Cote-Rotie Clusel-Roch 1999

“Wilfried Sentex is born in Bordeaux, France and for sure his passion for wine comes from his home country. At present he is working in New York, at Bar Boulud, Daniel Boulud Wine bar. For more information you can reach him at willsentex@gmail.com"

Winery: Clusel Roch

Vintage: 1999

Appellation: Cote-Rotie

Varietal: 96% Syrah, 4% Viognier

Winemaker: Gilbert Clusel and Brigitte Roch

Oak: 24 months in oak (15% new) no filtration

Average Price: N/A

Tasting Notes: With a daylight clarity, medium intensity and purple to garnet color this wine is beautiful. The nose is really powerful with the black cherry, ripe black berry and raisin scents, which combine with the leather, the black pepper and the violet scents. As the palate with a medium tannin and body, a high acidity, this wine releases some black fruits' flavours, same as the nose, the spices (black pepper, nutmeg) become more pronounced. The leather taste, with some violet and a meaty taste (bacon) comes out at the end with the long finish.

Food Pairing Suggestions: This wine could be drank just by itself, with some good friends, maybe for a special occasion, but if you would like to open it for dinner, which is also a really good idea, maybe you should start with some Jambon de Bayonne pan-seared in cider with some shallots, follow with a rack of lamb (medium) crusted with some herbs and roasted, served with some sauteed potatoes and green beans with some garlic. After, why not follow with some cheeses (a nice selection of medium to strong with peppery taste) and if you still have some wine left just finish your dinner with a chocolate souffle. Bonne Appetit!

F*CK THE FINANCIAL CRISIS: Value wines that beat recession. Part 1

Rasmus Amdi Larsen is a 21 year old sommelier. He is currently working as head-sommelier and Restaurant Manager at the restaurant Le Sommelier in the centre of Copenhagen. Administrating the 1600 bottle wine list, one of the largest in Denmark, this young sommelier is showing a lot of potential. Rasmus is also educating at the Hospitality College in Copenhagen, competing in sommelier competitions - and in the limited free time, golfing is a huge interest. To get in touch with Rasmus email him at amdi@gastrodenmark.com

The times of irrationality are over. The financially harder times are here, and I actually think this is a good thing for the food and wine industry. We have seen over the last few years wineries and restaurants open like never before. It seemed, terms like talent, skills and life long enthusiasm in our field has been in the background for money. It was no problem for untalented – but rich – ‘fools’ to start the business. If the quality wasn’t as high as the neighbours, you could always just out-PR them! But now, with everyone talking about the financial crisis, only the best will survive. Only the best and most skilled people can win – the market will always be here, and quality will beat quantity. This series of articles will guide you through my absolute favourite value wines.

Dutchke 'GHR' (God Hills) Shiraz 4 Vineyard

Winery: Dutchke
Vintage: 2006
Appellation: Barossa Valley
Varietal: Shiraz
Oak: 18 months in French and American oak
Average Price: $20
Alcohol: 14.8%

Tasting notes: Shiraz is normally not my favorite. But this big, but yet very fine Shiraz is one that stands alone. It is blackberry and cherry dominated. The taste is long and filled with dark berries. The alcohol is ‘only’ 14.8% which gives the wine more complexity than normal. It is actually quite European in the style, even though it does not hide the warmth of its birthplace.

Food Pairing Suggestions: Why not the old classic. Rip of beef, French Fries and Béarnaise sauce. Breast of duck, blackberry sauce and roasted potatoes. This wine needs heavy things, so avoid chicken and pork.

Winery Notes: This wine is from the Dutschke winery. It is actually my favorite in their large range of wines. This is the most delicate and easy drinking in the range, the others wines seem to me a bit to ‘gutsy’. It is made from 4 vineyards, one of them with 120 year old vines (!)

Organic wine & food matching: Gemtree Shiraz & Korean style barbecued shortribs

Randy Caparoso is an award winning wine professional and journalist, living in Denver, Colorado. For a free subscription to Randy's Organic Wine Match of the Day, visit the Denver Wine Examiner. Contact Randy anytime at randycaparoso@earthlink.net.

left, Gemtree's Melissa Buttery & Mike Brown

While organic or biodynamic wines coming out of Australia have been far and between, the movement does exist Down Under; and certification agencies such as Australian Certified Organic (ACO), Demeter in Australia’s Bio-Dynamic Research Institute (BDRI), and National Association for Sustainable Agriculture, Australia (NASAA) have recently stepped up activities, with a number of leading producers (such as Henschke, Burge Family, Elderton, Noon, Wirra Wirra and M. Chapoutier Australia) making the transition to chemical-free, sustainable grape growing as we speak.

In the meantime, a perfectly delicious, biodynamically grown Australian red – the 2007 Gemtree Tadpole Shiraz (about $16) – has been popping up in markets across the U.S., and it has all the deep, black, bouncy, lush fruitiness Shiraz lovers look for in their reds; including an intense nose, suggesting raspberry liqueur, boysenberry jam and a veneer of vanillin oak, plus a soft medium-full body underlined by easy tannins, allowing the Shiraz fruit to gush forth and pleasure the palate.

The intensity of the Gemtree Shiraz is part and parcel of its McLaren Vale terroir; and indeed, for many years the stellar grapes from this 330 acre estate went into cuvées bottled by top brands like Rosemount. The transition from grower to producer started in 1994, when Melissa Buttery, daughter of founders Paul and Jill Buttery, joined the family business as a viticulturist, followed a few years later by Melissa’s boyfriend-turned-husband, Mike Brown, who happened to be an accomplished winemaker.

Always the keen environmentalist, it was Melissa who turned Gemtree towards organic and biodynamic viticulture. Not stopping there, in 1998 she initiated Gemtree Wetlands: taking twenty-five acres in the middle of the property and establishing it as a wetlands preserve in joint venture partnership with the nonprofit group, Greening Australia (South Australia). This arduous, long term project has involved the planting of some 20,000 native trees and shrubs, and the building of six interlinking dams to help regenerate the region and establish a haven for native frogs, birds and animals, while contributing to the self-sustaining aspects of the vineyard.

Korean Style Barbecued Shortribs (Kalbi)

The biggest plus about a good, sturdy, juicy Shiraz is that its dense fruitiness always lends itself to Asian style barbecued meats like no other wine can. A perfect match every time, for instance, is the Korean style of barbecued beef shortribs known as kalbi. In Hawai’i, where I grew up, no self-respecting hibachi homeboy or local take-out joint can make it without mastering the art of Korean barbecue. The good news is that it’s not that difficult, it can be done anywhere, and the fact that this toothsome cut of beef, in moderately sweetened, garlic and sesame seasoned, soy sauce based marinades, tastes absolutely delicious with a lusciously spiced Shiraz.

Everyone in the Islands has his/her own variation (or “secrets”) of kalbi, but here is a good, basic recipe to start with:

3 lbs. English cut (thick) beef shortribs, scored

Marinade:
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup sesame oil
¼ cup sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
3 stalks green onions, minced
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Combine marinade ingredients and pour over shortribs in zip-lock plastic bag (or in shallow Pyrex sealed with plastic wrap); marinate overnight in refrigerator. Broil (or grill) 8-10 minutes on each side until desired doneness.