I fell in love with chocolate decades ago and throughout the intervening years I have tried desperately to avoid becoming a full-fledged chocoholic.  My battle with this sweet addiction has caused me much angst, but over the past few years researchers have touted the healthful attributes of chocolate – or at least dark chocolate.

This research came as shocking, yet welcome, news and seemed a repudiation of what a whole generation of moms preached to us.  Remember  when your mom would scare you with horror stories about how too much chocolate would result in rotten teeth, pimples and obesity?

Your parents probably also warned you about drinking wine.  Just a few of decades ago, people who drank more than just an occasional glass were considered reprobates or wino’s by the moral police of the time whose idea of moderate drinking with meals was the three martini lunch.

           

While moderate wine consumption is considered acceptable now, chocolate had still been considered a somewhat decadent extravagance by health-conscious individuals.

Then a study known as The French Paradox suggested that moderate consumption of wine, especially red, with meals is the reason that people living in France, who consume a high fat diet, have significantly fewer heart attacks than Americans. The difference, we were told, is that Americans (who ate as much fat as the French), did not regularly consume wine with their meals.

Well, you’re probably not going to believe this, but a few years ago scientists at the University of California at Davis, who are experts on wine antioxidant research, found dark that chocolate has similar heart-healthy qualities.

But here’s the bonus:  It now seems that chocolate and red wine, when paired together, provide synergistic and increased health benefits in the form of reducing LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff).

Holy Cow!  Is this great, or what?

In a letter to The Lancet  (medical publication), the researchers reported finding that compounds in cocoa had an effect similar to those in wine in preventing LDL oxidation in the blood stream.

One researcher said, “The pleasant pairing of red wine and dark chocolate could have synergistic advantages beyond their complementary tastes.”

Shazamm!  My prayers have been answered!   

Unfortunately, too much of a good thing is not good for you. The key word apparently is moderation in both wine and chocolate consumption.  And the California researchers also add an admonition that “we certainly aren’t suggesting that people start eating chocolate to prevent coronary heart disease.”

This research only confirmed what I have known for years about the wonderful taste harmony of dark chocolate and full-bodied and rich red wines – particularly cabernet sauvignon. 

I first discovered this heavenly pairing when, by accident, I took a sip of my dinner cabernet after having just taken a bite of a delicious chocolate truffle dessert.  From then on, I made it a point to save a little of my red wine for dessert. 

           

Here are two reasonably priced cabernet sauvignon blends that prove the researchers’ point:  

2007 Hedges C.M.S. ($16) – This Washington State lovely elixir is a combination of cabernet, merlot and syrah (hence the  moniker C.M.S.) and is not only great with a grilled steak, it is also worth saving a few sips to enjoy with the above-mentioned dark chocolate.

2006 Altos de Luzon ($15) – From the Jumilla region of Spain, this blend of monastrell, cabernet sauvignon and tempranillo,  is a delicious concoction with dark cherry, blackberry and coffee tones.  The wine gets increasingly better in the glass and is the perfect match for chocolate once it’s time for dessert.    

 I must admit, however, that never, in my wildest fantasies, did I suspect that chocolate and wine could actually be good for me.  That’s not the way things are supposed to be, are they? Shouldn’t I feel a little guilt about this?

           

Nah.

      I’ll admit it, I am consumed each day by lengthy ruminations over what I’m going to eat and drink.  Conversations with my long-suffering spouse almost always involve planning the evening meal and sometimes precipitate disputes that are usually amicably, but sometimes loudly, settled.
Then one or both of us will venture out to search for the freshest ingredients and the wine to accompany the agreed upon meal. These almost daily forays inevitably lead to the farmer’s stands at Capitol Market to peruse and then purchase the just picked veggies that are so appealingly displayed.
     Like many of my contemporaries, I am trying to eat a healthier diet in the hope that doing so will undue decades of abuse ladled into my arterial system by the constant ingestion of the three most important central Appalachian food groups: lard, red meat and fried potatoes.
Therefore, recently I went in search of poblano peppers that would be the centerpiece of a (almost) vegetarian meal.  Poblanos, when dried as they often are, become ancho peppers and are sometimes ground to make chili powder. Anchos can also be re-hydrated and used in sauces.  I found the  poblanos at the Purple Onion inside Capitol Market and, while they  do have a slight measure of heat, they are nowhere near the potency of a jalapeno.
     So today, I’m  going to tell you about  a one-course meal that is guaranteed to spice up your day and in a very healthy way. And when you accompany this meal with one of the  juicy zinfandels  I’m going to suggest, you’ll have the perfect summer time repast. You’ll need one large poblano for each adult you’re serving.  For purposes of this recipe, we’ll use the stuffing for two peppers.
     Stuffed Poblanos , Quinoa with (or without ) Chorizo.  Okay, here goes.

Shopping list:
– Two large poblanos
– One clove garlic diced
– One quarter medium onion diced
– One-quarter cup finely chopped cilantro
– Four ounces Monterey jack cheese
– One- quarter pound ground chorizo sausage(optional)
– Two ounces of vegetable oil
– One-half cup quinoa or brown rice
– Salt and pepper to taste
     For those of you unfamiliar with quinoa  (pronounced keen-wah), it is supposedly the perfect food. It fluffs up like rice and is gluten free with a protein content of 12%. It can also be used as a substitute for pasta and white rice and is very low in carbohydrates.  It tastes good too. If you can’t find it (The Purple Onion usually stocks it), use brown rice as a low-carb substitute or just use white rice if you wish.
Preparation:
1. Place poblanos  directly  on the stove top  and char the skin, turning often until most of the surface of the pepper is charred.
2. Place the peppers in a paper or plastic bag for about 20 minutes, remove and peel the skin
3. With a small, sharp knife, cut a slit in top of the pepper large enough to spoon in the   stuffing.
4. Dice the garlic, chop the onion and cilantro and sauté in two ounces of vegetable oil until the veggies are translucent.
5. Sauté’ the chorizo and drain off the fat
6. Combine the quinoa, vegetables, chorizo and shredded cheese in a bowl and allow to cool.
7. When cool, add one egg to the mixture and stir, then stuff the peppers  and add more cheese to the top of each pepper.
8. Place on aluminum foil and on an oven pan and heat through for 30 minutes at 325  degrees (F).

Wine Recommendations:
     Spicy, juicy red zinfandel is the perfect accompaniment to this meal.  Try the 2006 Wild Hog Zinfandel ($25) or the 2007 Castle Rock Mendocino Zinfandel ($14 ).  While both have the requisite blackberry juiciness and spice component in spades, the Wild Hog is a fuller-bodied version of Zin while the Castle Rock shows more acidity and is a little less in your face.

We all have our favorite restaurants around the state and even beyond the borders of this land of “purple mountain majesty.”  Good food should be accompanied by good wine and those eateries that understand this rudimentary principle should be recognized.  It’s one thing for this back-water wino to say nice things about a grubbery, but when a prestigious international magazine does…well that, to use the local vernacular, is “spay-chull.”

Therefore, wine lovers and foodies in our state should know that the annual Wine Spectator restaurant awards were just announced and the Mountain State has 13 establishments that received honors.  

According to the magazine, “Wine Spectator’s restaurant wine list awards program recognizes restaurants whose wine lists offer interesting selections, are appropriate to the cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers.  To qualify for an award, the list must present complete, accurate wine information. It must include vintages and appellations for all selections, including wines by the glass…”

The three categories of awards are:  “Awards of Excellence”; “Best of Awards of Excellence”; and the “Grand Award. “  Nearly 3000 restaurants across world have received the “Award of Excellence,” including eleven restaurants in WV.  Two WV restaurants, the Bavarian Inn and the Greenbrier’s Main Dining Room, received “Best of Awards of Excellence” and that’s quite an honor since only 800 restaurants achieved that distinction.   Only 72 restaurants around the world received the highest honor and none were in West By-god  — yet.

The state restaurants receiving “Awards of Excellence are:  Bridge Road Bistro, Charleston; The Chop House, Charleston; Ember,  Snowshoe Mountain Resort ; The Glasshouse Grille, Morgantown; La Bonne Vie, Chester (at Mountaineer Racetrack); Provence Market Café, Bridgeport;  Sam Snead’s, While Sulpher  Springs (The Greenbrier); Sargasso, Morgantown;  Savannah’s, Huntington; Soho’s, Charleston; and Spats, Parkersburg (in the Blennerhassett Hotel).

I think we should all support these restaurants and encourage others within our grazing range to strive for this honor.  I know there are many fine restaurants that are very close to achieving this award and many others that could add a few selections to their existing list and get within striking range.

Another Charleston restaurant that deserves credit for not only presenting delicious cuisine, but for taking their wine lists seriously is the South Hills Market and Café.  

The South Hills Market and Café, owned by Richard and Anne Arbaugh, features a superb and eclectic menu of continental, low-country and new American delicacies in a visually stunning presentation. The food tastes good too! Actually, Richard is quite an accomplished chef with tours of duty at The Homestead as well as the Bridge Road Bistro. 

The wine list is very well constructed with an array of international wines that are reasonably priced.  The restaurant has added a “happy hour” from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday along with a new appetizer menu. You’ll need to call for dinner reservations (305-345-2585).

Wine Recommendation: 

2007 Vu Ja De Syrah ($18);  A dyslectic take on dejavu, this wine with a WV connection and Napa Valley lineage, is a wonderful mouthful of blueberries, chocolate and coffee.  The guys that run this operation have planted grapes in Roane County and are using their Napa Valley connections to bring us wine until their vineyards are mature enough to produce WV fruit. In the meantime, ask for this wine or try their cabernet ($16).  It is also a nice wine at a reasonable price. 

I am a board member of the Roark-Sullivan Lifeways Center (RSLC).   This is a very special organization with a great group of dedicated employees and volunteers. The center assists individuals experiencing homelessness with services that help them become self-reliant.

For the past several years, RSLC has been hosting a fund raising event at Capitol Market called “Wine and Roses.” Wouldn’t it be great to help programs like Roark-Sullivan and enjoy good wine and gourmet food, too?

Well, you can!  Join me and other wine lovers at the fourth annual Roark-Sullivan Lifeways Center Wine and Roses event. Wine and Roses will be held indoors at the Capitol Market from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 16. Partnering with RSLC is the Capitol Market, Soho’s, the Thomas Health System, A Travel Agent in WV and the Wine Shop at Capitol Market.  

Area wine distributors and locally owned Napa Valley winery, Falcor, are donating the wines.  And believe me, there will be exceptional wines available for your sipping pleasure from all over the world.  In addition, there will be an assortment of gourmet appetizers you can pair with the wines.   

I’ll be there to answer your wine questions and chat about the tasty treats we’re sipping. And, hey, if you find a wine you like, you can stroll right over and purchase it immediately from the nice folks at the Wine Shop.

I count myself fortunate to have the time and resources to engage my passion for good wine and food. Others in our town, state and nation are not so fortunate. Each day is a challenge for them. Many of our fellow citizens are dealing with debilitating physical, emotional and mental issues that make each day a struggle to survive. Their goal is simply to find food to eat and a place to sleep. Fortunately, there are agencies in our communities that exist solely to assist these people, many of whom are homeless.

RSLC operates the 60-bed Giltinan Center on Leon Sullivan Way (formerly the Charleston Men’s Emergency Shelter) and the 16-bed Twin Cities Center in St. Albans and provides comprehensive services such as healthcare maintenance; substance abuse and mental health assistance; outreach; and transitional and aftercare services. Last year, RSLC constructed and opened a Veterans Transitional Center adjacent to the Giltinan Center that provides services to homeless veterans.

The Roark-Sullivan Lifeways Center and other such organizations exist because of state and federal programs funded by your taxes, and through your generous personal contributions.  Please join me and raise a glass for a great cause!  

 Tickets are $30 in advance or at the door. You can call RSLC at 304-414-0109 and use your credit card or send a check to: RSLC, P.O. Box 1707, Charleston, WV, 25326.

I hope to see you there. 

Boy have I been sipping some excellent wines this summer.  I’ve also been pairing them up with some yummy culinary treats – which is the equivalent of a gustatory double whammy!  I’ve also found that cooking the family meal is a great way to get out of yard work, and that’s reason enough for me to do my sweating in the kitchen.

I’ll be the first to admit that finding the appropriate food and wine match can be tricky. But I have acquired a lot of experience over the years, mainly through trial and error, and I’ve come up with some pairings that work for me and just might work for you too. 

Like all rules in wine appreciation, there are really no rules. In other words, if you enjoy filet mignon with Uncle Fred’s Rhubarb Red, then go for it. However, the overwhelming school of thought when it comes to finding the best food and wine pairing is to pick flavors that are complimentary. There are times, though, when it is best to find wine that has some contrasting elements  to the edibles.

And just like a good old West Virginia ward healer, I can go in either direction – depending on the circumstances, the mood or which way the wind is blowing. Okay, so here are some common sense principles to follow.

Lighter-bodied foods go best with lighter style wines while heavier flavored foods are best paired with fuller-flavored wines.  For instance, a poached white fish would go best with a lighter styled white wine such as a white Bordeaux or Albarino from Spain. Conversely, a well-marbled strip steak would be a great match with a robust red wine such as cabernet sauvignon or zinfandel.

The addition of sauces or spices to a dish can add a flavor dimension that can affect the wine you pick.  For example, sauvignon blanc is an excellent choice with poached salmon in a dill sauce, but grilled salmon that has been dusted with cumin, black pepper and chili powder needs a medium-bodied red such as pinot noir.

Textures also play a role in determining the best matches and this is where “contrasting” comes into play. Say you have a rich, fatty piece of beef, the ideal wine is probably a young tannic red, not only from a complimentary flavor standpoint, but also because the astringency of the tannin in the wine provides a contrast and serves to cleanse the palate.

To be successful in finding that perfect match, you need to consider flavor, texture and weight of the food and wine pairing. You wouldn’t logically pair a full-flavored red wine with a delicate broiled seafood dish such as Dover sole. Think about it. The flavors, textures and weight are all out of balance. Try a delicate Chablis, an Italian pinot grigio or a Washington State semillon.   

Here’s the closest to an absolute wine and food no-no: vinaigrette salad with any wine. Why? The vinegar based dressing clashes with the acid in wine destroying the flavors of both the salad and wine. Creamy or cheese dressings work fine with sauvignon blanc, riesling or viognier, but nothing works with vinaigrette. Well, maybe an inexpensive sparkler with lots of fizz. 

Try   pinot noir, Chianti, or even Beaujolais with grilled salmon, tuna or chicken. Zinfandel, rose’ and shiraz also pair wellwith spicy foods, particularly Southwestern  (US) fare. Ditto, slightly sweet gewürztraminer or riesling. Both go well with oriental dishes, especially Thai food.Roasted turkey can handle just about any dry wine, but I particularly like red Rhone wines, Alsatian pinot gris and merlot-based Bordeaux.    

As I have stated for the record many times before, chocolate desserts love cabernet sauvignon. Ices and sorbets are great with muscat and sweet sparkling wines. Try blue cheese with port and zinfandel. Sweet late harvest riesling and Sauterne with, believe it or not, liver pates are also odd couple pairings.

 I could go on and on, but there are also some other resources you can use.  Try this website “Food and Wine Pairing” at http://www.foodandwinepairing.org. 

And Natalie MacLean, creator of Nat Decants, the wine web site at www.nataliemaclean.com, has teamed up with the software developer bitHeads to create an application that works on your iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve.  

I hope that I’m preaching to the choir, but there are few things more pleasurable than sipping a glass of wine with dinner, particularly after a long day of toiling in the vineyard – so to speak.

Wine not only enhances the dining experience, it also relaxes the mind and spirit and fosters friendly conversation among diners. Sound like a commercial for slow food?  Well, I am a disciple of this reemerging philosophy, and I would argue that wine is a key component in the slow food movement.

Unfortunately, many of us rush around trying to fit too much life in too little time and, consequently, many of us view wine as a special occasion beverage.  In my humble opinion, just making it through another day in this crazy, complex world is reason enough to celebrate with a glass or two of your favorite wine.

But, in these rough economic times, can I afford to drink wine each day? Ah ha, that’s what I hope to impart to you  here today. The fact is that most regular wage earners can afford a glass or two of wine each day. In fact, there are thousands of inexpensive and quality wines  now available from which to choose.  

The demand for good, affordable wine is at an all time high, and producers are responding with a sea of new products from all around the world. In addition to the recognizable tried and true wine producing countries such as the US, France, Italy, Germany and Australia, other nations, less known for their viticultural acumen, are now making very good wine.

Recently, exceptional wine has been produced  in such geographically diverse nations as  South Africa, Spain, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, Portugal and Austria, just to name a few. Whether you’re looking for red, white, sparkling or rose, you’ll find excellent wines in every country I’ve mentioned.

So how do I learn about these wines (in addition to this erudite and eminently understandable blog/column)? Just ask your wine purveyor or simply take a chance and try the new wines you see on the shelf.

Another great way to learn about wine, in addition to periodicals and magazines (The  Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate are a few  of my favorite sources), is to go online and use a search engine such as Google, Ask.com or Yahoo to request information on wine reviews or wine blogs like this one.

So, to give you a push in the right direction, here are a few eminently affordable wines to try with your everyday “slow food” meal whether it is filet mignon or mac and cheese.

Reds:  07 Cecchi Bonizio Sangiovese ($9);  06 Finca El Reposo Cabernet Sauvignon ($12); 06 Jaboulet Parallele 45 Cotes Du Rhone ($13); 07 Santa Carolina Reserve Carmenere ($14).

Whites:  07 Fetzer Gewurztraminer ($9); 08 Yellow and Blue Torrontes ($11); 08 Dr. Loosen Riesling ($12); 07 Clos Du Bois Sauvignon Blanc ($11).