Danny Meyer, the famous New York restaurant owner who hails
from St. Louis, once had a contemporary Indian restaurant called Tabla in
Manhattan’s Flatiron district. Although the regular menu was somewhat pricey, you
could eat for far less in the restaurant’s Bread Bar. One of the most memorable
things about that bar was its popcorn, which came dusted with cumin, coriander,
and chile pepper.
It was an addictive combination and my pal Marjorie Shaffer
and I were hooked. With all the possible choices in Manhattan, we frequently
found ourselves drawn back to the Bread Bar longing for that popcorn.
Although the restaurant closed in 2010, I can still remember
the taste of the popcorn and the wine that one of the bartenders recommended as
a match. It was the Gruet sparkling wine from New Mexico. I was pretty shocked
the first time he suggested it. For starters, sparkling wine was not
something I would have thought to order with popcorn. And then, New Mexico?
Who knew they made sparkling wine in New Mexico?
But it was a great combination and I’ve always had a soft
spot in my heart for Gruet because of that. It also made me realize that sparkling wine goes well with all sorts of salty and fried foods. And because there are plenty of sparkling wines that are more affordable than Champagne, why not have them with your popcorn, French fries and bratwurst?
Our Tabla excursions happened when I was working as a correspondent for Reuters and I was so inspired by the popcorn and Gruet combination, that I wrote a piece about unusual sparkling wine pairings. The feature got picked up in numerous newspapers during 2002 and even got translated into Spanish. One of the reasons the story probably got so much attention is that it mentioned Hooters was offering a party promotion pairing Dom Pérignon with chicken wings.
I'm remembering this now because of upcoming July 4th celebrations. It seems to me that sparkling wines produced in the United States would be perfect for whatever you're doing or eating that day. First of all, sparkling wines are festive and we should be toasting to our country's independence. Second, these are wines made in our country. Third, they go with everything and finally, they are affordable.
Personally, I prefer sparklers made through the méthode champenoise, which is the same process used to make real French Champagne. In this method, the wine goes through a second fermentation in its own bottle rather than in a tank. There are many excellent American sparklers made this way. Most come from the following California wineries: Schramsburg, Domaine Chandon, Mumm Napa, Gloria Ferrer, Iron Horse, Roederer Estate and Korbel.
Another significant American producer of sparkling wine made through méthode champenoise is Domaine Ste. Michelle in Washington State. The Domaine Ste. Michelle "Michelle" Brut and the Gruet Brut are featured in my July 2, 2014 St. Louis Post-Dispatch column.
#dannymeyer #sparklingwine #july4 #domperignon #champagne #méthodechampenoise #hooters
Our Tabla excursions happened when I was working as a correspondent for Reuters and I was so inspired by the popcorn and Gruet combination, that I wrote a piece about unusual sparkling wine pairings. The feature got picked up in numerous newspapers during 2002 and even got translated into Spanish. One of the reasons the story probably got so much attention is that it mentioned Hooters was offering a party promotion pairing Dom Pérignon with chicken wings.
I'm remembering this now because of upcoming July 4th celebrations. It seems to me that sparkling wines produced in the United States would be perfect for whatever you're doing or eating that day. First of all, sparkling wines are festive and we should be toasting to our country's independence. Second, these are wines made in our country. Third, they go with everything and finally, they are affordable.
Personally, I prefer sparklers made through the méthode champenoise, which is the same process used to make real French Champagne. In this method, the wine goes through a second fermentation in its own bottle rather than in a tank. There are many excellent American sparklers made this way. Most come from the following California wineries: Schramsburg, Domaine Chandon, Mumm Napa, Gloria Ferrer, Iron Horse, Roederer Estate and Korbel.
Another significant American producer of sparkling wine made through méthode champenoise is Domaine Ste. Michelle in Washington State. The Domaine Ste. Michelle "Michelle" Brut and the Gruet Brut are featured in my July 2, 2014 St. Louis Post-Dispatch column.
#dannymeyer #sparklingwine #july4 #domperignon #champagne #méthodechampenoise #hooters
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