Food and Wine Part 2

"Good friends are like good wine... they get better with age."

The analogy of friends to wine is one of the greatest ways to describe my wine experience. We've all had different types of friends that take on different flavors in our lives. Some are immature and don't end up being our particular taste preference, some we may not have liked initially but grew on us over time, and some are just truly spectacular and worth noting. Wine is the same way. As with making new friends, I feel its important to always maintain an open mind and try all varieties.

I started drinking wine in Italy while I was studying abroad in Turin. When I first moved there I didn't even realize I was in one of the greatest and most original wine regions of the world - Piedmont. I started drinking everything from Pinot Grigio to Dolcetto and Barolo. (Pinot Grigio is the lightest of whites, Dolcetto is a medium bodied red, and Barolo is one of the greatest full bodied ageable wines) Wine was like water over there... affordable and consistently flowing. It was almost cheaper to get a jug of table wine at a restaurant than to order bottled water. Wine became a part of every meal and every meal became an experience. When wine was on the table, no one cared when the food was coming or what time it was. People were more engaged in conversation, felt more relaxed, and were more enjoyable. It was frowned upon to intentionally get drunk but having a few glasses definitely always lightened the mood. This was the point of my life where I decided I loved wine... not just for the taste but for the experience.

My advice for novice wine drinkers... taste it all, appreciate it for what its worth, and make it a memorable event. When I got back from Italy, I moved back to the central coast and continued my experience by tasting all over the coast and up into Napa. I ventured even further in my late years of college and started tasting Australian, Chilean, and Argentinean wines. Now I pretty much drink all varietals from all over the world. I can definitely tell the difference between a $10 bottle and a $50 bottle but truly do appreciate the art of winemaking and all that goes into the bottle.

So where to start???

If you've ever sipped a red and weren't interested... this is the scale from sweetest/lightest to most full bodied and dry

- Begin with Riesling.
-Move on to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio
- Start trying Chardonnay after that
-Try Pinot Noir as the gateway red.
- Drink Merlot once you're ready for a real red.
- Move into Cabernet Sauvignon
- If you start really enjoying full bodied reds, drink Syrah (Shiraz in Australia)

Wondering which wine is to get from different areas of the world??
- Riesling from Germany
- Champagne from France
-Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, CA, France
- Pinot Grigio from Italy
- Chardonnay from CA and France
-Pinot Noir from Central CA, Oregon, Argentina, France
- Merlot from CA, France
- Cabernet Sauvignon from CA, France, Chile
- Syrah from CA, France, Australia, Chile
- Tempranillo and Garnacha from Spain
- Chianti, Dolcetto, Barbera, Barbaresco, Barolo from Italy
- Malbec from Argentina
- Carmenere from Chile

These are some starter wines but by all means try everything! Cheers!

Food and Wine Part 1

About 3 years ago, I studied abroad in Turin, Italy and so began a new era of my life....

WINE and FOOD - complete passion for both

Many steer clear of the kitchen and claim "I'm not a good cook" but in reality anyone has the power to be a master chef. The most important factor in my opinion is loving food and loving all of it. I used to hate bacon. My narrow-minded view of this salty and savory meat only recognized it as a fatty breakfast side. Once I opened my eyes, I realized bacon was one of the greatest ingredients of all time. Bacon wrapped filet mignon, chopped and crispy pancetta over a salad, crispy bacon mixed in to good old mac'n'cheese...the list goes on and on. If you are a vegetarian, vegean, don't eat pork because its the dirty meat kinda person...sorry you'll never be a well rounded cook.

I think people are just intimidated by all of the ingredients and styles that can be combined to create one simple meal. Should I learn to cook Italian, French, Mexican, Southern Comfort...where do I begin and what will I be good at?

Start with the basics. Watch the Food Network. You don't know how to properly cook pasta... Rachel Ray goes over the basics ALL the time. Watch and learn how to chop an onion and all vegetables for that matter. Learn about cooking meats...always best to only flip it once and let that meat rest for a bit after your done cooking to let the juices set.

Learn this simple rule... garlic, onions/shallots, olive oil/butter(yes butter), salt & pepper are essential in the majority of food that is made. I don't even attempt to make a meal without these.

When you become brave enough to start making different types of food (mexican, italian, etc.) learn what the key spices are.

Know this...delicious meals do not have to be unhealthy if the right amount of spice and fresh ingredients are combined together.

The recipe below is a perfect example of spice, freshness, and simplicity. Grab and apron and enjoy... the food and the cooking!


Teriyaki Chicken with Pineapple and Coconut Rice

Chicken Glaze
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 shallot minced
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp dry chardonnay ( reserve the rest for drinking with the meal)
- 3 tbsp rice wine vingar
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp honey

Saute garlic and shallot. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to boil. Simmer for 10 minutes and let cool. Marinate chicken in this glaze or favorite teriyaki sauce for 24 hours. Best if grilled. Pair with grilled pineapple skewers and garnish with chopped green onion and cilantro.

Coconut Rice
- Medium grain rice - desired amount
- 1 can coconut milk - desired amount
- 1 lime
- chopped cilantro

Cook rice. Add lime zest, juice, and desired amount of coconut milk. Add cilantro right before serving.