Laissez Vous le Bon Temps Roulez: Loom Wine Long Yarn Sparkling Shiraz 2005 and Pom Cosmo Made with Home-Infused Vanilla Tito's Vodka

Pimenter votre vie. Laissez vous le bon temps roulez. Or, as they say at Pat O'Brien's, Have Fun! Sparkling Shiraz is something not everyone is acquainted with. And not everyone is sure they want to be. Therefore, I pronounce it "the wine that care forgot". Only those who are up for a pleasure trip, with no strings attached, need apply.

For those who might be a wine snob, palate closed to such things as chilled bubbly red wines, then I say, "Momma told you not to come". This is a place you don't need to go. The rest of us don't want to hear about how this type of wine lacks either the substantivity of a true still Shiraz or the elegance and grace of a bottle of Champagne.

But for the few who find the idea arousing, here's a hint: Gumbo. Or, you could say, any "cajun" cuisine. A sparkling shiraz - such as Loom Wine Long Yarn 2005 - is going to elevate gumbo to its highest level. It could be crawfish etoufée, blackened fish, red beans and rice with sausage, but Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo is the pinnacle, and the perfect foil to sparkling shiraz on a cool November night in the northern hemisphere.

The secret to making a fine pot of gumbo lies in making the concoction known as "the roux". Equal parts of oil and flour must first be heated and stirred carefully until they become rusty brown. You're well advised to start out with a blend of canola and olive oil and finely ground soft wheat flour made for sauces (aka "Wondra"). To this "culinary napalm - don't splash any on your skin!" you add the "trinity" of southern Louisiana, finely chopped sweet pepper, celery and onion, as well as spice blend that includes oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper, white pepper (if you have it), a dash of Old Bay, and a judicious amount of salt. Timing is everything when it comes to creating this concoction. You want it to mature and fuse together, but never burn, and certainly impatience will not be rewarded.

That's the hard part. Now, pour yourself a drink. I recommend the cocktail described later - the Pom Cosmo. With the Roux and Vegetable paste at a point of readiness, have a pot of stock coming to a boil. If you're concerned about too much sodium in your diet, go with low sodium stock, without MSG, preferably as high quality as you can get. You can make your own, but that's too much trouble and time commitment for most of us. If you buy it, a mixture of 50+% chicken stock and 50-% beef stock will give the desired flavor and color. With the stock at a rolling boil, add large spoonfuls of the roux paste to the stock and as soon as each spoonful is dissolved, add the next one. Once all the roux is in the stock, add sliced andouille sausage (Niman Ranch makes a stellar and readily available version), and USA wild-caught shrimp. A few minutes in the pot and you're ready to serve it. Take a bowl, mound up a big scoop of rice in the middle, like a castle, and ladle the gumbo around it like a moat.

As for proportions, 3/8 cup of flour, 3/8 cup of combined oils, 2-1/2 to 3 cups of stock, 3/8 to 1/2 cup of each of the "trinity" vegetables, 6 ounces of Andouille sausage and a dozen and a half medium shrimp will make 4 servings. As for the seasonings, for 4 servings, a tablespoon of the mixture will do the trick.

The cool fruity and levitating nature of the sparkling shiraz is the perfect foil for the spicy medium-hot flavor of the gumbo.

Loom Wine Long Yarn Sparkling Shiraz 2005 has pomegranate, cherry and spice aromas and a bubbly personality that make a great first impression. The fruit flavors carry right through to the finish, lively, backed by soft tannins, sweet tasting on the front tip of the tongue, but dry around the sides. This isn't the kind of wine to take too seriously, but seriously, this is a very good glass of wine - when the occasion avails itself for it.

Price: $16 (Nashville). Alcohol content: 13.5%.

Lagniappe: Pom Cosmo Made with Home-Infused Vanilla Tito's Vodka
Being a fan of PomWonderful's Pom juices, I've made Pom-tinis in the past. But this is something a bit more involved, yet well worth the trouble. I don't think I've mentioned it before, but Tito's Vodka is the vodka of choice in my household. I don't claim to be the expert on vodka, but my other half does. He won't drink anything else unless there's no Tito's around. If you just climbed out from under a rock, Tito's is made in Austin, Texas, an effort founded by one Tito Beverage - that's his name.

You're going to need a long Madagascar Vanilla bean and a couple of weeks to do this. Take the vanilla bean, and slice it in half lengthwise as though you're going to infuse some sugar or scrape out the seeds. But in this case, just cut it in half. Drop the two halves into a liter of Tito's Vodka and wait 2 weeks. The vodka will take on a light amber color and a rich vanilla aroma and smoother vanilla flavor. This is unlike any "vanilla vodka" on the market, really!

To make the cocktail, fill a rocks glass with crushed ice, fill halfway with the vanilla vodka, add 1/4 shot of Cointreau, add PomWonderful Pomegranate-Cherry juice until there is just enough room left to add a splash of limeade. That's it! You can make this drink in a cocktail shaker and strain it into a martini glass. The color is a beautiful jewel tone, but the taste is even more brilliant.

This is my drink of choice when the roux is ready and the gumbo is imminent.