Category Archives: Wine

Brazilian Wine

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Cabs from Brazil.

When you think of Brazil, you probably think of samba, beaches, Carnival, meat-laden churrascaria restaurants, and “The Girl from Ipanema.”

Wine?

Not so much.

But according to wine importer Stepan Baghdassarian of Rio Joe’s Brands, Inc., Brazilian wines may be relatively new in the United States, yet they have a long history in Brazil. Indeed, the Pizzato family, who immigrated from Italy to Southern Brazil in 1870, is a pioneer in the wine-making industry there.

The Pizzato Winery now produces 200,000 bottles annually of Bordeaux varietals. The family owns two vineyards — the Pizzato vineyards,  in the Vale dos Vinhedos appellation in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state in Brazil, adjacent to Uruguay and Argentina. They also own Fausto Vineyards, in the larger appellation of Serra Gaucha, which is 50 kilometers north of Valle dos Vinhedos and the winery.

When Baghdassarian offered to send me two bottles to sample, I jumped at the chance to try wines I’d never had before. I opened both bottles of Cabarnet Sauvignon over a dinner of hearty beef stew.

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Scrumptious Events

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starchefs

For a delicious time, head to one of these upcoming fun events:

* 22nd Annual Star Chefs & Vintners Gala: Chef Nancy Oakes of Boulevard in San Francisco once again is spearheading this gala that benefits Meals on Wheels of San Francisco, which provides meals to homebound seniors. The May 17 benefit at Fort Mason in San Francisco features more than 70 of the Bay Area’s best chefs, including Charles Phan of the Slanted Door in San Francisco, Mourad Lahlou of Aziza in San Francisco, and Christopher Kostow of the Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena.

Participating vintners include Pride Mountain Vineyards, Duckhorn Vineyards, and Vineyard 29. Mixologists from the Alembic and Absinthe will be concocting one-of-a-kind cocktails.

Silent and live auction items will include the rarest of wines, and dinner at a private estate in Pebble Beach.

Individual tickets start at $400. For more information, call (415) 920-1111 ext. 281.

Chef Tom Colicchio coming to San Francisco. (Photo courtesy of Williams-Sonoma)

* Panini tasting with Tom Colicchio: The head honcho “Top Chef” judge will be at Williams-Sonoma’s Union Square store, 340 Post St. in San Francisco, 5 p.m. April 15. Nosh on sandwiches as Colicchio signs his new book, “wichcraft.” For more information, call (415) 362-9450.

* Farm to Table at Nick’s Cove: Executive Chef Adam Mali will create a five-course dinner April 16 at the Tomales Bay restaurant, featuring ingredients from its on-site garden, Drake’s Bay oysters, and Drake’s Bay Family Farms.

Price is $65 per person. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Marin Organic, an association of organic producers. Those who want to spend the night in the cottages can take advantage of a special rate of $100 off luxury waterfront ones or $50 off water view ones.

* ”Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day” Deal: To support that national day on April 23, parents who dine at McCormick & Kuleto’s Seafood Restaurant in San Francisco and Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto in Berkeley will receive a free lunch entree and beverage for their children.

* Taste of Tamales by the Bay: Enjoy a variety of tamales, both sweet and savory, at the third annual event, noon to 4:30 p.m. April 26 at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco. See tamale-making demonstrations, and enjoy margaritas, as well as heirloom beans from Rancho Gordo.

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Passover Celebration and Wine Events

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Executive Chef Staffan Terje of Perbacco. (Photo courtesy of Frankie Frankeny)

Last year’s Passover celebration at Perbacco Ristorante proved so popular, the San Francisco restaurant is doing it again this year on April 10.

Chef and cookbook author Joyce Goldstein will join Perbacco Executive Chef Staffan Terje to create an Italian Jewish Passover dinner that includes antipasti, desserts, and side dishes served family-style, along with your choice of primi and secondi. Entree choices include seabass with a sauce of artichokes, and lamb shoulder braised with olives.

The four-course dinner is $49 per person. For reservations, call (415) 955-0663.

Tonight, from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., enjoy a free wine-tasting lesson at Bistro Luneta in San Mateo that will be taught by Master Sommelier Reggie Narito, one of only three Filipino-Americans to hold that prestigious title.

This will be the first in a series of wine tasting sessions this year at the modern-Filipino restaurant. To reserve a spot, call (650) 344-0041.

Tasting Pinot at last year's Pinot Paradise. (Photo courtesy of the Santa Cruz Mountains Winery Association)

If Pinot is your thing, head to the fifth annual Pinot Paradise on March 28-29 to discover the flavors and terroirs of six recently defined sub-regions in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

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Cheese, Chocolates, Wines, Tributes and San Jose Eats On TV

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Delights from the California Artisan Cheese Festival. (Photo courtesy of Karen Preuss)

Deliriously delicious events you won’t want to miss:

*3rd Annual California Artisan Cheese Festival: The Sheraton Sonoma County in Petaluma will host this cheese extravaganza, March 20-23. Meet artisan cheesemakers at the March 20 reception and tasting. March 21, listen to a panel of experts including Laura Werlin and Clark Wolf.

Kelsie Kerr, director of the cooking school at Cavallo Point, will teach a cooking class about incorporating artisan cheese into everyday cooking. The March 21 gala dinner will feature five courses by a bevy of Bay Area chefs. At the Artisan Cheese Marketplace gets underway March 22, look for cooking demos by chefs such as Joey Altman.

Ticket prices range from $40 to $170. Ten percent of ticket sales will benefit five non-profits that support the artisan cheese-making community and its sustainability.

(Photo courtesy of the International Chocolate Salon)

* 3rd Annual International Chocolate Salon: Yes, chocolates, chocolates everywhere. That’s what you’ll find at this decadent event, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 21 at the Fort Mason Center’s Herbst Pavillion in San Francisco. Stroll through 30,000-square-feet of chocolate, wine, and confections to discover and taste. Chocolate demos, chef talks, and author signings also will be spotlighted.

More than 50 confectioners and wineries will be there, showing off their ware.

Yours truly, the Food Gal, will be there, too, as one of the tasting panel judges. Oh my. I better start fasting now in preparation.

Tickets are $25 for adults; $10 for children ages 6-12; and free for children under age 6 (limit two children per adult).

Chef Laurent Manrique of the Aqua Restaurant Group. (Photo courtesy of Justin Lewis)

* James Beard Foundation Benefit Dinner: Chef Laurent Manrique and his culinary friends will honor esteemed cookbook author Paula Wolfert at a special dinner, March 16, at the Fifth Floor in San Francisco.

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Your One-Stop Shop For French Gourmet Goods

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Le Fermiere honey yogurt (2-pack for $6.99) in pretty ceramic jars.

See that creamy, dreamy yogurt above?

People drive miles and miles for it. Because once you’ve had full-fat French yogurt, there’s no going back.

The bare-bones Gourmet Corner store, 873 N. San Mateo Dr. in San Mateo, is one of the few retailers in the Bay Area — if not the only one — where you can find it. Surely, no other establishment has the variety of French yogurts that this one does.

Find a good selection of French cheeses.

That’s because proprietor Hugues de Vernou knows his stuff. Well, he’s French, for one thing. And two, he’s been in the food import/export business for more than two decades. For years, he ran the Made In France/Village Imports business that sold European gourmet foods wholesale. It was most famous, though, for its occasional public sales, which would prompt foodies to line up for hours to load up on imported cheeses, wines, olive oils, and canned goods at bargain prices.

Owner Hugues de Vernou

De Vernou sold that business last year. In December 2008, he opened this store in what was once a car dealership. In two rooms, totalling 5,000 square feet, you’ll find an array of French products for sale, including chocolates, cookies, foie gras, dried morels, mustards, dried green lentils, jars of duck fat, canned hearts of palm, frozen escargot, and duck confit. De Vernou recently got his liquor license, and now sells wines, too, $8 to $25 per bottle (you get a 10 percent discount if you buy by the case).

Plans are to expand the store even more, to add a selection of prepared foods, and even a barbecue outside in the summer, when the floor-to-ceiling bay doors can be retracted to create almost an open-air market feel.

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