[1] Getting ready to enjoy a glass of Pinot Noir (photo © Rebelle | NYC [permanently closed]).

[2] Consider a wine vacation and the pleasure of tasting wine at the vineyard (photo © Kym Ellis | Unsplash).

[3] A glass especially shaped for Pinot Noir. The funnel-shaped bowl allows pinot noirs to breathe and the slightly flared rim properly funnels their unique aromas. These are from Crate & Barrel (photos #3 and #4 © Crate & Barrel).

[4] Lighter red wines like Pinot Noir pair nicely with delicately flavored, washed-rind cheeses like Taleggio, and nutty, medium-firm cheeses like Gruyère (photo © Louis Hansel | Unsplash).

[5] A glass of Pinot Noir is delicious with lamb (photo © DeLallo).

[6] Pinot Noir with Surf & Turf (photo © Ocean Prime).

Most wine drinkers have their favorite varietals; one of ours is Pinot Noir (PEE-no-NWAR), the great red grape from the Burgundy region of France. We celebrate it on August 18th, National Pinot Noir Day.

The name derives from the French words for pine (pin) and black (noir), inspired by the tightly clustered, pinecone–shaped bunches of Pinot Noir grapes, and their purple-black color.

Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in cooler climates. In France it’s known as Red Burgundy; elsewhere, the wine is named for the grape.

Beyond red wine, Pinot Noir grapes are also used in regular and Blanc de Noir Champagne, in sparkling white wines such as the Italian Franciacorta, and in English sparkling wines.

Why is a red wine grape used in white wines?

The flesh of most wine grapes is white (the exception is teinturier grapes*, whose flesh and juice are both red in color.

It’s only the skins that have different colors. So the juice pressed out of red grapes is the same color as juice pressed from white grapes. The difference is skin contact.

To make red and rosé wines, the pressed juice rests in a vat with the pressed skins, allowing the anthocyanins—antioxidant pigments present in the skins—to transfer their color to the juice.
 
 
THE WORLD’S TOP PINOT NOIR-GROWING REGIONS

Pinot Noir is one of the six “noble grapes” (cépages nobles) that have long been considered to have the potential to produce great wines: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and Sauvignon Blanc.

Beyond Burgundy, France, Pinot Noir has been transplanted and thrived in:

 
There are also smaller regions making fine Pinot Noir wines, including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Germany, Italy, the Long Island AVA† in New York State, Moldova, the U.K., Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland [source].

In the Champagne region of France, Pinot Noir is the most planted varietal (the others are Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.

All of the areas where Pinot Noir grapes are grown have cool and humid climates, the perfect conditions for growing the superior Pinot Noir grapes.

The grape also does its best in well-drained, stony, or chalky soils.

As with any varietal, the wines will have different attributes based on both their terroir‡‡ and the stylistic preferences of the winemaker.
 
 
THE WORLD’S TOP MOST FINICKY GRAPE?

Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to grow, susceptible to rot because of those tightly-packed grape clusters. Beyond rot, the thin skins of the varietal make it susceptible to other infections and diseases. And the varietal has low yields.

After a successful harvest in the vineyard, there’s a further challenge in the winery.

The low levels of phenolic compounds in the grape produce mostly lightly-colored, medium-bodied and low-tannin wines that can often go through phases of uneven and unpredictable aging [source].

So why do winemakers grow this difficult grape? Because when the factors work, the wines are splendid.

 
 
WHERE TO START WITH PINOT NOIR

If you’re not an experienced Pinot Noir taster, it’s easy to start. Pinot Noir is approachable when young: dry with delicious fruit flavors (typically cherry and raspberry), and soft tannins.

It pairs with just about anything you’d want to eat with red wine, from classic pairings—charcuterie, cheeses**, chicken, duck, lamb, rabbit and other game, salmon and other fatty fish including tuna, mushrooms, pasta, pork, turkey, stews, veal—even beef, burgers, and pizza.

You can also raise a glass of Pinot Noir with non-spicy Asian cuisine. Red wine drinkers can enjoy it with sushi and sashimi dishes.

You can even enjoy it with dark chocolate!

Ask your wine store clerk for recommendations, and consider a gathering where a group can taste several different regions, or several wines from the same region, to compare.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF PINOT NOIR

The Pinot Noir grape may be only one or two generations removed from Vitis sylvestris, the original European wild grape.

Records date to before the first century C.E., when the Romans, invading the part of Gaul that is now the Burgundy region of France, noticed the Gallic tribes drinking wine made from a native, wild grape that we now call Pinot Noir.

The Romans delighted in the wine and cultivated the grape for more than 300 years during their occupation of the territory.

The vineyards subsequently came under the control of the nobility, and then the Benedictine monks of the Catholic Church. Because they believed that Pinot Noir grapes produced the best wine, Pinot Noir became the official wine used in the sacrament of Communion. That greatly expanded the wine’s visibility and popularity.

The Burgundy region was divided into church-owned vineyards and remained under the control of the monks until the French Revolution in 1789, when the vineyards were seized and distributed to local families.

But before that came a breakthrough in viticulture: The Benedictine monks, specifically the Cistercians who had branched off, were the first to realize that grapes grown in different areas produced different wines.

They came to the conclusion that not all vineyards were created equal, and that different grape varietals did better in different regions. This tenet that helped to create superior wines from then onward [source]. This subsequently led to the concept of terroir‡‡.

*The flesh is red due to anthocyanin pigments accumulating not just in the skin, but within the pulp of the grape berry itself. Here’s more about it and a list of wines made with teinturier grapes.

**Goat cheese, smoked cheese, semi-hard cheeses like Cheddar or Gouda, nutty cheeses like Gruyère, lighter blue cheeses, lighter washed rind cheeses like Taleggio, and sheep’s milk cheeses are all delicious with Pinot Noir.

†An American Viticultural Area, or AVA, is a type of appellation of origin used on wine labels. An AVA is a delimited grape-growing region with specific geographic or climatic features that distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affect how grapes are grown. Here’s more about it.

‡Currently, some writers are questioning this classification. Five of the noble grapes are French, and one, Riesling, is German, though it’s also grown in Alsace. The phrase “cépages nobles”) originated in France, and that hierarchies like the can be limited in perspective. Plus, the classification was created before these grapes were planted all over the world. The quality of the grapes grown elsewhere is often not the same as the quality of the same grapes grown in France’s best vineyards. Here’s more about it.

‡‡Terroir, pronounced tur-WAH, is a French agricultural term referring to the unique set of environmental factors in a specific habitat that affects a crop’s qualities. These include climate, elevation, proximity to a body of water, slant of the land, soil type, and amount of sun. These environmental characteristics give the wines produced from these grapes a unique character.

August 19th is National Hot & Spicy Food Day. Some like it hot, and those people will love a Weak Knees Sriracha Sauce Gift Set from Brooklyn Kitchen.

It features all three of the company’s Sriracha sauces: Curry Sriracha, Gochujang Sriracha, and Super Spicy Sriracha.

Beautifully packaged with a Bushwick Kitchen dish towel, the box has a QR code that links to a collection of recipes.

You can also purchase individual bottles for small gifts and stocking stuffers.

Bushwick Kitchen offers ideas for everyday dishes:

 
Get yours from BushwickKitchen.com.

> The history of Sriracha sauce.

> What is gochujang sauce?

> The different types of chiles.

> The Scoville Scale, which ranks the heat levels of different chiles.
 
 
SRIRACHA RECIPES

[1] The three flavors of Sriracha sauce in Bushwick Kitchen’s gift set (all photos © Bushwick Kitchen).

[2] The gift set.

[3] Meatballs with a side of Curry Sriracha.

[1] The real deal: a flaming Scorpion in a bowl with hula girls. Check out the recipe and the video. (photo © Tipsy Bartender).

[2] This Scorpion Bowl from The New York Times is made in a conventional bowl. Here’s the recipe, which uses dark rum, gin, and Cognac (photo © New York Times | David Malos | Food Stylist Simon Andrews).

[3] This tiki-style bowl doesn’t have a center well for the high-proof rum. Instead, it uses a hollowed-out lime half (photo © Clayton Hauck | Lost Lake [permanently closed]).

[4] The Bamboo Room in Savannah, Georgia has decor and drinks that would make Trader Vic proud. The Scorpion is just one of many (photo © Bamboo Room).

[5] You can buy volcano tiki bowls on Amazon (photos #5 and #6 © DME).

[6] A top view of the “volcano” cup into which you pour, and then ignite, overproof rum.

[7] Orgeat is almond-flavored simple syrup (photo © Sonoma Syrup).

August 16th is National Rum Day, so we’re inviting you to check out the history of tiki drinks, and to make yourself a flaming (or not) Scorpion with the recipe below.

You may or may not be old enough to remember the tiki drink craze of the 1950s and 1960s, abetted by a chain of Trader Vic’s restaurants and competitors like Don The Beachcomber (Ernest Raymond Beaumont) in Hollywood.

These two restaurateurs introduced mainland America to “tiki” drinks: plenty of rum and sweet mixers, garnished with baby orchids and a mini Japanese paper umbrella.

Cocktails included the Fog Cutter, the Jungle Bird, the Mai Tai, the Navy Grog, the Scorpion Bowl, and the Zombie, among others. You can easily find the recipes (and their many variations) online.

One of our favorites was the flaming Scorpion Bowl, a cocktail served in a small punch bowl with a flaming “volcano” center (today it might be Sterno) and long straws for drinking. It was meant to be shared by two, three, or four. The recipe is below.

> The history of rum.

> The different types of rum.

> The history of tiki drinks.
 
 
SCORPION DRINK HISTORY

The origin of all “tiki drinks” in the U.S. dates back to the late 1930s when Victor “Trader Vic” Bergeron visited Hawaii (more history here).

One story says that Bergeron discovered the Scorpion or Scorpion bowl, as it’s sometimes called, at a bar named The Hut in Honolulu (it’s long gone).

There it was made with okolehao—a local alcoholic spirit fermented from the root of the ti plant.

Okolehao was mixed with a combination of fruit juices (today lemon, orange, and pineapple are typical) and served in a large communal bowl. It’s essentially a rum punch.

When Bergeron returned to his Trader Vic’s restaurant in Oakland, California (the original location), he created his own variation of the Scorpion using rum, instead of the okolehao, which was hard to find outside of Hawaii.

There is another origin story that may be more true, with Bergeron discovering the Scorpion at a luau which he attended in 1939. The Daily Beast has done extensive research on it.

You can read that story here.

There are also print references to the Scorpion as early as 1937. It’s reasonably safe to assume, though, that by 1940 those lucky enough to get to Trader Vic’s in Oakland could have a Scorpion.

His original recipe reportedly had 15 different ingredients and was served in a custom-made ceramic “volcano tiki” punch bowl with hula girls (photos #1, #4, and #5) or other tropical-style decorations, meant for two or more people.

A center “volcano” cup (photos #6 and #7) was filled with overproof rum and lit on fire before it arrived at the table. The flaming bowl was garnished with baby orchids or gardenias, to the delight of the recipients.

It was served with long straws for communal sipping.

Did Bergeron invent the flaming center of the drink or the orchids and gardenias he garnished it with? That’s yet to be determined.

But skip ahead a few decades to New York City.

We were lucky enough to dine at the Trader Vic’s branch in the Plaza Hotel in New York City, numerous times in the years before it closed.

As a teenage girl (18 was the legal drinking age at the time), we loved the flaming Scorpion Bowl with its garnish of fresh gardenias. It remains the most memorable drink ever brought to our table.

Over the years, Trader Vic published three different variations of the Scorpion. In his 1946 Trader Vic’s Book of Food and Drink, there was a Scorpion recipe made with rum, gin, brandy and half a bottle of white wine. In other recipes, he substituted pisco for the gin [source].

Other versions appeared in his 1972 Trader Vic’s Bartender’s Guide, which included a recipe for an individual Scorpion and an updated bowl recipe that would become the more commonly used version of the recipe. Both are reprinted below.

The drink doesn’t have to be flaming, but if it is, remember that it’s real fire, and take all precautions not to ignite your sleeve when reaching across the table to give your companion a piece of Crab Rangoon from the pupu platter* (we speak from experience).
 

We thank Distiller.com for the information.
 
 
COCKTAIL RECIPE #1: INDIVIDUAL SCORPION

Ingredients For 1 Drink

 
Preparation

1. BLEND all ingredients in a mixer with one scoop of shaved ice. Pour into a glass, mug, or one-person volcano bowl.

2. ADD ice, and garnish with gardenia.
 
 
COCKTAIL RECIPE #2: THE SCORPION BOWL
 
Ingredients For 3 Or 4 People

 
Preparation

1. BLEND all ingredients in a mixer with two scoops of shaved ice. Pour into a Scorpion bowl.

2. FILL the bowl with ice and garnish with gardenias. Serve with long straws.

*Trader Vic’s pupu platter included Char Siu Pork, Crab Rangoon, Crispy Prawns, Rumaki, Spare Ribs, You can find some of the recipes here.

A pupu or pu pu platter is a plate of American Chinese or Hawaiian foods consisting of meat and seafood appetizers. In the Hawaiian language, pū-pū denotes a relish, appetizer, canapé, or hors d’oeuvre.

August 15th is National Lemon Meringue Pie Day, celebrating one of America’s Top 10 favorite pies (see the list below).

We’ve presented recipes for classic lemon meringue pie, as well as more than 25 recipes inspired by the pie: cake, cheesecake, cookies, fudge, pie, waffles, and much more.

Today we have the simplest lemon meringue recipe ever: a Lemon Meringue Float.

The recipe came to Cindy Reams, of Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, in a dream. She woke up knowing that she needed to make it. “Thank you, Mr. Sandman!” she says.

We thank Cindy, Mr. Sandman, and Taste Of Home for this treat.
 
 
RECIPE: LEMON MERINGUE FLOAT

While this recipe is a snap to make, if you like to whip meringue, you can add a delightful topping to the floats (here’s the meringue recipe).

While pink lemonade looks prettier, you of course can substitute conventional, yellow, lemonade.
 
Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PLACE 1/2 cup ice cream and 3 cookies in each of 6 tall glasses. Top with lemonade. Serve immediately.
 
 
AMERICA’S TOP 10 FAVORITE PIES

There are numerous polls and other lists of the Top 10 pies. In a nationwide poll by Schwan’s Consumer Brands North America (the makers of Mrs. Smith’s), respondents were asked what their three favorite pies were. Apple was the runaway winner, with 72% of the votes (47% for plain apple, 25% for apple crumb). The top 10:

1. Apple Pie, 47%
2. Pumpkin Pie, 37%
3. Chocolate Creme Pie, 32%
4. Cherry Pie, 27%
5. Apple Crumb Pie, 25%
6. Pecan Pie, 24%
7. Lemon Meringue Pie, 24%
8. Blueberry Pie, 21%
9. Key Lime Pie, 18%
10. Peach Pie, 16%

Other lists include Banana Cream Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, and to a lesser extent, Grasshopper Pie, Oreo Pie, Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, and Sweet Potato Pie. Every list will be different!

[1] A lemon meringue float with pink lemonade (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] Most supermarkets sell miniature lemon meringue cookies, in white plus pastel colors (photo © American Egg Board).

[3] Pink lemonade concentrate. Just mix it with water (photo © H.E.B.).

[1] A wedge of Deep Ellum Blue (photo © The Mozzarella Company).

[2] Serve Deep Ellum as a first course or a cheese course, along with figs and prosciutto (photo © Castello USA).

[3] A glass of Port, be it vintage, ruby, or tawny, is an excellent accompaniment (photo © Taylor’s ).

The Mozzarella Company’s blue cheese, Deep Ellum Blue, was named for a neighborhood of arts and entertainment venues—plus bars, restaurants, and nightclubs—about a mile from downtown Dallas.

Its history dates to the late 19th century, when it was settled after the Civil War by former slaves as a freedman’s town. Though the area was originally called Deep Elm in reference to Elm Street, its main thoroughfare, it was pronounced “Ellum” by residents, and the name eventually stuck.

In the 1920s, Deep Ellum started to become a destination for jazz and the blues. Artists like Huddie “Leadbelly” Ledbetter, Bessie Smith, Texas Bill Day, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Robert Johnson and many more prominent performers entertained there. Here’s more about the neighborhood.

In 1933, a song titled “Deep Elm Blues” was recorded by the Lone Star Cowboys and, later, the Shelton Brothers recorded it as “Deep Elum Blues” (their version).

Years later, it would be covered by Jerry Lee Lewis (our personal favorite) and The Grateful Dead.

And so, the Mozzarella Company, located on Elm Street in Dallas, created Deep Ellum Blue cheese.

Unlike most blue cheeses, Deep Ellum Blue has no blue veins, only a diamond-scored, blue-mold-mottled exterior (photo #1).

Unlike many blue cheeses, Deep Ellum Blue is subtly flavored, not too strong, and not too salty. Its flavor is robust and earthy. Its texture is soft, creamy, and spreadable.

It is delicious:

 
In fact, it’s fabulous with figs, which just happen to be in season right now.

Grab some cheese, some figs, some walnuts, and a bottle of Port or your favorite dessert wine, and luxuriate!
 
 
THE LIFE JOURNEY OF DEEP ELLUM BLUE

To make Deep Ellum Blue, pasteurized cow’s milk is inoculated with cultures* and then coagulated with rennet.

The resulting curds are broken into large pieces using perforated scoops and are stirred very gently so that they remain moist and soft.

The curds are poured into large square molds placed on mats and left to drain until mature. Then, the cheese is drained and turned and dried for about a month. Then it is washed with blue Penicillin roqueforti mold spores.

After aging for at least two additional months, the cheese is finally bathed with extra-virgin olive oil. It’s ready for you!

Look for it at fine cheese stores, or at MozzCo.com.

*Cheese cultures are a group of specific bacteria strains that are combined in order to make a particular type of cheese.