Id-so-facto: Thoughts on food and wine
March 10, 2020
 |
| Don Merlot |
 |
| Ralph Carreño |
This last Christmas 2019 my Daughter Micaela gave me the new edition of Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2020. Johnson has been one my favorite wine guides since the 1980’s, albeit, not my only wine mentor; but when as I traveled I could stick his pocket sized edition in my attaché case and when I was alone I pulled it out and I could read it as a novel of untold adventures of places I have visited, wines I had drunk, repasts I had consumed and/or places I had visited or was about to visit. I learned to understand the definition of varietals, flavors, smells, colors, cultures, and vocabulary. I now understood why every wine growing country believes that they grow and produce the best wine on earth, and probably rightly so, including states within the United States of America, & wine producing countries: Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Peru. Why not?, I have been to all of them and they produce quality wines and in a blind tasting it is hard to taste the regional differences sometimes of the vin ordinaire as the heart and soul of the vintner that is in the nectar of their wine. In looking over my Library I found my first book the vintage Wine Book by William S. Leedom 1963 (Vintage Books Random House) and back in 1970 it cost me $1.95. My first career boss and bosses had lived in France or Europe and had the savoir faire of wine and food and the culture and as a neophyte it was passed on to me as I joined the company and started my career.
As I started my journey, I really had to differentiate between what the learned wine experts – connoisseurs said were the best and what wines I tasted and liked, and I preferred. I had to learn not to like something because it was recognized as the best but because it pleased my senses, as I was lucky enough at that stage to be able to afford it and taste it. I kept logs and noted my comments and saved the labels and kept several books by country and regions. Prior to starting a career, I had encountered several occasions of having wine, as a participant. When I grew up at home, we had Wine with Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. In College my roommate Bob Lightfoot introduced me to MATEAUS – a sparkling rose from Portugal. And post college on social occasions we had Gallo wine - Hearty Burgundy.
I recently recollected how I started going down my wine path and who my mentor at my first job was, and there is no question it was Ralph [Carreño],* my first boss who piqued my curiosity in wine, and let me decide for myself what was my taste and not focus on what was famous etc.; written up so I should like it but make my own mind up. We lived in St. Joseph, Michigan, and had a wine purveyor who was lucky to have the whole corporate group to supply their daily needs if they did not run into South Bend or go to Chicago to buy wines, which was technically against the law, but I never knew anyone that was caught.
Lambrecht’s, the wine and liquor store, carried French and Italian wines and was enough to get me started. There was also a selection of California varietals that educated me on names so when I started reading about wines, I could at least find out what was meant. There was the public Library and I found books on the basics on wine. I was the luckiest guy of all because I could travel to New York for business and Ralph was a New Yorker and eventually took me to Sherry Lehmann’s a wine purveyor which was Nirvana for me, exposing me to major European wines. I met Mr. Gelfand who walked me through Burgundies and new released Bordeaux’s and the traditional districts; and I went to bookstores and found up to date wine books and journals. On weekends in Michigan friends would escape early on Saturday mornings to Chicago (there was an hour time difference) so we would be in downtown Chicago at 9 AM – Many a time we would visit the House of Glunz (Louis Glunz – famous for its history before the Prohibition as a big liquor importer and after as a wine importer & a beer distributor ) Mr. Glunz, the son and quite old, would invite us in and teach us about sherry and some of his wines that he imported from France, Spain, & Italy) We were young and thought we were spending a fortune then and bought a selection (each mixed wine and sherry) about $50 each. Then we would go over to a Mexican restaurant – Guadalajara and our menu favorites were Chile Rellenos, Carne Asada a la Tampequena with Margaritas. We would return home to St. Joe (MI) - a 90-minute drive.
The senses that I had to hone/develop to appreciate what I liked were sight and smell, because this is something you had to grade yourself. Only yourself was capable of grading you but yourself – no one could judge you if you smelled raspberries or cherries, or pears or green apples. I ended up taking a lot of courses and joining a lot of wine groups. The hardest thing was to find what you like and not what the experts liked. And in my case, it was difficult to not be able to smell or taste what other people smelled or tasted. I remember 20 years ago I took Wine Spectator courses to enhance my knowledge of wines and wine regions.
Looking back at 52 years of worldwide travel in my Marco polo travel Days of 45 years of global travel for business, I tasted a lot of food and wine: the lesson I learned is identifying what wines I liked with what food I could match with wines to make me happy. To start I had to learn that liquor is distilled into alcohol and grapes are fermented and become a juice with alcohol and have a limited shelf life, although some wines with tannin can be cellared and aged for several years and that is wine – Red grapes make red wine, Green grapes make white wine. The joy of wine and food is matching the taste buds of the wine with the food for a sensory pleasure. I learned a Japanese saying early in my travels – one man takes the bottle – two bottles take the man, so wherever I went out you must pace yourself and not out drink your capacity. I remember reading that the great Roman Emperor Julian gave each of his warriors a liter of wine before the battle. He was quite victorious until he was betrayed by one of his own men.
I think it is time to review the change over the last 50 years or so as the garden has grown and flourished and demands and expectations have nudged and pushed, even shoved wine yet the paradigm remains basically the same as the original beverage as evolved. I notice lately that as I become more senior, I am limited by the new technology that is so advanced and all the information is so instant and up to date so what I have to say has already been updated. I still read as many wine journals as possible to see what is new or what new ideas are being presented. I just celebrated my 52nd Wedding anniversary and we went and had a sumptuous piece of beef with wine. We had a Tomahawk ribeye with a top Duckhorn Merlot. We started out with a Kir Royale. My initial wine preference was as fan of Burgundy – the Pinot Noir - and still love and consider it my roots, but along the way I was given the name Don Merlot by my friend Howard Stone. Back in the 1980s when California was trying to introduce the softer Merlot varietal in the USA it introduced the merlot to its CA vineyards. In Bordeaux parlance I preferred the Pomerols and St. Emilion’s that use the Merlot varietal than the Bordeaux’s that use the varietal Cabernet Sauvignon - (Merlot is my taste). Once out in Orange County, CA one night we ordered grilled tuna with a Markham Merlot that Howard liked and so he gave me the name of Don Merlot, and it stuck so that is how I got tagged with the name of Don Merlot.
The original Kir was Cassis (liquor) mixed with local vin Mousseux (sparkling white wine from Burgundy) – (but today it is Chambord and French Champagne - for us on our special night it was a treat and souvenirs of our days in Dijon and Lyon. The Beef steak was extraordinary – to me the absolute best I can remember ever having. That is saying something because in my world travels, I have had the best beef of Alberta, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay. Nicaragua, Texas, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas City, In New York City & Connecticut, Toronto, France, Italy, I do not know why this one was so good, but it was and just special.
At first Pinot Noir (Burgundy – Cote d’Or ) were my favorite followed by Merlots of Bordeaux (Pomerols and St. Emilion) but as I traveled and was introduced to other red wines, I found a plethora of wonderful wines that were not available in markets outside of their own home. Spain’s Tempranillo in Rioja’s & Ribera del Duero. Nebbiolo in Italy’s – in Barolo and then came the super Tuscans The Syrah of the Rhone wines and the blends of Chateauneuf du Pape became a most favorite for beef fondues. Shiraz of Australia. Merlot in Chile, Malbec in Argentina. And we cannot forget the European varietals in California wines. So, what made my taste different than my friends and mentors who seemed to favor Bordeaux’s and I was leaning to the Burgundies in France? I remember in France my colleagues said that Bourgogne mal pour le foie. The more I read up it had to do with my tongue and tannin, I guess. I really fell in love with a Grands Exchezeaux one night at Tosi’s our Restaurant in Stevensville where I had my Burgundian cathartic moment – “on croit avaler le bon en Dieu en culottes de velours” (one seems to have swallowed the good Lord himself wearing velvet pants) -P Shand’s quotation from Burgundian vigneron.
When I was at home and entertaining roasting beef I loved Beaujolais (the Gamay varietal) – my favorite was Moulin au Vent and would drive over to Chicago and get premium AOC’s – We would take magnums to the Michigan football games and serve with beautiful French bread from Tosi’s (Stevensville, Michigan) and roasted rib eye roast – Quite decadent we were the envy of the groups around us. We even had Italian rainbow cookies and served with Espresso Coffee laced with sambuca.
I have not even started with the appetizers yet. My Corrupter was Giuseppe Lucci from the New York advertising Agency who although was Italian for the main meal was a Madrileno in his soul. He spent his early twenties in Madrid and adapted to its Flamenco culture and Spanish language. His Aperitif became Gonzalez y Byass - Jerez - Tio Pepe, – Sherry, With Lucci the appetizer was Manchego cheese, Jamon Serrano, olives, maybe pan de agua (Spanish baguette). We could have a catharsis experience all night listening to the wailing of Flamenco.
My first trip to France was in 1969 and it was the first time I experienced culture shock. My work Colleagues were European trained. My dinning experience was the first thing that was interesting. The water was out of a bottle with or without Gaz and the wine came in a pichet, a small pitcher. My experience with white wine and fish came with my colleague Martin who ordered a Sancerre – a dry white and I really liked it. I ran into Sancerre several times. I found out the varietal was sauvignon blanc and it came from the Loire valley. The more popular white wine with Americans was the Varietal Chardonnay which was popular and grown in CA and in France was grown in the Burgundy area and more expensive than the Loire vins. Frenchmen are frugal on everyday wines and Sancerre was a popular wine in the restaurants of Paris at that period. Beaujolais was the red wine of the Parisian Bistros. It was the gamay varietal with much less tannin than the Pinot Noir or the Cabernet Sauvignon.
So, I ask my self what goes on now, today? - in a dining experience as I just had: – I must analyze it. The wait staff at my 51st anniversary celebration restaurant was very knowledgeable from aperitive to menu presentation meal preparation and service. We chose a Kir Royale – which is not made with Kir but Chambord, but that is ok since we knew the difference. Since I was at a premiere steak place and a limited menu, a sommelier is not necessary, and the server should know the wine list. In our situation we had seen the menu online and knew what we wanted – all except the wine selection. Our timing was a little off because our Anniversary fell during the same period of a Valentine celebration and a day that they offer a special selection/cut of meat. So, we wanted the Tomahawk ribeye cut and merlot wine instead of the Champagne that came with the Valentine Day offering so we chose each a glass of Duckhorn Merlot off the wine list. I note this experience today as what would have been 50 years ago: same paradigm just more people having part in the action. Were we Automatons or free will knowing what we were doing? I enjoyed my first days in a new environment in Paris more though when I was learning, and I knew nothing.
There are available on NETFLIX wonderful videos titled SOMM. (there are three) - 3 that I am aware of anyway. After viewing them I decided that I am glad that I am not a qualified Sommelier. First, I would never qualify and very few make the rank. My taste buds never can discern the detail of differentiating the fruit. Especially now in my senior years. I read the wine reviews in WINE SPECTATOR and marvel at the detail the young people pick up. In watching the video clips on SOMM I visually see how effortlessly the trained sommelier uses eyes, nose, sense – it is a Je n’ai se qua I do not have.
So, fifty years later I have evolved with the times and remember what I learned but what I had I cannot repeat because you only pass by once and never get a second chance to go the same road again: a lesson learned for sure. I adhere to the policy of drink wine that you like and not what other people think is best
Don Merlot is writer based in New Orleans. He also goes by Ron Alonzo.
* The PJ is dedicated to the memory of Ralph J. Carreño. Learn more by referencing the Label List, found in the far right gutter.
The PJ depends on reader support. Please help us by contributing directly via PayPal, or by contributing editorial content via PhiladelphiaJunto@ymail.com. Empowered by WritersClearinghouse | S.P.Q.R. 1976 Richard Carreño, Editor Copyright MMIXX. All Rights Reserved.