Since I am able to trace one-half of my ancestry back to southern Italy, I am prone to wax poetically from time to time about the tasteful treats emanating from that remarkable boot-shaped peninsula bisecting the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas.

And while it would be a gross oversight to disregard Italy’s contributions to art, culture and, indeed, Western civilization, my interest in the country has always been squarely focused on food and wine, along with the warm and talented people who produce those exceptional products.

My maternal grandparents landed at Ellis Island in the late 19th Century, following others from their home state of Calabria to north-central West Virginia. After more than 15 years working in the mines, my grandfather built a bakery in the North View section of Clarksburg that, to this day, my cousins continue to operate.

Sunday family dinners at my grandparents’ home, replete with dozens of cousins, aunts and uncles, are happily and indelibly seared in my memory. Those Calabrian-inspired feasts, washed down with jugs  of home made red wine, would begin shortly after noon and proceed until early evening.

Once the multi-course meal was completed, the adults would insist that we children provide the postprandial entertainment. As our elders sat sipping vino or grappa, we would sing, recite poetry and/or perform little skits to our always appreciative audience.




One of my occasional duties on those Sundays decades ago was to descend into the earthen-walled, dark, dank and spooky basement to fetch a jug of wine from one of the oak barrels in my grandpa’s cellar.

I would rush down the steps, open the door to wine cellar, and pull the string on the single hanging light bulb to illuminate the room. Then I would turn the spigot on the barrel, quickly fill the jug and hurry back upstairs, hoping to avoid any contact with creepy crawlers or poltergeists.

Once, in my haste to complete the task, I inadvertently filled the jug from the wrong barrel – one containing vinegar. My grandpa, anxious to toast that day’s meal, poured himself a glass, uttered the words “Salute” and took a big sip of the vinegar.

Suffice it to say, the next words out of his mouth were  unprintable, but I was no longer asked to fetch the wine on Sunday.

We still keep the tradition in our family of gathering for Sunday dinner and many of the recipes I’ve recounted to you over the years have been versions of meals from those halcyon days. I’ll even open a bottle or two of my home made wine on occasion.

And while I do not (intentionally) make vinegar, some not so subtle individuals, after tasting my home made wine, suggest that  I have killed two birds with one stone!

The next time you feel like complaining about the weird laws surrounding alcohol in the Mountain State, be thankful you don’t live in that land of plenty just to the north of us.

To say that wine, beer and liquor laws in Pennsylvania are complicated and restrictive would be an epic understatement.
In fact, getting a bottle of hooch was probably easier and less complicated during Prohibition than it is in the Keystone state today.

But now bureaucrats in Harrisburg have devised a new method of getting wine (which, like liquor, can only be purchased in state stores) to thirsty Pitt and Penn State fans. They’re making it available in vending machines in selected supermarkets. Sounds great, right? Here’s how it works.

After selecting a wine from among the more than 50 bottles available in the machine, customers must insert a driver's license into the kiosk proving they are at least 21 years old. Next, a camera in the machine verifies their identity via video link with a state liquor control board official. If that’s not complicated enough, customers then must blow into a breathalyzer to make sure their alcohol level is not more than 0.02, or just one quarter of the legal limit for driving.

Why not require a birth certificate, immunization card or, at least, a note from your dentist attesting to fact you don’t have trench mouth? Our brethren from Pennsylvania have taken a pretty neat customer convenience idea and complicated it to the point of bureaucratic absurdity.

The French, however, have added a true wine customer convenience device that I would like to see here in the good old U. S. of A. sometime soon. They actually are installing 500 and 1000 liter wine self-serve tanks in supermarkets around France. The tanks look like gasoline pumps where consumers fill their own reusable bottles and jugs (or they buy containers at the store), and then use the self-serve hoses to fill them up.

It’s pretty simple too. You just select your wine type (red, white or rose), pump it into the container and take the printed receipt to the checkout counter where you pay. Now, obviously these pumps are not going to be dispensing Chateau Lafite, but for everyday sipping, in a country that takes its wine drinking seriously, this is about as good and convenient as it gets.




 

Until we get vending machines or wine dispensing pumps, we’ll have to settle for the old tried and true method of purchasing our wines from shops and grocery stores. Here are some bottles you may wish to acquire in this traditional method.

2007 Masciarelli Montepulciano ($10.99) Soft and supple, this red will marry nicely with pizza topped with fresh tomatoes, olive oil and fresh mozzarella.

2009 Paitin Langhe Arneis ($18.99) One of the most famous white wines of Italy's Piedmont region, arneis is delicate, somewhat spritzy and fruit forward. Try it with mussels poached in some of the arneis along with a little chopped garlic.

2007 Cantele Primitivo ($15.99) Full and rich, this zinfandel-like red will match up nicely with lasagna in a spicy red sauce.

2008 Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio ($19.99). This pinot grigio is a fuller-bodied version of this popular white from northern Italy. With flowery and somewhat spicy notes, try it with penne pasta in a basil pesto sauce.

Charleston Area Wine Events
Mark your calendars for two wine-related events over the next couple of weeks. On Wednesday October 13, from 5 to 8 p.m., the Liquor Company will have a special tasting of Joseph Phelps wines at their location in the Patrick Street Plaza. Phelps is one of the most prestigious and historically significant wineries in the Napa Valley and their wines are renowned around the world. Cost of the tasting is $5 per person.

The Wine Shop at Capitol Market will host their annual Harvest Tasting on Sunday October 17, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the outdoor farmer’s market (weather permitting). The Harvest Tasting will feature an international array of more than 25 wines that will be specially selected to match the foods of fall. Munchies will be available and cost of the tasting is $15 per person.

By the way, if you haven’t had a chance to visit the wine shop lately, you will be pleasantly surprised to note that the location has been moved down the hall of the market to a greatly expanded space which features a special temperature controlled room for fine and rare wines. In addition, there is now a designated tasting area where wines can be sampled on weekends. Congratulations and good luck to the fine folks at the wine shop.




Canaan - Wild and Wonderful Wine and Food Weekend
It’s always both a pleasure and a learning experience to work with culinary professionals, and that’s why I love to be a part of the semi-annual Wild and Wonderful Wine Weekend at Canaan Valley Resort. These food and wine events have become a tradition at the Tucker County facility where you’ll also revel in the visual beauty of fall in the Potomac Highlands.

Join me and a whole host of other wine and food lovers on October 22- 24 for an entertaining and educational gourmet extravaganza. I select wines from the best vineyards on the planet that will be matched to culinary delicacies prepared by Canaan Valley Resort’s executive chef. The event will begin Friday, October 22 at 7 p.m. with a “taste-around reception” where wines from the world’s most prestigious regions can be sampled with matching culinary treats from food stations featuring, Italian, Mediterranean and Mexican delicacies. And for the sweets folks, there will also be a dessert station featuring custard and berries, chocolate cheesecake balls and mini apple dumplings.

On Saturday, guests will participate in a tasting of wines I will select that will be followed by a scrumptious four- course Mediterranean-inspired luncheon with matching wines. After lunch, guests will be free to hike, bike, nap (what I plan to do) or just enjoy Mother Nature’s purple mountain majesty! The evening’s activities begin at 7 p.m. with a six-course grand gourmet dinner with accompanying wines.Guests have the option of attending the entire weekend for a package price, or choosing to participate in individual events ala carte.

For pricing and additional information or reservations call 800-622-4121 or visit online at www.canaanresort.com.

I really do enjoy the change of seasons, particularly the transition from summer to fall. I am aware that autumn is more than five weeks old, but my internal thermostat is just now registering the change. I also know it’s fall because my body is getting urgent messages from my brain to start ingesting fuller flavored wine and food.

Hey, you gotta listen to your body, right?

Well, nothing says full-flavor to me like pasta and red wine, so after a little rumination, I came up with a lovely culinary inspiration: why not combine my love of grilled vegetables with pasta and accompany the dish with a purple whopper?

You might remember a piece I wrote last summer extolling the virtues of grilled vegetables. Well, this recipe uses many of those same veggies, but in a whole new way. Listen up.

The first order of business was to visit the Purple Onion produce emporium at our own Capitol Market where I was able to procure a diverse selection of vegetable goodies that would be the centerpiece of this concoction. A little further down you’ll find my wine selections for the meal, but first, here’s the recipe for what I call “Smoky Linguine.”

Shopping List

1 red and one yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut lengthwise into thirds
2 peeled zucchinis cut lengthwise into half-inch wide, two-inch long rectangles
1 large onion, peeled and cut into quarter inch circles
2 poblano peppers, cut into long strips one inch wide
2 Portobello mushrooms cut into one-inch wide strips
4 Roma tomatoes cut in half length-wise
6 cloves of garlic peeled and left whole
3 ounces of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons each of chopped fresh basil and Italian parsley
1 teaspoon each of kosher salt, black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
4 ounces of grated parmigiano reggiano
1 pound of linguine (you can use whole wheat or spinach linguine if you wish)




Prepare a marinade for the vegetables by combining the olive oil and balsamic vinegar

Place veggies in a large bowl (or gallon plastic bag), add the salt and pepper and mix, allowing the vegetables to marinate for one hour

Fire up a charcoal or gas grill to medium heat and place the vegetables on the grill surface and turn them regularly to avoid burning

When veggies are charred (not burnt), allow them to cool to room temperature
and place half the veggies in a food processor and process into a paste

Cook linguine in boiling water until al dente, drain pasta (reserve one-half cup pasta water) and place pasta along with all veggies into a large sauté pan and blend the ingredients

Add the pasta water to the pan and heat the mixture

Remove and plate the Smoky Linguine, adding the red pepper flakes, parsely and basil along with the parmigiano reggiano to each plate

So, what about wine matches for this dish? Well, the key here is to use a wine that has some element or component flavor that pairs well with the smokiness and spiciness of the grilled vegetables. You might consider wines such as a zinfandel or something from Languedoc-Roussillon in southern France.

Zinfandel usually shows spiciness and dark fruit flavors while the Languedoc has a smoky, black cherry character. Never one to take a chance, I chose to open one of each of the following wines and both, for different reasons, paired well with the pasta dish.

2008 Chateau Coupe Roses (La Bastide, $15) – From the Minervois region in Languedoc Roussillon of Southern France, this blend of old vine carignan and grenache has ripe plumb flavors with nuances of smoke. Excellent accompaniment to the grub.

2007 Marietta Old Vines Zinfandel ($20) – A great mouthful of blackberry spiciness, this purple zin is a killer match to the dish.

Okay, fellow gourmands, on your mark…get set… go – to the nearest wine shop and begin stocking up for the marathon eating and drinking season which is about to commence. Thanksgiving is the beginning of this forty-day holiday season which includes Chanukah and Christmas, and culminates with the New Year’s celebration.

It is also a time when you will spend about seventy percent of your yearly wine budget purchasing bottles for parties, gifts and holiday dinners. For me, it’s the most exciting time of the year. I’m like a kid in a candy store! The shelves of local wine shops are overflowing with bottles of every type and pedigree.

But, first things first. It is likely that turkey will once again be the featured main course for Thanksgiving at your house. The culinary versatility of turkey to be successfully paired with red or white as well as light or full-bodied wines makes picking a winner an easy proposition.

The reason? The bird is blessed with meat that has a variety of flavors, colors and textures which present opportunities for us to try a lot of different wines.

The type of stuffing you use adds a whole other flavor dimension which, depending upon the nature of the dressing, opens up even more wine possibilities. Thus, the holidays also offer we wine lovers a rare opportunity to sample a virtual sea of wines. Here are a few wine recommendations to match your holiday turkey and associated culinary accoutrements.

The traditional oven-roasted turkey with sage-flavored dressing does wonderfully well with sauvignon blanc, especially the wines that exhibit herbal characteristics. You might try Dry Creek Vineyards or Kenwood from California. Another of my favorites, particularly with sage dressing, is semillon. Try L’Ecole No. 41 Semillon from Washington State

Alsatian wines, such as riesling or gewürztraminer, will also work well with this more traditional treatment of Thanksgiving dinner. Look for Pierre Sparr, Trimbach and Zind Humbrecht wines from this often overlooked premium wine producing region.

But you can choose to accompany the bird with red wine too. Any number of medium bodied wines will fit the bill. For something different, ask you wine purveyor for a bottle of Chinon (pronounced She-non) which is a red from the Loire region of France made from cabernet franc.

Sangiovese from Italy ( I love the 2007 Banfi Centine) as well as tempranillo from Spain (try Martin Codax) are also excellent choices. Medium-bodied California or Washington State cabernet sauvignons such as Guenoc, Alexander Valley Vineyards or Chateau Ste. Michelle will also fit the bill.

I’ll probably try to re-create my mother’s Thanksgiving recipe this year. She would oven-roast her turkey, but her dressing had no sage flavoring. Rather, she would season with salt, pepper and garlic and then add roast chestnuts, celery and Italian sausage to her bread dressing. I have used full-bodied , rich California chardonnays to accompany this meal in the past,.

This year, I plan on opening up a 10 year old magnum of Patz & Hall Alder Springs Vineyard Pinot Noir from the Mendocino County. If pinot noir is on your list, you might try an Oregon wine such as Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee or one of Patricia Green Cellars’ wines.

On those occasions when I smoke or charcoal grill the “national bird,” I’ll usually create a stuffing of ancho peppers, chili powder, cumin along with chipotles, corn bread, chorizo sausage and cheddar cheese. This dressing will get your attention and it demands wines that can stand up to the more intense flavors.

My favorite wines with this spicy, smoky treatment are full-bodied Sonoma or Amador County zinfandels such as Ridge Lytton Springs or Terra D’Oro. I’ve also used French Rhones such as Chateauneuf Du Pape or Gigondas from producers such as Beaucastel, or View Telegraph.

We can’t forget dessert (or as we call it in my home “prelude to the couch”). Of course, Champagne is always my default option, but there are some other goodies you might consider too.

Make your pumpkin pie (and you) smile with a late harvest riesling or moscato with the final course. Look for Ch. St. Jean Late Harvest Riesling or Nivole Moscato D’Asti.

Have a great Thanksgiving!!