Pairing - Musicians and Wine

05/30/2019

A Quote from a favorite movie BOTTLE SHOCK> “Wine is sunlight, held together by water." The poetic wisdom of the Italian physicist, philosopher, and stargazer, Galileo Galilei. It all begins with the soil, the vine, the grape. The smell of the vineyard - like inhaling birth. It awakens some ancestral, some primordial... anyway, some deeply imprinted, and probably subconscious place in my soul.

04/16/2018

A Chianti wine is any wine produced in the Chianti region, in central Tuscany, Italy. It was historically associated with a square bottle enclosed in a straw basket, called a fiasco.

Pair it with this!

Making Pizza at Pop's Place!

10/18/2016

So I took a year off to study more about fine wines and traveled the world to see a number of musical acts before continuing to offer my advice on wine and musician pairings. –No not really, but I did drink a lot of really good wine and enjoyed listening to some amazing musical acts.

I have previously hesitated to pair one of my absolute favorite singer/songwriters, Jesse Terry, with a bottle of wine. You see, Jesse’s music is both complicated and simple. It can be sad and/or uplifting, personal or observational. His songs may be ballads or uptempo. Jesse is a road warrior but makes you feel right at home. He’s the zen master of connecting and communicating with his audience. His performances always feel very intimate.

So how can I possibly summarize Jesse's attributes and choose a bottle of wine?

Jesse is fresh, he's casual, he’s consistent, and he’s friendly. Sort of what I think about with a California Zinfandel.

7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel from Lodi, California has these same characteristics. It’s also fresh, carefree, youthful, and friendly.

Lodi, California is south of Sacramento, east of San Francisco, and because of the regions easy-going weather, these Zinfandels are generally smooth richly flavored red wines.

7 Deadly Zins Zinfandel has characteristics of raspberry, molasses, cinnamon and has absorbed a pleasant oakiness (my spellcheck says this is not a word). Again, simple, fresh, friendly, and for less than $20 a bottle.

Catch Jesse Terry and others in concert this Saturday night at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Berwyn, PA at 7:00pm.

http://spotlight.trinityberwyn.com

- Ed Ward

02/15/2015

Here's where the rubber meets the road.

02/10/2015

Humble Wine & Musician

Most people would not think to use the adjective humble when describing either wine or music. After all, Oenophiles (wine geeks) have the reputation of being snobs. And, musicians? Any number of descriptive attributes come to mind for a musician: humble typically is not one of them.

The Wine:

This past weekend I had the privilege of participating in a wine tasting at the Va La Winery in nearby Avondale, Pennsylvania. If you’re heading south of Philadelphia, it’s a few miles past Longwood Gardens in heart of mushroom country.

Va La offers wine tastings to the general public just about every weekend (weather permitting) and as long as they have wine available. Yes, I said available. Why wouldn’t they have wine available? To start, they only produce about 750 cases of wine per season. Being a small 6.7 acre farm, they produce only four types of wines, and all of them will knock your socks off.

Anthony Vietri, the owner and vintner of the Va La winery labels himself a farmer -- but don’t let that modest label fool you. Anthony and his family run arguably one of the best vineyards on the entire east coast. The Daily Meal lists them as one of the top 101 wineries in America, and this list includes the west coast as well -- pretty good company for a small micro-winery located in the midst of the mushroom farms of Chester County. It's here that Va La winery has set the bar high for other Pennsylvania wineries.

At my tasting, Anthony graciously explained the four different types of soil that he grows his unique blend of varietal grapes in. Each type of soil produces just one type of wine. The grapes that Anthony cultivates grow well only in a few different places on the planet (Northern Italy’s Piedmont and now Avondale, Pa.). These are the same grapes that legendary Italian Barolos wines are born from.

Accolades, competitions, or publication ratings don’t mean much to Va La. For Anthony it’s all about the terroir, the fruit, the wine, and the family he has crafted / his family. He gets that wine is meant to be enjoyed with others, and that a good wine can be the cornerstone of a meaningful gathering of friends and family.

My favorite of the Va La wines was the 2011 “Mahogany”, bottle #1443, but I could easily recommend any of the four types of wine that they have produced this past year.

As good as Anthony’s wine is, the experience of sharing this with close friends, tasting wines paired with bread, cheese and chocolate in the award winning upstairs tasting room with a very friendly and generous Anthony Vietri and Va La staff was wonderful.

I know this is a very common story that is heard over and over at Va La. I could go on, but check it out for yourself their well designed website to learn more about the Va La experience (www.valavineyards.com).

The Musician (excerpts from Craig’s website):

It has been said that Craig Bickhardt is an old-school singer/songwriter. Maybe you've heard echoes of folk artists such as Gordon Lightfoot and the melodic sophistication of a Paul Simon. It’s clear to me that Woodie Guthrie must have been a mentor to Craig in the formative days of Craig’s career.

“I think people come to my shows to be reminded that there’s something profound in the small stuff we experience every day,” he says. “My goal is to get an audience to look deeper at the things we all take for granted.”

When Craig steps onto a concert stage, he comes equipped with his trusty, acoustic guitar. A side musician or two will frequently join him, and if you are lucky it maybe his daughter who is an amazing vocalist in her own right. Craig is also accompanied by something invisible, yet ever-present: the stories of a lifetime, vividly translated into words and melody.

There is something very personal, authentic, and humble about Craig. He’s like your favorite uncle, or your favorite old pair of blue jeans. He’s going to make you appreciate what you have, and tell you his perspective on what life is all about.

Over the wine cellar door at Va La are the words “Something, where there should be nothing”. Call it modesty, mindfulness, or an appreciation for the simplicity of life. These two entities belong together -- and, they definitely better with age.

Enjoy Criag Bickhardt (www.craigbickhardt.com) and Jack Sundrud (of Poco, www.jacksundrud.com) and their fourth annual Valentines Day Concert at Burlap and Bean (www.burlapandbean.com) , February 14, 2015 @ 8:00 pm. Opening will be special guest Lizanne Knot.

-Ed Ward

12/30/2014

Caitlin Canty at Burlap & Bean, January 22, 2015 @ 8:00pm

Leicester Bangs an arts and music blog spot has described Caitlin’s latest album as a graceful, sophisticated recording, with elements of dark Americana and folk flirting with a mature almost-but-not-quite jazz ambience. These words seem to be most appropriate for Caitin’s genre of music. I might add intimate and soulful to her significant list of growing attributes. It’s clear that Caitlin is at the wheel, she knows where she’s going, and we are going to enjoy the ride.

IMHO Caitlin’s music just may be best suited for the intimate coffee house scene like Burlap & Bean Coffee. Although I don’t smoke, I get a strong visual of the dimly lit smoky cafe whilst listening to Caitlin’s soulful offerings.

Pairing a wine with this Americana singer came easy as I went right to one of my favorites, and it can be easily found at some of the better stocked Pennsylvania State Liquor Stores.

2011 Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah (approximately $24)

This is an amazing Syrah (red) wine from the Columbia Valley, Washington. The wine has a brief but interesting history. The Syrah was originally introduced a dozen years ago after wildfires destroyed the surrounding hillsides of the vineyard. It was supposed to be one-off release, but the smoke and ash created a residual flavor in the grapes that was undeniably good. Ten vintages later the wine keeps its flavor and story going. Wine experts will tell you that it’s a rich dark wine that will hit you with a momentary burst of fruitiness. Blackberries, cherries, currants, toasted oak, a bit of pepper, and of course the smoke leave you with a dry and delectable finish.

The B&B Coffee Chips & Salsa should be a nice compliment to the wine, as this Syrah will come to life with salty and fatty foods.

Caitlin Canty is a unique and amazing artist with an intimate vibrant style that clearly matches well with the Owen Roe Ex Umbris Syrah. They are both serious players in their respective fields this should make for a magical evening.

Enjoy.

-Ed

12/14/2014

Caitlin Canty will be performing at Burlap & Bean Coffee on January 22 2015. Look for my wine recommendation next week. For more info on the evenings activities go to: http://www.burlapandbean.com/events.htm
-Ed

Burlap and Bean Coffee is an Independent Coffeehouse and Small Batch Coffee Roasting Company located in the Western Suburbs of Philadelphia. Our onsite Roasting Facility is Certified Organic by the USDA and 100% of the Coffee we Source is Organic and Fair Trade Certified.

12/14/2014

WRITTEN FOR KERRI POWERS CONCERT AT BURLAP & BEAN ON DECEMBER 12, 2014:

I am anointing myself the new expert on pairing wine and music. Yes, you heard me correctly. B&B is a BYOB, so it will be important to have the right bottle of wine as you are listening to the performing artist.

Kerri Power's voice has been described as both authoritative and supple. There is something organic and grassy about her style of music.

Therefore I am recommending a Gewürztraminer Wine to be paired with her pending performance this Friday night. The Gewürztraminer grape performs well in cooler climates, where Kerri is originally from (New England) and it has a floral and more sweeter vibrant citrus taste than that of a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. A few of the better bottles of Gewürztraminer are out of the Alsace Region of France, and these appellations tend to be dryer and spicier. I've also have purveyed excellent bottles from California and Washington as well. Consider this pairing with the B&B Cheese Tray. It may take a bit of searching at the state store, but you will not be disappointed with this selection of wine along with the music, as they both standup brilliantly on there own!