Mountain Views News          Saturday, March 8, 2014

FOOD & DRINK Mountain Views News Saturday, March 8, 2014 9 FOOD & DRINK Mountain Views News Saturday, March 8, 2014 9 
COPPOLA 

Francis Ford Coppola’s love for wine didn’t just didn’t happen overnight. His grandfather, Agostino 
Coppola, had a passion for wine back in the 1920s, when he used to make wine in the basement 
of his New York apartment. Francis purchased his own vineyard in Rutherford, California in 1975 
using the proceeds from his movie “The Godfather”. This plot was a part of the historic Inglenook 
Winery. After tireless effort by the whole family, the winery produced its first vintage in 1977 under 
the Niebaum-Coppola label. After many years 
of success, the family purchased the Inglenook 
Winery in its entirety in 1995. Almost twenty 

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills 
thechefknows@yahoo.com
years later Coppola is producing more than 
1,000,000 cases a year. 

I first discovered the Director’s Cut Pinot Noir at a wine tasting at Pavilions Market in Newport 
Beach, and recently caught up with a glass at Cameron’s Seafood Restaurant in my hometown of 
Pasadena. It made sense - the Director’s Cut Pinot Noir goes perfectly with a large prawn shrimp 
cocktail or a hearty bowl of clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. 

The grapes are sourced from a select few wineries near the Russian River Valley. The winemaker, 
Corey Beck, mentioned a hint of seaweed taste. While that’s a good thing when discussing Pinots, 
I felt that it was more of a cherry aftertaste. Either way you will be pleased with the quality and the 
price. 

Dills Score 90 

Alcohol 13.5= roughly 120 calories per 5 oz. glassRetail Around $20 on sale $16 wide distribution 
throughout So Cal 

Each week I will give you my Dills Score. I have 
added points for value. I’m starting with a base 
of 50 points; I added 8 points for color, 7 points 
for aroma or “nose”, 8 points for taste, 8 points 
for finish, and 9 points for my overall impression, 
which includes my value rating. 

Tune into Dining w/ Dills Sunday 5 PM on 
790KABC Radio 
Email Peter at thechefknows@yahoo.com and follow me on Twitter @KINGOFCUISINE 


CORNED BEEF 
INGREDIENTS 

2 quarts water

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons saltpeter

1 cinnamon stick, broken into several pieces

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

8 whole cloves 

8 whole allspice berries

12 whole juniper berries

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

2 pounds ice

1 (4 to 5 pound) beef brisket, trimmed

1 small onion, quartered

1 large carrot, coarsely chopped

1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped 

DIRECTIONS 

Place the water into a large 6 to 8 quart stockpot along with salt, sugar, saltpeter, cinnamon stick, mustard 
seeds, peppercorns, cloves, allspice, juniper berries, bay leaves and ginger. Cook over high heat 
until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the ice. Stir until the ice has 
melted. If necessary, place the brine into the refrigerator until it reaches a temperature of 45 degrees 

F. Once it has cooled, place the brisket in a 2-gallon zip top bag and add the brine. Seal and lay flat 
inside a container, cover and place in the refrigerator for 10 days. Check daily to make sure the beef is 
completely submerged and stir the brine. 
After 10 days, remove from the brine and rinse well under cool water. Place the brisket into a pot just 
large enough to hold the meat, add the onion, carrot and celery and cover with water by 1-inch. Set 
over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours 
or until the meat is fork tender. Remove from the pot and thinly slice across the grain.