Mountain Views News          Saturday, October 17, 2015

11

FOOD AND DRINK

Mountain Views-News Saturday, October 17, 2015 

This past week I hosted a wine tasting at a local 
supermarket. The tasting was successful, but what 
really amazed me was the consumer’s quest for 
knowledge about wine. The wine itself was a medium 
priced chardonnay that, quite honestly, is available 
anywhere you shop. The myriad of questions ranged 
widely, from finding a nice sparkling wine for a 
wedding, what to have with steak dinner, what’s 
oaky, what’s buttery, chill the wine or not, keep in 
the refrigerator or not, and on and on. I’ll actually 
answer that last question right now: never put your 
wine in the fridge until you are ready to drink it. 
And don’t get me started on wines at weddings - can’t 
we just bring our own? 

 We are all creatures of habit. I have a very short 
list of sparkling wine and champagnes that I will 
purchase off a restaurant menu. You might be 
thinking ok, Peter, you get a lot of new bees to your 
wine tastings, why should I go to a wine tasting? 
Simple: you get to taste before you buy. The laws 
have loosened a bit over the past few years and many 
of our local supermarkets now offer wine tastings in 
their stores. Vons, Whole Foods and Bev Mo come 
to my mind. The laws are still there - over 21, only a 
taste and limited hours - but I can’t think of a better 
way to try something new. The tastes are limited 
to an ounce so what do you have to loose? If the 
supermarket tasting experience isn’t your thing, how 
about hosting your own? I have done this several 
times with friends and it’s always a hit. Each person is 
assigned a different country and must come in with 
tasting sheets for the wine that they have brought. 
Add a little cheese and, bingo you have your own 
tasting panel. Many of the wines that I have written 
about right here in this column were found at such 
events. Go one step further, keep all the wines in a 
paper bag and rate them!

 For more wine events, please go to my website 
wwwpeterdills.com and listen to Dining with 
Dills Sundays at 6 pm AM 830 KLAA. Wine 
Tasting this Thursday in Pasadena, please email at 
thechefknows@yahoo.com for additional details.

LET’S GO TO FRANCE 
You know that chardonnay is the most popular 
grape grown in California, with over 100,000 acres 
of dedicated farmland. We import many bottles 
of champagne and a variety of red wines from 
France, which also has their fair share of wonderful 
chardonnays, though the terrain is not as smooth as 
our friends in Napa and Sonoma have it. Located 
in the southern part of Burgundy, at the north edge 
of Beaujolais (a great restaurant in Eagle Rock is 
named after this region) Pouilly Fuisse is one of top 
wines of these regions. 
This is my first non-bubbles review of French 
wines - a 2013 Jadot Pouilly Fuisse made with 100% 
chardonnay grapes. While we tend to give California 
wines labels like “buttery”, I’ll go with “crisp”. This 
wine is a medium-bodied chardonnay with notes of 
honey and melon, and if you close your eyes long 
enough, a touch of oak. I will admit, however, on 
my review I did cheat - my bottle was way above 
their recommended 12 degrees Celsius, and my 
wine’s food companion was red seedless grapes. An 
interesting wine maker note: one part of the wine is 
fermented in stainless steel vats and in oak barrels, 
a combination that delivers a silky, smooth finish. 
The wine maker recommends a fish or cream sauce 
pairing. Pouilly Fuisse is a great representation of 
old world wine making. Bravo! 

Dills Score 
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 7 points for color, 8 points for aroma 
or “nose”, 8 points for taste, 9 points for finish, and 
9 points for my overall impression, which includes 
my value rating. Total Score 91, retail $25 on Sale, 
around $21 at most area supermarkets including 
Ralph’s and Vons.

 Tune 
into 
Dining 
w/ Dills 
Sunday 
3:30 
PM on 
KLAA 
830 AM 
check 
on my 
website www.peterdills.com for local events and 
wine tastings. This Wednesday we are tasting 
Dreaming Tree wine from Dave Mathews at the 
Vons on Colorado

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

Lattes & Literature – A Paranormal Experience

Expect goosebumps on your arms and chills to run up and down your spine as you hear real life tales 
and see actual images of true Paranormal Experiences. Then find yourself being entertained by a 
rare Literary Lives Performance that you will have to see for yourself to believe.

Featuring

Frances Chavez - Author of Old Mission Cemetery Tales

Michelle Hewitt - Mourning Dove Promotions

Georgia & Michael Nunez - San Gabriel Ghost Seekers

Valerie E. Welch - Performance Artist appearing as Louisa May Alcott, 

beloved author of the children’s classic “Little Women”

Saturday October 24, 2014

10:30 am - 2:30 pm

Sierra Madre Woman’s Club - The Essick House

550 West Sierra Madre Blvd. Sierra Madre, CA 91024 

Includes Continental Breakfast ~ Lite Lunch ~ Afternoon Sweet Treats 

Only $15 through October 23.

$20 on October 24


Well, us 5 JJ Jukebox-ers are at it again. Another 
exciting 2.5 hours of not knowing what to expect 
from the 1960s-1970s fun rock band that excels in 
the unexpected. New hit songs, new big mistakes, 
old songs, old mistakes. PLUS fantastic food from 
our friends at the Peppertree Grill.

 
The Dinner Concert is Saturday night, 
October 24th from 6:30 - 8:30 (or 9). Please make 
reservations soon by calling (626) 355-8444. 
Please leave your phone number, and how many 
in your party. And please plan on arriving around 
6:00. The earlier the better. 

 (The Peppertree is open Monday through 
Saturday from 4:00 pm on. Sundays they open 
at 10:00 am). The Peppertree Grill is at 322 W. 
Sierra Madre Blvd. In Sierra Madre. (Just east of 
Pasadena and north of the 210 freeway. Click on 
the photo below for a snappy poster promoting 
the event.


5 JJ JUKEBOX-ERS


Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com