Proof takes it outside

If you (like me) are a fan of Proof restaurant in DC, you'll be excited to know that you can now enjoy their phenomenal wine list and cuisine al fresco, including the excellent service of Sommelier Sebastian Zutant, as the restaurant recently opened its 50-seat patio.

Chef Haidar Karoum has added several dishes to his menu of small and large plates, including a chilled seafood and hearts of palm cocktail, grilled house-made lamb sausage with cucumber, mint, and feta, and a chilled asparagus and nettle soup served with lemon crème fraîche.

Wine Director Sebastian Zutant complements these additions by offering a "Rosé of the Day" for $9 a glass, rotating the wines to offer domestic and international selections such as the Lauderbach, a Syrah from California's Russian River Valley, and the Suzanna Balboa, an Argentinian Malbec. Other summer specialties now stocked in the restaurant's unique Enomatic wine serving system include The Black Chook, a Viogner blend from Australia priced at $9, and the Northern Italian Livio Felluga Tocai Friulano for $12.

Zutant has also added a few twists to his inventive cocktail list that are sure to beat the heat. Mixed drinks such as the Coquette, a concoction made with Tanqueray Rangpur, Elderflower, grapefruit bitters, and Zutant's house-made Rosé syrup, as well as the Chupa Cabra, made with Machu Pisco, yuzu sour, crème de violet and fresh lime juice are now available for $11 each.

I look forward to trying his Coquette cocktail creation, which sounds fun, floral and fabulous.

One Wine Cocktail, Hold the Wine

Cafe Atlantico's Jill Zimorski created a cocktail that evokes the aromas and flavors of a Northern Rhone red, but doesn't contain a drop a wine. Read about it here.

114 degrees and wine's not on my mind...

This week, I'm staying at the gorgeous Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix for a (non wine-related) convention. Yesterday it was 114 degrees, though I did get in some much-needed pool time. Posts will probably be spotty at best this week, so if I just don't get a chance to create some, I invite you to go back and look at some old posts you may have missed. I'll pick up the blog next week.

Have a great week!

Francophile Oenophiles unite!

Old Town Alexandria has a new place for French wine lovers to rendezvous. Bar Baudelaire, located on the second floor above bastion French restaurant Le Gaulois Cafe, specializes in French wines (by the half glass, glass or bottle) and petits plats.

I stopped by the other night for their opening (as did a lot of other people...my friend and I must have arrived at the wrong time, because guests were three deep at the bar, and we waited FOREVER for a (not so chilled) glass of sparkling wine. The bartender told us there would be a few minutes wait time on the bubbly, as they had to go grab more bottles from downstairs. Had he told me it wasn't going to be that cold, I would have changed my order to something else.)

Anyway, the evening got better from there. We were able to snag a table right by the buffet, and luckily the empty trays and dishes were continually replenished throughout the evening. We had some lovely oysters on the half shell, mini quiches, smoked salmon, pate, shrimp cocktail, etc. etc. While it was delish, I would have liked to sample more dishes from the actual small plates menu--mussels, garlic sausage, calamari, and pureed salt cod. I'll have to head back sometime to taste those.

The wine list appropriately has a decent selection of French wines, along with some from the U.S., other parts of Europe and Australia. After my tepid glass of sparkling wine, I opted for a Pinot instead. I was pretty surprised to see the bartender pour a glass of Australia's d'Arenberg, but to give them the benefit of the doubt, they were getting slammed and maybe they just ran out of the French stuff.

Le Gaulois has a lovely courtyard that is the perfect spot for a summer evening dinner. After dinner, head upstairs for un verre de vin francais.

WineSmith and Vinifera event with Vision cellars

My friend Neil Smith, owner of Ashburn's WineSmith, will be doing in-store tasting this evening, followed by a special event with the winemaker at Vinifera in Reston. Here are the details:

Vision Cellars owner / winemaker Mac McDonald will be in the WineSmith store on Friday, June 20th from 5:00 - 7:00. Mac makes some of the finest Pinot Noirs (and some outstanding white wines, too) in California.

Once our in-store tasting is over we’ll be heading over to Vinifera, the wine bar inside the new Westin Hotel in Reston, to continue the evening with Mac. We hope you’ll join us for this event, which will feature a flight of Mac’s wines (different from what we will be tasting in the store earlier that evening), small plates prepared by the chef of Vinifera, and live jazz! The cost will be $25 per person, and glasses of wine will also be available for purchase. Please call the store at (703) 729-2970 to RSVP.

It's sure to be a great event!

American Roots Winery

Recently, I received an email from Lori Ondaro, whose family owns American Roots Winery:

Hello, my name is Lori Ondaro and like so many others I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year for the second time. As my family gathered together, it became clear to each of them their need to find a way to join the fight to find a cure. My son, Jeff Murrell and daughter-in-law, Julie Murrell felt that their contribution should come from what they know best - wine. Both in the wine industry, Jeff as Director of Research at StaVin and Julie, Assistant Winemaker at The Hess Collection Winery in Napa, they put themselves to the task of making an exceptional group of wines that would benefit all those fighting and facing breast cancer.

With incredible devotion and hard work, they founded American Roots Winery and have just bottled their Red, White and Blue label wines. A donation of 10% of their total sales are being donated to breast cancer organizations. Any attention you could give our effort to raise money for the fight against breast cancer would be greatly appreciated. Additional information has been attached and I also invite you to view their website at http://www.americanrootswinery.com/ to gather more information about their passion to help "fight the fight".

I wrote an article for Wine Enthusiast last October about wineries and wine-related companies who donate proceeds towards breast cancer research, so I am more than happy to support Lori and her family's company. Check out their website for more information and purchasing information.

Italian Cellar Tour

My friends over at the Washington Wine Academy have organized a phenomenal Italian Cellar Tour coming up in October. Led by Jay Youmans, Master of Wine and wine educator, the tour promises to be fun and educational, with the gorgeous Italian scenery in the backdrop.

Jay was my instructor for my Intermediate and Advanced Certificate courses for the WSET. He's extremely knowledgeable, but not at all pretentious. This is a wonderful opportunity to accompany Jay on a tour of some of his favorite cellars in Tuscany, Piemonte and Umbria. You will not only be tasting some great wine pulled from the cellars in Italy, but you'll be enjoying private walking tours, having some really great meals, staying at luxury hotels and much more.

For more information, check out this site.

Warmer Weather Wines article

I recently wrote an article for the premiere edition of iammodern magazine, geared for moms in Fairfax County. It offers suggestions for wines made in Northern Virginia that are good to sip in the warmer weather. Pick up a copy at select Northern Virginia locations, including some doctors' offices, the Reston Conservatory Ballet and Babies R Us, or read the article here.

Gruet Brut

Say "sparkling wine," and New Mexico certainly isn't the first place that comes to mind. But Gruet Winery has been making good bubbly since 1989. They now produce 50,000 cases of a total of seven different sparklers--all methode champenoise--which are distributed in 47 states.

I popped open a bottle of their Brut the other evening, and it was just lovely. It has some tart fruit on the nose (green apple and lemon/lime), some toastiness and a long, lingering finish. I'm currently working on an article that pairs sparkling wines with casual foods, and to go along with the "when in Rome" mentality, I think this would be great with some southwestern food like enchiladas.

Gruet Brut retails for about $14 and is available at many wine stores in the DC area.

The Source for great food and drinks

Last week I spent an evening at The Source's first floor bar and lounge. This DC-outpost of Wolfgang Puck is connected to the recently launched Newseum. The more formal restaurant is upstairs, but the lounge is also a destination in itself--complete with its own great menu of bar munchies.

The drinks menu is broken down into Classics (Negroni, Sidecar, etc.) as well as specialty (more modern libations). I started with the Cucumber Martini, created with Hendricks gin, muddled cucumber and fresh lime juice, and topped with several thin cucumber slices. Although I always describe cucumber-based drinks as refreshing, and I feel it's becoming a bit cliched, this drink certainly was, with just the right kick of gin.

Next was the classic Aviation, made with Plymouth gin, Maraschino Liqueur and fresh sour mix, garnished with cherries. It was a tad floral, and a tad fruity, and very well made.

The large and well-conceived bar menu has something for everyone. The Kobe beef sliders had great brioche buns, and a sweet-smoky onion marmalade. Spicy tuna tartare was served in a sesame miso cone--definitely finger food. Pork belly dumplings were substantial, yet the dumpling wrappers weren't at all tough as is often the case with dumplings. Four of Puck's signature pizzas appear on the menu: we opted for the pesto marinated shrimp with sun dried tomatoes and rapini. The thin crust was topped with delicious seasoned shrimp.

If you can't get a reservation upstairs, don't worry. The restaurant menu is available in the bar. The bar clientele is very diverse--the night I was there, a group of middle-aged politicos sipped martinis, while a bunch of well-dressed ladies sipped Cosmos (if I had to venture a guess, I would have said they had just seen the Sex and the City movie...)

These Flowers Won't Wilt

If your blooms (like mine) are drooping because of the current heat wave (my thermometer registered 102 in the shade Saturday afternoon...), consider sipping your flowers instead. Check out my article in the July issue of Wine Enthusiast for some wine styles that evokes a garden stroll.

SATC and the Cosmo

I went to see the Sex and the City movie this week. I've always been a fan of the TV show, especially when I was working in NYC, and I found the film funny and entertaining--like catching up with old friends.

At the end, the girls toast with their signature Cosmopolitans. They ask why they ever stopped drinking them, and then smartly note it was because everyone else started. The drink has become a bit of a cliche, and its pink color has assured its popularity with mainly the female of the species...

If you are a fan (or a closet fan), check out Zola's version. It's made with white cranberry juice to appeal to BOTH sexes. Let's face it: if the cocktail is made properly, as Zola's is, the tart blend of cranberry and lime really marries well with the vodka.

And if you haven't checked out the SATC movie, the theater will be a cool respite this weekend, as temperatures in the DC area are going to go above 95.

Cheers!

Trading Tang for Bubbles...

I adore Schramsberg, and I LOVE this story:

St. Helena, CA (May 30, 2008) - What does Navy Commander Kenneth Ham drink after a space mission? Schramsberg. A fan of the Napa Valley winery, Ham will be the first astronaut to take Schramsberg into space—or at least part of it. Ham will fly with labels and corks from the venerable sparkling wine producer on the Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-124 mission scheduled to launch May 31, 2008.

With over 3,700 flight hours in more than 40 different aircraft, Ham will pilot the Discovery on a mission described by NASA as, “the second of three flights that will launch components to complete the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo [Japanese for hope] laboratory”. The 14-day flight will carry the largest payload to-date to the station and will include three spacewalks.

According to the facts and figures provided by NASA, the STS-124 is the 123rd space shuttle flight, the 26th flight to the station, the 35th flight for Discovery and the third flight in 2008.

This will be the first space shuttle flight for Schramsberg, and has been in the works for several months since Ham and his wife, Michelle, visited the winery last year. Each astronaut is allowed a small stash of personal items to accompany them into space, and while Ham’s fellow astronauts predominantly chose sports memorabilia, Ham chose Schramsberg labels and corks.

“We are thrilled to have our labels and corks go on the space shuttle with Ken,” vintner Hugh Davies says, “We love that our American sparkling wine will become a part of American history and we are all ready looking forward to Ken’s next visit to the winery after his return to earth.”

For more information about Schramsberg Vineyards visit www.schramsberg.com. For more information about Ken Ham or the Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-124 mission visit www.nasa.gov.

Wine and your health

Which is healthier--red or white? What is the maximum number of daily glasses of wine recommended for men and women? How much wine is in a "serving"?

Weed through all the fiction surrounding wine by reading my recent article in Wine Enthusiast about how to make wine part of a healthy lifestyle.

Belgian Suds

Bill Catron knows his beer. Those from Belgium, specifically. DC's Brasserie Beck only carries Belgian brews--lots and lots of them. Last week, we enjoyed a lovely dinner on Beck's newly opened patio, while Bill selected suds to pair with each of the dishes we tried (the cuisine is authenticly Belgian as well.)

We started with two light selections to whet our whistles before deciding what to eat. Bavik on tap is one of the more popular selections at Beck, and it was light and refreshing. We also had a bottle of Grimbergen, a blond ale--also highly enjoyable.

Brasserie Beck does mussels three ways, and we opted for those steamed with fennel and chorizo (my husband and I love both of those ingredients...) We sipped Saison Dupont--similar to a Hefeweizen, with a golden hue and hints of coriander.

Bill's favorite beer with oysters on the half shell is not Stout (a traditional pairing--just Google "beer and oysters.") He instead prefers Gueze. This is a spontaneously fermented beer, made with the yeast that is just floating around in the air. It's very cidery and vinegary, and certainly not for everyone (though it is his favorite style of beer.) It had a barnyard aroma, but not in a bad way. It was quite enjoyable with the oysters--kind of like the lemon wedge for the bivalves.

Gulden Draak was the beer for our duck roulade. It had a dried fruit/raisiny flavor to it, so it went well with the roulade's similar sauce. And St. Bernarbus, an Abbey ale, was the selection for Choucroute en Croute--a melange of pork tenderloin, sausage and cabbage served in a pastry shell. It was a heavy, filling dish (the kitchen was nice enough to split it in two before serving it), and this more substantial style of beer was a great match.

After dinner and before dessert, we tried what can best be described as the Port of Belgian Beers--Gouden Carullus, Grand Cru of the Emperor. It tasted so much like Port--just with some carbonation (and an interesting banana aroma.) The best part for me was learning that this beer is only brewed on one day of the year--Charles the Fifth's birthday, February 24. That just so happens to be MY birthday, too, so it was really cool to discover "my" beer.

One of the most popular desserts at Brasserie Beck is their pear tarte tatin, with which we enjoyed an apple beer (the name escapes me right now, because by the end of our meal the number of bottles and glasses on our table was staggering. So much that a neighboring table of customers sat down and said "we'll have what they're having.") Anyway, the beer was crisp and fruity without being disgustingly sweet--and a great choice with our dessert.

The coolest thing about Brasserie Beck is learning how food friendly Belgian beers can be. I've always enjoyed them, but I never had such an exotic selection from which to select--Hoegaarden is the most common brand you'll find at restaurants and bars. Check out Beck for happy hour, lunch or dinner, and be sure to ask for Bill. He's super nice and super knowledgeable.