by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com
I was sipping…listlessly…Italy’s Canella Bellini salmon-colored,
sweet-edged, lively, sparkling wine – a favorite aperitif wine among Italian
wine aficionados, $10.99 -- and chewing …indifferently…on Gruyere cheese-filled
puff pastry at the July 19th Webster House annual seafood/sparkling wine dinner
– a perfect sipping and supping welcoming course.
Lacrima Lena sidled up to me: “Julian, why such a vacant and pensive mood; you
seem to be remote in solitude; so unlike your customary upbeat self?”
It was none of her business…but, well, what the hell: both loves of my life are
gone now. So I would answer her. We each gathered a few extra Gruyere puffs,
took refills of the Bellini --both were deliciously superb together -- and found
an isolated table. (I bought six Bellini, $10.99 each, at 20-percent discount
from O’Hara’s Discount Liquors: viscosity of peaches, raspberry, pomegranate;
balanced with perky fruit and fruit acidity, crisp with a delicate sweet edge; a
delight!)
I said today was July 19, and July 19 had an especially poignant remembrance for
me. I slowly and quietly related the story that follows:
July 19, four years ago…it was on such a day as this…on such a day…when the late
afternoon sun shone golden on the grass and summer’s green leaves sang slightly
in the breeze. It was on such a day…that I received a four-year-old newspaper
clipping that reported the demise of the love of my college years: a brilliant
graduate student who had graduated from a western college at age 15…studied in
London…came to Clark University in the fall of ’37…earned her master’s degree in
the spring of ’38...
She, Pegetha, died exactly one month-to-the-day earlier than did Lillian –
October 21 and November 21 -- in 2001. It was difficult to swallow the
remembrances of two exceptional women at the same time.
We had walked the campus to the library together every afternoon after classes.
We held hands. We found love, spoke of marriage. I wouldn’t let realities
intrude upon the bliss of those golden autumn afternoons: realities that my
tradition-bound parents would be devastated over an interfaith marriage and for
me the specter of World War ll and my being called up.
Pegetha returned to her home in South Dakota for the summer after taking her
master’s degree. She planned to return to Clark for doctorate study. I wrote
that I hoped her decision to return to Clark was not predicated on our continued
relationship. I said my love for- and obligation to my parents had prevailed; it
was deeper than my love for her; deeper than for my own happiness with her.
We frequently had spoken about this problem that I would face with my parents
and the possibility that the only solution for us would be in our separation.
She said she understood in a sad, moving, loving letter that included a poem she
wrote for me. It has been enshrined in memory over the ensuing years:
“Since you left me I am restless with longing.
When I waken the harsh caw of the crow shatters
the crystal calm of the morning.
A thousand discordant emotions come with the dawn.
My soul seeks peace, as a leaf down-drifting seeks a
still forest pool.
But only your hands are peace-bringing, only your presence
can quiet my soul.”
Lacrima Lena became a torrent of tears: “Oh, my dear friend, my heart breaks for
you: to have experienced such love and to be blessed with the beauty of that
poem – such a loving tribute to you. Oh…..”
Lacrima Lena clutched her napkin and rushed tearfully to the ladies’ room.
Pegetha returned to Clark. I did my graduate work at a different college. We
accidentally saw each other once when I was researching information for my
thesis at the Clark library; she spoke casually, hiding deeper feelings – I
think; and we kissed at arms length briefly upon leaving; she tenderly, I
ardently. I sensed, though, there was emotion behind her lips.
Her last words to me – as she turned away and waved goodbye – were: “There are
two women in every man’s life – the woman he loved and the woman he married. And
thank God he did.”
She was right.
It was on such a day as this…on the 19th of July…four years ago. It comes around
now to this 19th of July, this evening at the Webster House wine dinner.
And I remembered the love of my college days…when I was young…a long time
ago…and once upon a time returned…and for youth there was an encore. Though my
years race along, always there will return another 19th of July…another such a
day as this…And I will remember…
…Remember…yes, I will remember: “Since you left me….”
Came the Oysters Rockefeller baked with spinach and herbs that were paired with
creamy Louis Bouiliot Cremant de Bourgogne Brut Grand Reserve 2000 (France),
$11.99, prepared with shallots, spinach and a touch of Orzo. A red-eyed,
sniffling Lacrima became a bright-eyed, smiling Lena as she savored the
delicious combination.
The Cremant de Bourgogne: vanilla, almond, toasted bread; balanced richness and
acidity; long aftertaste with nuances of honey and ginger bread. A delight for
palate and purse.
First course: The steaming large bowl of clam chowder, thick with clams and
potatoes, teamed with the zesty Spanish sparkling wine – Cava Brut Reserve 2003,
$10.99: crisp, clean, perky, bubbly, elegant, bread toasty, apples, melon. The
pairing of chowder and Cava was perfection. (I bought three Cavas. All wine
prices in this column show O’Hara’s Discount Liquors 20-percent discounts.)
Next course was a happy revelation, first time for me at the Webster House:
giant slightly peppered crab cake with mesclun vinaigrette of wild greens,
sorrel, chervil, lamb’s lettuce and a piquant mayonnaise sauce, comprising
mustard, gherkins, capers and wild herbs. Joseph Perrier Brut Cuvee Royale
Champagne (France) mixed vintages, $26.39, was proud escort: bready, yeasty,
toasty, appley, citrus fruit peel, peaches; crisp, lively, zesty with hints of
vanilla and cinnamon. So delicious was the crab cake that many of us implored
Chris to add it to his already extensive daily menu.
Why do we drink Champagne/Sparkling wine? Answer: They are the world’s sexiest
wines. Connoisseurs say they go to your head; some argue, to your legs; others
insist they do wonders for everything in between.
They are wines for all reasons. They liven office parties, holiday dinner tables
and New Year’s Eve celebrations. They are wines of festivity, wit and rejoicing.
They cast an aura of romance and naughtiness. A party is never dull where
bubblies are poured.
We pour them at engagements, marriages, anniversaries, christenings and even
divorces. They connote forbidden frolics, gay abandon, carefree dancing while
the flood waters rise.
Madame Pompadour said Champagne is the only wine that leaves a woman beautiful
after she drinks it. Mae West said Champagne makes the eyes seductive and swells
the bosom. Aside from the sparkle of mischievousness and the roguish gleam
Champagne purportedly puts into the eye…purely and simply, it tastes good! It is
delightfully refreshing and rarely is a mismatch with food.
For many wine drinkers, bubblies are best when sipped as relaxing aperitifs.
They always satisfy at receptions with hors d’oeuvres. They refresh the palate
between courses. They satisfy as light moderating desserts.
Dry Champagne is labeled “natural” or “brut.” The natural has no discernable
sweetness – 0 to ½ percent. Brut has very little sweetness – perhaps ½ to 1½
percent. Brut Champagne of different shippers will vary in sweetness within that
range, which is why some bruts taste sweeter than others. Champagne with about 3
percent sweetness is labeled “dry,” which, yes, means “sweet” and is to be
enjoyed with fruit-based desserts.
So Champagne labeled “dry” is not dry! Blame it on the English wine dilettantes
of about 175 years ago who, although preferring their Champagne sweet, wished to
emulate wine sophisticates who were drinking their wine truly dry. They insisted
their Champagne likewise be made dry.
The astute wine merchants, knowing their customers’ characters and tastes,
continued to make the fizzy wine sweet but identified it as dry. The wine
dabblers were satisfied. They had it both ways: Their Champagne tasted sweet and
was labeled “dry.”
It followed that the Champagne intelligentsia renamed their wine “brut.” The
Champagne ignoramuses caught up with brut, so the connoisseurs’ wine made even
drier – 0 to ½ percent --and was designated “natural.”
I prefer sparkling wines with cold chicken or turkey, or with a light meal such
as smoked salmon, pasta salad, sweet fish. I always order bubbly wine with spicy
foods such as Chinese, Mexican, Indian, Thai or Japanese dishes because the
zesty effervescence cleanses the taste buds and retards palate fatigue caused by
the spicy cuisine.
Throughout the dinner, Len Presutti, Corporate Wine Educator for Martignetti’s,
discussed the wines in depth with insight and humor, which delighted his
audience.
We were to taste two bubblies with the grand finale of the dinner, baked stuffed
lobster: Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc California sparkling wine 2001, $27.99, and
Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne (France) mixed vintages, $35.99.
The Schramsberg: crisp, bright, fresh citrus and additional layered flavors of
vanilla, lemon, pineapple and green apple; snappy driving backbone.
The Heidsieck elicited a variety of comments: “fully ripe apricot and lemon
fruit,” “nougat and honey, warm bread, subtle ginger and coriander, subtle
spice,” “candied fruit, coffee, vanilla pastry, fresh lemon and ginger, forever
aftertaste,” “brown sugar, buttered croissant, honey, freshly cut apple,”
“yellow gold color, tiny active bubbles, toasty creamy, great balance and long
nutty swallow.” Take your pick.
And now…the eagerly awaited grand finale: A blare of bugles, a flourish of
strumpets (the latter forbidden at this dinner): baked stuffed lobster, stuffed
with haddock, scallops, crabmeat, shrimp, mushrooms and cheese.
When enjoying this ménage a trois – lobster, Schramsberg and Heidsieck -- I
thought I had died ecstatic and had flown to heaven…and hoping the chefs up
there could produce such a delectable dish matched to such superb wines.
I have had lobster at Boston’s Loch Ober’s on Winter Place, at the Four
Season’s, at Joseph’s and other restaurants of famed cuisine, and enjoyed their
exquisite baked stuffed lobster.
This evening’s filled-to-the-heaping stuffed lobster, orchestrated by Webster
House’s modest executive chef, John Hammerstrom, occupies a place on the same
rarified high pedestal as do those of the aforementioned famed Boston dining
venues.
The superb interplay of the complex delectable roe stuffing with the fish and
shellfish varieties, and tender sweet lobster meat – all with alternate sips of
each wine – well, the sold out seating of 65 of us were dining in paradise.
Dessert: Helena’s incomparable blueberry rhapsody. I was stuffed to as
overflowing, as was the lobster, with large sweet blueberries in blueberry sauce
under whipped cream, inside and over a crisp pastry shell. But bravely I steeled
myself and grimly I tackled the dessert. I ate and …and…and…and!!... I asked for
seconds of the rhapsody! – a much better rhapsody to the sense of taste than a
Liszt’s Hungarian rhapsody to the sense of hearing.
I didn’t get seconds: Chris’ refused, his knowing my fierce battle with myself
to maintain my 155 pounds on the nose-thumbing scale.
This sensational dinner at our unpretentious Webster House Restaurant, priced at
$75, was considerably superior to what, I believe, would be twice the price at
nose-elevated Boston/Providence dining venues.
Next dinner: Wednesday, August 23, the wines of France’s Loire region – home of
the great Sancerre, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc, Pouilly Fumé, Muscadet, Vouvray,
Chinon, the world-famed Anjou Rosé.
Dr. Bob Ouellette will suggest the wines for pairing with authentic Loire
cuisine. We will do the usual trial dinner in advance to ensure that your dinner
will be as close to perfection as possible.
Wine Pick: Angove’s Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2004, South Australia, under
$20. A delicious cab of many in-and-out pulsating aromas tease the nose with
black currant, lime, fresh truffle and cigar box perceptions, some of which
transfer to the palate to mingle with full-bodied elegance of blackberry,
licorice and spicy oak; nicely balanced with firm tannins. Still young; improved
when I permitted my poured glass to air two hours before sipping; then, a superb
wine.
Wine Pick: Reynolds Merlot 2004, South Australia, around $12. Blended with six
percent Cabernet Sauvignon and four Cabernet Franc, a sensational value with
guaranteed pleasure from deep red color, nose of mint, berries and black
currants, all transfer to the palate for full-flavored enjoyment with black
currants, peppermint and toasty oak; properly balanced, smooth swallow and
moderately long aftertaste; a great value.
Email Comments to Julian at:
julian@oxfordwineroom.com