Currently our thermostat reads 94 degrees, and it’s actually cooler than yesterday. So, what are we doing to keep cool?

Ice, Ice Baby

This morning I grabbed a bag of ice for the office. To quote one of our team members “It’s like Christmas morning. The best gift ever.” Who knew a little ice could make such a difference. Not only are our coffees and waters iced, we can drench ourselves with the ice.

Don’t Pass the Buck

While typically a Peet’s girl myself, unfortunately, their shops typically aren’t so great for hanging out. But Starbucks generally has great seating, and they’re air conditioned. We’ve been sucking down their herbal berry ice tea and even bringing our laptops to do some work.

Cold Soup

While our hot soup preference isn’t too appetizing these days, cold soup can really hit the spot. While gazpacho is the obvious choice, I’ve been indulging in some really yummy ones lately, including: cold sorrel soup (delish), cold cucumber soup, and cold asparagus soup.

Creative Salads

Green salads don’t have to be boring, especially with all the great wonderful fruits and veggies that are in season right now. Last week I made a delicious salad with: sugar snap peas, jicama, fresh corn (cut it off the cob uncooked), tomatoes, red peppers, and some black beans. Toss on a spicy vinaigrette and it’s fun time. Or throw in strawberries, melons or even peaches to a green salad and it’s really refreshing.


H20 Melon

I could just eat watermelon all day long. Not only super refreshing, it’s actually quite low in calories. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Pass the Prosecco Please – or other light wine

When all else fails, have some wine. It certainly seems like sundown comes quicker. We typically keep the office fridge stocked with the very reasonably priced Vinho Verdhe from Broadbent Selections. It’s slightly effervescent and low in alcohol so we can continue to function at full capacity. Or when we really need some bubbles to wake us up, we’ll pop open a bottle of Italian Prosecco – which are typically bright and cheerful, and good bargains to boot.



That’s all I can think of to stay cool on this blistering hot day. If anyone else has brilliant ideas, we’d love to hear them. I’m proud to announce that last month I became car-less, which is my attempt to do my small part to stop contributing to global warming. So it’s all public transportation and in the rare occurrences that I need a car, I check out one from our friends at ZipCar. Not only am I saving $100s / month, I never have to worry about high gas prices (gas is included with ZipCar), insurance, and I don't have to worry what day street cleaning is. Why I didn’t do this sooner is the biggest mystery.