“Eat This Drink That” is here to help you make tasty, smart, one-stop food and wine purchases. Dan The Wine Man calls it “high-level convenience shopping.” You get two Eat This Drink That’s per column. Previously featured in Tuesday’s food section, this is ETDT’s first stop in Friday wine.
#1. Chicken Parmigiana and Castello Monterinaldi Chianti Classico 2016 half bottle from FoodShed Takeaway
Foodshed is a once-a-month dinner choice for my family. Add the Foodshed pizza we eat at friends’ birthday parties and I’d say we’re good for 20 meals a year from there. I love the place, from their chewy sourdough pizza crust to their chopped salad, a particular favorite of my wife. It’s all so convenient and tasty. Kudos, as well, to Foodshed’s staff training program which focuses on teaching young adults all parts of the business, translating to life and people skills to be used for a lifetime.
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Lost in the hustle-bustle is Foodshed’s very good wine selection. The wines, a combination of local and Italian, are affordable (roughly ranging from $14 to $40 per bottle) and chosen to accompany the Italian-inspired, local ingredient-heavy food selection. You may be thinking, “duh!” on the last part, but a truly smart wine selection is not easy to pull off as it looks. It takes time and heartfelt desire to have a 100% purposeful wine selection and Foodshed has one.
Speaking of purposeful, that’s what my last visit to Foodshed was. I walked through their doors intent on finding a great pairing to recommend. I knew there were dozens of them at my fingertips and it was really a matter of finding one of the best. Calling upon my considerable food & wine experience, gut feeling, and, most importantly, what I felt like eating and drinking the day of my visit, here’s what I came up with...
The Chicken Parmigiana is pounded & pan-fried chicken breasts over polenta, all topped with marinara and mozzarella. It’s offered in two sizes. I bought the smaller portion, plenty to satisfy a family of three. Take it away in its deep foil tray for easy reheating.
I bought the half bottle of Castello Monterinaldi Chianti Classico 2016 because it serves two perfectly with the chicken and I felt good about it pairing well. At $16 it’s a good buy for a solid Chianti. Think of it as $8 for two generous glasses.
Aside - Pros and Cons of Half Bottles
Pro: When a full bottle is too much wine for the moment. A perfect example is a fancy dinner out with your sweetie. A half bottle of white or bubbles before a bottle of red is just right. Pro #2: It’s very rare to see mediocre wine in half bottle. You can be reasonably certain you’re buying a good wine if in half bottle.
Con: Selection is limited. Very few wines are half-bottled, if you will. It’s a logistical nightmare for wineries that seems to take years of commitment to pay off (Look at Frog’s Leap – they committed to half bottles many years ago. I bet it took a while to pay off, but now you’ll find Frog’s Leap on any wine list with a half-bottle selection. Con #2: You know how restaurants may offer a half portion on the menu, but it’s not half price? Like, Eggs Benedict $15/Half Order $11. Same thing with wine. Helps you understand that the costs are spread well beyond the wine…and the hollandaise.
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The Chicken Parmigiana/Chianti Classico pairing was spot-on ... a bona fide Eat This Drink That recommendation. The Parm’s marinara is both sweet and snappy, as is the Chianti Classico. The herbal/peppery side of both food and wine go hand in hand. The wine’s acidity cuts through the rich cheese and polenta like a Ginzu knife through paper. Equal in weight, intensity and flavor profile, this pairing rocks it. Give it a try.
The smaller portion of Chicken Parmigiana at Foodshed is $29. With the $16 Chianti half bottle, tax and tip you’re just north of $50. Add on a small Caesar for $6.75 and your meal is complete. (Sourdough flatbread comes with takeaway entrées, by the way.) Foodshed is at 3385 Old California Way, near Trancas, in Napa. They deliver. Open every day except Mondays 10 AM to 8 PM.
#2 Beemster Royaal Grand Cru Aged Gouda and Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2018 at Trader Joe’s Napa
This pairing started with the cheese. Beemster, a significant Dutch cheesery, makes around 20 different Gouda cheeses. I happened upon the seasonal Beemster Royaal Grand Cru, a 12 month aged Gouda that’s fantastic in its caramelly, creamy, salty crunch goodness. Frankly, I find it matches well with almost any wine. Off-dry Riesling to tannic reds and everything in between all tastes better with aged Gouda. Purely food tip for you: bring to a party a hunk of aged Gouda and crackers or fresh baguette. Nothing else…don’t mess up perfection. Your friends will love it and love you, and it’s way easier and less messy than jelly over cream cheese.
Finding good imported wine is a challenge for me at Trader Joe’s. The ones I’ve purchased with hopeful anticipation I found flat, overly clumsy, or both. While I’d like to keep the European theme going today, it’s best to stay local for the Beemster Gouda pairing. Buy the Educated Guess Napa Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, a rich, soft, juicy, full-flavored red. Beemster’s salty snap perks up any wine, especially bigger reds like Educated Guess. That caramelly flavor in the gouda matches the toasty oak flavors of the Cabernet. And, interestingly, while this cheese softens tannic wines, it seems to give this Cabernet more body and structure. The two together is quite luxurious, and here’s the good news about that:
Beemster Royaal Grand Cru Aged Gouda is $10.99/pound. I bought a hunk for $4 and change which is plenty for the family. Add bread or crackers and you’re out the Trader Joe’s doors for $30 more or less. Not bad for a luxurious pairing. Get both at Trader Joe’s in the Bel Air Shopping Plaza before they vanish. Which will be soon.
Before I go, props to TJ’s premium Bordeaux selection. They carry Châteaus from 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018, all very good vintages, from the likes of Gloria, Sociando-Mallet, and Giscours. At $40 to $70 a bottle, these are great buys for the holidays. Or maybe you need to stock up on some birthyear wine? Buy the higher end at TJ’s – hard to beat their prices in this realm. Be careful in the $5-$20 range.
Dan Dawson is a former wine merchant and small business owner in Napa. He promotes small-production California wineries at DawsonWineAdvisor.com and celebrates food & wine pairings at FlavorMountain.com. Send him ideas for future Eat This-Drink That pairings at Dan@FlavorMountain.com.
Photos: B&B rooms planned for Napa's historic Edward Welti house
Welti Bros. building in downtown Napa
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Dr. Laurence Welti's former office
The former Dr. Laurence Welti house
The 1801 First inn, next to Napa's Edward Welti house
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Napa's Edward Welti house, 1827/1831 First St.
Dan Dawson is a former wine merchant and small business owner in Napa. He promotes small-production California wineries at DawsonWineAdvisor.com and celebrates food & wine pairings at FlavorMountain.com. Send Eat This-Drink That suggestions and feedback to Dan@FlavorMountain.com.