If you’ve followed my scribblings over the years, you know that I’ll never tell you about a wine without recommending specific foods with which to pair that particular bottle. However, a friend of mine (who is less than subtle) recently admonished me for always seeming to suggest wine compatible foods that she referred to as “Saturday night” or celebratory meals. You know, special dinners you might prepare for birthdays, anniversaries, or when Uncle Homer gets out of prison.

And you know what? She may be correct. So in an effort to dispel a myth which I may have been unintentionally espousing (that wine is only for special occasions), I want to offer you a sincere Mea Culpa. Let me also make this clear: wine could and, in fact, should be a part of your everyday meals!

I know that most of you don’t drink wine every night of the week. But when you do open a bottle on say, a Monday or Wednesday, you shouldn’t feel like you need to whip up some elegant repast like Beef Wellington or Peking Duck. So today, we’ll concentrate on some of the foods that comprise our everyday meals, and I’ll suggest wine pairings for them.

Meatloaf is a menu mainstay that some families enjoy regularly. Instead of boring yourself with diet cola or iced tea, you might open a bottle of inexpensive and medium-bodied red wine to spark up that meatloaf entrée. Marietta Old Vines, which is a blend of zinfandel and other red varietals, would be a good pick. Or, you might also pair it with malbec from Argentinean producers such as Susana Balbo or Catena.

Macaroni and cheese still graces our table as a main dish at least once a month. Sometimes, we’ll add roasted red peppers or jalapenos to the dish to spice it up. This is a meal that can be paired well with both white and red wine. For plain mac & cheese, try a medium bodied white such as Soave from Allegrini or pinot gris from Oregon’s King Estate. For spicy versions of the dish, I recommend pinot noir from producers such as Cline Family Cellars in Sonoma County or Erath in Oregon.

Pot Roast is a great wintertime dish. Slow cooked with onions, potatoes and carrots, I love the hearty beef flavors that can be greatly enhanced when the dish is accompanied by a full-bodied red wine like zinfandel. Among my favorites zins, Easton from Amador County and Seghesio from Sonoma pair wonderfully well with pot roast.

Chicken and dumplings are also on the menu at our home in the colder months. I just love the light and fluffy dumplings and tender breast meat all immersed in rich chicken broth. You will need a white wine with sufficient acid to pair well with this dish. Try these two sauvignon blancs from New Zealand: Kim Crawford and/or Whitehaven.

Pan fried pork chops are a staple in many kitchens, but the dish can be significantly elevated when paired with a simpatico red wine. Seasoned simply with salt and black pepper and dusted with flour, this all-American dish goes exceptionally well with Cotes Du Rhone from producers like Saint Cosme and Guigal. These supple reds from the Rhone region of southern France have black pepper aromas and dark fruit flavors.

Chili, with or without beans, is a hearty, spicy dish that would seem to pair better with that other (frothy) beverage more than it would from the fruit of the vine. But I’m going to suggest that you trade that hoppy carbonated brew for an upgrade to a scintillating, effervescent and delicious alternative – sparkling wine. And you don’t have to plunk down big bucks either! I suggest you try these inexpensive, but excellent sparklers with your pot of chili: Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava from Spain and Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noir Rose from Sonoma County.

So, there you have it: wines for the meals you’ll fix on just about any day of the week – even Saturday. But make something special for Uncle Homer and pour him a nice glass of wine. There weren’t many food and wine pairings in the Big House.

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book is “Augie’s World” which is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. You can find out more about his novels at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

It’s beginning to look a lot like ….Easter. That’s right friends, it’s officially springtime and we’re about to ring in this season of rebirth by observing two of our most cherished holidays. Over the next few weeks, Passover and Easter will share the calendar and both holidays will feature special foods. I’ll tell you about those edibles and suggest a bevy of compatible wines to pair with them.

Passover and Easter, of course, are religious holidays and, in addition to their spiritual significance, they remind us that wine has always played an important role in our Judeo-Christian traditions and culture. And today, I’ll provide you with some vinous choices to pair with these important celebrations.

The Seder meal, which occurs on the first day of Passover, can consist of everything from brisket to chicken as well as gefilte fish, potato- type casseroles and other specific Jewish foods. And, if you’re like me, you’ll especially love the Seder tradition requiring each adult to sip four cups of wine with the meal. The problem is finding a diverse selection of Kosher wines in our state.

If you wish to sip only Kosher wines for Seder, you might be able to find a few at your local wine shop, but make sure they indicate they’re “Kosher for Passover.”  However, you’ll probably have better luck by ordering from online retailers like kosherwine.com. If you are able to choose from non-Kosher wines, I recommend either – or both – of these two wines:

2018 Willamette Valley Vineyards ($26)– This Oregon pinot noir is a very versatile wine with earthy, black cherry flavors and excellent balance. Should pair well with a variety of Seder foods, especially brisket.

2018 Trimbach Reserve Pinot Gris ($24)– From the region of Alsace in eastern France, this crisp white has aromas of freshly cut ripe apple and tastes of nuts, citrus and honey. It would marry particularly well with Seder chicken, matzo ball soup and gefilte fish.

Many other American households will feature baked ham or roasted lamb as the centerpieces of their Easter meal. If that’s your choice, I have a couple of wine suggestions to share with you.
Most hams you’ll find at the local supermarket are pre-cooked and only require you to bake them at a low temperature (usually ten minutes per pound at 325 degrees) before serving them. You’ll probably want to brush on a brown sugar -or some other type of sweet glaze -before baking the ham. I really love to pair these pre-cooked hams with rose’.

Here’s one for you to try: 2019 Vin de Prairie Rose’ ($17) -From Provence in southern France, this pale, salmon-colored wine has flavors of ripe strawberries with just a touch of citrus. This rose’ is also refreshing and thirst-quenching which makes it an especially good match with the (sometimes salty) baked ham.

A boned and butterflied leg of lamb will be the featured entrée at my home on Easter Sunday. Some of you may prefer a rack of lamb or even lamb chops. These are exceptional cuts of meat.

And yet, I know many people who won’t even give lamb a try – they think it has a baaad taste (sorry, I couldn’t resist). But I think just about every carnivore would enjoy the leg of lamb I’ll be preparing. I’ll rub the leg with coarsely ground black pepper, minced garlic and Kosher salt, and then marinate it overnight in a bath of olive oil, red wine, the juice and rind of three lemons along with more garlic and rosemary. Then I’ll roast that sucker to perfection on my trusty old charcoal grill.

Here are two recommendations for Easter lamb:

2016 Allegrini Palazzo Della Torre ($23) – This wine, from the Veneto region of northern Italy, features notes of dried cranberries with hints of dark chocolate and cola. It’s a medium-bodied red that has nice balancing acidity and will make a delicious accompaniment to the lamb.

2017 Provenance Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($38) -Dark cherry and berry flavors are rounded out by a kiss of oak in this rich and full-bodied Napa cabernet that will marry seamlessly with the spicy, grilled leg of lamb.

Happy Passover and Easter!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book is “Augie’s World” which is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. You can find out more about his novels at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

With most of the restrictive, covid-related regulations now lifted on state restaurants, gourmands, including yours truly, are smiling like Cheshire cats. And, with facial masks secured, we’ve also begun to once again to sup and sip at our favorite dining establishments.

That’s great news! In fact, I’ve been patronizing some of my favorite local eateries and I can happily report that the quality of the food is as good as ever. Today, I’ll tell you about two restaurants I visited and share my favorite menu items from each establishment. I’ll also suggest reasonably priced wines to pair with the menu items chosen from each of the restaurants’ “by the glass” list. In future scribblings, I’ll review my favorite dishes and wines from other area establishments. So, let’s get started.

Ristorante Abruzzi, located at 601 Morris Street in the building adjacent to Appalachian Power Park, is a culinary gem. Owned by Mark and Libby Chatfield, Abruzzi features a fine cross-section of menu selections many of which are inspired by dishes from the eponymous Italian region.

Mark’s family (on his mother’s side) hails from Abruzzi and, while he is a college professor during the day, he has always dreamed of owning a restaurant that focuses on offering many of the same foods he relished growing up. Here are two pasta dishes and accompanying wines you might like to try the next time you visit Ristorante Abruzzi:

Radiatore Bolognese – Bolognese is a thick meaty sauce that is a combination ground beef, veal and pork with just a little tomato paste to color it slightly. The radiatore are small, squat pasta that kind of look like tiny radiators and they really absorb the Bolognese quite nicely.

I suggest pairing this with Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. This medium bodied, rich and well-balanced red wine is full of ripe cherry flavors and hails from the Abruzzi region. It is a very compatible partner to the Bolognese.

Wild Mushroom Sagnarelli – This is a lovely blend of wild porcini mushrooms, pancetta and sun-dried tomatoes in a light cream sauce. Sagnarelli is a type of rectangular, flat ribbon-like pasta which holds the sauce perfectly. My vinous choice for the dish is Mer Soleil Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay. From California’s central coast, the wine is round, rich and earthy which makes it a perfect choice to accompany and compliment the wild mushroom Sagnarelli.

1010 Bridge is a restaurant born in the middle of last year’s Covid pandemic. Huh? To say that owners Aaron and Marie Clark were bold might be an understatement. But with their decades of working in the restaurant and catering businesses and with the able assistance of Chef Paul Smith, that confidence to move forward in such a challenging year has been rewarded. And we wine and food lovers are the beneficiaries of their success.

1010 occupies the same physical space as the former restaurant, The Market, in South Hills on Bridge Road. Aaron Clark describes the menu as Appalachian with Low Country influences. I’ve visited the restaurant several times and I believe it is among the best eateries in the state. Here are two of my favorite menu items with recommended wines.

Cast Iron Seared “1010 Cut.” The cut of beef used is terres major and it’s about the size of a pork tenderloin. It is also the second most tender piece of meat on the whole cow – second only to the tenderloin. The dish is sauced with a cabernet Bordelais jus and accompanied by lobster mac & cheese, candied brussel sprouts and a foie-gras truffle butter. Sounds like a weird hodge-podge of ingredients, but it is succulent and delicious.

This complex menu item needs an equally complex wine. I chose Terre Rouge Tete-A-Tete which is a Cote Du Rhone-like red from the Sierra Foothills of California. Tete-A-Tete is a blend of 43 percent each of Grenache and mourvedre and 14 percent syrah and it can stand up to and enhance the flavors of the terres major cut.

Pan Seared Sea Scallops. Perfectly pan seared sea scallops with a sherry-chive pan sauce are atop Hernshaw Farms mushroom risotto and along a side of sautéed spinach. Such an opulent entrée needs a chardonnay that offers richness, but which also has contrasting and refreshing acidity to keep the dish in balance. The St. Supery Oak Free Chardonnay is the perfect choice to pair with this superb entrée.

The restaurant industry is such an important part of our community so I hope you’ll go out to support them and celebrate the end (hopefully) of a very trying time.

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book is “Augie’s World” which is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. You can find out more about his novels at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

My wife can really turn a phrase. She claims I avoid work as if it was a “four letter” word. I will admit, though, there are certain tasks – like cleaning out the garage or doing the dishes – which I do not willingly seek out. But give me something to cook and I am a diligent, energetic and enthusiastic laborer; give me something to grill and I’m in Nirvana!

And since the upcoming Memorial Day weekend is the official kick-off for summertime, that means we will be enjoying more of our meals in the great outdoors. That also means I can use my grill more frequently and that’s the type of work I truly love.

Over the years I have espoused the virtues of charcoal over gas grilling, but whatever your preference, nothing beats the flavor of outdoor cooking. Whether you’re searing a hunk of red meat, slow roasting a rack of baby backs or smoking a filet of salmon, grilling improves the flavor of just about any food – even vegetables. And there are myriad wine choices to pair with the foods we enjoy this time of year.

Here are a few of my favorite warm weather on-the-grill dishes, and the wines I think will pair especially well with them.

Hamburgers: I love to chop a few slices of bacon into small pieces and add them to a pound and a half of ground chuck. After pressing them into quarter pound burgers, I shake a generous portion of McCormick’s Montreal Grillmates Seasoning on them before placing them on the grill. Try pairing the burgers with zinfandel from producers such as Frank Family, Edmeades or Dry Creek. These California zins are all medium-bodied wines with delicious dark berry flavors that will accentuate the beefy goodness of the bacon-enhanced burgers.

Hot dogs and Sausages: I’m an advocate of splitting my dogs and sausages long-ways in order to get as many surfaces of the meat grilled and crisp. The saltiness and spice of these hearty tube steaks makes them a perfect match with refreshing and thirst-quenching dry roses’ from producers like Elizabeth Spenser (California) Domaine Tempier Bandol Rose (France) and Mulderbosch Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon (South Africa).

Rib eye or strip steak: Nothing is more hedonistically appealing to me than beefsteak grilled to perfection. I’ll have my beef purveyor cut my steak into one and one-half inch thick pieces and then I’ll rub them with a clove of garlic, kosher salt, coarsely ground black pepper and olive oil before placing the meat on the grill and cooking them until medium-rare. No wine is more appropriate to serve with this lovely grilled meat than cabernet sauvignon, particularly ones from northern California. Here are some of my favorite labels: Provenance, Franciscan, Shaffer, Alexander Valley Vineyards, Silver Oak, Heitz, St. Supery and Clos Du Val.

Marinated Vegetables: As an accompaniment to any meat or fish dish or as a stand-alone meal, you must try grilling vegetables. You can use any combination of the following: lengthwise pieces of red and yellow bell peppers; peeled and sliced zucchinis and yellow squash; a large onion cut into quarter inch circles; asparagus spears; hot banana peppers sliced lengthwise; a bulb of sliced fennel; a head of radicchio halved; and Portobello mushrooms cut in half. Make a marinade of extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and basil. Mix and then immerse the vegetables in the marinade for about an hour before grilling. Pair the grilled veggies with sauvignon blanc from La Crema and St. Supery (California) or Whitehaven and Kim Crawford (New Zealand).

Salmon: I love me some salmon on the grill! Brush two eight ounce, skin-off salmon filets (or a whole side of salmon) with a glaze composed of minced garlic and jalapenos, soy sauce, honey, cumin and olive oil. Brush on before grilling and then again when you turn the salmon. Salmon likes smoke and just loves sweet and heat. The perfect wine accompaniment to the dish is pinot noir. Try one of these beauties: Domaine Serene Evenstad Reserve and Lange Estate (Oregon); Melville Santa Rita Hills, Domaine Carneros and Etude (California).

Enjoy your Memorial Day weekend and happy summertime grilling!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book is “Augie’s World” which is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. You can find out more about his novels at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

I’m not a “save it for a rainy day” type of guy so sometimes being disorganized and even, forgetful, can be a blessing. Case in point: A few decades back- before my receding hairline and tavern tumor made their unwelcome appearance -I was a true gourmand. When I had the opportunity to taste a special wine (even one way before its time), I did so with reckless abandon and then just, literally, swallowed my disappointment.

Such was the case with a very storied wine, the 1982 Chateau Mouton Rothschild. The ’82 Mouton was widely considered the best wine of that fabulous vintage in Bordeaux. And then the most esteemed wine critic of the time (Robert Parker) declared that bottle to be the best Bordeaux of the entire 20th century -up to that point!

A few years before the wine was available for sale on the open market, I had purchased two bottles as part of a Bordeaux Futures program. Once a particular Bordeaux vintage is evaluated (usually in the spring following the harvest), prices are established and wine shops offer consumers the opportunity to buy Bordeaux wines at steep discounts. Keep in mind, though, that you don’t receive the wine for at least two years after you make your purchase.
So, you might imagine my surprise and elation to discover that the two bottles of 1982 Mouton that I had purchased as futures were now rated as the best wines of the century. In a fevered rush to experience the other worldly flavors of this exquisite wine, I immediately opened a bottle of the Mouton and carefully decanted it into crystal carafe. I let wine breathe for an hour before pouring it into our best stemware and then swirled the Mouton to help release the aroma.

I put my nose into the glass and sniffed…. and sniffed again…nothing! No ethereal aromas of black currants, toasted oak, underbrush, or mint either. Just a vague and understated red fruit smell. Heck, there were more vibrant aromas in grape Kool-Aid than in this wine, I remembered thinking. And then I tasted the Mouton. Tannic, tight and a bit of sour grape flavors predominated. My wife and I were both disappointed, but we persisted and drank the whole bottle over a couple of hours, hoping those two hours would coax the wine of the century to show up. It didn’t.

Over the next few decades and through a couple of moves, I misplaced and eventually forgot about the remaining bottle of Mouton. As a matter of fact, I assumed it had gotten lost or that one of my children had poached it during a raid on the old man’s wine stash. But earlier this year, I found the remaining bottle of ’82 Mouton. I decided that my wife and I would open it on our anniversary where we had booked a weekend at a very lovely southern resort. I contacted the resort sommelier and asked if he would open the wine for us, decant it and let it breathe for a couple of hours before serving it to us at dinner. Keep in mind, the ’82 Mouton is 39 years old so my concern before sipping the wine was whether or not it would still be drinkable.

But it’s amazing what a few decades of bottle age in proper storage conditions will do to allow wine from a good vintage to shine. This time the wine was everything I had expected it to be when I opened the first bottle – way too early. Aromas of tack room, mint and toast were followed flavors of dark berries, muted mocha, licorice and spice. In my experience with older wines, full flavored foods can sometimes overwhelm them, but we took a chance anyway and paired the wine with a perfectly grilled bone-in ribeye.

The result was spectacular! Remarkably, the wine is also still slightly tannic so I assume it will continue to age gracefully for at least another decade and I would love to find out. Surprisingly, the wine is still available for purchase, but I probably won’t find it at the $50 dollar a bottle futures price I paid back in 1984. The lowest price I could find online for the wine was $1750.

As an interesting aside, Mouton Rothschild has commissioned many famous artists and celebrities through the years to draw on their labels. For the ’82 Mouton, the winery asked Academy Award winning director and artist, John Huston, to paint something for the label. His watercolor painting is of a ram leaping in joy accompanied by the sun and the grape vine. Inscribed under the painting is a note from Huston to his friend and winery owner Baron Phillipe Rothschild which reads: “In celebration of my beloved friend Baron Philippe’s sixtieth harvest at Mouton.”

Word to the wise: If you really love the wines of Bordeaux, ask your wine merchant about purchasing wine futures. You’ll definitely get the best price possible. And then resist the temptation to drink the wine before it’s time!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book is “Augie’s World” which is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. You can find out more about his novels at wordsbyjohnbrown.com