During winters when I was growing up in the Northview section of Clarksburg, I remember being forced to eat food I thought had been grown in tin cans. When I refused to eat the limp and tasteless vegetables and fruit that oozed from these metal containers, I was required to sit at the dinner table until I relented, and choked down a forkful of the despicable stuff.

I suppose there was some sort of nutritional benefit to consuming canned veggies and fruit back then, but I would have preferred starvation, a paddling from Dad or even being whacked on the knuckles again by Sister Grimalda for talking during class at St. James Grade School – a medieval, penal institution where I served more time in detention than in the classroom.

But summertime was a different story because all the adults in my Italian American family had vegetable gardens and fruit trees. None of my twenty or so first cousins – or I – had to be forced to eat freshly grown family produce. But we preferred to poach the cherries, tomatoes or apples from the vines and trees my family members so lovingly tended, and then had to protect from the horde of hungry and larcenous kids who would not wait for the bounty to ripen.

Kids today, though, don’t have to eat anything from a can – even in winter. With internationally transported fruits and veggies available year-round, the only thing worth consuming from a can now is a cold beverage. And with everything currently at peak harvest in our neck of the woods, there is no better time than now to enjoy the cornucopia of freshly grown edibles. So today, I’m going to provide you with a recipe that takes advantage of many of these fresh and abundant vegetables.

Teala (pronounced Tea-aa-lah) is an Italian vegetable casserole that is a spicy, delicious, one-pot, no-meat meal that is taken to another level with an accompanying bottle of wine. And Teala is an equal opportunity dish when it comes to wine since it pairs equally well with both reds and whites. If I’m using a red wine to accompany Teala, I prefer to sip light to medium-bodied bottles such as Valpolicella or Barbera.

But Teala really shines when it is paired with white wine that features herbaceous and citrus flavors with a touch of minerality. Those flavor components are especially present in many California sauvignon blancs, and in Arneis, a white wine from northern Italy. Here are two of my favorite white wines to accompany Teala.

2022 St. Supéry Estate Vineyards Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($26) – I visited this winery a few years back and was very impressed with their entire portfolio. However, I was especially pleased with the St. Supery Napa Sauvignon Blanc. The wine is bright and crisp, and features flavors of citrus with nuances of herbs and grass. It stands up to, and enhances, the savory summer casserole we call Teala.

2020 Damilano Lange Arneis ($24) – This northern Italian white is a fresh, herbaceous wine with flavors of ripe pears and citrus, and aromas of minerals and grass. It’s a lovely mouthful of wine that is not only a seamless match to the Teala, but also refreshes the palate and tames some of the zesty, spicy flavors in the dish.

Teala

Ingredients

Two medium sized zucchinis, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
Two medium sized yellow squash cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
Three medium sized potatoes peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick rounds
One medium sized onion, hot banana pepper and red bell pepper cut into thin vertical slices
Two ripe red tomatoes sliced thinly
One small bunch of parsley and one handful of basil chopped together
Four cloves of minced garlic
One third cup of unseasoned bread crumbs
One half cup of grated pecorino-romano cheese
One cup of grated mozzarella
Four ounces extra virgin olive oil
One teaspoon each of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Drizzle olive oil on the bottom of a casserole dish and rub all over
Layer the potatoes to cover the bottom of the dish
Top with salt, pepper, herbs, onions, garlic, peppers, breadcrumbs, cheese and drizzled oil
Layer zucchini and repeat the step above
Layer yellow squash and repeat toppings
Repeat above, including potatoes, until the casserole is full
Top layer should be drizzled only with olive oil, breadcrumbs and cheese
Cover with aluminum foil and place in a 375F oven
Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes covered and last 15 minutes uncovered to brown top
Allow Teala to rest for 20 minutes before serving

*The dish will make a lot of liquid, so you may wish to drain some before servin

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book, Augie’s World, is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. Both novels are available in print and audio at Amazon. You can find out more about his novels and wine columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

When I was a teenager and knew everything there was to know about life, my father, in an attempt to enlighten me said, “Son, life is like an onion, there’s a lot of layers to it, and sometimes it will bring a tear to your eye, but you’ll be a wise man if you just keep on peeling.”

I just looked up at my dad with a blank stare and thought to myself: what the hell is he talking about? Of course, I didn’t verbalize what I was thinking. I simply nodded and continued to bungle my way through a decade of dissipation. And soon thereafter, I realized that I had just peeled back a layer of that onion and I wasn’t at all pleased with what I was seeing. I could only hope the next layer would reveal a wiser man.

I know what you’re thinking: ‘where the heck is HE going with this, and what does it have to do with wine?’

Hey, you’ll just have to be patient with me because I’m about to peel back another layer! And this layer reveals an undeniable truth: enjoying wine involves a fairly simple process. All you need to do to is put the wine in your mouth. If that simple experience is pleasant, then you’re probably happy. But to really get the maximum pleasure out of wine, you will need to peel back a little more of the onion.

That means finding the attributes that make exceptional wine, and that process is not simple. It’s complex and it can be challenging, but it’s also a lot of fun. I’m talking about searching for and finding wine that is more than just a pleasant quaff. A bottle that has unique and pleasing aromas, beautiful color and clarity, and one that also features incredible layers of flavor. The search for and discovery of such a bottle is the essence of wine appreciation. And while the journey may be long, it’s always pleasurable and extremely educational. Today’s primer will involve ways of finding the best possible red wine.

While I enjoy single varietal reds like pinot noir and cabernet sauvignon, I don’t think they have as much potential to produce the multi-layered, complex wine that bottles made from blends of grapes can. The greatest reds, like wines from Bordeaux, are blends of several grape varietals, including cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot. Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the other red wines of the Rhone Valley in France can be made with as many as 13 varietals. The most common blends there are syrah, grenache and mourvèdre which many refer to as “The Holy Trinity.”

In the Napa Valley, one of the greatest red wines is Joseph Phelps Insignia. The 2018 Insignia is a blend of 87 percent cabernet sauvignon, 8 percent petit verdot, 2 percent malbec and 2 percent cabernet franc. One of the most expensive and prestigious wines in Napa, Opus One, is also a blend of five red Bordeaux-grapes.

I am a big fan of zinfandel and I love it as a single varietal. However, I really think it’s better when it’s blended with other grapes. Ridge Vineyards is my go-to zin producer in California, but my favorite wines produced at the winery are Geyserville and Lytton Springs which, depending upon the year, can be blends of zinfandel, petite syrah, mourvèdre and carignane.

Of course, when you pair that exceptionally complex wine with an equally special meal, you’ve found culinary nirvana. So, enjoy the journey and hopefully you’ll find that extraordinary bottle out there somewhere. All you have to do is keep peeling that onion.

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book, Augie’s World, is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. Both novels are available in print and audio at Amazon. You can find out more about his novels and wine columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

Summertime has come early this year with an extended period of San Diego -like weather, featuring warm temperatures, low humidity and cool nights. As a result, I transitioned earlier than normal from the full-bodied wines of winter to lighter and more refreshing whites and reds that are better suited to warmer weather. Likewise, my food choices have also morphed from heavier, protein-centric dishes to lighter vegetable and fruit enhanced meals.

Today, I’ll share a recipe with you for a summertime pasta dish that is light and healthy. It’s also delicious when accompanied by either of the two Italian white wines I’m recommending as pairing partners. And while each of the wines is made with different grapes, grown in distinctly diverse regions of the country, each bottle pairs exceptionally well with the pasta dish.

While Italian cuisine is considered world-class, the ingredients used to create dishes are simple and mainly local and farm fresh. Unlike French cuisine, which relies heavily on the addition of cream, butter and animal fat, Italian food is lighter and healthier. The main source of fat used to cook Italian dishes is olive oil which is universally considered healthy by medical experts. And when Italians do consume saturated fats -like cheese, prosciutto and sausage, – they do so in moderation, and then they sip a glass or two of wine to de-clog their arteries.

As a Magna cum Laude graduate of Whatsamata U, my credentials as a certified expert on all things Italian is beyond reproach. Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but I have memorized every legendary line in the “Godfather” movies, and I do know a thing or two about Italian wine and food. So today, I’m gonna make you ‘an offer you can’t refuse.’ The following recipe, along with complementary wine pairing recommendations, is the offer you won’t want to refuse.

Vino e Pasta

Ingredients:
One -half pound of Tagliatelle (or Fettuccine) pasta
Four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
One-half onion, one shallot and two cloves garlic chopped
Three teaspoons of capers
One cup of chicken stock
One-half cup of dry white wine
One dozen sun-dried or sliced, fresh cherry tomatoes
Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste
Two cups of good parmesan (such as Parmigiano Reggiano)
Two tablespoons each chopped Italian parsley and scallions (green parts)
One teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
One cup of pasta water- reserved.

Preparation:
Grate two cups of parmesan
Sauté onions, garlic and shallots in olive oil in large pan
Add sun-dried or cherry tomatoes and capers to sauté pan
Add chicken stock and white wine and cook for about five minutes
Cook for ten minutes until liquid is reduced
Turn heat down to simmer and add salt and pepper to taste
Add tagliatelle to boiling water and cook until al dente
Drain pasta reserving one-half cup pasta water
Add pasta and water plus one cup of cheese to pan
Sprinkle parsley and scallions to the pan
Toss the mixture until it’s well integrated and then plate it

Place extra cheese and red pepper flakes in bowls for use at the table

The two wines I’m recommending you pair with Vino e Pasta come from regions at either ends of Italy, but both are harmonious accompaniments to the dish.

2020 Tiefenbrunner Pino Grigio ($21) – This crisp white from Trentino-Alto Adige in the extreme northern part of Italy (almost in Austria) is full of citrus and ripe green apple flavors. It is also a refreshing and complementary counterpoint to the richness of the pasta dish.

2021 Di Majo Norante Falanghina ($15) From the hills above Naples in southern Italy, this medium-bodied white has flavors of melon with nuances of peach and tropical fruit. It is complex and well-balanced, and pairs seamlessly with the Pasta e Vino.

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book, Augie’s World, is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. Both novels are available in print and audio at Amazon. You can find out more about his novels and wine columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

The California wine industry got its start when Father Junipero Serra planted grape seeds at his San Juan Capistrano mission in 1769 near what is now San Diego. The string of Franciscan missions reached northern California nearly one hundred years later where the first commercial winery in the state – Buena Vista – was established in the town of Sonoma.

The wine industry in California has grown to nearly 3000 wineries and represents more than 80 percent of all wine produced in the United States. If California was a separate country, it would be the fourth largest wine producer in the world. Despite these impressive statistics, widespread acceptance and appreciation of California wine was a long time coming. In fact, through the first 75 years of the 20th Century, California wine received little recognition outside of the United States.

It was an event that took place forty-seven years ago in Europe that first focused attention on wine from the Golden State. The event, which came to be known as the “Judgement of Paris, was a wine tasting held on May 24, 1976, and every wine lover on this side of the Atlantic should celebrate that date. The consequences of that tasting for the California wine industry would prove to be monumentally important.

The tasting was the brainchild of Steven Spurrier, an Englishman who owned a wine shop in Paris called La Cave de la Madeleine. Spurrier also operated a wine school whose six-week courses were regularly attended by French oenophiles, chefs and sommeliers. Over the years, Spurrier developed a close relationship with winemakers in Bordeaux and Burgundy. However, unlike most European wine experts, Spurrier recognized the potential quality of California wines, particularly the ones being produced in Napa Valley.

As a justification for inviting the California wineries to compete in the tasting, Spurrier cited the American bicentennial. He had organized the event and he invited an expert, all-French, wine tasting panel consisting of some of that country’s most famous sommeliers and restauranteurs. To rule out any home-cooking, this was to be a blind tasting and none of the judges would be able to see the labels. At that time, the French didn’t consider any country’s wines to be the equal of what was being made in France, and they scoffed at any suggestion that American bottles would stand a chance.

Six Cabernet Sauvignons and six Chardonnays – all from California- competed against some of the greatest of all red Bordeaux and white Burgundy wines. For example, one of the world’s most highly acclaimed Bordeaux reds– 1970 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, and one of the world’s most famous White Burgundy (chardonnay) – 1973 Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches – were among the French bottles against which the wines of California would compete.

To the shock of the wine world, when the results from the French judges were tallied up, Napa Valley wines were awarded first place in both categories! The 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won first place in the white wine category, and the 1973 Stags Leap Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon was judged first among all the reds.

A reporter from Time Magazine was the only credentialed journalist who attended the tasting, and his story did not appear in the magazine until a week after the event. But once news of the wine tasting was widely disseminated, California wines gained universal respect, credibility and acceptance. The fact that two upstart Napa Valley wines were voted the best in each of the two categories being evaluated, and by a tasting panel comprised of all French judges, astonished everyone in France and across the world.

The top-scoring reds were: 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars from the Napa Valley, followed by 1970 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, 1970 Chateau Haut-Brion and 1970 Chateau Montrose. The top four chardonnays were: 1973 Chateau Montelena (from Napa) 1973 Meursault-Charmes and two other Californians, 1974 Chalone from Monterey County and 1973 Spring Mountain Chardonnay (Napa).

In his 1976 Time Magazine article on the event, reporter George Taber wrote: “The U.S. winners are little known to wine lovers, since they are in short supply even in California and rather expensive ($6 plus). Jim Barrett, Montelena’s general manager and part owner, said: “Not bad for kids from the sticks.”

Indeed!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book Augie’s World, is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. Both novels are available in print and audio at Amazon. You can find out more about his novels and wine columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

It’s the end of April and, like many other mountain state residents this time of year, I’m excited to sample the latest crop of allium tricoccum – more commonly known as ramps. You can count me among those who have waited impatiently for the little buggers to peek out of the forest floor. For weeks now, I’ve checked my own special mountain ramp patch for the green shoots (resembling the leaves on scallions) that signal their arrival. Finally, they appeared, and I spent an hour last week digging them out of the ground– one by one – until I had what we refer to as a “mess” of the odiferous lilies.

There are any number of ramp feeds around the state now, and you’ll have ample opportunities to sample menus featuring them. However, most of the cooks at ramp festivals smother the flavor of these wild leeks by adding them to dishes like pinto beans or fried potatoes. I suppose ramps do add a distinct flavor component to bean or potato casseroles, but the true flavor of these delectable veggies is too faint when they’re buried under an avalanche of carbohydrates.

I’m not suggesting that you eat uncooked ramps– although that was how I first consumed them. I was still living at home when, late one night, a friend came into the kitchen with a mess of ramps and 12-pack of Carling Black Label. After shaking the dirt off the ramps and rinsing them in cold water, we proceeded to sprinkle them with salt and eat them raw, chasing them with the Black Label.

When my mother came to wake me the next morning, she was wearing my grandfather’s World War I gas mask and carrying an industrial size can of Lysol. She was not amused. If you ever do decide to eat them right out of the ground, make sure the people who live within a mile of you have fair warning. This is to prevent them from losing consciousness or from reporting you to the EPA.

I now prefer to eat my ramps cooked. I like to spark up whatever comprises the main dinner course with the little devils, and I especially love to douse them with olive oil, salt and pepper, and then grill them over low to medium heat. Prepared in this manner, they lose much of their pungency, and they become a delicious accompaniment to any grilled meat, vegetable or seafood dish.

So, what wine pairs best with cooked or grilled ramps? That largely depends on what main course with which you accompany them. Actually, sauvignon blanc and other well-balanced whites can be a copacetic pairing with ramps in seafood dishes, or if you combine them with veggies like asparagus, green beans or broccoli. If you’re adding ramps to grilled meat, you should use medium-bodied reds like sangiovese, pinot noir or barbera.

White wine is also a great accompaniment to ramp and veggie pasta dishes. See the recipe below along with a couple of tasty wines to pair with the dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

One small bunch (ten or so) cleaned ramps
One half pound of fresh asparagus
Two slices of thick sliced bacon
Three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
One pound of penne pasta
One teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional)
One cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Dice two pieces of bacon, sauté until crisp then put bacon onto paper towels
Reserve one tablespoon of bacon fat and add olive oil to sauté pan
Chop approximately ten ramps (white and green parts) and the asparagus into 1/2-inch pieces
Sauté the ramps (white parts) and asparagus in the oil and bacon fat until tender
Reserve the green leaf parts to add as a garnish to the finished pasta
Cook the pasta (al dente) in a large pot and reserve one cup of the cooking liquid
Transfer the cooked pasta to the sauté pan and add the reserved cooking liquid
Mix the pasta into the sauce and add the cheese and red pepper and salt to taste
Serve with the green ramp leaves as a garnish

Wines for the recipe:
2019 Grgich Hills Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc ($31) – This wine has citrus flavors wand sage-like herbal nuances with surprising depth and medium weight. It’s also very well balanced with fruit richness and acidity, and melds perfectly with this ramp-enhanced pasta dish.

2021 Bici Verdicchio de Matelica ($22) – Pale golden in color, this central Italian white has ripe green apple flavors with bracing acidity balanced by a slight tropical richness. It allows the ramp and veggie pasta to shine.

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book Augie’s World, is a sequel to his debut novel, Augie’s War. Both novels are available in print and audio at Amazon. You can find out more about his novels and wine columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com