What Did an Irish girl do on St. Patrick’s Day?

“May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night”

 

So now that ST. Patrick’s day is behind us I am proud to say that I did not succumb to temptation and drink green beer with friends like we were still in college – in fact I had decided weeks earlier that I would find a way to celebrate the holiday with a more grownup twist.

So with this rule firmly in place, I started searching for wines produced in Ireland, and low and behold YES Ireland does make wine.  Most of the vineyards are located around Cork in the southwest corner; unfortunately, the big brass did not want me travelling to Ireland to explore their viticulture so instead I called a friend.  Jason is from Ireland and he had his family send us some honey mead from Bunratty Castle.  This ancient Celtic beverage is simply honey wine and is simply delicious, also a perfect mood setter: think Celtic parties, pagan rituals, or wenches in taverns.

Next, I went to Spain. The northwest corner of the country is the autonomous region know as Galicia and there you will indeed find some lovely wines; including one of my FAVORITES, Albarino from the Rias-Biaxas region.  The land, the forests and even some of the houses are evocative of Ireland and Scotland in this region of Spain.  Until of course you see Roman ruins and lemon trees growing everywhere.  But when all your friends are sipping warm green beer on Sunday treat yourself to a crisp cool glass of Albarino, you may never drink Pinot Gringo again.

Next, a little closer to home there are a couple dozen wineries in the good ole USA that have strong Celtic ties – Firesteed vineyards in Washington, and Concannon and Plumpjack in California are among my favorites. The reds from all of them would be a dreamy pair with a traditional Shepherd’s pie or corn beef and cabbage.

But sometimes it has to be said that you can’t beat ‘em so you need to join them – in that case drink a beer – but don’t settle for the cheap keg stuff. Treat yourself to a beautiful handcrafted beer. If you like a crisp white wine try a wheat beer; if a fruity pinot noir is more your style then you’ll enjoy a lambec infused with fruit; and if you love sipping a big syrah try a smoky porter.  Ask questions; break out of your rut, try something new.

Oh so what did I actually end up imbibing for this most famous of all drinking holiday’s?  Green milk with my six year old daughter – but it felt very grown up.

Cheers and may you live as long as you want and never want as long as you live.

The Sweetest Thing

I was faced with a dilemma the other evening – I had was home after a long yet rewarding day at work, I had finished all of the most pressing household chores of the day and I sat down with my glass of wine (yes an H3 approved 5oz pour in an appropriate glass). Suddenly a little voice in my head insisted I needed something sweet – I resisted; after all I had eaten one of Chef Jen’s delicious dinners, so I wasn’t actually hungry. But that voice was VERY insistent, in fact it would not let me rest until I had consumed my daughter’s chocolate pudding packs. So there I was a slob who was guzzling wine and stealing chocolate from a six year old breaking all of my good intentions and actions for the day and another voice in my head began to talk; after the sugar coma passed of course.

There had to be a better way – “how could I feed my sweet tooth and satisfy my need for a glass of wine? “

Eureka!! Dessert wine – It could be just crazy enough to work – something sweet to sip on – two birds one stone and all of that. So I have spent the last few weeks immersing myself in the golden nectar that is dessert wine just so you may skip the humiliation of thievery from small children.

So there are several different ways that a dessert wine comes about – here are the major ways and some of my top picks:

Natural Sugar – The winemaker allows the grapes to develop maximum sweetness on the vine – then usually stops the wine from fermenting fully leaving quite a bit of residual sugar – Best example to me is Moscato and Elio Perrone makes one called ‘Sourgal’ Moscato d’Asti that I think is like sipping a Low Country summer evening, all slow and peachy with scents of jasmine in your nose.

Adding and alcohol – think sherry, port, Madeira or Marsala - My newest favorite is an offering from Merryvale Vineyards, Antigua Muscat; its nutty goodness and orange peel scents can warm you up on the coldest Lowcountry day.

Remove the water – by removing water from grapes the sugar is concentrated; there are several ways to remove the water – the grapes can be dried in the sun like raisins (Vin Santo ex); freeze the grapes then press into wine (Ice-wine); or Noble Rot. That is when the grapes are allowed to contract a fungus that dries them out. Yes this last one sounds repulsive but if you are lucky enough to sip a Chateau Yaquem you will never look at rot the same way. My newest favorite Noble rot wine is Macalun Turcolato from Italy. This wine is sweet but not over poweringly so and paired with a little blue cheese it is a perfect way to end a meal or the day.

Just remember these little drops of honey can pack quite an alcohol punch so sip and savor.

Does size matter?

After having passed my first Master Court of Sommelier exam, I received a beautiful set of Reidel wine glasses; I felt so elegant, like I was really living the life.  But then a child came and those crystal glasses were stashed away (ok they broke) and on came the plastic stemware, my elegance was gone.  But I learned something from both of these oversized glasses…..They were too big.  In my Reidel days I filled up those big crystal glasses because well I was young and little naïve (OK stupid) and there was a lot of room in those cups.  Then when I moved to plastic I filled that glass up because I was tired, between raising a kid and working two jobs – I wanted to fill my glass once and settle on the couch for the night.

Well I am sure you know – this is not what Bob Wright would tell us to do; this is not how Lizette coaches us in mindful eating.  I wasn’t thinking about how and what wine I was drinking like I should.  This past Christmas my mother gave to me a set of cut glass crystal wine stems from my grandmother.  When I opened them my first reaction was “How cute,” I mean they could hold four ounces at most (and that was if I filled them to the tippy top).  But I decided on New Years to make a resolution with those glasses.  I would drink wine at home only with them, no more big glasses for me, fancy or plastic.  And here is what I have learned:

• My grandmother’s stemware makes me feel elegant and very grownup – and I deserve that at the end of the day.


• That glassware forces me to be conscious of how much wine I am consuming; I know it holds 3-4 ounces.  (And if I want more I have to get up and walk to go get it, which after long and hectic days can be a long walk.)


• I give thought to the wine I put in that glass because I want the wine to live up to the glass it is going into.  Sometimes that wine is delicious and expensive, but now I am reminded to think about the wine even if it is my everyday reasonably priced quaff.

So size does matter – whether it’s a number on a scale OR the size of your wine glass OR the satisfaction making a change gives you.

And what have I been putting in my family heirlooms lately?

Veitti Barbera D’Asti – bright and cherry flavored with a great acidity that makes it perfect for our cool Lowcountry winters and with all different types of food (even the chicken
Chef Jen taught you how to make this week!)

Bastianich Vespa Blanc – a chardonnay blend from Friuli in Italy that is rich; honey without the oak I wasn't so much a fan

Rombauer Merlot – merlot is usually not one of my favorites, but this one is so rich and supple I can’t resist it when the wind is howling and the skies are grey

The History of Champagne: From the Devil’s Wine to drinking the stars – The ultimate transformation

From Laura McCann, Dining room manager & in-house wine expert. Laura will be featured on H3Daily once a month to share her vast wine knowledge. It is part of the Hilton Head Health philosophy to consume alcoholic beverages only in moderation in order to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.  

We are close to toasting the New Year and our heads are dancing with all of our resolutions; so while you lift a glass of your favorite bubbly and look ahead to the transformations your life will be taking in 2013 think of the story of Champagne:

The Champagne we know today started as what is now a happy accident. The region of Champagne, which is in the high northwest of France; has been producing wine since the time of the Romans – but the wines of Champagne were often thin, highly acidic, pinkish wines made from pinot noir (think biting into a tart apple) – hardly the stuff that could compare to the famous Burgundies to the south. 

The people of Champagne were desperate to prove they could make wines worthy of the kings that were crowned in the Cathedral of Reims.  But alas, the grapes in Champagne were in an uphill battle to become worthy delicious reds.  One, it is COLD in northwest France so the grapes must struggle to ripen and it is a ripe grape that gives us luscious fruit.  Second, the region of Champagne is a crossroads of northern Europe and this makes it a great pathway for invading armies including Attila the Hun; and war never does good things for grapes.  Lastly, after the wine was bottled and laid to rest in the cool Roman chalk caves to age, they would tend to freeze before fermentation was complete.  In the spring, with the warming temperatures, fermentation would resume and thus bubbles were born; however, these bubbles led to very unstable bottles – imagine flying corks and exploding bottles (fun fact – you are more likely to be killed by a flying champagne cork then by a poisonous spider bite). So these wines of Champagne were dangerous, mad and even called the devil’s wine.  Not a promising start.



Enter one monk, Dom Perignon, he was the cellar master in Hautvillers, it was he who ultimately gave birth to some of the best methods for producing today’s champagne, from blending and stronger bottles to the invention of the Spanish cork.  The blind monk is oft credited with discovering champagne, probably not true; he in fact spent his life trying to eradicate the bubbles.   In the early part of the 1700’s, Philippe Duc d’Orleans came to the French throne and France was thrown into an extravagant decade with fast young women and gay men, where the pursuit of pleasure was the call of the day and nothing went better with this pursuit then the popping of Champagne corks; but champagne was still scarce, unstable and hard to get ahold of so it was Royalty and people of means who had access to the real stuff.  Time and the Industrial Revolution, along with the help of the Veuve (widow) Clicqout, created better and more stable means of producing the effervescent beverage. 

So champagne, with its branding firmly in the hand of those looking to have good times, and its ties to the lustful courts of France and its scarcity had managed to go from a looked down upon wine to the pinnacle of all brands.   So as you are contemplating your journeys in the new year and wondering if you can make all of the changes you want to in life take time to toast yourself with a glass of bubbly and remind yourself that the golden nectar you are sipping also had humble beginnings before becoming the true star it is today.

You may ask what should you be drinking?

If you are really treating yourself go with Krug or one of France’s other big boy houses: Tattinger, Veuve Clicquot, Piper-Heidsiek; or of course Dom Perignon.

You want to treat yourself but save your wallet:  Grower’s Champagne; The big houses of champagne buy their fruit from 15,000 farmers in France and several years ago these farmers realized they could save the best fruit from the vineyard,  sell the rest and make some spectacular bubbly  at $30 to $40 a bottle.

Want to buy from the States: I highly recommend Schramsberg Brut Rose – but ask your local wine shop for their delicious recommendations.

Want to toast the little milestones along the way: Explore the world of Spanish Cava’s and Italian Prosecco’s .  They don’t have the cache of French Champagne but they do have deliciousness just the same and they are extremely wallet friendly.

Wine and Weight Loss

Today's post is from Laura McCann. You may have seen Laura while enjoying one your meals in the Palmetto Point Dining Hall or at a culinary experience in the Culinary Arts Center. Laura is Hilton Head Health's dining room manager and wine expert.

So you have done the hard work here at H3; Adam Martin and the rest of the fitness staff have put you through your paces and given you new workout techniques. Bob Wright has opened your eyes and enlightened you and given you new tools to handle your eating patterns. Chef Jen Welper and her crack staff of chefs have taught you that eating healthy can be delicious. Now you are headed home – home to face….. A bottle of wine!!!!!!
We know that “resolve dissolves with alcohol;” so how do you manage the real world? Should you give up a beautiful glass of wine with dinner? Will you ever have a glass of wine again? Of course you will, the question is how will you manage it? With a few tricks from a restaurant insider and a little focus you can have your wine and drink it too.
KNOW YOUR WINE PERSON – Find a local shop you like, frequent them often, let them know what you like to drink: sweet, tart, red, white, inexpensive, or a splurge. A good wine salesperson will send you into new and exciting directions; ones you didn’t even know existed.

PLAN- you are already planning out your menu for the week why not plan out what nights you will have some vino. Stop by your local wine merchant they can help you pair your meals with a great wine. And remember you have already spent a lot of time, money and effort, you are worth a good bottle of wine; don’t skimp on yourself!!!

MEASURE – Get a measuring cup; use your measuring cup; learn what 3 oz look like. If you pour 3oz at a time it slows down your drinking. Calories per pour vary depending on the wine but you can’t go wrong with tricking yourself into thinking you’re drinking more than you actually are. Be as thoughtful about what you are drinking as what you are eating. If you take the time to really appreciate what is in your glass, the smell, color, the flavors on your tongue, you will be too busy appreciating the quality to miss the quantity.

GOING OUT - A little secret from a restaurant professional – you can order half a glass of wine!!!!! All you have to do is ask. Restaurants allow it because they can then sell higher end wines at reasonable prices; also, a restaurant would rather have some of your money than none at all. So that means you can have 3oz of white with a salad or during cocktails and 3oz of red with a grilled filet and steamed veggies – it’s the best of both worlds. This also allows you to explore more wines at half the price.
So now what do you drink this summer? Here are some of my recommendations for the summer porch sipping:

• Rose – no, not wine zin; these wines are crisp, clean, with hints of berry fruits that are evocative of summer.


• Crisp whites – perfect with seafood and summer’s lighter fare; again, ask for advice from your favorite, local wine merchant they will introduce you to some delicious treats. My top three picks; Altadonna, Grillo, Sicily, crisp and a bit salty; Hughes Bealieu, Picpoul, Langudoc refreshing and delicious; Pierre Boniface, Apremont, Savoy, like sipping on springtime daffodils. Plus, the often lower alcohol content of these wines can mean a lower calorie level.


• Big Bold Reds – perfect with smokey bbq; a great wine can always help turn the most humble fare into a work of art. My summer favs; Susanna Balbo Malbec, Argentina, big and juicy. Immortal Zinfandel, California, dark and smokey; Bozzanti Chianti, Italy, rustic and uncomplicated.


• Moscato d’Asti - a dessert wine that is like drinking in a lowcountry evening – all peaches and intoxicating jasmine; a great dessert.

So cheers and enjoy!!!!!