Tuesday night was the Call me a Cab wine tasting night in Bel Air. It consisted of five wines, Chateau Saintengey Bordeaux (white), Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose, Mercedes Eguren Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon, and Twenty Rows Cabernet Sauvignon.

The first wine of the evening was the Chateau Saintengey Bordeaux 2007. It fits the Cab theme, eventhough it is a Sauvignon Blanc because Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc are the parent grapes that created the Cabernet Sauvignon grape. This version of the bordeaux is 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon grapes. The wine tasted like most Sauvignon Blancs, grassy with a touch of grapefruit juice and lemon zest, crisp light wine, high in acid. Sauvignon blanc is not one of my favorite grapes most days, for me its best on a warm day in the sun, or with crab dishes.

Next we tried the Mulderbosch Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2008 from South Africa. This wine was a rose version of the Cabernet Sauvignon, (the grape skins were pulled out early in the wine making process to create a pink wine). This wine is unlike the famous rose White Zinfandel, it is not sweet. It smelled of strawberry and cherries, it has the flavors of berries, cherries, and a spicy peppery end that lingers for a little after drinking.

Next was the Mercedes Eguren, Spain 2006 (link to notes for a different year IN ENGLISH). Some of the Mercedes Egurin wines are served at the Mercedes factory in Stuttgart, Germany when customers come to look at the cars. The wine had a predominant berry flavor, a bit stronger blackberry flavor then strawberry, with a hint of cherry.

The fourth wine was Columbia Crest 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Washington, USA. On the nose you could smell cherries and berries. Flavor strawberry, cherry, tannic (drier finish) hint of cocoa at end.

Finally was the Twenty Rows 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa, California. Flavor of dark fruits like blackberries, currants and smokey, balance of acid and tannins, to create some moisture and dryness on the palate. Personal favorite of the night, but also after having 5 wines with a few topping off refills.

While doing some research on wine and the sulfur smell in them (Virgina Tech website on wine making) I found out about a wine blending class to learn to make Meritage wines at a Virginia winery. The winery is one of two hosting this course from Virginia Tech and while looking at the other events I found information about the class on April 18th. (so far not signed up to take either class, but probably will)

The Meritage wine is American wine made with the grape blend commonly found in Bordeaux wines. A Mertitage red wine must be made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, and Petit Verdot grapes. A white wine version of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillion, and Musadelle grapes. No grape can be more than 90% of the wine The winery is limited to making a maximum of 25,000 cases a year and the wine must be one of the two most expense wines made at the winery. The winery must also join the Meritage Association in order to put the Mertitage label on the bottle.

While in Chicago for the St. Patrick weekend celebrations I noticed many restaurants doing FLIGHTS of food or wine. A flight is three or four tastings of a similar product.

One restaurant, oENOlogy, offered wine, cheese, and chocolate flights. Unfortunately, we passed by this restaurant since it was going to be open until 11PM and didn't feel like going after dinner from a day full of seeing everything we could in Chicago. The menu was consisted entirely of flights. You could order wines, cheeses, and chocolate in flights. Each wine flight consisted of three wines themed around an idea such as location, style, pairing similarities, etc., a fancy name was chosen on the concept of the flight. Cheese and chocolates were served in the same way. By doing this you could learn how the flavors of the wine change with different cheeses and chocolates.

Before we left we went to a brunch restaurant called Orange, one of their specialties is the pancake flight which changes every week. Ordering this you get four stacks of three silver dollar pancakes, each with different toppings. This week included pancakes with lucky charms and cream, Guinness yogurt with cantaloupe, bacon and orange marmalade, and Irish cream pancakes. While not all of these pancakes tasted as great as other options available, I enjoyed the concept.

As a chef you must constantly create 4 unique recipes based on one common recipe, but the possibilities are endless for a restaurant that wants to try this. I believe this would be a great way to promote holiday and seasonal foods on a menu, and provides the stability and change of a menu that customers love. Still haven't seen this in Baltimore yet, if you do, please send me a message about who is doing this style of dining on their menu.

In the April 2010 Issue of FOOD AND WINE magazine there is an article titled "20 Wine Pairings to Try Before You Die." While most of these didn't really surprise me, chardonnay and lobster, sauvignon blanc and white fish, Zinfandel and BBQ ribs, one really got my attention DORITOS AND CALIFORNIA PINOT NOIR.

California pinot noirs usually have a jammy, fruity flavor when compared to other pinot noirs around the world, such as the burgundy from France.

Later in the week I plan on trying this food and wine combination, but it has sparked my curiosity about what other junk food and wines pair well together. According to the Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page book WHAT TO EAT WITH WHAT YOU DRINK classic junk foods do pair well with drinks other then a good beer. Cheese puffs go best with Champagne, but also taste great with pinot noirs, burgundy, chardonnay, and anything highly acidic. Doritos with Champagne and Spicy Doritos with Zinfandel. Twinkies pair well with Asti. Nachos pair well with sparkling wines and Zinfandel. Oreo's and port. Potato chips and Champagne and BBQ potato chips and Zinfandel. Pretzels and white zinfandel. Tortilla chips and Champagne or Sauvignon Blanc. Popcorn and champagne or chardonnay. Also Maynard James Keenan of Tool and Arizona winemaker suggests popcorn with truffle salt on his 2005 Primer Paso Syrah.

Usually I just grab a Smithwick's, Yuengling, or Natty Boh out of the fridge when I'm eating chips and other junk foods, but am looking forward to trying these and other combinations in the near future.