Dinner at Zingerman’s Roadhouse

Posted on March 2, 2026 by thewineraconteur

Every couple of months my Bride gets together with some of her school friends, one going back to elementary school, and the husbands all tag along.  The group no longer live in the old neighborhood, so there is always logistics that take place in deciding the next venue.

We were meeting at Zingerman’s Roadhouse on the western edge of Ann Arbor.  Zingerman’s began as a delicatessen in 1982 in an historic building near the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, within walking distance of the famous university in the city.  It was started by two friends and Zingerman’s became an entity of it’s own, with assorted secondary businesses and has become a legend in the area, and very well respected.   My Bride and I were the first to get there, and we were trying to figure out what business was there before it became the Roadhouse.  The room our party’s table was in, revealed the name, as they moved the old sign from the parking lot and installed it above the fireplace.  It used to be Bill Knapp’s Restaurant.  Bill Knapp’s was a regional chain that began in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1948 and ended up in five states, before the company went into bankruptcy and total closure in 2002.  I would venture to say that every “boomer” has had at least one encounter with the chain.  They were famous for their chocolate cake, which was a gift to the table, if you came in on your birthday, and the cakes are still being made today.  The other thing that they were famous for, was that if you came in on your birthday, you received your “age” as a discount for your meal.

There were five couples, so I will just mention what we had.  My Bride naturally went with Herb-Crusted Whitefish (from the Great Lakes) crusted with Dijon Mustard, herbs and breadcrumbs, and served with Carolina Gold rice and Sautéed Spinach.  I went with Niman Ranch South Carolina BBQ Ribs, smoked for nine hours with a Mustard BBQ sauce, along with Anson Mills’ heirloom grits, and some Mustard Slaw.  We also shared an order of Pimento Cheese & Bacon Macaroni, with Nueske bacon, house made Pimento Cheese and their Bechamel Sauce caramelized with Mancini pasta.  We had a bottle of Carol Shelton “Wild Thing” Damiano Vineyard Viognier Placer County 2023.  Carol Shelton began her career in 1981 working for Rodney Strong and Windsor Vineyards.  In 2000, she and her husband created their own winery, starting small and actually began the second year by selling futures, for the business to keep going, and some of the original investors are still with her.  Placer County is in the heart of California’s Sierra Foothills wine region, once the home of some of the largest wine industries during the Gold Rush, then abandoned and now recently re-discovered by some boutique wineries.  The soil is mostly decomposed granite and loam.  Most wineries use the more recognizable appellation of Sierra Foothills. The vineyard is in the Gold Country town of Auburn, and the fruit is picked slightly less ripe to ensure citrus and aromatics.   The wine is ninety-four percent Viognier and six percent Chardonnay.  The fruit is destemmed to press and cold settled, then it is barrel fermented (neutral barrels), stirred weekly sur lie for five months, with no Malolactic Fermentation to keep the wine crisp.  This pale-golden colored wine offered notes of jasmine, gardenia and honeysuckle along with grapefruit and orange zest.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of peaches, nectarines, orange-cream and ending with a mouth-watering slight tart, medium-count finish of fruit, florals and granite.

For dessert we shared an order of “Ari’s Donut Sundae” which is a house made Dutch donut topped with Vanilla Gelato, Bourbon Caramel sauce, Virginia peanuts, and a Woodford Reserve Cherry.  She was happy that she had a decaf Cappuccino and I had a wee dram of extra dessert.  I went with The Rare Wine Co. Historic Series Madeira Savannah Verdelho Special Reserve NV, produced by Barbeito; and they have the longest brand name known to man or woman.  Verdelho is one of the drier and fresher (high acid) of the four varietally labeled, fortified wines of Madeira: Sercial, Bual, Malvasia and Verdelho.  Verdelho Madeira now represents a wine style, as much as the varietal.  After the phylloxera devastation of the 1860’s, Verdelho Madeira almost disappeared as they began using a resistant hybrid Jacquet, now outlawed, and Tinta Negra Mole, but in 1993, legislation was introduced that stipulated at least eighty-five percent of the variety must be used, if it is on the label.  Madeira Verdelho historically is a relatively dry, very fresh, fortified, oxidized white wine.  This wine was released in April 2010 and is still available.  This tawny-amber colored wine offered notes of orange zest, shortbread, ginger, milk chocolate, and almonds.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine is lightly sweet and displayed tones of candied citrus, ginger, and some spicy honey that ends with a delightfully long finish of spice and citrus sweetness.     

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A Shopping Spree of Wines – Part Two

Posted on February 27, 2026 by thewineraconteur

It was a lively event at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  The shop had taken advantage of some great discounts on several wines from a vendor, if they bought the entire offering, which they did and then gave the savings first to the wine club members, who had signed on at hourly intervals for the tastings.

The first red that I will discuss is Convene by Dan Kosta Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2021.  Dan Kosta has over twenty years of quality experience including his namesake Kosta Browne wines, which he founded in 1997.  Convene by Dan Kosta was launched in 2019.  The Pinot Noir fruit comes from the Campbell Ranch and the Umino Vineyard in the Sonoma Coast region.  It is aged for ten months in French Oak of which thirty percent is new.  This deep red wine offered notes of cherry, strawberry and plum along with roses, blood orange, spices and minerals.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of red and black fruit, cola, mocha blending with plush tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, vanilla and graphite.  

The next red wine that I will discuss is Domaine Julien Cruchandeau Ladoix Les Ranches 2022.   The estate was established in 2003 and currently comprises nine wine appellations from the Burgundy region.  The vigneron Julien Cruchandeau is not from a winemaking family; in fact, he is a successful musician that retired to become a winemaker.   He began first with Bouzeron and built his Domaine in the Hautes Cotes de Nuits and is working towards sustainable viticulture.  Ladoix was originally granted an appellation in 1937, and the vineyards were classified in 1982.  Ladoix is a small village that lies at the bottom of the hill of Corton, in the Cote de Beaune; a large proportion of village’s vineyards are covered by other appellations, which makes Ladoix one of the least prolific communes of the region.  Les Ranches means “spiky thorny bushes” in old French and was planted in 1974 on a soil of clay and limestone and is located where the Cote de Nuits ends and the Cote de Beaune begins on the Corton slopes.  The wine is crushed, using thirty percent whole cluster, and maceration is done using low temperature for the first ten days.   The wine is then fermented in vats for about six weeks with frequent pump overs and then aged for fifteen months on fine lees in French Oak, of which twenty percent is new.  A deep red wine that offered notes of cherry and currants along with roses and kitchen spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of cherry, strawberry, currants blending with silky tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, toasted oak and licorice.

We then had Bodegas Urbina Seleccion Rioja DOCa 2000.  Salvador Urbina moved to Cuzcurrita del Rio Tiron in 1870 and begins making wine in oak barrels and with the first vineyards in his estate, which has since grown to seventy-hectares.  The soil has a healthy mix of clay, iron and alluvial components, giving it a redder color than its northern neighbor’s sandy white soils. When compared with Rioja Alavesa, these wines tend to be lighter in body and lower in acid, with the emphasis on elegance.  Now, the family is in the fourth generation, and in 1986 began employed Stainless-Steel tanks as well.  All the wines that they produce are from their own estate, using traditional practices, limiting the use of pesticides and fungicides, and only using indigenous yeasts.  Cuzcurrita is in the Rioja Alta, and this wine is pure Tempranillo from fifty-year-old vines. The wine is aged in a mixture of American and French Oak, all new, for one year, and then is aged in Stainless-Steel tanks for over fifteen years, before bottling.  This deep purple-red wine offered notes of cherry and plums, with baking spices, leather, tobacco, cedar and sous-bois.  On the palate this medium-to-full bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of cherries and plums, with savory herbs and spices, earthiness and a touch of mocha blending with subtle polished tannins and ending with a long-count finish of fruit, spices and the ethereal sous-bois.   

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A Shopping Spree of Wines – Part One

Posted on February 24, 2026 by thewineraconteur

I, along with all the other club members at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan got an email about a forthcoming sale of wine at the shop.  For whatever reason, one of his vendors needed to move a lot of inventory.  Rather than taking a bigger markup, the wine shop passed all the savings on towards the club members, with wines starting way below current retail prices.  It was a major sales event to start off the new year.

The first wine was Mascaro Indomit Blanc de Noirs Cava Gran Reserva Brut Nature Catalonia, Spain 2020; Indomit is Catalonian for indomitable or impossible to subdue or defeat. The Mascaro family has been in its third generation of winemaking and distilled beverages since they began in 1946.  They have two estates in the Penedes, with thirty-five hectares devoted to vineyards.  The estates are farmed organically on calcareous and clay land.  The wine is pure Grenache, with thirty months of aging and no additional sugar added. This pale golden sparkling wine featured a consistent flow of tiny bubbles and offered notes of strawberry, cherry with violets and spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced sparkling wine displayed tones of strawberry, cherry, blending with good acidity and finishing with a medium-count of fruit along with some leather.

Our next wine was Fattoria Giuseppe Savini Rondineto Passerina Colli Aprutini IGT 2021.  The winery was founded in 1949 by Giuseppe Savini, and it is still in the family today.  Colli Aprutini IGT used in the Abruzzo region of central Italy. The designation was created in 1995 and allows all types of wines to be produced, though the majority tend to be dry table wines.  Passerina is considered an ancient and traditional grape variety used in the white wines of the Marche region of central Italy.  The grape reacts differently according to the terroir, and some have opined that it can be different grapes lumped together over the years.  Passera means sparrow, which is makes sense, as the sparrows enjoy this grape, and the “ina” suffix was probably added on, because the grapes are smaller in size, even when mature.  The grape is also known as Uva Passera, Campolese, Trebbiano di Teramo and Pagadebit.  This wine was Estate grown of pure Passerina in the province of Teramo in the Abruzzo region on clay soil.  After a soft pressing, the Initial Fermentation took place in temperature controlled Stainless-Steel tanks for about twelve days, then racked and bottled, with a short refinement in the bottle before release. The straw-yellow-colored wine offered notes of peach, pear, citrus, white florals and spices.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of subtle tree-fruit and spices, with lively acidity and ending with a finish of soft fruit and minerality.

The third wine that I want to mention from this tasting was Domaine Joel & Thierry Delaunay Touraine “Le Grand Balloon” Rosé Loire Valley 2023.  The Delaunay family has been making wines for five generations, and since 2004 the Domaine has been run by Thierry, taking over from his father Joel Delaunay.  They have forty-five hectares in the Touraine appellation.  “Le Grand Balloon” Selection is a range of red and rosé wine with the Appellation Protégé Touraine expressing the minerality of the terroir.  This wine is a blend of seventy percent Gamay, twenty-five percent Cabernet Franc and five percent Malbec.  The wine is direct pneumatically pressed and fermented in Temperature Controlled Stainless-Steel tanks, the juices are then blended and allowed to mature on fine lees prior to bottling. A subtle salmon-pink colored wine that offered notes of strawberries, raspberries and currants followed by some floral notes and spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of fresh berries and cream, ending with a short-to-medium count finish of fruit and terroir.           

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Korbin Kameron Chardonnay

Posted on February 21, 2026 by thewineraconteur

Korbin Kameron is a winery that I have written about many times, as Korbin Ming is a regular presenter of his wines at The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan; not to mention that I have plenty of their wines in our cellar.

I have been watching the reconstruction of the winery after the Tubbs Fire in 2018, in which they lost buildings, homes and part of the vineyard.  The winery is named after Mitchell Ming’s fraternal twins Korbin and Kameron, and it is located high above Sonoma Valley on Mount Veeder, on a 186-acre property where they grow several diverse varietals.  Moonridge Vineyard is a family endeavor, and a home above the clouds at times.   The estate was planted in 2000, and it sits on the ridge of Mount Veeder on Mayacamas Mountain Range and straddles the Napa/Sonoma County line at 2,300 feet in elevation.  Most of the estate is in Sonoma County and they can look out and see Santa Rosa, Sonoma Mountain and on a clear day the Pacific Ocean.  Then if you turn around you are looking at Oakville and Rutherford, below the fog line.  That is the beauty of a mountain winery and one of the added benefits is a couple of hours of extra sunlight for the vines.   Korbin is the General Manager, Viticulturist and Winemaker with degrees from Boston University and UC Davis.

Korbin Ming has begun producing Moonbeam Chardonnay Massa Vineyard Carmel Valley 2023, which is produced by Moonridge Vineyard, the parent company and estate of Korbin Kameron Winery.  Even the labeling is different and depicts a line drawing of Korbin’s dog Kiera.  While the wines of Korbin Kameron are from the family estate on Mount Veeder, this is a completely new venture, using the Massa Vineyard in Carmel Valley, with an elevation of 1,500 feet and ten miles from the Pacific Ocean.  Massa Vineyard was formerly Heller Estate and was a very early champion of dry farming and organic farming.  The Chardonnay rootstock was planted in the 1970s of unknown Chardonnay clones.  This wine was produced using an Oxidative Fermentation, with SO2 after fermentation to bring color back and to block Malolactic Fermentation.   The wine was aged for eighteen months on gross lees in Neutral Oak and Stainless-Steel drums with no lees stirring and racked to tank for bottling.  Oxidative Fermentation is like a controlled process found in Sherry or Vin Juane.  This initial wine created seventy-five cases produced and The Fine Wine Source purchased the entire lot.  This pale golden colored wine offered subtle notes of caramel and toasted almonds.  On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of muted green apples and melons, with astringency and ending with a medium-count finish of soft fruit and nuts.  A very low-key and interesting Chardonnay.

Korbin Ming also created Moonbeam Chardonnay Alder Springs Vineyard Mendocino County 2023 and produced and bottled Moonridge Vineyard.  Alder Springs Vineyard was formerly a cattle operation Alder Springs Ranch, and initial planting was done in 1993.  The vineyard is at 2,400 feet elevation above Laytonville in Mendocino and twelve miles from the Pacific Ocean. The vineyard is organically farmed and has a cool climate that lends the fruit to have higher acidity and lower alcohol.  The vineyard was planted with Chardonnay clones: Heintz for acidity, and Clones 548 and 124 for complexity, aromatics and depth.  This wine was aged for sixteen months on the lees in a mix fifty percent neutral oak, twenty-five Austrian Oak and twenty-five percent Stainless-Steel.  Sixty cases were produced and the entire lot was purchased by The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  This soft golden colored wine offered notes of green apples, stone fruits and toasted almonds.  On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of fresh fruit, Vanilla and toasted almonds ending with a finish of subtle fruit and minerality.  Part of the original Moonridge Estate was damaged along with outbuildings, the family home and some vineyards.  The damaged vineyard was replanted with Chardonnay which will create a third Chardonnay, an Estate version with the 2024 vintage estimated to produce twenty-five cases and the 2025 vintage to produce forty cases.    

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Dinner at Sacred Heart Major Seminary

Posted on February 18, 2026 by thewineraconteur

I have been a native Detroiter my entire life and I have never encountered this monumental structure, and it was just blocks from the original real center of power in the city, when the city was competing with New York City in status and grandeur.

We went to the Sixteenth Annual Dinner for Life at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary, and it is affiliated with the Archdiocese of Detroit.  The third time was the charm for creating a seminary in Detroit, and this institution was established in 1919.  I am a major fan of cathedrals, and I was in Seventh Heaven as we wandered in the halls of this complex, and it is the second largest installation of Pewabic Pottery tile in the country. The brickwork, woodwork and stained glass were everywhere.  I also found out that part of the basement was retrofitted during World War II to be a bomb shelter and the original signage is still there. Today there are 107 seminarians, representing eleven dioceses and two religious orders, along with 426 lay students (full and part-time).  We attended a mass in the cathedral after walking halfway around the complex.  The mass was officiated by the Archbishop of Detroit Edward Weisenburger and assisted by the Archbishop of Detroit Emeritus Allen Vigneron.  This was one time that I didn’t complain that the mass was too long, as my Bride sometimes thinks I am a heretic or a heathen, as I was just enthralled by the majesty of the cathedral and the entire complex.

The dinner itself was created and prepared by the seminarians and there were a few asides mentioning the beginnings of this dinner and the spaghetti dinners.  The dinner began with a Michigan Salad that you could construct yourself.  Followed by Roasted Asparagus, Roasted Baby Potatoes, Roasted Turkey Breast and Roasted Salmon.  The wines for dinner were both Bonanza, Bonanza Chardonnay Lot 1 California NV and Bonanza Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 9 California NV. Bonanza is part of the Wagner Family of Wine which includes Caymus Vineyards, Caymus- Suisun, Mer Soleil, Conundrum, Emmolo, Red Schooner, Sea Sun and Bonanza.  Both wines are bulk production and run overseen by the grandson of Charlie Wagner Sr. The collection began in 2019.  Chardonnay Lot 1 is a golden yellow colored wine that offered slight notes of orchard fruit, melon and florals.  On the palate this light-bodied, balanced wine displayed tones of some fruit, and some acidity, ending with short-count finish of fruit and dry alcohol.  This was made in Stainless-Steel as there was no notice of oak or butter at all.  The Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 9 was a dark garnet colored wine that offered notes of black fruit, cassis and some cocoa and baking spices.  On the palate this light-bodied, balanced wine displayed tones of blackberry and black cherry, blending with soft tannins and ending with a short-count finish of fruit.

There was a dessert table set up afterwards with mini-cannoli, assorted macaroons and other bite size morsels.  There were also small glasses filled with Dow’s Fine Tawny Porto NV, and forgive me, but I could in my mind’s eye envision Barry Fitzgerald as a Monseigneur approving the selection.   The wines used to be called Port, but since the advent of other wineries years back, especially in America offering tepid imitations called Port, the great Port houses of Oporto renamed their wines Porto, and the Porto wines are legendary fortified wines. Most of the grand Port houses have a British name, which shows how much the British valued these fortified wines. Dow’s is over two hundred years old and has changed hands and is now part of the Symington Family Estates, but the quality and tradition has been maintained. Dow’s was the first house to receive Royal Assent and was allowed to maintain their own armed shipments of wine to Great Britain during the Napoleonic Wars. Dow’s also owns four famed vineyards in the Upper Douro Valley, and these are considered great vineyards and allow them to make all the different versions of Port wines, including when deemed proper, a vintage year; as not all years are declared a vintage year. The grapes used to make Port wines are a mix and perhaps not even the winemakers can agree on what the actual percentage of each grape is used. The most common varietals are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz (more famous and recognizable as Tempranillo), Tinto Cao and one can also find Souzao, Tinta Amarela and Mourisco Tinto.  Dow’s Fine Tawny Porto is a three-year-old blend aged in small casks, which produces smoother and lighter wine and doesn’t require additional aging.  This reddish-amber colored wine offered notes of caramel, apricots and raisins followed by hazelnuts and roasted chestnuts.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced viscous wine displayed tones of ripe fruit, dried fruit and ended with a good medium-count finish of raisins and roasted nuts.  

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Fine Wine Source Club – February 2026

Posted on February 15, 2026 by thewineraconteur

It is always a pleasure to stop by The Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan at any time, but this time I was picking up the two wines curated by them for the club.  As a retired retailer I look on the club as a great way to keep you returning, and it is worth returning.

The first wine representing the Old World is Siglo Tempranillo Rioja DOCa NV.  The story of this wine begins in 1890, when a small winery was started in Azagar by Fernandez de Manzanos.  In the 1940s a new facility was created and in the 50s and 60s the family consolidated their projects and exceeded 1.5 million liters of wine.  In the 90s, the fourth generation created Bodegas Manzanos.  In 2025, Michel Boutin of the Domaines Michel Boutin group acquired the Manzanos Wines Group.  “Siglo” is the most recognizable brand, because they still use the classic Burgundian bottle wrapped in jute, made by Asprodema, an association for people with intellectual disabilities.  This wine is the result of blending vineyards from the Rioja Alta and Rioja del Reyno areas, pure Tempranillo; the vines are older than fifty years and planted on poor white soil and clay-limestone. The fruit is hand-harvested, and fermentation takes place in Stainless-Steel tanks. The wines is then aged for twelve months in French and American Oak (fifty-fifty) and then aged for an addition six month in the bottle, before release.  A deep cherry red color that offers notes of red and black fruit along with spices, eucalyptus and toasted oak.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of red and black fruits blending with ripe tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit.    

The second wine represents the New World is RouteStock Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2023. In 1978, Wilson Daniels was founded as a fully integrated marketing and sales company by Win Wilson and Jack Daniels. In 1979, they became the exclusive US importer of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. In 2003 Wilson Daniels was bought by the Underwood family and their Young’s Holdings.  RouteStock winemaking emphasizes minimal intervention, indigenous yeasts, natural Malolactic Fermentation and avoiding chemical additives.  They have two estates in the Sonoma Coast, one in the Petaluma Gap and the other in the Sebastopol Hills region of the Russian River Valley.  The vines are sixteen years of age planted on volcanic mix of clay, sand loam and goldridge (weathered sandstone with trace elements).  Each vineyard was fermented with ten percent whole clusters and aged in French Oak, of which twelve percent was new.  After fermentation the wine stayed on gross lees for nine months without racking and no additives.  The wine is described as a rich burgundy color that offers notes of red fruit, cardamom, soy sauce and bay laurel.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displays tones of red fruits, black tea, spices, white pepper and orange peel and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit and savory umami core.

I also had a chance to taste some wines, more about them later, but I really enjoyed Thibaut Henrion Domaine de la Treille Crémant de Loire Brut Rosé NV.  Domaine de la Treille is in the village of Saint Macaire du Bois, not far from Saumur. The estate is forty-two hectares of clay, silt and sandy soil. Since January 2014, Thibaut Henrion has taken over the estate from Gabriel Taillée (who came from a family of millers and winegrowers).  The farming methods used have always been environmentally friendly and are now certified since 2019.  This wine is pure Cabernet Franc and made in the classic Methode Champenoise.  Outside of Champagne, the Loire Valley is the biggest producer of sparkling wine in France; and can only be produced in the sub-regions of Anjou, Saumur and Touraine.  Typically, the Crémant de Loire spend about nine months in the bottle during the second fermentation, and the Rosé style only accounts for about ten percent of the production.  Even though this wine is labeled Brut, I have always heard that the French make the wine a tad sweet, because they believe the American like to see the word Brut, but like a touch of sweet.  A pale pink colored wine with continuous fine bubbles offered notes of strawberries and raspberries and a trace of anise. On the palate this light-to-medium bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of strawberry, raspberry, citrus and licorice with a soft mousse ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, citrus, some spice and a soupcon of honey.

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Our Time in Stratford, Ontario SRO

Posted on February 12, 2026 by thewineraconteur

There were several locations that we tried to go to that evening, but the nightlife was extremely lively and several of the theaters were still offering plays, and I will make sure that the next time we have reservations, even the wine bar was packed.

My Bride was excited, as her “Dick Tracy” smart phone wristwatch, was logging up all the steps that we were racking up, walking up and down the downtown area.  We passed by a couple of times the store that specializes in tartans, full regalia, pieces, even neckwear, but the last time I checked there were no Armenian tartan plaids, but still a fascinating shop for this retired clothier, as they do custom work as well.  We walked by a restaurant that had tables on the sidewalk and they were all taken.  I asked one of the waitresses if they had any tables indoors, and she said absolutely, just walk in and grab a table.  We were going to have dinner at Bentley’s Bar Inn & Restaurant, and it seemed like the perfect location for a weekend to see several plays and in the center of the gastronomic offerings of Stratford-upon-Avon.  Instead of a television blaring sporting event, there was a streaming series of films about the rooms to be found upstairs, and the assorted breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings.  We had worked up quite a thirst from all our hiking and started with La Maison Ogier Ventoux Blanc 2021.  In 1859, Antoine Ogier acquired an old cooperage and set up a negociant firm, and in 1948 the firm began creating their own blended wines.  They then merged with another negociant Caves de Papes, and this combined firm was purchased by Maison Jeanjean in 1994, who then joined with Laroche in 2010 to form AdVini SA.  They have the oldest cellars in the southern Rhone Valley; and since 2006 they have been committed to sustainability and organic farming.  Ventoux is a large wine region and abuts Provence, originally known as Cotes de Ventoux, until 2009.  The wine is a blend of Grenache Blanc and Marsanne and grown on clay-limestone soil.  The fruit is hand and mechanically harvested at night, fermented in temperature controlled Stainless-Steel vats and then aged on fine lees in concrete vats.  A light copper-colored wine that offered notes of tropical fruits, grapefruit and white peaches.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of peach and pear blending with delicate acidity and ending with a short-count finish of fruit and saline; a very unpretentious and satisfying wine now.

We started our dinner by sharing an order of Salmon and Crab Cakes with Panko, pan seared with a Creole dipping sauce and a side of Sweet Potato Fries. My Bride had a classic serving of Cajun Jambalaya with Chicken, Shrimp and Chorizo over Rice.  I had this unnamed special that was created with beef and vegetables and a spicy cream sauce that was a pure delight, and my Bride agreed that I had the best entrée, as she kept picking at my plate.  The Ventoux evaporated and we then had Les Jamelles Merlot Pays D’Oc 2023.  Les Jamelles is based in Monze, in the Aude department of the Languedoc, one of many estates run by the Badet Clement group by winemakers Laurent and Catherine Delaunay. The winery produces entry level blends, varietal wines and some vineyard selections.  The region has been making wines since the Roman times and most of the wines were Vin de Pays d’Oc and now are Pays d’Oc IGP, for standardized labeling in the European Union.  This wine is a blend of five regions: the environs of Narbonne, the Aude River plain, the coastal region near Beziers, the slopes of the Orb Valley and the mid-slope vineyards of the Herault’s Valley.  Maceration lasts for almost four weeks.  Most of this wine is aged in Oak (2/3 French and 1/3 American) and a small portion using thermovinification to boost fruit, roundness and suppleness.  This deep garnet colored wine offered notes of cherry and plums with baking spices.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of red cherry, with some cinnamon and nutmeg, blending with some bright acidity and silky tannins, ending with a short-to-medium-count finish of fruit and some minerality.

The next morning, we got up bright and early so that my Bride could finish her Christmas shopping at a delightful boutique, and she finished in time to meet her cottage friends at The Parlour Inn, originally called The Mansion House and was built in 1871 to serve the Grand Trunk Railway, later Canadian National.  It was very handsomely renovated and would also be a nice place to stay in Stratford.  We were treated to lunch by our friends, and it seemed that the ladies went with the Parlour Caesar with Romaine, Bacon, Shaved Parmesan, Croutons with a Lemon Garlic Dressing topped with Jumbo Shrimp.  The men went with Steak Frites, a New York Strip, with Yukon Gold Fries, Roasted Shallot and Red Wine Jus.  We had coffee and Mimosas using Chateau des Charmes Eclat! Bubbles St. David’s Bench VQA NV.  Paul Bosc Sr. was a visionary for the modern wine movement and especially for the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario.  He planted his first vineyards at the St. David’s Bench in 1978 with his belief that vinifera wines could be made properly there.  Chateau des Charmes has one-hundred-twenty acres of vineyards, including seventy-two acres on St. David’s Bench on rich underground limestone runoff.  The main planting began in the 1990s, with the first harvest in 1994.  The wine is pure Aligote and the sparkling wine was produced using the Charmat Method.  This pale golden colored wine showed plenty of medium-sized bubbles and offered notes of white stone fruit, green apples, lemongrass, lime zest and wet stone.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced sparkling wine displayed tones of apple, pear and peach, some toasted brioche and ending with short-count finish of citrus, granite and almonds.  It was crisp and refreshing and the tincture of orange juice with our brunch was very festive.  

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Grand Bend to Stratford

Posted on February 9, 2026 by thewineraconteur

It was another side trip that we made up to Canada last year, but we weren’t going to any of the wine country areas.  My father was born in Canada, and if I go back to the old haunts, in a week’s time, I will be speaking and acting like a native; I could have some black tea in a China teacup with saucer, while sitting on the chesterfield in the parlour. 

Now this trip was for my Bride, as she wanted to see one of her old friends that she grew up with, almost every weekend at her parents’ cottage in Kettle Point, which her father had built.  He leased the land from the Chippewas of Kettle and Stony Point First Nation, but that is another story.  She didn’t want to make a side trip to see the cottage, but we drove to the major community of the area which is Grand Bend.  Grand Bend was known as a party town and a great weekend destination, even when I was a kid, especially for the motorcycle crowd.  We walked along the main street and down to the beach and she was getting nostalgic and we finally ended up at Willy’s Beach Bar, and I am sure that during the high season the floor is covered in sand. I do believe that the main beverages served were tequila, beer and rye.

Of course, we decided to have cheeseburgers, fries and guacamole, the food that one immediately thinks of when one thinks of Canada.  We were just a couple of Yanks, but we did use Malt Vinegar with the fries, instead of ketchup, which I don’t think I have ever known in my life. We ordered a bottle of wine for lunch, and that did raise a few eyebrows.  We had Famiglia Cielo Prosecco DOC Brut “Blu Collection” NV from Cielo e Terra, also known as Gruppo Cantine Colli Berici near Verona.  They market wines from DOC, IGT and Vini da Tavola.  The winery is in partnership with over two thousand wine growers, with different labels for different niche markets.  The business was founded in 1908 by the Cielo family and has been family owned ever since.  This sparkling wine is pure Prosecco (Glera) and made with the Charmat Method and comes with a distinct wavy engraved shaped bottle.  A light yellow colored sparkling wine with medium size persistent bubbles that offered notes of golden apples, white flowers and lemon peel.  On the palate this wine displayed tones of fresh fruit and citrus and ended with a short-count finish of fruit and citrus.  An easy drinking wine for a party-culture environment.

We then set off to Stratford Ontario, and we were going to meet her friends on Sunday for lunch.  The city was settled by almost equal numbers on English, Irish, Scottish and Germany immigrants around the 1830. The center of the town was on the Avon River and is known as Stratford-upon-Avon, the town was incorporated in 1859 and the city in 1886.  The swan is the symbol of the city, and each year, twenty-four white swans are released into the Avon River.  The town is noted for the Stratford Festival, which performs Shakespearean plays and other genres from May to October.  The Stratford Shakespeare Festival began in 1953, and Alec Guiness spoke the first lines of the first plays produced; Richard III and All’s Well That Ends Well. Some of the other famed actors that have tread the boards there are Christopher Plummer, Dame Maggie Smith and William Shatner.  The evening that we arrived without any dinner reservations, which was a mistake on my part, and we wandered around the downtown area searching for a table.  While we roamed the streets, we looked at store front windows, which proved to be a big expense the next day.  We also discovered commemorative “Stars” on the sidewalks, and we will go back another time to discover more.  I wanted my Bride to pose next to one of her favorite stars, but she insisted that I have the honor, I think she is holding out to pose with Christopher Plummer.     

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J L Hudson and Lunch at Chartreuse

Posted on February 6, 2026 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I try to have dates to this day.  We found out that there was a special exhibit on the history of the J L Hudson Company and the Detroit Historical Museum and we also found out that Chartreuse had lunch hours on Fridays; a perfect combination. Though we didn’t partake of any of the fifteen different offerings of the said aperitif.

J L Hudson Company was founded in 1881 and at one time was the second largest department store in square footage, and it was the tallest department store in the world, with twenty-five stories and encompassed an entire city block.  At one time they also produced automobiles, which became part of American Motors Corporation and later Chrysler and now Stellantis.  I remember shopping there as a child with my mother, and she would park in a structure across from the back side of the building and at that time there was still a doorman at that entrance.  They had beautiful bays of elevators of copper, brass and wood, with elevator operators that announced the products on each floor, or you could use the escalators that were found at several locations on each floor.  Somewhere in the house, I still have my mother’s original metal “key ring” charge plate, which was later reissued in plastic, and I would marvel at the labyrinth of pneumatic tubes that would go from a cash register to a central location for approval and then would return in the tube, totally impressive, especially to a child.  I remember that my mother would also call the credit department when I was a little older, and they would issue me a temporary one-day cardboard card good for a couple of hundred dollars, so that I could do my Christmas shopping.  Since I was still young, and traveled by bus, it was no problem as Hudson’s had a huge fleet of dark green delivery trucks that would deliver all purchases on certain days, depending on the district of the city where one lived.  The exhibition at the museum touched upon all of this, and they even had one of the wonderful brass water fountains that were located everywhere in the building.  When they announced that the store would be closed and later imploded, I always thought a water fountain would be a great memento, but it was not for me to have; and yes, I guess I am a strange guy and even a kid earlier on.

After the special exhibit at the Detroit Historical Society, plus viewing all the other standard exhibits, we crossed caddy-corner to the Park Shelton Hotel and had lunch at Chartreuse.  Chartreuse opened in 2015 and immediately was in the forefront of the “farm to table” concept, but not corporate farming.  Also, it is rather eclectic that whatever you order comes out as soon as the kitchen is done preparing it, so it is fun to just order, and we share dishes, no matter what the sequence.  We started by ordering: Twice Cooked Egg with Werp Farm greens, Brussels Sprouts, Salty Cheese, and warm Shallot Vinaigrette. Steak Tartare with Leek, Radishes, Dill Crema, Cured Egg Yolk, Cilantro, Togorashi, Bao Bun.  Angel Hair Pasta with Butternut Squash, Mushroom, Brandy Sweet Cream and Spiced Almonds.  We started with Jordanov Rkasiteli Tikves, North Macedonia 2023 and Jordanov is a private label for Stobi Winery for the US Market. Stobi Winery opened in 2009 in the city of Gradsko, next to the ancient site of Stobi. Tikves is a prominent winegrowing region in North Macedonia, not to be confused with Tikves Winery which is from the region as well.  The Rkasiteli grape is indigenous to the Caucasus region, and it has the ability to retain good acidity in the harshest summers and is successfully used in all types of wine styles in the region.  It is also known as Rkatziteli, Baiyu and Corolioc.  This wine is pure Rkasiteli and harvested from their own estate vineyards.  A soft yellow-green colored wine that offered notes of pear, peach, apricot and white florals.  On the palate this light-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of green apple, peach and quince with crisp acidity and ending with a short-medium-count finish of soft fruit, it reminded me of a Pinot Grigio from Northern Italy.

The latter half of the meal, which we selected properly for timing was Striped Bass with Beluga Lentils, Haricot Verts, Succotash, Lotus Root, Scallions, Chili Crunch and Dashi. The other entrée that we shared was Braised Short Ribs with Sheridan Acres Beans, Root Vegetable, Cabbage Mostarda and Shitake Chip.  Followed by Colombian coffee and German Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Mousse, German filling, Chocolate Sauce, Caramelia Pearls and Candied Pecans.   We then went for a red wine with Scythian Wine Co. “Revolution Red” Cucamonga Valley 2023 bottled by Parr Wines LLC.  Scythian Wine Co. is a new project by sommelier-now-vigneron Raj Parr that highlights the nearly lost viticultural heritage of Los Angeles.  Before Prohibition, the city was the center of the California wine industry, with Palomino, Mission, Grenache and Zinfandel planted on the sandy soils.  The remaining vineyards are relics, interspersed between warehouses, corporate headquarters, neighborhoods and highways.  Some of the vines are close to the century mark and had never been treated with fungicides, sulfur or copper.  Phelan Farm is a California producer based in the village of Cambria specializing in minimal-intervention wines.  Greg Phelan founded the estate in 2007, but the farm was in the Phelan family since 1851, and Raj Parr now leases the entire property.  Cucamonga Valley was once the largest area under vine in the state, now there are less than a thousand acres devoted to vineyards.  The soil in the hot, desert-like valley are rocky and sandy, allowing for excellent drainage, which produces smaller berries with thicker skins and more concentrated flavor and bold tannins.  The existing vineyards survived during Prohibition as they grew grapes for home winemaking which was allowed during that era.  This fruit is from the Lopez Vineyard that was planted in 1912.  This wine is a blend of sixty percent Zinfandel; thirty percent Palomino and ten percent Grenache planted on sandy granite soils.  The fruit is hand- harvested and fermented whole cluster in open-top neutral fermenter, then aged in old French Oak barrels.  The wine is bottled without fining or filtering.  This red colored wine offered notes of black cherry and licorice.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed tones of cherry, cranberry along with red florals and spices blending with big tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit and spices.   

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Henry Ford Big Band Concert

Posted on February 3, 2026 by thewineraconteur

I am slowly but surely going to get some of the past adventures that I just have not had the chance to write about.  Raconteurs always have stories buried, just waiting for the moment to boor a captive audience.

My Bride, I must admit is the music aficionado, I am happy with the music of the Rat Pack, classic Broadway musicals that have you dancing and singing as you leave the theatre and of course the music of the sixties.  My Bride loves all genres, she loves operas and ballet, orchestral concerts, jazz and goes way beyond my choices, which she also enjoys.  We went to see The Wine Raconteur, Jr. as he performed with the Henry Ford College Big Band playing classical, jazzed up and stylized Christmas Music.  We sat at the table where his parents were holding court, and we have had a long history with his family as well.  Our boy was the ad hoc emcee, as well as the creator of the evening.  He found corporate sponsors, caterers and a venue that appreciated the additional attention as they were amid renovation construction. 

The Henry Ford College Big Band has been an entity for ages, and some of the musicians have been with the group long since after they graduated from college.  They have travelled with the band for concerts across the United States, but they have also performed in Europe, which is really quite heady for a local and at one time a community college.  They lost “The Big Guy” who really pushed this group of dedicated alumni to go beyond the local gigs, and I think at one time they felt rudderless, but others took up the challenge and the baton with the intention of keeping the group intact and maintaining goals and keeping the energy on high voltage.

While we were noshing before and in between sets, my Bride was cajoling the bartenders to create her a Spanish Coffee and she was finally happy after a couple of attempts.  As for me, I found wine, of course I did, to allow me to eventually write another article, see how devious I am.  I enjoyed several glasses of Napa Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2022.  Napa Cellars sits on the original five acres where it was established in 1976 along Highway 29 in Oakville. They still use the geodesic dome commissioned by the founder Charlie Woods.  The wine is made by the winemaker Joe Shirley, and the fruit comes from a variety of vineyards in the Napa Valley including Atlas Peak, Oak Knoll and St. Helena and this wine is pure Cabernet Sauvignon.  The grapes from the assorted locations were brought for processing and underwent a twelve-to-twenty-four-day maceration period.  After fermentation, the wine was aged for twenty-one months in ninety-six percent French and four percent Hungarian Oak barrels.  This deep-dark ruby colored wine offered notes of black cherry, blackberry, plum and cassis followed by toasted oak, vanilla, mocha and cloves.  On the palate this medium-bodied, well-balanced wine displayed the dark fruits, baking spices, as well as traces of cinnamon and black pepper blending with supple tannins and ending with a medium-count finish of fruit, graphite, and some bright acidity.

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