Philly Cooks

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jan 2, 2012 in News | 0 comments

For a town that loves to eat, I am pretty sure no one knows how to cook in Philly. At least, that is my impression after discovering how many cooking classes are offered around the city these days. From the Walnut Restaurant School to Cook Philadelphia to the Wine School, there is at least  four cooking classes going on every freaking week.  You can get taught by anyone from a celebrity chef to a bestselling cookbook author.

Along with all these classes, there is the daily pandemonium of the frozen food aisle at Trader Joes. It’s just damn sad, but I am pretty sure the only folks cooking with confidence in this city are working in restaurants. I am not one to complain, since I often get free meals (being an internationally famous food writer offers such privileges), but at least I can cook a few standards when the need arises.  However, I got pulled into the Great Philadelphia Cooking Hysteria this week, and attended a cooking class at my dearest Wine School.

This week’s class was all about the Holiday dinner. The wine was flowing and the portions were surprisingly large. The highlights of the evening was shortribs braised in imperial stout, which reminded me of the most tasty brontosaurus I have ever had. (I kid: the portion was HUGE. I have no way of knowing what a dinosaur  would taste like. Maybe like turtle? )

Also on the menu was “Toasted Italian Chestnuts and Pearl Onion Confit” which was a knock-out. Both dishes were paired with Cannonau, an ancient clone of Grenache from Sardinia and a Pinot Noir from Santa Lucia. Very nicely done.  Let’s hope everyone starts cooking like this. Dinner parties won’t feel like Russian Roulette anymore.

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Five Wines

Posted by Keith Wallace on Dec 28, 2011 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Seven sparkling & dessert wines for your holiday splurges! Thanks to the Wine Spectator  for the descriptions, and the Wine School of Philly for the suggestions!

1. Graham Beck Brut, Western Cape (South Africa)
   Pale copper-tinged gold. Tangerine, spicy oak and a hint of exotic fruits on the nose. Fruity and harmonious, with a yeasty complexity adding depth to the fairly dense, harmonious middle palate.
2. Charles de Cazanove Premier Cru Champagne
   This Champagne offers an array of flavor, including toasted brioche, Gala apple, lemon zest, graphite and ginger, with a touch of honey. Elegant, but with good intensity and a moderate, nut-tinged finish.
3. Mailly Grand Cru Blanc de Noirs
   Lead pencil shavings and berry aromas and flavors grace this rich yet firmly structured bubbly, which has a fine balance. Pastry and citrus preserve notes stay persistent on the finish.
4. Mailly Grand Cru 2004 Blanc de Noirs
   Light gold. Deeply pitched aromas of pear skin, anise and roasted nuts, with a smoky overtone. A dense, chewy Champagne that shows good power and an array of red berry and orchard fruit flavors.}
5. Dr Heidemanns-Bergweiler 2009 Riesling Auslese (Germany)
   Rich and tightly wound, with candied berry and citrus flavors accented by a vibrant structure and embedded mineral notes. Impressive.
6. Osborne Pedro Ximenez (Spain)
   If you melted down 5 pounds of raisins, you might get the concentrated flavors in this dessert Pedro Ximénez. Accents of chocolate and fig.
7. Offley 1983 Porto (Portugal)
   This ’83 is one of the best. Black-purple, with very intense grape must aromas, full-bodied, with grapy and peppery flavors, full tannins, good backbone and a long finish.

Phoodie.com Editor Joins Wine School Team

Posted by Keith Wallace on Mar 6, 2011 in News, Philly | 0 comments

One of the better known food and beverage bloggers in Philadelphia is now the newest member of the Wine School team. “Collin Flatt is going to be a great asset to the school,” says owner and founder Keith Wallace. “I hire only the best wine instructors available, and Collin has proven to me he has what it takes to play in the big leagues.”

Like many Fine Arts majors before him, Collin’s food and wine career was originally nothing more than a few gigs as a bartender. However, he pulled off the impossible. After several years in Rome and New York, he returned to Philadelphia as an industry insider. “This is my calling. I suck at everything else,” quips Collin.

Along with teaching at the Wine School, Collin will remain a notorious figure in Philly’s culinary scene. Along with his well-known work as the editor of Phoodie.com, he will continue in some less boisterous ventures. These include his work as a trusted broker in the fine wine auction market, and as a consulting sommelier. Most recently, he has teamed up with legendary chef David Ansill to redevelop the menus at Ladder 15.

Collin is the third well-known food and wine writer to join the staff of the Wine School. He follows in the footsteps of Brian Freedman and David Snyder. At one point, all three were students of the Wine School. “I am not sure if its a chicken-or-egg thing, but our Foundation program is a breeding ground for creative foodies. Go figure,” says Keith. “It sure helps that I don’t have to look far to find top-notch staffers.”

Come join us at the Wine School of Philadelphia this spring and give a warm welcome to our newest authority on fine food and wine, Collin Flatt!

To set up a time to speak to Collin Flatt, please contact the Wine School at 1-800-817-7351, ext. 33, or email press@vinology.com.

Hiking Across South America

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jan 9, 2011 in School | 0 comments

My friends Matt and Stef are taking a year to hike across South America, which makes me very jealous and also a bit sad. Before they jetted of for SA, they lived up above the Wine School. They are publishing beautiful photos of  their adventures on their travel blog:  Stef and Matt

South American Wines

Posted by Keith Wallace on Jan 8, 2011 in Wine Reviews | 0 comments

Last night the Wine School hosted a tasting of South American wines at the Senior Law Center. Over the course of the evening, we poured everything from the usual suspects (malbec, sauvignon blanc) to less-known varietals and blends (torrontes, syrah-bonarda), and what struck me most–what always strikes me about tastings that allow us to delve a bit deeper into a specific part of the world–was how rich and varied these wines can be.

Indeed, if you can get past the temptation to taste only what’s familiar, you will find your wine life enriched in ways you never thought possible. That syrah-bonarda, for example, tasted like nothing so much as superripe black fruit dipped in pepper and sipped while chewing Bazooka bubble gum–strange, sure, but also kind of delicious.

The point is this: Drink outside the box, delve into regions and varietals you may not be familiar with, expose yourself to the unusual. The rewards are tremendous.