“Life is too short to drink bad wine!” While this phrase is a bit reductionist, as a sommelier I am always happy to see some selection process in play when people decide what to put in their mouths. But my question is; why don’t we see “Life is too short to eat bad food” stickers and t-shirts? Just as with wine, the quality and quantity of food we eat has an impact on our lives. Our food choices and can literally mean the difference between life and death to many of us.
Don’t worry; I am not going to quote numbers about elevated obesity, early-onsetdiabetes, or other diet related diseases. These are known problems and it is a fact that our lack of good choices about what, and how much we eat have been a large part of these growing health problems. Recently, Jamie Oliver, talented chef, TV personality and food educator has launched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, a campaign to help give us the tools we need to start making some of these personal changes easier. With some interesting menu options, and without taking away from our enjoyment of savoring it, Jamie helps us understand that the trick is to get into the kitchen a little, and use good ingredients that taste great. I’ll let you go through his website to see all the excellent resources his program is providing, but I would like to invite you to participate in a unique cooperative effort between Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution and JUSTIN.
For the next few weeks, it’s my pleasure to suggest pairings of selected JUSTIN wines for a dinner you will prepare from the recipes Jamie has included on his website. Once you have selected your recipes, you can go to the JUSTIN website’s Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution page where you can browse our wines, related events, and click the “Ask the Sommelier” link to tell me what you are planning
to serve. I’ll send along recommendations of which wines I would drink with your choices and you will be on your way to serving a knock-out meal that will taste great. You‘ll have great wines, matched with good food, that is good for you!
As many of you know, I like to cook and feel that dining is an important part of appreciating wine. Dining at great restaurants and enjoying some top flight wines is something that I enjoy, especially when travelling. But despite most peoples’ impressions of what Sommeliers eat and drink, most of the time I enjoy preparing meals at home with fresh, locally sourced, seasonal ingredients. From home-made breads or healthy pizzas, like the one in Jamie’s recipe collection that I bake in my wood fired brick oven, to classic Mediterranean dishes that are both healthy and delicious, I find that I can get restaurant quality at home with just a little effort. Food like this is healthy, simple to prepare, and most importantly, makes for a great meal especially if you invite over some friends (or mates, as Jamie would say) and I encourage you to try it. I’m looking forward to seeing your recipe choices so you can enjoy a bottle or two of JUSTIN wine with your meal as well. Buon apetito!
Drink the wines you like, but understand why you like them,
Jim
Gerakaris, CSW, Certified Sommelier
JUSTIN Winery
Sommelier and Wine Educator
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