That’s right, I said $32 pretzel.  Actually, to be more accurate, that was a text message I received from my wife while I and a good friend from Syracuse were out on a “Hop In, Hop Out” culinary tour of my neighborhood in West Seattle.  The trip out that afternoon was a thank you to my friend Eric for being my son’s Godfather.  He had visited before, and had seen the downtown area, and decided he would rather stay in my ‘hood to eat and drink local delicacies.  We started at Prost!, a German inspired pub known throughout the city for their soft pretzel with mustard.  IT, only costs $6, but the two draft lagers we had each, plus the 2 pretzels made the bill $32.

We had just left Prost and headed to The Matador for a Manny’s and some fish tacos.  While ordering, I feel my phone vibrate and see that is a text message from my wife.  “That pretzel cost $32???”, it exclaimed.  I had to inform her that we had some tall beers to go with it and that the next stop would be noticeably cheaper; though I was only guessing.  I showed it to Eric.  He chuckled and said, Wow, that was fast!”  I completely agreed and told him I didn’t realize I was being monitored and we needed to have one beer per stop.  Eric, being the guy that he is and a good friend for nearly two decades, said that the next stop was on him.  I have learned during the tenure of our friendship that it is pointless to argue, and being fellas, we both knew that a day out eating will even out on my next trip to Syracuse.

After The Matador, we headed down the street to Elliot Bay Brewery for a sampler.  We got to choose our own five beer flight from their many choices.  I was impressed with their Red IPA, and that is about it.  The fact that our server was MIA for most of the time was also a real put off, and we decided to high tail it to the next place after we got the bill.

We headed across the street for Sushi at Moshiko, and were informed that there would be 90 minute wait.  We promptly exited and were on our way back to the car and made an impromptu stop at Azuma, a place I have never been to.  Were were seated immediately and ordered a spicy tuna roll, a spider roll and a Jun Mai sake.  Delicious!  After that we headed home and Eric fell asleep in my recliner.  I never knew a $32 pretzel could affect two people in dramatically different ways.

All of these may be purchased in the tasting room on the South Seattle Community College Campus. The Spring release party for all 2010 vintages is happening on Thursday from 12-4pm.

The Noble varieties are so named since they are the most commonly planted varieties and the standard by which all grapes are grown and fine wine is made.  These six varieties are Sauvignon Blanc [SOH-vihn-YOHN BLAHNK], Chardonnay [SHAR-dun-nay], Riesling [REEZ-ling], Pinot Noir [PEE-noh-NWAHR], Merlot [mehr-LOH], and Cabernet Sauvignon [KAB-er-nay SOH-vin-NYOHN].  Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling are all white grapes and Pinot Noir, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are all red grape varietals.  Both these red and white grape varietals make wines that have general aromas and flavors.  Knowing these generalities will assist you in knowing which wine to pair with your food.

Sauvignon Blancs are known for their citrusy and herbal aromas and flavors and are best paired with lean poultry, lean finfish and fresh goats cheese.  Chardonnay can be a tricky because you will need to know if they are oaked or un-oaked.  Old world varietals are usually lightly oaked, or un-oaked making them very food friendly.  With aromas and flavors resembling apples and pears, they go very well with lean poultry and pasta dishes with cream based sauces.  Oaky, New World Chardonnay (think California), go very well with butter sauces and rich seafood such as crab and lobster.  Then there are Rieslings, known for their rich honey and citrus notes, as well as their tendency to taste like dried apricots.  Rieslings can also have a lot of minerality making them a great pairing for pork, game birds, sushi and blue-veined cheeses.

Moving on to the reds, Pinot Noir, which is one of the most food friendly wines since it is fruit forward with good, balanced acid and medium tannins (the astringency in grapes), is known to be lush, fruit forward (resembling cherries and cranberries) and very earthy.  Pinot lends itself to be a great partner to mushroom risotto, Boeuf Bourguignon and braised lamb.  Merlot, a varietal known for its plum notes as well as having a vegetal quality goes very well with roasted or grilled meats, pizza and skin-on roasted poultry.  And lastly, Cabernet Sauvignon.  Similar in aroma and flavor to Merlot, there are also some subtle hints of black olive and eucalyptus.  These qualities make it a great match for meats done in robust cooking methods, and blue-veined cheeses.

Keeping these general, broad-stroke descriptions in mind will enable you to make a better pairing for all of your food.  Remember that wine can be the final sauce an accentuation of the flavors of your cuisine.

In the next issue…Classic Pairings and Gastronomic Identity.

A truly sensual, old world depiction of what Pinot Noir should taste like. At $45 – $85 per bottle, it is well worth it for an elegant meal with earthy flavors.

Suggested Pairing: Roasted Pork Tenderloin with a tart cherry demi-glace and mushroom risotto.