Wines for the New Depression 3: Colombelle Cotes de Gascogne

This charming entry came from The Chelsea Wine Vault comprised of 60% Tannat with 20% each of Merlot and Cabernet. Much more than I expected from it's 5.99 price tag. It's the wine they would serve at lunch in Toulouse; the house wine you like well enough to learn the origin of; the wine your friends serve at a really good party.

Full and fruity on the palate, each sip is a delight. I paired it with a simple meal of bread, cheese, and olives, along with a little more of the garlicky eggplant. It's charms were consistent all the way through to the chocolate and fruit, by which time we had to move to port having emptied the bottle.

Ultimately, this is a romantic wine. Share with a friend and double your pleasure.

Just a note about wines...prices will vary depending on what part of the country you are in. I can't guarantee you will get the exact same price in Northfield Minnesota. Even in NY we have price variance. On the East Side everything is priced higher than on the West.

Astica, a wine for the New Depression

I love deep, rich, complex wines that reveal themselves in layers on the palate giving you new subtleties with each bite of food.

This is not one of those wines.

It is however perfectly delightful being exactly what it is. It is a burst of fruit and acid on the tongue, it doesn't linger and posses earthy qualities. It is what it is.

I always thought that wine snobs were being pretentious when the used the term 'drinkable', but some wines are just that...wonderfully drinkable and evocative in their own way.

This wine is a sunny day in Buenos Aires sitting in a cafe waiting for your significant other to return from a shopping trip. It is a house wine, a cafe wine, a dinner wine on a simple Tuesday.

With Jambalaya the burst of fruit contrasted beautifully with the spice. With chocolate it washed away the deep dark tones with it's bright flavors. At 4.32 a bottle (From Acker Merral and Condit) it was the perfect wine for the evening. And thus, my first wine for the New Depression entry, drinkable and under 5 bucks a bottle.

*Just a note for those of you who buy wine in NYC, you really should know this store. It may not always have the lowest possible price, but for service and knowledge they are head and shoulders above any other store in NY.

Tax Day Comfort Pasta

Paying for a war is expensive and I took a big hit with taxes today. After a long train ride back into Manhattan from the tax preparers office I was hungry. I had beautiful olive tapenade and hummus ready to go. I have gorgeous fresh artichokes and asparagus. Surrounded by this beautiful healthy food I put a pot of water on to boil and grabbed the sausage. I needed comfort food. I broke a long standing rule of NEVER having pasta for a main and weighed out 4 ounces. I chunked tomato and garlic and made a great sauce. A sauce that should have been paired with a penne or a fussili but I broke a culinary rule and had it with spaghetti. I needed to twirl.

A couple glasses of Ox Malbec Reserve later (leftover from last night's party) I am calm enough to commit this recipe to paper. It was damn good and I am much comforted.

1/4 pound of spicy sausage (An Italian is great, tonight I used Carolina loose meat sausage which has both more hot pepper and salt than an Italian)
2 large ripe Roma tomatoes chunked
10 cloves of garlic chunked
10 green olives chunked
1 cup Rose wine (Any decent wine will do)

4 ounces of pasta (Two appetizer portions or one comforting meal)

Brown the sausage and when it is almost done add the chunked garlic to brown and soften a bit. It doesn't take long. Throw in the tomatoes and wine, stir and lower heat to reduce. In about 5 minutes throw the pasta in the water. When the pasta looks almost done throw the olives in the sauce and put the sauce on high. Toss the pasta in the sauce til glazed and put the whole mass in a warmed bowl.

You need a strong red with this one and don't plan on kissing anyone who does not eat it with you.

My someone is in D.C. (Or is it Baltimore) tonight and the cat is visiting a friend so my breath will not offend. I wish the IRS offices were open, I would go over there and breathe on them.

p.s. If you want the garlic smell gone from you by morning take a few chlorophyll capsules before bed.