Secrets of wine country cooks - includes menus

Sunset, August, 1993 by Linda Lau Anusasananan

FROM GRAPE TO GLASS, EVERY STAGE OF WINEMAKING IS AIMED AT THE HAPPY PROSPECT of teaming wine with food. In the Napa Valley, wine and food together are a way of life for many winemakers who--short on time but long on creativity--have turned entertaining into an efficient, elegant art. What are their secrets? On these pages, two winemaking families, and a group of young winemakers who grew up together in the valley, share some exceptionally simple, effective ways to pair the products of their vineyards and their kitchens.

For a romantic start, Guenoc Estate Vineyards and Winery is perfect. Lillie Langtry, the famous British actress, once owned part of the property, and her face graces the winery's label. In the late 1800s, Langtry resided in the valley, awaiting settlement of a headline divorce. The respectable part of her time was devoted to making quite decent wines--about 50 tons of grapes, worth each year.

Orville Magoon dusted off history when he began to replant the vineyards in 1963. While he tends grapes and makes wine, his wife, Karen Melander-Magoon, manages the winery's public relations and marketing. They have restored Langtry's home to use for wine industry and community events.

However, on weeknights, the Magoons often entertain casually in their own nearby home--with its expansive view of their 30-square-mile estate. "Wine demands a whole different tempo--it slows the dining experience to a relaxed pace and helps bring family and friends together," says Mrs. Magoon. With both Magoons at work, cooking ahead is impossible, so cooking with company becomes part of entertaining.

To show off their wines, the Magoons usually serve lightly seasoned dishes with ingredients from the garden--and, on a lucky day, largemouth bass from the property's lake.

The evening we joined them, Mrs. Magoon scattered chopped shallots, tarragon, thyme,and sage over the day's catch, poured a light white wine over it, and put it in to bake while we nibbled cheese and sipped the house's dry Sauvignon Blanc.

In what seemed like much less than the hour it was, the table was laden with fish,rice pilaf, peas, and salad dressed with balsamic vine gar and Oriental sesame oil. Chardonnay accompanied the meal.

As we pulled up our chairs, chocolate brownies went into the oven. With the warm dessert came Petite Sirah, and music trilled into the dusky night. Mrs. Magoon, an opera singer, burst into an impromptu aria.

DOLORES AND JACK CAKEBREAD WORK AS A TEAM, but within well-established territories. While he and their sons planted the first vineyard more than 20 years ago, she started her flower and vegetable gardens. Now, he runs Cakebread Cellars and she still oversees a garden that enriches their table year-round. She also plans and prepares, or directs, meals to go with the wines he selects. Mrs. Cakebread's longtime approach to food emphasizes wholesome, good-tasting dishes with minimum fat and cholesterol. "Our theory is to cook tastefully and healthfully so you can enjoy a good glass of wine and, following the |French Paradox' remain healthy," she explains.

Entertaining is frequent, and groups are often large. As a result, the winery's kitchen is professional in scale. A resident chef and an assistant free up Mrs. Cakebread's time to act as hostess for the basic business of making and selling wine.

When our party of six arrived in early afternoon, Mr. Cakebread had red wines open and whites chilling. That morning, Mrs. Cakebread had harvested fresh, perfect ingredients for lunch from the garden. Some of these were mounded as a still life in a big, well-used basket.

With a fragrant ratatouille simmering on the range, cheese ravioli assembled and ready to boil, and dessert in the refrigerator, the Cakebreads led us outside to a table draped in colors of the summer harvest. Vegetables and flowers provided decorations, and an impressive array of glasses, ready for the wines, flanked place settings.

Mrs. Cakebread plans her menus to enhance the wines. The tang of cilantro pesto and goat cheese ravioli goes with dry Sauvignon Blanc's fresh, crisp taste. The mellow ratatouille topped with grilled chicken is at ease with rich Chardonnay. And the cherry trifle brings out the cherry overtones in their lush Cabernet Sauvignon.

GROWING UP IN THE wine business-some have several generations of winemaking behind them--Rollie Heitz, Paula Kornell, Peter Mondavi, Jr.,and Katie Wetzel Murphy developed close friendships and well-educated palates.

Today, their enthusiasm for food and wine has moved into the professional arena, but their pleasure in celebrating wine and food together in a relaxed environment hasn't declined. It's just more difficult.

Many of them travel in their jobs, so times when everyone is in the area are limited. Parties need to come together easily. The favorite solution is potluck. Each cooks a favorite dish scaled to serve the whole group, and often the dish is completed at the host's house, with getting-caught-up conversations buzzing. Along with the dish, each person brings one or more wines. Some wine is sipped while they cook, and all are available with the meal--served buffet-style.