This post is featured on Sustainable Table as this month’s Adventure in Fermentation. Also, if you’re in the NYC region, don’t forget to sign up for my culinary walking tour through Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). More details and sign up can be found on the Institute for Culinary Education’s website (see walking tours: Astoria).Kombucha (Kam-boo-cha). Or as I like to call it, ‘booch.

Kombu-wha?

That was my reaction when I first heard about the sparkly slightly tangy beverage. My first encounter with kombucha caught me by surprise: I was dining on a take-out lunch of sushi and grabbed a bottle of what I thought to be ginger beer (actual contents: ginger flavored kombucha). One sip and bleh- vinegar!? My dining companion on the other hand, found the beverage refreshingly tangy and gulped it up.

That dining companion enjoyed the new drink so much that a lingering hankering stayed with him and he continued to purchase it. I continued to take a sip here and there and eventually I too was addicted to the stuff. At $4 a bottle, this was turning into an expensive addiction and I eventually learned I could brew my own for mere pennies.

So what is it?

Kombucha hails from China and has been brewed in the east for hundreds (thousands?) of years. Traditionally consumed as a tonic to cure digestive problems and to help the body heal many maladies, the tea-infused beverage spread in popularity eventually reaching our shores. Kombucha is brewed with what is called a SCOBY– Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast. Yum! Other people simply call it a mushroom. I think it looks a bit like a slimey sponge. The “it” (SCOBY, mushroom, sponge) is what you add to sugary tea to convert (or ferment) the sugar into acids. Some of these acids include (from Kombucha Exchange): glucuronic acid, glucon acid, lactic acid, vitamins, amino acids, antibiotic substances, and other products.

The SCOBY is alive, brewing a probiotic (good-bacteria) filled drink. The final resulting acids depend not only on your SCOBY culture, but also the natural bacteria alive in the air and your home. If you give the ‘booch a dosage of sugar at bottling (a la champagne) and stop it up for a few days in a warm place, you’ll have a lovely sparkling brew.

The flavor is slightly vinegary and tangy and many people I speak to say it is addictive. I’m not sure if it’s the result of how you feel after drinking it, or something inside, but I know I get severe hankerings for kombucha every once in a while. These grow especially strong if I read an article about bacteria, or stomach acids. For those who think the classic flavor too strong, you can purchase (or make) kombucha mixed with not only with tea or ginger, but fruit juices. In my home we tend to stick with matcha (green tea) powder and sometimes ginger added at bottling.

There are many health claims out there that kombucha is a cure all, believe what you want– aiding in not only digestion or stomach upset, but liver detoxification, sharper eye sight, clearer skin, increased metabolism, increased energy, a general tonic to keep flu and sickness away, and more. (I gave it to my 90 year old grandmother when she had a soar throat and she said she could “feel it working.” In two days her throat was clear.)

Here in NYC, kombucha is rapidly gaining in popularity. The most popular company selling the beverage is out of California and I’ve seen it on shelves from New York to California and even in Indianapolis. You can find “sleeper cells” of kombucha enthusiasts across the country– those looking to pass on the love of kombucha by giving away free SCOBYs (that’s right, why pay for something when you can get it for free!). See the Kombucha Exchange for more information on how to get a free SCOBY or just ask a few friends or health food store, I’m sure you’ll run into one sooner or later.

To make kombucha:

Brew black, green or oolong tea and transfer to an open-mouth jar (I use a 1 gallon mason jar, but you can use any size you like as long as you can get your hand in there). Dissolve sugar in the tea (1 quart of water gets 1/3 cup sugar) and cool to room temperature. DO NOT use honey or maple syrup, both of which contain their own active enzymes. Add a kombucha “Mother” (the more friendly term for the SCOBY). Cover the jar with a light towel or cheesecloth and place in a warm, dark place. The SCOBY eats the sugar, converting it into acid. Note: With every brew “babies” are created by the Mother which is how folks can easily spread the love of kombucha. In 7 to 14 days you can begin tasting your brew. Once the acid level reaches your liking, bottle it with 1 tablespoon sugar (if you want to dosage). Leave behind about 10% of the liquid from the last batch plus the SCOBY and brew again. After a few brews the Mother tends to build up some yeast (brown mucusy looking trails). It’s fine to keep, but I tend to throw the Mother out at this point and allow the babies to take over.

NOTE: If you brew your own and the smell is cheesy or meaty, rather than vinegary, toss your booch and get a new SCOBY! The wrong kinds of acids have taken over your brew and it can make you sick. Also, if you see any mold develop at the top, throw it out and get a new one. Contamination is rare, but it can happen.

(If memory serves correct, this photo is of a wort kettle fermenting its way to beer at New Belgium Brewery in Colorado. D or A- any help on this? (And I know, a proper story is long overdue.))

 This post is featured on Sustainable Table as this month’s Adventure in Fermentation.

As promised, this month’s Adventures in Fermentation has us discussing the basics. What is fermentation, specifically in food. To start the conversation, let’s clarify that I truly mean the basics. I am no expert on the subject, just a food loving individual that has been fervently fermenting away for about 1 year now. My mind cannot hold down the chemical makeup, compounds and  gases part of the process, so this is a primer with further reading listed at bottom.

In short, fermentation is the process of turning sugars (carbohydrates) into alcohol (think wine) or acid (think vinegar). The final result depends on the bacteria present.

Something I find fascinating is that some bacterias are specific to a region. For instance, the beloved sourdough bread of San Francisco is specific to the lovely city, which is why sourdough bread in other regions rarely has that same tangy flavor as San Francisco sourdough. It’s so specific it is named after the city: Lactobacillus sanfrancisco. You can even purchase this bacteria online to inoculate your own starter with the culture. If you live in San Francisco you are lucky enough to simply leave a bread starter in your windowsill and Lactobacillus sanfrancisco will likely join the party.

Here’s another example: Ever wandered into a strawberry patch a few days after heavy rains and the field smells ever so slightly of wine? The fruit has begun the natural process of fermentation.

Many items you don’t think of as fermented foods are in fact, fermented. They come to us from an ancient tradition of fermentation, most often for food storage (when people are involved). Today, instead of relying on fermentation, we tend to rely on nuking all bacteria out of our food to create a dead zone, then refrigerate to keep growth away as long as possible. Most of us know wine and beer is fermented, even if we don’t know the process. Yogurt, cheese, miso, sourdough bread, kimchi, pickles, sauerkraut, soy sauce, salami, kombucha and more also arrive on our plate after fermentation has occurred.

In fact, without fermentation, it’s safe to say we probably wouldn’t be here today– or at least habitation in a large part of the world would have occurred after the invention of the refrigerator in the early 1900’s. That’s all well and good, you say, but you mention bacteria and that’s bad!

Oh sweet bacteria! Whether you like it or not, bacteria is present in our everyday lives. We breathe it, we walk on it, we touch it, we live it. In fact, without bacteria, digestion in our bodies would not be possible. It’s up to you to choose to fight it with the use of modern anti-bacterial soaps, scrubs, chemicals and pills, or live in harmony with it, making both you and the planet stronger.

I choose to live with bacteria. I’m not saying I walk around New York City licking subway poles, or if I get cut I don’t clean out the wound, but I might not wash my hands before I eat something. Since I made this decision, putting food that is alive and rich in bacteria into my body, I am sick less often, feel more awake, I digest food better, and in general feel healthier. In other words, I have created a thriving colony of bacteria in my stomach that are able to fight off infection more readily. Bad bacteria enters my system, good bacteria, already present in excess, attacks.

The following is summed from the great fermentor Sandor Katz’s book, Wild Fermentation.

Fermentation can produce alcohol (as in wine), lactic acid (cheese/yogurt), and acetic acid (vinegar). Fermentation preserves high amounts of nutrients in foods. It also begins breaking food down, making it not only easier to digest, but nutrients easier to absorb. Fermentation also transforms the food, producing new nutrients and removing toxins from foods (which is why some believe fermented soy is the only way this legume should be consumed).

Milk, especially when we pasteurize it, is indigestible for many people. By turning lactose into lactic acid, dairy products are not only easier to digest, they’re delicious and highly nutritious (which is why some producers are making big bucks selling “probiotic” filled products. Guess what– those probiotics, as in positive (or good) bacteria, should already be in the product if it is in fact real yogurt, not pasteurized after cultures were added!).

As we realize more and more, just like mono-cultures in our agriculture system are bad, mono-cultures in our eating habits are bad. By eating a diversity of foods helps a body receive a large range of nutrients. The same goes for fermented foods, and exposing your body to a wide range of microorganisms (bacteria).

Live bacteria are where these nutrients lie. Unfortunately, we bake bread before we eat it, and we pasteurize many products (like wine) killing any live bacteria that could help us. You can get your live bacteria rush by seeking out items that mention they are “unpasteurized,” “raw,” or contain “live cultures.” Or, you can ferment food yourself. The benefit of fermenting your own foods is that you harness your local bacteria, raising your resistance to allergies and bad bacteria in your own home or neighborhood.

Last month we discussed how to make our own yogurt. Next month we’ll explore another fermented food- any suggestions?

For further reading, check out:
Sandor Katz, Wild Fermentation
Wikipedia’s Fermentation (biochemistry) page
Microbial Fermentation

Dare I say I’ve gone strawberry crazy?

I am quite happy to inform folks that I have bushels of strawberries in my possession. I excitedly contemplated all the delicious things to make: wine, jam, ice cream, scones, lemonade… As I thought, I realized I was quickly eating through my stash. So sweet in their natural state, I started thinking, Applying them to a dish would be sacrilegious! (They do much better in my belly unadulterated.)

The more sensible part of me methodically began pulling stems and lining the berries on a baking sheet to freeze, then bag for a future use (as there was no way all could be eaten before spoiling). As I lined a cookie sheet with strawberries I realized how nicely uniform so many of them were. In fact, they appeared to be a perfect little army dressed for strawberry battle in some distant fruit land– perhaps protecting Strawberry Shortcake (the cartoon or the dessert)? Each berry was outfitted with a gnome-like cap. (How adorable.)

As I admired my infantry, the Giant of Terror in the Land of Berries approached. Oooo, strawberries! D exclaimed as his colossal hand reached into my helpless army patch and snatched up soldiers. One after another he ate my freshly stemmed friends. “Stop eating my strawberry army!”

“Uhhhh… Your what?”

“Nothing… They’re just my strawberry army. You can’t eat them, eat these.” I shoved over the random piling of discarded strawberries sprawled on the counter, not perfect enough to join my forces.

So now sits a bag of berries marked “not for giants” awaiting recipes in the freezer. If I can rein myself in they will be saved for a blistery day in late December. While I ponder future berry times I’ll whip up an occasional strawberry smoothie: 2 parts frozen berries, 1 part heavy cream. It is the purest and sweetest milk shake I ever had.

Strawberry Smoothie
Serves 2
1.5 cups fresh frozen strawberries
3/4 cup heavy cream (or whole milk)

Method: Place ll ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth. Add more heavy cream to thin out if necessary.

If you can still find some fresh berries this late in the season a favorite application was in salad. You may add or subtract from any of these ingredients.

Strawberry Salad
Serves 4-6
1 head romaine, or similar crisp lettuce, washed and separated
1 handful arugula, washed
1 bulb kohlrabi*, sliced into matchstick size cuttings
1 bunch fresh herbs (thyme, basil, parsley work well), loosely chopped
1 cup sugar snap peas, washed and stemmed
4 ounces goat cheese or fresh ricotta, crumbled
1/2 cup strawberries, sliced
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
mustard vinaigrette (recipe follows)

Method: Toss all prepped ingredients and serve with dressing on the side.
*Kohlrabi is an odd looking vegetable, but worth a try (it’s very high in vitamin C). The flavor is similar to cabbage, but crossed with the crispness of a perfect apple. It is a great addition raw to coleslaw or salad. Just cut off the stalk and slice (I don’t even peel mine).

Mustard Vinaigrette
This dressing will keep so make enough and store in a small glass container. Season to preferred acidic taste.
1 part whole grain mustard (Dijon makes an excellent one)
1 part lemon juice
1 part olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Method: Add all ingredients to a jar and shake just before applying to salad. (This dressing is great over fish like halibut or salmon.)

NOTE: This strawberry salad recipe was entered into Healthy Cooking’s recipe event, because hey, what’s more healthy than fresh ingredients? No substitutes needed!

The holidays are fast approaching. Hanukkah is just around the corner (sundown, December 4th) and Christmas will come and go faster than we all think. If you’re not celebrating those holidays, a small token for the New Year or holiday party might be a nice gesture– Or maybe just a thank you for neighbors watching your pets.

While I am more partial to giving (and receiving) homemade gifts, there are many people that just don’t have the time. Here are some foodie-minded items that will bring out a smile this gift-giving season.

Homemade
*Cookies and other sweets are always delicious. Try peppermint rocky road cookies, peppermint bark, apple spice cake, cardamom streusel cake, a mixed cookie selection, chocolate fudge cookies or cranberry macadamia white chocolate chip cookies. Just buy an old holiday themed cookie tin (ebay?) and gift away.
*Spice rubs. A small jar will fit your favorite homemade spice combination for others who love to cook.
*Drink Mix. Are you a deft mixologist? How about mixing up a base concoction of your famous brew with a direction tag like “just add rum for holiday cheer!”
*Jams and other preserves. Did you go ape with the bounty of fruits and veggies this summer? Why not gift some preserves to your friends? Nothing says love like some summertime tomatoes, pickles, green beans or fig jam. Why not pack along your favorite recipe using the product?

Books
From food-lit to wine bible there are many great foodie offerings in the literary world sure to please any foodie.
*The more politically conscious on your list will love The Whole Soy Story, by Kaayla T. Daniel, Food Politics, by Marion Nestle or Seeds of Deception, by Jeffrey M. Smith.
*Can’t make it to Paris this holiday? Gift the markets instead with Emile Zola’s, The Fat and the Thin
*To help the oenophile along, try The Oxford Companion to Wine, by Jancis Robinson (Editor). Or, for the budding wine enthusiast Educating Peter, by Lettie Teague (review) is a great start. Even more basic and a little lighter is Hip Tastes, by Courtney Cochran.
*As for cookbooks, any chef or aspiring chef would love to add The Cook’s Book, with over 7 fabulous contributing chefs to their collection (review).

Other
If you cannot make something for the holidays, ensure others are properly paid for the effort they exert to bring you your goods. There are many Fair Trade websites that now sell great home gifts from bamboo bowls to recycled glass plates. If Fair Trade is too much to ask, at least ensure you’re keeping the Earth alive by buying sustainable products.
*The Local Harvest store will help you to buy local or help you support organic farmers whether buying oranges or sheep pelts.
*World of Good has Fair Trade and Earth-friendly furnishings, clothing, books and jewelry. Their hand-woven rattan to the core baskets would make a great fruit bowl and their placemats would accent any table well.
*Viva Terra offers home furnishings, gourmet chocolates and clothing that is Earth-friendly and sleek. I especially like their slate cheese board and organic tea set in a fabulous box.
*Green Home is a one-stop shop for bath and cleaning products, art supplies, clothing and more. Their stainless steel lunch carrier is great to carry hot and cold lunches and their bamboo utensil set is a lightweight alternative for picnics.

I just found out about this 2-day food and wine event in New York City, Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. 24.7.365. I have seen ads for it the past month or so around town and did not even connect it with an event. Honestly, the ads are so sexual I thought it was for a new seafood restaurant (all the pictures are seemingly naked women with little sea creatures on them).

Once I woke and and realized what it was, I quickly jumped on the event. In terms of food and wine events, it is reasonable at $50 per day. The schedule looks fairly interesting with cooking demonstrations, cocktail courses, wine tastings and a main stage event– Sort of a Lollapalooza of food and wine.

Some great chefs and mixologists will be there to show off their flare, but I’m thinking I will be hanging out in the wine tasting pavilion most of the time, seeking out 1 or 2 cooking demos (Aquavit and Le Bernadin).

Cook. Eat. Drink. Live. 24.7.365. starts tomorrow, Friday, October 26 and runs until Saturday, October 27. Tickets are available on their website.

Want to learn more about wine? I have found that right up there with visiting vineyards, wine events can teach a person a great deal about wine.

Sure, read all you want. It will help you understand the history of regions, what grows best where, and how we got the delicious Cabernet Sauvignon grape (a cross of Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc). But tell me Burgundy’s reds (read: Pinot) have an earthier, more leathery and downright “merde-y” (horse droppings) nose compared with their U.S. west coast sisters, which tend to lean towards cranberries and strawberries, and I’ll have little idea what you’re talking about. More likely, I’ll never taste a Burgundian red for fear of merde.

But head to a wine event and you will be more than pleasantly surprised.

When I go searching for a bottle of Pinot at the liquor store, I know to tell the merchant I prefer Burgundian-style Pinots, not the New World style. Meaning what? I can more often find a bottle of reasonably priced wine I will enjoy– even if do not know the producer.

My Pinot lessons came to me in a great flood of red at a wine event called Pinot Days. For two days I subjected myself to drinking copious amounts of delicious Pinot Noir, speaking with wine makers, and sitting through tasting flights to compare regions head-to-head. It was true torture swallowing all that wine, but I survived. I even have a few new favorite vineyards from the experience.

The lessons I picked up at this event and others, have stayed with me more than any book. It is when you drink wine, with someone knowledgeable to guide you, that you can truly retain information (at least that’s how my brain works). After all, it’s in the experience.

If you have the opportunity, and enjoy wine, I implore you to visit an upcoming wine event. Most are open to the public and offer tastings of some fabulous wines you would never pay for on your own. Better still, you will probably walk away with a new favorite style or producer.

Some upcoming wine events in 2007 around the country include:

• Wine Spectator Magazine hosts their New York Wine Experience, October 25-27.
• Head to Kohler, WI for the Kohler Food & Wine Experience, October 26-28.
• The Denver International Wine Festival is November 1-4.
• The next Pinot Days will take place November 9-10 in Chicago, IL.
• Heading to Yosemite, CA November 4-December 6? Check out The Vitner’s Holiday.
• The Food Network hosts their Wine and Food Festival November 16 in NYC.
• Local Wine Events carries smaller listings by cities of upcoming wine functions. Also check local event websites for more area happenings.

This  post was also published on Associated Content.

Barely fall and I’m already hitting the cream sauce? Not totally since I used milk instead of cream for this dish. I was also able to sneak in whole wheat flour for the gnocchi, instead of all-purpose white. Still, D proclaimed this dish to be exceptional, drinking up the leftover sauce on his plate. I guess gnocchi really is worth the effort.

The first time I made potato gnocchi was years ago. I was in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at a friend’s apartment. These were the days before the world had heard about Williamsburg, when it was far less gentrified, and you could still see true locals mingling with the new batch of students and artists moving in. As far as I can remember the closest grocery store was a 20 minute walk.

My friend lived off the beaten track, at the time. Now two sparkling luxury buildings are within a block of her old apartment and my friend has since moved to Chicago. She probably wouldn’t be able to afford rent these days.

I got off the L train and walked the 12 frozen, wintered blocks to her apartment building nestled just under the Williamsburg Bridge. Up in her apartment, the table was dusted with flour and potatoes were rapidly boiling away.

“What are you doing?!”

“Making gnocchi. Help.”

It was not a question. I was soon ricing potatoes and elbow deep in flour. Rolling thumb sized dough balls measured to her specification and redone if not identical to the last one. Thumb indented and fork pressed, we lined them on a baking sheet to ready them for the boiling water.

I cannot remember what we ate with them– or whether I ate them at all. All I can honestly remember is flour and potatoes everywhere. I feel like we made hundreds of little gnocchi. Was there a party? We climbed outside the kitchen window to hang out on the roof of the adjoining car repair shop and watched the trains come over the bridge despite the cold. As many City folk know, outside access is not to be taken lightly and will be utilized in all weather conditions.

I thought those to be the last of my gnocchi days. Until I told D about them…

We were contemplating what to do with all our potatoes. “Gnocchi?” I suggested hesitantly to D.

“What’s that?”
“They’re like… little potato pasta dumplings. But they’re sort of a pain, forget it.”
“NO! Those sound good, let’s make them!”
“We don’t have a ricer, forget it. Why don’t we make the mushroom sauce and just fry the potatoes instead.” [I was sure I could win him over with “fry.”]
“No, that doesn’t sound good.”
[That still sounds good to me] “Well, I suppose we could use the box grater…”
“Perfect! Let’s do it.”

So there I was. Boiling potatoes, elbow deep in flour once again. This time, with D as my assistant peeling and grating away. Rolling, dividing, rolling, forming, thumb, fork, rest. Who would have guessed that our one little bag would make so many gnocchi– we had enough for 3 days, lunch and dinner. (So more gnocchi to come.)

Gnocchi w/ 3 Mushroom Cream Sauce & Peas
Serving Size=4 as main; 8 for starter
For the Gnocchi
1 pound russet potatoes, boiled whole w/ skins on
1-1/2 cup flour (whole wheat or all purpose)
1 egg
1-2 teaspoons salt
For the Mushroom Cream Sauce w/ Peas
3-4 shiitake mushrooms
3-4 oyster mushrooms
1 large or 2 small/ medium sized portabella mushrooms
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1/2 cups heavy cream (or whole milk)
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 pound beans, Romano, Green or Sugar Snap

1) Make the gnocchi: Boil potatoes whole w/ skin on, do not pierce. You do not want the potatoes to absorb water. Once done, using a towel to hold potatoes and pop them out of their skin. Grate them with the large-toothed box grater or ricer. Spread the shavings on a cookie sheet to keep them from sticking together.
2) Make a mound of the potato shavings and place the flour at the center of the mound. Make a moat and crack the egg inside. Roll dough together, incorporating all the potato and flour together. Add more flour if needed. Dough is finished when it no longer sticks to your fingers.
3) Divide dough into four sections. Roll until about 1 inch thick and cut into 1/2 inch pieces. Indent one side with your thumb and the other side with a fork. This will help hold the sauce and cook them more evenly. Assemble on a cookie sheet to keep them from touching.
4) Make the sauce. Clean and slice mushrooms into 1/2 inch pieces. Heat the butter in a large skillet until the bubbles subside. Add mushrooms and saute, 4-5 minutes, until they reduce. Add white wine and cook until reduces slightly and the alcohol burns off, 2-3 minutes. If using milk, add peas at this point, heating until almost finished and darker green. Add milk and slowly heat until warm. If using cream, add cream and peas at the same time and cook until peas are dark green and done, 2-3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of parsley, reserving the rest to sprinkle on top. Keep warm while you finish the gnocchi
5) Finish gnocchi. Place gnocchi in rapidly boiling water. Gnocchi will float to the surface once cooked.
6) To serve, top gnocchi with sauce and sprinkle parsley.

I created a new category on wine (see right column).

The general beverage column was getting a bit convoluted. Cheers!

A few months back, Scribner sent me a copy of Educating Peter, by Lettie Teague (with the hefty subtitle: How I Taught a Famous Movie Critic the Difference Between Cabernet and Merlot or How Anybody Can Become an (Almost) Instant Wine Expert). The call to review this book arrived at the perfect time: My mother had just purchased me a subscription to Wine Spectator, and D and I were on our way to Napa in a few months with our interests in wine growing (and a wedding to attend).

While I found wrapping my head around some of the articles in Wine Spectator challenging (did I really know what first growth meant?), I was pleased to find that Educating Peter provided me the base of understanding I needed to not only pick up more challenging concepts in wine, but also inform my purchases and answer most of those questions I was too afraid to ask (wait, so cat pee is a good smell in wine?!).

So why so long to write this review?

For starters, the book had landed a whole of two hours in our apartment when D noticed it. “Ooooh, a book about wine? Who sent this? I call I read it first,” and he whisked it away before I could object. For nights I endured queries about wine on topics he now understood and I was in the dark about, was subjected to quizzes on various vintages and regions, and endured nights of chuckles while he read on and I tried to sleep. His last comment as he finally closed the back cover: “You know, you should really read this book.”

It’s what I intended to do all along before it was taken from me! So I read it and enjoyed it, recommending it to everyone I knew with the slightest interest in wine. But still, why no review?

My only defense is that I promised to let two others borrow the book once my review was completed. But I couldn’t bare to part with it. My defense is that this book remains a fixture on my shelf. It is my go-to when I need an answer to a wine question– How could I let this reference out of my site? How could I let it be soiled by others’ hands? Most important, how could I allow others to gain the same insight in wine I now possessed (it was all too fun to prove supposed wine-knowing friends wrong these past few months)?!

But the time has come to pass the torch.

Educating Peter is a fantastically fun read for the novice wine lover looking to understand more about wine. The book will empower the reader with basics to wine regions, vintages, types of wine and their blends, and more. Best of all, Lettie Teague has accomplished this in a totally non-snooty way, making anyone feel capable of grasping wine and turn into an (almost) wine expert.

When it comes to wine, Peter (that is, Peter Travers, movie critic at Rolling Stone) is a bumbling fool. He loves his “fatty” Chardonnays and attributes all other wines to the famous directors and actors he has interviewed. Chianti? Sure, that’s one of “Marty Scorsese’s favorite wines.” New Zealand wines? Peter Jackson (director of Lord of the Rings) thinks the reds of NZ are no good.

Through Peter’s mishaps and misguided senses, we learn about wine right along with him, falling in love with new varietals and regions.

Peter’s gifted cases of wine from years back were stored next to the basement radiator. We learn this is a big no-no because it cooks the wine and ruins it, as does storing it over the stove (a common storage place in most homes for go-to bottles).

We endure Peter’s often silly epiphany’s on how to remember his newfound wine knowledge: the film Citizen Kane is likened to a first growth Bordeaux and Riesling is like a filmmaker who relies on a good story rather than big names. We also put up with Peter’s strange obsession with hail throughout the book.

When I started reading Educating Peter, Peter’s quirks drove me mad. Sure, I thought, I know very little about wine, but this man is an idiot! And all of Peter’s memorization techniques, attributing every movie in his memory bank to something about wine, were inane and bordered on show-offy. Was this man real?

But I soon gave up and took all these idiosyncrasies to heart. I realized everywhere Peter shares his wisdom in wine-movie pairings or makes a lame joke, I was more likely to recall what was discussed. I would walk to work the next day discussing Peter’s silly comments, soon realizing I had an epiphany of my own: I remembered more when Peter had made one of his declarations than not.

The book is a great introduction to most of the wine regions of the world, though some regions seem to be glossed over. For one, the chapter on Italy is in desperate need of more information. Other chapters seem to just open up when the subject suddenly changes. And some regions just list wines to try instead of breaching the topic at all. But in the wines and regions that are discussed, we see Peter’s and our own interest grow as everyone learns more.

The book is organized in four sections. The first, an overview to wine, terms, storage tips and other basics about wine and wine-making. From there, we enter Old World Wines and get a fantastic starter into France and its’ regions and to a lesser extent Italy, Spain and other regions. New World Wines broadens the discussion into South America, Australia and regions in the United States, while the fourth section rounds out Peter’s new wine knowledge (and our own) with first use of this information at restaurants, wine stores and a “final exam” for the reader to test their own knowledge.

This book is a great introductory into wine. I applaud Teague for her efforts in making the topic of wine accessible to so many, while remaining light hearted and funny throughout. Educating Peter is a fantastic book for the wine novice that can easily be reread again and again and passed around to friends who love the subject but are looking to understand more. Which is where my own copy will now go…

Be warned: building a knowledge in wine can cause a great emptiness to the bank account.

My good friend, DR, married his love, L, last weekend. Despite the fact that the couple lives only a few blocks from us here in NYC, they decided a California wedding was in order (L is from the SF area). D and I flew out for the affair and added some wine tasting, visitations of friends and relatives, camping, mud baths and canoeing into the mix– not to mention some delicious food– nothing too extravagant.

We started the journey in San Francisco with one of my best of friends, A. I met A when I met DR and we’ve remained close through the years. I’ve travelled to Egypt and Lebanon with her and then she up and left me for grad school way out west. Such is life.

D and I arrived with visions of tacos on our mind. Instead, A had a feast of lentils prepared. All I could think of was D and his “weird girly mush” qualms. We ate the mush, which was truly delicious mush, then headed out to Baker Beach, up a 5-story (if not longer) sand ladder and took in the views. Later that night we met up with some folks at a local Mission district bookstore that is BYO as you browse (nothing like a little beer to loosen up your purchasing decisions). Post-book buying we grew hungry for tacos and ended at the sun-bright venue, Cancun, along Mission (convenient since A lives steps away).

I got a carnitas (slow cooked pork) super taco (super comes with sour cream and avocado slices). There is something about California Mexican food. It is too delicious. Is it their seasoning? Maybe it is the freshness of the ingredients, the closeness to home? Maybe it’s the water? The tacos out there are definitely good. Downed with a Pacifico and lime– A perfect end to the night.

The next morning we headed south along a fog heavy Highway 1 towards the vineyards of SCM– otherwise known as Santa Cruz Mountain Appellation. Turning off Highway 1, we headed down windy mountain roads and made our first stop of the day at Bonny Doon. Their wines are fun, interesting, and best of all, affordable. Highlight was the Monferrato, a blend of ruche, barbera and syrah. It had an intense rose petal nose, was round and fruity and a good price to boot. We bought a few bottles and headed to Hallcrest Vineyard and then to David Bruce (closed for restocking).

After driving those crazy roads we were ready to relax (at least our stomachs were). D and I headed out to meet my grandma, aunt and uncle for some beers at a local pub in Santa Cruz that brews their own. On to Marieanne’s for some of their top notch homemade ice cream after that. I tried the horchata ice cream (horchata is a cinnamon infused Mexican rice drink), but went with a scoop of Mexican Chocolate, also chock full of cinnamon. We slept happy with all that wine, beer and ice cream in our bellies…

Breakfast Latvian style was in order the following day. My grandmother whipped out her fresh apricot jam for her special apple pancakes and everyone dug in. These pancakes are everyday breakfast pancakes, slightly sweeter and with a little more elasticity than your regular American fare. The recipe lives in my grandmother’s head, she tastes as she goes until the recipe is “just right,” only she really knows.

My uncle happily showed off his garden, especially his “smart worms” who are on their way “to college” in Santa Cruz, but SCU apparently keeps killing his worms there and he keeps giving them more. We headed up his backyard hill and battled with the dogs as we picked and ate blackberries, warm and sweet, right off the bush. But the morning ended as we were on our way to a sunset wedding. A beautiful affair, but still, D and I had wine on our minds…

A few days later D and I departed the SF area, north on Highway 1, to our campground along the Russian River, just past Korbel. That night, we hit Gary Farrel, Davis Bynum, Belvedere and Rochioli. The two times we passed by my buddies at Arista they were closed. Arista makes a great pinot with some tobacco and wet leather in there. I was excited to stop by and check out their facility, but I guess that will have to happen next time. Rochioli and Farrel were disappointments, especially after all the accolades we’ve heard. I suppose Rochioli is more for their club members and they are not pouring their tasty bottles for passerbyers– why bother when you have a 7 year wait list for regular members? What they were pouring seemed to scream “members only.” Despite all this, Farrel did have the best tasting room views of the week.

Belvedere took great joy in their visitors. With Jazz on Saturdays, comfortable outdoor space, a down-to-earth demeanor, and heavy pours, they really welcome guests. Their Alexander Valley Sauv-Blanc was tropical and fun. Their Russian River Chardonnay had a great gravel nose with hints of oak.

At Davis Bynum we passed up the freebies for a flight of their pinot noirs. Highly enjoyable and each one grew more complex with deeper nose characteristics as the tasting progressed.

July 4th we made our first stop at Simi. Our friend M turned us on to the joy of Simi just over a year ago with a bottle of their Chardonnay and we have happily consumed more wine than we can afford from that day forward. It was then that we realized that not all California Chardonnays oaked so much that they produce a gag reflex. Simi is thick caramel on the nose, honeysuckle on the tongue, and pure joy all around. With that, we passed the freebie tasting and headed for a flight of their delicious Chardonnay.

From there, a surprisingly empty Ridge in Dry Creek Valley found our company. This didn’t stop us from diving right into their Zinfandels. The Lytton Springs was big and fruity and full of delicious berry complexity. I’m still a fan of their 3 Valley, but if I’m in the mood to put down some money, I’ll definitely spring for some of their higher priced bottles. I’m also on the lookout for their Ponzo, not on the tasting, but at a reasonable price, I’d be willing to try it. There Zins are solid and a great pairing for BBQ (or just a good steak).

We swung south on our journey into Napa and received a pleasant surprise and friendly welcome at Alexander Valley Vineyards. So much so that D and I are considering joining up as members (though I still feel vineyard membership is only worth it if you live in California or have the money to really spend on wine). Regardless, their Zins are delicious in taste and name. We especially enjoyed their Sin Zin and the Redemption Zin. The Cyrus blend also won us over. We polished off their Redemption with filet mignon over our campfire grill that night. True heaven.

We entered Napa more than overwhelmed at the Disneyfication of it all. Especially having come from the quieter off the road locations of the day before. Even on the off day (July 4th) with less people, we were still struck by the gaudiness of all the vineyards along Route 29. We attempted to stick to offroads as much as possible (but found most of the vineyards closed).

We finally swung into the organic and biodynamic Grgich Hills. A stellar panel of Chardonnays. I was pleasantly surprised with their Fume Blanc, a term Cali growers coined out of peoples’ negative reaction to Sauv-Blanc. When I see Fume I usually turn around running, but our tasting guide assured us this one was a winner. It was. Slightly oaked, it had a powerful grapefruit aspect that was totally mindblowing, without getting in the way. Their Old Vine Zin was great, stick anything with “Old Vine” in front of me and I’ll probably swoon. Winner of the day was the 2000 Cab Sauv. Complex, full and fruity. Compared to the 2003 we tasted first, you can really tell these wines want aging, even their Chardonnay.

We blew threw Mondavi just to get a look at a mega-producer and ran screaming.

Next stop, Peju, if only because our newlywed friends are members. I felt the atmosphere to be a little industrial, them carting us around in groups, but D said he didn’t mind it and half expected and appreciated it to keep order in the Napa craziness. The most interesting taste was their Provence, a red and white blend. Not a rose, but red wine actually blended with white wine. Different and fun and a good summer drink decision maker of the old, “oh, I can’t decide, red or white?”

We barely dragged ourselves into Stag’s Leap from there. A disappointment after all our friendly tasters of the day to be met with one tracking the last minutes of the day on his watch and busy scoring points on two drunk girls next to us. He was too busy working them over to really care to answer our questions. A horrible ending with a high price tag at $15 for a tasting. I wanted to enjoy their wines, but just couldn’t.

It’s amazing to to see that one negative part of a tasting room experience can really set you off from a wine. Have a great experience and heck, become members of the vineyard.

Vineyards we attempted to visit that were closed: Davis Family, Fritz, Jordan, Pride, Frank Family. All will have to happen in the next tour.

We spent our last day in true California style with a 10 mile canoe adventure down the Russian River, a quick visit and purchase at Korbel, a late lunch (with “champagne”) in the Redwoods and then mudbaths and massages in Calistoga.

A winey good time was had and we will definitely make it back for more, hopefully in the near future. How can you not when that California climate is all too perfect?