SAVE THE DATE! HOLIDAY PARTY!

SPECIAL COMBINED CHAPTER TASTING EVENT!

Sunday, March 24th

SPECIAL TASTING EVENT:

Franciacorta - The Other Italian Sparkling Wine

Our Regional Vice President, Rich Ryba, has arranged a Skype tasting with the Berlucchi winery at the Harmarville Comfort Inn. We have used this venue before for the Sherry tasting event and the people there are great hosts. Berlucchi is an icon in the world of Italian wine and a pioneer of the classical method in Franciacorta, whose passion gave origin to the very first Franciacorta in 1961.

We are hoping for a large turnout. Our response is an indication to this winery of how interested the American Wine Society and our region is in Franciacorta wines and in Berlucchi Winery. They are very excited about this event and we want us to reciprocate that excitement.  Specifics about the time will follow soon.

What is Franciacorta?

Most wine drinkers assume “if it’s Italian and bubbly, then it must be Prosecco”. If you like sparkling wine and Italian wines, you’re probably already know about prosecco (and Lambrusco). Well, there’s another Italian sparkling wine: Franciacorta.

If you haven’t heard of it, don’t worry. Franciacorta is one of Italy’s best kept secrets because they keep most of it for themselves. And, unlike places with a history of winemaking such as Tuscany, Franciacorta got its DOCG status as recently as 1995. But that doesn’t make it any less of a wine.  It means is there’s more to discover.

Franciacorta Is Made in The Champagne Method

Named for the region where it's produced, Franciacorta wine is made in the “Champenoise” style or Traditional Method, so Franciacorta has a lot more in common with Champagne than prosecco. That’s why you hear some refer to Franciacorta as Italian champagne. Rather than getting the sparkle from a second fermentation in the tank, as prosecco does, Franciacorta becomes carbonated during its in-bottle secondary fermentation, giving it a drier, more yeasty taste.

Don’t Call It “The Champagne of Italy" 

Yes, you’ll hear Franciacorta referred to as Italian champagne. While Franciacorta winemakers take their methods from Champagne, it remains a truly Italian wine. Yes, the name means, literally, “short France,” but that’s more of a historic reference to Charlemagne than it is to Champagne.

While Franciacorta is like Champagne in that the two primary grapes used are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, they stray from the French by allowing Pinot Blanc into the mix. The production is also heavily regulated: wines can have up to 85% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir, and 5% Pinot Blanc and each different designation of Franciacorta is required to spend specific amounts of time, aging, and contact with the yeast. 

It’s the Sparkling Wine of Choice for Italian Fashion Houses

Having been named the official wine of Milan Fashion Week several times, it’s no surprise Franciacorta wines are deeply connected to Italy’s fashion elite. That means when you see editors and celebrities sipping glasses of bubbles next to a runway, it’s almost certain those glasses are filled with Franciacorta. There’s even a designation of Franciacorta called Satèn (which must have a minimum of 50% Chardonnay and up to 50% Pinot Blanc) named for the region’s connection to Milan and the fashion industry. The Satèn style is stored at lower pressure, so its carbonation is much more smooth, like satin.

Franciacorta Is Food Friendly

As a dry sparkling wine, the pairing options for Franciacorta are pretty much endless. Polenta, delicate pastas, white fish, and roasted meats are always good options, especially considering the region’s many lakes and the fact that it’s in polenta country. Franciacorta's location in Lombardy places it in the rice bowl of Italy, which means risotto is great, too.

CHECK THE BLOGSPOT OFTEN FOR MORE DETAILS!

CLICK HERE FOR THE HOME PAGE

Leftovers again!

The REAL Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The day after Thanksgiving, or as it’s become known lately, Black Friday, is the real holiday, but not because of the sales and shopping.  No crowd, no stress, no gifts – just leftover food! If you’re like me, you have stuffing on the brain. Thanksgiving is the meal I most look forward to all year (especially when Chef Mark is doing the cooking), and that’s largely because of the leftovers sandwich that comes the next day. After the Thanksgiving dinner leftovers are stashed safely in the fridge for the night, it seems only right to give them the attention they deserve when they inevitably re-emerge the next day.

Reheated Thanksgiving dinner plate

You kept declining the offer to “make you a plate,” but they wouldn’t let you leave without it. Now, you’re hungry and that congealed mess of browns, greens and smattering of reds looks delicious. Pair it with a Beaujolais, because you’ll probably already have some left over anyway, and it worked for dinner, so it will work with a bit of everything. 

Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Villages

PRODUCT CODE: 000007237

Roast turkey (no cranberry), provolone and arugula on ciabatta sandwich

We welcome this Italian twist on an American classic and recommend pairing it with an Albariño, because sometimes there’s no need to overthink things.

Casa Do Valle Grande Escolha Vinho Verde Portugal 2014

PRODUCT CODE: 000049841

Turkey Pot Pie

The meat pie, an old American standby, goes back to the Roman Empire, when live birds were sometimes cooked under the pie crust. Don’t worry. Your bird will be cooked (twice, in fact). Pair it with a barrel-fermented chardonnay. The oak complements the turkey, gravy and crust. 

Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay Columbia Valley

PRODUCT CODE: 000006813

That last slice of pumpkin pie

The remaining slice is a sweet start to the morning after and, a glass of sherry makes everything better. If you’re going to get the jump on your holiday shopping, you might as well get a head start on eggnog, too. An Oloroso sherry makes a nice choice.

Bodegas Yuste Aurora Oloroso

PRODUCT CODE: 000074886

Green bean casserole

We have a hunch why this dish appears only once per year.  What goes best with this soggy, defrosted green bean casserole bathed in mushroom soup concentrate? If you love it, go for Sancerre. We won’t judge.

Florian Mollet Sancerre 2016

PRODUCT CODE: 000048684

Cold yams and marshmallows

Last night it was a warm, sweet side dish with butter and maple syrup. In our opinion, adding a spongy sugar confection to an already sweet carb makes it a dessert, so warm it up like you would apple pie and enjoy it with a dessert wine like a Vin Santo or a Passito di Pantelleria Ben Ryé.

Domaine Sigalas Vin Santo Santorini 2009

PRODUCT CODE: 000073743

Happy Thanksgiving from The Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Wine Society!

Click here for the blogspot!

Yortuk and Georg Approved!

The Festrunk Brothers approved!  We had a “wild and crazy” tasting last evening.  We enjoyed food and wine from Eastern Europe, thanks to many of our members.

 

The food was provided by Renee Ralke, Melissa Passafiume, Mary Ann Hirt, Doe Ferrance, Susan Randal, Terry Germanoski, Mary Eld, and Julie Underwood.  We thank all of you!

The Menu  

APPETIZERS

AJVAR (ROASTED EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPER SPREAD)

HRUDKA

SALAD

COUSCOUS SALAD

MAIN COURSE

PIEROGI

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH WITH SPAETZLE

HALUPKI (STUFFED CABBAGE)

DESSERT

BAKLAVA

AUSTRIAN APPLE CAKE

The WInes

Giocato Chardonnay 2015 (#18239  $11) from Slovenia  100% Chardonnay 

White Dry 2015 (#49103  $16) from Armenia Armavir  70% Kangoun 30% Rkatsiteli

Wines of Illyria Blatina 2012 (#99327  $16) from Hercegovina  100% Blatina

Kavaklidere  Çankaya 2015 from Anatolia Emir, Narince, Sultana blend

Carski Emporia Rose Mostar 2016 (#38913  $16) from Hercegovina  100% Blatina

Wines of Illyria Stone Cuvee 2014 (#9326  $16) from Hercegovina  90% Zilavka 10% Bena

Wines of Illyria Vranac 2012 (#37751  $17) from Hercegovina  100% Vranac

Wines of Illyria Plavac Mali 2012 (#38654  $18) from Hercegovina  100% Plavac Mali

Click here for the blogspot

Board Member Elections Tomorrow!

Board Member Nominations Accepted

Chairperson                     Thom Harding

Vice-Chairperson             Kevin Dering

Treasurer                         Robert Dering

Membership Chair           Santina Balestriere

Program Chair                 Melissa Passafiume

Procurement Chair          Terry Germanoski

There was no nomination for the position of Secretary.  The Secretary's duties will be assumed by the Program Chair.

The voting will take place tomorrow, Wednesday, November 14, 2018 prior to the dinner and tasting.

You can still register for our annual nationality dinner!

Eastern Europe

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2018

Evergreen Community Center

3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

7:00

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR WINE GLASSES. 

 The cost for members or guests is $35

RESERVATIONS LIMITED TO 30 DINERS

Please reply before November 10 , 2018 to:

kedred2006@gmail.com

Or you may reply to:

 412-979-6565

or

412-979-9594

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:

Robert Dering

38 Perry Lane

Pittsburgh PA  15229

Don’t forget to visit the website for directions, useful tips, and recipes.

Click here for our homepage!

2018 Nationality Dinner!

Let me take a wild guess and say your favorite European wine country is France. There’s also a good chance that it’s Italy. Or you could be one of those people who say Portugal because of our National Tasting Project, but probably not. I’d bet a bunch of euros that none of you thought, “Ooh! The Czech Republic!” I’m also willing to bet that you may be saying it soon because some of the most exciting wines in the world come from Central European countries. Our annual Nationality Dinner will be celebrating those countries.

Central European wines aren’t, but in many ways, they’ve been forgotten. You can blame the Soviets (Russians don’t just rig elections). That’s because, despite it being more than 30 years ago, the embargo on goods from behind the Iron Curtain is still having an effect, not only in physical importing but also in reentering the wine consumer’s consciousness.

Today we have an unprecedented amount of good and great wines to choose from at the State Stores. Not only from well-established and popular wine regions, but from lesser known appellations in traditional wine-making countries and also, from other areas that, while maybe veterans in vinous elaboration, haven’t got their moment in the spotlight. Yet. . .

APPETIZER

Ajvar (Roasted Eggplant and Red Pepper spread)

SALAD

Couscous salad

MAIN COURSE

Pierogi

Chicken Paprikash with spaetzle

Halupki (Stuffed Cabbage)

DESSERT

Baklava

Austrian Apple cake

WEDNESDAY, November 14, 2018

Evergreen Community Center

3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

7:00

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR WINE GLASSES. 

 The cost for members or guests is $35

RESERVATIONS LIMITED TO 30 DINERS

Please reply before November 10 , 2018 to:

kedred2006@gmail.com

Or you may reply to:

 412-979-6565

or

412-979-9594

Mail your check, payable to AWS to:

Robert Dering

38 Perry Lane

Pittsburgh PA  15229

Don’t forget to visit the website for directions, useful tips, and recipes.

Click here for the homepage

Kraut by any other name. . .

"Gdzie jest barszcz i kwasna kapusta, tam chata tlusta."

- Polish proverb meaning "Where there is beet soup and sauerkraut, there is plenty."

History of Sauerkraut

The word sauerkraut is German for "sour cabbage" but it wasn't really invented by the Germans. It is believed laborers building the Great Wall of China over 2,000 years ago began fermenting shredded cabbage in rice wine to preserve it, so they would have a food source during the nongrowing season. Genghis Khan and his merry band of marauders brought it to Europe 1,000 years later.

In the 16th century, the Germanic peoples began dry curing cabbage with salt to extract the water from the vegetable and allowing the mixture to ferment, turning the sugars in the cabbage into lactic acid which served as a preservative. The process remains the same today. When sauerkraut was linked to the absence of scurvy in Dutch seamen, Captain James Cook, the French and other Europeans jumped on the sauerkraut bandwagon.

Early German and Dutch settlers brought their recipes for sauerkraut to the Americas along with a New Year's Day meal tradition of eating pork and sauerkraut for good luck in the coming year.

In the old days, usually in November, Eastern European families prepared for winter by putting up several barrels of sauerkraut. Depending on the size of the family and the size of the cabbage, they might ferment as many as 300 whole heads of cabbage in wooden barrels. Occasionally, along with the salt, spices like caraway seeds, wine or other vegetables were added.

By the late 1800s, the cabbage was shredded before being placed in covered crocks. If the family couldn't afford their own shredding tool, a peddler went door-to-door and performed this service for a fee.

After the cabbage had fermented to the household's liking, it was stored in a cool place and the housewife would pull out as much as she needed from the crock or barrel and prepare it primarily with pork if it was available or when times were lean and money scarce.

Sauerkraut by any other name would taste as great.

Bulgarian: kiselo zele 

Croatian-Serbian: kiseli kupus 

Czech: kysané zelí 

Latvian: skābi kāposti 

Lithuanian: rauginti kopūstai 

Polish: kiszona kapusta 

Romanian: varza murata 

Russian: kvashenaya kapusta 

Slovak: kyslá kapusta 

Slovenian: kislo zelje 

Turkish: lâhana turşusu 

Ukrainian, Hungarian: savanyú káposzta

What do the Board Members do?

The Duties of the Chairperson

1.      Meeting Facilitator

a.      Create agenda

b.      Preside at board meetings

c.       Communicate Board decisions to membership

2.      Oversee Committees

a.      Strategic planning of all committees

b.      Ensure that all activities meet the Association guidelines

3.      Community Relations

a.      As the primary public figure, the chair represents the Association

b.      Must be comfortable networking with other organizations

4.      Internal Mediation

a.      Resolve issues arising within the Association

b.      Find common ground to solve difficulties

5.      Blogspot Posting

a.      Regular posting of “Notes From the Chair”, “Wine Tips” and “Recipes” to update membership on events, tastings, and other news concerning the Chapter

6.      Relay communications from AWS National to appropriate parties

a.      Include communications from RVP

The Duties of the Vice Chairperson

1.      Wine Procurement

a.      Obtain list of required wines from speaker

b.      Purchase and store wines until the meeting

c.       Bring to meetings ready to pour (e.g. cooled whites)

2.      Manage wine-related items (bottle openers, pourers, blind-tasting bags, etc.)

a.      Clean after use

b.      Store

c.       Bring to meetings

3.      Wine Pouring

a.      Determine the correct number of bottles to open based on attendance

b.      Determine size of pours based on attendance, number of bottles available and number of wines being tasted

c.       Pour wines in correct order, as specified by speaker

4.       ‘Manage’ leftover wine

a.      Drink it up! Open bottles are yours to take home and enjoy!

b.      Keep the unopened bottles that didn’t sell for future use as auction items for fund raising.

The Duties of the Secretary

1.      Take notes during meetings/tastings

2.      Present report during meetings/tasting re: minutes; business matters

3.      Report findings of National Tasting Project in a timely manner to the National Office.

The Duties of the Treasurer

4.      Keep records of monthly revenues and expenditures

5.      Present report during business meetings re: income, expenditures, and balance

6.      Maintain checking account

a.             Make deposits

b.                        Write checks

c.              Track balance & verify with bank statements

7.      Pay all bills in a timely manner (< 1 month from date of receipt)

a.             Reimbursement of purchases for monthly

b.                        Payment of rental fees and permits

c.              Catering for special events

d.                        Speaker fees/gifts

e.              AWS Education Fund

The Duties of the Program Chair

1.      Plan and coordinate the 8 events per year

a.      6 regular meetings, including National Tasting and 2 special events

                                                              i.      Nationality dinner (May or October) and Holiday dinner (January)

2.      Advise Vice Chair of wines to be procured and served

3.      Choose a presenter for each event

a.      Checklist for presentations

4.      Choose hosts for each meeting

a.      Advise hosts of wines being served, number of attendees

b.      Provide input for table decorations and other sundries

5.      Provide wine costs to Chapter Chair three weeks prior to tasting

The Duties of the Membership Director

1.      Maintain list of current members

2.      Maintain record of guests and guests that become members

3.      Send a welcome email explaining the use of the website and how to enroll for email updates

4.      Prepare name badges for monthly meetings

5.      Present report during business meetings re: membership levels & new members

6.      Cross-check lists of national and chapter members to ensure all Pittsburgh chapter members have also paid national dues (for insurance purposes)

The Duties of the Procurement Director

1.      Procure and maintain ample supply of wine glasses for tastings

a.      Manage distribution of wine glasses and carry bags to members

b.      Provide spare wineglasses for tastings

c.       Keep record of glasses out for cleaning or on loan

2.       Maintain supply of serving items, plates, napkins, table covers for tables

Make your nominations here