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Cooking With Red Wine Part I: Boeuf Bourguignon

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Hello readers! How the heck are you? And how about those Seahawks?!!! Can we steal “my oh my” from baseball? Seems appropriate. Thanks, Dave. 😉 

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to get back on here… c’est la vie, as the French say. Ooh la la, what a convenient segue….

A long while ago (in a blogoverse of yore), I did a post on cooking with white wine, along with an accompanying recipe. While cooking with white wine is all well and good for the typical chicken and seafood crowd, there are so many dishes with bold, rich, and hearty flavors that call for nothing less than red wine. Red wine will enrich your cooking with amazing depth and character in a way that ordinary beef stock or water just will not. As a science experiment, I encourage you to make a dish you love that calls for red wine or beef stock and make it twice, once with stock and once with wine. And then tell me which one tasted better.

This is the first in a (long-delayed) series of posts on cooking with red wine, in which I will share some different red wines and how to use them in a specific recipe (or to pair them with a specific recipe). I have had these recipes and ideas tucked away for a long time but the nice thing about these dishes and wines is that they are classic and never go out of style. By doing this, I hope to encourage you to cook some real, nourishing food and see how great it can be to incorporate red wine into your cooking! ❀ (Especially with an important football game coming up). 😉

Boeuf Bourguignon is a traditional dish from the French region of Burgundy (Bourgogne, in French). It’s a hearty stew with beef, mushrooms, carrots, and onions (among other things), cooked and simmered slowly with herbs, spices, and liquids, especially red Burgundy wine. It is served with cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes. You can’t level up much higher than this for comfort food.

Naturally, les Bourguignons use the namesake wine of their region, bourgogne rouge, to create their namesake dish. Just so we’re clear, all red wine from Burgundy is Pinot Noir. This is basically entry-level Burgundy. As I mentioned before in my previous post (which has lots of additional tips on cooking with wine, check it out), you want to make sure that the wine you cook with is a wine you would also want to drink on its own.

The bottle I selected was simple and perhaps a bit underwhelming, but it fit the bill and was actually pleasant to drink on its own. It was easy to find at Total Wine. Any authentic and affordable bourgogne rouge is what you’re looking for.

Heritiers Benoit Pepe Maurice Bourgogne Pinot Noir

Great label. Since it’s French, I couldn’t resist saving my photo in noir et blanc. 🙂

HĂ©ritiers Benoit Bourgogne Pinot Noir “PĂ©pĂ© Maurice” 2023
Price around $20 at Total Wine & More
13% ABV
Total Wine’s tasting notes (sorry, I either slacked and did not record any, or I misplaced them – I was busy cooking, after all): “A bright bouquet of ripe black cherry, red fruits and floral notes. The midpalate is rounded with notes of licorice and chewy tannins, yielding to a fruity fresh finish.”

This wine is just what the chef/sommelier ordered for “Boeuf Bourguignon,” the famous French dish celebrated in the book and movie, Julie and Julia. While this isn’t the recipe from Julia Child’s grand tome, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, it’s my personal spin on the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon, which is not too hard to make and is a hit at the dinner table. It’s all taken from the French, ultimately.

For me, personally, I think beef demands a heartier, more tannic red, so in other beef stew recipes I would actually use a Cab or Merlot. But since I’m striving for authenticity here with the wine, I went with a true French Burgundy (Pinot Noir). It’s definitely lighter but still yields a very tasty dish.

Of course, if you want to play around and have fun, use just about any dry red wine you have on hand. So American of me. But try the French Burgundy first – it’s good to open the eyes of our palates (horrible mixed metaphor, my apologies) to the broader world of wine.

So go ahead, invite that special friend over that you haven’t seen in a while and have a richly comforting meal, glass of splendid wine, and turn on Julie & Julia for the fun of it. Your Julia Child accent might get pretty funny after a glass or two of vin rouge. 🙂

Julia Child Halloween Costume

Me as Julia Child for Halloween, many moons ago. The witch wanted a few swigs of my cooking sherry.

The Rambling Vine’s Boeuf Bourguignon
Adapted from the recipe in the Better Home & Gardens’ New Cookbook, 14th ed. Meredith Books 2006
Makes 6 main-dish servings | About 2 hours from prep to finish

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
  • 1 T cooking oil
  • 1 1/2 c. chopped onion (3 medium)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 1/2 c. Burgundy/Pinot Noir wine
  • 3/4 c. beef broth
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
  • 3/4 tsp. dried marjoram, crushed
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 3 c. whole fresh mushrooms
  • 2 c. 3/4-inch pieces carrot (4 medium)
  • 1 c. pearl onions, peeled, or frozen small whole onions
  • 2 T all-purpose flour
  • 2 T butter, softened
  • As many slices of cooked and crumbled bacon as you like (the original recipe calls for 2 – who makes 2 slices of bacon at a time?)
  • 3 c. hot cooked egg noodles or mashed potatoes

Instructions

  • In a 4-quart Dutch oven, brown the meat in hot oil. Add the chopped onion (no pearl onions yet!) and garlic and cook and stir until meat is brown and onion is tender.
  • Stir in wine, broth, thyme, marjoram, salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and bay leaves. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Add mushrooms, carrots, and pearl onions. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 25 to 30 more minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaves with a flourish.
  • In a small bowl, stir together flour and butter to make a smooth paste (called a roux by the French); stir into meat mixture. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir for one minute more. Stir in crumbled bacon if you haven’t already eaten it (make more than two pieces of bacon, people!). 🙂
  • Serve with hot noodles or mashed potatoes (you pick, but it does need a carb base) and, mais oui, a glass of bourgogne rouge.
Boeuf Bourguignon

*Cue salivation….

Have you ever made Boeuf Bourguignon? Do you have a special wine you prefer to cook with? Do you love Julie and Julia as much as I do? Comment below!

Pour Favor: Red Guitar Ignites Un Gran PasiĂłn

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!VĂĄmanos! How about some soundtrack and visual scenery to set the mood….

You know the relief you get when you find your car keys after frantically upturning every part of your house? Or the sweet surprise when you find an unused iTunes gift card in a pile of old birthday cards? Such feelings are a close proximation to what I felt when I found my long lost love; this fantastic, affordable Spanish red that I thought had left me forever, short of a plane ticket to España. None other than Red Guitar Old Vine Tempranillo Garnacha (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases). Ah, sweet mystery of life, at last I’ve found you! I first bought this wine at my local grocery store, drank it, fell for it, went back for more, and they didn’t have it in stock. Mi corazĂłn roto. I had almost given up until I was in the “Spain” section at Total Wine and found it there.

The wine is 52% Tempranillo, 48% Garnacha. The Tempranillo and Garnacha are like two flamenco dancers swirling sordidly on your palate. Fabulous, fruity, great taste and structure. At $10, the price is ridiculously awesome. This wine, to me, is the whole shebang, todo el asunto. It scores 10/10 on every account.

According to Red Guitar Wines:

“Centuries ago, the Spanish added a sixth string to a little recognized instrument of the time, bringing to life what we now know as the guitar. For countless generations since that day, music, food, and wine have been the fabric of the Spaniard’s joyful and vivacious existence. Put simply, la buena vida (the good life). Our prized old vines of Tempranillo and Garnacha dig deep into the gravel soils of Navarra to produce wines of incredible character and quality, year after year. Red Guitar; a rich and smooth celebration of the Spanish lifestyle.

“Garnacha is the most widely planted grape variety in the world and thrives in warm, dry regions. It produces wines of great concentration and flavor, with explosive raspberry fruit characters and soft tannins. Together, these varieties combine to produce a rich, smooth, and luscious wine full of ripe raspberry and blackberry flavors on a long, soft finish.”

With that, revel in your power and sass as you sip this intensely provocative wine! 🙂

Drinking Inside the Box: A Review of Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon

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The notion of drinking wine from a box, admittedly, causes many of us to flinch, shake our heads in pity, or shudder from horror. Images of Franzia Blush Zinfandel in my parents’ basement fridge come to mind, and leave me with conflicting feelings. I’m in the age range where I personally never drank boxed wine (just my parents), but the current stigma of drinking wine in a box puts one to shame for even thinking of trying it. It therefore seems an off-limits purchase reserved for dive bar establishments, desperate housewives and borderline alcoholics.

But why the prejudice? After all, you can’t judge a wine by its artsy label or sexy bottle shape, any more than you can judge a book by its cover. Wine is ultimately judged by its taste. One company took this challenge to task and flat out shattered the stereotype that all boxed wines are bad. In fact, there is one in particular that is very good. This boxed wine label has several key advantages: quantity, value, freshness and taste that last a long time, and sustainable packaging.

I ordered a glass of Black Box Cabernet Sauvignon while on vacation recently in Leavenworth. I was in a beer garden, feeling rather anti-beer, and this was the house wine, and I thought, what the heck, let’s give it a shot. I have to say, it wasn’t bad; in fact, it was quite tasty to drink! It’s an absolute bargain if you need a larger quantity of wine in a pinch for a party. Here is why you should try this wine, from the winery:

“What’s the most delicious way to enjoy acclaimed wines without a hefty price tag? Lose the bottle. In 2003, Black Box Wines redefined the category by becoming the first U.S. vintner to offer super-premium, appellation-specific, vintage-dated wines in a box. Since then our expanding repertoire has earned 28 gold medals in wine competitions nationwide, yet still costs 40% less than comparable* bottled wines.

“Our superb grapes are harvested from world-class appellations, including California’s storied wine country and the acclaimed vineyards of Argentina and New Zealand. Through a meticulous, traditional winemaking process, Black Box Wines are crafted to be food-friendly and fruit-forward—all without the expense and fuss of bottled wines. So whether you crave sumptuous reds or crisp whites, you’ll delight in the quality and value inside every box.

“The grapes that create our full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon are grown within reach of cooling Pacific Ocean breezes that extend the growing season. Offering a lush display of dark berries, our Cabernet Sauvignon’s smooth tannins create a soft, lingering finish. Spicy cinnamon and vibrant black currant aromas accompany warm notes of vanilla and toasty oak for an irresistible, approachable glass of wine.”

Their 2009 California Cabernet Sauvignon earned a Gold Medal at the 2011 Winemaker Challenge, and in 2012, Wine Enthusiast Magazine awarded the 2010 vintage a “Best Buy.”

If that didn’t shake up your stubborn notions about boxed wine, perhaps trying a glass of the real thing will.

Here’s to thinking outside the box while drinking inside the box!

What to Drink When You’re “Hot to Trot”

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Reader, meet the smoothest red wine you’ll ever drink! Photo courtesy 14 Hands Vineyards. http://www.14hands.com

Disclosure Statement: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I receive a commission at no additional cost to you. All opinions are my own.

In honor of everyone who is engaged to be married right now, especially my sister. Congratulations Jocelyn and Conor on your romantic Irish engagement!

Being newly engaged can be hazardous to your health
 at least it was for me. When the love of my life popped the question and subsequently put a gorgeous carat on my finger, I was inordinately obsessed with MY sparkly object. I would roll my car window down every time I drove, rest my arm out the window and gaze all gooey-like at the diamond, the summation of my happiness. I can’t tell you how many auto accidents I narrowly avoided in those early weeks. I’m still obsessed with my rock, but eventually I mellowed.

But isn’t it wonderful when you’re wallowing in the throes of “just engaged” bliss? When you’re “hot to trot” with the one you love, you’re caught up in a love whirlwind that thrusts you toward the altar with smoldering passion and whiffs of eternal commitment. It’s a red torrent of unflinching romance! With your eye on the prize, nothing can stop you. “Going to the Chapel” is on constant loop in your subconscious. Yes, you fit all the criteria; you’re hot to trot! Here is a celebratory red blend wine that epitomizes the recently engaged state.

I insist you try 14 Hands Hot to Trot Red Blend. For around $10, it will shock you. Everyone to whom I have introduced this wine has raved about it! The 14 Hands label, like Red Diamond, has quickly become a hot Washington wine buy, and for good reason. Smooth, fruity, yet poised and so drinkable. From the tasting notes: “This approachable and easy drinking red wine offers generous aromas of berries, cherries and currants. A plush framework of soft tannins supports the red and dark fruit flavors that leisurely give way to subtle notes of baking spice and mocha on the finish.” It’s a blend predominantly of Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, with hints of MourvĂšdre and other select red varieties.

This wine goes down your gullet very easily
 yeah, just be careful and don’t overdo it! Perfect to share with friends, and toast the future happiness of loved ones!

Say Oui (Wee!) to Pinot Gris

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Gorgeous Pinot Gris grapes. Photo by Andrew Fogg.

Chateau Faire Le Pont Milbrandt Vineyards Pinot Gris 2009

I should just come out and say it: Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio is perhaps my least favorite wine. It’s like a limp handshake; it’s perplexing and doesn’t really do anything for you. Boring, disappointing, and uninspiring are all words that come to mind when I think of Pinot Gris. Why, you ask? Well, we’re all entitled to our preferences, and while I’ve gone into tastings with an open mind I still
don’t quite get Pinot Gris. It’s so light you can sometimes barely taste the flavors, or else it tastes like grass clippings, and not the pleasant variety. This is why I would tend to opt for just about any other white.

First of all, you’re probably wondering what the difference is between Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio… the only difference is in the name. Pinot Gris is the French term and Pinot Grigio the Italian. It is a white grape that is a mutation of the red Pinot Noir grape. Don’t worry, they are not trying to confuse you on purpose.

So, as a Pinot Gris agnostic, imagine my surprise when I try a Pinot Gris I actually like! Sacre bleu, such a thing really exists?

It does!

Chateau Faire Le Pont, one of my favorite Wenatchee wineries, makes a knockout Pinot Gris. It has a body and focus with depth and persuasion — more like a French kiss than a limp handshake! Oooh la la, now we’re talkin’!

From the tasting notes: “Floral with just a hint of sweetness, our 2009 Pinot Gris exhibits intense peach, melon, apple, honey and almond flavors that sail on and on throughout the long, lingering finish.” Doesn’t this just transport you to the French Riviera? Note the rich fruit flavors, hint of sweetness, and mouth feel; these qualities give the wine more depth, dimension, and deliciousness than a typical Pinot Gris. Pinot Gris’ ancestral turf is the Alsace region of France, where the grape has been cultivated to exhibit more fruity and floral flavors than the dryer, more minerally Italian Pinot Grigio grapes. No reminders of cow cud with this wine!

Now if only I could drink this while actually lounging aboard a sailboat on the
Mediterranean, I think Pinot Gris could become my favorite wine ever! In the mean time, I can sip it on my deck in the sunshine, close my eyes, and drift away.

When Time Isn’t On Your Side: What to Drink

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All too familiar scenario: you drag through the door on a Friday night after a long week of work and while you would love to immediately start indulging in a glass of wine, you have a moderately nice bottle that requires a couple hours worth of aerating/decanting (for optimal taste, you’re a wine connoisseur, after all) and you absolutely cannot wait. Seriously, who has time for nonsense like that at times like these? It’s time to start winding down from your long week and focus on relaxing. A glass of wine is a lovely addition to this process and you need unfettered access ASAP.

This past week was brutal. I was unusually overwhelmed by things that needed to get done, and wasn’t easy on myself about them. Rest assured, my week ended joyfully, but during much of it I was super pressed for time, cramming umpteen tasks that I needed to get done into every minute of the day. This is only natural on weeks where there is more to do than usual. I don’t mind being busy, but I need space and time to relax and recharge. I do better that way. But I also don’t want to miss out on fun activities or neglect the things I really do need to get done (you know, like showering).

A tempting treat from the Land Down Under that’s under $10 a bottle, 2010 Rosemount Estate Diamond Label Shiraz (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases) is a wine that drinks BEAUTIFULLY without needing decanting. You can drink it the second you pop the cork. I poured some in our decanter but it made scant difference. Voilà instant gratification, pour away!

From the tasting notes: “A full bodied, juicy sweet palate with cherry, chocolate and plum flavours with a smooth finish.” I find it smooth and easily drinkable, but it possesses enough flavor complexity to pair very well with red wine foods, particularly a rich beef stew or pasta, or even Afghan cuisine (yes, I’ve had this wine with Afghan cuisine at a local restaurant, and it’s awesome). On its own, it’s mellow and yummy.

For those of you who pride yourselves on time-saving tricks and tactics, put this red wine at the top of your list for “time-saving” wines. Now go have a glass and relax!

Time is
Too slow for those who wait
Too swift for those who fear
Too long for those who grieve
Too short for those who rejoice
But for those who love
Time is eternity.

~ Henry Van Dyke

Red Diamonds Are Everyone’s Best Friend

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Just remember, Red Diamonds are a girl’s (and boy’s) best friend!

Lasso This Merlot: Red Diamond Wines Shine Brilliantly

Many of you feel dazed and confused when shopping for wine. Rows of seemingly identical bottles stretch along for miles, all sporting cryptic labels with meaningless verbiage. “What does this even mean?” you wonder as you scratch your head and do your best to translate with a limited vocabulary. It’s as though you’ve landed in a rural French village in 1862, equipped with only a week of high school French. You begin to perspire and panic like a straight man in the salon shoes section of Nordstrom. Is that $30 bottle worth the gamble? Maybe, maybe not.

It can be overwhelming, but it need not be intimidating any longer! Here is a wine you can zoom in on with laser wine vision, swoop in for the kill, and get out in time to finish the rest of your shopping. Whew!

This, my friends, is it. This is the quintessential red wine you will want to buy by the case, because it is incredible. Red Diamond Merlot from Washington is one of my personal all-time favorite wines. It happens to be one of the top ten Merlots in America. (PLEASE don’t go up in price, Red Diamond!). It is perfect on its own, but it is also wonderful in sangria, a Spanish punch made out of red wine. It’s dark and fruity, with perfect body and balance. Did I mention it’s less than $10?

From the tasting notes: “Our Washington Merlot opens with a beautifully knit blackberry, cherry, and spice scented nose with a toasty oak background. Sweet fruit on the palate is complemented by medium-bodied but firm tannins. Red Diamond celebrates the personality of Washington’s distinctive red wines. Layers of luscious flavors are revealed in each bottle, exuding style and confidence. Our Red Diamond Merlot is a shining example of Washington’s best varietal – a polished wine with softly spiced black cherry, berry and plum flavors.”

Don’t limit yourself to just the Merlot
 they also make other wines, including Shiraz, Malbec, and Chardonnay! I can personally vouch for the Cab, it’s outstanding.

A rule of thumb: any wine you cook with must also taste good. It need not be expensive, but taste good it must! (Like Yoda I speak, expert therefore I be).

Here’s a recipe for Sangria I made recently for a Cinco de Mayo party (courtesy of Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook, 14th ed., with my comments). I recommend using Red Diamond Merlot, as it imparts a subtle cinnamon flavor to the sangria and blends well with the citrus juices.

1 cup orange juice (no pulp)
Πcup lime juice
1 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine (Red Diamond Merlot)
ÂŒ – 1/3 cup sugar
Ice cubes

In a 2-quart pitcher stir together orange and lime juices. Add wine and sugar, stirring until sugar is dissolved (I like the sugar from Trader Joe’s). Cover and chill for 3 to 24 hours. Serve over ice.

I garnished mine with orange and lime slices, frozen cranberries and Golden Delicious apple chunks. This sangria is fantastic; it’s like winter mulled wine, but for spring.

I hope Red Diamond becomes one of your favorite go-to wines!

A Primer on Pinot Noir (And A Couple to Get You Going)

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Ah, Pinot Noir! In the wine world, saying you’re a fan of Pinot Noir tends to signify you’ve made it to the wine big leagues. Pinot Noir is an enigma; classy, mysterious, shapeshifting. It has soared in popularity since the film Sideways came out, which in large part contributed to killing off Merlot production in California. (Just you wait, Merlot’s comeback is just around the corner
 if shoulder pads can come back, certainly Merlot can – and to me, Merlot never went out of style in the first place).

At first, I didn’t understand the appeal of Pinot Noir. The first glass I intentionally ordered tasted like fruity water (it wasn’t a good wine – otherwise I would have liked it – and I think it had been open too long, too). But with so many friends claiming it as their favorite wine of all time, I knew I couldn’t throw in the towel just yet.

So, you’re asking, what is all the hype about Pinot Noir and WHO will explain it to me? First of all, a quick quasi-science lesson: Pinot Noir is the picky princess of the grape family, so she demands a very specific climate, weather, sun/rain mixture, careful, painstaking tending, and the list of demands goes on as long as J-Lo’s artist rider. But this lavish TLC pays off royally and can lead to some truly awesome, world-class wines. Once you taste a great Pinot Noir, you appreciate its refined qualities and everything it represents in terms of excellent winemaking craft. It also explains the sticker shock you might experience when surveying fine Pinots in your favorite wine shop.

Fear not! If you’re new to Pinot Noir, let me give you a couple of easy-going, easy-drinking Pinots that are at or under $10 a bottle. While they may not be superstar arena rock concert material, they are still the equivalent of a surprisingly good coffee shop open mic night.

Whole Foods Market has a section of very good affordable wines, and very knowledgeable wine stewards, so always chat them up for their best recommendations. Redtree Pinot Noir is from California and is around or under $10 a bottle. From the tastings notes: “Our 2010 Pinot Noir displays aromas of fresh fruits and strawberries, with a hint of oak in the background. This lighter-bodied wine provides cherry flavors on the palate and more red fruits, finishing with soft tannins.” Not bad, actually. Underwood Cellars Pinot Noir is from Oregon, $10 at Whole Foods Market, and is also quite tasty. From the tasting notes: “The Underwood Pinot Noir exhibits aromas [of] cranberries, red raspberries, with notes of smoke and spice. The palate is filled with sweet raspberry fruit intertwined with warm cinnamon tones. The wine’s bright acidity and fine tannins come together in a fruit laden finish.”

Even if you love red wine, you don’t always want a 10 on the Richter scale of a bold, dark, intense red wine. Be surprised by these light and delicious Pinot Noirs. Let me know how you liked them!

So Cheap It Feels Like Cheating

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Pinot Grigio for when your wallet’s hurting (but your taste buds are hankering)

The other day my friend commented about a shopping experience at a certain grocery wholesaler: “The food was so cheap it felt like I was stealing!” She could not get over how low the prices were on everyday food items.

Don’t you love that feeling? The moment you are stunned by an item’s price and then ride the wave of compulsion to buy it because it’s so cheap you almost feel sorry for it. It deserves your dollars by sheer virtue of its ridiculously low price. Oh yes, the psychology of spending money, always a fascinating topic.

Ah, Venice! Maybe X marks the spot of an ancient rat-infested wine cellar?

Gaetano D’Aquino White Wine of Venezie is – gasp! – $4 a bottle at Trader Joe’s and very tasty. It may be cheap, but it doesn’t taste like it (I love that in a wine!). Spending less than $4 a bottle, though, means you’re either buying a large quantity of wine on sale or you’re buying bad wine. Nota bene: The Rambling Vine does not like two-buck Chuck. It’s a taste issue. But you make up your own mind, it’s a free country.

This wine is super light with citrus flavors, and has a slight tart, mineral finish. It’s perfect chilled, and an ideal wine to have on hand during the summer. Pleasant, agreeable, should pair with any number of things.

Be reassured
 you’re not cheating. It may be cheap, but you’re not cheating on taste and quality. Ciao!