Question: There seems to be a growing trend for serving red wine with salmon. Why? I don’t get it.

Answer: I like your question. There are opinions out there that any colour wine goes with any dish – and to simply choose the wine you enjoy drinking. Certainly a lot of red wine doesn’t ideally suit salmon or any other seafood. However there is more to it than that. Traditionally it was always red wine with meat and white wine with fish. Too rigid. Salmon comes in many varieties from delicate trout-like to wild oily Spring or Chinook. Lots depends on how it is prepared and the sauce as well. I still enjoy a rich chardonnay with most salmon dishes. However a red wine can work very well if is not too heavy or tannic and has a good acid balance. A good variety choice is pinot noir. One of my all-time favourites combos was the 1972 La Tache red Burgundy with a soy BBQ salmon. Try some pinot noirs with salmon prepared in different ways and I believe you will see the magic of red wine with salmon.

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Photos credit: Milena Robertson

Older vintage port still remains a relatively great value in the fine wine market. Certainly Graham is one of the very best houses. Knowledgeable Jim Robertson with his talented wife Milena run the thriving Vancouver Branch of The International Wine & Food Society. They just orchestrated an authentic Douro experience to try 10 Graham vintage ports over 30 years between 1955 and 1985 with insight into Portuguese food dishes with an very appropriate lunch superbly prepared by Milena including items like bacalhau (salted cod), red pepper & anchovy, chicken with chorizo, and warm custard tart.

Brought back fond memories of January 18, 1987 when the late dynamic Haskell Norman founder of the Marin County Branch who organized during the eighties the very best wine events in the world did a similar 8 vintages of Graham from 1945 to 1887 with port lover the late Barney Rhodes making comments. Barney noted that port unlike most red wine gets darker for some years after it is bottled because of the higher alcohol acting on the fruit and only later slowly becoming lighter with aging. Showed how successful vintage port can be with extended aging as the 1927 was the a star at 60 years in 1987 while the big sturdy classic 1945 still had a ways to go – just like the 1955 at 60+ years is such a memorable highlight in 2016.

Graham was founded in 1820 but the current Symington family bought it in 1970 and acquired the fine south facing steep Quinta Dos Malvedos vineyard near Tua (east of Pinhao) only in 1981 with major replanting taking place in the late nineties. Prior to this they accessed other family owned vineyards including the massive chewy Quinta Das Lages, Quinta Do Tua, Quinta Da Vila Velha, and Quinta Do Vale De Malhadas. Keep in mind there are several grape varieties used including Tinta Barroca, big Touriga Nacional, perfumed lighter Touriga Francesa, and fruity Tinta Roriz adding different dimensions. All their wines are either by foot treading or use of their “robotic lagar” treading machine since 2000.

My short personal comments on the 10 Graham Vintage Ports:

1955: Berry Bros. bottled showing paler mahogany rim. Lovely licorice, violets, chocolate, rounded with other sensual delights on a magnificent plateau at 60 years. Lots going on. Impressive!

1960: Harrod’s bottling with even lighter browner colour notes. Porty with more noticeable hot spirit showing through. Elegant but lacking fruit depth.

1963: Berry Bros. with some light red tones left. Classic but tea-like with less sweetness showing in this bottle and is slightly unbalanced to the brandy side. Drying out. Still interesting but have had better bottles of this year.

1966: Good red tones left. Open and so classy. Sweeter fruit dense and most complex. Enjoyed this vintage of Graham many times previously and always feel it is underrated. Again it shines here as a superb vintage port. Not really jammy but luscious liquid bitter chocolate. Really like this. So stylish!

1970: Wildman selection. Darkest colour so far but unfortunately showing too much TCA corkiness for me. Some bad floral. Can be wonderful.

1975: Palest of all from a weak year. Vinous and good effort by Graham but lacks the fruit to stand up to the other vintages here.

1977: Good colour but not as dark as 70 or 83. Dumb and closed for many years but now is opening up in its evolution. Cork was difficult to extract. Delicious nonetheless with prune chocolate notes again. Noted port authority Roy Hersh (www.fortheloveofport.com) in 2011 stated that he was wrong on his initial assessment of the 1977 and sees it “continuing to improve for at least another 15 years before hitting a plateau” with a 93+ score.

1980: Dark enough but a touch of oxidation takes the edge off it for me in this bottle. OK. Good useful easy drinking year.

1983: Very darkest with a lot of big intense fruit left. Flavours perhaps coarser pepper and less classy than 1985 for me. Solid with potential to develop even further with more bottle age.

1985: Less colour than 1983 but more stylish. Wonderful ripe plum and cherry fruit on both nose and palate. Like the elegance harmony and balance here. A more forwardly year in 1985 but superb.

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By Joseph Temple

Thomas Jefferson, America’s third president is renowned for being the country’s first oenophile-in-chief. Seeing wine as the compromise between prohibition and saloon-style intoxication, he fervently believed that “No nation is drunken where wine is cheap; and none sober where the dearness of wine substitutes ardent spirits as the common beverage.” From starting America’s first commercial vineyard venture with Philip Mazzei at Monticello to filling his many cellars with some of France’s finest vintages, Jefferson’s unbridled passion for wine is very well documented.

Less known however is the president’s strong devotion towards food and agriculture. Reportedly growing 300 varieties of vegetables at his Virginia estate, including 30 kinds of peas and cabbage, Jefferson was well ahead of the curve in terms of the whole farm-to-table movement that is currently gaining steam across the nation. And his dinners at the Executive Mansion (it wasn’t called the White House back then) were legendary, with the president spending enormous sums out of his own pocket to lavishly entertain both dignitaries and guests.

A new book by historian and IW&FS member James Gabler sheds new light on exactly what the president ate and drank, from his time living in Paris as the Ambassador to France to his post-presidency. Published in 2015, Dine with Thomas Jefferson and Fascinating Guests offers readers a candid view of what it was like to wine and dine with such a legendary head of state. So have a look below at five dishes and wines that Thomas Jefferson and his guests consumed as they discussed everything from the French Revolution to the Louisiana Purchase.

1. Macaroni with Cheese

In a large dining room overlooking the Champs-Élysées in June of 1788, Jefferson and his guests anxiously await the next dish. After finishing their oysters paired with Burgundy, an Italian meal that is very fashionable in France known as Macaroni with Cheese is served. “The best macaroni is made from a particular flour called semolina, from Naples, but in almost every shop a different sort of flour is used, but if the flour is of a good quality, it will always do well,” remarked Ambassador Jefferson.

2. Bear

After discussing with his cabinet at length about the failed Monroe–Pinkney Treaty with Great Britain, a massive feast is prepared consisting of turkey, potatoes, bacon and sausages. But one dish stands out from the rest—a quarter-side of bear purchased in Georgetown by Étienne Lemaire, Jefferson’s second mâitre d’hôtel. “Is what you are carving what I think it is?” asks James Madison, Jefferson’s Secretary of State. “What is it that you think I’m carving?” says the president. “Bear,” for which Jefferson states: “That is correct.”

3. Dressed turtle seasoned with Madeira

Travelling from the temporary capital of Philadelphia to Annapolis in 1790, Secretary of State Jefferson and Congressman James Madison are waiting for a ferry on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. With a long delay, they both decide to try a state tradition of dressed turtle seasoned with Madeira. A huge fan of the fortified wine, he takes a bottle out of his travel box, tastes it and explains to everyone at the table what constitutes “silky” Madeira. “The silky Madeira we sometimes get in this country is made so by putting a small quantity of Malmsey into dry Madeira. The taste of the dry cashed with a little sweetishness is barely sensible to the palate.”

4. Non-sparkling champagne

At a 1792 meeting where President George Washington discusses policy with Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, each plate is ready to be filled with an assortment of broiled pork, goose, roast beef and muttonchops. But after Hamilton studies his glass and asks what type of wine is it, he is surprised when Jefferson tells him that it’s Champagne. “It can’t be Champagne. It doesn’t have a sparkle,” replies Hamilton. But according to Jefferson who has spent years in Paris, the French prefer non-sparkling Champagne. “Sparkling Champagne is never brought to a good table in France. The still or non-sparkling is alone drunk by connoisseurs.”

5. Favorite wine?

As someone who drank nearly everything that Bordeaux and Burgundy had to offer, one might wonder what exactly was Jefferson’s favorite wine? Through primary source documents, we learn that Chambertin and Montrachet clearly topped the list. But nothing can compare to white Hermitage, which Jefferson called the “first wine in the world without exception.” So impressed by this region, he gladly purchased 550 bottles during his presidency.

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Question: Just tried some Champagnes made from 1/3 white grapes chardonnay and 2/3 red grapes pinot noir & pinot meunier. Is pinot meunier just another name for pinot noir?

Answer: No it is not the same grape though it has been one of the 3 grapes often used traditionally in non-vintage Champagne blends. It is a red grape (like pinot noir) but buds later and ripens earlier on cooler sites producing generally a softer easy more forwardly contribution to the over all blend. Varies in quality but excellent grapes are still included in the Krug Grande Cuvee. Most Grande Marques now leave pinot meunier out of their blend as they are going for a longer aging Champagne. Lately we are even seeing some 100% pinot meunier Champagnes. Just tried one of those made by Langlet being served by the glass at a Paris restaurant.

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In North America we hear a lot these days about eating foods produced within your own region and supporting your local farmers. The benefits of this approach are numerous including seasonable, sustainable and protecting the environment as advocated by the concept of the recent 100-mile diet.

Just completed leading a wonderful almost 2 week wine and food tour of Sicily the largest island in the Mediterranean with 1484 kilometers of coastline. Among the many things that impressed me this trip was seeing almost a zero-mile diet (home grown) as the focus is clearly on growing and using their own local food products to advantage there.

Too many to list here but so many restaurant menus featured local grown oranges, lemons, almonds, pistachios, artichokes, zucchini flowers, wild fennel, basil, tomatoes, white beans, bufalo mozzerella, fresh ricotta, and of course home made pasta and polenta. Seafood was very prominent and swordfish an endangered species in Vancouver wasn’t in Sicily. Also sardines, cod, anchovies, mussels, mullet, paddlefish, whitefish, baby squid, red prawns, and octopus to die for. Less meat but top Black Pig pork, veal, beef, etc. I am sucker for their gelato, cassatas, cannoli and chocolate produced in Modica. What a lot of local delights to choose from.

If you are visiting Sicily in the near future here are a few local food spots I highly recommend checking out:

Osteria Dei Vespri in Palermo – Dinner : osteriadeivespri@libero.it  Friendly Rizzo brothers have a killer dish of Anelletti (ring shaped pasta) with octopus poached in red wine, wild fennel and saffron.

Quattroventi in Palermo – Dinner: quattroventi.pa@gmail.com Really excellent quality!

Gelato in Palermo: Go to Spinnato!

Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School – Tenuta Regaleali  Contact information@tascadalmerita.it What a delightful experience.

Mamma Caura – Lunch on the water next to the local harvesting salt pads – mammacaura@libero.it

La Foresteria in Menfi immersed in the Planeta vineyards and herb gardens with outstanding cuisine. Like their 3 different quality extra virgin olive oils – one all Biancolilla, another Nocellara and the 3rd a blend of those two plus 15% Cerasuola.

La Pineta off the beaten path right on the beach for Lunch in a Natural Park in Selinunte. A must.

La Madia a 2 star Michelin in Licata truly outstanding food by celebrated chef Pino Cuttaia with all his dishes “telling a story with a pinch of memory”  – info@ristorantelamadia.it

Ibanchi Pane Al Pane in Ragusa – info@ibanchiragusa.it  for lunch. Also Il Barocco Enoteca for pizza only in the evenings.

Accursio in Modica – info@accursioristorante.it with unique scabbard fish rolls with potato puree & mint. Check out Modica’s best chocolate store Bonajuto for 70/80/90/100 cocoa count!

On Mt. Etna at Linguaglossa: Barone Pastry for marzipan goodies made since 1939, Pennisi Salumeria (Butcher shop), and Destro for the perfect winery Lunch.

Al Duomo in Taormina opposite the cathedral – info@ristorantealduomo.it  Enjoy those often served wide Gragnano pasta noodles always stuffed and standing up on end.

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