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May 02' Monthly Newsletter
Top-Ten Healthiest Foods in 2002
This Month's Wine
Food Recipe
Wine Quote
Newsletter Archives
Dear Member…
Plans are underway to celebrate our 20th Anniversary with a fabulous
tasting and wine dinner for Members in Chicago on Thursday, June
6th. The evening will begin with a wine reception at our warehouse/offices.
You’ll have an opportunity to see our digs and meet and mingle
with our staff. Then it’s off to dinner just down the street
where we’ll pair our wines with some glorious cuisine. You're
invited - so please see the enclosed invitation and mark June 6th
in your calendar. This is one event you don't want to miss. Why
not make it a "Wine Weekend"? Join us on our annual tour
to award-winning Lynfred Winery in Roselle, Illinois on that Saturday,
June 8th.
International Wine Selections - The response to our new International
Wine Selections program has been grand. We are looking forward to
sharing our new wine discoveries with you. For those of you who
have not seen the information about this new International program,
please allow us to send you a brochure by calling, faxing or e-mailing
a request for info. These International wines are top quality and,
as always, a very good value. In support of our new International
Wine program we're working on travel plans for winery tours to foreign
countries.
For this fall, please note the enclosed information regarding our
annual California tour via luxury bus. We've put together a great
package of top wineries, restaurants and wine events and hope you'll
join us.
Cheese - Again, thanks for your interest in our gourmet cheeses.
We have fun recommending them and are delighted that so many of
you have responded so enthusiastically. Beginning this year, we'll
discontinue shipping in July and August – it's just too warm
to ensure that they arrive in the perfect condition. In the fall
we'll kick off a new cheese program where you'll have the option
of automatically receiving each month's selection.
Wine Gifts – Dads & Grads
Finally, please check out our Father's Day/Graduation wine gifts.
We think they are quite appropriate and will be duly appreciated.
As always, thanks for allowing us to share the wonderful world of
wine with you.
President
Founder
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The Top Ten
Healthiest Foods in 2002
The January 21, 2002 Time Magazine carried a list of foods
titled “Ten Foods That Pack a Wallop.”
Everyone knows that natural foods carry many nutritious elements
such as vitamins and minerals that are essential to everybody’s
good health. Scientists have now begun to identify the natural
chemicals, beyond the vitamins and minerals, that seem to
have preventive powers. There is a simple rule of thumb about
how to tell which foods are better at this than others –
the chemicals that give foods their color seem to help us
the most. The red in red wine, the blue in blueberries, the
green in spinach, the orange in carrots.
So what are these famous “Top 10 Healthy Foods?”
In no particular proven order of importance, they are:
1. Tomato
2. Spinach
3. Red Wine (nice, right?)
4. Nuts
5. Broccoli
6. Oats
7. Salmon
8. Garlic
9. Green Tea
10. Blueberries
All of these foods and food products also have the ability
to combine with each other to be even more beneficial. Consider
a spinach, tomato & fresh garlic pizza with a glass of
beautiful California Sangiovese from your cellar. How can
you do any better?
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This Month's
Wines....
Chardonnay
by Sharon Rosenbaum, Senior Wine Buyer
At about 343,000 acres, Chardonnay is the world's 8th most
widely planted grape with California alone growing a third
of the total. In the US wine mark et, Chardonnay is far and
away the leader in terms of volume of sales and, among all
the major grape varieties grown in California, it fetches
the highest prices.
What makes Chardonnay so special? Experienced winemakers
can “layer” a Chardonnay giving it more more complexity.
The most flavorful ones, for example, savor a sojourn in French
oak barrels. The grape doesn't have a lot of intrinsic flavor:
some say citrus, apple-pie or tropical fruit, so it reacts
well to barrel contact with its lees while ageing. This adds
texture and enhances the wine's flavors (called “sur
lie” ageing). Chardonnays can often undergo a secondary,
or malolactic, fermentation. The end results are a reduction
in acidity and the production of the wine’s characteristic
"buttery" flavor.
2001 Fair Oaks Canyon Paso Robles
The Paso Robles wine region, located midway between Los Angeles
and San Francisco, just 30 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean,
boasts a centuries-old tradition of winemaking. Today, with
50 award-winning wineries and over 20,000 acres planted to
grapes, the area retains an unhurried, old world charm. The
warm days and fog cooled nights and mornings are ideal for
Chardonnay.
This 2001 Fair Oaks Canyon Chardonnay’s pale golden
color hints at the citrus-scented fruit aromas. Flavors are
bright and refreshing with notes of pear, melon, mineral and
green apple. A light-medium body, smooth texture and crisp
finish make this beautifully balanced wine a natural partner
for grilled seafood or shellfish. Enjoy today and over the
next 18 months.
2000 Windson Hill California
This 2000 Windson Hill Chardonnay was produced from grapes
grown in two distinctive vineyards. One, in the southern portion
of Monterey, enjoys a temperate, Mediterranean coast-style
climate. These grapes contribute tropical and citrus fruit
aromas and flavors. The other vineyard is set along a riverside
in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. These warm climate grapes
add subtle notes of pear and mineral and a rich, round texture.
A portion of the blend (40%) was barrel fermented to create
a lush, creamy textured wine with a thread of toasty oak.
The wine finishes clean and refreshing. It will pair well
with a wide variety of dishes including mushroom-based dishes
or a crispy roast chicken. Delicious today and over the next
year.
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Food Recipe
to accompany Chardonnay
by Camille Stagg
Camille Stagg is a food, wine and travel journalist and author.
Her latest book is "The Eclectic Gourmet Guide to Chicago"
(Menasha Ridge Press). She was food editor of both the Chicago
Sun-Times and Cuisine magazine.
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Chardonnay Pork Chops with
Thyme
Ingredients
4 pork chops, cut about 1-inch thick
1 tablespoon Canola oil
2/3 cup Chardonnay or similar dry white wine
2/3 cup consommé
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or, 1/4 teaspoon crumbled,
dried thyme
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon mango chutney
4 thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
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Preparation
Trim excess fat from pork. Heat a few pieces of fat, together
with oil, in large skillet over medium-high heat. Render fat--remove
cracklings.
Brown pork chops in hot fat on both sides, allowing 2 to 3
minutes per side. Add wine, consommé and thyme; bring
to boil, reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 1/2 hour,
or until chops test done and are tender.
Remove about 1/4 cup of the sauce to a glass measuring cup.
Stir in mustard and chutney, stir into sauce in pan. Heat
another 1 to 2 minutes; cover and turn off heat. Let stand
7 to 8 minutes before serving.
Transfer to platter and keep warm. Garnish with thyme sprigs.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Makes 4 servings. Prep/Marinade time: 10–12 minutes
• Cooking time: about 45 minutes
Serve with cooked rice, buttered green beans and a salad
of lettuce and orange slices with a light vinaigrette.
Preparation time: Preparation time: about 10 - 12 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Makes 4 servings.
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Quote:
“In water one sees one’s own face; but in wine one
beholds the heart of another.”
Old French Proverb
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