(image from motortrend.com)

Infiniti has set benchmarks for innovative technologies such as the currently available Blind Spot Intervention system. The new JX will continue this trend, adding a new feature, Backup Collision Intervention. When the vehicle is shifted into reverse, this feature will help detect objects crossing behind and, if necessary, automatically engage the brakes to help avoid a collision. That’s added peace of mind when exiting a blind driveway or parking slot.

photo credit: ethanol76

You must have, this morning, sensed it too: somewhere in the morning ritual, between the rousing of the children, the making of the peanut butter sandwiches and frantic search for size 11 sneakers; somewhere inside this chaotic minutiae, a certain fragile, icy scent crept in, and a shivery, dark submission took hold. Winter is here. It made me want to turn on the oven, this realization.

The time for roasting & braising has returned. There is something innately comforting and satisfying about slow cooking, to coax the inherent sweetness out of a well-marbled protein or hearty root vegetable, to heighten their flavors with aromatic herbs, and to fill your home with this complex tangle of scents.

Chefs know this too. Look on any seasonally driven menu in Chicago right now, you are bound to find something porcine (belly, ribs, cheeks) braised until completely tender, and served with some sort of root-y puree. The wine pairing assumption for this rich and calorie-dense cuisine is usually some sort of rich, bombastic red. But there is another route, a slightly different path you could take, one that is completely unexpected and wonderful.

When considering wine pairings, there are many variables, but I often start with geography. Where on earth do people traditionally eat like this? And what wines do they drink there? Two places that spring immediately to mind are Alsace (NE France at the German border) & Alto Adige (NE Italy at the Slovenian border). The wines they produce? Aromatic, clean white wines with good acidic structure, the kind that will cut through richness and bring levity as well as a sense of balance to earthy, winter dinners.

Alsace

Alsatian cuisine is all about bacon, fat & braising, with some cold weather vegetables (think cabbage, turnips, potatoes & onions) thrown in for health. The four ‘noble’ white wines of Alsace are: Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer & Muscat. Muscat and Gewurztraminer can be extremely floral and aromatic. Pinot Blanc is often bottled there as well. If you searching for dryer styles, avoid bottles marked “Vendage Tardive” or “Selection de Grains Noble”. I recommend the producer Zind Humbrecht.  Wines labeled with the grape type (i.e. Pinot Blanc) are typically dryer from this renowned producer.

Alto Adige

This beautiful alpine region, located in the sleepy valleys of the Dolomite Mountains is home to some of the purest, delicious white wines on the planet, made without a wisp of oak. Here, dry wines are king. Look for well known varieties like Pinot Grigio & Sauvignon Blanc or more adventurous grapes such as Muller-Thurgau, Sylvaner, Kerner & Nosiola . Recommended producers: Alois Lageder, Elena Walch & Tramin.

The white wines from Alto Adige should be drunk young while still very fresh- they are not meant for aging. Wines from Alsace, however, can age beautifully and gain complexity when matured.

Sources:
All these producers are available @ Binny’s.

www.binnys.com

Next Month:

For all you Pinot Noir drinkers, I have one word: Grenache.”

–
Shebnem Ince
Wine Director

The Gage
24 S Michigan
Chicago, IL 60603
(312)-372-4243
www.thegagechicago.com
and
Henri
18 S.Michigan
Chicago, IL 60603
www.henrichicago.com
(312) 578-0763

www.whatwedrank.blogspot.com

Food & Wine Magazine Top Sommelier 2011

View the facebook album  here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150895496345377.751353.54477095376&type=1&l=7d6c1aa46b

The all new 2012 Subaru Impreza is the most fuel efficient all wheel drive car that you can purchase in America. Subaru has redesigned the Impreza from the ground up and kept it the same size but added two inches of room on the inside. Subaru has also given the Impreza a new 148 HP 2.0L engine mated to either a 5 speed manual or a CVT transmission. In fact the new Impreza now has less horsepower than the outgoing model. But does that mean that it is slower? Check out our first drive review to find out.

The similarities Matt Weiner shares with girlfriend Becca Pernikoff are many.

They’re the reason the 25-year-old from Chicago knew that Pernikoff is the woman he wants to spend the rest of his life with.

But the one thing that sets the couple apart is the only reason Weiner needed to enlist “Good Morning America’s Love Live” help for popping the question, in a big way.

“The one place where Becca and I are polar opposites is in celebrations,” he wrote in response to “GMA’s” call for men who wanted to make their marriage proposal an unforgettable and live TV event.

“I like to celebrate more low-key, and Becca would rather throw a huge, blowout party and invite the world,” Weiner explained.

“I want to prove to her that I have it in me to do something so extravagant that she would never think I would have the nerve to do,” he told “GMA.” “I think she is very concerned that when I finally do propose it will be very low-key and intimate.”

It turns out that Pernikoff, thanks to Weiner’s out-of-the-box thinking, had nothing to worry about.

The 25-year-old got the surprise of her life today when Weiner got down on bended knee and asked his girlfriend of three years to spend the rest of his life with him, at her office, on live TV, in front of millions of “GMA” viewers.

ABC News

Chicagoans Matt Weiner and Becca Pernikoff… 

Surprise Proposal

Appearing camera-ready for a national TV interview, Pernikoff took her place next to her boss at the Berman’s Infiniti of Chicago car dealership, where she works as a saleswoman, to be interviewed by “GMA’s” George Stephanopoulos.

The interview, believed by Pernikoff to be about car sales in Chicago, quickly veered off course when Stephanopoulos told her to, instead, look at the scene behind her.

Her mouth dropped as she saw, not only her entire family, but also three signs reading “Will,” “You,” and “Marry,” followed by Weiner, sitting in an Infiniti convertible with the word “Me” on the window, and holding a dozen roses.

All Pernikoff could say was, “Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh,” until, of course, she said yes to Weiner’s proposal.

Relationship Built on Love and Family

The sight of Weiner and Pernikoff surrounded by family after the proposal is not uncommon for the Chicago-based couple.

Family, Weiner told “GMA,” is something the couple’s relationship is built on.

“I love the way she puts family above everything else,” he said. “She came from a family with two older boys and she was the baby girl. I was the oldest child and had a younger brother and sister.”

For Weiner, the attraction to Pernikoff was instant, after they were first introduced by mutual friends three years ago.

“We started dating after college when one of my best friends from high school started dating one of her best friends from college,” he wrote in his submission to “GMA.” “The first time we talked on the phone I knew we were meant for each other.”

The fun-loving couple has had their share of good times together over the course of their relationship – from trips to Las Vegas, Anguilla and Florida to slow nights in watching their favorite show, “Modern Family” – but it was the most difficult time in Pernikoff’s life that cemented the couple’s future together.

Pernikoff’s father died unexpectedly in July of 2009 at the age of 57. His passing, Weiner said, gave their marriage proposal today even more meaning.

“The moment I knew I was going to spend my life with Becca was when I was driving to her old apartment to tell her that her dad passed away,” Weiner said. “I was on the phone with my dad and I was hysterical, telling him how scared I was that Becca was going to move back to be with her family and that I was going to lose the girl of my dreams.”

“My dad told me to relax and that everything would work itself out, and it has,” Weiner said.

Delivering the very public proposal Pernikoff dreamed of reminded Weiner of another reason he loves his bride-to-be so much.

“I love that she gets along great with anyone she meets and becomes best friends with everyone,” he told “GMA.” “Hence why she is planning on having close to 16 bridesmaids.

Certain to be included in the Pernikoff-Weiner wedding party are the two friends who introduced the couple three years ago.

But before they walk down the aisle themselves, Pernikoff and Weiner will have another wedding to attend, the April wedding of the matchmaker couple who introduced them.

view the video at

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/gma-love-live-chicago-man-proposes-live-tv-14727807

View the album on facebook at

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150365243790827.370945.154567740826&type=1&l=bc03852336

No can do my friend. That is an impossible dream.

The average price of an acre of prime Napa vineyard is about $150,000. This acre will yield, under proper circumstances, about 4000 bottles of wine. You will need thirteen barrels in which to age this wine. You will need employees at harvest and crush. It would help if you had a degree in oeneology too. You will need access to a fermentation tank. You will need a cool space for your barrels to age, and then you will need access to a bottling line, corks, bottles, labels, shipping crates, a distribution channel and yes, stop this crazy train I want to get off too! After all this, your wine will up up costing your customers about $150/ bottle, and you won’t be making to much profit in the process.

I have often wondered why a large majority of red wine drinkers seem to be ‘stuck’ on Napa Valley Cabernet when there is a whole planet of red wine out there, often much less expensive. I do understand the majesty of voluptuous, ripe, sun-soaked Cabernet Sauvignon, enriched by the dusty earth of the valley floor, bathed in that expensive vat of french oak. But truly, the allure here is the ripeness levels, and it is Napa’s climate that allows for this.

The climate in Napa Valley is classified as Mediterranean. What this means is that the winters are mild, rainfall is minimal and summers are characterised by hot days coupled with cool nights. So the sommelier secret here is that there are many viticultural regions around the world that also share this climate and are well-suited to growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The big difference? The real estate is much cheaper. Here are just a few:

1) Paso Robles,CA. 240 Miles south of Napa Valley,  Paso Robles is a bit hotter on average, but otherwise shares many of the Mediterranean climatic qualities. Ripe, luscious Cabernets can be had for under $25/ bottle. Two producers I recommend are Justin ($25.00, and yes, these are the same people who make the ultra-premium, ultra-expensive Isoceles) and Broadside ($19.99). Drink ‘em young and move on.

2) Rapel Valley. Chile. Cabernet was introduced in 1851. It is a large region, with some climatic variations as one travels from North to South, but in general again, one finds that moderate, Mediterranean climate suitable for smooth-drinking, agreeable Cabernet. There is also a large  focus on organic and biodynamic viticultural practices here. I recommend the Casas del Bosque Cabernet 2009 ($18)

3) Tuscany, Italy. A magical land of fresh pasta, fashionable sunglasses and folks whizzing around on Vespas wearing expensive shoes. This region adopted Cabernet in the early 1980s, planting it mainly on the west coast, known as the Maremma. Two affordable ‘super-tuscans’ that involve plenty of Cabernet (as well as some Sangiovese, Merlot & Cabernet Franc) are Rigoloccio Toscana IGT 2007 ($18) & the Villa Antinori Toscana IGT 2006 ($17). Tuscan Cabernets and Cabernet blends tends to have a dustier, more herbaceous quality than those found in the Americas.

So there you have it. It may not be the answer you were looking for, but at least you know now why so many of those Napa Valley Cabernets come with such a huge price tag. Location, location, location!

All the wines featured in this article can be found at:

Vinic Wine Company
1509 Chicago Ave
Evanston, IL 60201
1-847–733-7000
www.vinicwine.com
info@vinicwine.com

And, a  retraction. Last month, I erroneously placed Piedmont in northeastern Italy. It is in the northwest.

Next month’s column will explore White Wines:The Road Less Taken.

Shebnem Ince

Food & Wine Magazine Top Sommelier 2011

The all new 2012 Subaru Impreza is the most fuel efficient all wheel drive car that you can purchase in America. Subaru has redesigned the Impreza from the ground up and kept it the same size but added two inches of room on the inside. Subaru has also given the Impreza a new 148 HP 2.0L engine mated to either a 5 speed manual or a CVT transmission. In fact the new Impreza now has less horsepower than the outgoing model. But does that mean that it is slower? Check out our first drive review to find out.