Finger Food: News, Note, Nibbles and Sips
Monday, February 23, 2009 at 9:04PM 
Tomorrow Austrian and Grower Champagne expert Terry Theise and the Twin Cities' resident wine wonk Bill Ward will resume the conversations swirling around Wine and Why it Matters. Today, I'm announcing a new web page on my site: Food (and Drink) for Thought. Here, I'll be asking questions as well as posting newsy bits about wine and food.
If you haven't noticed, I'm hungry for conversation these days. I want to know what you think, what you drink, where you eat and more. Keep me and AficioNada readers posted by commenting directly on the site, chat with AficioNada on Twitter, or send me email. This expert of nuthin' is itching to know sumpin'!
It was a full and rewarding weekend. Premiere Napa Valley raised $1.5 million this year, down from $2.2 in 2008. Several of the wine symposium attendees predicted the top bidders wouldn't be from the U.S. Turns out they were right. Nakagawa Wine Company from Tokyo, Japan, was the top bidder, paying $80,000 for five cases of an '07 Scarecrow Cabernet and $42,000 for five cases of the 07 Ovid Cabernet, according to the Napa Valley Register.
My favorite wine from the weekend? Hudson Vineyards' esoteric blend of Syrah, Grenache, Viognier and Barbera, for a hit of acid. Carneros-based Vintner Lee Hudson is more known for growing great grapes than he is for making wine. He's also known for "doing things differently" but this delicious blend proves he wasn't just being odd for oddity's sake. And yes, it was a refreshing change from all the 100-percent Cabernets on the auction block.
Other news on the wine front: Next month Signorello Vineyards will be launching its Enoteca Signorello. Kobe Beef barbecues and fresh Italian pizzas from Signorello Vineyard's wood burning oven were once reserved for Signorello Wine Club members only, but for the last six months Chef Rodger Babel, founder of the catering company Creative Palate Works, has been crafting food pairings designed to draw out the nuances of Signorello's trademark unfiltered cabernets, old vine chardonnays, jewel-toned pinots and more. At a preview lunch last week, Babel served us tasso with Parmigiano-Reggiano and quince paste paired with Signorello's '06 Las Amigas Vineyard Pinot Noir and seared venison with mole ganache and Signorello's king cabernet, the soft, beautifully gritty '05 Padrone.
A new private tasting room called Salone del Padrone allows up to ten guests to enjoy a full sit-down tasting. As the winter rainy season draws to a close, Signorello intends to take advantage of his postcard perfect hillside venue, with its striking infinity pool and patio, by hosting outdoor events like Kobe & Cab Saturdays and Italian Pizza Sundays (Raised on Idaho's Snake River Farms, the Kobe is the same American-raised Gold Level Kobe beef sourced by Thomas Keller's award-winning Napa Valley restaurants The French Laundry and Ad Hoc, San Francisco's Coi Restaurant, and Beverly Hills' famed Cut).
Prices run from $65/person for the private tastings to $55 and $35 for the Saturday and Sunday events. For more information, contact Ryan@SignorelloVineyards.com.
Now for Today's Three Quick Questions:
Inspired by Nashville Wine Press' Dr. Wine Chick, I began to wonder...Which country or wine region is offering the best wine values right now? We know it ain't Bordeaux or Napa Valley, but what about the Languedoc? Or Paso Robles? Or? (Dr. Wine Chick, by the way, says it's Argentina)
How accessible are those values to American wine drinkers?
And, what are some of your top picks?
Reader Comments (1)
The reception meal and dinner is a main component of weddings, as it is in any large event. A great meal and finger foods showcases your appreciation to the wedding guests. Food services and caterers must be timely, quality and offer choices for the modern bride and groom, and must accomodate the wedding theme.