“Bar Month” at OnMilwaukee.com is back for another round! The whole month of February, we’re serving up intoxicatingly fun bars and club articles -- including guides, bartender profiles, drink recipes and even a little Brew City bar history. Cheers!
My wine pick of the week is a 2004 Maquis Lien, which went well with a pizza at Shakers on Friday evening.
This blend of syrah (50 percent), carmenere (23 percent), cabernet franc (12 percent), petit verdot (8 percent) and malbec (7 percent), was very reasonably priced at $36 and made No. 94 on wine.com's list of 100 for 2007.
Scott found it too dry for his taste, I found it dry and full-bodied with virtually no aftertaste -- not something I'd prefer with an entrée of lamb or beef, but perfect with a pizza layered with fennel-spiced sausage and goat cheese. Experience has taught me it's hard to go wrong with a Chilean red (although don't doubt it can be done ... there are some really rotten malbecs on the market right now.)
The Maquis Lien (2004), though, is one I'd definitely opt for again when looking for a flavorful red to drink with decidedly no frills food.
Amy L. Schubert is a 15-year veteran of the hospitality industry and has worked in every aspect of bar and restaurant operations. A graduate of Marquette University (B.A.-Writing Intensive English, 1997) and UW-Milwaukee (M.A.-Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Writing, 2001), Amy still occasionally moonlights as a guest bartender and she mixes a mean martini.
The restaurant business seems to be in Amy’s blood, and she prides herself in researching and experimenting with culinary combinations and cooking techniques in her own kitchen as well as in friends’ restaurants. Both she and her husband, Scott, are avid cooks and “wine heads,” and love to entertain friends, family and neighbors as frequently as possible.
Amy and Scott live with their boys, Alex and Nick, in Bay View, where they are all very active in the community. Amy finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge and passions for food and writing in her contributions to OnMilwaukee.com.
