Vino wine festival etiquette
Open 7 days a week Monday to Saturday 11 am to 10pm International Sunday Brunch 9am to 3pm Dinner from 3pm to 9pm Bar Open All Day Take Out Available 623 Caroline Street Fredericksburg VA 22401 Tel (540) 368-1 1107 Fax (540) 368-1 1108
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July 2016
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tomatoes, to-mah-toes By vanessa moncure
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by scott richards I have been selling since I was young, going from door to door hawking everything from candy to raise funds for the Boy Scouts to various fund raisers for the marching band in high school. So when I started pouring for tastings at festivals or retail outlets, it was no big deal, it came quite naturally. In fact, as I told a retail boss once, when the people come up to taste, I feel as if I am on stage and have no problem entertaining with stories and jokes while presenting and educating people about wines. In the retail arena, we had control over how much people consumed and were trained to observe and react to those who would try to keep coming back to the tasting table and getting too much wine. Wine festivals are a different story. Depending on where the winery is located on the festival grounds and the time of day, there are always those who come to sample who have no business trying to consume any more wine. There have been times when I have refused to serve festival goers. Talk about indignant people. Being messed up on too much wine not being very attractive. Also, most people do not realize ABC agents are there as well and can cause all kinds of havoc for the wineries pouring for those who have had enough. That being said, we are entering the time of year when wine festivals are starting up for the season. I enjoy Virginia wines and wine festivals as much as the next guy, but they are not open bars and should not be treated as such. Of course, at any sizable wine festivals, there are many fine wines to try, and even when tasting the smallest sip, if many wines are tasted, may have an effect caused by alcohol (for the novice, wine contains alcohol). Understand, this column is not about abstinence from wine festivals. Quite the contrary, to enjoy sampling wine to the maximum, two words come to mind: plan and spit. At the larger festivals, such as ones located in Bull Run, Richmond or Virginia Beach, there is usually an online listing of the wineries that will be represented. It would add to the experience if people would peruse the list and determine if there were certain wineries that peaked their interest in addition to looking at the wines offered to decide if there may be something that draws their attention. Wine festivals should not be random drinking events, planning really works. As a child, it was a cardinal sin to spit, and with most people, it is socially unacceptable unless at a sporting event or out hunting or at some event where a
Olde Towne BUTCHER
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ting Wine Tas e Etiquett
chaw is part of the social norm. In public places, however, it would be safe to say that spitting is not encouraged. At wine festivals, even though public drunkenness is frowned upon, spitting is not. Most wineries will have a container of some sort to spit out the sample of wine. The rationale is simple. The wine is tasted and swirled in the taster's mouth and then spit into the container. The question arises, "How can you really taste the wine if it is not swallowed?" Since most tasting is done by smell, once the wine is spit, immediately take a breath in through your mouth and then breath out through your nose and surprisingly, the taste will return. The result is getting an additional taste of the wine without the effect of the alcohol. There will often be a type of cracker at tasting table to cleanse your palette in order to have a clearer taste of the next wine. Wineries love to talk about their product and there is a lot to be learned by listening to them. There are some distinct differences about Virginia wines around the state that can slip by the occasional wine drinker, such as how the vineyards are managed and what processes are used to make the wine. All these bits of information can enhance one's knowledge of Virginia wines. Enjoy the wine festivals this year and in order to remember them, plan, spit and listen. Cheers and ptooi! Scott Richards is owner of Loch Haven Vineyards, and a free lance writer Read his blog at fromthevine.wordpress.com or Contact him at bgmeadowswine@yahoo.com
Our annual Independence Day marks the gardener's unofficial start of fresh tomato season - in my raised-bed backyard garden, I've had my eye on a double-fist size German Johnson variety, just waiting for its first blush. Between this garden and the farm garden are seven varieties, plus many mystery volunteers from past seasons, including a prolific crop growing between stones ringed around the bed. We usually have an early bright-red slicer like Big Beef (hybrid), a sweet pink lower-acid variety like Brandywine, a bi-colored, lemony yellow or black variety as a zesty salad tomato, a Green Zebra that's green even when ripe, and our top canner with meaty thick skins and few seeds like San Marzano. And can't forget our small, sweet and prolific cherry tomatoes - I suspect most of the volunteers are of this variety as they seem to grow like weeds and don't mind popping up in the compost pile along with pumpkins and butternut squash. Look for variety at the Farmer's Market, try a smoky black or purple Russian heirloom with mahogany skins and meat - or a fruity orange Persimmon - or bright red slicer like a NJ Box Car Willie - and yes, save this year's heirloom seeds for next year's crop (can't save hybrids, though).
CHERRY SALAD Since I often have a rainbow of cherry tomatoes (see unplanned volunteers above) this is a colorful and delicious summer salad. Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise (or leave whole if very small) and combine with celiegine (It. small tomato) mozzarella balls and fresh shredded black and green basil. Dress with a light EV olive oil and white balsamic vinegar along with several turns of coarsely-ground green, black, white and pink peppercorns. Serve over spicy arugula greens.
BASIL TOMATO CREAM SAUCE FOR PASTA Slip the skins on about 1 ½ lbs. fresh plum tomatoes (easy to do - dip tomatoes in simmering water for about 30 seconds, then make a small cut on the end
and easily peel skins off). Remove the seeds over a sieve to reserve any juices, then chop the tomatoes. In deep skillet, heat 3T. olive oil over medium heat and cook tomatoes and juice along with ½ tsp. grated garlic about five minutes or so stir in 1 tsp. each salt and coarse-ground pepper and ¼ c. fresh torn basil leaves. Stir in ½ to 1 c. fresh heavy cream (will depend on how much juice your tomatoes yield)and ? c. finely shredded fresh parmesan cheese. Heat through and reduce slightly. Toss together with 6 oz. cooked fettucine pasta plus 2 T. pasta water - never rinse pasta as sauces will not cling. Garnish with more fresh basil. Have you ever tried Vodka Sauce on your pasta? Just add ¼ c. unflavored vodka to chopped tomatoes and proceed with recipe.
BL-D DOUBLE T Cook 8 slices of thick-sliced bacon until crisp - drain and set aside. In medium skillet, saute green tomato slices in scant ? c. canola oil (beat one egg with 2 T. buttermilk in one bowl, dip 4 thick green tomato slices, then dip them again into mixture of ½ c. each yellow corn meal and flour, S&P). When tomatoes are golden brown and crispy, let drain on paper-towel covered plate. To assemble, slice a hearty bread and spread with mayonnaise (not salad dressing). Layer crisp lettuce with cooked green tomatoes, slices of juicy red tomatoes and 4 slices bacon. Makes two sandwiches.
FRESH SALSA (OR PICO DE GALLO) Dice up 2 c. each of tomato and purple onion (a meaty tomato like a Roma is better than one with many seeds). Coarsely chop 1 c. fresh cilantro and add to tomato and onion mixture along with finely minced jalapeno pepper (as spicy as you like! Leave in seeds for an extra kick). Squeeze juice from ½ lime and stir in along with salt to taste. Dip chips and enjoy - or serve as a side with cumingrilled chicken. ` Time to party! Congratulations on celebrating 20 (twenty!!) years of publishing The Front Porch!!
Serving Breakfast Sandwiches 10am ~ 11:30am Lunch 10am ~ 4pm Open Monday ~ Saturday 10am - 4pm 540.371.2233 www.thevirginiadeli.com 826 Caroline corner of Caroline & George Streets
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