Taming my ravenous appetite is always a work in progress, but a chance glance at my profile in the hallway mirror made it clear to me that something must be done to reconfigure my …figure. Last time in this space, I mentioned my plan to switch from the heavier foods of winter to less hearty fare, and to accompany these meals with lighter styled wines.

So, rather than go cold turkey (I’m not a fan of turkey anyway), I’ve decided to gradually introduce lighter and more healthy foods into my daily meal regimen. I’ll also select less intense wines to accompany these meals. But hey, that doesn’t mean I can’t eat and drink well. As a matter of fact, the recipe I’m suggesting you try below is a perfect example. And either of the two white wines I’m recommending to accompany the meal will make the food and wine experience something special.

It may be surprising to you, but there are pasta dishes that are light, healthy and packed with delicious flavors too. Today’s recipe combines asparagus, lemon, parmigiano, bread crumbs, olive oil and white wine to sauce a light and filling penne rigate (pronounced Pen-neh Ree-gah-tay) pasta dish. Penne rigate has a tubular shape and is about one inch long with ridges while pasta simply called penne has a smooth surface. The advantage of penne rigate is that the ridges allow the sauce to adhere to it better.

And either of these two wines I’ve chosen to accompany the recipe can also serve as the bottle you sip with the meal.

2023 Fillaboa Albarino ( $28) From the Rias Baixas region in northern Spain, this crisp white has flavors of stone fruit with hints of citrus and herbs. It is refreshing and clean, with excellent acidity to balance the piquant notes of the lemony penne dish.

2024 Bisci Verdicchio de Matelica ($22) – This golden wine from central Italy has ripe green apple flavors with a mineral quality that also features light, tropical fruit nuances. Its subtle richness enhances and rounds out this citrusy pasta dish.

Albarino or Verdicchio pair perfectly with this dish 

Lemon Penne Rigate

Ingredients:
One pound of penne rigate
One pound of asparagus trimmed and sliced about ¼-inch thick
Three ounces of extra virgin olive oil
Four ounces of white wine
One quarter cup of chopped Italian parsley
One teaspoon lemon zest and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice 
One cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
One half cup of panko or bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
One teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
One-half cup of reserved pasta water

Preparation:
Cook one pound of penne rigate in salted water until al dente (save one cup of pasta water)
Add the asparagus to the pasta water two minutes before the penne is done
Transfer the cooked pasta and asparagus to a sauté pan
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, garlic and wine in a bowl and whisk
Add the mixture to the pan with the pasta and add the reserved pasta water
Mix the ingredients together in the sauté pan and cook at medium heat
Add half the parmesan along with the panko or bread crumbs and mix
Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste and serve, adding more cheese to each plate

*To honor the season of Ramson, I plan to garnish my lemon penne rigate with a few ramp leaves!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine – has just been released and is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all of his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

Spring is about to bloom (I hope) and this is a time of year that I tend to transition from the fuller-bodied reds of winter to lighter style white wines that are more suitable to the foods we consume in the warmer months. What I love about wine- among the most obvious sensory pleasures it provides– is the diversity of experiences it offers to us if we are adventuresome. I suppose the essence of wine appreciation, then, is variety.

Unfortunately, when most of us discover a wine that is pleasing to our palates, we stick with it as if there are no other alternatives. It’s almost as if you’re stuck in a wine rut and find it difficult to abandon that tried-and-true bottle of chardonnay, pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc you’re accoustomed to selecting.

I’ll use myself as an example. I truly do enjoy chardonnay in all its stylistic permutations from austere and unoaked to rich and full-bodied. I’ve sipped chardonnay from Australia to France, from Italy to California, and even from those vintners over the mountains in (East) Virginia. However, I hope to convince you to wander outside your wine comfort zone and discover the pleasures that abound in the wide world of wine.

Today I’m going to tell you about a white wine that offers a tasty alternative to the ‘same old same old.’ I hope you’ll give this wine a chance because it’s an especially good alternative to chardonnay. Recently, I was shopping for a white wine that would pair well with the filet of grouper that I intended to grill and drizzle with lemon and butter for dinner that evening. Resisting my tendency to grab a bottle of chardonnay, I chose instead a pinot blanc from Alsace in eastern France. I was not disappointed!

Pinot blanc is a grape that produces an excellent, medium-bodied, crisp white wine. It can also exhibit a creamy texture with rich, ripe apple flavors. The grape thrives in regions with cool climates and long growing seasons like Alsace. It also does well in northern California and in Oregon. In Alsace, the wine has a quality to the taste which I can only describe as slate. No, it doesn’t taste like a blackboard. But it does have a mineral nuance that differentiates pinot blanc produced in Alsace from the stuff made anywhere else. In the US, pinot blanc shows less minerality, but it still offers crisp and round flavors, especially from grapes grown and vinted in California and Oregon.

Pinot blanc is a perfect match to oysters on the half-shell or to broiled white fish such as sea bass, halibut or grouper. It is also a delicious accompaniment to delicate veal or chicken dishes, and it holds up well to cream sauces. I’ve often used it to accompany turkey at Thanksgiving, and I’ve even featured it as an aperitif with hors d’oeuvres. My favorite Alsatian pinot blanc producers are Marcel Deiss, Lucien Albrecht, Domaine Schlumberger, Hugel, and Trimbach. Most Alsatian pinot blanc is priced between $20 and $40 a bottle.

The wine is also made in northern California as well as in Oregon. In California, I suggest you try Bouchaine from Carneros, Dutton-Goldfield from the Russian River Valley and Handley Cellars from Mendocino County. In Oregon, look for bottles of Elk Cove, WillaKenzie Estate and St. Innocent priced from $30 to $45.

You can find these lovely pinot blancs at the Wine Shop at Capitol Market and at other local wine retailers.
Enjoy!

In honor of President’s Day, I thought it would be fun to take a look at what wines US presidents sipped, and how some used the fruit of the vine as a diplomatic lubricante. Let’s start with George Washington.

President Washington is said to have had a special affinity for Madeira – a Portuguese fortified, dessert wine that he drank throughout his life. He also attempted to plant vines at his estate at Mount Vernon, but that agricultural venture was interrupted by the Revolutionary War. Later, during his presidency, Washington also enjoyed Champagne and he often used it at state dinners.

John Adams supposedly started every day with a pitcher of hard cider. He apparently enjoyed other alcoholic beverages,including wine, and supposedly finished each day with glasses of Madeira.

Thomas Jefferson was probably the most astute wine connoisseur of all the presidents and his love, particularly of Bordeaux, is well documented. According to National Public Radio, Jefferson drank mostly Port, Sherries and occasional red wines before he was sent to France in 1784 to get that country’s assistance during our fight for independance. There, he developed a life-long love of French wines, including the aforementioned Bordeaux as well as Burgundies, Champagne and Rhône wines.

James Monroe apparently liked wine a little too much and his administration was scandalized when more than one thousand bottles of imported wine were billed by him as congressional furniture. James Buchanan and Ulysses S Grant were perhaps the most prolific drinkers among all the presidents, and wine may have taken a back seat to whiskey and other spirits.

Fast forward to the administrations of presidents in the 20th and 21st centuries. Wine has often played an important role in international diplomacy. President Richard M. Nixon used the growing credibility of the California wine industry to diplomatic advantage. When Nixon established diplomatic relations with communist China in 1972, he toasted the Chinese Premier with Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs from Napa Valley.

President Ronald Reagan, a resident of the Golden State, really enjoyed and promoted California wine. One of his favorite wines was Beaulieu Vineyards (BV) Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. He also was the first president to use zinfandel (up until then considered an inferior grape) at a White House dinner. When First Lady Nancy Regan expressed her approval of Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay, sales of that wine went through the roof. And President Regan reportedly toasted the end of the Cold War with Russian president Gorbachev by lifting a glass of Iron Horse Sonoma County sparkling wine.

While three of the four 21st-century presidents—George W. Bush, Donald J.Trump, and Joe Biden—are teetotalers, they all continued to use wines made from America grapes at White House functions. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama also used wine extensively at celebrations and for state dinners. President Obama often used Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington state. 

So, wine lovers, no matter what your political affiliation, you can rest assured that your favorite president joins you in the appreciation of wine. Unless you’re a fan of Bush, Biden or Trump.

The New Year has arrived snowy and frigid, reminding us that wintertime temperatures can be miserable. But January also delivers a jolt of cold, harsh economic reality: it’s time to pay the credit card bill for our profligate holiday spending. While I’m not one who has the discipline to commit to new year’s resolutions, I know it’s time to tighten the budgetary belt a bit, and that includes food…. and wine.

It’s easy to craft inexpensive, hearty wintertime meals. But in my home even modest foods deserve an accompanying wine, and I’ll always look for  appropriate bottles to pair with dinner. The good news is there are a whole host of very tasty, inexpensive wines ($10 to $25 a bottle)  from which to choose. The wines I am recommending are especially complimentary to a wide variety of wintertime dishes including:  soups like chili, gumbo, pasta Fagioli and cheesy potato: dishes such as pot roast, mac and cheese and spaghetti and meatballs; or casseroles like lasagna, moussaka, rice pilaf and Italian sausage and peppers.

The wines below are generally available at wine shops in our area. If you can’t find one, simply ask your retailer to order it for you. So, here you go.

White wine: 2022 Chateau Fage Bordeaux Blanc ($11); 2022 A to Z Oregon Riesling ($18); 2023 Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc/Riesling ($16).2023 Domaine du Salvard Cheverny ($20 – blend of sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay); 2022 Foris Oregon Gewurztraminer ($24); 2023 Chateau Ducasse Bordeaux Blanc ($19); 2023 Laboure-Roi Bourgogne Blanc ($24 – chardonnay).

Reds: 2019 Torrebruna Sangiovese ($11); 2021 Terrazas de los Andes Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva ($18); 2022 Domaine la Guicharde Cotes du Rhone ($21); 2021 Omen Origins Sierra Foothills Zinfandel ($23); 2023 Laboure-Roi Bourgogne ($24- pinot noir); 2021 Masi Bonacosta Valpolicella ($19); 2021 Beckman Cuvee Le Bec Santa Ynez Valley ($25); Clos de L’Esperance Bordeaux Rouge ($16 – merlot); 2020 Mommessin Beaujolais Villages (22).

Happy wintertime sipping!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine – has just been released and is now available to order at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all of his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

With Christmas and Hanukkah falling on the same day this year, you’re probably struggling with deciding what wine to gift to those special wino’s in your life. Well, today I’m going to suggest a few options for your consideration that would excite my palate were I to be the recipient of such vinous largesse.

The holiday season, which now begins right around Thanksgiving and will continue through New Year’s Eve, is a time when you will spend about seventy percent of your yearly wine budget purchasing bottles for gifts, parties, and holiday dinners. Here are some bottles that should please the palate of just about every serious sipper. Let’s begin with pinot noir – a very versatile wine that pairs  well with a variety of foods like beef, chicken and even salmon.

2021 Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve Pinot Noir ($90) – I have collected wines from this Oregon producer since their first vintage in 1990, and this Evenstadt is among the best they’ve ever produced. Full of earthy, dark cherry flavors with a hint spice and oak, this pinot noir is both silky and deep.

The quality of Italian wine is sometimes surprising to wine lovers who are mainly accustomed to drinking full-bodied red wines from California. While many Italian reds can match the intensity of the best Napa Valley cabernets, wines from Italy’s “boot full of wine” can offer more balanced and nuanced bottles. One of the best wines in the world is Brunello di Montalcino made from sangiovese and produced in Tuscany. Here is one of my all-time favorites.

2018 Castello Banfi Poggio alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino Riserva ($95) – With aromas of spice and sage, this wine is pure silk exhibiting medium-bodied intensity along with round, rich flavors of ripe cherries. The wine would be a lovely accompaniment to a New Year’s day celebratory meal of roasted rack of pork.

I’m always on the lookout for California reds that exhibit both power and finesse. That generally leads me to wines that are blends, and one of my favorites is a wine called Cyrus. This eminently approachable wine would make a great holiday gift for someone special in your life.

2021 Alexander Valley Vineyards Cyrus ($75) – This Sonoma County wine is named for the founder of Alexander Valley Vineyards, Cyrus Alexander. It’s a full-bodied, yet supple, blend of cabernet sauvignon 54%, cabernet franc 27%, merlot 17%, and 1% each of malbec and petit verdot. The wine has great structure and balance with flavors of blackberries, mocha and spice. Decant the wine for at least one hour and then pair it with any roasted meat like prime rib or pork tenderloin.

If you thought I was only a fan of red wine, you would be mistaken. I love white wine and especially chardonnay in all of its various iterations – from simple and unoaked to full bodied and buttery. The wine I’m recommending for your holiday gift giving today is on the full-bodied end of the spectrum, but it also has complimentary and balancing acidity.

2022 Keller Estate La Cruz Vineyard Chardonnay (Petaluma Gap) ($55) – With a nose of tropical fruit and spice, this delicious mouthful of wine is highlighted by flavors of ripe peaches and vanilla crème brulle. The richness of the wine is balanced by ample acidity. This chardonnay begs to be paired with broiled lobster on the half shell drizzled with drawn butter.

Since no holiday celebration is complete without sparkling wine, I suggest you go out and buy yourself a nice bottle of Champagne. You deserve it for all your thoughtful and heartfelt gifts to friends and loved ones. In fact, I’m going to treat myself to  a bottle of Perrier-Jouet Blason Rose’ ($70),
and my first toast will be to you

Happy Holidays!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book in the Augie Trilogy – Augie’s Wine – has just been released and is now available. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and in bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all of his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com