DIRTY SPAGHETTI AND CHÂTEAU de SAINT COSME CÔTES DU RHÔNE ‘25

Posted on September 7, 2026 by Jim

Dirty Spaghetti?  No, it’s not a Clint Eastwood western.  It’s more like New Orleans meets Abruzzo… a recipe that riffs off dirty rice… and a change of pace recipe that called to me!  True, I do enjoy tomato based sauces such as Bolognese; and garlic and oil recipes such as broccoli rabe & sausage.  But this recipe seemed both safe (meaning familiar main ingredients and seasonings), and new (meaning a trip to places unknown).

Wine?  Comfort food (like this tasty spaghetti dish) deserves comfort food wine; and I have a quartet of wines that are my go-to for every-day-serve-it-with-everything drinking: Barbera from Piedmont, Valpolicella from Veneto, Montepulciano from Abruzzo and Côtes du Rhône from France. These wines with different vsrietals from different wine producing zones, and yet they share common personality traits that make their wines interchangeable when it comes to matching them with food.  And to prove my point, a spaghetti dish doesn’t demand an Italian wine, a Côtes du Rhônes can work to a “T.” (Conversely, a Valpolicella would do well with Coq au Vin!)

I chose a wine I recently used in a tasting of Value Priced Wines: 2025 Château de Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône. This is an excerpt from my review: “A lush impenetrable hue with flavors and palate presence to match.  100% Syrah, rare for a CDR sourced from vineyards in the Southern Rhône. Delicious, bold without being “over the top”. Other wine recommendations? Any of the aforementioned wines from Italy would do fine, as would Primitivo from Apulia and a modest Sangiovese from Tuscany.

Château de Saint Cosme Côtes du Rhône ’25 (Rhône, France) 
Saint Cosme Côtes-du-Rhône is produced from 100% Syrah and is from the stony Villafranchian terraces of the Gard. The vineyards are known for their limestone sand, red clay, and pebbles, which give a freshness and intensity to the Syrah grapes. The wine is partially destemmed, fermented with natural yeasts, and vinified in concrete vats. The 2025 is a vibrant, expressive red that showcases the freshness and purity of the southern Rhône. Aromas and flavors of blackberry, black cherry, violet and cracked black pepper are accented by sandalwood and subtle spice, leading to a silky, medium-bodied palate with refined tannins and a long, elegant finish. A versatile and beautifully balanced wine, it’s an excellent companion to grilled meats, roasted vegetables and hearty Mediterranean cuisine.

DIRTY SPAGHETTI

Ingredients

6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
A Goodly amount of Ice
1 box Spaghetti
1 lb Ground beef
8 oz Italian Sausage or Andouille Sausage. Diced
1 Red Bell Pepper diced
1 Green Bell Pepper diced
1 Yellow Onion diced
2 Cloves Garlic finely minced
3 tbsp Flour
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 packet of Onion Soup mix
3 cups Beef Broth
Chives

Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.  Once cooked, drain and set aside.

3. Spray large skillet with Pam. Over medium high heat cook ground beef and diced sausages for 5-7 minutes until browned. Drain excess grease.

4. Add diced peppers and diced onion.  Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes ‘til vegetables are softened.

5, Add garlic and cook another 1 minute ‘til fragrant.

6. Sprinkle flour over the skillet and mix well.

7. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire Sauce, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning and onion soup mix.  Stir together.

8. Turn heat up to high and pour beef broth 1 cup at a time, stirring between each cup. Continue to cook about 3 minutes, until mixture thickens.

9. Remove from heat.  Add spaghetti, thoroughly mixing with meat sauce.

10. Garnish with fresh cut chives & serve.

n.b. I eliminated the green bell pepper (Sandy finds them disagreeable) and used a mix of red, orange & yellow mini-peppers

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GRILLED SAUSAGES W/BROCCOLINI & POTATOES and M. Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône Belleruche Blanc ‘25

Posted on June 10, 2026 by Jim

This recipe moves outdoor comfort food up a notch, even though its prep and assembly is deceptively simple and direct. And for me it begins with the selection of sausages, and for that we turn to the Alpine Wurst & Meat House of Honesdale, PA. Alpine has been my go-to source for all manner of sausages, mini cocktail franks and such for several years now.  Luckily Alpine is available locally thru the Shop Rite chain in CT; but I have also purchased directly thru their online site. I can’t say enough about the quality of their product range. But two words will suffice: just terrific! For this recipe I put their 4 sausage “variety pack” into play: one each of bratwurst, bauernwurst, weisswurst & krainerwurst.  Trust me, the selection makes the end result sing!

For wine, either a chilled “bistro” white or red will work here.  I selected a Côtes du Rhône Blanc made by one of the Rhône’s preeminent producers: Chapoutier.  Well known for making reference point wines in Hermitage, Chapoutier also produces well-made wines on a modest scale. The Belleruche Blanc had plenty of flavor to stand up to the grilled sausages and sides.  An Alsatian Pinot Gris would do well here, as would a Dry Riesling from Mosel.  On the red side I just tasted an insane Grenache from Navarra, Domaines Lupier ‘El Terroir’ Tinto ’23, that I can highly recommend.

M. Chapoutier Côtes du Rhône Belleruche Blanc ’25 (Rhône, France)
A very attractive and typical white Rhône blend of Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette and Bourboulenc mostly from the right bank of the Rhône with limestone soils.  Bright golden yellow hue with intense and expressive aromas of apricot, fennel and floral scents.  Complex and very elegant. The wine’s roundness is a perfect match for its freshness. And the finish reveals subtle notes of aniseed.

GRILLED SAUSAGES W/BROCCOLINI & POTATOES

Ingredients

Broccolini
1 bunch of broccolini
1 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves minced
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2-3 slices of lemon

Potatoes
2 medium-sized Yukon gold potatoes, cut into wedges
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves

Sausages
1 lb Whatever floats your boat
6 ounces of Tanqueray Gin
½ ounce of Noilly Pratt Dry Vermouth
3 Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives
A Goodly amount of Ice

Directions

1. Put gin and vermouth into a glass pitcher, fill with ice, stir vigorously while incanting, “You who know all, thank you for providing us juniper and all the other obscure ingredients responsible for creating this sacred liquid!” Strain into a pre-frozen Martini glass of admirable size.  Skewer the olives on one of those tacky cocktail swords, place in glass. Immediately begin consuming.  Now you can begin the food prep, and the cooking!

2. Preheat Grill to high.

3. Assemble the potatoes. Put the wedges into a small aluminum baking tin, drizzle evenly with olive oil, sprinkle with Italian seasoning, and top with garlic cloves & bay leaves.  Seal the tin with aluminum foil tightly.

4. Assemble broccolini. Put the bunch into a small aluminum baking tin, drizzle evenly with olive oil and toss with minced garlic, salt & pepper and top with lemon slices. Seal the tin with aluminum foil tightly.

5. Place tin with potatoes on grill.  Cook 10 minutes in covered grill.

6. Add tin with broccolini to the grill and cook an additional 10 minutes

7. Check veggies.  Potatoes should be fork tender, and broccolini should be slightly crisp.  Adjust cooking time if necessary. Remove from grill.

8. Put sausages on the grill to heat.  Turn to heat evenly.

9. Plate. Dig in.

sausages et al .jpeg

n.b. I modified this recipe for 2.  But it is easily scalable. The original recipe called for making “foil packets” for the potatoes and broccolini.  Foil packets are a pain in the tail. I find using  aluminum tins infinitely more efficient.  Also, I use pre-cooked sausages which streamlines the cooking process.  If you go the fresh sausage route, then begin cooking the sausages when you put the broccolini on the grill. 

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The Bagel Dialogues

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Jim

It begins Monday morning.  Sometime between midnight and 2:00am.  I am up to pee, or think, I’m going to pee, and in this interlude to sleep I begin to plot my strategy for “Bagel Wednesday”.  Bagel Wednesday?  I’ll get to that.

Let us return briefly to Monday 1:09am: I won’t do lox and cream cheese on an open-faced bagel.  Ever!  It’s so “Long Island”! Has to be a sandwich. Maybe with capers and a slice of red onion added? Capers? Capers have to be a British thing… non-rhotic speakers who drop their “R’s”… like they do in Long Island. Capers are ok, And so is a slice of ripe tomato. AND, once I acquire the bagels, we have all the fixings!

For many Jews the tradition is to have bagels on Sunday.  In fact at one time it was a tradition that I participated in… bagels along with the Sunday New York Times. For the goyim (Yiddish for anyone else) bagels are a workweek regular.  Something quick to eat on the go (forget the protein shake people who are just a bunch of smarty-pants-in-your-face health weirdos).  Years ago Sandy and I moved bagels to Wednesday because our Sunday mornings are given over to breakfast out at a favorite eatery and then on to grocery shopping for the week.  And besides, bagels are not a restaurant thing.  Bagels, like good Chinese food, are for “in-home” consumption.

Monday 2:16am:  Although I like a good “everything” bagel, I think I’m going to get a plain bagel this time.  Plain & not to be toasted.  When I cut a bagel open and if it doesn’t have the proper fresh feel, then I will have to toast it.  And I don’t like a toasted bagel with lox , cream cheese &c.  If it’s not fresh enough, what is my fall-back?  A bacon, egg and cheese is a good option for a toasted bagel.  But then I have to switch to an everything bagel. Yes, a toasted “everything” bagel is really THE call for a bacon, egg and cheese.  Sandy thinks that a bacon, egg and cheese on a bagel is a cultural travesty.

When I was a kid we didn’t have an “everything” bagel.  The selection was: plain, egg, raisin, pumpernickel, and then, onion, sesame seed, salt, poppy seed and garlic.  The latter five have been combined and morphed into the modern “everything” bagel.  A contemporary invention I do enjoy.  I’d like to think that there is someone out there with a hyphenated name like Pennington-Smythe, who would go to the counter and ask, “I would like an ‘everything’ bagel, but without the poppy seeds and garlic.  Can you do that?”

Monday 3;49am: Nuts! I’m just not interested in the extra prep for a bacon-egg and cheese. I knew this was going to be a problem. I wonder if Dostoyevsky fretted over what type of bagel to eat? What are we to believe when he writes: “I am a sick man. I am a spiteful man. I am an unattractive man.”  This guy could use a good psychiatrist!  Or, a bagel! OR, a psychiatrist WITH a bagel! Wait! I could do a toasted bagel with peanut butter. OR, even better, peanut butter on a toasted raisin cinnamon bagel!  And peanut butter is almost healthy, right? But what happens if the bagel is really fresh?  Am I prepared to lose that freshness to the toaster? Besides, peanut butter edges too close to what a protein shake weirdo might consume!

The history of the bagel is clouded in the fog of time and legend.  Most commonly it traces back to 17th century Kraków, although evidence exists that date it back even further.  And some suggest that the pretzel from Germany, brought to Poland, was the inspiration.  Regardless of the ultimate origin, by the mid-17th century the bagel was a bread staple in Polish Jewish communities.  Simply put:  wheat dough was shaped by hand into a ring, briefly boiled in water, and then baked. The result is a dense, chewy, doughy interior with a browned and sometimes crisp exterior. The name derives from the Yiddish word beygal (בײגל) from the German dialect word beugel, meaning “ring” or “bracelet”. Meaning, when Mr. or Mrs. Pennington-Smythe orders a bagel from Dunkin Donuts they are unwittingly speaking Yiddish. From Poland the bagel made its way to America in the mid-19th century, brought to our shores by Polish immigrants who settled in New York’s Lower East Side.

Tuesday 2:08am: I wish LaBonne’s still offered French Toast bagels.  It’s a great cold weather option.  Toast the bagel, butter it and then put a drizzle of maple syrup on it!  In a pinch I could do that with a raisin bagel, too.  But it’s almost June!  Seasonally it’s all wrong!  Oh, mortal souls! King Henry V before the battle of Agincourt! “Follow your spirit, and upon this charge Cry, God for Harry, England, Saint George and a pumpernickel bagel with cream cheese & chive!”

Tuesday: 5:00am: I have to get up and drive over to Newtown for my swim and I am still conflicted. “Oh, I am fortune’s fool!”

Not all bagels are created equal.  Just as not all pizza is created equal – and remembering that I am from New Haven, AND that has caused some enthusiastic debate (some would say, harsh words) with Sandy, loyal daughter of Brooklyn, as to whether New York pizza surpasses New Haven apizza in quality – I will happily concede that New York bagels reign supreme.  They just do.  That being said, we have a local bakery in Waterbury, Ami’s, that produces a wonderful bagel of prodigious size and faithful to the cooking process; and thankfully the bagels are delivered fresh daily to LaBonne’s here in Woodbury.  As far as bagels from institutional places like Dunkins, they should be avoided at all costs as we do pizza with ham and pineapple.  

Wednesday 12:17am: OK, maybe if I get out of bed at 4:00am I can go and pre-cook bacon before going for my swim.  That way, the nuisance part of a bacon, egg and cheese will be done before heading out for a swim.  And if I swim 2500yds instead of 1000yds it will give LaBonne’s the extra time to get hard rolls out because I’m thinking a toasted hard roll is the way to go.   And I’m thinking the hell with a bagel!      A bacon, egg & cheese on a hard roll is about as American as a breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, ham, baked beans, black pudding, grilled tomatoes, bangers & potatoes.  Never mind, that’s an English thing – but honestly?  Who wants to think about a bagel when there is an English breakfast in your mind?  

Wednesday 4:45am: LaBonne’s opens at 7:00. OK. An “everything”. Regardless of freshness, going in the toaster. Toasted well, then open faced with a slice of American cheese, slice of tomato with a sprinkle of oregano.  Resolved.  And what about next week?

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To Age Wine in Fr Oak, or American Oak?

Posted on March 29, 2026 by Jim

Many of the wine descriptions that I include in my wine tastings make note of a wine being aged in oak.  And sometimes there is this added detail: French oak or American oak.  For my part, I try to convey that a winemaker’s choice of oak is likened to a chef’s choice of a spice.  And, for example, it’s not just a matter of quantity of pepper to use, but what type of pepper.  Green peppercorn? White peppercorn? And chefs are sensitive to the nuances that each type will bring to the recipe in play.  So, too, the winemaker making a specific choice in oak.

I came across an excellent article delving into the importance of oak choice in producing the wines we love. I am including it below.  Yes, it’s a bit long. Please study it carefully.  I will ask questions at the next tasting you attend.  And you will be graded.

***

 French Oak v. American Oak. Which barrel makes wine taste better?

Oak barrels have been associated with transporting and aging wine for thousands of years, but for all their ubiquity, not all oak is the same. In fact, the choice of barrel, depending on how long a wine is intended to age in it, can have a massive effect on the final character of wine that ends up in the bottle.

Oak trees grow across a wide swath of the planet, but in winemaking, the two most important sources of the wood are France and the United States. There are significant differences between them, and the ways in which they impact the wine in your glass are many and potentially profound.

“Broadly speaking, winemakers often choose American oak for its bold, toasty impact, richness, and sweeter aromatics, while French oak is preferred for its elegant framing of wine, fine tannins, and respect for varietal expression,” says Nicholas Keeler, North American sales manager for Tonnellerie Allary and owner and winemaker for Authentique Wine Cellars, The Corridor, and Leisure wines in Oregon.

“But within those generalizations lies an entire universe of decisions: cooperage house style, forest of origin, grain tightness, stave seasoning duration and microclimate, stave thickness, wood bending techniques, toasting temperature and duration, and more. Every one of those factors leaves a tangible fingerprint on the finished wine.”

Bruce Devlin, winemaker at Ballentine Vineyards in Napa Valley, agrees. “I believe that tight grain and loose grain are where the differences truly commence, with loose grain contributing more tannins and tight grain focusing more on aromatics,” he says. “The forest has a definite impact, as does the cooper.”

Like in grape sourcing, where the wood comes from and the terroir in which it’s grown has an impact on the final product. “Much like grapes, [trees] can also express their terroir,” says Devlin. “We’ve sourced [American] oak from Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Minnesota. Our French oak has come from all over France, from Vosges to Tronçais and Fontainebleau. We also use a little Hungarian oak on Chenin Blanc. I always like to say American oak is big, bold, and brash; French oak is smoother, more subtle, and luxurious in most cases.”

What makes American oak so special?

“When we talk about oak in winemaking, it’s essential to recognize that not all oak is created equal,” says Keeler. “While several species are broadly referred to as ‘American White Oak,’ Quercus alba is by far the most prevalent species used for wine barrels in the United States.” 

That species has a significant economic advantage, says Keeler, noting that it “can be quarter-sawn without risking leakage, allowing coopers to yield nearly twice as many rough staves from a single log compared to French oak.”

That difference in the volume of stave production helps make American-oak barrels generally much less expensive than their French counterparts. And when a winery is aging their reds and whites in dozens or even hundreds of oak barrels each year, the impact on the bottom line can be significant.

American oak also brings a unique set of aromas and flavors to wine, depending on how it’s been toasted or charred. 

“American oak is a denser, looser grained, and heavier wood compared to French oak,” says Laura Oskwarek, winemaker for Silver Oak in Napa Valley. “American oak is less tannic, and the aromatic profiles vary significantly with American oak having higher levels of lactones and vanillin. This has the potential to impart more sweet coconut and vanilla aromas in the wine … We find that American oak contributes a creamy, plusher style to the palate.”

What makes French oak so special?

French oak barrels are typically crafted from two different species of oak, Quercus robur, or English oak,and Quercus petraea, also known as sessile oak. Unlike American oak, French staves must be carefully split along the grain in order to ensure they remain liquid-tight. This adds to the cost, which is one reason why French oak barrels tend to be so expensive.

For winemakers who are looking for the character imparted by French oak, there is little to compare. “French oak offers a very different expression,” says Keeler. “Higher tannin content, greater respect for fruit character, and a more structural approach to [aging in the barrel].”

Of course, just like with wine grapes, the microclimate and terroir of where an oak tree has grown will have an impact on its final character. This is why many top cooperages offer barrels crafted from wood sourced from a range of forests.

“In my experience selling barrels and working closely with winemakers, the character of specific forest origins cannot be denied,” says Keeler. “For instance, at Tonnellerie Allary—a cooperage I know intimately—a Chardonnay aged in Vosges oak will show darker notes, whereas the same wine aged in Allier oak will preserve more purity of fruit. Tronçais oak, famed for its fine grain and elegant power, offers a noble richness. Of course, not every winemaker wants or needs to dive that deeply into forest nuance; many prefer to rely on a trusted cooper to deliver a house style aligned with their goals, which is equally valid.”

Ballentine’s Devlin observes that more patience may be required for French oak characteristics to be best integrated into a wine. “French oak arrives swiftly for a brief impact, then requires time to work into and with the wine…[it] has a bit more allure,” he says.

Why a winemaker might choose one over the other

The ultimate character of the wine in your glass is typically a result of the place where the grapes were grown, the ways in which they were farmed, when they were picked, the weather of the vintage, and countless decisions made by the winemaker once the fruit has been harvested. The choice of whether to age a wine in barrel at all—and what type of barrel to use—is one of the final opportunities that a winemaker will have to control the nature of the wine before bottling.

In other words, the choice of barrel is of immense importance.

“There are so many choices a winemaker or producer must make to achieve the style of wine they are trying to create,” says Oskwarek. “The decisions surrounding barrel type are very important. We like American oak because it is a pillar of our brand, and we find that it supports the red fruit expression in our Cabernet Sauvignons while also adding plushness and structure.”

Devlin, on the other hand, focuses more on French oak at Ballentine Vineyards—though he also has a place for the use of American oak. 

“It’s really about wine style,” he says. “What we are doing is using all French oak for the Bordeaux varieties, and we only use minimal amounts of American oak for Zinfandel. Some varieties hold more oak, while others require less, as they stand on their own and lose too much of their character to the oak. American oak … has a big impact; it’s the loud guy in the room making sure you know he’s there. French oak is like the guy at the bar who holds the room without saying a word.”

As with so much else in the world of wine, choosing French or American oak is a remarkably complex decision, and one whose impacts can go a long way toward shaping the very nature of a specific red or white. The benefits of both are clear, albeit significantly different.

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