We met our son and his wife at Andiamo in West Bloomfield, one of the restaurants that is kind of half way between our two houses.  This particular restaurant is rather infamous as it was the Machus Red Fox that was the last place that James R. Hoffa was seen at.  Now there is a movie that was made for one of the cable stations, at least that is what I think their status is, made by a very famous director with a big cast and this restaurant is mentioned in the film.  Now, I didn’t see the film for several reasons, but one major reason is that I know for a fact that there is no mountain range to be seen in any direction from this restaurant; and I go back to the days when it was the original and they also had a great bake shop for carryout desserts. 

And from one film to another, Andiamo is promoting their “Passport to Wine Series 2024” that the in-house sommelier dropped off at our table, during the course of the meal.  The different theme dinners were: Big Night (Italy), Like Water for Chocolate (Mexico), Chef (Cuba), My Big Fat Greek Wedding (Greece), and Sideways (California).  We were not there for this promotion either, but to spend time with our son.  We had a couple of different appetizers to begin the meal, and then everyone ordered their entrée.  My Bride and I were the only two to enjoy some wine, so we made sure that we paid for the wine, as we got to the restaurant early enough to pay for the wine ahead of time.  It was easy to select a wine for our dinner, as there was a varietal that my Bride enjoys, so we went with Sella & Mosca La Cala Vermentino di Sardegna DOC 2022.  Sella & Mosca (Sella e Mosca) is the largest wine producer in Sardinia, featuring local varieties and “international” varieties.  The winery was founded in 1899 by two Piedmontese businessmen.  Their I Piani estate is one of the largest wine estates in Europe with five-hundred-twenty hectares of contiguous vineyards.  Vermentino di Sardegna DOC was granted in 1988 and covers the entire island.  The history of Vermentino on Sardinia is vague as to whether it is from Liguria in Italy where it is known as Pigato, Provence and the Languedoc of France where it is known as Rolle or from Spain, where it is barely seen anymore.  Internationally, the lion’s share of Vermentino is Italy.  There is not a lot of information about the wine, outside of soft pressing, cold settling, fermentation, and short aging in Stainless Steel.  A pretty golden color offering notes of citrus fruit, florals and minerals.  On the palate the wine has tones of fresh fruit, a soft and balanced wine with a nice finish of terroir and a touch of iodine.

After dinner, our son and his wife are big fans of dessert, and my Bride went along for the ride.  I have found that I have lost my desire and appreciation for most desserts anymore, maybe I have lost my sweet tooth, but I am sure that I will still continue to have twice a year dental check-up anyway.  I had a glass of W. & J. Graham’s 10-Year-Old Tawny Port NV.  Graham’s is a prominent Port house in Douro Valley of northern Portugal, they began as a textile company in the early 1800s by the brothers William and John Graham of Glasgow, who had received a barrel of Port as payment for a debt.  In 1820, that was the beginning and today they are owned by the Symington family who also owns Dow’s and Warre’s.  Their pride is the Quinta dos Malvedos vineyard that they acquired in 1890, as well as their four other vineyards: Quinta do Tua, Qunita das Lages, Quinta da Vila Velha and Quint do Vale de Malhadas.  The predominate grapes grown are Touriga Franca and Touriga Nacional.  The wine is a deep tawny color and offers notes of assorted nuts, honey, and figs.  On the palate tones of oxidative nuts with dark raisins, figs, traces of orange zest and orange marmalade in a delightfully fresh wine with a totally enjoyable long count finish of dark fruit to savor.