The wine reviewed comes from Rueda in northwestern Spain not far from Portugal. The famous Duero River flows by. I’m going to guess that in our price range the vineyards won’t be fronting on this river. By the way, even though it’s Spain the winters are fairly cold.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review have been purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Marques de Riscal White 2007 12% alcohol about $10

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Light straw green color; aromas and flavors of peach with floral and earth tones; dry, light to medium bodied, with good length. And now for my review.

I started by sipping this wine without any food. I was impressed by its fine balance of sweetness and acidity. The first meal was a baked salmon filet with honey sauce, sprinkled with sesame seeds. Sides were boiled asparagus covered in black pepper and onion powder and potato knishes, fried dough stuffed with a potato and onion mixture. The fish brought out the wine’s citrus tastes; it was quite refreshing. With the asparagus the wine became slightly unctuous.

The second meal consisted of purchased broccoli and spinach crepes garnished with sour cream. The wine was floral with fleeting acidity. It was light tasting as was the food. The Rueda was not powerful but it was subtle. I finished the meal with a high-quality French-style lemon pie with a buttery crust. Even though the wine was weak it was enchanting.

The final meal centered around chicken meat balls accompanied by rice and green beans in a tomato sauce. The wine had puckering acidity but it was short at first. I did get citrus flavor. Once again the wine was unctuous (oily) but I mean that in a positive way.

I finished the tasting with two cheeses. The first of the cheeses was a Marbled Cheddar. The wine was fruity and acidic; this was a good combo and I am no great fan of wine and cheese. Then I went to a white Havarti. The effect was similar but the wine was more powerful.

Final verdict. I would definitely buy this wine again. It does qualify as a bargain, especially if you can get it for a better price as I have seen on the Internet.

Over the years Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but really prefers drinking fine German wine, along with friends and the right foods. He teaches sundry computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his global wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

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The Viognier grape has quite an unusual history. About forty years ago it was limited to some 35 acres (14 hectares) in the Rhone Valley of southeastern France. These few acres included the grapes that were transformed into Condrieu, considered the best white in the Rhone Valley. Now Viognier has become an up and coming white variety found in many countries including the United States, especially California, and in Australia. If you are tired of Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs (or even if you aren’t) you may want to try a Viognier such as this one. And next time you are in the mood for a Chilean red look for Colchagua Valley on the label. We will do so ourselves but won’t be surprised if we can’t find any in the $10 and less category.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price. Wine Reviewed Cono Sur Viognier 2008 13.7% alcohol about $8

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Pale gold color; tropical fruit aromas with melon, peach and orange blossom notes; dry, medium bodied, with great acidity and flavors of grapefruit, peach, green apple and pineapple; good length on the finish. Serving Suggestion: Serve with stir-fry or wok-sautéed white meats, vegetables and creamy poultry dishes. And now for my review.

I started by sipping this wine alone. I got the characteristic honeysuckle. It was long and slightly sweet with pleasant acidity. The first meal included a purchased barbecued chicken leg with the paprika-dusted skin on. The sides were a slightly sweet noodle pudding and a white bean and grilled red pepper combo. With the chicken the flavor went from honeysuckle to honey. This Viognier was persistent with a note of lemon peel. I tasted lemon and orange when it was paired with the noodle pudding. But the bean and red pepper combo stole some of the wine’s fruit. Talking about fruit, I finished the glass with some orange fruit juice candy. At first I thought the pairing wasn’t very good, but I changed my mind. The wine displayed bright acidity and was almost feathery.

The second meal involved a middle-eastern dish called Kube (or Kibbe), ground beef in crushed wheat jacket slow cooked in a peppery tomato sauce. Once again I tasted honeysuckle (the dominant flavor of most Viogniers), citrus, and honey notes. I liked its sweetness. With seconds the acidity became softer.

The final meal was an omelet with sides of grilled eggplant and a grilled artichoke dip. When facing the omelet the Viognier was slightly sweet with lingering acidity. I can’t say that the wine and omelet really meshed, but an omelet isn’t much to mesh with. The artichoke dip intensified the acidity and the eggplant intensified the fruit.

Now for the cheeses. With a Brick cheese the wine became weaker. The Havarti was a better match. Even though this cheese was stronger tasting than the Brick, the wine remained fruity – go figure.

Final verdict. If you are in the market for a different white wine at a low, low price this is a good one. Because I am not very partial to Viogniers I probably won’t be buying this one again in the near future. And at $40 or much more, it may be a long time before I review a Condrieu in my French fine wine column.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but frankly prefers drinking fine German or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right people. He teaches computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

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One of the worst wines that I ever consumed was a popular White Zinfandel. On the advice of our legal department I won’t be naming names, but I vowed never to drink another White Zinfandel. But a few years later someone brought a different producer’s version to a dinner at our house and I felt compelled to taste it and not talk about the past. That also to be unnamed version wasn’t too bad. So I thought I would try another. First a few words of wine trivia. White Zinfandel became so popular that it prevented ripping out some of the oldest vines in the US. The producer of this bottle, Beringer is the oldest operating vineyard in Napa Valley. One more comment before our review, don’t tell wine connoisseurs that you’re serving them a Napa Valley Zinfandel if this be your wine. They will get the wrong idea, and perhaps not be amused. We will look for a red Zinfandel to review. But don’t be surprised if it doesn’t come from Napa Valley.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Beringer White Zinfandel 2007 10.5% alcohol about $8

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Pale rose color; strawberry and rhubarb aroma; touch of fruit sweetness in flavor; delicate, soft finish. Serving suggestion: Soft cheeses; Thai or Indian food, as a party sipper, or use in a Sangria. And now for my reactions.

At the first sips the wine was quite sweet with nice acidity. Its first pairing was with small, assorted pieces of barbecued chicken. This wine was refreshing with bright acidity. I had the feeling this is a fun wine, the kind you drink at a party where wine is about the last thing on anyone’s mind. I wish it were less sweet. It maintained a candy taste with roasted eggplant smothered in garlic. When this white Zin faced a white bean and red pepper dip it lost some of its sweetness, which upped it a notch in my estimation.

The next meal consisted of Kube (also called Kibbe); ground beef slow cooked in crushed wheat jackets accompanied by Swiss Chard and Bok Choy. The wine’s acidity almost counterbalanced its sugar. The more I drank the happier I was with the wine’s acidity.

My final meal was centered around a red onion omelet accompanied by smoked salmon on the side. The Zin was quite fruity but still sweeter than I would like while its acidity remained. In the presence of the smoked salmon the wine was round but not quite as fruity. The combination was pleasant but undoubtedly most of the credit went to the smoked salmon.

I ended the bottle with two local cheeses. When accompanying a yellow Cheddar the wine was fruity and sweet. It is almost as if the cheese wasn’t there. When paired with a more forceful white Havarti the wine was fairly round with diminished sweetness.

Final verdict. I would not buy this wine when I’m feeling serious about my libations. But if I just want to have fun and wash down selected nibbles, I wouldn’t mind another round. Does this mean that I’ll return to retaste my first White Zinfandel? Never.

Levi Reiss is the author or co-author of ten computer and Internet books, but really would rather just drink fine German or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his global wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

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Whether or not you like this wine, Umbria and the town of Orvieto are well worth visiting. This site is absolutely spectacular, sitting on an enormous plateau of volcanic rock. They didn’t need the typical high walls to defend the town from invaders. If you go, make sure to take the underground tour and enjoy the local cuisine. You can try the local wines or order Tuscan wines such as Vino Nobile de Montepulciano which comes from an area just over the regional border. I just tasted such a wine, but you won’t find it among my $10 wine reviews.

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Ruffino Orvieto Classico DOC 2007 12 % alcohol about $9.50

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Pale straw color; citrus and apple fruit aromas and flavors; light-bodied, clean and crisp a hint of almond in the finish. Serving Suggestion: Serve chilled as an aperitif or with deep fried calamari. And now for my review.

At the first sip the wine was mild tasting with soft acidity. It lingered. The first pairing was with a Middle Eastern specialty, Kube or Kibbe, ground beef in crushed Bulghar wheat jackets served with a peppery sauce containing crushed tomatoes. The wine was appley and somewhat sweet with pleasing acidity. So far there’s not a lot to say about this wine.

The second pairing included a barbecued chicken breast in a caramelized sauce, potato salad, and a Moroccan-style tomato, garlic, and pimento salsa that wasn’t very spicy. The sweetness of the Orvieto blended well with the sweetness of the chicken. With the other dishes the wine lost its sweetness and stopped just short of feathery. It picked up more strength with the acidic salsa.

The final meal included a mushroom omelet, an overly mayonnaised grilled artichoke dip, and Japanese rice crackers. The wine started out light. It was not particularly flavorful. It got better developing some notes of apple. Even though the artichoke dip was mild tasting it cut across the wine. For dessert I enjoyed a high-quality French style lemon pie with a buttery crust. The pie was delicious but totally flattened the Orvieto.

In the presence of the first cheese, a Mozzarella , the wine picked up some intensity was did not have much flavor. With a yellow Cheddar I tasted pale apples, but only in the background.

Final verdict. I really don’t think that I would buy this wine again, it was simply too forgettable. On the other hand, some of the pairings were OK. See if you can get it at a better price. Or better yet, see if you can get a better wine.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but frankly prefers drinking fine German or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and the right people. He teaches computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Terre a Verre les Roches Picpoul de Pinet, 2005 13% alcohol about $10

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Picpoul de Pinet is a grape variety that is a perfect example of the Mediterranean climate in a bottle. Expect hints of citrus, curry, spice, garrigue, and floral in a racy/fresh frame. It is an excellent palate refresher or would match a grilled prawn dish. And now for my review.

I started by sipping this wine alone. It was acidic and refreshing with a note of honeysuckle. I tasted it with barbecued chicken thighs, French fries spiced with rosemary and garlic, accompanied by green beans cooked with crushed tomatoes. The wine was clearly acidic. It tasted of honeysuckle and citrus with sweet notes. Bizarre, it was sometimes short and sometimes long but always palate cleansing and sometimes metallic.

The second meal involved baked chicken breast in a potato puree, accompanied by green beans in a tomato sauce. I apologize for the double chicken tasting. I did try this wine with shepherd’s pie but because of some dental work the tasting was painful and not at all informative. Anyway, with the chicken breast the wine was lightly sweet with even a taste of honey and refreshing acidity. The Picpoul was moderately long and mouth-filling, quite a pleasant match.

The next meal consisted of an omelet with a commercial artichoke dip and Japanese rice crackers. I felt lip-puckering acidity. The citrus shadow of the wine lasted a long time. The wine was definitely muted by the acidic dip. Interestingly enough, it came out the best with the rice crackers. Later during the meal the wine softened. It became sweet once more in the presence of Wasabi peas.

I finished the tasting with two cheeses. The first cheese was a Provolone. The wine tasted fairly fruity and had good length and acidity. This was better than an average wine and cheese pairing. The marbled Cheddar succeeded in muting the wine, in particular its acidity. This pairing was not nearly as good as the preceding one.

Final verdict. Mixed feelings. There are lots of good $10 wines out there. I don’t see the point of returning to this one. But maybe I’m too harsh. For $10 what can you usually expect from an expensive wine producer such as France?

Over the years Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but really prefers drinking fine German wine, along with friends and the right foods. He teaches sundry computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his global wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

The Rhone Valley ranks second in acreage among France’s eleven wine-growing regions. It’s really a question of two separate areas with very different wines. The narrow northern Rhone Valley produces only a small fraction of the Rhone wines. Its major red grape is Syrah, and its major white variety is Viognier. Traditionally wines in the southern Rhone Valley are blended. For example, both the red and the white Chateauneuf-du-Pape AOC wine may include over a dozen different grape varieties. The white Chateauneuf-du-Pape reviewed below includes four varieties, White Grenache, Rousssane, Bourbuolenc, and Clairette. With the exception of Roussane, these are not considered particularly high-quality grapes. Many of the other permitted varieties are also pedestrian grapes. But Chateauneuf-du-Pape is certainly considered a fine wine. You will never see it on a $10 wine list. Only once in a while you will see it on a $15 wine list.

The village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape is home to about two thousand people and some very well-known French wines. During the Fourteenth Century seven French Popes made their home in nearby Avignon and they got their table wine from the town named new castle of the pope. You may want to visit the Musee des Outils de Vignerons Pere Anselme (The Father Anselm Museum of Winemakers Tools) or the ruins of the Chateau. The nearby city of Orange is home to a great Roman theatre and even an Arc de Triomphe, much less visited than its Parisian namesake.

Before reviewing the Chateauneuf-du-Pape wine here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Soupe de Lentilles Provençale (Provencale Lentil Soup). For your second course savor Pates aux Coquillages (Seafood Pasta). And as dessert indulge yourself with Fougassette (Sweet Bread with Orange Flower Water).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Chateauneuf-du-Pape La Fiole Blanc 13% about $22.50

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Pale gold; aromas of mineral and grapefruit, crisp and dry with a mineral flavor. Serving Suggestion: Serve with fish or seafood.

In the first sips I tasted honey and minerals. The wine was mildly sweet. The first pairing was with a Middle-Eastern dish called kube (or kibbe) consisting of ground beef in jackets made of crushed wheat, slow-cooked in a peppery tomato sauce. The wine tasted of grapefruit. It was nicely long and fairly powerful.

My next meal centered around a barbecued chicken breast in a caramelized sauce accompanied by potato salad and a Moroccan style tomato salsa with garlic that wasn’t very spicy. The wine was sweet like many a Riesling. It went well with the chicken’s sweetness. The acidity was light but increased as the meal went on. The Chateauneuf-du-Pape’s predominant flavor was grapefruit. In the presence of a sweet but acidic, high-quality French style lemon pie the wine was round but weak.

The final meal was broiled salmon filet in a soy and honey sauce with brown rice and zucchini cooked in tomatoes. The wine’s soft acidity was a great compliment to the softness of the fish. Once again grapefruit came out with the rice and zucchini combo. The wine’s acidity went well with the acidity of the tomatoes.

The first cheese was a Mozzarella. The wine was round, forceful, and frankly wasted. With a yellow Cheddar the wine was fairly tasteless. It just didn’t stand up to this fairly weak cheese.

Final verdict. I would buy this wine again but carefully watch what I pair it with. Never again would it be wasted with a pedestrian cheese. My idea of a great wine evening might be starting with this white Chateauneuf-du-Pape to accompany a salmon fillet followed by a red Chateauneuf-du-Pape with a leg of lamb or roast duck. And live a bit like those French Popes almost seven hundred years ago.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but would rather just drink fine German or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches various computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his global wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

The city of Beaune is about two hundred miles southeast of Paris. It is right in the heart of the Burgundy wine region, with Cote de Beaune to the south and Cote de Nuits to the north. Stop by the Twelfth Century church called Collegiale Notre-Dame that hosts a series of tapestries depicting the life of the Virgin Mary. You’ll enjoy the Marche aux Vins (Wine Market) where wine tasting is encouraged. And make sure to visit the famous Hospices de Beaune founded as a hospital for veterans of the Hundred Year’s War. The Grand’ Salle is truly grand, it is more than 150 feet (about 50 meters) long and still has some of the original furniture. In late November the Hospice hosts a world-class wine auction and fete.

Before reviewing the Burgundy wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and local imported food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Gougere (Grated Cheese Pastry). For your second course savor Boeuf Bourguignon (Beef Stewed in Red Wine). And for dessert indulge yourself with Pain d’Epices (Gingerbread).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Maison Champy Pernand-Vergelesses 2004 13% about $20.00

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: The complex set of aromas includes apricot, lemon zest, pear, mineral, oak, and a hint of butter. This dry, youthful wine is good now and will become very impressive with a few years of maturation (2-4 years). This long finishing wine will work nicely with grilled trout or Chicken Kiev.

My first meal consisted of chicken hamburgers with harissa (a Tunisian hot pepper sauce), roasted potatoes cooked in chicken fat, and spicy pickle slices. The wine was quite round and sweet. (I might have guessed it to be a Riesling.) It tasted of lime and was somewhat unctuous with a great length. Frankly, it was too good for this simple meal.

The next meal involved stove-top chicken cooked in a soy-honey sauce with rice and green beans. This Burgundy was refreshingly acidic, it tasted of white grapefruit and lemon. It was feathery and yet powerful. I fail to understand why it was sweet with the first meal, and certainly not sweet here.

The final meal was a packaged Eggplant Parmagiana to which I added lots of grated Parmesan cheese. The wine was quite long, nice and fruity, with good acidity.

The first cheese pairing was with an Emmenthaler (Swiss) cheese that actually came from Germany. The wine was multilayered and nicely acidic but not sweet. I then tried this Chardonnay with goat cheese from the Poitou-Charentes region of central western France. The wine was muted but not flattened.

Final verdict. I would buy this wine again but not waste it on plebian food pairing. I really think it could hold its own with gourmet meals.

Levi Reiss is the author or co-author of ten computer and Internet books, but really would rather just drink fine German or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his global wine website is http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review have been purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Goats do Roam South Africa 2008 13.5% alcohol about $10

Let’s start with the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Ripe and creamy, with delicious apricot, melon and peach cobbler notes backed by a whiff of toast on the finish. Drink now. Score – 88. (James Molesworth, at the Wine Spectator website, June 30, 2009. And now for my review.

With the first sips (no food) I noted the wine’s bright acidity. The taste of honeysuckle was dominant. The initial meal centered around a barbecued chicken leg in a thick, paprika tomato sauce. The wine’s acidity stepped up to meet the sauce. The accompanying potatoes roasted in chicken fat intensified the wine’s fruit. With smoky tasting grilled eggplant virtually covered in garlic the wine was round and seemed sweeter.

The second meal consisted of a boxed Eggplant Rolatini stuffed with Ricotta and Mozzarella cheese and slathered with grated Parmesan cheese. The wine was light and almost feathery. It presented bright acidity and I tasted some apricots in the background. It was surprisingly long.

The final meal was also vegetarian. I started with Matjes herring that rendered the wine round with fine acidity. I noted a definite apple flavor. When paired with green beans in tomato sauce this wine was not very present but I noted some green apples. When paired with okra in a tomato, garlic, and onion sauce the blend picked up a bit and was fairly long but did not give a lot of fruit. The roasted eggplant with lots of oil and garlic took away the wine’s fruit, just as the wine refreshingly washed away this delicious vegetable’s grease. I made the mistake of trying this wine with Haagen Dazs Mayan Chocolate ice cream. The wine was thin and had harsh acidity.

I tasted this wine with two cheeses; with the Asiago the wine wasn’t very acidic. It did have some apple taste with a bit of sweetness. With a fairly tasty Swiss Emmenthaler the wine picked up some strength and length. This combination was fairly good.

Final verdict. Good, but not good enough. Actually, with the right pairing it’s not bad. But I have grown to expect more from South African wines.

In his younger days Levi Reiss wrote or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but he prefers drinking fine German or other wine with the right foods and the right people. He teaches computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his global wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Montecillo Blanco Osborne (Vihhos De Portugal), 2008 11.8% alcohol about $8,50

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Tasting Note: Very pale lemon yellow; aromas of mineral, green apple, and pear; dry, light to medium-bodied, crisp acidity, fresh flavors of citrus and pear. Serving Suggestion: Serve with appetizers or seafood salad. And now for my reactions.

At the first sips the acidity was predominant, and I tasted slightly green (unripe) apples. With schmaltz (fatty) herring packed in oil the apples in the wine seemed to ripen a bit. The initial meal consisted of boxed vegetarian lasagna covered with grated Parmesan cheese. The wine was refreshing but somewhat thin. As the meal progressed the wine did manage to regain some of its strength. With a high-quality vanilla, chocolate-coated ice cream bar the wine became lightly sweet but its fruit was almost absent.

The next meal was a hot weather don’t turn on the stove, microwave meal. It centered around reheated commercially prepared sweet and sour barbecued chicken wings with a potato knish (potato and onion in fried dough), potato patties, and lots of spicy salsa. The meat brought out apple and lime notes in the wine whose acidity picked up when facing the potato preparations. The acidity intensified even more to match the spicy salsa. But all in all this wine was rather absent.

My final food pairing involved veal shanks that were cooked slowly with sliced potatoes and crushed tomatoes. The wine was acidic and apple was the predominant taste. There was definitely a lack of balance. I was hoping that the wine’s acidity would mesh with the acidity of the tomatoes but it didn’t.

I ended the bottle with two local cheeses. When paired with a Havarti the wine was fruity with notes of pear at the finish. When paired with an Emmenthaler (Swiss) the pear taste became predominant. This was one of the better wine and cheese combinations that I have had in a long time, perhaps because the Swiss cheese was so good.

Final verdict. I wouldn’t buy this wine again. Most of the food pairings came up short.

Over the years Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten computer and Internet books, but really prefers drinking fine German wine, along with friends and the right foods. He teaches sundry computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Visit his global wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

Article Source: ArticleSpan

If you like anchovies and you like fritters you may go for Crispeddi (Anchovy and Dill Fritters) that also contain peperoncino, Italian hot peppers. Recommended wines include Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC from The Marches, a wine often paired with fish and seafood and Vermentino di Sardegna DOC from the island of Sardinia northwest of Sicily.

Sicily was once part of the Arab world. You can see the Arab influence in many dishes such as Couscous con Pesce (Fish Stew Couscous). Sicilians tend to make couscous with fish such as grouper or red snapper. In contrast North Africans usually prefer vegetables, mutton, or a lamb sausage known as merguez. Once again a good suggestion is Vermentino di Sardegna DOC but so is Fiano di Avellino DOCG from the Campania region of southern Italy. I am a real fan of Fiano but don’t think of suing me if you are unhappy with it.

Involtini di Pesce Spada (Swordfish Rolls) are fairly tricky to prepare but are delicious. It goes very well with salmoriglio sauce, an Italian sauce that you won’t find in many local supermarkets. Once you worked hard on the fish and the sauce, you’ll want to be pleased with the wine. Two of the choices are Greco di Tufo DOCG or its close neighbor, Fiano di Avellino DOCG.

Some say that Pasta con le Sarde (Pasta With Sardines) is Sicily’s signature dish. I’m not all that partial to sardines and even less so to raisins but lots of Sicilians eat it up. If you want to do it right, use Bucatini and cook it al dente. This is really a Sicilian dish and so let’s not be surprised that the appropriate wines are probably not available here. Your best bet is probably the Verdicchio di Matelica DOC. If you can’t get this wine try your luck with its cousin Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC that most people put lower in the wine pecking (sipping?) order.

For dessert you may want to try Cannoli con Ricotta (Ricotta-stuffed Rolls) that are available in many Italian pastry shops. Otherwise making them is tricky but they can be delicious. It’s also tricky to find an appropriate dessert wine to accompany them. The best choice is probably Moscato Passito di Pantelleria DOC from the tiny island of Pantelleria south of Sicily. In 1971 this became the third wine to be accorded the once prestigious DOC classification. You might also try your luck with the once great and now trying to claw its way back Marsala. Take my advice; don’t even think about a Marsala cooking wine, not even for cooking.

Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but would rather just drink fine German or other wine, accompanied by the right foods. He teaches various computer classes at an Ontario French-language community college. Check out his global wine website http://www.theworldwidewine.com with a weekly column reviewing $10 wines and new sections writing about (theory) and tasting (practice) organic and kosher wines.

Article Source: ArticleSpan