We were on our way to pick up the wine club selections from the Fine Wine Source in Livonia, Michigan.  We were also going to pick up two bottles of Rogers + Roberts Louer Family Cabernet Sauvignon Port Napa Valley NV for The Caller, as he was intrigued about this wine while I was describing it to him over our lunch at Ciao Amici.  While we were driving from the restaurant to the shop, The Caller called us and asked if we could pick up three bottles of Celani Family Vineyards Robusto Proprietary Red Blend Napa Valley, that we had just had with lunch.  So, now we were on a real mission.  I also was curious as to how the new room was progressing.   

The first wine representing the Old World is Bovin Winery Pinot Noir Tikvesh Wine Region Macedonia 2022.  Macedonia is an area that has been in the crossroads of the region since the days of Alexander, and is interwoven with the history of Byzantine, Slavic, and Turkish influences.  The Tikvesh region has been recorded in the annals of man as being in wine production from at least 4^th Century AD.  Bovin Winery is the first privately built winery in Macedonia and was established in 1998.  The Tikvesh Wine Region is at similar latitudes as Bordeaux in France, and the winery is in the center of the region.  This Pinot Noir is described as a dry red wine and offering notes of red berries, strawberries, violets and sous-bois.  On the palate  a dry, soft and fruity; rich with soft tannins. 

The wine representing the New World is Tomé  “Short Grass” Sauvignon Blanc Royal Slope AVA/Columbia Valley Washington State 2022.  Robert Tomé is the founder and CEO of Tomebrands. Robert was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada; his father was an immigrant from Friuli Venezia Giulia home of some of his favorite vineyards, and his mother is a third-generation Canadian of Scottish descent, from where he learned to love golf. His earliest memories of wine are the wines made in his family’s garage by his father and uncles.  Years later he found himself working at a golf club, where he developed a passion for the game, as well as the hospitality industry, where he eventually received a full scholarship and then a degree in hospitality and tourism.  By the nineties he was working full time in the wine industry, and in 2004 he launched his own wine importing agency in Canada.  In 2017, he sold his interest in the agency and fulfilled his dream and created Tomé Group of Brands, making wines from Washington State and in Italy.  As with his other wines, they are named after golfing terms, and “short grass” is always a great position to be in.  This wine is pure Sauvignon Blanc and went through fermentation and aging in Stainless Steel tanks for an estimated three months; with six-thousand-cases produced.  The wine is described as pale yellow and offering notes of elevated citrus, tropical fruits, and .herbs.  On the palate the wine has tones of passion fruit, melon, ruby grapefruit, and ending with a fresh and crisp finish of minerality