Flight Savor Fare

…or good “back porch” wines, as Nan, Flight’s sommelier, calls them. Here are Nan’s picks which were our tasting wines last night:

SUMMER FAVORITES 5/26/10

Hey Mambo Swanky White – California, 2008
$15 per bottle, $12 case price Swanky is a good word to describe this bone-dry, acidic blend of Viognier, Chenin Blanc, Muscat and Sauvignon Blanc. It shows a swirl of citrus, peach, apple and wildflower flavors that are frankly delicious, a classic California white wine at an everyday price. 90 points Wine Enthusiast for ’07

Robert Oatley Rosé of Sangiovese – Mudgee, Australia, 2008
Bottle $15 Case Price $12
Medium body with a fruit forward nose of peach, with apricot, vanilla,
pear and mint on the palate. Lovely for spring.
Wine Spectator & Wine & Spirits 88 points

Red Guitar Tempranillo/Garnacha – Navarro, Spain, 2008
Bottle $14 Case Price $11
A wonderfully complex bouquet of cherries, leather and even a touch of earthiness, with explosive raspberry fruit characters and soft tannins. Together, these varieties combine to produce a wonderfully dense, powerful wine with loads of black fruit, ripe raspberry and a smooth, long finish.

Budini Malbec – Mendoza, 2009 Bottle $14 Case $12
Very dark garnet, black at the center, appealing black-cherry and berry aromas are typical of good. fruit-forward Argentine Malbec. It hits the palate with a brief impression of luscious softness, but that’s quickly pulled back with lemon-squirt acidity and barely perceptible tannins, finishing clean, long and dry.

Case price available on mixed cases. Next tasting: Wed, June 2. New wines by the glass

…or summer back porch sippers.

This post is for Marilyn!

According to Lettie Teague in the Wall St. Journal, a wedding runs about $30,000 and most of that is spent on the ring, the dress and the flowers (hear that Pam?) And the wine? Lettie says she’s often wished that the centerpiece was a spit bucket instead.

But wedding wine shouldn’t be expensive or too precious. It’s hard to savor a wine properly while dancing to “Brick House.”

Lettie offers 5 tips for choosing wines for a wedding:

Taste at least 10 wines, 5 red, 5 white before choosing.

Buy a good sparkling wine but don’t waste money on Champagne. No one ever asks to see the label.

If you bring your own wine and pay a corkage fee you will almost always pay much less than if you had chosen from the house list. (Not true at Flight though. Buy multiple bottles through us for a discount, add $10 corkage fee and it’s still cheaper than buying elsewhere and bringing it in.)

Choose a wine with the widest appeal that also will go well with food. Fairly fruity, light bodied with good acidity.

Six affordable, appealing and widely available wines Lettie recommends:

2006 Monte Antico Rosso $10

2008 Inama Soave Classico $15

Roederer Estate Brut nonvintage Sparkling wine $19

2005 Château Greysac Medoc $15

2009 Spy Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc $15

2009 Scholss Gobelsburg Grüner Veltliner $15

Readers flew “the Land of the Sky” into the top spot in the Small Cities category for the first time this year. A walk along the streets of Asheville will prove why it deserves this honor, from the Art Deco buildings seen all over the city (including the town’s city hall) to the more than 50 galleries representing every medium. Reader Mark Flowers, of Alexander, N.C., explains, “Asheville’s creative scene runs from the visual art, the handmade craft arts, the music arts, down to the amazing small brewery arts. It’s a total package that brings me downtown whenever I am near.” American Syle magazine.

And cuisine arts, too!

Sometimes its cherry and sometimes its chocolate. Always amazing.

Did you receive the May newsletter with the $25 frequent flier certificate in it? (If not, email me at flightwoodgrill@mac.com and I’ll send you one pronto.)

There wasn’t room for all the qualifications about using the certificate on the certificate itself.

The certificates apply to entrees only, not appetizers or bar plates or alcohol (ABC Board forbids it.)

Suppose both you and your spouse receive the certificate. You may only use one per Monday night, so plan to come twice! Suppose your friends received a certificate and want to come with you. That’s fine, as long as they are paying with separate credit card, separate checks. You can see the intent here, but there are always some really creative types who think of unusual ways to use the certificate, so we reserve the right to redeem or not redeem.

We’re looking forward to seeing you!

Flight’s Small Plate Menu
Panko Shrimp $3
Cup of seasonal soup $3
Korean Style Pork Belly Lettuce Wraps $5
Tuna Tataki $5.5
Portobello caps stuffed w/red peppers and goat cheese $6
House salad $8
Wood Grilled Caesar $8
Spinach and Strawberry Salad w/bleu cheese and balsamic $8
Shrimp & Grits $8
Cheese plate $8

Thirty restaurants in Hendersonville and Flat Rock are participating in the Small Plate Crawl with over 350 people attending! Great event, thanks to Hendersonville Epicureanfor organizing it!

The Efficient Drinker
lists the calories, abv and efficiency of 50 top name beers (here are a few) — anyone actually seen a Bud Select 55??

Budweiser Select 55 55 2.50% 88.2%
Bud Ice 123 5.50% 86.8%
Natural Light 95 4.20% 85.8%
Michelob Ultra 95 4.20% 85.8%
Miller Lite 96 4.20% 84.9%
Miller Genuine Draft64 64 2.80% 84.9%
Bud Ice Light 115 5.00% 84.4%
Budweiser Select 99 4.30% 84.3%
Busch Light 95 4.10% 83.7%
Milwaukee’s Best Light 98 4.20% 83.2%
Coors Light 102 4.20% 79.9%
Heineken Light 99 4.00% 78.4%
Keystone Light 104 4.13% 77.1%
Corona Light 105 4.10% 75.8%
Miller High Life Light 110 4.20% 74.1%
Bud Light 110 4.20% 74.1%
Natural Ice 157 5.90% 72.9%
Rolling Rock Prem Beer 120 4.50% 72.8%
Molson XXX 201 7.30% 70.5%
Bud Light Lime 116 4.20% 70.3%
Amstel Light 99 3.50% 68.6%
Michelob Light 123 4.30% 67.8%
Busch 132 4.60% 67.6%

“Things we hate about restaurants”

1. When they charge top dollar for a single glass of wine and its too warm.

2. When the server chats you up so much, you don’t have time to talk to your dinner partner.

3. When the restrooms are messy or worse, not clean.

4. When all the men go to the restroom 6 times a night and you know they are stopping in the bar to “check the score.” (Well, that’s not the restaurant’s fault except that they have a tv at all.)

5. Music so loud that I have to yell at the person next to me or music is so low, I can hear the conversation two tables over.

So, what are your complaints about restaurants? Would love to hear back!

After this, we must talk about something more positive!

Dirty tables going uncleaned.

We AGREE. Completely

“Offering up freshly ground pepper, grated cheese, or anything else for a dish before I’ve even had time to taste it.”

Andrew, surely you know yourself well enough to know that nothing is ever salty enough or cheesy enough for you. Again, chef thinks it’s perfect the way it was prepared. That’s why you won’t find salt and pepper shakers on the table, but some people like lots of freshly ground pepper. Enough said.