Wine in My Kitchen: Cooking and Reading Everyday

by Karen Tripson

Winter Entertaining Ideas:
Wine Values from Being Neighborly
Food for Wine Tasting from Macrina Bakery & Cafe.

Value is always important to me and never more important than when entertaining. I am on the trail these days of wines that drink like big bucks— but don't cost big bucks—because they are neighbors of the fabulous and famous. Being just down the road from, across the border or in a nearby region to a prestigious address such as Chatueaneuf du Pape can mean a wine that tastes a step down, but similar, to the best of the French country wines at a price that works for me.

Here are a few I have enjoyed recently that were recommended by the wine buyer at my local grocery store. Ask wherever you shop for neighborly suggestions and send me the successes to add to this list.

Sancerre
Domaine des Corbillières, Touraine Sauvignon 2002 Val de Loire is the ticket when you want it cold, dry, crisp, with citrus notes and minerals. Produced in the central Loire Valley, west of Sancerre, this white wine retails under $10 and drinks like twice as much.

Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Santa Duc Les Baissons Cairanne Cotes Du Rhone Villages 2001 is a Robert Kacher selection made from old vines that seem very close in character to the most famous appellation of the southern Rhone. At $16.99 Santa Duc sits confidently on the shelf next to a neighbor at $68.99 and makes me happy.

Rioja
Condesa de Leganza Crianza 1999 La Mancha. This red is 100% tempranillo grapes aged in American oak and is a smooth, big mouthful for an astonishing $8.99. The winery in the not-famous-for-great-wine region of La Mancha is being upgraded/renovated by the owners of Bodegas Faustino, the single largest producer of Reserva and Gran Reserva wines in Spain's Rioja region.

Port
Fonsica 10 Year Old Tawny Port is lovely with fruit, cheese or even chocolate. It doesn't look tawny in the glass, will not embarrass you with vintage port lovers and is a very festive conclusion at less than $30.

Serve with Specialties of the Macrina Bakery & Café
Bakeries were created for people like me who have never made a loaf of bread and don't intend to try. I know the parameters of my kitchen talent and precision baking is in another universe of cooking. It is a value to buy anything from the Macrina Bakery, particularly the treasures in the day-old basket for $1. My freezer is always ready to serve impromptu company thanks to Macrina.

Leslie Mackie, the creator and owner of Macrina is another Seattle success story making a national name for herself and her enterprise with a cookbook, Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook, that demonstrates just how good it is to eat in or take home from Macrina. Bread and pastry chefs will be glad to learn her secrets from this book. I am going to keep buying bread from her forever but there is plenty in this cookbook that I will prepare. Here are just a few ideas that will make good neighbors with wine.

Food for Wine Tasting
Sweet and Spicy Nuts combines almonds, peanuts, pecans and walnuts with aromatic spices and a sweet crisp coating. It's a holiday item at Macrina, but would be great with a glass of wine anytime of year, before a meal or after.

Roasted Pear Galette with Chèvre and Pomegranates is a savory cheese tart with grilled pear slices on top. It's easy to make and serves as a hors d'œuvre for a tasting or as an appetizer.

Roasted Walnut and Anise Biscotti is not the tooth-breaking, coffee-dunking kind of biscotti but more like toast that is not overly sweet and has herbal flavor components that work well with wine.

Baked Brie en Croute is rejuvenated with double grape flavor from baking grapes until they burst to create a interesting layer of nuts, grapes and spices between the brie and the pastry.

West Seattle Thriftway

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