Sure, you can get hot dogs — veggie as well as meat — and if you’re a beer drinker, you have your pick of brews that include Bud and Blue Moon. You also have a choice of many ethnic foods, a farmers market and quality wines.If you think I’m talking about the Ferry Building, think again: This is AT&T Park, where wine is analyzed almost as much as the Giants’ chances of winning back-to-back World Series titles.
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The only Portuguese white wine that has any name recognition is vinho verde, which actually means green wine. Many are fine to drink if you make sure the bottle is good and cold.Some are on par with their Albariño siblings on the other side of the border. The big story, though, is that Portugal is starting to show that it is capable of making superb white wines from many of its regions.
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I went to a restaurant in Pacific Heights recently, ordered an $18 glass of wine and even though it was a Burgundy, I felt that the pour was a little stingy.Sure, the rent is probably outrageous, but I still could not help but feel like the reason for the high price was the neighborhood and a feeling that people will pay more on Union Street than on Valencia Street. I relayed this experience to a friend who shook her head and responded, “Sometimes I feel like I’m renting space in a restaurant.”
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When Peter Mayle’s book “A Year in Provence” came out, it was like the New World had been discovered all over again. Tomatoes, olives, olive oil and rosé were served at nearly every dinner party I attended for the next five years.
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Australian riesling can be a hard sell. German-riesling drinkers might be satisfied with Austrian and Alsatian renditions of this grape, but often turn up their noses when it comes to versions made outside Europe.At the other end of the spectrum, many folks think all riesling is sweet — as is often the case with phenomenal wines from Germany — and shy away from it no matter what.If the latter describes you, or you are one of the people who falls somewhere in between these two extremes, I have two words for you: Australian riesling.
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Imagine you are a visitor from space and you want to try California pinot noir.You might want to stop at Earth’s concierge located just one light-year from San Francisco for some advice. If I were on duty, I’d think about it for a minute — after all, there are the Russian River, Anderson Valley and Carneros — but ultimately, I’d probably tell you to point your spaceship in the direction of the Sta. Rita Hills.
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The pinnacle of Italian wines, nothing could be more apropos than Barolo to wrap up this series.It often takes Barolo years to become accessible, even in average vintages, but its greatness becomes evident years after the vintage when it has had a chance to mature into one of the most complex wines made anywhere. 2004 was an enigma, though, as many of these wines, while still bambinos, are showing very well right now.
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Since the first Italian quality assurance label denominazione di origine controllata e garantita was named in 1980, 20 more have received the blessing. Before 2009, when Amarone was asked to join this elite club, Asti Spumante and other questionably deserving wines were already in. Amarone della Valpolicella and its sweeter sidekick, Recioto della Valpolicella, have long been among the very top wines made in Italy. So, finally, viva Amarone!
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The white wines from Burgundy, France, are arguably the most treasured white wines in the world. The most-coveted are Le Montrachet, Corton Charlemagne and other grand crus. These typically cost $150 a bottle and up. If you want to go a few notches down, you can try some premier crus from Meursault, Chassagne and Puligny Montrachet or Chablis.
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