I’m Back! That self-serving declaration has a double meaning for me since I’ve been absent from these Style pages for a couple of months due to that same word – Back- as in that fragile rear side of the human body. And while I was recuperating from surgery, I had a lot of free time to cogitate on that liquid we all love to consume- even though I was not allowed to let that elixir I pass into my body.

I was all set to regale you with my wine appreciation version of New year’s resolutions when I had to back off. Anyway, today, I’ll reveal my vinous promises and then tell you about a few of my favorite steakhouses around the state –that have particularly deep and excellent wine lists that pair exceptionally well with your favorite cut of beef. So, let’s start with my 2026 wine resolutions.

– Try unfamiliar appellations and wines like: pinot noir from Central Otago on the South Island of New Zealand (great with grilled salmon); or the other white wine from Burgundy – Aligoté (especially good with scallops); or Aglianico, the spicy red from the Campania region of southern Italy that is a lovely match with rack of lamb.

– Explore the wines of our sister state. The wine regions around Charlottesville and up the spine of the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia have emerged as the best appellations on the east coast. I especially enjoy the cabernet franc, viognier and chardonnay produced there. Local Virginia oysters, cheeses, country ham and smoked tomato grits pair nicely with Old Dominion wines.

– Drink more sweet wines as aperitifs and with dessert. Some folks have the misconception that sweet wines are for beginning wine drinkers or the unsophisticated. I think that is a largely an American myth since a lot of us associate sweet wines with the unpleasant experiences we might have had in our youth with sugary, high alcohol products. You might try Sauternes or Barzac from France, late harvest riesling from Germany or California or Vin Santo and Moscato di Asti from Italy.

Now on to some of my favorite steakhouses. If you’ve read this column for any length of time, you know that I never mention a special wine without suggesting an appropriate food with which to pair it. For steak or meat lovers that is especially important and we are fortunate to have several eateries around West-By-Golly that are exceptional. Perhaps the most accomplished of these is the Wonder Bar Steaklhouse in Clarksburg. This Wine Spectator award winning restaurant features not only wonderful steak entrees, but also an extensive and well-priced wine list. One of the most notable wines on their list is Sassicaia- that Super Tuscan blend of predominately cabernet sauvignon. You’ll find this wine and many other superb selections at the WonderBar and also an exceptionally delicious assortment of Italian entrees.

If you’re a food and wine lover living in the Kanawha Valley, you simply must visit Laury’s. While the restaurant is known for truly exceptional continental cuisine, the wine list there may be the most extensive- outside of the Greenbrier’s Main Dining Room- and certainly the most reasonably priced one in the state.

If you happen to reside in the eastern panhandle of our state, You must visit and have a meal at The Final Cut Steakhouse. While the name says it all, this is another perennially Wine Spectator awarded restaurant. The restaurant is located at the Charles Town Race Track and Casino and you can bet on its tasty steaks and great selection of wines from around the world.

Wine and food lovers won’t go wrong with a visit to Huntington’s 21 at the Frederick either. The wine list is extensive and fairly price and the steak is the headliner here. There are also a number of other excellent steakhouses featuring good wine lists, but the ones mentioned above truly stand out.
Bon Appetit!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine –is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

As I sit here composing this column and look out my office window at the first snowflakes of the year gently falling, it truly is beginning to look a lot like Christmas – and Hannukah. I can also tell because many of my friends are calling asking me to suggest a wine for the special people in their lives. And for this wine lover, it’s not often I am forgiven for casting prudence to the wind and plunking down some serious green for a bottle of red or white.

I‘ve already been perusing the shelves of my favorite wine shops in search of that special bottle. The good news is that there is an abundance of wine from all over the world available in any number of price ranges to meet just about any budget. And when you gift wine, particularly to someone close to you, there is a good likelihood you’ll be invited to sip along with the giftee once that special bottle is uncorked. Whenever I give the gift of wine, especially during the holiday season, I always ruminate over what type of holiday entrée it will pair best with that will present the best opportunity for gastronomic synergy. In my particular household, I’m thinking about Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals and the wines that will make the feasts memorable.

In our house, my wife and I divide up responsibility for the two meals. I take Christmas Eve and she is chef de cuisine for Christmas Day. As one who was raised in a Catholic Italian family, I will spend all day Christmas Eve preparing and cooking seafood dishes in a meal that will resemble ‘The feast of the seven fishes’. After five or six hours of frying, boiling, steaming, smoking and poaching sea creatures, I will be worn out, cranky, smelly and in serious need of a shower and a sip or two of wine. My choice to soothe my weary body and reinvigorate my spirit is Champagne or sparkling wine which is also an excellent way to kick off the activities as well as pairing seamlessly with all manner of seafood.

On Christmas day, my wife will prepare a more traditional American holiday meal featuring a standing rib roast. After working her culinary magic, she will emerge from the kitchen smiling broadly, full of Christmas cheer, and smelling of lavender. Of course, this meal demands a big red wine such as cabernet sauvignon or even a Christmas Claret (Bordeaux). So today, I’m going to share a list of wines I would love to find under my Christmas tree and which I think your friends will enjoy too. Many of these bottles just happen to include wines that would go particularly well with our holiday meals.  

Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux Red or Bordeaux -style blends : Chateau Lynch Bages; Quilceda Creek Cabernet Sauvignon; Alexander Valley Vineyards Cyrus Red; Joseph Phelps Insignia; Dominus; Harlan Estate Red; Chateau La Dominique; Groth Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve; Chateau Gruaud Larose; Merryvale Profile; Chateau Cos d’Estournel; Ridge Monte Bello Cabernet Sauvignon; Chateau Pontet Canet; Leoville Las Cases; Heitz Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon; and Ornellaia (super Tuscan blend).

Champagne and Sparkling wines:
Taittinger Comptes De Champagne Rose; Nicholas Feuillatte “Blue Label” Brut; Mumm Napa Cuvee (sparkling); Paul Bara Brut; Veuve Cliquot Brut; Roderer Estate (sparkling); Krug Grande Cuvee Brut; Perrier Jouet Grand Brut; Iron Horse Russian Cuvee (sparkling).

Happy Holidays!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine –is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

One of the faithful Thanksgiving traditions in our Italian American family involved spirited discussions around the holiday table. The decibel level of these emotionally charged altercations could sometimes exceed the sound of cicadas at war. During these holiday debates, no subject was too grand, obscure or off limits. We would debate everything from presidential politics to sports to whether the moustache on our elderly neighbor, Mrs. Costanza, was intentional or not.

Through the years, my brother and I have kept up the family tradition by arguing over which wines are best to pair with Thanksgiving dinner. After exhaustive and sometimes heated discussions, we have come to an uneasy truce and have concluded that almost any wine can marry nicely with at least one menu component of the Thanksgiving Day meal.

For years, I have written about the culinary versatility of turkey to be successfully paired with white, red, or rose’ as well as both lighter-styled and full-bodied wines. The reason is turkey is blessed with meat that has different flavors, colors and textures. Add to this the way the turkey is prepared – from traditional oven-baking to deep frying, to charcoal grilling or to smoking -and you have a plethora of wine choices from which to select. And since most of us will prepare a stuffing or dressing to the meal, you add a whole other flavor dimension that opens up even more vinous possibilities.

For example, one year I stuffed a charcoal grilled turkey with cornbread, ancho chili peppers and chorizo sausage. What wine, you might ask, did I serve with this non-traditional turkey and stuffing? Well, I started with Veuve Clicquot Champagne as an aperitif with the customary Thanksgiving hors d’oeuvres, proceeded to open a bottle of Trimbach Alsatian Pinot Gris for those who preferred white wine with the turkey, and I uncorked a bottle of Chateau de Beaucastel for those who preferred red. For dessert, I chose a bottle of Joseph Phelps Late Harvest Riesling to accompany pumpkin pie with whipped cream. And guess what, everything worked out well. Then, full of tryptophan, I plopped down on the couch and snoozed while some NFL team beat up on the Detroit Lions.

So here are some wines for you to consider as you plan your Thanksgiving dinner.

Sparkling Wine: Bottega Gold Prosecco; Cantina Zaccagnini Brut Blancs de Blancs; Gloria Ferrer Blanc de Noirs; Iron Horse Russian Cuvee; Segura Vidas Cava Brut; Veuve Clicquot Champagne; and Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Champagne.

White Wine: St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc; Mer Soleil Reserve Chardonnay; Argiolas Meri Vermentino; Trimbach Riesling; Pierre Sparr Gewurztraminer, Rombauer Chardonnay; Carol Shelton Wild Thing Viognier; Verdicchio di Matelica; and Beaumont Chenin Blanc.

Red Wine: Camino de Navaherreros Red; Chateau La Fleur Saint Bonnet Rouge; Easton Amador County Zinfandel; Greenwing Cabernet Sauvignon; Banfi Brunello Di Montalcino; Chateau de Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-Pape; Chateau de Pitray Rouge; Domaine Serene Yamhill Cuvee Oregon Pinot Noir; and Georges Duboeuf Morgon Beaujolais.

Dessert Wine: Michele Chiarlo Moscato; Chateau Ste. Jean Late Harvest Riesling; Veuve de Vernay Ice Rose; J Vidal-fleury Muscat de Beaumes de Venise; and Rosa Regale Brachetto.

Happy Thanksgiving!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine –is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

I’m convinced that my obsession with wine and food can be attributed to fifty percent of my ancestral composition – the Italian half. I suppose I should credit the other half (Irish) with my fondness for stronger beverages, and for blarney – my penchant for long-winded descriptions of things (like wine and food) most normal people simply consume.

So, on this most revered of Italian American weekends, when we celebrate Christopher Columbus – we’ll take a look at a special Italian wine, its versatility in pairing with a multitude of dishes, and its lofty standing in the world of wine. Unfortunately, most of us think Italian wines should only be served with Italian foods like pasta in a red sauce. But what I love most about Italian wine is its tremendous diversity in pairing with a whole host of foods. Within the geographic confines of its 20 regions, Italy produces a virtual sea of wine from a dizzying array of grapes.

Today I’ll tell you about a wine that is arguably one of the most revered and coveted bottles on earth – Barolo. Nestled in the northwest corner of the country and in the shadow of the Alps, Barolo is a dark, tannic and full-bodied wine that can improve over an extended period. Another famous red wine of the region is Barbaresco which is made from the same grape (nebbiolo) as Barolo, but the flavors and intensity of the two wines are completely different. Barolo is a wine which can take decades to mature while Barbaresco is a lighter colored and less intense version of nebbiolo that is more approachable in its youth than Barolo. The fertile soil of Piedmont also produces several other excellent red wines such as Barbera and Dolcetto, and is also home to a number of white wines, including Gavi and Arneis, both of which feature light, bright, fruit- forward flavors.

Barolo is named after the town around which the grapes are grown. For a wine to be labeled Barolo, it must be made in the geographical confines of that government-designated appellation. In addition, Barolo must be aged for two years in oak barrels and one year in the bottle before it can be released for sale. Barolos can range in price from about $40 to several hundred dollars a bottle. One way I’ve found to speed up drinkability of young Barolo is to decant the wine for extended periods. For wines under 10 years old, I will pour them into a carafe for up to 12 hours before consuming them.

Here are some of my favorite Barolo producers to look for: Poderi Luigi Einaudi 2020 Ludo ($50); 2020 Borgogno Barolo ($70); 2019 Eraldo Viberti Barolo ($58); 2019 Pertinace Barolo ($34); 2018 Pio Cesare Barolo ($80); and 2020 Bruno Giacosa Barolo ($135).

So, what foods can stand up to such full-bodied red wines? As the original home of the “slow food” movement, the Piemontese believe in using local and seasonal ingredients as the centerpiece of the meals they consume. In the fall, mushrooms and squash along with red and yellow peppers predominate along with rich, hearty and flavorful dishes like roasted beef, pork, lamb or game pair especially well with Barolo. In addition, pasta with earthy and intense foods like truffles and mushrooms are also excellent accompaniments to the wine.

Piedmont’s most famous culinary delight is the white truffle – an aromatic, very expensive delicacy that looks like a stone, is hunted and sniffed out by trained dogs, and then surreptitiously dug up by devious sorts who would rather see their first born taken by gypsies than give up the location of their buried treasure. On my last trip to the region, I passed on the white truffles and instead feasted on less expensive fare that paired just as well with the reason for my visit – Barolo!

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine –is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com

My brother fancies himself a gourmet cook, but rather than disagree with his delusion, I usually just nod and let him go about blissfully concocting his latest comestible contrivance. I must admit, though, that he does usually deliver on his culinary creations, but the kitchen devastation left in his wake requires HazMat-like intervention to clean and reassemble.

However, one such dish was so good that I did what all male siblings unabashedly do: I claimed it for my very own. And today I’ll share that recipe with you and tell you what wines to pair with it. This recipe is actually a knock-off of a famous Italian dish called Cotoletta alla Milanese (or Veal Milanese). Today’s dish, Pork Milanese, substitutes pork chops for veal and is not only delicious, but significantly less expensive to prepare. My brother’s version (see photo) features a bone-in pork tomahawk, but my recommendation is to use bone-in, center cut pork chops that are equally delicious, much less expensive and readily available at most grocery stores.

Another advantage of Pork Milanese is that it can be paired with both white and red wines. White Italian wines such as Verdicchio from the Marche region or Arneis from northern Italy would be excellent choices. Try 2023 Bisci Verdicchio di Matellica ($20) or 2023 Michele Chiarlo Le Madri Roero Arneis ($28). Lighter styled reds such as pinot noir or Sangiovese will work well too with this dish. Try 2022 La Crema Anderson Valley Pinot Noir ($25) or 2023 Antinori Peppoli Chianti Classico ($26).

Pork Milanese
Ingredients
Four bone-in center cut pork chops – half inch or less
One cup flour
One teaspoon of Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Two large eggs
One cup panko or other breadcrumbs
Four ounces of grated parmesan cheese (Reggiano if possible)
Two ounces extra virgin olive oil
Four sage leaves and four sliced lemon rounds

Preparation
Place the pieces of pork between sheets of plastic wrap
Use a meat mallet and pound the pork into ¼-inch thick cutlets
Whisk the flour, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl
Stir and beat the eggs in a separate bowl
Combine breadcrumbs and cheese in another bowl
Dredge chops: first in flour, next in eggs and then finish in breadcrumbs
Heat olive oil in a large skillet, sauté sage leaves for 30 seconds and remove from pan
Pan-fry the breaded cutlets until each side is golden brown
Add sage leaves to each cutlet and serve with fresh lemon rounds

John Brown is also a novelist. His latest book – Augie’s Wine –is now available to order online or at his website wordsbyjohnbrown.com. His first two books– Augie’s War and Augie’s World – are also available online and at bookstores around the state. You can find out more about his novels, and review all of his archived Vines & Vittles columns at wordsbyjohnbrown.com