The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

Best darn rack of pork I've ever had, courtesy of Fima. On the first day of Christmas... I was going to serve Champagne with dinner. Gruner Veltliner was supposed to be a pre-dinner curiosity drink. But when my mom and I gave the 2008 Forstreiter Gruner Veltliner Schiefer Reserve from Kremstal DAC ( Districtus Austriae Controllatus ) a sip, I thought I heard jingle bells. At just under $20 (at WineChateau.com ), this wine delivered outstanding QPR this holiday season. Champagne? What Champagne! The bottle of Gruner lasted us all through the meal. It worked with both the salad (of Romaine lettuce, Brussels sprouts, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, and home-made Caesar style dressing with anchovies, mustard, and olive oil) and with an incredible rack of pork that my step-dad Fima roasted to moist, juicy, savory, sweet perfection! Gruner Veltliner (or "grooner" or "gru-vee") is the wine grape of Austria. If you think Zweigelt , Zierfandler , and Rotgipfler are too ob

Crab season continues on the Pacific coast. So the morning of Christmas Eve, friends and I headed over to Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay to pick 22 lbs. of live dungeness crabs for an all-day feast. For those interested, my infinitely satisfying, Chinese-inspired simple technique of steaming and devouring crab has been well documented here . To go with those babies, I brought a random bag of white wines from Austria, Germany, Portugal, and France. Of course, trying to feed Russians with just plain crab is barking up the wrong tree. While the monsters are steaming (I am talking about the crabs), appetizers are demanded, which brings me to the point of this post... Salo - salt-cured pork fatback (unrendered lard) - with garlic and Russian mustard on Russian rye bread, paired with pungent, strong tasting white wine made from Zierfandler grape cultivated in a small area in Austria. I tell you - I haven't had cured pork lard (pronounced "sahlo" in Russian) for over 20

On the heels of a great Champagne tasting this weekend at Santana Row's Vintage Wine Merchants , I was itching for more sparkles. Kudos to Vintage for putting together an excellent line-up of Champagnes for a meager $40 ($25 for members) - they certainly packed the shop, and the punters were not disappointed. This was the first time I had the 1999 Dom Perignon, and it was probably my fave Dom P, showing the classical well-developed nuttiness. Compared to it, the just released 2002 was too young and simple at this stage. Other notables were the always reliable and incredibly inexpensive Hiedsieck & Co "Blue Top" ($25-30), the elegant Delamotte ($35, Salon's little sibling), and the well-regarded higher-end Champagnes by Pol Roger (Reserve), Egly-Ouriet (Brut Tradition Grand Cru), and Gosset (Brut Grand Reserve). That was Sunday. On Monday, my faith in Champagne re-affirmed, it was now Italy's turn to impress. I am a big fan of Franciacorta . Italy's answer

Did you know that Condrieu is lovely with beet/tomato puree soup with goat cheese crostini? Especially a not too heavy Condrieu, like 2008 DePoncins by Francois Villard. But it also has enough depth, fruit and acid to stand up to bacon-infused chicken liver paté with burrata over a pea-shoot salad. I learned that bacon really is magical with liver. Silly me, how could I not haven known?! Of course you knew that fresh tagliatelle pasta with beef ragu and truffle oil, livened by a splash of fresh parsley, goes perfectly with Brunello di Montalcino, especially this excellent 2001 from La Mannelle! And you could have known that a 1999 Chambolle-Musigny "Les Amoureuses" would be a fantastic wine from one of the best vineyards in Burgundy from an excellent vintage. There is just nothing in the New World of Pinot Noir that tastes as good as this (sorry Willamette, Russian River, Santa Rita Hills, New Zealand and co.)! But did you know that Chateau Musar - the best producer in all o

Aruba Jamaica ooh I wanna take ya Bermuda Bahama come on pretty mama Key Largo Montego baby why don't we go... Off Ramona street in Palo Alto, there's a place called Coconuts . That's where you wanna go to get away from it all! (remember Beach Boys?) Oh those hearty delicious Caribbean flavors! Makes me feel on vacation every time. They have "di small tings", "di big tings", all kinds of "tings" :)! The place is perfect for family style eating, and passing a magnum around like in a communal wine. The wine pairing is not always easy with that jerk-laden, spicy, peppery, limey, sweet, beany, and all-kinds-of-other-flavors filled cuisine. But the 2009 Saint Cosme Cotes-du-Rhone 100% Syrah-based magnum tames those "tings" like a crusty old cowboy. The wine basically tastes like the liquid version of the Caribbean food - hearty, spicy, sweet-and-sour, thick and satisfying. Not sophisticated (and you can hardly expect that from a basic Cote

A 2007 article in Decanter Magazine quoted Don Weaver, Harlan Estate manager, saying "I guess it's the lure of people wanting something they can’t have" as the likely reason for the multi-year waiting list for the ultra-expensive Harlan Estate Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, California's top so-called "cult wine" (along with Screaming Eagle). If Harlan Estate's top Bordeaux blend sells for $400-1000 a bottle (under $300 for loyal members), its sister winery - Bond - makes single-vineyard "thoroughbreds" that go for $250 and up. A 2001 article by Food & Wine Magazine paints a picture of Harlan Estate's founder Bill Harlan (and his team that includes famous international wine consultant Michel Rolland) as a man of vision, with a multi-generational view of how what he does today lays the groundwork for the future. A man who allows time for the right things to emerge and evolve, and a philosopher clearly not after a quick return. In the article

I've introduced San Francisco Wine School before . I've personally met the highly knowledgeable instructors and attended one of their educational and entertaining classroom sessions. Now that their first semester is coming to a close, they are already picking up steam and expanding to two locations. For those interested in understanding and enjoying more French wine from Bordeaux to Burgundy to Champagne, Loire, Rhone, Beaujolais, Alsace, and Languedoc-Roussillon - regions I often explore on the pages of this blog, this course is highly & deliciously recommended! Winter 2011 Class Schedule San Francisco (Tuesday & Thursday 6pm-8:30pm) Hotel Triton’s Creative Zone Tue 1/25 (Alsace) & Thu 1/27 (Burgundy) Tue 2/1 (Beaujolais) & Thu 2/3 (Bordeaux) Tue 2/8 (Loire) & Thu 2/10 (Champagne) Tue 2/15 (Rhone) Thu 2/24 (South of France) Sat 3/5 FWS Exam (Embassy Suites South SF 11am-12 noon) South San Francisco (Saturday 10am-4pm) Embassy Suites Sat 1/29 (Alsace &

I bitch and moan about Bordeaux all the time . Mainly because - how often do I eat big hunks of meat?! Not often. But the truth is, I love meat. The craving comes around like the blue moon. And when that meat appetite is upon, my inner werewolf needs a steak and a Bordeaux. Or in the more elevated circles - medium-rare herb-crusted grass-fed beef prime rib on a bone, with au jus and creamy horse radish, with 1989 Ducru-Beaucaillou and 1982 Chateau Pavie - two classical Grand Cru Bordeaux producers' top wines from two top vintages of the 1980's, now in their prime. Last night, I was reminded of what it's all about. Great people, great food, great wines make great memories that last a lifetime. It took the hostess Jocelyn and her friend Peter all week of planning and all day of shopping and prep to put together an understated meal that a perfectionist foodie like myself so fully appreciates. It wasn't about haute cuisine or cooking techniques. It was about picking the bes