Red Table Wine, White Table Wine –
Can either be any good?

Red Table Wine or White Table Wine - what exactly are they? Can either really be a good quality wine without a varietal listed on the label? If you’re one of those people that believe this, then take a closer look at these wines. You may be surprised! Consumers are used to seeing varietals on labels such as Cabernet Sauvignons or Chardonnays. For example, in California and Australia, the wines must have at least 75 % of the grape varietal in order for it to be listed on the label as such.

Many other countries don’t list the varietal on the label at all. Instead, they list the region that it comes from. For example, the French will label a wine Pouilly Fuisse because it comes from that area. Under this, it will read a White Burgundy Wine. This wine actually is quite high in quality and 100% Chardonnay. Another country that labels this same way is Italy. Although most people are familiar with Chianti as being a region in Italy, there are other wines that are not as well known and are very high in quality that will be also be labeled by their regions instead of their grape names. I just sampled a Montefalco which is named after the town it comes from and is made from red grapes called Sagrantino and Sangiovese. It was also labeled simply, A Red Wine. Surprisingly, this is a full rich wine - not your run of the mill inexpensive table red.

California produces wines that are blended like French Bordeaux. These wines are called Meritages. The producers must abide by a few strict rules in labeling these wines. The first rule is that it must contain at least three of these five grapes - Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, and Petit Verdot. Secondly, it must be one of the two best wines of the winery and no more than 25,000 cases a year can be produced. The name Meritage is a legal trademark name and is also available in other parts of the country. Whites are also produced in this manner and they include the grapes of Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Muscadelle.

In the past, we viewed red and white table wine as an inexpensive and lower quality blended wines. Although there are still many of this type out there, we should learn to examine the label better and always ask the staff about quality before you purchase it. You wouldn’t want to assume that just because a wine is a blend that it must be a lower quality wine. You just might pass by a beautiful blended wine of great structure and quality, just because it reads “Red Table Wine”.

Who says buzzards can’t brew?

The brewers at Buzzard’s Bay have a sense of humor as well as a talent for beer making. Their label is a stylized map of the entrance to Cape Cod, dominated by a hulking buzzard. The back side label advises that the chart on the front is not to be used for navigational purposes.

It’s hard to imagine a boater, rolling in the swells of Buzzard’s Bay, consulting the beer in his hand for a clue as to where he is. But it’s not hard to contemplate all manner of boaters floating off Cape Cod beaches, enjoying Buzzard’s Bay lager, golden ale or pale ale.

The golden ale is this month’s featured beer at The Little Rooster. Of Buzzard’s three year-round brews, this is the “medium” one in both color and taste. It’s crisp and fresh, qualities that lasted right to the last sip, unlike many beers whose taste and body are seriously depleted by the time you reach the last two ounces.

Cascade hops, the magical green cone like flowers that have been adding bitterness to beer for hundreds of years, combine with spring water at the Buzzard’s Bay 140-acre “farm brewery” in Westport, MA, to create this delightful beer. Try a six pack or two this month from The Little Rooster with a couple of friends and a couple of lobsters on the deck. You will find that even though buzzards – scavenger birds that they are – are not known for their good taste, Buzzard’s Bay brews certainly are.

Foolproof combo of cake and fruit
is a winning dessert for summertime

In keeping with my practice of offering easy but magnificent seasonal recipes, here’s an upside down fruit cake that is delicious without being particularly sinful, at least until you add the ice cream on top.
We make this dessert several times a month during the summer and fall and it’s always a winner. And, it’s foolproof.

French Upside Down Fruit Cake Delight

Preheat oven to 425°. Grease an 8-inch deep style pie pan with Crisco or oil and cover the bottom with:

2 ½ - 3 cups of fresh fruit. Use a variety of ripe fruit such as peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, strawberries and blueberries. Any combination will work fine.

Sprinkle the fruit with ½ cup of sugar and dust with cinnamon. Add the juice of one lemon. Dredge with one tbs. of flour. In a large bowl, combine 1 ½ cups flour; ½ cup sugar; 1 ½ tsp. baking powder; ½ tsp. salt. Beat and add 3 egg yolks, two tbs. melted butter and 2/3 cup of milk. Mix the batter till its blended, adding a bit of milk if it’s too stiff to spread easily. It should be moderately stiff, but not runny. Pour the mix over the fruit and spread to cover.

Bake the cake for about 30 minutes and remove from the oven when it’s golden brown. Allow it to sit for five minutes, then reverse it onto a platter. Serve with vanilla ice cream. It looks fabulous and tastes even better.

Did you know?

Buzzard’s Bay Brewing is a relative newcomer to the craft brewing scene, but in a few short years they’ve acquired quite a following. Thanks to clever marketing and good products to begin with, their brews are showing up in more and more places, including the Internet. Check out www.buzzardsbaybrewing.com for a quick tour of the brewery and a chance to meet the principals and have a little fun on the site, too.

-- Scott Brinckerhoff

Scott Brinckerhoff of Haddam is a freelance writer specializing in business communications. He also brews beer, keeps bees and cooks "seriously." Each issue, he'll provide offbeat comments on our monthly beer, long with a recipe.