4 FOOD ( ZZ-1 ) San 4Francbco (Djronitle ☆☆☆ 
WINE 
From Page 1 
even harder. Here the abstraction 
runs nearly into infinity. When I 
put comfort and wine in the same 
thought groove, “lush” and 
“sweet” come to mind, like the lus¬ 
cious, mouth-tingling flavors of a 
sparkling spumante. 
“Lush” and “comforting” clear¬ 
ly are good words for wines with 
lots of fleshy fruit, like you'll find 
in an off-dry Riesling, Chenin 
Blanc or Gewurztraminer. 
Because of astringent tannins 
and a lack of soft rounded flavors, 
however, red wines are a bit more 
difficult to squeeze into the com¬ 
fort box. But nouveau Gamays and 
ripe, slightly jammy Zinfandels 
qualify. Red wines that fit nicely 
into the comfort zone include 
bright and fruity Gamays and 
spicy Zins with just a dab of jam. 
Here, then, are 10 comfort 
wines that impress me as no-brai¬ 
ners —not because they are sim¬ 
ple wines, but because all you have 
to do is sit back in a comfortable 
chair and enjoy. 
■ Fontanafredda Asti Spu¬ 
mante, $10. An Italian original, 
this 100 percent Muscat bubbly is 
fresh and fruity, with scents of 
ripe spiced peaches. The flavors 
are lush and fruity, with a sweet 
accent and a long, easy-drinking 
finish. 
■ Santa Barbara Winery 1992 
Johannisberg Riesling, $8.50. This 
luscious wine is an excellent exam¬ 
ple of why Santa Barbara County 
is a great location for Riesling. 
Ripe pears with a tangy citrus note 
and a subtle sweetness fill this 
wine out, leaving a lush impression 
,in the finish. 
■ Fetzer 1992 California Jo¬ 
hannisberg Riesling, $6.50. Sweet¬ 
er, with more spicy fruit, this wine 
fills the mouth with fruity flavors 
but isn’t cloying. It tastes like hon¬ 
eyed peaches or apricots — and 
goes down real easy. 
■ De Loach 1992 Russian River 
iiiViifiiii'iii'iifii&Viiri^ 
BY JOHN O'H/ 
SENSORY PLEASURES: Some red wine with good bread, cheese and fruit for an evening e 
: . - 
Valley Gewurztraminer, $8.50. 
With the spicy, high-toned aroma 
and flavor of litehis, this wine is 
rich and smooth in the mouth, 
with excellent acidity. A luscious 
aromatic wine for sipping or with 
food. 
B Firestone 1992 California 
Gewurztraminer, $9. A blend of 
grapes from the Los Olivos estate 
and Mendocino, this user-friendly 
Gewurz smells like orange blos¬ 
som. It has plenty of yummy litchi 
fruit flavors and crisp acidity. 
B Dry Creek Vineyards 1992 
California Dry Chenin Blanc, $7. 
Don’t let the “dry” fool you: This 
wine explodes with ripe, honeyed 
peachy flavors. Although finished 
with less than 1 percent sweetness, 
it is fat and opulent with a sweet/ 
tart finish. 
B Sebastian! 1993 California 
Gamay Beaujolais Nouveau, 
$4.99. Nouveau is a drink-now wine 
that shows all its ripe fruit early. 
This one has a bright berry aroma 
and flavor, soft tannins and good 
balancing acidity. The finish is soft 
and silky. 
BGabrielli 1991 Mendocino 
Zinfandel, $10. Richly textured 
with gobs of jammy fruit, soft tan¬ 
nins and good acidity, this delight¬ 
ful Zin has it all together. Choco¬ 
holics will find a touch of their 
favorite drug in the ripe, plummy 
flavors. 
B Chateau Souve 
Dry Creek Zinfandel, 
jammy as the Gabriel 
loaded with bright f r 
braced with a touch c 
oak, soft tannins and 1 
with excellent acidity 
, Tom Peterson knows i 
the best out of ripe Zii 
B For a comf ortat 
busy day, try Chateo 
- elle 1991 "Sweet Sei 
nisberg Riesling, $6.9^ 
its own or with a wed[ 
or apricot tart. This w 
and floral, with good < 
—and an excellent va 
Gerald Boyd is beverag 
Restaurant Hospitality n 
