We were getting closer to the wedding and more people were meeting up, and at least the majority of our crowd ended up at the same hotel, through the arrangements of the cruise line.  The hand steamer that my Bride bought was really put through the paces and everyone was happy with the results.  The Louisville crowd selected a restaurant using one of their phone apps and everyone agreed.  Of course, whatever transportation service that was chosen, the driver had no knowledge of the restaurant, and yes, I miss the moxie of taxis and their finger on the pulse of the city. 

Elia on the River is listed as a Greek restaurant, though the owner is Turkish and the food was more Mediterranean. Part of the glamour of the restaurant was that they were on the river, but we saw no waterways and our driver could not help us.  Elia on the River was on a waterway, but from the street, one had to walk through an open mall like-structure, and the water was at the backside of the complex, a complete secret from the street, and basically even from Google Maps.  My Bride and I decided to share two appetizers, as she had the “Elia Caesar” with crispy chickpeas, radishes, avocado and shaved Reggiano, while I ordered the Truffle Carpaccio with warm creamy potatoes and arugula and there was a dearth of truffles.  We started with Terrazas de los Andes Reserva Malbec 2022 from Chandon Argentina of Moet & Chandon (Moet & Hennessy).  Chandon Argentina created Terrazas de los Andes and partnered with Chateau Cheval Blanc to create Cheval des Andes in an 1898 Spanish-style winery in the heart of Mendoza, with vineyards in Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley.  This wine was pure Malbec and aged for almost fourteen months in French Oak.  A deep purple-red wine that offered notes of fresh strawberries  and red fruit.  On the palate, this was a low-key wine with tones of red and black and fruit, herbs and spices blended with medium tannins and moderate acidity and a medium count finish of fruit.  

My Bride and I decided to share a Whole Branzino with a side of Charred Broccolini. I found a wine that made her smile, as she missed it on the wine carte, but I think that is the reason she keeps me around.  We had a bottle of Tenuta la Ghiaia Vermentino Colli di Luni DOC 2023.  Colli di Luni DOC is for the coastal hills representing a transition between Liguria and Tuscany and is for both red and white wines.  Tenuta La Ghiaia is a winery estate and resort of five hectares of organic vineyards in Colli di Luni DOC and is located and named for any ancient riverbed.  The fruit is hand-harvested and undergoes a soft-pressing before fermentation in temperature-controlled Stainless-Steel tanks.  The wine rested on fine lees for about four months before bottling.  The straw-yellow colored wine and offered notes of citrus, lemon and bergamot, white florals, thyme and eucalyptus.  On the palate the citrus tones were bright and crisp, along with the natural salinity and minerality of this wine was a perfect pairing with the Branzino.

For dessert we shared a Pistachio Bliss which sounded more interesting than it was.  My Bride and I had our backs to the water (canal) that ran along the restaurant and there were boats moored, and the owners were enjoying dinner.  We also shared a glass of Warre’s Otima 20 Tawny Porto NV. Warre’s is one of Portugal’s most famous Port houses and it began in 1670.  William Warre became a partner in 1729 and then it was known as Clark, Thorton and Warre.   The house stayed exclusively in the Warren family until 1905, when Andrew James Symington was admitted as a partner of Warre and Co.  Warre’s is managed by the 13^th generation of the Symington family, who also own the Dow’s and Graham’s Port houses.  The Otima 10 and Otima 20 Year Old Tawny was developed about twenty-five years ago aimed at a younger demographic group, than what is usually associated with Port drinkers.    While there are over eighty sanctioned grapes allowed in the production of Port, most have been forgotten, lost, and intermingled over the centuries.  The five main grapes used are: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinto Barroca, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), and Tinto Cao; and some other relatively common varieties are Sousao, Tinta Amarela and Mourisco Tinto.   Port wines are what is known as fortified wines, and is achieved by adding high proof grape spirit during the fermentation process as the spirit kills of the yeast before all the sugars have fermented, then it is aged in barrel, where the coloring comes from.  The wine is a golden red color and offers notes of dried oranges,figs, caramel, and salted nuts.  On the palate there are tones of dried apricots, orange marmalade blending perfectly with raisins, figs, butterscotch and caramelized sugar extremely complex with enough acidity to keep the wine fresh and not cloying, and the finish is a nice long count of dried fruit and pepper.