Fish and Wine

Okay, so. Let's try this shall we? I have some time on my hands.

Something I love love love love love to do is eat. Not so great for my waistline, but pretty spectacular otherwise. I also love to cook.

When in Italy (Capri, specifically), I tasted the lightest, to-die-for gnocci ever — like no way in the world could any Italian-American restaurant hope to emulate it. Florence (and oh heck, most of Italy) boasted the most delicious gelato in the world. Sorrento had lemon-flavored gelato (and limoncello!) made from fresh, organic lemons grown in the area — superb!

So I suppose in an attempt to encourage my cooking more often, I'll try and fill you in here.

Tonight, my lovely friend (which is what she will be...she's my running buddy and my closest girlfriend here in Northern California, so anytime from here on out I tell you my lovely friend, that's who I'm talking about) and I are getting together as usual — we do this often — with a bottle of wine and a craving.

We're doing something special tonight, a family friend posted this salmon recipe a while back and I've been thinking about it all day. Rule number one of "dieting" is if you crave something, eat it. So with our 2006 late-harvest Zinfandel (pictures to come), we will be eating Salmon with Apricot-Peach Salsa. Sounds pretty yum, huh?

There is the question of should we do the Zin or some Tobin James "Dream Weaver" (a delicious, light champagne-type wine)? Or both? Yum yum. Too many decisions.

By the way, you will quickly find that I am a wine fanatic. It was an acquired taste, but now my some of my favorites include Tobin James' "Ballistic" (a 2007 Zin), and "Bella Bella" (2006 Barbera), Eberle Winery's 2007 Côtes-du-Rôbles (Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache), and J. Lohr's Cabernet (any year). I always like a good Riesling or Chianti, Muscat does all right but the shelf versions tend to be a bit cheap.

Locally (NorCal), I'm a fan of good labels. Yes, that's right — I judge the bottle by its label. I figure if the winery has any sense of pride in their product, they will put the money into hiring a good designer for their labels. So: good labels = decent wine. It's been foolproof so far. Current favorite is Three Blind Moose Zin and Cab. Great label. Ravenwood isn't bad, and Barefoot will do in a pinch.

Wine tip: stick to cabs, merlots, chardonnays, and zins (white and red). Those are pretty classic and hard to fudge too much — and know your pick out of those. I abhor Merlots and Chards, so I tend to not buy them and not drink them (house wine is almost always merlot and chard).

But I digress. Salmon. My wine wheel (yes, I have one) recommends light whites with fish. What do you suggest?

Check back and I'll let you know how it goes.