115845 Wed May 12 18:05:43 -0700 2004 8 7 Chicago Area 0 632395 Going to Tweet this weekend for the first time for dinner. Initially happy to learn that it's BYO. But having perused the menu I'm sort of at a loss. I was looking for things to match up with Big Reds. Rhones, Barbaresco, what have you. But it's not really that kind of menu. Among attractive first courses is a seafood in truffle/sherry fume with spicy sausage. I suppose the obvious answer is to match sherry with sherry. Something heavier than fino certainly called for. Oloroso? Anyone (STP) care to weigh in? I'm not really a sherry maven. Anything other than sherry suggest itself if sherry is a key component in the dish? Then there's the duck confit w/ morels and apple-thyme jus. Burgundy/P.N, I suppose. Any other creative ideas? One of the bigger Beaujolais, perhaps? The right Zin? Then there's the porchetta on polenta. I'm thinking a med. body red, but what? Looking for input. P.S. also noticed on metromix that reader comments were either way positive or way negative. The negs. were more about service and attitude than food. Anyone care to add to the data base? (My only experience has been at breakfast and it has been uniformly good.) Wed May 12 18:05:43 -0700 2004 0 mrbarolo 1 632400 >>>seafood in truffle/sherry fume with spicy sausage>>Then there's the duck confit w/ morels and apple-thyme jus. Burgundy/P.N, I suppose. Any other creative ideas?>>Then there's the porchetta on polenta. I'm thinking a med. body red, but what?<<< I believe that "porchetta' (roast yound pig) is originally from the Emilia Romagna region, but an older Barolo would certainly do the trick. You could also go Tuscan with a Chianti Classico or one of the many fine IGT wines. Lastly, a Southern Rhone like Rasteau or St. Gervais would not be beyond the scope of this dish. I have been curious about the food at Tweet and look forward to your report. Sante' STP Wed May 12 18:48:47 -0700 2004 632395 0 stirs-the-pot 2 632401 Sorry, sometihng strange happened with my recs....I'll try again. **seafood in truffle/sherry fume with spicy sausage** This seems like a twist on a Spanish seafood soup, my first reaction would say Albarino, but with the inclusion of truffles I would lean towards a white Rhone, possibly an Hermitage, St. Joseph blanc or CNdP Blanc and preferably one with a touch of age (1998 perhaps). **Then there's the duck confit w/ morels and apple-thyme jus. Burgundy/P.N, I suppose. Any other creative ideas?** Your thought of a Beaujolais is not off base, try a Morgon or Brouilly if this is the path you choose, I would also explore the Beaune.... maybe a Savigny les Beaune, Volnay or Santenay from the 1997 or 1999 vintage. **Then there's the porchetta on polenta. I'm thinking a med. body red, but what?** I believe that "porchetta' (roast yound pig) is originally from the Emilia Romagna region, but an older Barolo would certainly do the trick. You could also go Tuscan with a Chianti Classico or one of the many fine IGT wines. Lastly, a Southern Rhone like Rasteau or St. Gervais would not be beyond the scope of this dish. I have been curious about the food at Tweet and look forward to your report. Sante' STP Wed May 12 18:53:38 -0700 2004 632400 0 stirs-the-pot 3 632408 For the seafood fume I'd try a Rose. But since you're likely to have a Pinot Noir on the table for this meal, I'd bring it out here also, given the "seafood and truffle" combo. For the Duck dish pinot seems very appropriate. But as mentioned above, have it out for the seafood stew as it may work quite nicely there also. For Porchetta, a rioja or syrah should work but why not go with a very pork-friendly red of Italian extraction: zinfandel. Bottom line: Rose - Pinot - Zinfandel. Wed May 12 20:05:37 -0700 2004 632401 0 Chicago Mike 4 632463 Mouth-watering recs. from all. Thanks. Have to root around in my soi-disant "cellar" and see if I've got anything appropriate or have to go shopping. A Zin. note: I thought that the most recent, authoritative DNA investigations had shown Zin. to be Croatian, not Italian in origin. Anyone remember this? Finally - I recently opened a bottle of 2000 Postup from Dingac winery that I got at Devon Market for $9-10. This was my first foray into wines from this geography. Med. body, quite dry, a bit of earth/barnyard funk that added interest, and some substantial, but not objectionable tannin. I'm not sure if there is enough fruit there to be worth keeping it while the tannins soften or not. Perhaps the fruit is actually there, but covered up. I'm not experienced enough to tell. Definitely would drink it again. More interesting personality than most $10-12 supermarket wines. Maybe a good 'cue and grilled meat wine, though again, not quite as much forward fruit as one might look for on a picnic. Thu May 13 13:34:23 -0700 2004 632408 0 mrbarolo 5 632466 From what I've read, zin=primitivo=crljenak, and old Craotian grape. Croatians enjoy roast pigs too, so you should be safe following the logic above. Thu May 13 14:04:36 -0700 2004 632463 0 JeffB 6 632486 I enjoyed some nice Dingac, from a jug, when i was in croatia. we paired it with the ever-prevalent octopus when we were there. then we got drunk. Thu May 13 17:44:44 -0700 2004 632466 0 ParkerS 5 632467 A Zin. note: I thought that the most recent, authoritative DNA investigations had shown Zin. to be Croatian, not Italian in origin. Anyone remember this? ************ That's interesting and possibly true. I was under the impression it was linked to the primitivo grape brought over by some of the early italian wine pioneers in Cali, but that has often been regarded as suspect. Whichever or neither, zin is an interesting study in terroir as the grape to my knowledge has not thrived and reached quality heights at the level of California anywhere else. In this sense it's my vote for the most unique and exclusively California viniculture... especially the great single vineyard bottlings. Key is that zin is great with pork, IMO. Thu May 13 14:08:32 -0700 2004 632463 0 Chicago Mike 5 632498 You are correct about Zinfandel, it was mis-identified as Primitivo. Further genetic studies located it's origin to the Dalmation Coast where it was first thought to be "Plavac Mali" but further research links it more closely to "Crljenak kastelanski". STP Thu May 13 19:46:32 -0700 2004 632463 0 stirs-the-pot