wine Tester
by Diana Cercone
It was while hiking through the vineyards in the hills of Mongardino in the Piedmont region of Italy that Mike Conti’s love of wine was first ignited. He was with his great-grandmother, Nonna. Though she didn’t speak English and he didn’t know a word of Italian, he says, they understood each other. Walking hand in hand, Mike says, she gestured to the vineyards, as if to say, “This is important to our region … to our way of life.”
Bending down, she picked a grape and handed it to him to taste it. “It was sweet and delicious,” he says. “And I remember the smell of the grapes, the vineyard, and liking it.” Though only a child of six at the time, and on his first trip to Italy with his family, he traces his career as a connoisseur and wine expert to that moment. That may sound apocryphal, he says, but, “I truly believe, subconsciously, that’s when it all started.”
Of course growing up in an Italian family and one that owned and operated the popular restaurant Conti’s Cross Keys Inn on the corner of routes 611 and 313 in Doylestown certainly helped. On Sundays, he says, the restaurant was closed. That’s when the family would head to his grandparents Nonne and Nonno’s home for dinner. “She was the real culinarian of the family,” Mike says.
In Italy wine is a staple at the dinner table. Even for children, he says, but, then, they’re just given a drop in a glass of water. At age eight, he says, he remembers his Nonne saying to him “You look a little pale.” She’d then give him a glass of water with a drop of wine in it. “Squeezing my cheek, she would say, ‘This will put a little pink back into your cheeks.’” Mike says he wasn’t sure about his cheeks, but he knew he liked the taste.
His subsequent 35-year career in the hospitality industry, working first at his family’s restaurant after college as the front-of the house manager, and then when it closed, doing the same at many of Bucks County’s top restaurants. Part of his job, he says, was selecting the wines, as well as recommending to customers the right wine to pair with their food.
While at Earl’s in Peddler’s Village, one of Mike’s frequent customers suggested that he meet Denis Chiappa, at that time, co-owner of Carlow Cookery, and, now, owner/chef at Conquering Cuisine cooking school and catering in Doylestown. As Mike’s customer predicted, it was a good match. Mike compliments Denis’ cooking classes with wine-tastings.
The wine-tasting classes, combined with the vivid memories of the vineyards with his great grandmother, led to his joining Vintage Imports, which sells a diverse variety of wines and spirits from around the world. Mike is the company’s sales representative for Bucks County.
So what’s the most important thing we should know about wine, I ask Mike as we settle into our seats at Conquering Cuisine. “Drink what you like,” he says. “Too many times people make apologies for liking sweet wines, such as white Zinfandels.” No need, he says. “There’s dignity in all wines. Same with foods: spicy or bland; Indian or Italian. You eat what you like.”
Still the old rule of pairing white wine with white meat and white sauces, and red wine with red meat and red sauces, he says, is not a bad one to follow. For example a rich, buttery Chardonnay pairs well with lobster tail, a German Riesling with soft blue cheese, and a Vermentino with fresh pasta al pesto.
“Modern sommeliers,” he says, “would tell you to match the texture of the wine with the texture of the food.” For example, he says, if eating a light meal, such as a salad with some protein like chicken or seafood, enjoy it with a light wine: a white, or a light red like a Beaujolais or a rosé. For a heavy textured dish, such as a coq au vin or a hearty stew, choose a fuller body bottle of red wine, e.g., a hearty Syrah or Zinfandel. That’s not to say you can’t drink a white wine with a steak, he says. You can. Just make it a full-bodied Chardonnay, he says, a Viognier or a Marsanne, both Rhone grapes.
For tomato-based sauces, such as a Bolognese, you can’t go wrong with a bottle of Sangiovese, Mike says. Do choose a pinot noir if having roasted duck, boar or lamb, he says, and a French Malbec when tucking into a cassoulet. If having ham for Easter, look for an off-dry to dry Riesling. It will counterbalance the saltiness of the ham, and will contrast nicely if the ham is crowned with slices of pineapples and cloves. Because of the many flavor components in a Seder dinner, he says, place a bottle of Kosher white wine and a bottle of Kosher red on the table for your guests to choose. Look for kosher wines from Israel, he says, which are gaining respect in the wine world.
Although he doesn’t recommend champagnes or sparkling wines as ideal pours to go with a juicy rib-eye steak, they do pair well with most foods, he says. In addition, a sparkling wine makes a great aperitif because of its crisp acidity. “Your taste buds start ‘popping,’ he says, opening up your palate to enjoy food. Greeting your dinner guests with a glass of champagne or Prosecco is a great way to start the evening.
For the last few years, rosé wines have been on the rise and are now recognized as a wine for all seasons. Rosés are especially perfect in warmer weather. And where once mainly a product of France, especially in the Provence region, lovely rosés are being made in a great many other countries. But, he says, that’s also true of all wines. With wine-making practices improved, the global market is exploding with wines of quality. Even locally, he says. “I’m bullish on Pennsylvania wines.”
What is the proper temperature for wines, I ask. Sighing he says, “Americans drink their white wines too cold and their reds too warm.” A white wine should be kept at 50°F, he says, and reds at 55°F. At those temperatures, he says, the wines will have more depth and flavor. Most American refrigerator temperatures register around 43°F to 45°F, he says. White wines kept in the refrigerator should be removed 20 minutes before serving to allow it to be at its best. For reds, place in the refrigerator 20 minutes before drinking. If possible, invest in a wine cooler, he says. It doesn’t have to be fancy. You can get a perfectly good, inexpensive 12-bottle wine cooler, he says, at a store such as Target or Lowes.
Cooler temperature for wines—both reds and whites—are especially enjoyable in summer, he says. So, go ahead and stick a bottle or two of light reds, such as a Bardolino or a Beaujolais in the fridge, along with a white or two. Just don’t leave the reds in the fridge for more than a few days. To quickly chill white wine, Mike does not recommend placing the wine in a refrigerator’s freezer. “Rather,” he says, “place it in a wine bucket with ice for a quick chill.”
Too cold, too warm, red wine with red meat, white wine with white meat? Bottom line? Mike says, “Drink what you like!”
For more information on Mike Conti’s wine classes, go to www.conqueringcuisine.com.