Andrew's Pick

The Bodegas Vistalba “Corte B” Tinto Lujan de Cuyo Mendoza, Argentina from Carlos Pulenta is black as ink! This blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bonarda, and Merlot captures the soul of what red wine should be. Rich and burly, with a softer edge and a real presence on the palate. This number lets you know it’s red, big, and incredible to drink. With some age or a bit of time exposed to air, whether in a glass or in a decanter, this wine continues to expand and open, revealing more and more complexities and polished finesse. Heaps and heaps of cassis, blackberry, and cherry flavors are balanced by savory notes of fennel, fines herbes, and cocoa. Huge wine for the price. Age-worthy AND approachable: drink it tonight or in 10 years, either way it’s YUMMY!

a.ferguson

What Pinot to Pick to Pair with Poultry?

Pinot BLANC...
Valley of the Moon Pinot Blanc Sonoma County, CA
ANY Pinot will match with the Roasted Corn Sauce with Rosemary for Chicken and Fish , but this Pinot Blanc works magical wonders with the sauce. Imagine a wine similar to chardonnay without all the things you hate about chard? That’s Pinot Blanc by nature. This particular one is without the clumsy oakiness or goopy butteriness that make other whites so darn… heavy. Clean citrus and apple with a slightly warm spice aromas aren't intrusive but inviting. Pleasant acidity give this wine elegant freshness and a natural affinity for food. After a taste of your meal, this wine wraps itself around the flavors in your mouth and compliments them as if it were the perfect seasoning for the dish. That is the fundamental core of pairing food and wine that heightens the experience of merely eating dinner. This Pinot Blanc makes Roasted Corn Sauce with Rosemary for Chicken and Fish even BETTER. Tasty on it’s own, too!

a.ferguson

DA's Perfect roast Chicken

The chicken needs flavor before roasting so:
Place chicken in a large bowl and add 3 bay leaves, 1/4 cup cracked black pepper, 1/2 cup salt (don't worry),1 cup white wine, and 2 tbsp honey, cover with warm water to dizzolve salt. Set aside for 2– 3 hours or refrigerate overnight.

Remove chicken and stuff with lots of fresh whole rosemary, 3 lemon halves, and a whole head of garlic.
Don’t preheat the oven! Put the chicken in at about 375º and pour yourself some Pinot.

Then make a sauce.

When the skin is a crispy deep golden brown and the internal temp is about 150º, take the bird out and let her rest for 10 or 15 min.
Drizzle with olive or truffle oil, a squeeze of lemon, and grind some fresh pepper on it. Carve the bird and spoon the warm sauce over each serving.
Serve with garlic mashed potatoes, crusty bread, and a hearty green like calo nero or broccoli rabe.
Have more Pinot and enjoy!

a.ferguson

Roasted Corn Sauce with Rosemary for Chicken and Fish

Roasted Corn Sauce with Rosemary for Chicken and Fish
This is quick, simple, and delicious.
Saute 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil with half a package of frozen corn, and 1/4 cup minced shallots until corn turns a light golden brown. Then add 1/4 cup of white wine, fresh rosemary leaves, salt and pepper to taste, the rest of the package of corn, and another tsp butter. Let thicken slightly and serve over Roast chicken, or fish like salmon or halibut.
Drizzle with olive or truffle oil if you have it.

Fresh corn kernels work best, especially with sauteed, golden brown wild mushrooms, sliced...
This is hard to mess up, so adapt it to your needs.

a.ferguson

What to Drink Tonight

2006 Maryhill Winery Winemakers Blend Red Wine Columbia Valley, Washington
Richly drinkable red with something for everyone. Cabernet Sauvignon with Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc, blended without a seam or thread missing. Delicious cocoa, plum, classic cassis, oriental spice, and tons of enticing aromas. Great fruit, tannin, and acid balance. We tasted this wine and were immediately turned on to what Washington State has to offer, and with an affordable price tag. Steaks, chops, roasts, cheese, burgers, lamb, duck, goose, squab, quail, duck, colcannon, nothing. It all goes fantastically well with this.
Yes, it pairs with a spice rubbed ribeye.

a.ferguson

Put This in your Glass and Drink It

Bodega Del Desierto La Pampa 25/5 Sauvignon Blanc Alto Valle Del Rio Colorado.
Sure it’s a mouthful to say, and also a delicious mouthful of wine to sip! Just call it the 25/5 Sauv Blanc, it is easier to remember. So delightfully refreshing and squeaky clean with it’s delicate floral, stone fruit, and mineral laden aromas, though not overtly intense. Bright acidity and a luscious, mouthwatering finish make this perfect for sipping alone, with fruit and cheeses, seafood, simply roasted or grilled chicken or whatever is on the menu. Makes a great beverage before the meal while waiting for the grill to heat up, or waiting for guests to arrive. Almost a cross between the best of New Zealand and California, with snappy acid and plenty of fruit to balance it out. Oh, and having California’s very own Paul Hobbs as consulting winemaker doesn’t hurt! So if you find yourself driving down the western edge of the desert route to Patagonia, stop in at the town known as 25 de Mayo (the 25th of May) in Puelén, La Pampa, Argentina. You’ll be thirsty by then.
In the meantime, uncover the grill, wipe down the lawn chairs, string up the hammock, take a break, and have a glass of this...

a.ferguson

One for the Cellar

El Regajal Selleción Especial Vinos de Madrid, Spain
Elegant and bright berry and cherry aromatics give way to supple and silky, mouthfilling, juicy tannins. Tempranillo provides a firm base with hints of rose petal amongst the red fruit flavors. Cabernet Sauvignon lends elegant heft, with it’s contribution of soft currant and lush texture. Merlot and Syrah add the telltale hints of plum, spice, and faint black pepperiness. Heck of a wine, and exotic. Balanced acidity and ample fruit to drink tonight, or cellar for ten years or more provided it’s in a cool cellar. New world Spanish red with old world charm and elegance. Ripeness and finesse all in one? You Betcha!
And the label looks cool...

a.ferguson

Missing Mollydooker?

2006 Marquis Phillips Shiraz Southeastern Australia
Chris Ringland took over as winemaker from Sarah and Sparky Marquis without messing with the EXTREMELY high quality of fruit, now sourced entirely from Mclaren Vale. 92 parker points and 100% full on delicious Shiraz. We think that this brooding, black raspberry, almost chambourd– like scented, spice inflected, juice injected, vinous projectile, is utterly gratuitously fruity and fun to drink! Never fear, there’s plenty of silky tannin, and balanced acidity here to carry all the thrill packed into this Aussie gem! Another underpriced, killer value.

a.ferguson

White Wine for Sipping and Grilling

Dutch Bill Creek Chardonnay Sonoma County, California
Another stunning wine from one of the best growing regions for Chardonnay, Sonoma County. The Heintz family grows some of the most sought after, and therefore expensive, Chardonnay fruit in California. How this delicious wine came to the shelf at under $40, we might never understand, but who are we to argue. Crisp apple, chamomile, ginger, lemon zest, this has everything one could ever want in a chardonnay, without too much. Utterly delectable and balanced, crisp and lively.

a.ferguson

Killer Cabernet

Holy cow. Killer California Cabernet Sauvignon like this one, at this price, is a dream you say? Wake up and smell the crushed berry blossoms, ripe currant, bergamot, mocha spice, and blackberry goodness! One could just smell this wine all day and almost forget to sip it. It’s soooo aromatic and tasty! We think the Wall Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon California is just the ticket to satisfy the under $20 Cabernet lust we all share. Did someone say ribeye? Yes we have an obsession with big red wines and juicy steaks, is that such a big deal?

a.ferguson

White Wine for Scallops and Such

Any white in this blog would be delicious with scallops, but the Feudi di San Gregorio Falanghina Sannio, Italia might be an absolutely perfect match with the above recipe. Brilliantly clean and fresh aromas and flavors of subtle spring flowers, hints of tropical fruit, zingy twists of citrus peel, lemons, and faint herbs abound in this crisp libation. We can’t seem to get enough of wines like this! Certain to tickle one’s taste buds, a cool glass of Falanghina really cannot be beat when paired with lighter fare such as scallops. One of the great things about many Italian whites is that they can hold their own with challenging pairings like vinaigrettes, asparagus, artichokes, and bitter greens.

a.ferguson

Sea Scallop Recipe

Served on a light bed of chopped spring greens.
1 lb package Bomster’s Scallops, thawed, rinsed and cleaned, and patted dry with paper towel
2 tbls extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/2 cup white wine
1 1/2 sticks of butter (NO CREAM!!!)
1 vanilla bean, pod and all, split and scraped OR 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp saffron threads
Sea salt to taste


Saute shallots in a saucepan in 1 tbl olive oil, until translucent. Add wine and reduce until thickened, adding saffron towards the end to infuse color and aroma, and finally the vanilla.
Add all but 1 tsp butter and whisk lightly until smooth and creamy, DON’T cook it, melt it on low lest it separate. Remove garlic clove and vanilla bean pod if used.
While reducing, heat a sauté pan with 1 tsp butter and 1 tsp olive oil and when hot add scallops face down. Cook over medium high heat until a golden brown crust is formed on the bottoms, and they are easily removed from the pan, and just cooked through.
Scatter chopped spring greens lightly over a white plate and arrange 3 or 5 scallops per. Make sure your sauce is thick and warm and DRIZZLE over and around the scallops sparingly. (Use a spoon for control.) Don’t be afraid to garnish with a few saffron threads. A few drops of white truffle oil wouldn’t hurt, either.

Bomster’s
Stonington Seafood Harvesters
Town Dock, Stonington Borough
Stonington, CT 06378
(888)-486-8404

a.ferguson

Pinot Envy

Everyone is jealous about everyone else’s Pinot. Some like it Noir, some Blanc, some Gris. Some like it thicker, some thin. Often people will argue about size, others will say it’s about style. I say everyone’s right about Pinot, because it’s all about which Pinot fits a person best, with whom one shares the Pinot, and what’s on the menu for the evening.
Pinot Noir, food friendly Pinot Blanc, and that little tart Pinot Grigio all have their seductive sides. One Pinot Noir in my little black book comes from California, way, way out and up the Sonoma Coast. It not a big wine, but styled and crafted in an elegant and voluptuous frame. It’s come hither aromas of Bing cherry jam, warm Asian spices, subtle jasmine or Earl Grey tea, and seductively subtle hints of French oak marry well with balanced acidity and perfect body to produce a mouthfeel as smooth as silk. Did I mention that I love this wine?
It’s the Fort Ross Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, Fort Ross Vineyard and it is so beautifully delicious that you’ll fall in love with it too. Snuggle up with a glass of this Pinot with your sweet one. Pairs well with fireplaces, thick rugs, and roast chicken with rosemary and roasted corn sauce.

a.ferguson

Wine Suggestions

I may have tasted thousands and thousands of wines in my time, but there is no way I can guess what tastes good to another person. Wine is suggestive. I have to get to know all of your individual tastes to focus on what you like to drink. I might like wines that others don’t, and that’s fine, it doesn’t make anyone “wrong”.
Having tasted so much stuff, it’s easier for me to zero in on wines that you MIGHT like. Sometimes I get it the first time, sometimes it takes a few tries.
It’s up to you to express your vinous likes and dislikes to me, not the other way around. I already know what I like, it’s up to you to tell me what you are looking for. I am here to facilitate not dictate. My wine preferences and tastes are guides, not gospel, for not everyone agrees.
Wine publications and critics may give their opinion in the form of ratings and/ or reviews. My opinion comes in the form of recommendations based on what I might know about the buyer and what they tell me regarding their wine wants and needs.
I do enjoy having people try different wines that they might not usually pick for themselves.
I think there is a place for every wine that celebrates the different tastes of every person. If one wine was truly better than another, there would be only one wine, and that would bore me to tears.
Come and share your preferences with me, I will try and learn what YOU like and suggest wines accordingly.
Remember if it tastes good, it IS good. Only you know what tastes good to you... I can only guess.

a.ferguson

Amazing Italian Red Wine Value

Poggio alle Querce “Il Guado” Bolgheri, Tuscany, Italy

Located across the road from Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia in Tuscany's famed Bolgheri region, Il Guado is made from 80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Merlot, and exibits such qualities as only those from this region can express: power, finesse, grace, longevity, and a fantastic nose complete with hints of truffle, blackberry, sage, dried cherry, cedar, cassis, spice box, plum cake, whiffs of vanilla bean, and a split personality between sweet and savoury notes that keeps unfolding in waves of chocolate and coffee. Massive amounts of extract and silky tannin, this has fruit to back it up, yet will last effortlessly for a decade or more! We are guessing (betting) that the big publications discover this one soon. Once that happens, prices skyrocket and availability plummets.
Get on it, quick!

a.ferguson