2010 Thanksgiving Picks

It's just about time for some turkey and we have five recommendations for a perfect Thanksgiving Day. Your favorite locally-owned retailer has once more scoured the globe for the best wines we can find, here's the list:

Oveja Negra Sauvignon Blanc/Carmenere 9.99 / 8.49 solid case
This neat Chilean white is a blend of of a white wine grape (Sauvignon Blanc) and red wine grape (Carmenére). It stays a white wine by using only the pulp of the Carmenére which gives the otherwise tart Sauvignon Blanc a softer finish. The result is a zippy white with flavors of lime and ripe fruits.

Bugey Cerdon NV 18.99 / 16.14 solid case
This delicious sparkler is a crowd pleasing wine with loads of wild berry, tart apple flavors and a hint of spice . Made from 95% Gamay and 5% Poulsard in a refreshing, rosé style. Use it to pair with cheese plates and hor d'eauvres or as an after dinner quaffer for your Turkey Day celebration.

Donkey and Goat Syrah ‘El Dorado‘ 2008 25.99 / 22.09 solid case
If you are looking for a rich red wine that will still pair well with the meal this little gem is sure to fit the bill. Featured in the New York Times as one of the few winemakers in the US to produce natural, organic wines and with very minimal added sulfites. This Syrah is a concentrated red with notes of dark berry liqueur, black raspberry and a pronounced spiciness. Worth the splurge!

You Are So Fine Vouvray 2007 21.99 / 18.69 solid case
A real standout. This unfiltered, organic and naturally-made 100% Chenin Blanc from Vouvray (France) is a richer version of the style due low yields and aging in 5 year old barrels. It is a bone dry, fuller-bodied wine with notes of tropical fruits, honeycomb and a little nuttiness. Fermented in a style with a little fizz left in to keep it lively. Unusual and so fantastic, this may be the most memorable wine of the day.

Bielsa Garnacha 2009 10.99 / 9.34 solid case
Old vine and unfiltered, this juicy Spanish red is sourced from 50 year-old Grenache vines that are dry farmed and then fermented in stainless steel at a cooler temperature. Fresh and fruity, with notes of black fruit, spice and dry earth.
The Bielsa is one of the best values at kybecca now.

retail pricing shown, view all our picks online at kybecca.com

We Can't Make it Any Easier

I Love, Love, Love This Wine

Friday I decided to hang out at the wine bar after work and socialize a bit with some friends and patrons. The place was buzzing and I got the luxury of getting off work a little early, hooray! Even better I was invited to make a wine selection for the group. As I was perusing our racks trying to figure out what everyone would like, a light bulb went on and I thought, how about picking something I like? While I enjoy making pairings for customers and matching wines to their preferences it is a rare treat for me to be invited to pick a wine purely based on my desire to drink it. My preferences tend toward food-friendly (good acidity), low alcohol, subtle, elegant wines that don't coat your mouth with huge fruit, and preferably naturally made.

I happen to be a huge fan of Gamay. Not the Beaujolais Nouveau sort (we carry the best of the lot, but even the best Bojo Nouveau is not great), but the kind made by Loire, Burgundy and Beaujolais producer who coax this grape into aromatic, beautiful wines. Looking through our racks I settled on the the 2008 Clos du Tue-Boeuf Cheverny Rouge. Absolute heaven, I nearly cried I love this wine so much. It instantly made me think about driving through the Loire with Kyle so many years ago. We ate, we drank, we had a ball and the wines were reminiscent of the earth, flowers and berries. They taste like they came from a place, and this little Cheverny Rouge is just such a wine. It is a mixture of Pinot Noir and Gamay made by the super talented Puzelat brothers (they are rock stars in the natural wine world and you can read about them here) who are pushing the boundaries of how wine is made, bringing back forgotten varietals and making one kick-ass wine after another.

This Cheverny is light to medium bodied (but unfiltered so it has a wonderful cloudy appearance) and very lively with flavors of raspberry, cherries, and wild fruits. It also has herbal aromas that carry over on the palate as well as earthy notes. Excellent on its own, this wine will pair much better with food than most reds. Chill this wine a little bit before serving.

Race To The Bottom

The other day I was having a casual conversation with a friend who used to own a pizza restaurant about places that still use real cheese on their pizzas. Since he was in the business I thought he would be a good source; he couldn't think of one fast-casual pizza restaurant that used 100% real cheese around here (that is by no means the final word, there may places we hadn't thought of). The giveaway is apparently the oil that develops on the top of the cheese when melted. Makes sense, in order to reduce the cost of cheese food producers substitute soy oil and partially hydrogenated fats for the more expensive milk fats in real cheese. Now that I am in the restaurant business I am amazed at the crap you can buy to cut corners. One food rep was surprised that we used extra virgin olive oil in our food, quote "nobody does that". Most places use a mixture of low grade olive oil mixed with soy oil, cheap and tastes vaguely of olive oil. In my view disgusting and not real food. Even food that is made in beautifully presented "prepared food" sections at the grocery store is loaded with ingredients that act as fillers, and low quality oils you would never use at home.

The whole thing begs the question, what happened to food?
We can blame big corporations for their clever switcheroos and constant hunt for cheaper alternatives (don't even get me started on chocolate) but we also have to take stock of what we as consumers are allowing to happen and encouraging with our constant search for rock-bottom prices. If price is the determining factor for purchasing then businesses have an incentive to cut corners or lose customers. Places that use real ingredients and make the food have the highest food and labor costs and therefore have to charge more. The benefit to the consumer is a better product, support of real food and its producers, and good wages for skilled workers. The challenge for all of us is to recognize it when we get it and support it.

The Best Grape You Have Never Heard Of

It's not surprising that most people have never heard about Pineau d'Aunis. It's an obscure little varietal that comes from the Loire Valley in France, a region mostly known for its whites (think Sancerre and Vouvray). It is also called Chenin Noir and was popular among French Nobles during medieval times. My first introduction to this grape was last Thanksgiving when Matt raved about a new wine we had brought in by my favorite French producer Thierry Puzelat called La Tesniere. It was a revelation. The wine had a light to medium body very much like a Pinot Noir but instead of the delicate (or ripe ones these days) fruit flavors this wine had warm flavors of cinnamon and dark prune all balanced by mineral and earth flavors normally stripped away from wines these days.

This wine was different, food-friendly and didn't wear out my palate with a syrupy texture or huge alcohol. Needless to say it was a hit among everyone present and a testament to a more restrained style missing so often from retailers shelves. It's the kind of wine that has a subtle beauty that reveals itself with each sip; so unlike most of the wines consumers normally seek out which try to impact the palate as heavily as possible right from the get-go. Do I sound bitter? Only a little. I wish we sold more of these wines than huge Aussie Shirazes, but if we can just develop a few more fans for these wines that would be OK with me.

Our newest Pineau D'Aunis is from another talented producer Christian Chaussard. This one is blended with a bit of Cot (Malbec) for richness and sells for the insanely low price of $21.99. I know $22 is not an inexpensive bottle of wine, but it is for this wine. If you are curious about it we have it in the Enomatics right now. Oh and both of the wines I mentioned are grown under strict organic and biodynamic standards, naturally made and have minimal sulfites added.

2006 Coteaux du Loir Rouge ‘La Dérobée’
From around 90% Pineau d’Aunis with Côt. Polished. Deep appearance. Youthful ruby red. Dense fruit character on the nose, although not obviously Pineau d’Aunis on first sniff. Broad, creamy, vanilla flavours on the palate. Soft tannins and well structured. Pepper and spice to finish. The small proportion of Côt adds density. Drinking now, but could be expected to age further. (12/08)

In: Real Food

To those who know me this message will not be a new one. I believe that eating real food, as unprocessed as possible is not only better for your health, but easier, cheaper, more delicious and better for the planet.
It is astounding how many chemicals are used in processed foods and even the "light" varieties have ingredient lists that make me cringe. Sugar everywhere, gelatins, yeasts and more, all to replicate foods that taste better with real ingredients anyway.
When I saw this article in the Times today by Mark Bittman (of the Minimalist cookbook fame) I nearly jumped out of my chair. Beans, yes! real stock, yes! bacon, yes! fresh herbs, yes!

In addition there is such a thing as real wine. Wines made organically with no additives or sulfites and from indigenous yeasts. We are big fans of the Puzelat wines that are made this way.

YOU SHOULD ALSO STOCK:

REAL BACON OR PROSCIUTTO Or other traditionally smoked or cured meat of some kind. If you have a quarter pound of prosciutto in the house at all times you can make almost anything — simple cooked grains, beans, vegetables, tomato sauces, soups — taste better. And, tightly wrapped, it’ll keep for weeks in the fridge or months in the freezer.

FISH SAUCE You have soy sauce, presumably; this is different, stronger, cruder (or should I say “less refined”?) in a way — and absolutely delicious. Use sparingly, but use; start by sprinkling a little over plain steamed vegetables, along with a lot of black pepper.

CANNED COCONUT MILK Try this: cook some onions in oil with curry powder; stir in coconut milk; poach chicken, fish, tofu, or even meat in that. Serve over rice.

MISO PASTE Never goes bad, as far as I can tell, and its flavor is incomparable. Whisk into boiling water for real soup in three minutes; thin a bit (with sake if you have it), and smear on meat or fish that’s almost done broiling; add a spoonful to vinaigrette. Etc.

CAPERS, GOOD OLIVES (BUY IN BULK, NOT CANS) AND GOOD ANCHOVIES (IN OLIVE OIL, PLEASE) The combination of the three makes a powerful paste, or pasta sauce, or dip.

WALNUTS And/or other nuts, but walnuts are most basic and useful. Try a purée with garlic, oil and a little water, as a pasta sauce, or just add to salads or cooked grains.

PIGNOLI With raisins, they make any dish Sicilian.

DRIED FRUIT For snacking, in braises (braised pork with prunes is a classic winter dish), or just soaked in water (or booze) or poached for dessert. Don’t forget dried tomatoes, too.

DRIED MUSHROOMS Don’t even bother to reconstitute if you’re cooking with liquid; just toss them in.

FROZEN SHRIMP Incredibly convenient.

WINTER SQUASH AND SWEET POTATOES These store almost as well as potatoes and are more nutritious and equally interesting. A sweet potato roasted until the exterior is nearly blackened and the interior is mush is a wonderful snack. The best winter squashes (delicata, for example) have edible skins and are amazing just chunked and roasted with a little oil (and maybe some ginger or garlic). For butternut- or acorn-type squashes, poke holes through to the center with a skewer in a few places and roast in a 400 degree oven until soft. Let cool, then peel and seed.

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Completely Natural Wine

Many people are not aware that wine (organic or not) are full of additives. While most of these are harmless to the vast majority of people, it does bring up the question of what the wine would taste like without them.
This is the whole concept behind the natural wine movement originating in France. In fact a bumper crop of wine shops and bars in Paris feature nothing but. After tasting the Thierry Puzelat KO In Cot We Trust 2006 I am sold. It is one of the most delicious, lovely Malbecs I have had in a long time with deep blackberry and earth flavors. A real stunner. Expect to see more and more of these wines at kybecca.
What is natural/real wine? Here is an explanation from Louis Dressner, the importer for some of our favorites.

The following techniques and guiding principles are what we believe is winemaking with integrity and respect for the traditions of the native region. This is fine winemaking at its purest, most fundamental level.

Wild Yeasts

All wines are made with the natural yeasts on the grapes, in the vineyards and in the cellars. Cultured yeasts to rush fermentation or add "enhancing" aromas and flavors are unacceptable. We look for wines that express their terroir.

Hand Harvesting

Growers harvest by hand, not machine. We want the ripest fruit to be brought into the winery- not a mix picked at random by machinery.

Low Yields

Our growers must seek low yields for greater concentration. We look for growers with holdings in old
vines.

Natural Viticulture

We encourage growers to plow their vineyards to keep the soil an active ecosystem, and to use natural methods in tending their vines.

No or Minimal Chaptalization

We do not want an artificially high degree of alcohol produced by adding sugar to the must. Non- or very slightly chaptalized wines are more enjoyable and healthier to drink.

Non-Filtration

Wines are either not filtered or minimally filtered.

Non-Interventionist Winemaking

We prefer a harmony, not an imposed style - wines should showcase their place of origin and varietal character. We are not looking for oak flavor, particular fruits or overly done aromatics. Minimal use of sulfur dioxide is encouraged.