Bottoms Up

So I made a yummy chicken dish the other night using a few ounces of an Italian wine syrup. You can find them at most specialty grocery stores (mine, Vino Cotto, in full disclosure, was sent to me by the manufacturer, Montillo Italian Foods).

It’s just cooked sweet wine, and more than 2 pounds of grapes go into one 8 ounce bottle.  It has no alcoholic content and has a richer fruitier (think plummy-raisin) flavor than maple syrup.

I sprinkled salt and pepper on my chicken then sauteed it in olive oil and drizzled the syrup on it towards the end, letting it thicken and bubble before serving. The chicken was moist and not too sweet. Check it out for $15.95 at Vino Cotto’s web site.

Or, better yet, try this Real Simple recipe by fab friend Jenny sent me to make your own wine syrups from leftover whites or reds.

Instead of retiring from his plastic manufacturing business and playing golf, Jeff Cranor has joined forces with his son Collin to launch Nottingham Cellars, the Livermore Valley’s 46th winery.

The Cranors, of San Leandro, source fruit from Lodi, Livermore, and Napa Valley for their inaugural wines, which include a Viognier and a Bordeaux blend called Ralphi’s, which is 60 percent Livermore Cabernet Sauvignon.Wines range from $18 to $45.

Despite troubled times, the Cranors even managed to set up shop in a tasting room at 2245 S. Vasco Road. The wine will be flowing for free at their three-day launch party, Nov. 20-22. To RSVP, visit their web site, www.nottinghamcellars.com.

By the way, winery No. 45, Occasio, opened last month in the Livermore Valley and also has a tasting room on S. Vasco Road. Their current releases, a Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Petit Sirah, and Pinot Gris, are crafted solely from grapes grown in the Livermore Valley. Check them out on their web site, www.occasiowinery.com.

I was confused by Keith Wallace’s Daily Beast article, “How Wine Become Like Fast Food.” It’s about the fact that there aren’t as many actual wineries with physical addresses in the country as some wine consumers may have thought.

The headline reads like there will be some scandalous exposure of the wine industry, like jug merlot is the next pawn in our national war on obesity. In reality, we all know that big brands and cheap conglomerates make up the majority of wines purchased and consumed by average Americans.

Big deal. They’re drinkable and affordable, and unlike French fries or double decker hamburgers, fermented grape juice doesn’t clog your arteries and isn’t any better or worst for you if it’s made in the old Sutter Home facility (now known as The Ranch) or a Pomerol chateau.

The author goes on to “out” custom crush facilities like they’re something evil too. In reality, places like Napa Valley Custom Micro Crush at Judd’s Hill, Crushpad, Bin to Bottle, and The Ranch function more like cooperatives giving ordinary people the opportunity to smash grapes and make some freaking nectar.

What confuses me the most is that after exposing the ills of mass produced wine, the author ends by saying that there are actually plenty of wineries out there, and that there’s no need to despair. Even worst, he says you have to choose between authenticity and value. I do not agree.

The next time you visit your wine merchant, tell him or her you have $10 to spend on a bottle and want it to come from a “real” winery. You shouldn’t have a problem.

Times are tough. Presents are expensive. Still, that doesn’t change the fact that the gift-giving holidays are next month, and we gotta pony up for our loved ones.

With that, here’s the first annual Corkheads Holiday Wish List. Cast your vote for the best wine gift, or better yet, post your own ideas. Whoever has the most creative idea wins a bottle of wintery petit sirah.

1. A copy of Robert Parker Jr’s new book, “Parker’s Wine Bargains: The World’s Best Wine Values under $25.” At $17.99, the book fits the bill.

2. A bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from the person’s birthday vintage. Oh, romantic-o.

3. A gift certificate to one of the Bay Area’s temperature-controlled wine storage unit companies, such as Subterraneum. The cellar for the rest of us.

4. A mixed wine case of 12 varietals the person has never tried. Can you say mencia?

5. A wine class at the Culinary Institute of America. Foie gras on a stick for lunch, anyone?

6. A road trip to a California wine region (Lodi!) you’ve been meaning to visit, complete with average accommodations, cheese picnic, and gas money.

7. A gift certificate to Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant. It’s time to finally learn why the French rule.

8. Coupons for a week’s worth of meals cooked for you by your roommate, partner or slave, er, loved one.

9. Dinner at Spruce in San Francisco. Have you seen the wine list?

10. One-year wine club membership of your choice.

We did dinner at Pizza Antica last night, where thin, Naples style pizzas are decorated with light fare, such as arugula, goat cheese and olive oil drizzles.

With this kind of pie, as opposed to the deep dish stuff at Zachary’s, I really like drinking pinot noir, like this  Rossi-Wallace from the Antinori Vineyard in Napa Valley.

The wine ($35) is just pretty. It sparkles like a jewel and because it is aged in spicy Burgundian oak (only 30 percent of the oak is new), the fruit – wild and full of cherries – dances on top of the wood. It’s integrated, but subtle enough as to not interfere with the crisp, cracker-like delicate pizza.

While I love cabernet sauvignon and zinfandel with pizza, I think those wines would soak this “bread.” Rather, a wine like the 2007 Rossi-Wallace, with its earthy aromas and acidity, paired beautifully with the earthiness of the goat cheese and mushrooms and the acidity of the sundried tomatoes.

Can you dig it? Rossi-Wallace is mailing-list and online only, so you can find their low production, boutique wines on the Rossi-Wallace web site.

Can’t believe it’s already been a year since this wine tasting event in Monterey. While there are an infinite number of worthy wine events from Monterey to Mendocino, I like this one because it features 35 wineries – the sweet spot to not getting overwhelmed.

Also, what I like about this event is that there’s truly something for everyone. If you have the dough, you can spend $1,265 on the getaway of your dreams, or $95 on a winemaker’s dinner. For my money, I recommend the $25 Saturday self-guided wine tour, which gives you tasting admission to 11 Carmel wineries, including Ventana, a favorite of mine for their Syrah, and another 12 in Salinas (Chardonnay lovers should not miss Chalone).

On your own, be sure to check out Line Shack, a winery that’s making some gorgeous and very affordable Rhone varietals out of southern Monterey’s San Antonio Valley, a relatively new AVA and mountain valley in the Santa Lucia Range that is gaining a reputation for developing full-bodied, intense red and white wines.

Get tickets at the Monterey County vintners and growers website.

My co-worker wants to know what the best deal in the $10-$15 range is at the BevMo 5 cent sale. Well, here you go, Ari:

I poked my head in there yesterday, but the BevMo web site is a much easier way to navigate the sale. There, you’ll see 253 wines. I can’t be sure if they’re available at all stores, or if certain locations have different wines (I bet they do), but for my money, here are three must-purchases:

- if you like grenache and syrah, I’d splurge three more dollars and get the 2007 Auguste Bessac Cotes du Rhone for $17.99. It’s meaty, perfect for the increasingly chilly weather, and is even worthy of 2-3 years of age. A great deal.

- gnarly zinfandel lovers will be really pleased with this recommendation: make up for the Rhone splurge with a 2007 Challis Lane Old Vine Zinfandel. It’s a powerhouse in the fruit and tannin department, perfect for a weeknight hamburger or barbecue. And old vine zinfandel at $7.99 is simply a steal.

- Honestly, for my money, I can never have too much dry riesling in my house. That’s why I’d grab a couple of bottles of the 2007 Columbia Crest Grand Estates Riesling. It’s only $10.99 and pairs beautifully with all kinds of food. Seriously, the residual sugar, acidity, and fruit on this beauty are pretty much in perfect balance. Can you say YUMMY?

I really like The Pour Fool’s installment on negociants, the mad scientist folks who buy vinified wines from producers and then blend them to make them go from good to fantastic.

The role of the negociant was grossly under recognized in the United States, until folks like Joel Gott and his fellow thieves and of course Cameron Hughes became pseudo household (make that Costco) names.

When you find a negociant you like – Haystack Needle is the Fool’s recession fave – follow him or her to the ends of the earth; buy up their stashes, because they will run out; and remember that blends can change quickly in order to keep a popular wine in demand. Judging from his post, I can see that the Tempranillo and Bordeaux blend, both to be released on Nov. 1, will sell out.

If you long for France the way I do and crave an entertaining read, check out my friend Danielle’s blog, No Sour Grapes. I know, I know, there are a lot of wine blogs out there – some 700, to be exact.

But Danielle’s blog stands out because she’s A GOOD WRITER and because she is at a place in her wine journey where she’s soaking it all up. She makes sense of every food pairing, every new appellation. And she’s not just waxing poetic. lAfter graduating from UC Berkeley, she worked as a cellar rat for Jared and Tracy Brandt of A Donkey and  Goat winery, where she learned everything about truth in terroir and naturally made wine – including crushing grapes with her feet.

The Brandts hooked Danielle up with a summer gig in Chateauneuf-Du-Pape with famed Rhone producer Eric Texier (see the September posts for her day-by-days of harvest) and now she’s tasting through Beaujolais. I love her brief Charnay reverie about Mattin Noblia of Top Chef.

Check it out.

I’ve been nursing this bottle of pinot grigio because I adore it. The first night I opened it I had it with turkey meatballs. I corked it, put it back in the fridge and had it with baked salmon and lemony asparagus three days later. It was still showing wonderfully.

It’s rare when a white wine finishes soft on the palate without a heavy dose of oak or a smack of tartness or acidity. Don’t get me wrong – I love the latter to the point that I suck on salt-sprinkled lime wedges as a snack.

Not long ago, I did a column on the rejeuvenation of pinot grigio, and pinot gris, and the Oak Grove Reserve is yet another example of how this grape produces white wines that can satisfy devotees of California chardonnay and Alsatian riesling alike.

It’s rich in body and flavor like a sauvignon blanc but without assaulting the palate with acidity. The wine has aromas and flavors of lemon and quince and finishes clean. The web site hints at cool climate vineyards in California, so my guess is that the grapes come from coastal Monterey county, but not sure.

Based on the  quality and the word ‘reserve,’ I assumed the wine retailed for $15.