Manoavino Taste!

Plungerhead Lodi Old Vine California Zinfandel and Kobe Boar Burger, Like Wow!

Burgers have lots of possible wine pairings. That is if you’re not drinking beer. But when the chef is getting fancy with the burger preparation then you want to be more discriminating in the wine you choose.

The sweet berry fruitiness of Zinfandel works well with burgers because it compliments sauces like ketchup or barbeque and goes well with a lot of cheeses. The bright smooth fruit of this wine contrasts nicely with the smoky meat flavors.

The Wine: Zinfandel, Plungerhead Lodi California Old Vine

The Food:  Kobe (black wagyu) & wild boar burger with...

The Place: Nicole’s 10, Creative Comfort Food, Randolph, NJ

Rare Steak and Rare Wine, You Will Love This

I would like to suggest that the next time you are choosing a wine to pair with a big rare Porterhouse steak; which is likely to be a commanding Bordeaux, a big Cali Cab, or brawny Barolo; you consider another option. A wine that we think brings much vibrant flavor to a juicy cut of meat.

The Wines:  La Fiorita Brunello Di Montalcino 2006 and La Fiorita Brunello Di Montalcino Riserva 2004  $$$$

The Food: Steak, Porterhouse and Rib Eye cuts, cooked rare with salads and creamed spinach

The Place: Benjamin Steak House, NYC

Champagne for Four Courses? I Was Surprised, but Now Enlightened! Yes, You Can.

I confess, it never occurred to me to pair Champagne with an entire meal. But today I was enlightened and enjoyed a new indulgence that I’ll certainly will replay.

At an unlikely address, 130 West 3rd, above the gritty street scene of this block, there is a precious space where where the oldest established Champagne house, Ruinart, with Cellar Master Frédéric Panaïotis and one of Miami’s, heck one of the world’s, most exciting chefs, Michelle Bernstein, came together to prove a point.

Champagne is all you ever need.

The Wine: Four Ruinart Champagnes $$$-$$$

The Food: Exciting Miami by Chef Michelle Bernstein

The Place: A Private Event Loft at 130 West 3rd St NYC

Vino e Cioccolato, Now that is a Beautiful Pairing

Today, to get noticed you’ve got to have a unique message, a special approach. So when the Nicosia family, who have been producing fine wine Sicilian wine since 1898, set their sites on the NY market they decided to do something exciting and different.

It worked, when I got an invite to a wine and chocolate tasting it immediately piqued my interest. This is not something you see everyday.  To make sure the sweets would be worthy of their fine wines Nicosia teamed up with the extraordinary chocolate sommelier Roxanne Browning, of Exotic Chocolate Tastings. It was quite an event.

The Wine: Four Nicosia Sicilian Reds $$-$$$

The Food: Four Artisanal Chocolates 

The Place: Culinary Loft, Broadway near Spring, NYC

Two Great Meals - Two Great Pairings Italian/Italian and Southern France/Middle Eastern

Day two in DC was a fun filled day with more great food and wine. For lunch we a happily savored a magnificent Barolo paired with a great Italian lunch we made with inspiration from recipes by virtuosi della cucina Italiana, British vanguard, Elizabeth David, and true New Yorker, the progressive Anne Burrell. What a meal.

But that was it on Italian, for dinner we turned to the magnificent new cookbook Jerusalem, by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi. For this meal we looked to the south of France for fitting wines.

Wine pairing is  easy with Steve, he has a siginifcant collection to draw from. Here is what we had.

The Wine: Conterno Barolo Cascina Francia $$$$

The Food: Pappardelle Bolognese and Brussel Sprouts Balsamico 

The Place: Our Friends Gail and Steven's Home, Somerset, District of Columbia

Tonight's Wine Pairing - Homemade Indian Chicken and Vegetables with a GSM

Grenach-Shiraz-Mourvedre, GSM, from Minervois, Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France was a perfect compliment to a simple Indian influenced dinner tonight.

Indian food is considered to be a challenge for wine pairing but is really quite easy. With a few simple rules.

The Wine: Le Grand Noir Black Sheep Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre (GSM) $$

The Food: Homemade Indian Style

The Place: Our Kitchen 

Tonight's Wine Pairing 10-7-13 a Vibrant Italian Inspired Dinner and Wine for a Vivid October Evening

The question "what comes first the wine or the food?" was answered synchronistically tonight. Fresh fall vegetables and meat and a favorite Italian wine were acquired with a just a vague plan, but they came together so beautifully. 

Primitivo, a grape that is perhaps closely related to Zinfandel, finds a flourishing life in the the rich environs of Puglia. And the richest and most wonderful wines of this grape come the fertile lands around the ancient and florid city and commune of Manduria.

The Wine: Felline Primitivo di Manduria from Puglia, IT $$

The Food: Diana made stuffed pork tenderloin with roasted parsnips and carrots with parsley over arugula

The Place: Home sweet home, remembering our trip to Lecce, Puglia.