Chef Alex Friedman

This week, we have 10 questions with Chef Alex Friedman of P’Cheen International Bistro and Pub. He is another of the five contestants in the hottest upcoming event for Atlanta foodies, the first ever Atlanta Food Rave.

Who / what inspired you to become a Chef? Honestly, no one but myself. I went to college as a ceramics major, but soon realized that my artistic medium was food.

Describe your cooking style in 10 words or less. International comfort food with southern influence.

What is your favorite:

• Protein: pork
• Vegetable: celery
• Spice: salt

What is your least favorite (but you still use it) ingredient to work with? Anise. Not a fan of black licorice.

If someone made a movie / book about you, what would the title be? “If I Knew Then What I Know Now”

What are your favorite food and beverage pairing(s)? Curries and Hefeweizens.

What is the best fried dish you’ve ever had? Freshly caught oysters in Charleston, SC.

How do you like your bacon cooked? Chewy with just a bit of crunch.

If you were on Iron Chef America, who would you challenge and why? I’d never go on that show and really don’t enjoy watching it…sorry.

Why are you going to be crowned Champion of the Atlanta Food Rave? Why wouldn’t I? Have you met me…

That does it for this week. Until next time, live well, love much and drink great wine…with friends…after all, wine is social.

Chef Delroy Bowen

Welcome to Culinary Nightlife! The Atlanta Food Rave is a new high-energy event that brings together an eclectic mix of Atlanta’s finest culinary talent. Expecting an interactive night of food, fun, cocktails and live entertainment, attendees are invited to sample chef offerings and catered fare that will be placed throughout the expansive host venue, the Mason Murer Fine Art Gallery.

Adding a bit of competition to the occasion, attendees are encouraged to vote for their favorite chef of the evening, helping him/her to win The 2010 Rave Review, an award reserved for the chef that is best in show. The evening will also feature a premium open bar with signature alcoholic and non-alcoholic specialty beverages, live entertainment and a number of surprises. The menu will be revealed upon arrival and vegetarian options will be present. A percent of the proceeds from The Atlanta Food Rave will be donated to The Atlanta Community Food Bank.

In conjunction with Caren West PR, I’ve asked each of our five cheftestants a series of questions. Their answers will be posted starting today and over the next several weeks, leading up to the event. So, I invite you to come back every Friday (or just make it easy and sign up for my RSS feed or subscribe via old fashioned email) and take a look to see what each chef has to say. I look forward to seeing you at the event!

Up first is Executive Chef Delroy Bowen, who wields his skills at Proof of the Pudding and the Georgia International Convention Center. You can check out some more details about him at this profile page, he is the second gentleman from the left.

Who / what inspired you to become a Chef? My mom.

Describe your cooking style in 10 words or less. Very passionate with intense flavor.

What is your favorite:

• Protein: any seafood
• Vegetable: Callaloo
• Spice: Anise

What is your least favorite (but you still use it) ingredient to work with? Turmeric. FYI, it is a great pain reliever.

If someone made a movie / book about you, what would the title be? The Sting.

What are your favorite food and beverage pairing(s)? Red apples and coffee.

What is the best fried dish you’ve ever had? Fried lamb lollipop.

How do you like your bacon cooked? Medium rear rare

If you were on Iron Chef America, who would you challenge and why? Marcus Samuellson. We have a lot in common. [Editor's note: I didn't clarify the person being challenged was one of the Iron Chefs and he went outside the box on this one.]

Why are you going to be crowned Champion of the Atlanta Food Rave? Didn’t know there was going to be a crowning…LOL.

That does it for this week. Until next time, live well, love much and drink great wine…with friends…after all, wine is social.

The Atlanta Food Rave- “Chef Delroy Bowen” from The Atlanta Food Rave on Vimeo.

Where Teresa sells great wines

So, it has been a while since I had any local wine folks do an interview for the blog.

Fortunately, I was able to coax Teresa Eiland of Tower Beer, Wine & Spirits to subject herself to answer my questions, all via email. These questions were submitted a while ago, but due to circumstances beyond Teresa’s control, I just received the answers yesterday. Why is this relevant? You’ll see when you get to question #10.

First off, I’ll say I remember Teresa for two specific reasons. One, she was working at Pearson’s in Buckhead when I first got into wine and was on a quest to find different Champagne’s to try. While I can’t be 100% sure if she suggested the wine or answered a question about it (I did have some basic knowledge back then), the wine I bought was a very unique Champagne by Jean Milan. It was the Tendresse, which is quite unique in that the wine is Blanc de Blanc Grand Cru and dosed (i.e. degree of sweetness) at sec, one of the rarest levels you’ll ever see. It was something my wife and I brought to our first Open That Bottle Night and we still have the bottle.

Second, Teresa and I took W.S.E.T. classes together, though honestly I don’t remember which level it was. We didn’t talk or really get to know one another, but I do remember the fact she was in my class. I recently ran into her at the Tour de Champagne and realized, she was someone I needed to interview for the site, as she is one of Atlanta’s key players in the wine trade.

Anywho, on to the questions.

1. How did you get into the wine business?

Like a lot of people, I waited tables and tended bar to pay for college. Some of the restaurants I worked for had great wine lists and I picked up the wine bug along the way. I had lost all interest in finishing my engineering degree when the restaurateur I was working for offered me the wine buyer position at one of his restaurants. I’ve been in the business since, almost 20 years.

2. Which wine (grape variety, style, region, etc.) do you feel is most under appreciated by most consumers?

Hmmm, where to start? Personally, I adore the white wines of the Loire Valley and wish chenin blanc were as well known as chardonnay. But one can usually convince a client to try a chenin blanc at least once. Quality German riesling, on the other hand, is an almost impossible sell in Atlanta: any residual sweetness is seen as unsophisticated. And Italian reds: I’d love to see people branch out from Tuscan and Piedmontese wines and try sagrantino from Umbria and aglianico from Basilicata and Campania. And nerello mascalese from Sicily.

[Comment from Kevin] I agree on the German riesling point, it is almost impossible to sell, except to wine buyers when they appear on the BOGO lists.

3. What is your favorite wine (again, variety, style, region) to drink during:

• Summer: Champagne
• Fall: Champagne
• Winter: Champagne
• Spring: Champagne!

4. What is your favorite “undiscovered-by-the-press” wine right now?

The romorantin-based wines of Couer-Cheverny in the Loire Valley.

5. When you finally get tired of wine, what do you drink?

Champagne! And beer. I never liked beer until I started tasting wine professionally. There’s nothing more refreshing after 75 Bordeaux barrel samples than a cold beer.

6. What is the very best wine you’ve ever had?

Every wine I’ve ever drunk while hanging out with good friends and eating good food. If forced to choose one wine, however, I would pick the glass of anonymous old Savennieres that was given to me by a table one night at restaurant where I worked; it was glorious, unlike anything I’d ever tasted, and it piqued my curiosity about wine and set me on the career path I find myself on today.

7. What is your favorite food & wine pairing?

Thanksgiving turkey, cornbread dressing, and a good cru Beaujolais like Lapierre’s Morgon. It’s a good pairing but nothing earth-shattering. I love it, rather, because it’s what I serve every year. I love the tradition, the continuity, the old memories it evokes and the new memories it creates each time I serve it.

8. Are there any wine critics you find your palate in tune with more than others?

If I had to pick one of the professional critics, probably Jancis Robinson. But the internet is full of wine hobbyists and wine business professionals who, while they may not be professional wine critics in the same sense as Robinson and Robert Parker, are incredibly knowledgeable. I find the posters at Wine Disorder to be similarly minded to myself; Do Bianchi is a great resource, as is Dr. Vino.

9. What is your favorite dessert wine? And what would you pair it with?

Clos Uroulat Jurancon paired with grilled peaches and cream cheese ice cream.

10. Fourth of July is coming up, so what wine would you pair with hot dogs?

I took so long to get this questionnaire back to you that this question doesn’t really apply any more! But, for what it’s worth, I drank dry Provencal rose with my Fourth of July hot dog.

11. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

“It’s all you can drink Huet night!”

Well, there you go. The next time you are in Tower, make sure to see Teresa and say hello. She (along with the rest of the staff) will be more than happy to answer your wine questions and or give you excellent recommendations.

Until next time, live well, love much and drink good wine.

Woodfire Grill Co-Owner / Executive Chef Kevin Gillespie

In 2009, my wife began on a quest that took months to finally come to fruition. It began with an email that went unanswered and upon a revelation I made to her, caused her to re-group and fire again. She reached the correct person, who just so happened to be someone I was connected with via Twitter. That person, one Melissa Libby, thought my wife’s idea was a cool one and presented it to the man you see pictured above, Chef Kevin Gillespie. Chef agreed to my wife’s request, for me to spend a couple of hours talking to him while he worked in the kitchen.

For some of you, perhaps this isn’t a big deal. For me, it was about the best gift I’ve ever received. Those who know me best understand I don’t really put much value in tangible things. I’m much more interested in experiences and honestly, relatively simple ones at that. Most of them involve friends, food and wine. It could be a great dinner out, a gathering of friends over a bottle of wine, a movie or just an awesome conversation.

As you know, Chef Kevin (yes, I think it is cool we have the same first name and last initial) was a finalist in the 2009 rendition of Bravo’s runaway hit, Top Chef. From the get go, it was obvious he was going to go far. While we religiously rooted for Chef Kevin and his Atlanta colleagues Chef Eli and Chef Hector, Chef Kevin was our favorite. What can I say, I like really smart people who are down to earth and humble. To see them succeed is inspiring and makes the sometimes bitter pills of life go down a little smoother, sort of like Miracle Max and his application of chocolate.

I arrived at the impossible-to-get-reservations-at-restaurant Woodfire Grill at 2PM on Friday, February 19th, 2010. I proceeded to inform the hostess who I was and what I was there for. She asked me to sit, where I was greeted by the very friendly bartender Blake. He asked if I wanted anything to drink and I said, a glass of ice water would be great. Based on my afternoon and dinner a few months ago, I’m not sure there is a friendlier restaurant staff.

Chef Kevin came out, shook my hand and took me into the back. I put up my coat, got out my pad and pen (how old fashioned of me) and found my spot where my intrusion would be minimal to the prep work in the bustling kitchen. Chef Kevin was preparing some mushrooms for one of the evening’s courses, so I began to ask questions. The following are my best recollections, based on notes and my elephant-esque memory, of what was said regarding questions or just topics that came up in conversation.

On how sustainable and local sourcing became important to him: Chef Kevin recalled that his original training was very precise and driven by technique. In his early work, technique took precedence over the quality of the ingredient, with the belief good cooking was more about how it was prepared than what was prepared. Questioning this approach, he sought out a place where ingredients mattered and were central to what was being prepared. That quest brought him to Michael Tuohy and Woodfire Grill. Under Michael’s tutelage, Chef Kevin learned to feature that inherent quality in each ingredient which made it so good, foregoing what had been up to then the practice of forging ingredients into something more than themselves. I visualized this sentiment as one might view a Jedi teaching his Padwan to rely less on his visual senses and let the force flow through him. A flurry of action does not a great chef make was another phrase that popped into my head. As I write this, it reminds me of the debate raged in skating circles over the quad vs. not doing the quad. The idea that doing one extreme trick was more important than a flawless routine is as crazy as saying technique is more important than ingredients. Okay, time to get off this rant train.

Chef Kevin’s next stop was Oregon, as he wanted to really be surrounded by the local, sustainable philosophy, not just work in it. He made reference to how it was just a way of life there, that even the McDonald’s used locally sourced beef. I couldn’t verify this fact and perhaps it was a different restaurant, but I know it was a fast food place. Longing to come back South, he came home with the intention of buying Woodfire, to both continue and elevate what he had learned so far. In the end, the main point I got from Chef Kevin was that he wanted to fuse the philosophy of sourcing from sustainable producers (who are primarily local) with technique, without destroying what made the ingredient precious.

Least favorite ingredients: Hazelnuts and eggplant. For him, hazelnuts just don’t taste good. He is familiar with how to use them properly and does use them in his cooking, but doesn’t eat them. Eggplant, well that is just really boring and bland. I have to agree, though my Nana used to make these sort of pancakes from eggplants that really were pretty tasty. Too bad I never got the recipe.

Setting the menu: My impression is that Chef Kevin sets the menu according to his vision, but is always open to suggestions. He made note of the fact that he and E.J. (his sous chef) have worked together long enough now that E.J. has composed dishes completely on his own that have made it to the menu. The menu is set based on what is available and Chef made note that during the winter, it didn’t change as frequently due to the limited ingredients.

Desserts: Pastry Chef Brittany takes her direction from Chef Kevin, but she definitely composes more as she has gained experience and improved her skills. I wonder, are any of the desserts composed to work inside the woodfire grill? See, these are the questions I come up with days later.

Wine, beer and non-alcoholic beverage pairings: Chef Kevin said they work as a team and he does get the last say if something really doesn’t work, but that when it came to wine, partners Nicolas Quinones and Bernard Moussa definitely knew their stuff and more about wine than he did. Again, a collaborative effort where Chef does get to say no, but probably doesn’t do so often. When it came to beer, Chef Kevin was completely in charge. We also talked about cocktail pairings, but he commented that the alcohol was too overwhelming in his opinion to try and create such combinations. He did seem interested in non-alcoholic beverage pairings and I referred him to some online sources for unusual sodas that could make for a very interesting pairing dinner. I know I’d go. I think this is also where we talked about high fructose corn syrup vs. sugar and that was when he pulled out a Mexican Coca-Cola for me to see, something they serve at the restaurant. Too bad that you can’t get Coca-Cola to make a sugar version again I said, something I (and others) would be willing to buy at a premium.

What he loves about being a chef: The ability to be genuine and who you are was something Chef Kevin was very appreciative of. No pretense, no bullshit, just being yourself and around others. He also loved the immediacy of results, in being able to share his tangible art with patrons. Think of how many artists never get to see the fruits of their labors, toiling away their entire life, only to be recognized posthumously. Here is where (again, kicking myself) I should have asked if he had any other artistic outlets. For some reason, I totally see Chef Kevin as a comic book artist in another life.

Branded vs. working chef: I specifically asked this of Chef because as everyone knows, his star is on the rise and many chefs turn to creating a brand in order to capture the big bucks. I don’t foresee Chef Kevin passing up any opportunities that expand his brand, but I wouldn’t bank on seeing a chain of restaurants either. He said another restaurant would be nice, but I gathered it would be local as well, allowing him to remain a working chef. He was obviously very hush hush about future projects, something I respected and didn’t inquire about. I have every confidence we residents of Atlanta will remain fortunate to have him working in our city, even if he is out of town for this and that here and there.

Farm to table and those who do it poorly: Being a touch cynical, I wondered aloud if anyone would take the local / farm-to-table movement and bastardize it, just as some have with other food movement terms, all of which can be as elusive as Eli’s unicorn. Chef commented that those who don’t do it well or proper serve the purpose to shine the light back onto those who do it well and aren’t in it just to cash in.

Suppliers: He commented they used quite a few small vendors, including The Turnip Truck, who is a distributor for many of the small farms that can’t do their own delivery. Chef Kevin also noted they were very loyal and rarely changed suppliers, as it would take a really major snafu or dip in quality to force a change.

The woodfire grill: He obviously learned how to use it during his first stint under Chef Tuohy, but has since learned new uses never used before. Chef Kevin said he didn’t want to limit what they were doing by the equipment they owned, so pushing the boundaries was something he pursued. I have to say personally, his woodfire grilled brussel sprouts are quite delicious. I told Chef that if I could cook veggies like that at home, my kids might actually eat them. Hell, I’d eat them more often. There is just something primal about food cooked with wood that makes it more appetizing.

Favorite junk food: Chicken wings, largely due to the fact his first restaurant job was at a wing place. He got rather busy right after this, so I couldn’t get any specifics, but he did say they’ve done just about every variation possible. I wonder if Sriracha has ever made it into the recipe, with a nice Roaring Forties blue cheese dip? Mmm…wings.

We also talked a bit about rippers (fried hot dogs that rip open and then crisp on the open edges), Richard Blais and the forthcoming boutique hot-dogery and a junk food from one of his cooks native land, which I’ll be wrong if I quote, but I believe was Norway? I just remember it was Scandinavian. Chef Kevin actually did spell it out for me, but I messed up the spelling in my haste and Google didn’t serve me well. Whatever it was, it sounded good. To the best of my memory, it was a hot dog wrapped in mashed potatoes, then a potato bun and topped with all sorts of condiments. One of those things you just have to try to appreciate. I think they do a lot of fun, experimental cooking that could someday lay the foundation for a funky junk food restaurant, perhaps one that puts an emphasis on street food from all over the world, but in one location. Call it Cholest’amore.

Breakfast: A kindred spirit in his love of breakfast, Chef Kevin relayed how elaborate breakfast at Granny’s was and still is. Bacon, ham, sausage (links and patties), eggs to order, grits, biscuits with cream gravy, cinnamon toast, cheese toast, pancakes or waffles. It made my mouth water.

Personally, he said one of his favorites was fried pork chops, cooked in a batter like my beloved chicken fried steak. There was also the toad in the hole, which eventually we figured out was what I called egg in a basket.

We also shared the love for cooking eggs in leftover bacon grease, where you flip the grease on top of the eggs and get the edges nice and crispy. Damn, I miss breakfast at my Nana’s. Chef Kevin commented that as much as he and E.J. (sous chef at Woodfire) loved and talked about breakfast, they should open up a place. Be on the lookout in 2018. I think such a creation would be awesome, breakfast for dinner, but done in a fine dining setting. It reminded me of the Top Chef “Breakfast in Bed” challenge and how, why isn’t there such an entity? Or maybe there is and I just don’t know about it.

Granny: This was where he learned to cook. His family all live on the same street and he pointed out the fact his grandparents built a house on a hill, then a road to the house and eventually, their children bought land on the same road. While his generation don’t all live there, his grand parents and their children still do. They eat basically every meal together. Food was the center piece of family gatherings and Chef Kevin wanted to be the person who forged those family ties in the future, so he learned to cook.

I asked if she had dined at Woodfire Grill and he said yes. I asked if it was intimidating. He smiled and said yes. I can’t remember if I asked or he just commented, but he remarked that there were two things he prepared which she actually preferred to her own, greens and cornbread. She is always asking him to make some and bring them to her. The student had surpassed the master.

Chef Kevin then proudly told me how it was one of her recipes that he would be preparing for the Slow Food Atlanta dinner on Sunday. I don’t remember it exactly, but you start by frying up some fat back, then cooking potatoes and assorted other veggies / greens in the leftover grease, then finishing it off by throwing the fried pieces of fat back into the dish.

Final impressions and things that just didn’t fit in above:

• The kitchen staff and Chef Kevin have a very colorful rapport and of course, I’m not being literal. I was told they spend a lot of time listening to stand up comedy and talking tattoos. I witnessed the tattoo talk when E.J. was asking Chef how much he estimated a particular design would cost. From there, Chef Kevin was postulating on what design he would get to go across his chest. They also commented on their tattoo artist, but all I really remember is the use of the words conspiracy theory.
• I commented on Chef Kevin drinking a particular diet soda and he said that was unusual, particularly since he isn’t a real big fan of artificial sweeteners. He said he was a BIG fan of black coffee, which I did see him drink after making some in a French press. I really do need one of those.

I still find it sort of surreal, the time I spent with him. Yes, I know he’s a “regular guy” who just happens to cook really well. I just love the fact someone as meteoric as he would agree to such an intrusion. My only regret is the fact that talking to him in such a busy setting makes you want to know more, but in a relaxed and casual environment. I think that only exists for Chef Kevin when he gets to have dinner with his family and close friends.

So, to my dear wife, many, many thanks for coming up with such a wonderful gift. Second, a big thank you to Melissa for pitching the idea to Chef Kevin. Finally, thank you to Chef Kevin and the rest of the staff for putting up with me, it is a memory I have etched in my mind’s eye, the only place it matters. I can’t wait for a return visit to the restaurant and for those who missed it, here is my review from our December experience.

Haiku
Meteoric Chef
Grants time to a quiet fan
Gracious man he is

A few weeks ago, I wrote about my thoughts on the 2003 Hauck Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon. I emailed the owners Jennifer and Greg to do one of my email interviews and they agreed. While I’ve not heard back from Greg, Jennifer actually replied over a week ago and I’m just going ahead with her answers to the questions. I’ll get Greg’s responses up soon as possible. As many people will point out, wine is more than just the wine itself. It is the people, places and their stories which make it so beguiling and endlessly fascinating.

AWG: Give us a little background on how you guys decided to start your own wine label and what lead you to Sonoma.
Jennifer: Greg and I started traveling to Sonoma & Napa almost every summer back around 1996 or so. We were on a mission to visit as many different wineries daily as possible. We’d research who was open earliest and latest, and start and end our days with those wineries. I still remember that Grgich opened at 10am back then—they may still. We did a lot of winery tours, trying to learn about the process, vineyard tours tasting the fruit, pairing seminars, and aroma/sensory sessions. We were experts! (until we moved out here, that is). When Greg’s business sold, it was time for a new venture. We went on vacation to Florence, Italy. Sitting in a restaurant overlooking the Arno River, I said, “We should live somewhere that we think is this beautiful.” That was September, 2003. We decided then and there that we would move to California on or before January 15, 2004. (We actually flew out on that date.) Within 3 weeks of moving here, Greg started working at De La Montanya Winery. We both worked there for two years, pouring behind the bar, working through harvest and then crush. We met our first winemaker, Mike Loykasek there. De La Montanya wasn’t paying us. Finally after a few months, he said, “What’dya want, you guys have been working hard?!” Greg pointed towards the barrel room, and said, “We’ll take that barrel of 2003 Cabernet.” That’s when we double oaked it, and tah-dah, it was fabulous! While we were waiting the almost 3 years for the cab to be ready though, we started making Sauvignon Blanc. Now we’re very well known for our Sauvignon Blanc, “the one with the weimaraner on the label”.

AWG: What is the most rewarding aspect of owning your own winery?
Jennifer: We love it, when people come in the tasting room and say, “Oh, I don’t like Cab,” or “I don’t drink whites,” and then they decide to taste the wines anyway, and they become converts. We hear a lot of, “I don’t usually like whites, but I love your Sauvignon Blanc!” It’s very rewarding when people love the wines that we’ve made. We are very hands on, especially in the blending trials. We also love our own wines so much. They are reflective of the style we love to drink, so it’s nice to have an entire battery of wines to choose from which you know will be great every time you open one.

AWG: What have been the biggest challenges so far?
Jennifer: The biggest challenge is the expense. We spend all this money on fruit, barrels, storage, bottles, labels, corks, capsules—you get the idea—and then the wine just sits there aging for two years in the barrel, and at least 6 months in the bottle before we can start selling it. We’re hoping to make our first profit in 2010, and we’ve been making wine since 2004. Greg will probably have a different answer, but since I’m in charge of the accounts…

AWG: What have been the biggest rewards / proudest moments?
Jennifer: My proudest moment was when we released our first vintage. It was our 2004 Sauvignon Blanc. We made only 2 barrels (48 cases or so), and it was beautiful. It had pineapple and peach notes, with citrus zest and lemon. It was my idea to put the painting of our dog Margaux on the label, so I am especially attached to that wine. Greg and I went out to local restaurants to sell the wine, and I was so proud. I would become (privately) angry with any of the restaurants that didn’t buy it, because I thought it was so good. Once back in the car, I’d say to Greg, “Well, we’re never eating there again!”

AWG: Your first red, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, spent 2 years in oak, one year in both an American and a French barrel. This isn’t very common, so what lead to this decision?
Jennifer: I’m going to let Greg answer this one, but suffice it to say, that’s an expensive way to make wine!

AWG: What is your favorite food to pair with each of your wines?
Jennifer: We both cook, and Greg specializes in beef. We love short ribs and grilled-salty ribeyes with any of ours Cabs. The Sauvignon Blanc, we love w/caprese salad, sushi, and gazpacho, cantaloupe soup, grilled seafood—you name it. The SB pairs like nobodies business. It’s the pinot of the whites, in my opinion. Our zins are great with ribs and spicy foods, of course, but they’re really lovely with roasted chicken, Thanksgiving Turkey, and all sorts of birds—duck confit too. The 07 Treborce Zin pairs especially well w/stuffed figs. It has a figgy note hiding among the aromas.

AWG: What is the bottle that gave you your first “aha” moment? You know, the one that really got you hooked.
Jennifer: My Aha moment came with an unlikely beginning. At 23, my mother-in-law had given me an old French cookbook that she’d found at a garage sale. I didn’t know how to cook, but as a French teacher, I was eager to learn. All the recipes asked for wine: a ¼ C of a Haut-Medoc, a ½ C of Chablis, an entire bottle of a Cotes-du-Rhone. Stuff like that. Well, I didn’t know anything about wine, and we were living on a newlywed’s salary, so I went to Kroger, and I bought a box of Franzia White Granache. (I thought, “Grenache, that sounds more French than Zinfandel, I’ll buy it.) I prepared every recipe with Franzia White Grenache: from sole Veronique to boeuf bourguignon. We thought the food was great. What did we know? We were young and hadn’t traveled! On our 2nd wedding anniversary, we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. I asked the waiter to bring me a glass of wine to go with my cippino. He brought a Chianti Classico, and I had my first aha/pairing moment! Greg has his own pairing story that occurred the next year or so.

AWG: What are your favorite wines to drink with each season?
Jennifer:Seasonally I love: Cab in the Fall (because I’m thinking about winter; Pinot in the winter (which makes me think of Spring), Sauvignon Blanc in the spring and summer. Good question, btw because upon reflection, I don’t drink the wines during the season that you’d think. I guess I should be more “in the moment”!

AWG: Outside of your own wines, what do you like to drink?
Jennifer: My favorite wine besides ours is Lancaster Estates. Jennifer Higgins in the winemaker there. Her 2004 is fabulous! Any vintage of Lancaster from 2003 on is a superstar! I also like the Lancaster Nicole’s. For SB, I loved the DryStack 2007 SB (they’re now called Graystack, fyi). I love pinot, but I don’t have a favorite. Roederer Champagne, Schramsberg Rosé, Until Rosé, wines from Bandol France—especially the Rosés, and a few Chateauneuf-du-Pape’s. Neither Greg nor I, can tolerate residual sugar in a wine; therefore, many high scoring Spectator wines never make it into our wine rack, because we don’t like that style of raisin, prune, port-like wine. It just kills pairing.

AWG: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
Jennifer:When I arrive at the Pearly Gates, I would like God to say, “Welcome, the shoe department is right over there!”

Thanks again to Jennifer for taking the time to answer the questions.

I hope you enjoyed and if you did, please leave comments, share with friends and keep coming back for more. Happy Tuesday to you!