2013 Domaine de la Perrière Sancerre & 3 Guys Pizza Pies

Irish mythology has a concept called geis. It's a sort of rule/curse that if the hero violates the geis, something bad will happen. It's how Cú Chulainn bit the dust, because he had two conflicting geasa: he couldn't refuse the gift of a meal, but he couldn't eat dog meat. One day he was offered some roast hound, and he was trapped in an impossible position. He didn't die right away, but by breaking the taboo he was weakened and it's all wrapped up in some love triangle drama with Emer and Lugaid and was soon killed in battle.

Editor's Note: BWR does not condone the eating of dog but the author is making a point that will become clear soon, and ancient Ireland was a weird place.

I'm not an absolutist on wine and food pairing, and I often like to mix things up to see how they work. But I do have a personal geis that I don't break. When presented with a bottle of Sancerre, I'm going to eat seafood, and preferably oysters. There's just something about that Loire valley Sauvignon Blanc that is so distinct from how the grape is expressed everywhere else on the globe, and I just love it with any seafood that actually tastes fishy or salty. No bland cod, give me marinated mackerel.

2013 Domaine de la Perrière Sancerre
Sancerre AOC
100% Sauvignon Blanc
$25, 12% abv.

This bottle is light and lemony with a gentle body and a mild finish. Faint floral notes on the nose as it warms up, but overall a subtle and well-balanced wine that delivered the reliable and enjoyable experience that I've always experienced from this little part of France. So what did I pair with it?

A local pizza place called 3 Guys Pizza Pies offers something called the Vampire Killer: red onions, feta cheese, minced garlic, kalamata olives, and anchovies. I get it without the onions, but they're one of the few places that I trust with anchovies (the fishies are always large, taste freshly opened, and are not treated as the punchline to a joke).

The photo from a month ago shows the pizza at the bar with a pint of Ghost River beer (I toured the brewery in 2009), but this weekend I picked up another and had it with the Sancerre. And the pairing was amazing. Granted, it's on the salty side, and afterwards nobody is going to want to kiss you, but the fish, olives, and cheese all work together well with a wine that has just the right amount of acidity and a hint of minerality.

Note: This wine was provided as a sample for review.

Terlato White Wines & Kerrygold Cheese

I believe this is the first time that I've received cheese samples along with wine, and it's a combination that I hope to see again before it gets too hot outside. The wines are from the Terlato portfolio while the cheeses are from Irish producer Kerrygold.

The cheeses are lined up with the suggested pairings, though at any gathering you're going to see a lot of mixing and matching. I took all three cheeses, the Pinot Grigio, and the Beerenauslese to my family Christmas gathering, while I saved the Sancerre to enjoy with two dozen raw oysters. I'm sure it would have been wonderful with the Reserve Cheddar, but I had a craving for Sancerre and shellfish that just had to be satisfied, and it was wonderful.

2011 Terlato Pinot Grigio
Russian River Valley
100% Pinot Grigio
$16, 13.8% abv.

Ripe citrus with a touch of musk, firm acidity, bright on the palate. My sister-in-law loves Pinot Grigio and enjoyed this one, while I enjoyed the complexity--there's a lot of boring Pinot Grigio out there, and this one definitely held my interest.

2012 Château de Sancerre Blanc
Sancerre AOC, France
100% Sauvignon Blanc
$29, 13% abv.

This one opened up with very gentle grapefruit aromas, hints of bright citrus peel flavors, and a few floral undertones. Great minerality and a lingering finish. The salty oysters only amplified the enjoyment of the wine, and it reminded me how long it had been since trying a Sancerre. Highly recommended.

2010 Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvée
Burgenland, Austria
60% Chardonnay, 40% Welschriesling
$35/375mL, 12% abv.

Classic botrytis aromas of Honeysuckle and lemon, with dark honey flavors. Sweet but not cloying, with very firm acidity. It does not cling to the glass but works out quite well as a dessert wine. It's an interesting blend of grapes when you think about the more common Riesling, Sauternes, and Tokaji implementations.

And now for the cheeses! These are all in the cheddar family but were a lot of fun to nibble on with the wines. With wide distribution, these should be fairly easy to find throughout the United States.

Red Leicester is a traditional English style that is colored with annatto extract like cheddar, but made in a little more crumbly form. I like it with a little summer sausage on the side.

The Reserve Cheddar has been a family favorite for a while. White with crunchy calcium lactate crystals, it has a rich flavor and a fascinating texture.

Our last cheese, and a beautiful pairing with the Kracher, was the Aged Cheddar with Irish Whiskey. It's much softer than the others, almost like a blended Stilton. The Irish Whiskey is barely present, meaning that it enhances the flavor of the cheese without being overwhelming. It was my favorite of the three, and definitely worth checking out.

Note: These wines were provided as samples.

New Year's Eve 2013/New Year's Day 2014

For New Year's Eve, here are 57 reviews of sparkling wine over the years, many of which feature multiple bottles per review. Short advice: if you have the cash, go with vintage or grower's Champagne. If you're going to be celebrating with wine geeks on a budget, go with the various French Crémants like Alsace, Limoux, Bourgogne... For everyone else, hit the Cava and Prosecco and have a great time. Drive safe and be careful with the corks.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying oysters and Sancerre. See you on the flip side.

Shrimp and Grits Cooked in Lobster Stock

For my birthday dinner, I found myself craving shrimp and grits. But I wanted to elevate the dish a bit, and I noticed that the local grocery store had a bunch of frozen cooked lobsters. These are usually the slow, old ones that are about to die and are sold off at a bargain price. I prefer steaming live lobsters, but for certain applications the sleepers are perfect and economical. I pulled out the meat, saved the shells, deveined the tails, and munched on a little roe from the female of the pair. All shells were rinsed while diced onion, carrot, and celery were slowly browning in the stock pot.

What to do with all that lobster meat? I chopped it up with onion, celery, yellow onion, and mayo to make a traditional New England lobster roll appetizer. A little lemon juice and paprika added a necessary kick.

Julia was a huge fan of the lobster roll, and I served it with little gherkins of both the mild and hot variety, except that the hot "Zingers" from Kroger were milder than a limp green bell pepper from Subway. Strongly disappointed in the hot pickles, but the lobster salad on a soft butter roll was the perfect combination of creamy, salty, crunchy, and spicy.

Meanwhile the lobster stock simmered away, filling the entire house with the smell of lobster. A deep brown broth was rolling along just below the boiling point...

The lobster stock was strained twice and combined with grits until the proper consistency was acquired. Meanwhile, I browned pork sausage with onion, celery, and garlic and butter, combined with some flour to make a roux. I deglazed with white vermouth and then added a pound of grey tiger shrimp.

At the same time, I was braising some baby bok choy with Chinkiang vinegar and adding duranguense cheese to the grits. Smacked everything around in the various pots and skillets and served it hot and steaming with a quick sprinkle of curly parsley.

The flavor was incredible, and because it's my birthday I'll pat myself on the back. The concentrated flavor the lobster stock and rich cheese really elevated the grits, while the pan sauce made the shrimp sing. Julia found the bok choy a little bitter, but I enjoyed the contrast against the sweet and savory elements on the plate.

I added some dried Aleppo pepper and a few splashes of Trappey's Peppers in Vinegar. While delicious, I wanted a little more zing and heat in the dish, and there's nothing wrong with adjusting seasoning at the table.

Thanks to Michael Hughes of Joe's Wines & Liquors for picking out this wine for me. I was craving Sancerre to go along with this dish but couldn't find any in the greater Cordova area.

2009 Fournier Sancerre "Les Belles Vignes"
100% Sauvignon Blanc
$30, 13% abv.

Pleasant aromas of lemon zest and minerals, with a bright and refined body. Acidity is balanced by a deeper and more complex structure. The minerals linger on the finish. Highly recommended, and a perfect pairing with the low country cooking.