That got me thinking about Sherry, Japanese and Asian food in general. There are dishes which share similarities to Spanish cuisine, items that are pickled/vinegary or salty/ briny, in particular.  I decided to research offering a Manzanilla or Fino Sherry by the glass [btg] at Biwa.  I ordered a sample bottle of Ma del Pilar Ga de Velasco La Cigarrera Manzanilla to try with menu items from Biwa on a night off. The results were eye opening.  We are now featuring it for $5 by the 4-ounce glass. 

The color is star bright straw of a medium concentration. The bouquet is briny and savory. The wine is dry on the palate, and for a wine with an alcoholic strength of 15%, it is still quite delicate, conveying notes of salted honey, green apple skin, Marcona almond, caramel, peanut shell, green olive and a hint of quince.

La Cigarrera Manzanilla is magnificent when paired with the Kimchi, Kimchi Kara-age [fried kimchi], Shiitake from the yakimono menu [think umami-a-thon], the Yukke [Korean-style beef tartare], Tsukemono [Japanese pickles] and the Hamachi Sashimi. Drinking it with a bowl of Ramen is also amazing; it’s like a salt lover’s dream and brings out the caramel notes of the Sherry.  Oddly enough, the Sherry doesn’t fare well with our Udon.  When paired together, it makes the broth taste bitter. 

If you are new to Manzanilla, you might ask yourself these questions: do I enjoy Marcona almonds, green olives or the occasional dirty martini? If so, you might enjoy a glass of Manzanilla. Anyway, guests wanting to explore a true synergistic wine and food matchup are encouraged to give our La Cigarrera a try. Manzanilla is also considered a traditional aperitif, which can be enjoyed all by itself!

A quick primer on Manzanilla
The lightest of the Sherry styles, Manzanilla is crafted from the Palomino grape grown on white chalky limestone soil called Albariza. It is made into a dry white wine, then fortified to 15-15.5% alcohol by volume (abv), then biologically aged under a protective layer of yeast called Flor. Ageing for Manzanilla is solely accomplished in the coastal town of Sanlúcar de Barrameda, near the Guadalquivir estuary (in Andalucía, Southwest Spain). A combination of humid climatic conditions, a moderate seaside temperature, the 15 to 15.5% alcohol level, which prevents a vinegar-producing bacteria called acetobactor from developing, and the absence of fermentable sugars are necessary conditions for the growth of Flor.  Flor growth gives Manzanilla and its close cousin Fino their distinctive flavor.

Additionally, Manzanilla is reared in a system of ageing and fractional blending called Solera, where older wine is blended with newer, fresher wine in movements from barrel-to-barrel called Trasiegos. These movements guarantee the perpetuation of the Solera system itself.  Newer wines contain nutrients and the movement replenishes oxygen, both of which enrich the Flor and thus ensure its survival.  Fractional blending also guarantees a small portion of the original, much older wine is constantly blended with the newer wine. This is one of the many appeals of Sherry: one enjoys a wine which is very old and at the same time quite fresh and speaks of the place from which it came. Yet, it is still very affordable to enjoy, particularly when you consider the long and complicated manner in which it is made.

Anthony Garcia
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Village level Chablis isn’t meant for long haul aging as its more distinguished siblings, 1er cru and Grand Cru, but in a stellar vintage Chablis’ basic quality level can display amazing results. No other Burgundy region could boast 2006 being a better vintage than 2005 except Chablis. Plus, Pinson is a well-regarded producer, noted for their commitment to hand-harvesting. So, I took my paid sample home and gave it a taste. WOW! Tried it the next day and it was delicious. Although Biwa is a high volume restaurant and open seven nights a week, I don’t have to worry about a bottle for btg hanging around for three days, but for kicks, I tried it day three and the Chablis was still very tasty. I even left it on the fridge door to swing back and forth, properly beating it up.

The color is straw to light gold, day bright with a medium-plus concentration and high vicosity. The nose is ripe green apple with chalky-lemon-leesy-passion fruit, crushed stone and oyster shells, pineapple, ripe yellow apple and a hint of white flowers. The palate is ridiculous: it’s a higher acid, chalk-mineral driven wine with a mouth-coating viscous texture, displaying the fruit profile of the bouquet with an added whisper of fresh mint and pollen. The wine ends with graceful length.

Starting this week, we are featuring it for $8 a glass.  I think the guests will be into to it. Plus, it’s an inexpensive way to see what aged characteristics or vinosity are all about, when the secondary aromas of a wine’s youth come to the forefront and fruit nuances become more mature and harmonious. You cannot expect this in every vintage, but when it happens, it’s a real treat.

Anthony Garcia
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It’s been over three months since I’ve analyzed a beer, but I feel compelled to break my self-imposed hiatus for this remarkable stout.  I’m glad Sean Campbell told me it was coming in to his place when I was shopping there last Sunday.  The BeerMongers is a treasure.

Anthony Garcia
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On February 27th, I attended two massive trade tastings: one featuring the wines of Walla Walla Valley, Washington and another highlighting the wines of the Chehalem Mountains, Oregon. An entire day dedicated to the Northwest. Of the 60+ wines I tasted, my favorite of the day was by far the Ponzi Pinot Noir Rosé from the 2011 vintage. We are now featuring it by the glass at Biwa for $7.

The wine is a classic salmon color with medium concentration and smells like white peaches, apricots, sweet lemon with a smidge of Amarena cherry. The palate reflects the nose with a salted watermelon quality emerging, underlying the mainly peachy nuances. There is true minerality on the palate and the acid is super lively. Overall, any great rosé must be balanced, refreshing and begs for another glass.

It may not be hot enough for folks to be thinking rosé, but our little izakaya gets pretty warm when it’s packed on a busy night [which is basically every night] and the wine is just flat out delicious and goes with a tremendous amount of the menu. This might be the best domestic rosé I’ve ever tasted.

If this honest little rosé is any indication of the type of acidity we can expect from the rest of the wines from the 2011 vintage, I think we have a great deal to look forward to.

Know your American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)
The Walla Walla Valley AVA along with the Columbia Gorge AVA is shared in part with Oregon and located inside the much larger Columbia Valley AVA, which is also partially shared with Oregon. In addition, located inside the Columbia Valley, but found entirely on Washington soil are the AVAs: Yakima Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, Snipes Mountain, Naches Heights, Horse Heaven Hills, Lake Chelan and Wahluke Slope. Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain and Snipes Mountain are all located inside the Yakima Valley AVA (so, sub-AVAs located inside a much larger sub-AVA; it can get a little confusing).

The Chehalem Mountians AVA is located inside the Willamette Valley AVA along with Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton District, Dundee Hills, McMinnville, and Eola-Amity Hills. Ribbon Ridge is located inside the Chehalem Mountains AVA (so, again, a small sub-AVA, located inside a larger sub-AVA).

Anthony Garcia
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I almost forgot how rich these 2007 reds from the Southern Rhône are. Domaine Les Pallières Les Racines Gigondas is new to Biwa, $34 for the half bottle. Amarone-like aromatics with dried black cherry, very ripe blueberry, grilled red cherry, grilled lavender, cherry compote. Super-rich on the palate, medium acid (might actually be medium-plus, but with all the richness feels like a solid medium), medium tannins. Needs decanting to open it up for sure.

Tried it with a multitude of dishes; unexpectedly, the agedashi tofu worked best. Something about the dried & cooked fruit nuances of the wine, playing off the saltiness of the dish. The lower acid and tannins didn't over accentuate the saltiness either. Nice.

Anthony Garcia
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Tasting the Domaine Maestracci E Prove [from Corsica] for the first time, I was torn between how it reminded me of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and at the same time Chianti Classico. I like being surprised by a wine. We are featuring it at Biwa for $10 by-the-glass [btg].

The wine’s assemblage is: 35% Grenache, 35% Nielluccio [which is Sangiovese], 15% Sciaccarello, 15% Syrah. The color is ruby to garnet with a medium concentration. The nose has ripe red and black cherry notes with hints blackberry. The non-fruit nuances are cedar, tobacco and white pepper [like a Southern Rhône red] with leather and cured meat [like Chianti]. The acid and the tannins are medium-plus. Overall the wine is graceful and rustic and pairs nicely with items from the grill [yakimono], particularly the lamb, shiitake and hanger steak. It’s also pretty tasty with the tonjiru, our pork and miso stew with potato and daikon.

The Calvi region is found on the Northwest corner of the island.  Corsica is generally sunnier than anywhere else in mainland France.

Anthony Garcia
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Lately, I've been enjoying a brew each night when I return home from work. These colder nights, some being rainy and others [like tonight] being crisp, direct my palate toward dark beer.  Here are some selections from the last few evenings.  The Leffe Brune is my favorite.

Each beer was purchased at The BeerMongers on SE 12th & Division, one of my favorite places in Portland.

Anthony Garcia
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This is totally invaluable. The Guild of Sommeliers' commitment to education and raising the standards within our profession is remarkable. We are all humbled to be their beneficiaries. I love this video. Thank you!

Anthony Garcia
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The first time I saw Erik Hanson make one of his cocktails called “Beer,” I was like, “What is that awesomeness?” As I have cranked up my sommelier studies, my posts are less and less frequent; so, I asked my friend Erik to please write a guest post about his amazing cocktail. Noblesse oblige.

Making the "Beer" Cocktail by Erik Hanson
At Biwa, the former bar manager, Tom Lindstedt (now at Little Bird) had been deep into experimenting with making bitters, liqueurs, and infusions. He was (and still is) constantly and systematically trying to find the best ways to capture flavors and preserve them in alcohol. He had left me with a similar curiosity, and with the knowledge of a new (to me) tool for putting a flavor into a cocktail: the tincture. In early autumn of 2011, Biwa's cook, resident chemist, and man of astounding depth in beer-knowledge, Eric Fritz, came into work, handed me a bag and said "I thought you could do something with these." Inside was about a half-pound of amazing lemon, pinecone, and forest floor smelling, fresh-picked Cascade Hops. We immediately split the bag into a two jars, one containing Takara Shochu (35% abv) and another with Hood River Distillery Pure Grain Alcohol (95% abv). After 2 weeks, we strained off the hop infused liquors and bottled them.

Prior to that event, when summer began to creep in, Biwa stocked up on a bunch of roasted barley for the iced barley tea called Mugi-cha, which is quite popular in Japan. In one of those "light bulb turns on" moments, I realized that we had on hand facsimiles of the basic components that flavor beer: hops and barley. It took about four months of tinkering to get the recipe for the basic cocktail right.

Gabe Rosen, the owner of Biwa, reminded me that the draft for our Sapporo kegs had a special feature that dispensed only beer foam. "How cool would it be if this "beer" had a head?" he said. Well, the beer foam from the draft pours a little slow and doesn't hold up long enough to be suitable for service, but with just enough egg white I was able to make a foamy "head" for the cocktail that would hold up throughout service.

Here is the recipe:
2oz Old Overholt Rye
1.5 teaspoons mugi syrup*
2 dashes Regans orange bitters
20 drops hop tincture
1 teaspoon Laphroaig 10yr Scotch
3oz “Beer Foam”**
1 mugi ice cube***

Start by preparing all the asterisked items in advance.
Coat the inside of a large rocks glass with the Laphroaig, drain off
the excess. Place in that glass the mugi ice cube.
In a mixing glass, combine the rye, mugi syrup, orange bitters, and
hop tincture. Add ice and stir swiftly and gently.
Strain the contents of the mixing glass into the rocks glass.
To top with the beer foam, I found it best to skim from the airiest
top-layer of foam with a small fine-strainer, and let the liquid drain
from it before placing only the firmer, drier foam on top of the drink.

*Mugi Syrup:
Make Mugi-cha by pouring 2 quarts boiling water onto 2 cups toasted barley
steep for 10 minutes, strain off the barley
Set aside ~8oz Mugi-cha for making syrup, add sugar at 1:1 ratio.
Use remaining Mugi-cha for making mugi ice cubes.

** "Beer Foam":
1oz egg white
12oz Sapporo (Sapporo is what we used at Biwa. Personally, I think a
smoky, nutty porter like Mad River Brewing's Steelhead Scotch Porter
would be excellent in this drink.)
1oz hop-infused Shochu
In a mixing vessel, whisk egg white until the foam is stiff
Slowly whisk in the Sapporo and hop-shochu
Whisk thoroughly to recharge foam before each new cocktail is served
Makes ~10 drinks before the foam becomes too wet to use.

Thank you, Erik Hanson
Erik is now over at smallwares; I’ll miss working with him, but the good thing about Portland being such a small town, I know I’ll see him around plenty. In fact, we ran into him last night! Thank you, Erik, for sharing your inspiration and execution of this delicious cocktail.

Anthony Garcia
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My tasting note for the Biwa staff: the region is Kamptal, the gemeinde [or village] is Gobelsburg, and the ried [or vineyard] is Steinsetz. This is a very graceful [and special] bottle of Grüner Veltliner [the grape].  Peach, lemon, green apple, Daikon radish, crushed stone minerality, white pepper and white flowers. The texture is viscous like a fine Chablis, but with a light prickliness on the palate, balanced with medium-plus acidity.

Also newly added by the half bottle is the remarkable Cuvée de Réserve Champagne Brut from Marc Hébrart. The bubbly is estate-bottled from the very best premier cru vineyard, Mareuil-sur-Ay, located in the Vallée de la Marne. Nice.

Anthony Garcia
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My tasting note for the Biwa staff: classic typicité [a wine speaking of what it is and where it’s from, in this case a classic Sauv Blanc from the Loire]. Citrus [more on the grapefruit side of the spectrum], caraway seed and wet stones, medium-plus acid.  After the warm and atypical vintage of 2009, Sancerre is back to tasting like Sancerre. Nice.

From the new distributor-importer Petit Monde, great little portfolio of French wine.

Anthony Garcia
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Anthony Garcia
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Shochu’s uniqueness
All distillates are made from fermented liquids. This means that for grain and other starchy base materials, carbohydrates must be converted to sugar before fermentation begins. Shochu is unique compared to its European cousins insofar as the breakdown of the starch is completed by the same mold responsible for sake production, Koji (aspergillus oryzae). With the presence of sugar, fermentation begins, which brings us to another unique attribute for Shochu production. The beverage typically undergoes only one distillation, in comparison to the double pot still distillations of Single Malt Scotch whisky, Cognac, Calvados and the like, or the continuous distillations of vodka and gin. This means the base material [be it: sweet potato, rice, buckwheat, barley, etc.] has a great effect on the flavor of the final product.  Single-distillation also creates a beverage with a lower alcohol by volume [abv].  Any aficionados of drinking straight spirits should enjoy Shochu.  Here are my tasting notes on the ten artisanal Shochu we carry at Biwa to be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or mixed with a little hot water.

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2 Kakushigura, 24% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- almost rum-like with butter, brine and burnt sugar; palate-unctuous, Kaffir lime, light vanilla, more reminiscent of tequila; single-distilled barley

3 Shiranami, pictured third from the left, 25% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- cereal grain, kitchen-cabinet-cupboard, corn chip, lime skin and pith; palate- expansive, potato/corn chip with lime, pithy bitter, slight heat, finishes with prune; single-distilled sweet potato [83%] and rice [17%]

4 Jougo, 24% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- lime oil, fresh linen, tangerine pith, green plum skin, rain leaf; palate- very unctuous, sweet-ish, smooth and clean with a little heat at the end; single-distilled sugar cane [60%] and rice [40%]

5 Iichiko, 25% abv [prefecture: Oita, Southern Japan]
bouquet- perfumey, grappa-like with toasted grain nuance; palate- rich and clean; single-distilled barley

6 Hakutake, 25% abv [prefecture: Kumamoto, Southern Japan]
bouquet- floral, sake-like, banana leaf; palate- very pretty, floral, perfumey with a long graceful finish; single-distilled rice

7 Ikkomon, 25% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- tequila-like, saline, floral; palate- Kaffir lime, Meyer lemon, salty, vanilla, long finish; single-distilled sweet potato

8 Kurokame, 25% abv [prefecture: Kagoshima, Southern Japan]
bouquet- tequila-like, floral, limey and briny; palate- sweet, rich, lime, brine, gardenia, prune; fermentation of sweet potato takes place in large porcelain pot, then single-distilled

9 Gankotsuoh, 25%abv [prefecture: Oita, Southern Japan]
bouquet- sake-like, banana leaf, floral, egg shell, persimmon; palate- pretty, light, soft and long; single-distilled rice, then matured in porcelain pots, stored in a cave

10 Towari, 25% abv [prefecture: Oita, Southern Japan]
bouquet- toasted grain, brine, potato skin, sprouts, perfume; palate- rich, soba noodle, lime, grass, carrot, yam; single-distilled buckwheat

Anthony Garcia
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The wine is dry with medium-plus body and displays its youthfulness. The fruit is tart on the palate with a smidge of suppleness emerging. The non-fruit flavors are firmly in the pyrazine camp coupled to its dominant mineral profile. There is also a hint of underbrush, necco-wafer-candy-dustiness and black currant. The acid is high; tannins are an inside-cheek-gum grabbing medium-plus; the wine has 13% abv. A nice wine for $15 retail [Liner & Elsen].

Although these notes are mine, I enjoyed watching Erica nail this in blind tasting group this morning. By the time I got a chance to sink my teeth into it, the wine had been open for six hours with a half bottle air gap. This is a clear indication the wine will benefit from decanting.  Eat it with something meaty and fried!

Anthony Garcia
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Köstritzer has been making beer since 1543. Nice.

Anthony Garcia
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The palate is delightful, rich and velvety, solidly medium-bodied, giving moderate to moderate-plus acidity and moderate to almost moderate-plus tannin. The red fruits and stony minerality come through with an added strawberry rhubarb pie essence emerging; the white pepper and cola notes remain.  This is a very sumptuous style of Beaujolais where the tannins are just a little higher than you’d expect and the acid’s just a touch lower.

Anthony Garcia
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Happy Thanksgiving!

Anthony Garcia
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Learning might not exactly be the word I should use, but rather I’m assimilating to a new palate language. Moreover, I have resisted the temptation to go over-analytical or academic on understanding this new cuisine.  As this is not how anyone learns food. Japanese kids aren’t given a manual explaining how their food should smell and taste; therefore, I want the development of my palate language to be subtle, natural and unforced.  I also resist the temptation to think, “Oh, I got this” or “I understand this right away,” like neophytes to wine often do, mistaking their enthusiasm for experience or discernment.

So what is a palate language? It’s not really about words.  It’s more about picturing in my mind what Japanese cuisine [both food and beverage] feels like, making its essence a matter of fact or second nature as in socialization.  What’s more, I can see why Biwa is so busy. Guests dine at a very reasonable price point in a casual, yet intimate room and experience a new palate language, too.

What I have learned thus far
Pronounced food flavors and subtle drinks: It’s ironic that Japanese food [to a Western palate] should have so many pronounced flavors: salty, fermented, vinegary and soy, while Japanese drinks such as sake are very subtle.  If one looks at wine, the main drink accompaniment to better dining in the Western world, you’ll notice by comparison, it is not very subtle.  With its higher acid framework, wine cuts through flavors and gets noticed.  Or take shochu, the famous distillate of Southern Japan, this is a subtler drink than its Western cousins vodka, rum and gin. Shochu has a lower abv, which quietly presents its flavor profile.

Rice is sticky: The next thing I’ve noticed is the main starch, rice, is way stickier than the starches of Western cuisine [caveat: I’m not talking about starch as a plat principal, but as a condiment]. When enjoying Japanese food with rice, you’re introducing a stickier texture into the mix.  Even when I’m bussing tables, sticky rice is everywhere on the table, on the floor, on my hands and my clothes. It’s easy to see why it’s an integral part life. Overall, texture is very important in understanding Japanese food and drink. There’s palate weight and feel to the cuisine, which I’m just now starting to grasp, and I’m learning the impression of balance is different in Japanese cooking than its impression in Western cuisine.

Slurping is fun: The third thing, I’ve noticed, thus far, is Westerners cannot separate the cuisine from the manner in which it is eaten with chopsticks, and in the case of noodles, slurped. It’s part of the whole dining package and part of the fun. I can’t tell you how happy I am on a night off after having a couple of drinks, coming in to Biwa and slurping down a bowl of Ramen with Anne. And even though I suck at using chopsticks, it just feels right. Additionally, in Eastern cuisine, diners will pick up a bowl of broth and put the rim of the bowl directly on their mouths to eat. That’s awesome, not going to do that at Jean-Georges!

But other than learning a handful of things on Japanese cuisine, I’ve got a long ways to go. Kana has offered me the wine list to manage and curate, which I’m thrilled to do, but I didn’t want to begin until I started getting my palate language down a little. I’ll need to be able to switch back and forth between my refined Western palate and my developing Eastern palate. This is important when serving [mainly Western] guests: to know and recommend, you’d probably still enjoy a glass of wine with your pork belly, but most definitely, you would rather drink sake with saba nanbanzuke.

Anthony Garcia
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The color is 24-carat yellow gold with a smidge of cloudiness and a pristine ultra-fine mousse. The bouquet is intense and complex: ginger, apple butter, quince paste, honey, baked pear, gardenia, brett, clove, and light vanilla. The demi-sec palate displays all the complexity of the nose adding lemon custard, grilled and caramelized peaches, and roasted pineapple. The abv is 6.9%.

One of the greatest ciders you’ll taste, served in a chalice at Bushwhacker Cider; $20 for the 750ml bottle. Split one with a friend; you’ll be glad you did. 

Anthony Garcia
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I came to find out my rain pants sort of suck, the jacket works marvelously, the lights on my bike are as important as my helmet, and that I should expect to change my socks as soon as I hit the door at work. All in all, not a bad initiation.

There’s a reason why Portland restaurant service is casual. Much of the staff of a restaurant are bike commuters or car-less. Many of the patrons are in fact as well. Half hour after I started my shift, two gentlemen in their early fifties came in all rain-geared out, fresh off their bikes, soaked on the outside, dry underneath; they hung up their protective layers and sat down to enjoy a meal.  Portland’s just a more casual “get it done” kind of city, the opposite of stuffy.  Sort of refreshing, if not just a little wet at times, too.

Anthony Garcia
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