February Profile: Margaux Pierog

Margaux Pierog
Regal Wines

If you were ever in search of a knowledgeable real sommelier type, someone who could really lay out the facts with finesse and an unstodgy vocabulary, then Margaux Pierog would end your search. Done and Done. She is young, she is intelligent. She is pretty, she is also pretty smart. And best of all, Pierog can name & define 10 obscure wine appellations faster than you can recite “Peter Piper Picked a Pickled Pepper” three times fast.

Pierog grew up in Dana Point, California – a relaxed beach community. Her family encouraged her to seek the keys of the world and unlock secrets. And that’s just what she’s done, as a wine educator, for the last two years for Regal Wines.

1. What single person, place or thing has most significantly altered the course of your life? Studying abroad in Paris, really took me out of my element. Living there allowed me figure out what was most important in life. There was so much out there to take in each day and new parts of the city to explore. I had to be bigger than my realm of comfort.

2. What is your greatest passion? Learning, without question. Not just about wine, but surrounding things that I don’t know much about. Also, my family and maintaining a close group of friends who keep me centered and laughing!

3. What makes you happy? Mad? Mad? People who don’t laugh! Laziness!! It’s horrendous! Happy? Knowing that what I’ve been a part of is better off than before I started being a part of it.

4. Has the economy affected your job in any ways? Not really. People always want to learn and there are so many ways to share education. But I have had to re-focus on the more popular classes though. Classic topics.

5. What have proven to be the hardest pieces of the wine puzzle to learn? Italy. Sometime I think that the Italians makes rules just to break them. I adore Italian wines since they are so food friendly. But trying to delve into Italy after France and California is difficult.

6. What is your favorite food & wine pairing? Anything with champagne. Do you really even need food? I also like Kendall-Jackson Late Harvest Chardonnay with Caramel Corn. Mmm I like Spanish Cava, too.

7. What’s your next destination or just your favorite destination? My dream is to visit Greece and Portugal. Oh! The wine and culture there. I need to make it happen before I’m 30.

8. Tell us about one of your secret cheap thrills? Sancerre, a baguette and goat cheese. That’s perfect for a simple lunch or dinner. A complete thrill.

9. Which country or varietal is your specialty? Wonderful. Priorat. It’s in Northeastern Spain. Priorat are blends, usually of Mourvedre, Carignane and of course SYRAH! They are brooding, complex and delicate all at the same time.

10. Top advice for an up and coming aspiring sommelier? Check your facts. It’s important. So much wine info is out there is wrong. So have due diligence, Become an expert, a real expert on world wine. Constantly reading and learning.

11. Would you rather be caught in granny panties in public or paying corkage on a bottle of 2-buck chuck at an upscale restaurant? Granny Panties as long as they aren’t orange or yellow. People might get the wrong idea from yellow granny panties.

12. What is the most overlooked varietal? Syrah! Wholeheartedly. It’s not just pure black pepper and spice. It has a myriad of nuance – chocolate, raspberry, leather and mint.

13. And the next thing on your learning radar? Greece… there is more there then Retinsa.

14. Leave us with a quote… I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. ~Abraham Lincoln


Margaux Pierog recommends you read A History of Food by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat
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Eighty Nine Points (Wine Spectator)

KINTON Syrah Santa Barbara County 2006 (89 points, $19)

Serves up a tasty mix of blackberry and wild berry flavors woven in with mineral and pebble notes, ending with a touch of tobacco and sage. Drink now through 2012. 5,400 cases made.

--James Laube

just asking. . .

What are you most likely to order off a wine list?
How do you decide what to order?

I just read this dude's blog about ridiculously long wine lists. I agree, TMI (even when it's food related) can be overwhelming. Not all of us are going to plunk down a housing payment to try a once in a lifetime bottle of wine. Although if you know a single man who is willing to do this, send him my way!
I know how I order wine.
Varietal followed by Price followed by Appellation.



So if I'm doing some serious oyster damage I know I want a $25-$30 bottle of either something French from the Loire or I want a domestic Pinot Gris or even maybe a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.

But how do you figure out what to order?

Super Bowl

Thats right. It's THAT time of the year, to figure out how to wow everyone with fingerfood that packs a punch.
Superbowl food should be tasty and be made on a grill to capture that gritty, smoky, MANLY flavor.

How about Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp - which would do really well with beer from a keg or a juicy glass of Syrah.

24 count, cleaned, shrimp tails
1 can sliced jalapenos, drained
1 package thin cut bacon, sliced in half (to create 3-4 inch wide slices)
toothpicks or skewers



Fire up your grill and bring the temperature up to 350 degree's, roughly.

Meanwhile, tuck a jalapeno into a shrimp tail and wrap them together in bacon. Secure with a toothpick. Repeat with all 24 shrimp.

Smoke on your barbecue until bacon is crispy on the outside and transfer to a plate. Bring inside and get ready for compliments and orders for more shrimp!

Felice Super Bowl!

Flowers

Flowers Winery of Sonoma has come under a new majority ownership. It will be interesting to see how it's Pinot Noir and Chardonnay production either improves or declines in quality and quantity in the coming years. Historically, once a winery comes under new ownership it's the old Hublein effect. Poorer quality and more of it.

Right?

Miel

Honey pairs so well with so many dishes. It's also all-natural and if you use the unfiltered version its chock full of pollens, and flower detritus that will help you combat the common cold.

Try Honey Draped Pork Chops with dried golden raisins and black mission figs. Try Lady Finger Sandwiches comprised of Brillat-Savarin and Honey Comb with lavendar sea salt. Compose a soup of carrots, curry and honey with creme fraiche and chives as a decoration. Stuff a chicken breast full of shallots, cumin and honey - when its fresh out of the oven add arugula and dress it in a summer vinaigrette.

Mmmm.

And don't forget to add a nice accoutrement of Kinton Santa Barbara Syrah ...

Is it really wiping the slate "clean"?

If your past felonious record is wiped clean vis a vis a presidential pardon from one of the most hated presidents, George W. Bush, is said record really "clean"?

Is it like a tree falling in a forest and no one being around to hear it?

Click here to read about Fred Franzia's attempt at starting really fresh in 2009.

enjoy!