October 26, 2011 · 12:05 am

Sauvignon Blanc—The White Wine for the Rest of Us


Okay, I admit it—I don’t care for Chardonnay.  Oh, sure, I come across a bottle every now and again that manages to impress, but it’s just not one of my favorite varietals.  What’s wrong with it?  First, it’s oaked and aged.  Whites should be neither, and if you have to oak it and age it then there’s something inherently wrong with it.  Kind of the opposite of the Gamay grape used in the making of Beaujolais and (shudder) Beaujolais nouveau—a red wine that doesn’t take well to either aging or oaking.  Indeed, I can honestly say I’ve never had a bottle of Beaujolais or (worse) Beaujolais nouveau that I could even stomach.  It’s quite simply that bad.

But, last time I read figures on wine popularity, Chardonnay ranked number one in the good ol’  U.S. of A.  Go figure.  I mean, yeah, it pairs well with heartier stuff that you could normally get by pairing with a good Pinot Noir, just as Pinot Noir will oft times work with some things you would normally accompany with a heartier white.  Think of Chardonnay, then, if you will, as a bridge between white and red, with Pinot Noir waving to it  just on the other side of the border.

So, what’s a wine connoisseur to do when it comes to finding a nice, dry white that pairs well with everything from seafood and chicken all the way to veal and pork?  Well, for me, the answer is Sauvignon Blanc, also sometimes referred to as Fumé Blanc.  And if you really miss the oak characteristic of Chardonnay (which gives Chardonnay its “buttery” character and silky smooth texture), you can find oaked Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blends that may surprise you.

Like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc has its historic roots planted firmly in the soil of France—the Burgundy region for Chardonnay; the Bordeaux region for Sauvignon Blanc.  But don’t get caught up in thinking this a French wine, because our Kiwi Cousins from New Zealand have taken this varietal to heights the French never dreamed possible.  And the Kiwis have done this while keeping the cost per bottle exceptionally reasonable.

When looking for a good New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, concentrate on the Marlborough appellation.  My particular favorite, scoring consistently in the low 90s year after year after year, is the incredibly versatile, readily available, and extraordinarily affordable examples coming out of the Kim Crawford winery.  Other fine examples I’ve tried and can recommend come from the wineries of Kato, Matua, and Brancott.

Pairing well with this varietal—goat cheese; creamy cheeses such as Boursin, Camembert, Brie and Gouda; lobster and crab dishes, and various shellfish such as oysters, scallops, and even shrimp, and various seafood-based chowders; fish ranging from red snapper to wild salmon; fatty fish such as tuna, mackerel, and swordfish; lighter flavored fowl such as chicken and Cornish game hen; veal dishes of all strips; pork dishes from oven roasted loin to slow-smoked barbeque and even ham; earthier vegetarian fare using eggplant, various mushrooms, asparagus, and artichoke; tomato-based sauces with pasta; and vegetarian pizzas, especially when loaded with garlic.

Thinking of dessert?  Try pairing Sauvignon Blanc with fruit-based deserts—both fresh and baked (pies and tarts).  Try lighter cakes and cookies (angel food and sugar cookies), and don’t hesitate to serve it with creamy cheese-based deserts ranging from tiramisu (which uses marscapone cheese) to cheesecakes (especially cheesecakes with fruit-based toppings).

It’s just amazing all the different pairings this particular varietal handles well.  Is it any wonder that Sauvignon Blanc has become my go-to wine for so many different courses?

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October 24, 2011 · 12:05 am

A Currituck Canvas of Color and Character


It’s Kept Promises Week here on the old blog.  This is the week I get caught up on stuff I’ve promised to do but kept putting off because of more pressing writing duties on my latest mystery novel, The Globe.

And today it’s a continuation of my blog on The Outer Banks.  Specifically, the Currituck Beach Light, pictures of which I said I would post in a future blog.

As you’ll recall, I managed to photograph many lighthouses on this particular leg of our trip to D.C. last May, but none were to me as strikingly beautiful as this all-brick example of classic 19th Century Neo-Gothic architecture.  Unfortunately, the skies worked against me that day, and the structure is a bit lost against the bland, solid overcast background.

You’ll notice that some pictures are actually duplicated, but have been post-processed in Google’s Picasa for black-and-white conversion and, in a couple of cases, special effects to blur out all but the main focus of the photograph.  I simply love showing off what you can do with this free, powerful easy to use photo-editing software.

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October 21, 2011 · 12:05 am

Marching through Malta


Malta—a small island with a big history.  Everybody goes to Malta, it seems.  The Sicani went there.  So, too, did the opther ancients–the Greeks, the Phoenicians, and the Romans.  Not to be outdone, later invaders included the Byzantines, Napoleon (who found the cuisine so yummy that he spent the rest of his life reminiscing about it by placing his hand on his stomach), the British, and invading hordes of unstoppable tourists (you didn’t really fall for that last clickable link, did you?).

We were part of that final group.  And while some of the residents of Malta probably considered it an invasion, we came armed with cameras rather than canon.  Speaking of artillery, our ship was given a canon salute leaving the Grand Harbour (thank our British cousins for that spelling of “harbor;” I had nothing to do with it).  At least I think it was a salute, because we never returned fire.  But, then, we were on a cruise ship.

In between arriving in the early a.m. and getting fired upon during our late afternoon departure, we saw some spectacular sights and some classic Baroque architecture.  Speaking of Baroque, I once knew a collector of art and antiques who hated that style.  He would collect anything else, everything else, anything but—no matter what the condition or the price.  As he put it, “If it ain’t Baroque, don’t nix it.”

Sorry.  Couldn’t resist.  I haven’t told a joke, even a bad one, on this blog in quite a while.  That one just slipped out.  Now, back to the travel stuff.

I don’t believe I’ve ever seen so many fortifications in one place during my entire life as I witnessed in Malta.  There were everywhere, but the Grand Harbour in particular seemed ringed with them.  But you know what I say about Europe—where there’s a castle, a cathedral cannot be far beyond.  Malta is no exception.

Interspersed amidst all these castles and cathedrals are colorful examples of typical Maltese architecture.  Elaborate wooden balconies jut out from multi-story apartment buildings at nearly every turn, and varying shades of green seem to be the color of choice for these structures.

So, here are just a few examples of the sights that await you in Malta:

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