A Traditional Father’s Day

Posted on June 26, 2018 by thewineraconteur

Another Father’s Day has passed and I did not receive a tie and I also didn’t barbecue.  For years, when I was in the men’s apparel business, ties were always a go-to item for the day, but since I was a buyer in the industry and a fashion consultant, that was a gift that no one would bother trying to buy for me.  I also really don’t barbecue, because back in the day when I was growing up, I was the son of Depression raised parents and meat was always done “well done” in case someone needed a new sole for their shoes, because cobblers were also an integral part of that era, because everything was repairable.  By the time that I discovered how a steak should be prepared, I was no longer really in the kitchen or at the grill.  Father’s Day for many is not as joyful as it once was, because families do not all live in the same area anymore, as I received calls from my children in Las Vegas and they were doing Father’s Day with their families.

All was not lost as our son that still lives in the area took us out for the day, even though we had originally planned on taking him and his family out for brunch.  Since that had been our plan, we had chosen The Root Restaurant & Bar in White Lake, Michigan, both for their culinary skills and that it was geographically close for our son.  The Root was selected as the Restaurant of the Year in 2012 by the Detroit Free Press and the following year in Hour Magazine they also claimed the Best Chef of the Year.  We have dined there in the past, but this was the first time for brunch.  Our son, his wife and one of his children had breakfast choices, going for the sweet and savory type meals that are very popular.  My Bride and I are the traditionalists, at least we were that day.  My Bride had the Quiche Lorraine with Fingerling Potatoes and I went with the classic interpretation of Eggs Benedict, though they did up the dish a little with the addition of Creamed Leeks.

I was in the mood for some Mimosas, but I was the only one that was indulgent and the restaurant offered two styles, the traditional with orange juice or one made with grapefruit juice, so we went with the traditional again.  I was anticipating that they would be using one of the bulk Charmat Methode California sparkling wines, but they surprised me and were using a Metodo Tradiccional Cava from Spain by J. Garcia Carrion.  The sparkling wines of Spain have been made in the proper way since the earliest years of the last century and was marketed as Champana, until France flexed their muscles and declared that they were the only country to produce Champagne.  The Spaniards came up with a novel new name, not a geographic location, but from the method that the wines are stored and that is in caves, hence Cava, and while they are a bit looser with the designation, ninety percent of the Cava is still produced in the Catalonia region.  I was enjoying the Jaume Serra Cristalino Extra Dry Cava NV and while it sounds like it should be close to a “Brut” Extra Dry is in the center of the sweetness table and it is really easy to drink.  Originally the varietals for Cava were Macabeo, Xarel-Lo and Parellado, since 1986 Chardonnay was approved and since then so has White Malvasia, Pinot Noir, Garnacha, Monastrell and Trepat.  I think that I will go out on a limb and claim that the three traditional grapes were used in this wine.  It was kind of a traditional day.

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One More for the Road

Posted on June 24, 2018 by thewineraconteur

Bob Anderson, maybe you recognize his name and maybe you don’t.  I first saw Bob entertain at the London Chop House, the old legendary restaurant in Detroit; back then the owner also had the Caucus Club across the street where an unknown Barbra Striesand performed.  I then saw him as a lounge act at the Sands in Las Vegas, so you know that was a while ago.  Now he is performing a magnificent act at the Palazzo in Las Vegas and he is a star.  He recently had a one-night show at the Detroit Opera House, which is a magnificent venue, that was the old Broadway-Capital theater when movie houses were works of art with multiple balconies, chandeliers and plaster-work that is unavailable today.   The tickets were my Father’s Day present, even though my Bride had never heard of Bob, she took my advice that it would be a great show.

Bob Anderson is a great singer, but his niche is in impersonations, not just the voice, but in the mannerisms and movements.  I have seen him do Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, but it is his Frank Sinatra that is truly stellar.  His current show that he performed in Detroit, is the show he does at the Palazzo and it is basically a recreation of a Vegas show that Frank would have put on, with the actual music scores and arrangements.  Bob, just like Frank was accompanied by a thirty-two-piece orchestra with strings and all.  I was mesmerized, it was like going back in time to see The Chairman of the Board again.  The selection of the songs was a great mix, not just the great standards, but some of the lesser known ones as well, and I knew them as well; after all I grew up my entire life listening to his music.  Maybe it was nostalgia, or wanting to see Frank perform one more time, but I was enthralled and I did find myself brushing away a few tears as I listened to the music, remembering moments when those songs were apropos and just swaying in my seat like everyone else in the sold-out auditorium, which may be bigger than the auditorium at the Palazzo.  The music was just perfect, and I had to control myself that I didn’t try to sing aloud and disturb the others around me.

We went to the Detroit Opera House early, because our tickets were at the will-call window.  Instead of staying around there, we walked across the street for some wine at Vertical, a wonderful restaurant and wine bar that I have mentioned before.  It was a hot day and of course we were dressed for the occasion which was a Vegas show, so a sport coat was de rigueur, so we had some Rosé wine.  The wine was from the Domaine des Annibals from the Provence region of France, where Rosé is King.  We had Chateau des Annibals 2017 which still carried the old Coteaux Varois en Provence, but now is Coteaux Varois.  This wine is a blend of Cinsaut and Grenache and it was a very pretty color, with a delicate nose, and a finish that made you want to have another sip.  I am sure that it was done in Stainless Steel for a short aging period, because the wine was so fresh.  In fact, if Downtown Detroit wasn’t so packed that evening because of a music festival, we may have went back to Vertical for another glass.  I mean I would have, even though it is not politically correct, and then again most young people have never heard the expression “One for the Road.”

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An Afternoon Graduation Party

Posted on June 22, 2018 by thewineraconteur

It is that time of the year for high school graduations and I guess if you live long enough, you end up attending many assorted generations of these parties.  They are getting to be quite elaborate these days.  We just attended a party and I learned that some of the high schools have forums for the parents, where different vendors go and show what they can do.   From tent, tables and chair rentals to actual food preparations and catering.  One stop shopping, if one can find the proper accommodations and budget.

We pulled up to this party and they had a tent set up across the three lane wide parking spaces in front of their garage, as well as onto to their grass.  They also had tables set up in other parts of their yard, as well as in the house.  The food was catered by one of the companies that they encountered at the forum and they made an excellent selection.   The meal was a big barbeque with briskets, chicken, and pulled pork and all the sides.  They even offered several different sauces to add to the flavors.  There were several salads, and several vegetables and fresh baked rolls and corn bread.  The desserts were also great, there were cakes and chocolate covered everythings and one of the biggest collections of really fancy cupcakes, in fact, some of the cupcakes that people were raving about, where alas gone, by the time I went for dessert, but there were others that were equally impressive.  I was a happy camper, as I never know what to expect at these affairs.

I suggested to my Bride that we should take some wine, and she said that there would probably be drinks there.   There were coolers of beer, domestic and lights, and craft IPA types.  There was water and pop and juices and there was even Sangria.  There was boxed wine and I get that, not everyone gets into wine like we do.  There was a box of White Zinfandel and a box of Moscato, both by Franzia Brothers Winery.  Franzia began in 1906 and survived to this day.  They were one of the first to get into the box wine decanters in the late 1970’s and have made a good name for themselves and they definitely cater to a market segment and have created a good niche for their wines.  Unfortunately, my Bride and I are not partial to the two grape wines that were being offered, so I jumped into my car and went looking for a party store to find something that was chilled and with a screw cap closure, as I did not have a corkscrew and I thought it would be in poor taste to ask our hosts if they had one.  I found one of the most popular wines on the market, in fact it is the most popular wine sold in the United States from New Zealand.  Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc 2017 from the Marlborough region was just perfect for the moment.  The chilled crisp acidic citrus flavor paired well with the tang of the barbeque dishes.  Kim Crawford began in Auckland in 1996 and moved to a state of the art facility in Marlborough in 2000.  They were so successful that they were bought by Vincor in 2003 and then acquired by Constellation Brands in 2004.  It was a perfect afternoon.

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Big Sur Reserve Pinot Noir

Posted on June 20, 2018 by thewineraconteur

I am now getting to the last of the wines in the shipment from “A Taste of Monterey.”  One of the finest decisions I think we have ever made, because we are not limited to only one winery, so the selection is unlimited even in the Reserve Wine Selections.  The brochure that came with the shipment also contained a recipe for Fettucine with Shiitakes and Asparagus, as well as two smaller articles about the varietal Tannat and the cheese Mahon from the Balearic Islands off Spain.

The last wine is from an area that we visited before this winery was really begun, as we had behaved as tourists once and visited Ventana and Big Sur.  Big Sur Vineyards originally began as an olive grove and they made artisan soaps, on the edge of the Ventana Wilderness.  Then they began planting Rhone varietals as a hobby to see what would happen.  They finally began production on their Big Sur Red.

All the winemaking came into fruition with their Big Sur Reserve Pinot Noir 2013.  It was amusing to me, that right after I opened the carton, I was reading one of the wine sites that I follow, and someone was touting the Big Sur Pinot Noir as being exceptional and that everyone should try to find it, if possible, which made me happy to read, and here I had their Reserve of the same wine, though I am not sure what the actual difference is, as there was not much information on their website.  This particular wine is from the Antle Vineyard in the Chalone AVA.  The wine created one-hundred-seventy cases and the aging potential is for five to six years.  I am sure that curiosity will make me try this wine sooner.  In a rather sad side note, they lost all of their buildings in probably the first two or three days of the Soberanes Fire of 2016 and are rebuilding, and I wish them well.

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Coastview Cuvée S.A. Andrée

Posted on June 18, 2018 by thewineraconteur

One of the joys of unpacking a carton from my wine club is to see all the goodies that I will find.  I have to admit that I am like a kid in a candy shop with some coins in my hand, and I remember penny candy.  “A Taste of Monterey” besides packing three bottles of wine to send me on a quarterly basis, also puts a brochure about the wines that I am receiving.  The brochure also had a nice article about terroir, or as I put it bluntly as dirt, that ethereal quality about the grounds that imparts flavor that other areas seem to be lacking.  It is terroir that helps to explain the mystery of the districts and sub-districts in Burgundy where the price can change astronomically in plots almost side by side.  It is also the reason that here in America we have our AVA designations, because some areas are just so unique for growing some grapes that become awesome wines.

Monterey is one such designation that has a known quality about the soil, or lack of soil.  Ground that might be terrible for some food stocks, is wonderful for grapes as they have to struggle to grow and to ripen.   Coastview Vineyard of Soledad, California has produced a wine that is from the mountain area of the Gabilan Mountains overlooking the Salinas Valley and the Monterey Bay.  The soil is decomposed granite with veins of limestone add to the makeup of the terroir and coupled with being a mountainous vineyard imbues the grapes with a taste that other acres will not have.

The Coastview Cuvée S.A. Andrée 2010 is a red wine blend, evoking the adventures of a Jules Verne novel as it depicts an old school hot-air balloon, and the cuvee is named for the Swedish balloonist Salomon August Andrée who attempted to pass over the North Pole with two companions, scientific equipment, homing pigeons and several crates of Champagne; a man ready for anything.  This wine is a Claret blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.  I couldn’t find any production notes for this wine, but the aging potential is for eight to ten years and they only produced one-hundred-twenty-five cases of this wine.  I would say this wine would be a perfect match for some steaks or a standing rib roast.  I will let you know.

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Scott Family Chardonnay

Posted on June 16, 2018 by thewineraconteur

I guess I should pay more attention to my emails, because I was working around the house when there was a knock on the door.   It was the UPS driver and he had a package that I had to sign for, so it was a very pleasant surprise.  Normally the express companies just leave packages on the front porch, but when a signature is required, it is either very valuable or it has alcohol, and sometimes it is the best of both worlds.  I recognized the carton and I knew it was a shipment from the only wine club that I belong to, which is “A Taste of Monterey.”

I can’t even tell you, how long we have had a membership with them, but it has been a long and fruitful association.  As I have said before they have a couple of different club levels, but we opted for their Private Reserve Club as a way to receive wines that probably would never get to Michigan, because of small production and the unusual and restrictive and cavalier method that the wine importers and distributors employ in this state.  When we first signed on, we weren’t even sure if it would work, because Michigan was at one time a felony state for private shipments of wine.  Thankfully our Governor at one time was named in a historic legal battle and the outcome was great for wine drinkers here, and that particular Governor has long been vanquished for our shores.

The first wine that I found, I will describe, but I will have to rely on their notes as I have not uncorked the bottle, as I have to find the right moment for it, but it will happen.  The Scott Family Estates Arroyo Seco Chardonnay 2016 should be an excellent bottle of wine.  Scott Family Estates are actually located in St. Helena in Napa Valley and are under the larger umbrella of Rutherford Wine Company.  Arroyo Seco, which means Dry Creek is in the middle of the Salinas Valley which is located in Monterey County.  Arroyo Seco is known for having heavy fog cover which means that the vines are slow to ripen under the cooler temperatures and harvests have been know to take place in November.  While Arroyo Seco is well regarded and received its AVA in 1983, it is not seen that often, and the largest crop there is Chardonnay.  This particular wine is made entirely from Dijon Clones and was aged Sur Lies in a combination of Stainless Steel and French Oak.  There were seven-hundred-sixty cases produced and the aging potential for this wine is for five to six years, though truthfully most Chardonnay wines in this house do not last that long.  You know that I am not one for descriptors, but the notes for this wine indicate vibrant citrus notes, creamy with a long finish with an underlying taste of toasty oak.  Only time will tell, and I will be glad to let you know when the wine has been opened.

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A Day for Photos

Posted on June 14, 2018 by thewineraconteur

A lot has changed since I graduated from high school.  It seems to my memory, that we had graduation photos, ordered a class ring, ordered a year book and went to a prom.  I remember driving out to pick up my date, and going to the prom, of course my group only stayed a little while, as we had other plans and one day I might even write about that memory.  Nowadays, it seems like the kids rent a bus and go to some destination to have special photos taken before they attend the prom.  Back in the dark ages, who even thought about that, parents took some pictures of the kids in their finery and then out for the evening.   We ended driving out in rush hour traffic to a park that I wasn’t even aware of on a lake.  This was for my Bride’s Godson, so we were going out to meet the students and the boy’s family.  We eventually made it there in time for some photography and that made my Bride very happy, and I was amazed at the crowd of people that all amassed at the park with the same intentions.  Then the kids piled back on the rented bus and took off for their prom and we met with the boy’s parents and decided to go out for dinner.

We were out in an area that we normally don’t go to, but I put my thinking cap on and remembered a restaurant that I remembered people talking about, but I had never been to, though I have drove by it on occasion.  I called to see if they took reservations, but I was told that they do not take same day reservations, but they said that at the moment, it looked good.  So, we all got into our cars and drove over to the Uptown Grille in Commerce Township.  I guess the best way to describe it, would be to call it a roadhouse.  From the outside it is not that enticing, but I have never let a façade deceive me, and when we walked in, I was surprised how large it was, and we had no problem getting seated.  My Bride ended up having the Pecan Chicken with shallots and cranberries, sautéed in a Sherry sauce, topped with spiced candied pecans and green onions and mashed potatoes.  I had been in the mood for some ribs for a while, and here was my chance to sate that desire.  I just had the barbecued baby back ribs with a side of Cole Slaw and Macaroni and Cheese.

We were looking at the wine list and under “Interesting Reds” I found one that sounded interesting.  We had a bottle of Peirano Estate Vineyards Illusion 2016 from Lodi, California.  Peirano Estate Vineyards is going into their fifth generation in the business, and they were one of the original planters of Zinfandel in the area.  They even survived the Prohibition Era by bootlegging wine, because as their site claims, Zinfandel was not on the map for wine production back then for the government.  They really began making wine in earnest in 1992.  The Illusion is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Petite Sirah and Cabernet Sauvignon which are all estate grown.  Each varietal was hand harvested and vinified separately and then they began the arduous effort of finding the proper blend, which they did.  They aged the wines in a mix of French and American Oak, and the entire process took almost a year from harvest.  It was a very nice wine and it really paired nicely with ribs, and I guess it worked well with the chicken, as the wine was not overly jammy as a Zinfandel can be, but I think it was tempered with the other grapes.

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Our Last Dinner with Ms. Yoga

Posted on June 12, 2018 by thewineraconteur

Even though Casa Raconteur was the official residence of Ms. Yoga during her week, she did leave us and spend some time in Grand Rapids during this business trip.  For some odd reason, she just ignores the invoice that is slid under the door on her last day.  She wanted to go to Fleming’s Steak House, but we wanted her to see this little bistro that we have gone to a couple of times, especially if on her next trip, she attempts to have another family get-together brunch, because this establishment does such a great job, and with a group that size, she will get a reservation.  French Toast in Plymouth is in the middle of nowhere in a rather non-descript strip mall.  Their Cajun influenced meals belie the outward appearance of the restaurant.

Ms. Yoga also invited her brother for dinner, but he basically didn’t eat anything, as he said that he had a late lunch, but he wanted to spend some more time with her, before she left.  Ms. Yoga and I got there together first to get a table, as French Toast fills up rapidly, and they are only open two evenings of the week.  She immediately ordered the Baked Brie Board to nosh on and it came with fresh berries, strawberry jam and crackers; the Brie was so creamy and rich, we thought it was French, but it was Danish.  Then her brother showed up and so did my Bride and Ms. Yoga immediately ordered a platter of Prince Edward Island Mussels that were done in the classic versions of herbed buttered white wine sauce with garlic, shallots and accompanied with garlic toast.  Ms. Yoga then ordered for her entrée the Maple Mustard Glazed Salmon with Quinoa, wild mushrooms, grape tomatoes and Bourbon onions.  My Bride had the Shrimp and Grits, which came with Andouille sausage and grape tomatoes.  I ordered the Black Garlic Braised Short Rib which came with White Cheddar Grits, Brussel Sprouts and Crispy Shallots.  For dessert we had Beignets with a Banana Foster Sauce.

They have a limited wine list, but a rather complete bar.  They use, along with most other places we have been to for brunch William Wycliff Winery “California Champagne” Brut  NV with the convenient screw cap.  This wine is made using the Charmat Method, and hence it is very affordable and easy for most restaurants.  The winery is under the umbrella of the Gallo Winery Group, which probably explains how they were grandfathered in with “California Champagne.”  I digressed a bit, but we tried to order two different bottles for the table and they were sold out, so we opted for a third try with success, and the restaurant comped us on our dessert, because of this problem.  We had an old favorite negocient and a region of mine that evening.  We had Barton and Gestier Cotes du Rhone Les Galets 2016.  B & G as they are usually referred to is the oldest wine house in Bordeaux and they oversee and bottle wines from most regions of France.  This particular wine was a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan and aged in French Oak.  While B & G is not stellar, they have been dependable and reliable since I started drinking wines several decades ago.  It was a wonderful dinner, the wine worked well, the company excellent and I might add that Ms. Yoga skipped town the next day and ignored the invoice again.  Until her next appearance.

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What Women Enjoy

Posted on June 10, 2018 by thewineraconteur

While we had the pleasure of Ms. Yoga’s company she was here on a business trip.  She also found some time to see her family and friends.  One of the days that she was able to blend everything together, she found some time to go shopping with her friends, and I think that is one of the most pleasurable pastimes that women enjoy.  I spent my entire career selling Men’s Couture, so the concept of shopping is beyond my realm of understanding as pleasure.  Most men from my era, do not shop, they go out and buy and it tends to be a singular pursuit, while women like to shop together; and they do it well.  Ms. Yoga and my Bride were going to meet another friend and go shopping one morning and they asked if I wanted to join them, which I politely declined, but they did invite me out for lunch when they were going to be finished and that I did agree upon.  You may have noticed by now, that I am quite partial to being fed, especially if the venue is decent, so that removes most popular priced chains.

We established a time to meet, that would enable the women to get some “quality” time shopping, as well as working up an appetite for lunch.  We also picked a suitable establishment that would be near where they were shopping, so I drove there separately and if I got there first, I would secure a table, since it was lunch time.  They decided upon one of the chains that I had not been to for awhile called J Alexander’s and surprisingly I did get there first and waited for the ladies to make their purchases, as at least they were out of the fitting rooms.  My Bride ordered the Carolina Crab Cakes, which were made from jumbo lump crab, chili mayonnaise and a mustard sauce with a side of fries.  I went with their Steak Burger, which was a blend of ground tenderloin and rib-eye, Tillamook Cheddar, grilled onions and Kiawah Island Dressing.

Since it was an unseasonably hot morning and I was waiting for the ladies to show up, I went with a manly drink and ordered a glass of Rosé, which even made me look even more questionable when the women ordered cocktails.  It is OK though, because I like a glass of Rosé and I had Chateau Val-Joanis Tradition Luberon 2017.  Luberon got its own designation in 1988 and to old guys like me, it was known as Cotes du Luberon and is located between the Rhone Valley and Provence but comes under the Rhone umbrella of districts.  This was a very easy and drinkable wine, that I will presume was done quickly in Stainless Steel due to the vintage, and it was Estate Bottled and a blend of Syrah and Grenache.  With my burger I went to a heavier red wine and California beckoned to me.  The Newton Vineyard Skyside Claret 2016 was from the North Coast.  The Skyside label is new, as they had originally called it the Red Label.  The Claret was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.  Newton Vineyard was established in 1977 and they were the first winery in Napa Valley to create an un-filtered Chardonnay, and they were so successful, that in 2001 they were bought by the luxury group LVMH.  Newton Vineyard owns six-hundred-forty acres of land in Napa and nearby, and the land has been formed into one-hundred-twelve parcels, and each parcel only grows one varietal.  They also vinify each parcel separately, so that they have plenty of blending opportunities as well as bottling single vineyard wines.  They only use French Oak for aging, and they tunneled and built a marble cave for aging in the side of a hill.  Pairing with the burger, it was an excellent choice, though I am sure that most of the time, people would order this wine with a steak.

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Dinner with Ms. Yoga

Posted on June 8, 2018 by thewineraconteur

It was a wonderful relaxing Sunday afternoon, we had gone to the cinema and had started to enjoy some wine and appetizers.  When Ms. Yoga is in town, it tends to be an event, and of course she is instrumental in all of the planning.  While ostensibly in town to do business and make more business contacts, she also wants to see as many friends and family that she can squeeze in during a trip.  The Casa Raconteur is her home base on this trip and we were having as much fun as she was.  Her friends that she had invited for dinner finally showed up, and we enjoy their company immensely.

There was now six of us, sitting in the breakfast nook at the moment, and everyone was catching up since the last time we had gotten together.  The last couple also came with some wine and a big tray of jumbo shrimp with cocktail sauce, so we sat and munched some more.  I have to admit that I have been a fan of shrimp since I was a toddler, since it was always something that was at the house growing up.  My Bride had to maneuver herself away from the breakfast nook to begin making the dinner and it was my job to make sure that the wine in the glasses didn’t evaporate from a lack of interest.  My Bride was making filets for dinner and everyone seemed to agree on Medium Rare, so the cooking time was made a bit easier on her.  She was also making a roaster of sliced potatoes covered in Parmesan and she was at the sauté pan preparing fresh asparagus.  For dessert she was serving Angel Food Cake with sugared strawberries and whipped cream, which everyone knows is very low-cal.  For dinner we actually moved into the dining room, since it was already set up for the dinner earlier.

After having a couple of bottles of white wine, I guess it was time to have some red wine, especially with the filets.  We started of with some wine from Paoletti Winery in Calistoga, Napa Valley.   Paoletti Winery has thirty-six acres in Calistoga and their first release was in 1994, so the wine we were enjoying was from their Twentieth Anniversary.  Their Piccolo Cru 2014 was all fruit from their own estate and it was a Bordeaux blend with half of the wine being Cabernet Sauvignon and then Merlot, Malbec, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.  The total time for the production of this wine was about sixteen months and it was delightful, with all the qualities that I expect from a Claret.  The second wine was from across the pond from Frecciarossa in the Lombardy region of Italy.  This winery has been in production since 1919 and they were one of the earliest wineries to ship to the United States after Prohibition, as their Export Permit is #19.  The Giorgio Odero Oltrepo Pavese DOC Pinot Noir 2010 was excellent.  The Oltrepo Pavese region borders on the Piedmont and Emilia-Romagna and Pinot Noir is considered the King of this region.  The wine begins with two weeks in Stainless Steel for the maceration process after being hand-harvested, then twelve months in once-used barrels, then an additional six months in Stainless Steel and finally twelve months in the bottle before being released.  This was a great bottle of wine and hopefully I can get some more.  On to next adventure with Ms. Yoga.

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