"bay arara" news and stories

The Food section yesterday mentioned it, but today's wine section gives full attention to the re-enactment of the 1976 wine tasting, "The Judgment of Paris," in which California proved that it could make wine as good as any other region in the world with Napa Valley Chardonnay and a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Saturday's Napa/London simul-tasting resulted in another California sweep, thirty years later.

The feature story may have been California vs. France, but the wine selections this week are from other parts of the world. Bargain Wines lists Italian Pinot Grigio, all for just around $10. The Wine Selection of the Week is German Riesling, with a focus on 2004. There's some good information about what "Spatlese," "Auslese," and "Eiswein" mean, as well their list.

Spicy foods have typically been a tough pairing, but this week's Riesling is a perfect match. The recipe is for Five-spice Fish with Sweet and Sour Sauce. The Cheese Course is from Andante Dairy in Sonoma, called Nocturne, a soft cow's milk cheese. The suggested pairing is a medium-body Pinot Noir.