wineblurbs

Ingredients
•2 cups water
•4 tablespoons red miso (aka-miso) or white miso, divided (Hikari was the brand I used)
•8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thinly sliced
•3 green onions, dark and pale green part thinly sliced, white part minced
½ red pepper thinly sliced & chopped
1 head of bok choy, chopped
•2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
•1.5 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon chopped shallots
•2 6-ounce skinless striped bass fillets
•1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
Chopped cilantro
Serves 2

Preparation
Whisk 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons miso in medium saucepan. Add shiitake mushrooms, ½ T of ginger & red pepper and simmer over medium heat until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in green onion. Simmer on low for 5 minutes. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
Meanwhile, mix 2 tablespoons miso, shallots, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and minced fresh ginger in small bowl. Sprinkle striped bass fillets with pepper. Spread ginger mixture over 1 side of bass fillets, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle panko over coated side of fillets; press to adhere.
Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add fillets to skillet, coated side down, and sauté until brown and crisp, about 3-5 minutes. Turn fillets over and sauté until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Divide shiitake mushroom broth between 2 shallow bowls. Place 1 fish fillet in center of each bowl. Sprinkle chopped fresh cilantro over and serve.

I had a craving for sea bass in a miso broth so I decided to try to make it myself. I have only had a similar dish once before & I have never forgotten it. I was wondering through the West Village in NYC after passing my first level sommelier exam. I wanted to celebrate with a special dinner. I came upon a tiny restaurant down a small side street. It had long curtains over the window & looked very elegant. There was a bar at the front of the restaurant. I love sitting at the bar when I am by myself so I decided to check it out. I am sorry to say that I have lost the name of the restaurant. It is bummer because I had one of the best meals in my life: Sea Bass in miso broth. I decided tonight was the night to try & recreate it.  I think I did a pretty good job. I looked up recipes online & put together my version. I will post the recipe shortly.

Once again my New Year’s resolution…post on wineblurbs. I think my problem in the past was a lack of a theme. I have found my theme!! Oregon Pinot Noir. Anyone who know me, knows that Pinot Noir flows through my veins…especially Oregon Pinot Noir. I was fortunate to be invited to attend Pinot Noir Camp in 2007. It was a life changing experience for many reasons. Most significant was my Mother passed away suddenly just days before I left for Camp. I know it seems crazy that I would head to Pinot Noir Camp immediately after my Mother died. In fact it was a fabulous diversion. I fell in love with Oregon, the Willamette Valley and Pinot Noir! It will never replace my love for my Mother but I always think of my Mother when I drink Oregon Pinot Noir.

I have always been intrigued by one particular vineyard, Shea Vineyard. While the owners of Shea Vineyard make wine under their own label: Shea Wine Cellars, they also sell 75% of their harvest to 23 different winemakers. I have tasted a few different Shea Pinot Noirs over the years. I find that I have now become obsessed with learning everything I can about Shea Pinot Noir. I have been trying to accumulate wine from all 23 winemakers. I believe I am up to 15 now. This is not an inexpensive commitment. They average around $55/bottle. I plan to focus on Shea during my posts going forward. I will post about the history of the vineyard and try to determine what makes its grapes such a hot commodity.

Where did the last 8 months go? I am very disppointed in myself because I started this blog primarily because I was heading out to  San Luis Obispo, Templeton & Santa Barbara, California to visit wineries. I was hoping to share our experiences at the wineries. Obviously, that never happened. We did hit some fabulous places: Justin, Foley, Wild Horse, L’Aventure, Treana, Jack Cellars….The region is known for Rhone Blends (grenache, syrah, mouvedre…), Zinfandel & Pinot Noir. I was especially excited to taste the Pinot Noirs. My cousin Laura lives in the area and she turned me onto some I had never heard of Rotta, Red Soles & Jack Cellars. Jack Cellars was definitely my favorite. Pretty easy to guess what their speciality is…they make gorgeous Pinot Noirs.

My next big wine adventure of the year was passing the Certified Sommelier Exam! I took the Introductory Course & Exam in April (prerequisite) & then the Certified Exam in May. I will give an overview of the experience in my next post.

I recently read an article by Jay McInerney of the Wall Street Journal outlining his New Year’s Resolutions. He vowed to not drink any wine at Charity Events in 2012. He was tired of drinking “lousy” wines. Vinojoe addressed Jay’s complaint on his blog “wineweekly.com.” I think it is a good goal for Charity events to come up with a better way to make the Events more palatable.

I have to agree with Jay that it is typically the norm for Charity events is to serve “lousy wine.” I am not a beer or liquor drinker so I often have to decide whether to drink at all. I get it that the event is for a good cause and the ultimate goal is to make money for the charity. I have always wondered why we can’t BYOB? I don’t mind buying a ticket for a dinner event where mystery chicken is served, but I would at least like a decent glass of wine.
I have been involved with a Gala Event in Rochester, NY for the past 6 years. We call our event OTBN…Open that Bottle Night… A fabulous concept coined by WSJ writers Dorothy Gaiter & John Brecher. Guests buy a ticket for $150/person & bring a special bottle to share with their table. We haven’t had to print invitations for the last 2 years…we sell out 3 months before the event. The cause is very important: “Bivona Child Advocacy” which helps children that have been sexually & physically abused.

Most Charity events involve some kind of Silent or Live Auction. The Charity makes the majority of their proceeds from these auctions. If the wine is “lousy,” guests tend to bid less and leave earlier.

Getting excited for my trip next week to Paso Robles,San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara. I plan to visit as many wineries as possible. I am working on setting up appointments right now at: Justin Winery & Hope Family. I will share tasting notes, pictures and hopefully some fun stories about the trip. I am traveling with 7 other women…all relatives!