Category: Food

Exploring the variations of this classic Tuscan red

Those of us of a certain age fondly remember the bottle of Chianti, wrapped in a straw basket sitting on the red-checkered tablecloth in Billy Joel’s Italian Restaurant.

The best part of that bottle of wine was, in fact, the bottle. So romantic, repurposed as a candle holder as in that back-alley spaghetti dinner of Disney’s Lady and the Tramp. That bottle grew in texture and affection that only the wax could give it because the wine was dreadful! Is it any coincidence that “il fiasco” is Italian for a rough glass flagon, or flask, that is then wrapped in straw to protect it and allow it to stand properly?

But let’s move on to today’s Chiantis. You will have some difficulty in finding the straw-wrapped fiasco of Chianti today. Instead, there are bottles of Bolla Chianti lining the shelves of stores everywhere at very affordable prices. And most are vastly superior to that Chianti of 40 to 50 years ago. Chianti is a wine to be drunk with food. Its medium body, dryness and light tannins are a superior complement to baked Italian pasta dishes, pizza or braised beef. It is not a wine to sip unless it is accompanied by Italian cheeses from mozzarella to pecorino. It is a wine enjoyed in your college years because it’s affordably priced, but the experience shouldn’t end there. We have a line-up of three Chiantis from one winery that vary from each other significantly. And the bottles are not wrapped in straw!

Our first Chianti is the 2020 Castello di Querceto Chianti D.O.C.G. (originally priced at $15.99, reduced to $8.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets). Just as with other Chiantis, this wine is principally made with sangiovese grapes, with a small fraction of other varietals added to soften the hard edges of the sangiovese grapes. Chianti wine emerged in the Renaissance in the Chianti region of Tuscany, between Florence and Siena. The Chiantis we enjoy today were formulated in the third quarter of the 19th century, providing some continuity and control within the region. The terroir of Chianti varies widely, resulting in a wide range of quality. This bottle can be loosely interpreted as “entry-level D.O.C.G. Chianti” (D.O.C.G. is a designation given to wine of the highest level of quality from that region). The wine has a ruby color, and to the nose a pleasant floral note, along with a fresh but dry tongue of cherries. Upon opening, this wine has strong tannins, so it should be decanted or opened well in advance of drinking to allow the tannins to subside. If you plan to cellar, this wine has an aging potential of three to five years.

Our second Chianti is the 2019 Castello di Querceto Chianti Classico D.O.C.G. (originally priced at $18.99, reduced to $10.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets). This wine comes from vineyards in Greve in Chianti. It is matured in casks for 10 to 12 months, and then refined in the bottle for a minimum of three months. Produced from sangiovese grapes, with an addition of canaiolo grapes, it too has a ruby color, but with the slightest tinge of amber at the rim. To the nose it has notes of cherries, but with an added hint of clove. The tannins are lighter than the first Chianti and it remains fresh to the finish. Its dry smoky flavor is a departure from the first Chianti and worth the $2 increase in cost. This vintage can be cellared for an additional five years.

Our third Chianti is the 2017 Castello di Querceto Chianti Classico Riserva D.O.C.G. (originally priced at $24.99, reduced to $12.99 at the New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlets). This wine has a nose of cherries, augmented by cassis, berries, with slight floral notes. To the tongue, the fruit is joined by the addition of walnuts and chocolate and thus it becomes richer and more complex than the earlier Chiantis. Made from grapes grown at altitudes exceeding 1,200 feet, and barrel aged for two years, this Chianti exemplifies the best of the central region of Chianti Classico. While Chianti Classico improves with cellaring, this is a wine produced five years ago and unfortunately will only cellar for another handful of years, so purchase and enjoy this lush treat in a bottle now.

Have a little fun and treat yourself to a “horizontal tasting” of these three Chiantis. Consider it to be a trip through Tuscany to sample the bounty of the land. You will be delighted and enriched by the experience!

Featured photo. Courtesy photo.

So, here’s the thing – if you asked me to describe myself, I’d say I’m a fairly regular, run-of-the-mill guy. “High maintenance” is not a phrase that springs to mind. I’m a mushroom and jalapeño pizza with a Diet Sunkist kind of guy.

And yet, “regular” and “run-of-the-mill” are apparently terms that cover a wide spectrum of standards.

I was talking recipes with a work friend, as one does, and mentioned this Indian dish I was really grooving on at the moment.

“What’s in it?” she asked suspiciously. Apparently, I have a reputation.

“That’s the great thing about this,” I told her. “Aside from paneer, it’s all stuff you have around the house.”

“What’s paneer?” she asked.

“A type of Indian cheese,” I said.

“Could I use cheddar?” she asked.

“Um, not really. Anyway, you basically just need some cashews, and—”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” she interrupted. “When you say ‘cashews’, do you mean those nuts that fancy people serve at cocktail parties? Who keeps those in their house? I have seriously bought cashews maybe three times in my life.”

I assured her that they were easy to find, but completely flummoxed her when I mentioned cardamom.

“I’ve never even heard of that,” she informed me.

I’m not sure why I continued to describe the dish, because our communication gap just kept widening from there.

I mention this because I tried a new cocktail recipe this week. As I read over the ingredients, I was pleased to note with each one that I had it on hand:

“Pimm’s? Check. Elderflower liqueur? Also check. Gin? Very much, check.”

As I worked my way down the list, though, I realized that aside from lime juice and ice cubes, most people would not actually have any of these ingredients.

I wonder sometimes, if anybody actually makes any of the cocktails I develop, and I’m realistic enough to concede that the more exotic ingredients I call for, the less likely anyone is to actually try one of these drinks. I tried making the new cocktail with several shortcuts and substitutions that would bring it marginally more into the mainstream, and all of the variations were fine, but not as stunningly delicious as the exotic, labor-intensive version.

So, here’s what we’ll do — take out the best gin you have and make yourself a classic gin and tonic. Drink it while you make out your shopping list. You’ll feel braced and even a little sophisticated by the time you’re done.

Our high-maintenance drink is a riff on a cocktail called War of the Roses. I’ve taken some liberties with it, so it needs a new name. Based on the emotional scars I still have from watching the 1989 Kathleen Turner/Michael Douglas movie of the same name, I thought about calling this a Kathleen Turner Overdrive, but then I found out that there is a heavy metal band by the same name, and that’s not really the vibe I’m going for. I ended up settling for a simple, classic name: a Tudor Cocktail. The actual War of the Roses is where Henry VII defeated Richard III and became the first Tudor king of England.

Tudor Cocktail

Ingredients

• 1½ ounces Pimm’s No. 1, the liqueur usually used for making a Pimm’s Cup
• ¾ ounce cucumber-infused gin (see below)
• ¾ ounce St. Germain elderflower liqueur
• ¾ ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
• ¼ ounce simple syrup
• dash Peychaud’s Bitters
• 0.4 grams fresh mint leaves
• 4 ice cubes

Bruise the mint by rolling it around between the palms of your hands, until it looks like sad spinach. Drop it into a cocktail shaker.

Add the rest of the ingredients and shake vigorously for about a minute.

Strain into a chilled coupé glass.

Garnish it, if you feel the need, but be aware that this drink is very confident in its own deliciousness and will give you some serious side-eye if you do.

Every ingredient in this drink makes its presence known. Yes, you can absolutely make this with regular gin, but the cucumber gin raises the taste to another level. I tried muddling a couple of slices of cucumber instead, and it was fine, but not as good. I also tried using cucumber syrup instead of simple syrup and that was fine too, but not transcendent.

Is this drink a project? Inarguably.

The good news is that once you’ve bought all the specialty alcohols and made the cucumber gin, you will have everything you need to drink a seriously injudicious number of these cocktails and recover, for a brief moment, a sense of wonder and an open heart.

Cucumber gin

Wash but don’t peel some cucumbers. The little Persian ones are really nice, but don’t stress over not finding any. Add equal amounts — by weight — of cucumbers and gin to a blender. Blend them on your lowest speed. The idea here is to chop the cucumbers finely enough to expose a lot of surface area to the gin, to help the infusion process. Pour the mixture into a wide-mouthed jar. Store in a cool, dark place for seven days, shaking twice per day. Strain and filter the gin.

You will be glad you did.

Featured photo. Tudor. Photo by John Fladd.