SoCo Magazine - May 2008 - (Page 79) grapesandgrains wine on mother’s day by heather fleming Hell in Hand Basket continued from page 10 “New Bedford is committed to bringing recreational boaters to its slips and piers. We can make room for them to coexist with the fishing fleet.” “The Ernestina will be getting much-needed money to keep her afloat, but not enough to make her sail. She is vital for tourism.” “The city is poised for bringing in freighters. Yes, this is the perfect industry to revive the New Bedford economy, which has been hit so hard.” All of these comments sound wonderfully optimistic, but I can’t help but ask: Where is all this stuff going to fit? Without a plan, the above dialogue is akin to going to a car lot and sitting in every car without a license. You’re not going anywhere. The challenge, as I see it, is deciding if the limited space available is best utilized by commercial and transportation or tourism and recreation. And I only say this because with a commercial designation comes different types of traffic and vehicles. If you want to incorporate all these ideas into a plan, please send me the sketch—I would love to see it on paper. I am not raining on the parade, and please don’t write and tell me that complaints without solution are worthless. Actually, I am trying to help you solve the first problem: What type of destination do you wish to be and how will the puzzle fit together? We all want to see something done at the New Bedford Seaport, but how about a concrete goal, objectives with a timeline, and a plan that is published along with community meetings. Consider all of the voices and bring in a few experts who might untangle this web. Now is probably the perfect opportunity to open up dialogue about what is planned for the Seaport and to pull together a distinguishable roadmap for the future. If this had been successfully done 40 years ago, I guess I’d have nothing to say about the issue. Since it wasn’t, I thought I would share my observations with you. Thanks for your time. O art of my job is to suggest wine as the perfect gift for all occasions, including Mother’s Day. This year will be my first Mother’s Day as a Mom, and I wondered what would be on my wish list if given the gift of wine on Mother’s Day. My Mother’s Day would start with a glass of bubbles and breakfast in bed sometime after 9 a.m. In our household, my husband is the cook, and I select the wine to pair with his culinary creations. A brut Champagne or Sparkling wine is a perfect match with foods that have a hint of salt, so a hamand-cheddar omelet would be perfect. What a great way to start my Mother’s Day. A morning of leisure would follow. I would probably have another glass of bubbles while I read the newspaper and chatted on the phone with some of my gal friends--with no interruptions. Lunch would consist of fresh bread and a bowl of one of my husband’s specialty dishes: cheddar corn chowder with bacon and scallions. Any rich white wine with a moderate level of acidity would marry well with this soup. The richness is needed to stand up to the creaminess of the chowder, and the acid is needed to stand up to the bacon and cheddar. A pinot gris from Oregon or Alsace, or perhaps a Pinot Blanc would be a great glass of wine to accompany one of my favorite lunch dishes. My afternoon would consist of a stroll on the beach and a long nap. Dinner would be surf and turf prepared on the outside grill. The piece of filet would be topped with fresh local scallops and a dollop of Great Hill blue cheese. This wine pairing is a bit more challenging. The wine needs to be heavy enough to stand up to the beef and the strong flavors of the blue cheese, but still light enough so as not to overpower the scallops. A dry rosé would be perfect. Rosé is made from red grapes that are lightly pressed, picking up only a hint of color from the skins. The result is a refreshing wine that drinks like a white wine but has subtle red-wine flavors. It’s a perfect match for surf and turf. Dessert is easy: a glass of port and anything chocolate! A day of fine wines, relaxation, and pampering would be quite a gift for Mother’s Day; however, I would be more than pleased if I were given a bottle of Champagne and a quiet moment to myself to enjoy my glass of bubbles and reflect on how wonderful it is to be a Mmom. Every mom deserves a bottle of her favorite wine on Mother’s Day. O Heather Fleming is the wine specialist at Cardoza’s Wine & Spirits in Fairhaven. P The Sky Room presents SOCO Magazine’s 3rd Birthday Party. With special celebrity guest and live music from Jazzy-Lady’S SOuL Revue Hors d’ Oeuvres & dessert, dancing and light show For tickets call 508.994.9942 or e-mail: tickets@socomagazine.info Tickets are $25* ™ Ultimate Celebration on S aturd ay, M ay 31 Don’t miss the *Proceeds go to a local charity M ay 2 0 0 8 | s o co m a g azi ne . i nfo | 79 http://socomagazine.info
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