Wine Talk: Dad Wants Steak (And a Little Cabernet)

By Chris Grimm
WestportNow Community Correspondent

This Sunday, be nice to Dad! Believe me when I tell you, Dad doesn’t want fish, he doesn’t want chicken, and he doesn’t want to start his Atkins diet quite yet.

Dad wants steak! And nothing can wash down that steak better than a Cabernet Sauvignon.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the five red wine grapes of Bordeaux. In Bordeaux, these grapes are blended to make the classic Old World Clarets.

In California, Cabernet Sauvignon is most famously grown in the Napa Valley, bottled on its own, or in “Meritage” blends, with the other Bordeaux grapes.

Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (another of the Bordeaux grape varietals) are the most popular red wines in the United States.

While it is not always the most food friendly wine, the boldness and straightforward heft of Cabernet Sauvignon make it a red wine of choice in restaurants – especially with beef.

Because of its popularity, Cabernet Sauvignon tends to be the highest-priced red wine in both stores and restaurants.

I tend to be a contrarian Cab consumer because of those high (and rising) prices. By going a little against the grain, one can save some money on fantastic wine.

A winegrowing adage is “wine is made in the vineyard.” In other words, a winemaker will only make wine as good as the grapes that Mother Nature (and an able vineyard manager) will allow.

But fine winemakers (with the help of those vigilant vineyard managers) can often make very good wines in very difficult vintages.

And while poor winemakers can error with perfect raw materials, quality lower-cost producers can often rise to the occasion when they have access to high-quality fruit.

With that in mind, I’d suggest the following ‘contrarian’ approaches:

• Look for “second label” wines, from top-notch producers, especially in good vintages.
• Look for wines from less well-known or up-and-coming areas.
• Look for wines from the finest producers in unpopular vintages (the years in which the grapes were grown and harvested), when bargains can be found.

The finest winemakers most all have “second label” wines. These are wines that they choose not to include in their primary blend, for whatever reason (slightly lower quality, or characteristics that they are not seeking in their primary wine, for instance).

Often the second-label is more immediately drinkable than the more prominent and age worthy primary release. Fine wine producers want to introduce new customers via these wines and will avoid releasing unworthy wine under their name. So don’t fear the second label!

A favorite second label of mine is the ‘Calistoga Cuvee’ (recently renamed ‘Napa’) from Chateau Montelena. Another top second-label release is Joseph Phelps Napa Valley Cab, from the producer of Insignia, a world-class Bordeaux-style blend.

Both of these wines are commonly available in the area in the $30 to $40 price range, as compared to their $100+ siblings.

Napa Valley is the heart of California Cabernet Sauvignon country, but great Cabs can be produced in many areas, from other areas of California, like Sonoma, from Virginia to Washington, and from other parts of the world.

Because these winegrowing areas aren’t as popular as Napa, their prices are almost always lower than Napa, for comparable quality levels.

I would particularly note a wine that meets both this and the above criteria. Quilceda Creek from Washington State produces one of the most profound Cabernet Sauvignons in the world.

But at about $75, it is less than half the price of the Napa Valley “Cult Cabs” that are of similar quality and availability (like Screaming Eagle, Harlan, and Bryant Family).

But Quilceda Creek also produces a Columbia Valley Red, which is a Cabernet that I have seen in these parts, for about $40.

Finally, if you really want one of those great name wines – the American equivalent of the great First Growths of Bordeaux (and doesn’t Dad deserve that?) – look for a wine produced in a less popular vintage.

Napa Valley had a string of successful vintages throughout the 1990’s, but the 1998 and 2000 vintages were struggles because of challenging weather.

You can save money on super-premium wines by going for these under appreciated, and undervalued, vintages.

Great wineries will produce fine wines in these difficult years (usually releasing less wine, and releasing wine that will be more approachable upon release).

These are the wines that you think of as the finest Cabernets that are produced: Robert Mondavi Reserve; Chateau Montelena Estate; Joseph Phelps Insignia; Ridge Montebello.

You’ll save money, and hardly notice any appreciable difference in quality, by looking for the vintage that other consumers are avoiding.

One final wine tip – the best buy on a great wine that you can find today. BJ’s in Fairfield is selling the 1997 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon for $59.95.

This is another of those “American First Growth” quality wines – but 1997 was one of the two greatest vintages (along with 1994) of the 1990’s.

While I would prefer to steer you to an independent local wine shop, this is a deal too good to miss, on a wine that was released at a $100 suggested retail price.

Beyond a basic high level of quality, Beringer’s flagship Cabernet also has unique eucalyptus flavors (said to be caused by the oils from the local eucalyptus trees) that set it apart from other Napa cabs.

I can’t recommend this wine value highly enough!

As far as dinner goes… I have to admit that I own far too many cookbooks. But if you are looking for that “steakhouse-style” recipe that you would like to duplicate at home – especially for Father’s Day – I strongly recommend "The Palm Restaurant Cookbook" (Running Press, $29.95).

I have been surprised to find that I use this more than just about any other cookbook that I own. Recipes are extremely precise, and now I finally know how to make that creamed spinach that I used to only get at Morton’s!

If you tend to panic about finishing a steak to that perfect degree of doneness, this is the cookbook for you.

And if you need some vegetables to go with that steak… the Weston Farmers Market is back in session, on Saturday mornings.

I would particularly recommend the organic produce from Fort Hill Farm, in New Milford, Conn. Fort Hill Farm also has a CSA (Consumer Supported Agriculture) program, to which I belong.

Think of it as ordering vegetable futures – paying at the beginning of the year for weekly vegetable deliveries through October!

While farm shares for the first part of the year have sold out, the farm may offer more shares later this year – and they have a pick-up location in Fairfield.

Look for Paul Bucciaglia of Fort Hill Farm at the Weston Farmers Market for more details – and try some of Paul’s greens, while you are there!

Wine questions? Contact me through WestportNow.com!

(Editor"s Note: Chris Grimm is Contributing Editor to the James Beard Award-winning Oregon Wine Report.The opinions and accuracy of information in this article are the responsibility of the contributor.)