Hearty Food and Wine: A Tasteful Alternative To Anti-Depressants

Let’s face it, not many of us venture outside when the ambient air temperature descends to single digits. This is an exceptionally bleak time of year when the only product selling more than adult beverages is anti-depressant medication. So what can you do to lift your spirits and alter your mood without a prescription?

How about this: create your own bacchanalian extravaganza this weekend. Just fire up the grill, put a pot of chili on the stovetop or put together a huge pan of lasagna or baked pasta with Italian sausage, peppers and a couple of pounds of mozzarella! Then wash it all down with your favorite beverage. I know , to some hop-heads it’s almost un-American to drink anything other than that foamy malted beverage with the menu suggestions above -- but I suggest you uncork a few bottles of wine instead.

The only time I plan on leaving the house this weekend will be to smoke a brisket of beef that I will have dry-rubbed first with copious amounts of crushed garlic, black peppercorns, ground cumin and kosher salt. I’ll then prepare a sweet and sour barbecue sauce or “mop” to pour over the sliced brisket before serving it with a baked macaroni and (four) cheese casserole that’s flavored with chopped chipotle peppers.

So what wine goes with such hearty fare? If you guessed full-flavored reds, you’re right, and in a moment, I’ll make a few recommendations. But how about trying a big ‘ole Alsatian Pinot Gris or Gewurztraminer? That’s right, I’m talking white wine made from grapes grown along the Rhine River in eastern France.

Before you send the guys in the white jackets to my house, give me a chance to state my case. Go to your favorite wine shop/grocery store and look for Pierre Sparr or Trimbach – both widely available Alsatian producers that make exceptional Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer in the $15 to $20 a bottle range. What you’ll find is that both these wines are surprisingly full-bodied and rich. Pinot Gris will give you pear and melon flavors underlain with hints of minerals. It has a wonderfully long finish that just keeps on, keeping on.

Gewurztraminer has a unique floral aroma and very exotic, spicy flavors that go particularly well with highly seasoned food. Both wines hold up well with heavier dishes that you would generally associate with red wine. Speaking of red, you can certainly use Zinfandel or Syrah (Shiraz), but I’d suggest Pinot Noir. This grape, made famous in Burgundy, is really doing well in North America, and is excellent with spicy and fuller-flavored foods. While different regions can produce specific taste nuances, most Pinot Noir possesses black cherry, leather and earthy flavors. And the wine almost always has lively acidity that allows it to pair particularly well with fuller-flavored

The 2004 vintage of Pinot Noir in both Oregon and California is superb, and I recommend the following wines for your sipping pleasure: from California, try Alexander Valley, Fess Parker and Robert Sinskey; in Oregon, A To Z Wineworks, Elk Cove and Bethel Heights are three of my favorites. These wines range in price from about $18 to $30 a bottle.

So this week, warm your body, lift your spirit and adjust your attitude with some hearty food and really good wine!