Mushrooms for Cooking, The Best Baked Potato, Tasting from the Barrel and “Swiftie” Wine Sells out, a Nicely Poured “Half a Glass” and More! In This Edition of Woody’s Whine!
by Woody Mosgers
Writing from the edge of the Russian River in Sonoma County
“I like the “Whine” because it’s about good food and drink and has interesting tidbits.” –MarMar
Edible Mushrooms – Agaricus Bisporus
About 90% of the mushrooms consumed in the United States are of the white button variety, and with good reason. The popular fungi is hearty enough to withstand refrigerated storage, firm enough that it isn’t damaged in a fast-moving kitchen and mild enough to suit most American palates.
Did you know that the white button mushroom is a younger version of the brown cremini and the large, meaty Portobello? When cut at the stem, white button mushrooms are suspended in time, before they can develop a brown exterior (cremini) or thick, wide cap (Portobello). (Who knew?)
Selecting the Best Mushrooms
Fungi for cooking should have a smooth appearance and firm texture. The skin of mushrooms should be plump and dry – never slimy. Once sliced, mushrooms should be consumed within three days.
Cleaning Mushrooms
Mature or open-veil mushrooms – where the cap has broken away from the stem, exposing the gills, can be cleaned using a damp paper towel. Closed-veil mushrooms –which have caps still tightly attached to the stem – can be brushed off or rinsed in cold water and patted dry.
Mushroom Storage
Whole, raw mushrooms can remain fresh for up to one week when refrigerated. They are best stored in their original containers or in a paper bag; beware of plastic bags or cling wrap that can trap moisture and can cause fungi to spoil more quickly. According to the 2026 Pizzeria Industry Trends Report produced by Pizza Today, mushrooms are the third most-popular pizza topping.
Following is an edited the list of the most popular mushrooms
Button
The humble button mushroom’s mild flavor and firm snap when raw takes on an umami flavor and tender texture when sautéed. Sautéing sliced white mushrooms in bacon grease or Worcestershire sauce adds a smoky flavor, while soy sauce might be the right choice for fusion dishes such as a Thai chicken pizza.
Cremini
Sometimes referred to as baby bellas, cremini mushrooms sport a brown cap tightly adhered to the stem. They are firmer than button mushrooms, meaning they stand up well to cooking. While cremini can be used interchangeably with buttons, they have a bit more flavor, making them well suited for risotto and the perfect size for stuffed mushrooms.
Porcini
Porcinis are easy to source both dried and fresh. They are a popular addition to mushroom ravioli and pair well with both red and white wines. Often served over pasta with cream sauce, porcinis also makes a tasty snack when cooked until crispy in a cast iron pan with olive oil, garlic and chili flakes.
Portobello
A white button gone wild, the Portobello has a firm, meaty cap. Unlike the smaller button and cremini varieties, Portobello is set apart by its large, visible gills. Consider sprinkling them with salt and letting sit for 30 minutes or cooking gills-side-down to ensure excess moisture is not trapped inside.
Shiitake
A favorite mushroom among chefs, shiitakes have a smooth cap with visible gills underneath. The variety has a savory, woody flavor that intensifies in depth when cooked.
Pizza Today
The Perfect Baked Potato
How to Make the Perfect Baked Potato
Baked potatoes have long been a signature side dish of steakhouses across America, loaded with butter, sour cream, bacon, and chives. But the perfect basic baked potato is really a blank canvas. Have a variety of tastes you’re trying to please? Set out an array of toppings and let each person create their own new favorite!
Ingredients:
- Idaho® potatoes
- Oil
- Kosher Salt
Directions:
Conventional Oven Method:
- Pre-heat oven to 425°F. Wash and dry potatoes.
- With a fork or sharp knife, pierce each potato 2 or 3 times.
- Rub each potato with a little oil (just enough to lightly coat) and salt generously.
- Place a cookie sheet or baking pan on a lower oven rack to catch any drippings and the potatoes directly on the oven rack above. Bake about 50 to 60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.
- Woody’s Way: A remote thermometer is a perfect way to temp the potatoes to a finish temp of 180 – 200 degrees
Microwave Method:
- Wash and dry potatoes.
- With a fork or sharp knife, pierce each potato 2 or 3 times.
- Rub each potato with a little oil (just enough to lightly coat) and salt generously.
- Place potatoes in a circle on a paper towel, leaving a 1-inch space between each potato.
- Cook on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork, turning once during cooking and removing any that are done after 15 minutes.
- Let potatoes stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- Note: I’ve never used this method
Tips to Make Perfect Baked Potatoes
- Always start with Idaho® potatoes. Russets are the best because of their high starch content. This is how you get a nice fluffy interior.
- After you wash the potatoes, make sure the skin is really dry. This helps to get crispy skin.
- Pierce the potato several times on all sides with a fork.
- Never wrap your potatoes in foil to bake them! The typical Idaho russet is about 80% water, and wrapping in foil traps the moisture which steams the potato. This often makes the interior next to the skin overcooked and brown while the outside wrinkles.
- The best way to know your potato is done is when the internal temperature reaches 180 – 200°. Use an instant read or remote read thermometer.
Baked Potato Toppings
Now that you have the perfect baked potato, what should you put on top? From healthy to decadent there are lots of options!
- Dairy: Butter, sour cream, yogurt or cottage cheese
- Meat: Bacon bits, cooked hamburger, sausage crumbles, shrimp, cubed chicken or meat substitutes
- Fresh herbs like chives, basil, cilantro or parsley
- Cheese: Shredded mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or cheddar or try blue cheese crumbles, feta or Parmesan
Idaho Potato Commission
Swiftie Sancerre Sells Out Amid “Champagne Problems”
A bottle of Domaine de Terres Blanches Sancerre was briefly, very briefly, seen on a mixing table during the six-episode documentary series, The End of an Era, streaming now on Disney+. But that quick glimpse was enough to send Swifties spiraling to get a taste of what Taylor sips.
The wine, which fans are calling Taylor’s Choice, retails for $40 and has rapidly become a top seller at Total Wine. Stocks sold out, and Google searches for Sancerre surged, in just the latest example of Swiftonomics: the ability for the 36-year-old billionaire to affect the economy through endorsements and business decisions.
“It’s pretty mad. You can’t put a price on it,” Laurent Saget, who runs Domaine de Terres Blanches with his brother Arnaud Saget, told AFP. The Saget family, which has more than 225 years of family history, produces about 10,000 cases a year. “Even if we had wanted to place one of our bottles in such a widely watched series, we couldn’t have afforded it. It’s nice to have a spotlight land on the appellation and on our domaine.”
The “Champagne Problems” writer’s love of wine is well documented—she has cited wine in her lyrics more than a dozen times. When asked what she would bring to a dinner party in 2018, Swift showed no hesitation in responding “white wine…Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Grigio” are her favorites.
And if Taylor’s choice is sold out at your local wine shop, don’t worry! The Saget family owns several estates across the Loire Valley, including Saget La Perrière, who’s Pouilly-Fumé Hauts de Perrière 2023, retails for $33 and received 90 points in blind tasting.
Wine Spectator
Earlier in March we spent an afternoon sampling one of Sonoma County’s most cherished wine traditions at Wine Road’s Annual Barrel Tasting that allows one to sample from a a selection 50 wineries across Northern Sonoma County for a tasting experience focused entirely on the Past, Present, and Future of wine.
The Barrel Tasting was not a food-pairing or themed event—it’s all about wine and how it evolves over time. We got to taste a current vintage; compare it to the same wine still aging in the barrel, and savor the depth and complexity of select library (older vintage) wines. It was a rare opportunity to learn more about winemaking and to better understand a wines journey side by side, straight from the source.
After the big build up we were a bit confused by the overall presentation as there were no rules
in place as to how each winery, and we only visited at five, made their presentations and we actually only got to taste side-by-side samples at one winery so it was disappointing not to be able to directly try what was in the bottle against what was in the barrel.
Greg Baise wouldn’t care as long as there’s wine in his glass
Half a Glass
Texas-based H-E-B (Howard Edward Butt-original owner) claimed the top spot as the nation’s most preferred grocery retailer for the fourth year in a row. For the first time in the report’s history, regional chains swept all three of the top positions, signaling a shift in where shoppers are placing their trust.
For many households, the grocery store has become one of the few places where they still feel some control over their finances.
“2025 threw a lot of curveballs at the U.S. consumer,” said Matt O’Grady, President of the Americas for Dunnhumby’s. “Shopper confidence dropped as concerns about higher prices, fewer job opportunities, and stagnant wages eroded purchasing power. Consumers across all income levels are feeling the squeeze and making more price-conscious choices. In this environment, building trust with American shoppers has never been more critical.”
- H-E-B remains America’s most trusted grocery retailer for the fourth year in a row, according to Dunnhumby’s 2025 Retailer Preference Index, which found regional chains dominating the top spots.
- With 56% of Americans unable to cover a $400 emergency, shoppers are prioritizing affordability and reliability — making price, promotions, and rewards the biggest drivers of customer loyalty.
- Regional grocers like H-E-B and Market Basket are thriving by understanding local needs and offering dependable, well-priced options that build trust during financially uncertain times.
Food & Wine
An old college friend who lives in Texas had high praise; ‘We love H-E-B, they are top notch. They train their staffs, stock anything and everything you need; they support local growers and give back to the community.’
‘Their stores are clean and well maintained. They also own a high end retailer called Central Market. H-E-B is one of the only grocery chains that has not given up their market share to Walmart. H.E.B. is Texas based in San Antonio.’
Wendy’s is adding a unique role to its C-suite, posting a job opening for “chief tasting officer.” The job description is laid out on www.wendyschieftastingofficer.com and includes a $100,000 salary and the ability to work remotely.
The start date is listed as “ASAP,” with light travel “to your local Wendy’s and/or the couch.” Required credentials include: “A human mouth. A pulse, Opinions, Creativity, Taste.”
Wendy’s promises the job is real and fitting for those who hate their job, are “too iconic to be opening PDFs” for their boss, told they’re a personality hire, care more about bacon than bottom lines, or are “more about JBC than KPI,” referencing Wendy’s signature Junior Bacon Cheeseburger.
“Basically, you’ll get paid to eat Wendy’s, be chill, maybe make some content, and maybe even star in ads, you’ll make cheddar just for liking cheddar,” according to the posting.
Wendy’s also lists benefits, including getting paid to eat, earning a custom Wendy’s Chief Tasting Officer email signature, “a job AI can’t steal” (because AI doesn’t have a mouth), $100,000, a Wendy’s-approved “amount of chaos,” and career advancement in “bite leadership and sauce alignment.”
Those interested in the role are asked to upload a video depicting why they’re the right fit, with bonus points if they show Wendy’s branding, products, or a restaurant in their application.
Wendy’s could use a tailwind. The chain is in the middle of a turnaround plan called Project Fresh following several negative quarters, including Q4 in which same-store sales were down over 11%.
Nation’s Restaurant News
I Get the Best Invites
The Primeurs Press Weekend will take place on April 18 and 19, 2026, from 9 AM to 7 PM at Château de la Dauphine, followed by the Primeurs Days for professionals at Château Montlabert from April 20 to 22, from 9:30 AM to 6 PM.
Over the course of these five days, specialized press and industry professionals (wine merchants, sommeliers, négociants, importers) will gather to discover in advance the cuvées of the 2025 vintage. The tastings will take place in two prestigious settings: Château de la Dauphine is dedicated to journalists on April 18 and 19.
I’m usually sharing an endorsement for a new wine in this space such as a Chianti Reserva from Renzo Masi, but I’m unfortunately waving you away from a bottled I’ve loved for the last year, DeLoach Zinfandel.
The Boisset Family, who produces a lot of good wines has had some financial challenges in the past year and seems to have taken a step back from the showy and very popular wines they’ve been offering and sort of dumbed down the brand to a “grocery store” style. No more Merlot or Cabernet is featured in the blend and the label art and Pinot Noir style bottle are not very eye catching.
Rest assured I am on the hunt and will keep you apprised of any discoveries.
Words at the End
“We focused a lot on premiumization, (higher priced bottles), it was a growth catalyst for a number of years, and we forgot to speak to that consumer that still wanted to hear about lower priced wines.”
Zach Poelma senior vice principal of Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirit’s
“If you eat you’re involved in agricultural”. Orion Samuelson, recently passed, 60 year, career argribusiness reporter at WGN radio Chicago. A fine fellow whom I was lucky to have known.
“As a chef, I love seeing (chicken) thighs get their moment.” Eric Huang, Pecking House founder
“Dense and pure, with a lovely beam of violet…long and focused; it has a subtle leathery tug through the finish, which ends with a wink of iron minerality.” Sounds just like me…
That’s My Whine and I could me wrong…
My recipes for Pan Fried Chicken Thighs in Gouda Mustard Sauce and Cacio e Pepe Potato Gratin are in fact right here. Enjoy!
Woody Mosgers, cooks, custom caters, writes, drinks, matches wine and food and offers wine country tour information and planning in Santa Rosa Sonoma, CA.