Sandy Winokur (from left), Susan Jaime, Mike Behrend and Troy Knapp are part of the food revolutions occurring in SA.

On  Tuesday, a group of SA food innovators got together to discuss the ongoing growth and changes going on in the San Antonio area when it comes to what is going on our plates. Farmers, ranchers, food merchants and chefs joined for 5-Minute Food Revolutions.

The forum, with about 100 in attendance, was presented at Aldaco’s Sunset Station. The panel was selected for their unconventional and/or pioneering approach to food, be it growing gardens or crops, raising chickens and hogs or running a restaurant.

Tim McDiarmid, of Tim the Girl Catering and Special Projects Social, describes her approach to food and her pop-up dinners.

Mike Behrend, for example, was a dedicated meat eater until about seven years ago. The chef and owner of Green Vegetarian Cuisine described his changeover in restaurant terms: “What I used to think of as a pain-in-the-ass customer? I became that customer.” Green is the top go-to restaurant for vegetarians and popular with many who don’t want to eat meat at every meal, too.

Kelley Escobedo, who with her husband Mark, founded South Texas Heritage Pork, described how her farm “lets the animals have a life” while they strive to reduce their carbon footprint and move from feeding their heritage hogs peanuts instead of corn. “This is not an easy life. We do it because we have passion,” said Escobedo.

To watch a video of the 90-minute presentation, click here.

Participants included Chad Carey of The Monterey, Marianna Peeler of Peeler Farms, Sameer Siddiqui of Rickshaw Stop, Saundra Winokur of Sandy Oaks Olive Orchard, Mike Behrend of Green Vegetarian Cuisine, Susan Jaime of Ferra Coffee, Tim McDiarmid of Tim the Girl/Special Projects Social pop-up events, Blair Condon of Green Spaces Alliance, Kelley Escobedo of South Texas Heritage Pork and Troy Knapp of the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort.

The event was co-sponsored by SavorSA, Plaza de Armas and NOWCastSA, who videotaped it.

Troy Knapp

Troy Knapp is executive chef at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort, including Antlers Lodge. He’s also a Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine. His wine column appears regularly in SavorSA.

Most of the products we eat or drink take an under-appreciated path before arriving on our dining room table.  As a chef, I feel as if I am a shepherd, seeking the best-quality product and consciously taking care of it by showcasing it simply in the best possible way. Wine is no different.  For those who work the vineyard and oversee the wine-making process it is truly a labor of love.   Below I have listed a few techniques that will allow you to enjoy wine at its full potential by simply giving it the attention and respect it deserves.

Glassware

A good-quality, tulip-shaped crystal wine glass will benefit in more ways than one.  First off, crystal is rough compared to glass although not easily detected by the human eye; under a microscope it is quite noticeable. With your fingertip you can easily feel the friction on the rim of a crystal product and even play a subtle ringing hum that cannot be replicated on the perfectly smooth glass product. When wine is swirled in crystal, the rough surface will create more agitation and intensify the aromatics or as we say (volatize the esters) essentially, making it more enticing to the nose.   I find that a medium-to-large tulip-shaped glass is the most universal and will allow for enough room to swirl while concentrating the bouquet.

Seasoning the glass

Always give your glassware a sniff before using as residual chlorine or soap that was not properly rinsed off will most definitely interfere.  Make sure the glass is rinsed thoroughly and aired dry. If you are in a restaurant, ask for a new glass.  Dust can easily work its way into your glass during storage so an easy way to completely enjoy wine without the distraction of foreign remnants is to simply “season it.” To do this, add a tiny amount of the wine you are about to drink to your glass and roll the stem of the glass in your fingers while tilting it.  Essentially you want to cover the entire interior of the glass with the wine.  Then, dump it out.  Remember, I did say use a tiny amount.

Then fill up your glass with confidence in the purity of what you are going to consume.  This is also a good technique when transitioning to a new wine that may have a noticeable dominant character that will stand out in the new wine where it doesn’t belong.  Pouring an un-oaked Chardonnay into the same glass that previously contained a highly aromatic Gewürztraminer is a good example of when the “seasoning” element will help.  Rinsing with water will only contribute to dilution, so I don’t recommend that.

Temperature

This is a big one. We typically pour whites at refrigerator temperature, which is too cold and reds at room temperature, which is too warm. Ideally most whites should be around 45 degrees and most reds at 55-60 degrees. Freestanding wine cellars are great to have as you can generally “set it and forget it.”  Another way to achieve this is to remove your whites from the refrigerator a full half hour or so before consuming and the opposite for reds, as these can benefit from a half-hour of refrigeration. Light-bodied reds can benefit from a more aggressive chill, however the tannin in big powerful reds will be more pronounced when chilled. So, a  slight chill to simply bring them down from room temperature is the objective.

Aeration and Decanting 

Most wines benefit nicely with aeration.  The interaction with oxygen will allow for the wine to emerge and show its full potential.  Pouring the wine into a wide-bottomed decanter and allowing it to rest will require some patience yet will be sure to enhance your drinking pleasure. The million-dollar question is how long? It can range from a half an hour to half a day.  There is no perfect answer as there are so many variables that come into play.  Most wine will definitely benefit from at least a short decant and it can be quite exciting to sip on the wine slowly as it develops and evolves with time in the glass.

Don’t be afraid to decant white wines for a short while as well.  Even sparkling wines can go through a subtle transformation that some will prefer.  It will dial the bubbles back slightly and ultimately showcase the core of the wine.  A narrow-bottomed decanter would be the preferred vessel for sparkling, as you wouldn’t want to spread the contents too thin and overly dissipate the sparkle.

For those with little patience, aerators come in handy and will allow you the benefit of aerating as you go.  You can simply pour a glass at a time through these small devices that will create a fairly viscous interaction with oxygen and open the wine up quicker, while allowing you to preserve the wine in the bottle for later.

Preserving

If you want to store wine overnight there are a few things you need to know.  We just covered decanting and accelerating the interaction with oxygen. In this scenario, however, we need to do the opposite and minimize the exposure to oxygen as much as possible.  Most wine left out at room temperature will most likely be undrinkable the following day.  The refrigerator will slow down the rate of oxidation and therefore preserve the wine longer than if it was left at room temperature.  Some even put their reds in the refrigerator to achieve this.  Wine preservation argon works quite well and will add several days of preservation to your open bottle.  It can be purchased at wine shops for about $10 and is good for around 120 uses.  Another method is to consume half of the contents of the bottle and store the remainder in a half-sized 375 ml .bottle.  If the half-size bottle is topped off and filled properly, it will have minimal exposure to oxygen and allow for another day or two of quality drinking.

So pay homage to the winemakers who give us this wonderful beverage by sipping slowly and most of all — enjoy it at its full potential with others who will appreciate it.

Troy Knapp is executive chef at the Hyatt Hill Country Resort, including Antlers Lodge. He’s also a Certified Sommelier and Certified Specialist of Wine. His column, Spectacular Brilliance, appears monthly on SavorSA.

By Troy Knapp

Troy Knapp

Thanksgiving and other memorable holiday dinners are priceless, so, for Pete’s sake, don’t skimp on the wine!

To save a few dollars in these occasions that are few and far between would be, in my opinion, the wrong place.  Yes, great wines come with a cost, however I’m sure, you will discover the extra money is well worth it.   For these rare holiday occasions when friends and family come together, why not seek out something truly special that will enhance the experience?

When making holiday selections, quality always overrules quantity! I’ll never understand the fixation with buying cheap food or wine.  This is the one area in life that I’m not willing to skimp. Quality comes with a cost and requires you to seek it out.  “The best you can afford,” is a great motto to live by.  Conscious food is what we need to strive toward, as it not only tastes better, it is significantly better for the environment as well as our health.  So, when it comes to the Thanksgiving table, look for all-natural turkey, lots of beautiful, organic vegetables and of course, great wine!

Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Gamay (Beaujolais) are frequently purchased to accompany the Thanksgiving table as they have a good relation with the traditional dishes we all love.  There are a wide variety of these wines, so beware of some common misconceptions.  You can easily find many of these wines in the “$10 and less category” that will be quaffable, however, they pale in comparison to what these varietals can offer.

Riesling  is quite an amazing grape variety; ranging from common and unexciting wine to truly extraordinary examples that are very well respected in the world of wine aficionados.  Grand Cru Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Sylvaner and Pinot Gris (known as Tokay) from Alsace in France are all great options for Thanksgiving dinner.

The wines of Alsace France are typically full bodied and dry where as the sweeter styles hail from Germany and the residual sugar is wonderfully contrasted with bracing acidity.  These wines typically start in the $40- $60 price range and can be found at a specialty grocer or wine shop.  Germany has a complex system of classification and reading the label can be intimidating.  A little research, or simply asking for assistance in the wine shop, will go a long way in finding your selection.

Beaujolais Nouveau is released every year on the third Thursday of November.  This wine is readily on display at most markets and meant to be consumed young. However, I recommend you seek out premium bottling of Beaujolais from one of the ten specific village/sites that have been awarded Cru status. “Cru” is a French term that refers to “growth place,” so wines from certain “Cru” regions have strict standards that result in depth and complexity not found in common Beaujolais bottling.  Ask for Morgon [moor - gah] or Moulin au Vent [moo-lahn-ah-vah].  Both of these bottlings typically start in the $30 price range.

Pinot Noir pairs rather well at the Thanksgiving table, and Premier Cru or Grand Cru Red Burgundies are simply spectacular.  Pinot Noir from Germany and New Zealand are not as abundant, however, both are well worth tracking down. Both options are much lighter than their California counterparts and showcase the delicate and lighter side of Pinot Noir. For something in the middle try Oregon Pinot Noir.  It is readily available and shares a common elegance as other cool climate pinots.  This region offers characteristics between the earth-driven wines of Burgundy, France and the fruit-driven Pinots of California.  A great choice for a group of diverse palates.

Regardless of your selection, quality should be the focus and will certainly be worthy of a few extra bucks.

My most memorable dining experiences are those with special friends and family, enjoying conversation over great wine.   My wife and I will always remember a few specific bottles that we shared long ago.  They were supported by great ambience and hold a place in our memories.  We look forward to drinking these same wines on special occasions, especially during the holidays; just as hearing a piece of music can bring us to a certain place in time, wine shares a similar relation.   Pulling a cork from a special bottle is like opening a time capsule, our senses connect with memories and thoughts are re-lived.

So seek out that special bottle.  It’s a small price for lasting memories.

From my family to yours, in health and happiness, have a happy Thanksgiving.