Let’s Talk Valentine’s Day

As a girl firmly in her twenties, living in New York in a studio apartment with two male cats I can say that Valentine’s Day is not a big concern in my mind. But as a representative for a California winery that makes a large array of sparkling wine Valentine’s Day is a big event. Even though I have begun to wage a campaign for people to drink sparkling wine on a daily basis (The Campaign for Better Bubble Consumption) the general public continues to insist that it is for special occasions only. So for the moment I will put my campaign aside and accept that this coming Sunday is a big day for bubbles. Let’s go through some of our sparklings and discuss some ideas.

Classic Vintage Brut

You’re out at a restaurant. The candles are lit. The menus are open. And you espy the seared scallops wrapped. Your date, on the other hand, chooses the fried chicken (it’s possible. fried chicken is very popular these days. Or maybe you’re at a Southern style restaurant. I don’t know, just go with me.) But you’re not in the mood for a Chardonnay (if you were may I suggest the 07 Estate). What to do? Ah! The Brut! Of course! More than just a Champagne stand-in, the Brut is an incredibly food friendly wine. Great with anything spicy, rich, salty or fried.

Blanc de Blancs

You decided to stay in and cook for your mate. But what to cook? May I suggest a creamy, Parmesan risotto? If you were my grandmother you would use the Blanc de Blancs to cook the risotto itself. But I’ll more than understand if you’d rather just use the usual chicken broth or white wine to cook with and the Blanc de Blancs to drink. The crisp lemony Blanc de Blancs has had a long time on the yeast so that creamy, toasty quality pairs perfectly with a salty, cheesy risotto while the brightness of the Chardonnay presence in the wine elevates the meal and refreshes the palate.

Russian Cuvee

Sometimes the best meal is the simplest. A dozen oysters, some cheese (I’m thinking a harder, mild-ish cheese like a Sonoma Jack) and a bottle of Russian Cuvee make up what I would think to be an excellent evening. Also, the label is red! How Valentine’s-y!

Wedding Cuvee

Here’s a touchy one. For all you married folks out there go ahead and drink away. The wedding cuvee is tasting great right now: fresh, a touch of minerality, green apple, beautiful, fine bubbles. Excellent on its own or when paired with many things – including the Valentine’s favorite, Lobster. Grill it, steam it, put it in a roll. Lobster however you do it with the Wedding is a meal you’ll want to repeat on the most mundane of Tuesdays. But unmarried couples or newly budding relationships, I understand if you are a little hesitant to serve the Wedding for fear of sending the wrong message. If you’re with some one sane, they should understand that the name of a cuvee doesn’t always represent the state of a relationship. But if you’re with some one delightfully a little loony and hyper sensitive then I give you my permission to disguise the bottle by wrapping it in a napkin or even peeling off the label – this requires some soaking. Then just tell your date that it is Iron Horse’s version of a blanc de noirs.

Brut Rose

Pink! Hooray! So apt! But beyond that this deeply salmon-colored sparkling has wonderful, toasty taste with bright red fruit and just the slight hint of tannins at the end from the skins of the Pinot Noir. Pair this with a seared duck breast or slab of sushi grade tuna. It’s really quite versatile so go wild with this one. This wine also combines my campaign with that of my father. His is the “Real Men Drink Pink” campaign. So go ahead. Be a man. Buy some sparkling rose.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Christmas at the Sterling’s

Last year we Sterlings celebrated Christmas with a quaduckant. It was grand. I still have a little crush on that ballotine. This year we went a little more traditional with a Capon (a castrated rooster…whee!) and two Poussins.

But first up we have our lovely homegrown brussel sprouts:

We boiled them first in stock and then sauteed them up in lots of butter with white pepper and caraway seeds. We have them every year but I am unwilling to have them done in any other way. Tradition, dagnabbit, very important.

Next up, homegrown fingerlings:

We cooked those up in tasty capon fat. Mmm. Fat. In my opinion goose fat is still the best schmaltz but capon fat comes in not far behind.

Ah…The capon and it’s poussin posse, hangin’ in the sink with their innards.

For the capon we used a recipe from Larousse Gastronomique. If you don’t have a copy of this most useful book I highly suggest you invest in one. Not only will it serve as your gastro-dictionary, it will also provide you with tasty recipes like the one we used for our castrato rooster. It involved poaching the bird first in broth and then roasting it. The poussin were rubbed with a cilantro-lemon-cumin butter and roasted.

Ah, the golden gonad-free bird in all its glory. The skin was perfectly crispy and the meat was very tender with a slightly richer than chicken quality.

Les petits poussins. These were more quail-like. Tasty little avian morsels.

The potatoes frying in their fat.

You know what’s not photogenic? Stuffing. I took five pictures of this using multiple settings on my (new! Thanks Dad!) camera and still wasn’t satisfied. But what it lacked in photogenic-ness it made up for in deliciousness. Same recipe as usual (again…tradition, dagnabit!) and scrumptious as usual. Sausage, bread, celery, etc. Probably my favorite component of the meal because when do you get stuffing at any other time of year? Yes, ok, Thanksgiving. But when else?

The deconstructed bird.

A plate. The first of I believe three. The meal was paired with the ‘02 Brut LD and the ‘05 Corral Chardonnay. All together a very successful meal…even if there was no meat within a meat within a meat to be had.

We’re Public TV Famous!

Hi all.

In case you weren’t tethered to PBS when it aired, here’s the episode of Avec Eric (Le Bernardin’s Eric Ripert’s new tv show) featuring Iron Horse.

Pop some popcorn, open up a bottle of Brut and get ready to learn! Then donate to PBS, because in all likelihood they’re having a pledge drive. Jerry Lewis is probably going to be on it and then there will be an ad for Saab and an “Are You Being Served” marathon.

God I love that show.

And I love Avec Eric.

Hooray PBS!

A Crafty Meal

If you had visited the winery during the week of Thanksgiving and requested an appointment with a real, honest to god, Sterling you would have been fresh out of luck. They were all here in New York City. Being the family that we are, the trip revolved around lunches and dinners, the most important being Thanksgiving dinner. And what a dinner it was.

We started with a shot of pumpkin soup that was perfectly creamy and not too sweet. After that there was a selection of appetizers: frisee salad topped with the crispiest bacon ever, Wagyu carpaccio (holy jeez, it was like buttery, truffled meat, yum) and roasted bay scallops topped with more truffles (we had nice dreams that night). Then came the main course:

Photo: Laurence Sterling

For the traditionalists among us there was this masterpiece of a turkey. Look at those juices. It was so tender and succulent. I’m not usually a big turkey fan but this has converted me and given me the desire to learn how to create such a bird. For the non-traditionalists there was a roasted Scottish salmon or a roasted dry-aged sirloin. Both were quite good but the steak was really top notch. The one bite I had was so packed with flavor and it had the ideal of a crust. Sides included sweet potato puree,  roasted wild mushrooms (which made me yearn to own an oven again and wonder if I could achieve anything close if using a toaster oven), roasted autumn vegetables (crispy brussel sprouts, creamy sunchokes) and sausage raisin fennel stuffing (good but my mom can make a better one that doesn’t involve raisins). All was seamlessly accompanied by the ‘04 Russian Cuvee and the ‘06 Estate Chardonnay.

After that was what could have made up an entirely separate meal: dessert. Ice creams, pear-cranberry crisp, pumpkin pie, apple tarte tatin and the best item: sugar and spice donuts. These were the most delicious donuts I’ve ever had, hands down. They came with a thick dark chocolate dipping sauce. I’m not a dessert person but if those were available for me to have at my whim it might be a different story.

The happy family:

If you’ve never been to Craft and you feel like you deserve a splurge then please go. The restaurant is warm, elegant and cozy (it’s the leather walls, I think – yes….leather walls) and the food is so perfectly cooked that you will come to understand why Tom Colicchio is able to be top dog on Top Chef. The man knows what he’s doing.

Pickling!

Early Wednesday morning a couple of weeks ago I sprung out of bed and skipped my way down to Union Square Cafe. Well. Ok so I kind of sleepily rode the train there. But in any case I got there. Where there was coffee, Danny Meyer, a pickling seminar and my grandfather.

My grandfather, Barry Sterling, has pickled ever since I can remember – far longer than this current trend of pickling anything and everything (I never thought I’d say this, but I could really do without pickled ramps this Spring. Really guys, it’s ok, they’re just not as impressive as people seem to think they are). He mostly makes traditional pickles: sours, half sours, etc. And my favorite: cornichon. Yum. When I was small I remember our fridge always having at least one jar of cornichon at all times. His recipe is near perfect, but a little seminar never hurts anyone.

The morning started with coffee – sweet, sweet, coffee – and pastries, notably a delicious pumpkin muffin. Then Danny Meyer, the Danny Meyer who gave us things like fancy Indian food at Tabla and delicious, near In-N-Out worthy burgers at Shake Shack, got up and spoke for a while about the state of his restaurants and the importance of using the customers’ time well. He looked charming as ever and was drinking some healthy-looking brown concoction from a glass. mmm.

But then the real event started: Pickles! Rick Field, a former media-type turned pickler, of Rick’s Picks, which can be found at the Green Markets as well as at their website, spoke about his journey through the wilds of pickling and about his methods. Fun fact: He looked vaguely like Tim Robbins who, coincidentally, I once saw eating at the same restaurant. Well, it was fun to me. But where was the real pickling action?

That’s where Chef Carmen Quagliata came in. He demonstrated how to make pickled eggplant and mushrooms sott’ olio. It’s a pickle done with olive oil and a great bruschetta topping – if you like eggplant that is, which a lot of people are skittish about (coughmyfathercough). I am not though. So into my recipe bank this went.

He also demonstrated pickled vegetables giardiniera – you’ve seen it before. Usually it’s a concoction in a large jar set on tables to look pretty. But guess what? It’s also totally edible. It’s a blend of cippollini onions, cauliflower, green beans, bell peppers and carrots. While it does involve a lot of pots (probably too many for a NYC apartment…I only have two burners myself and they’re electric, sigh) it is an easy thing to throw together. Nope, not going to print the recipe. There’s a bunch out there. It’s a pretty simple couple of pickling solutions blended together at the end.

BUT! The best pickle was a surprise pickle from special guest Chef Suzuki of Sushi Zen. He made a Japanese pickle that is more fermented than actually pickled. It (it being a daikon radish, carrot, cucumber, etc) is buried in a mixture of rice bran and powdered anchovy. After aging for a few days the vegetables are dug out and eaten. The mixture is saved and left to age. The one Chef Suzuki was using was 5 years old.

Finally we were able to taste. Here’s the plate, which was served with a delightfully hoppy IPA. I should start the day out with pickles and beer every day.

On the left is a bagel with cream cheese and lox topped with some of Rick’s pickled beets, which were very yummy and tangy with a slight Christmas spiciness. In the middle on the top is the eggplant and mushroom sott’ olio, below that is the garden pickle. To the right are dill pickles from the Cafe and Rick. Next to them is a small dish of rarebit. Cheese and pickles is one of Chef Carmen’s favorite combos and now it’s one of mine. Who knew. On the very top of the plate is a slice of the Japanese pickle, which was amazing. It tasted a little like beer and was really refreshing. I’m thinking a large bag of rice bran will soon be on my shopping list.

After the event was over my grandfather and I meandered around the Green Market where we bought delicata squash, apples, really cook purple and orange cauliflower, bread and a couple of jars of Rick’s Mean Beans – slightly spicy pickled green beans. Later that day I used them to make one of the best bloody marys I’ve ever had. Yep. Just a typical Wednesday as a freelancer.

Avec Eric at Iron Horse

If you’d like to briefly escape the tiny ones dressed up as minute Batmans and a plethora of Disney princesses this coming All Hallows’ Eve, then turn on KQED (if you’re in the Bay Area) and watch Avec Eric at 1:30pm, PST. In this episode,  Eric Ripert visits the winery and tours the property with my Father while discussing sparkling wine. What did Eric say? Did my Father ever remove his sunglasses? The suspense is killing me! If you’re not in the Bay Area go here to find when it will air on your local station.

On the road…North Carolina

Just a week or so back I went on my first real sales trip. Three days in North Carolina for a marathon of wine expos. I’d been to NC before but only to the Outer Banks for a wedding, which, while beautiful, didn’t really show me the South I wanted to see. Of course when I say the South I wanted to see I mean BBQ. Oh, but before I dive into that I should just say a great thank you to everyone from Mutual Distributing who helped out so much and put on some really great expos. But now, back to the BBQ. 

I couldn’t hit up everywhere I wanted to due to time and stomach constraints. But I was able to get a good amount of pulled pork into my belly. First stop was a place in a strip mall, right next to a Food Lion. Now, I forget the name of the eatery…terribly unprofessional. But to tell you the truth I went here because it was close to the hotel and I had been traveling since early in the morning. I just needed food. Which is why I went somewhere that looks like this:

A bit cleaner and more corporate than I thought BBQ joints should be. But tasty nonetheless. I ordered the BBQ sandwich, which came on Texas toast with a side of collard greens. I also ordered some fried Okra, a vegetable I usually abhor but decided to give a chance because it was fried and I hate disliking food so I try and find a way to like it whenever I can.

The meat was a little dry but the sauce make it all better. The greens were good, though a tad watery. The okra was pretty awesome. Just moist in the insides and nice and crispy on the outside. Perfect when dipped into the mustardy sauce. 

Next up was a bit of a trek over to Greensboro. At this point I would like to thank the Garmin that was given to me with the rental car. I would have been lost without you, little Garmin. On the way to Greensboro my little Garmin took me to Allen and Son, which a buddy back at Best Cellars had recommended I visit. Now, I did some research on the ever reliable Chowhound.com and realize that there is a lot of controversy about Allen and Son. It’s not real BBQ, it’s a tourist trap, blah, blah. But look at it:

And look at the view from the “parking lot.”

It’s railroad tracks with a little pond. It’s adorable. 

And inside there’s a fox! Any restaurant that is genuinely decorated with taxidermy is A OK with me. 

I ordered up the same as before: a BBQ sandwich with a side of fried okra.  

I officially like okra now. That only leaves swordfish and bear to win me over. 

The sandwich came on a poppy seed bun, much like a Big Mac would but oh so much better. Here’s an innards view:

As you can see it came topped with cole slaw. It was super moist and needed zero sauce. Sometimes I dream about this sandwich. Ok, a lot of times. 

Then it was onto and out of Greensboro, which I loved. It was adorable. But it provided me no BBQ. So to Charlotte it was. The next day I broke my pork pattern and went for some chicken instead. 

It was just a bit past noon and there was a line to the door inside. Though Price’s is known for its fried chicken, I was feeling slightly adventurous. After all, I can get good fried chicken in New York. I can, I swear. So I ordered fried chicken livers. 

That box could probably feed about eight. I didn’t come close to finishing the rich, livery chunks. The meal also came with a small dish of cole slaw, a roll, hushpuppies and fried potatoes – like mini hashbrowns.

If I could take one thing from North Carolina back to New York…It would probably be Allen and Son. But if I could bring two things home, the second would be Mac’s Speedshop. 

A motorcycle bar/BBQ joint, this place was slightly daunting at first but the second I stepped up to the bar I felt at home. 

Back to my pork-ish ways, I ordered a BBQ sandwich but this time with a side of Brunswick Stew, which is kind of a stewp, somewhere between a soup and a stew filled with pork and veggies and awesome. 

A close up of the Brunswick:

Thanks to everyone I met in North Carolina. I didn’t have a single unpleasant interaction. In fact, by the time the trip was over I was actually being nice to people myself, something which New York has thoroughly shaken out of me, that I was worried I’d become a changed woman. But fear not. The cab drivers at JFK soon turned me back to my old, NYC ways.

Headin’ South

Hello faithful readers (aka mom and dad and person who searched “I like wine” on a whim). I am in need of some assistance. I will be heading down to the great wilderness of North Carolina on Monday and need some restaurant recommendations. Now, when I say restaurant I mean….shack. Or picnic bench. Or roadside curb. Because all I want to consume is barbeque. 

Growing up on the vineyards I was privy to many an awesome meal. But none of those meals were real barbeque. Moving to Brooklyn meant that I was closer to the truth. Fette Sau is a fantastic substitute, or so I imagine. But still, not real barbeque. So now I’m heading to one of the lands of real barbeque for business and I’d like to taste their wares. 

I’ll be arriving in Raleigh and then making a stop in Greensboro and Charlotte. So where do I eat? I’ll have a car and will be willing to drive. Just point me in the right direction. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some to go so I can do some pairing experiments with some Iron Horse. I’m betting that the Estate Pinot Noir is going to go real well with some vinegar spiked pulled pork. Yum….

Don’t Mess With Texas (Sommeliers)

Last week I went to Texas. Dallas to be exact. I went for Texsom – the annual Texas Sommelier Conference during which there were seminars, a competition (won this year by Austinite June-Ann Rodil, yay lady sommeliers!) and a grand tasting, which is where I played my role. 

First, here are some Texas observations. I’ve never been to Texas before. I used to listen to a lot of country music though, so I felt pretty prepared. I knew it was big. I knew there were cowboys. I knew that’s where all of George Strait’s exes live. I didn’t know how cool the clouds were (yes, this is where you would expect a photo…but I was too busy admiring them to photograph them). They cast shadows on the incredibly flat land just like you see in the movies – very “No Country For Old Men” – esque…just without all the senseless murder. Unfortunately I wasn’t around long enough to sample any of the Texas BBQ I’ve heard so much about. But I was pleased to see that people really do wear cowboy boots and hats. Even at sommelier conferences. Let’s talk about that now. 

Here’s something Texans like: bubbles. It was a seriously hot day the day of the conference, so when the sommeliers flooded into the Grand Tasting they all came straight for my table where I was pouring the Iron Horse Classic Vintage Brut. I popped open the first bottle at 7pm and was finishing off the fourth bottle at 7:45pm. Texans like their bubbles. 

Another note: there is little more stressful than having to open four bottles of sparkling in front of eager and expert sommmeliers. 

Of course, the still wines got their chance too. I was pouring both the Estate and the Unoaked Chardonnays, which are tasting wonderfully right now and also come in handy on a hot day. I won’t intrude on his spiel, so if you want to talk about the future of Iron Horse Chardonnays, ask my Dad (that would be Laurence Sterling). I’ll tell you this much, as good as they are now they’re going to get better. 

And finally, we were pouring the Estate Pinot Noir. Not long before my trip to Texas I was back home on the winery. My trip happened to coincide with the Russian River Pinot Noir Forum, which was three days of all pinot all the time. I was just helping out, so I wasn’t quite as entrenched as the the other attendees or winemakers, which meant I was still able to enjoy a glass of pinot after the forum. The rest of them are probably just now recovering from the forum. I know, I know, how awwwwful to have to drink soooo much pinot noir. Ah, the life of a wine professional. Anyway, the Estate was tasting as good as ever and after the AC kicked in and cooled everyone off, the Texans were definitely in the mood for some red wine. 

Ah yes, my other obstacle. Besides having to open up sparklings in front of the kind but knowing eyes of a large group of highly skilled somms, I had to use the above wine opener for the stills. I know what you’re thinking, “hey, that’s just a normal wine key, what’s her problem, what a wine key snob she must be.” Look, I’m not saying I need one of those $300 keys inset with ivory and whatnot. But I do need one with a knife. Why did I have to make do with the key from my hotel room’s minibar? Because you’re not allowed to carryon your own wine key on a plane. It’s a problem for all of us traveling wine-type people. We don’t check baggage. We carry-on. Makes for an easy getaway from the airport. So, alas, we must make do. 

‘Twas a lovely time out in Texas and a great conference. Congrats to all the sommelier finalists and a big congratulations again to Austinite for winning first place! 

Oh and a final note. To answer your question, “Is everything really bigger in Texas?” No. Not really.

A now only slightly relevant fourth of July post!

Back home on the vineyard we don’t need an excuse to pop open a bottle of bubbly. Iron Horse Blanc de Blancs or Classic Vintage Brut flows freely as an accompaniment to everything from a salad of homegrown greens to a feast of greasy takeout Chinese food. While the rest of the country has yet to adopt our everyday is sparkling day mentality, everyone can agree that the Fourth of July is an occasion to break out the good stuff – the American good stuff of course.  

I visited our nation’s capital over the weekend. Friends and I grilled up skewers of chicken, vidalias, bell peppers and pineapple chunks, which were delicious – cooked pineapple can be a wonderful thing when it’s not canned – especially when paired with a bottle of Wedding Cuvee and some pretty good fireworks (there were no shapes! I wanted to see hearts made of fire and cowboy hats made with falling stars! Come on DC!) 

Call it sparkling, bubbly, Champagne (yes, legally you can call it that), the fizzy stuff calls for immediate jubilation upon pouring. Iron Horse has been making sparkling wines since 1980. We’ve provided wine for five White House administrations, starting with the Reagan administration when our Russian Cuvee was served at the Reagan-Gorbachev Summit Meetings (according to my Grandfather this lead to the end of the Cold War, sparkling can accomplish some amazing things). Our five standby cuvees (Russian, Blanc de Blancs, Classic Vintage Brut, Wedding and Brut Rose) have been served and sold all over the country and beyond. And, not to force a point home, we actually purchased the land in 1976, our country’s bicentennial.  

So celebrate this Fourth (retroactively) with a few bottles of American bubbly. And then keep popping them open throughout the summer, the fall, the winter, etc. Because while sparkling is the perfect celebratory beverages, it can also go darn well with an order of pork fried dumplings (we call them pot stickers back at home).