Odds and Ends From the Wine Trail

This is a good time of the year for the avid diner, or winer -- and that's winer, not whiner. In a generally slack period for Northern Hemisphere vineyards, it's a time for winemakers, owners, chefs, and others in the business to get out and around, to press the flesh and visit their customers, to have joyous evenings and, if they're lucky, to create fans and sell a little wine. We're often fortunate in St. Louis that we're a good stopping-off place, on the way to and from the coasts, and it's easy to be here for a day or two. Restaurants are pleased to have a little extra business in a quiet time, and whether it's the establishment's own chef, or a visiting one from a winery, the result usually is a fine meal with matched wines for each course. A number of restaurants here in River City — from downtown to the far West County — get into the wine dinner routine, and I've sampled a couple recently. The talented young Philip Paris has been cooking at the St. Louis Fishmarket. Yia Yia's Euro Cafe, inviting chefs from wineries, has seen Michael Chipchase, the chef for Robert Mondavi Vineyards, and the fabled John Ash, restaurateur, teacher and now involved in wine-and-food pairings for Fetzer wines. Representing their Napa Valley winemakers, talking about the wines and pouring some of their best were Michaela Rodeno, CEO of St. Supery Vineyards of Rutherford, and John Fruin, regional sales manager for the Oakville-based Robert Mondavi Winery. Mondavi displayed a couple of unfiltered whites, a delightful Sauvignon Blanc and a solid Chardonnay, both of excellent flavor, and then a 2000 Carneros Pinot Noir that was a wonderful match with pancetta-stuffed quail and creamy polenta. A Cabernet Sauvignon paired perfectly with a rib eye steak, and a sweet, light 2001 Moscato d'Oro was a splendid accompaniment to dessert. Rodeno, a 30-year veteran of the Napa Valley wine industry, poured a brilliant, steely, citrus-noted 2001 Sauvignon Blanc, and a white Meritage, a blend of several white grapes, led by semillon and sauvignon blanc, that went very well with a tuna tartare. The St. Supery red selections were outstanding, a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon, both from 1999, and both well-matched by an entree of smoked pheasant breast and blackened swordfish with a ‘99 Merlot, blended with a little cabernet franc and some petit verdot, and a ‘99 Cabernet Sauvignon, bolstered by the same grapes in small amounts. Both had hints of oak, the cab with a rich blackberry and currant flavor, the beautiful and deep colored merlot with a feellng of cedar and black cherry. The winery's 1998 Red Meritage, blending the Bordeaux classic grapes of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot, cabernet franc and malbec, was perfect with a rich lamb shank, and with the chocolate dessert course, Rodeno brought out a ‘99 Rutherford Red from Napa Valley, another meritage blend — a deep ruby red so dark it almost was black, with currant and dark plum flavors. I've always thought that the best wine with chocolate was a big, rich red Bordeaux or a California cab, or one of the burly wines from the Rhone, like Chateauneuf-de-Pape. Another fine match is a Missouri Norton, like the version from Stone Hill. Meritage, by the way, is a Callifornia's winery's special blend, though without enough of a single grape to meet the 75 percent the state demands. It's also the winery's most expensive, and only one red and one white can receive the designation in a given year. Ash receives credit for an absolutely splendid meal, one that made the Fetzer wines, a mostly ordinary bunch, seem outstanding. And it was a series of little touches, heightening some seasoning here, adding an unusual flavor there, that made the meal exceptional. For example, some delicious shrimp, brined and then pan-seared, got a sauce with pear vinegar cream that was unusual and delicious, and some butter braised spinach that complemented it perfectly. Some Fetzer Mendocino chardonnay came alongside, a pleasing match. But Ash outdid himself with a vegetarian course of couscous risotto prepared with olives and sun-dried tomatoes, topped with a flash-fried basil leaf that was glorious. The Israeli couscous (larger than the Moroccan style) picked up the meaty flavor of the tomatoes, the salt of the olives to make a superior dish of amazing flavor. Grilled beef atop strong-flavored arugula was a delight, and dessert involved California cheese, far superior to the rich, heavy pastries that are usually present. A sharp cheddar, a rich, tangy Point Reyes Farmstead Blue and a luscious Red Hawk from Cowgirl Creamery were perfect with some fig lime chutney and toasted hazelnuts. Simple. Superb. When it comes to age, tradition and history of winemaking families, those in California simply can't hold a candle to those of France and Italy. Like Leonardo Frescobaldi, who stopped in the city recently to lead a tasting of some of his wines, which come from nine properties in Tuscany. The family tradition of winemaking goes back some 700 years, and among its souvenirs is an order for wine from King Henry VIII of England. A delightful, elegant man, tall and trim, Frescobaldi is one of the superior Tuscan vintners, and now is in partnership with Robert Mondavi in a cooperative search to make better Italian style wines, either in California or in Italy, and to market them more effectively. The Frescobaldi wines included a delicious Lamaione, a Merlot-based red from Castel Giocondo. Pomino Rosso, another red from Castello di Pomino, tastes heavily of sangiovese grapes, and showed a lovely, delicate finish. A pair of Chianti blends, one from Castiglioni and one from Montesodi, were quite different, but tasty. The former is rougher, and should be splendid with pasta under a rich tomato-based sauce; the latter, more delicate and elegant, looks for a truffle or crimini mushroom sauce. Not quite at the other end of the experience spectrum, but almost, was Bill Davies, here to show off and talk about his initial wines. He's the son of Jamie and the late Jack Davies, who bought the old Schramsberg property and brought great sparkling wine from California. Bill has Origin, a young Napa producer and maker of a spectacular Sauvignon Blanc, heavy on the citrus but with beautiful acid-alcohol balance and a delicious wine with shellfish, or even as a pre-dinner aperitif. Davies is currently aging a Meritage red that needs more time, but is off to a splendid start and is a traditional Bordeaux blend, including cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. With Valentine's Day just ahead, it's time to start thinking about wine that bubbles and sparkles — Champagne from a certain region of France, sparkling wine or bubbly from anyplace else. A newcomer to St. Louis shelves is Besserat de Bellefon, made in Epernay, one of the key winemaking communities in the Champagne district. The Cuvee des Moines, not from Iowa, has three styles, not cheap but with some superior flavors — in brut, the driest and a blend of pinot noir (43 percent), pinot meunier (42 percent) and chardonnay (15 percent); blanc de blancs (100 percent from chardonnay grapes); and brut rose, a lovely crisp blend of pinot noir (47 percent), pinot meunier (40 percent) and chardonnay (13 percent). The skins of the red grapes produce the color; in making a rose, the skins are removed early in the process. The Champagne has a tiny, fast-moving bubble that gives the wine an elegant look, and the flavor is crisp and dry, with a hint more sweet in the blanc de blancs. The rose is delicious, and a perfect hue for the holiday of the heart. Like good French Champagnes, these are on the high side: the rose and the blanc de blancs are just over $40, the brut is slightly less. The wines, however, are made in the classic style, with fine flavor and a classic, smooth finish. Besides, if your companion of the evening, regardless of status, thinks the bubbly is brilliant, well, it sure makes you look good.