A Texas Two Step: Wine and 'Cue

See, it's still summer in Hill Country too!

A TEXAS TWO STEP: WINE AND 'CUE
Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 7 PM

Hill Country
30 W. 26th St. (bet. B'way & 6th Ave.)

Dance on down to Texas while staying in town with a mouthwatering four-course Texas wine and barbecue tasting. Hill Country's own wine director and pit master will be on hand to talk about the Texan style of each carefully paired course and give tours of their famous 'cue pits. Stick around after dinner and ring in the fall with a complimentary cocktail and the first ever Hill Country Texas Two-Step Tuesday! Call 212-255-4544 and mention "Zagat Presents"
($65 for four courses with wine, Two-Stepping starts at 8:30).

A First: A Contest on The Blog

It's a first for WhiteTrash BBQ - A contest! I'm giving away a copy of "He Said Beer, She Said Wine." Keep reading and find out how to get a copy for yourself.

Finally a book about wine and beer for the rest of us; "He Said Beer, She Said Wine" by Dogfish Head brewery founder Sam Calagione and renowned sommelier Marnie Old and published by DK Publishing just this month.

I loved this book.

Beer is traditionally the drink of choice when it comes to barbecue, but as barbecue expands to grilling and more "exotic" foods face the flames, many people are searching for the right wine for the meal. Others still reach for that beer but are growing bored with the mass produced brews.

So what do you do? Which beer will make him happy with Carpet Bagger Steak? Which wine is right for Tuna Confit? Don't know? "He Said Beer, She Said Wine" will help provide the answer.

"He Said Beer, She Said Wine" is written in a style that pairs beers and wines together with real foods for a meal. It's written so that even the most novice wine or beer drinker can learn what makes a good wine and deciphers all that vinology gobbledygook without making the reader feel like a real dumb ass. And it makes beer accessible and desirable to the wine snob all the while singing its praises for the great unwashed.

Beer is not the plebeian drink and wine is not just for the Rockefellers. In "He Said Beer, She Said Wine," we can all get along.

Want your free copy of "He Said Beer, She Said Wine?" All you have to do is answer the following five questions and send your responses, with a valid return email address to me.

1. The Kansas City Barbeque Society is the largest barbecue sanctioning organization in the country. Name two others.
2. Who is the Baron of Barbecue?
3. What is the difference between barbecue and grilling?
4. Who does WhiteTrash BBQ turn to for wine advice?
5. Besides barbeque, what is WhiteTrash BBQ's other food obsession?
   

All answers can be found here on the blog. This contest is open only to residents of the United States. All responses are due no later than Midnight on Saturday, April 12, 2008. The winner will be chosen at random from all correct responses. The winner will be announced on Monday April 14, 2008. My decisions are final.

Good luck and thanks for playing!

BBQ and Wine

Here's something I really don't know anything about - what wine to drink with BBQ. I'm a dyed in the wool beer drinker with Bass Ale, John Courage (which is no longer available in the United States damn it!) and Porkslap Ale being my current favorites, but every once in a while I get asked to recommend a wine to drink with the Que. I usually refer people over to my buddy Lenn and Lenndevours, or the fine folks over at Wine Sediments, but here's a list of five of the best wines for your BBQ from the Wall Street Journal.

- Malbec from Argentina: What´s a more popular summertime food than barbecued meat? And with barbecued meat -- ribs, burgers, steaks, you name it -- there are few tastier wines than Malbec. It`s a red wine that tastes like ripe blackberries bursting with fruit, with some smoke and black pepper. Just a few good names to look for are Alamos (Bodega Catena Zapata), Altos Las Hormigas, Bodega Norton, Catena, Finca Flichman and Navarro Correas.

- Beaujolais: One of the many great things about Beaujolais is that it pairs with just about any kind of food. Beaujolais also can be served at all temperatures.

- Riesling: It`s light, delightful, mouth-watering and oh-so-easy to drink. Germany is the classic home of Riesling -- look for Riesling Kabinett on the label and you`ll be fine -- but more good Riesling is being made in the U.S., too, especially in northern states such as Michigan and New York. Riesling also is somewhat trendy at the moment, so serving this wine at your gathering will show your good taste.

- Sauvignon Blanc from Chile: It`s hard to beat the value of Chilean wine. We recently bought a case of Concha y Toro "Casillero Del Diablo" Sauvignon Blanc that cost just $6.63 a bottle (with a case discount). Among many other good names are Anakena, La Playa, Miguel Torres, Morande and Santa Rita.

- Vinho Verde: This wine from Portugal is especially good on sunny days because it`s so refreshing. Vinho Verde is almost colorless, with some spritz that adds to the fun of it. It`s a food-friendly wine, good with three-cheese pizza and seafood prepared any way. Among good names to look for are Arca Nova, Casal Garcia, Famega, Gazela and Portal do Fidalgo. (The Wall Street Journal)