"Bordeaux" news and stories

• Chefs 'fess up to cooking with marijuana -- and we're not talking brownies.
• The guy responsible for almost all urban agriculture projects in New York City retired in March.
• Bordeaux has fallen out favor with the young and hip. Why?
• Mia Dona on East 58th Street is chef-less. And the result is still solidly satisfactory.
• You want good pizza? As with so many other things, you gotta take it slow.

Merlot is a red-wine grape grown in many vino regions, including France (where it's the most widely planted grape for Bordeaux wine, accounting for two-thirds of the world's total plantings), the U.S. (mostly California but also Washington and Long Island), Italy and many New World regions (including Australia and New Zealand).

After the film Sideways (2004), Merlot morphed into a bad, sad reputation, its full-body profile snubbed in favor of other reds, including Pinot Noir. Yet it wasn't as terrible as what had happened in France years earlier: a severe frost in 1956, vintages left to rot during the '60s and Bordeaux's banning of Merlot vines between 1970 and 1975 nearly destroyed Merlot. In the '90s there was an upswing and Merlot soared back into popularity with Americans – only to be rattled once again when Sideways debuted. Now, however, Merlot is making a comeback, with many excellent bottles being released.

Château Pétrus Photo: Garrulus, Flickr.com

Château Pétrus, a red Bordeaux wine made almost entirely from Merlot grapes in the Pomerol appellation of France, is one of the world's priciest collectible wines.

In early October, assorted vintages of Château Pétrus went up for auction in Hong Kong through Sotheby's. To give you a sense of how coveted this wine is, the final bid came in at $93,077 USD for one six-liter bottle of the 1982 vintage. Another batch of Château Pétrus will be auctioned off this Wednesday in London. The earliest vintage is 1970 and the latest 2004.

But don't despair. Not all Château Pétrus will cost you $94,000. The 2008 vintage at some retailers is as low as $68. (Hint: this might be a good wine to cellar for more than you normally might, and perhaps pay for your kid's college tuition?)

The Riveter. Photo: LeNell Smothers.

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label called Red Hook Rye and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

I drink rosé year round. Get over the idea that it's a flimsy soda-pop wine meant for picnics. When in doubt for food pairing, I often go with the pink. Rosé can be so versatile, even as an ingredient in a cocktail.

You can still find Bordeaux bottles every now and then, labeled claret, that are dark, dry, "serious" rosés. For my cocktail feature this week, I strongly suggest picking up a bottle. If not Bordeaux, look for a rosé made with Bordeaux grapes like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet franc or a malbec that's so dark, it's almost a light red.

Rosé ain't for wimps. Neither is this cocktail named after Rosie, the American icon who represented the many women who went to work in factories to help us make it through World War II. Toast all the beautiful and strong women in your life who make this world a better place!

Get the recipe for Rosé the Riveter after the jump. ...

The word "Bordeaux" doesn't exactly conjure up images of value wine--that's what South Africa, Chile, and Australia are for--but a new list of Bordeaux most affordable wines just might change that. The Top 100 list includes 100 wines priced between $8 and $35 and were chosen by an expert panel of judges. In other words, there's more to Bordeaux than fabled first growths and $2,000 sticker prices.

Check out the list here. Have you had any of these?