Until Next Time

Posted on September 14, 2016 by thewineraconteur

Ms. Yoga finally finished her high school reunion and she was staying with us for the night, before she was going to the airport to go home. Of course the Casa de Raconteur was all set to prepare the lodging bill. She had a great time from the moment that she left us at Fleming’s Steak House to stay at a nearby hotel, that other of her alumni had chosen for the weekend. With her bubby personality, I am sure that those that remembered her and even those that didn’t wanted to reacquaint their bonds from a few years back.

Terra dOro Pinot Grigio 2013

I had to work for a few hours and by the time I got back home, there was a mini-party going on. Ms. Yoga had invited one of her old girlfriends to join her at our house for dinner and drinks. Her friend had brought barbequed spareribs from one of the chains nearby with the assorted sides that one associates with that dish. My Bride made some more appetizers and sides. Ms. Yoga had stopped by the first day and she must have emptied out Trader Joe’s Market, so that she could have munchies for the weekend. The end result when I got home, the island in the kitchen was covered with food, and since I was Johnny-come-lately, I was just enjoying what ever was left from their feast.

trader-joes-petit-reserve-viognier-2015

Did I mention that there was wine? Ms. Yoga has been with us many a night dining and drinking at points in this country. As I said before, we have partied in Michigan, Florida, and North Carolina and in Napa Valley; she was with us the night we were at The French Laundry. Well she had brought the last of the wine she had purchased and it was open, so I had to try some. It was not “Two/Three Buck Chuck”. She had brought Trader Joe’s Petit Reserve Viognier 2015 with a North Coast AVA. I really could not find much information about this wine, but suffice it to say, that they have a strong and loyal clientele that supports them, not only in the food end, but also in the wine selections. The wines are produced in the “big” farming method, which is all mechanical, no nuance, but a product that tastes similar enough to what the label reads.  They have also pioneered the concept of using lighter weight bottles and cartons to reduce costs even more for shipping.  I went and got a bottle of white wine from the cellar, as soon as I got home, so that it would chill, as there was the Viognier and there was also my Bride’s back up Chardonnay. I opened the last, I think, of the Terra d’Oro Pinot Grigio 2014 from Santa Barbara County. We bought all of this wine when we were at a wine tasting at a restaurant one evening. Terra d’Oro began as Montevina Wines in Amador County and they were the first to produce wine there since Prohibition. They are now owned by the Trinchero Family Estates and I think that is why they can offer wines like this from other parts of the state. All in all, it was a pleasant night and a shame that we won’t see Ms. Yoga for awhile and my Bride nixed the idea of sliding a bill from Casa de Raconteur under the guest bedroom door.

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Wine Crawl

Posted on September 12, 2016 by thewineraconteur

Wine Crawls seem to pop up periodically in different communities. The concept is that it is a great way to introduce the community to potentially new visitors and to bring new customers to the business area. What a delightful concept, where a restaurant can offer a specially priced dish that they are very proud of, or a business can offer some special promotion to entice the people into the shop. I have been to some different Wine Crawls over the years, and some were better than others, as can be imagined. I guess it depends on the quality of the wines being poured, and the image of the community and the businesses that they want to project. It also requires some constraints, so that it doesn’t end up like some bacchanalia.

Redtree Moscato 2013

The concept seems to be similar at the different Wine Crawls that I have attended. One pays for the right to enter into the program, one receives a specially designated commemorative glass, and some sort of system to ensure that one only receives a certain amount of different wines. I have been where there is some sort of card that is either punched or checked off for each drink, or there is a set amount of drink tickets, similar to raffle style tickets that one uses to redeem for every glass of wine that one wishes to have. Now comes the tricky part. Who selects the wine and what price wines shall it be? Will the downtown business community do the picking, so that every business that wants to be part of the event will be offering similar priced wines, or can or should the participating business opt to buy something better, as a way to introduce themselves to the potential new customers? The businesses can use the occasion to showcase themselves, or just go with the flow, because buying wine to give away can be expensive.

Redtree Pinot Noir 2014

The other concept that I would think would be a natural for the community would be to feature wines of their state, as a great message to “shop local.” I recently had the chance to help an establishment, but only as an employee, meaning that I would assist potential shoppers if they came into the store to shop or to make a purchase, as opposed to helping select the wine for the event or even as an appointed wine pourer. I was anticipating seeing perhaps some Michigan wines for the evening, as there are plenty of wineries in the state. That was what I was led to believe, but alas the wine that was issued for the store was from California, and there are plenty of great affordable wines being made there. I have no idea what the criteria was for the selection, but the two wines that we were pouring were from Redtree Winery of California, and the two wines carried the California designation. The first wine was Redtree Moscato 2013 and the fruit came from the Central San Joaquin Valley and from Clarksburg. Now Moscato is a sweeter wine that needs to be chilled and this wine was fermented and aged in Stainless Steel, with no oak aging. The other wine was Redtree Pinot Noir 2014 and the fruit came from Lodi and Monterey. This wine was fermented in Stainless Steel and had some oak aging. Towards the end of the evening, someone brought me a taste of the Pinot Noir and to be quite honest I did not even recognize the color of the wine, it was kind of a rusty red, not the deep color that I associate with Pinot Noir, and there was a distinctive lack of nose.  This may have been the least Pinot Noir wine that I have ever encountered in all of my years; in hindsight I imagine that the Moscato may have been more tolerable.  My secondary thoughts is perhaps the wine either was not shipped properly or stored properly, so I will always leave room for a second opinion.  There will be more wines to try, and I will not stop trying new ones.

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The Auburn Café

Posted on September 10, 2016 by thewineraconteur

I always try to have at least a week of articles, because one never knows when the Muse may want to have the day off and this way I don’t have to scramble, as I like to publish an article every other day. My usual routine is then to go to my publisher and get the article lined up, with all the usual secondary and tertiary proofreading, and all the tags and photos pertaining to the article. Afterwards I take a relaxing tour of all the other Bloggers that I follow and read what they have to say. I always try to be encouraging, but I have a problem with people that follow me with the expectation of quid pro quo, which is fine, but after they follow me, I never hear from them again, which leaves me scratching my head in amusement. All this rambling on is because, as I was reading the different articles there was an article about stuffed grape leaves, and being Armenian this is a dish that I grew up on, and then I was hungry.

Kouros Red Nemea 2013

In my day to day life, I end up meeting many people and one day I met the man that owns The Auburn Café and we were talking about food and wine. It truly is amazing how the two subjects seem to pop up in conversations even with strangers. The Auburn Café is a Greek restaurant off of the beaten path for me, but since I had to be Downriver, the City of Ecorse was not that far out of the way. The restaurant is a good size establishment with ample parking and when I walked in, I was led to a booth on the bar side, instead of the main dining room, and that was fine. I have been in a few bars in my day, so I was not in the least bit uncomfortable. I was looking at the menu, and finally found the grape leaves, and I wanted the hot lamb stuffed variety as opposed to the cold rice stuffed appetizers. The dish was very satisfying, but there is a difference between Armenian cooking and Greek cooking. The dish I received was in a Lemon Sauce, whereas I am more used to them being cooked with a light Tomato Sauce and then covered with hot butter and crushed garlic. As the old saying goes “when in Rome…;” and it was still an excellent dish.

MI The Auburn Cafe BC

I was also looking forward to a wine that the owner was talking about in our conversation. When I was growing up, there was and still is a Greektown in downtown Detroit, but back then the selection of Greek wines left much to be desired. The wine was Kouros Red Nemea 2013 by the Greek Wine Cellars. Nemea is the largest appellation in Greece for wines and is in the Northeastern corner of the Peloponnesian Peninsula. Nemea has been an historic region of Greece since the days of Hercules, when he fought and then slain the Lion of Nemea. This wine is made entirely from the Agiorgitiko grape named for a small church in the boundaries of Nemea, called St. George’s, and the grape name translates to “St. George’s grape.” If this wine had been blended with any other grape, it could only carry the Peloponnesian appellation.  So if I ever try to get rated by The Century Club, I have another grape variety to list.  This was a full bodied wine and it is amazing how the native wines seem to pair so well with the native cuisine. My hunger was taken care of, and my curiosity for this new wine was also taken care of.

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MWWC #27: Bubbles

Posted on September 8, 2016 by thewineraconteur

“Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
In the glass (in the glass)
Make me happy (make me happy)
Make me feel fine (make me feel fine).”

wine-stain Monthly Wine Challenge

The winner of the last Monthly Wine Writers Challenge was Jim author of the great wine blog JVB Uncorked, and his award was creating the theme for the next challenge, and he chose “bubbles.” If we were writing detective novels, Bubbles, would be a great name for a character, male or female, of course if it was a female character, one could imagine her as an ecdysiast. So since we are in the realm of wines, and before I get off on a tangent, as I have been known to do, I shall presume that we shall discuss sparkling wines, and the most famous of the sparkling wines is Champagne.

BrightsChampagne

Since I admit that I like to relate to wines from happy moments and events, as I looked back upon the articles that I have wrote, there are many written about this unique style of wine, and the many variations that one can find of it around the world. Champagne is festive, the pop of the cork, is all one needs to hear, to know that good times are ahead. Happy newlyweds are toasted with it, new ships have bottles cracked on their hull as they get ready for their maiden voyage, and almost any occasion can include Champagne; I have even been at a funeral where the wishes of the recently departed requested that all present have a glass of Champagne during the services. The three most famous grapes for Champagne are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, but there are many sparkling wines made from other varietals as well.

Mumms Caesar's Palace

With me it is always the memory. The very first memory of perhaps all wines is when an uncle of mine from St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada came by our house in Detroit, to celebrate some new business venture or idea. He brought with him several magnums of T.G. Bright & Company’s Brights Champagne from Niagara Falls, Ontario. Brights was the first winery to plant French varietal in the Niagara area and successfully as well, and now there are hundreds of Canadian wineries following his lead. I remember that evening and I was only six or seven perhaps, but I was allowed my first glass of Champagne. Now serious writers would scoff and scorn me, because I refer to this wine as Champagne, but back then almost every sparkling wine was called Champagne, and though international laws now protect the region in France, giving them the monopoly to call only their wine Champagne, there are loopholes as to be expected any time attorneys and barristers get together. To this day there are some wineries in the New World that have been grandfathered in and they may use the term California Champagne, while others cannot. The good thing is that I have saved the majority of the wine labels of most of the wines that I have had, and one can see how in the old days, the labels would clearly say “California Champagne.”

GH Mumm & Co Champagne Reims NV

Detroit, Michigan has one of the dubious claims in the annals of wine, the old Pontchartrain Wine Cellars restaurant created the drink Cold Duck, which is now mass produced for certain markets. Tradition holds that the owner or the bartender at the end of evening had left over Champagne and Mosel wine, and he blended the two together and put them in the refrigerator for the night. The next day, he tried the concoction liked it, and offered it to some of the regulars and it took off from there. Restaurants have been using Champagne for years, even for breakfast. The most famous breakfast I think that I have ever had was at Brennan’s in the French Quarter of New Orleans and their famous Mimosas, which I have written about. I have had Mimosas before that day and after that day, but that may have been the most special. In fact “Breakfast at Brennan’s” is a famous jazz tune, which of course started in New Orleans.

Tiny Bubbles

What great memories I have for Champagne, both French and domestic, and many include special events. At Caesar’s Palace one night when I was their guest for dinner and a show, they sent me a bottle of G.H. Mumm & Co. Rene Lalou Champagne while I watched Tom Jones. In Detroit at the Roostertail, I saw Tony Bennett perform while I enjoyed another bottle of that same famed wine. I ended up on stage with my “costar” Don Ho at the old Flamingo hotel, now long gone, dancing with the hula girls, as one carefully allowed her bra to fall off and blame me. For that performance, by the time I got dressed and back at my table, there was a gift of “Tiny Bubbles” California Champagne from the performer and it was iced and ready to be enjoyed. At the Las Vegas Hotel we sat at the reserved table for Harvey when we went to see Rich Little do his homage to Jimmy Stewart and we sipped on Chandon Champagne. These are all stories that I have written about in the past, and they still bring a smile to my face, even now as I am writing about them again.

Harvey and Chandon

So to me bubbles is a great theme to relive times that Champagne has enhanced and is there any doubt, why I have written so much about those tiny bubbles that arise from the bottom of the glass. What the monk Dom Perignon discovered ages ago, still makes the world smile.

Dom Perignon 1969

“I get no kicks from Champagne,
Mere alcohol doesn’t thrill me at all,
So tell me why should it be true
That I get a kick out of you?”

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A Quick Dinner

Posted on September 6, 2016 by thewineraconteur

There we were sitting in the bar at Fleming’s Steak House, now in a booth and wondering where all the crowds were. We were munching on the house made potato chips that they automatically bring to the table. Ms. Yoga and her brother were both in good spirits and so were we. We were talking about some of the times of past, and she was excited about seeing some of her old classmates from her up coming high school reunion, so we knew that we wouldn’t see her again, until the weekend was up. Thankfully shop talk was kept to a minimum, so as not to boor the two men at the table, but it is always expected I find.

Avalon Cab 2013

So we were all going to indulge in the special 567 at the restaurant, though by now we had discovered that the counts were the same, and the hours were the same, but the pricing had changed, but so be it. It was the moment that was important. There were a couple of orders of the great cheeseburgers, and what can I say, if a steakhouse can’t make a great burger something is wrong. There were also house made Burrata and the roasted Portobello Mushroom Ravioli ordered as well.

Flat Rock Chardonnay 2014

We also tried some other wines while we were there. The first wine that we tried was Flat Rock Chardonnay 2014 with a California designation. This wine is part of the O’Neil Vintners & Distillers umbrella, and I am finding that more and more wineries are no longer independents, especially if one digs a bit deeper. This wine was aged from fourteen to twenty-one days in Stainless Steel and then had partial French Oak aging, though I am not quite sure what that means. It was a decent Chardonnay, but nothing that I would write home to Mom about, as we used to say. The other wine that I will mention is Avalon Cab 2013, made by Avalon Winery, which is part of Purple Wine Company. While the wine label said Cab, it was actually a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Zinfandel. This wine also had the California designation because the fruit was from Lodi, Paso Robles and Monterey. This was the better of the two wines and it worked very well with the burger and the other dishes that were on the table. The restaurant may have been quiet, but I don’t think we were, and it is just fun to be with an old friend to relax and reminisce.

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Taste of Summer

Posted on September 4, 2016 by thewineraconteur

Ms. Yoga and her brother then met us at Fleming’s Steak House. I left them at the wine bar, to finish their drinks and I walked over to make sure that we could get a table, especially because there was the potential of others joining us for dinner, but they did not show up. We were going to go and enjoy the 5 6 7 promotion and it had to be in the bar only. I have mentioned this promotion before, because I thought it was great, there were five cocktails, five glasses of wine and five small plates of food, plus the burger for six dollars, and it went on from five to seven in the evening. We have used this special many times in the past, for a quick meal before catching a movie or some other venue.

Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2014

I had anticipated a crowd, like in the past, where there was Standing Room Only in the bar, because of this promotion, so I went before they opened to stand in line. The bar was empty and quiet, so I proceeded to grab a couple of tables in the back of the bar, with some extra people to join us, by the time we found out that they were not going to join us, there was still booths available for us to be more comfortable. I found out that the menu for the special had changed and there were only some items available for the five dollars, and even the burger was now eight dollars, which is still a bargain to me, for the quality, even though they now serve French Fries instead of battered onion rings. Evidently the other people that used to take advantage of the special have gone elsewhere, because it was a Friday night and the bar was dead. If it stays like that, I am sure that the administration will have to come up with some new promotion or go back and use the original as a loss leader.

Complicated Chardonnay 2014

Though I did remember to inquire about the “100 Wines of Summer” that I had received in an email from them and asked how that worked. I really did not read the email that closely. It turns out that each day, they would offer two one ounce pours of the hundred bottles of wine that they offer by the glass, and that that the two tastes were complimentary, if one asked about them. I am glad that I did. The first wine that I tasted was Complicated Chardonnay 2014 from the Taken Wine Company. Taken Wine Company was started by Carlo Trinchero and Josh Phelps, both sons of very successful wine families. The wine is from the Sonoma Coast and it was most enjoyable. The second tasting was Justin Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 from Justin Winery. The wine was aged for fourteen months in oak and carries the appellation of Paso Robles in the Central Coast of California. Paso Robles was for the longest time the largest AVA in California that did not have any sub-AVA designations, but this all changed in 2014, so it shall be interesting to see how the wineries will label their future wines. I will say that both of these complimentary tastings were very good and were an excellent bonus for the night.

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“Never Dream Alone”

Posted on September 2, 2016 by thewineraconteur

We were all sitting at one of the tables at D. Vine Fine Wines having a grand old time, and isn’t that what wine should all be about? One of the joys of being at a wine bar is to try new wines. There is always something new to be discovered. There are new wineries, new countries to explore, new varietals and new vintages. While we may have some “stand by” wines at the house that we can always rely on for that relaxing glass in the evening, I always want to find something new. There are even times when I have to change what my Bride will order, just for the sake of something different, to broaden the learning curve, not to mention that it would be very boring if I always wrote about the same wines at different events.

Stars Like Ours Rose 2015

“Never Dream Alone” is the tag line that was on the back of two different wines that we were trying and it turns out that they are both from the same winery in Napa Valley, California. Tank Garage Winery is a new winery for me, which was started by two friends that were already in the business. They have an establishment in a 1930’s era gas station in Calistoga, a city which we have visited in the past.

All or Nothing Red Wine 2013

The first wine that we tried was Stars Like Ours Rosé 2015 which had that soft color that I tend to look for in this particular type of wine. The wine is a blend of Pinot Noir, Grenache Noir and Syrah Noir, but this wine carried the Appellation of California, so the fruit was harvested from anywhere in the state and blended at the Garage. There is something refreshing about this type of wine when the weather is hot and humid and it was a pleasure. The other wine that we tried from them was All or Nothing Red Wine 2013 and this wine carried the Appellation of Napa Valley. This was a meatier wine of course compared to the first wine and it was blended from Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan. This wine was aged for fourteen months in oak and it would be enjoyable with many meals and venues that don’t require any big guns; and to be truthful we are at more functions of that nature than the latter. So chalk up two more wines that I may not have bought by sight, but well worth checking into.

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D. Vine

Posted on August 31, 2016 by thewineraconteur

I guess I have been remiss and it has been brought up to my attention that I should add another character to my cast of wine devotees. Ms. Yoga is one of our oldest friends and she has been on many an outing over the years, and we have had many fine memories that have centered on wines. I am talking about times in Michigan, Florida, and North Carolina and in Napa Valley, California. There has been plenty of wine tasted over the years and many great dinners, laughs and fine times. I was going to give her a nom de plume about her favorite color, but over the years that has changed, and she is deeply into yoga and is even thinking of teaching it later. Ms. Yoga has just been part of our lives for so long, that she is more than a friend, actually she and my Bride were friends, and I met them both on the same night as they went to the same affair that I was at.

T Vine Hallowed Ground 2013

 

Ms. Yoga was in town for a long weekend for her high school reunion, and I will just say that the number was higher than ten. She wanted to get together with us, before she started her reunion get-together. We went to see a movie, and ended up meeting her brother who went to see the movie as well. After the movie the four of us went to a wine bar, and we had some time to use until the restaurant that we were going to go have dinner at opened. The wine bar is D.Vine Fine Wines and I just think that is a great name for a wine bar and shop. We used to belong to the wine club from an earlier shop that was there, but we had to stop it, as the selections were not what we were looking for and I really should give this place another look since it has a new name and a new owner. In fact they have weekly wine talks and tastings, but it seems that they usually conflict with my work schedule or we have a prior commitment for that evening, but nothing lasts for ever. In fact Ms. Yoga got a kick out of me, as while we were there, some customers that I had not seen for a while walked in, and she said that I kind of took over the wine bar with introductions and working the room. In fact one of the customers as I was introducing my Bride to him called her my Bride before I did, as he follows this blog.

Chappellet Mountain Cuvee 2014

 

We had several wines by the glass while we were there and I will mention two of them now. The first was Chapppellet Mountain Cuvee 2014 from Napa Valley. This is a proprietary red blend of theirs and consists of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. It was a most easy drinking and smooth wine that it was made for early drinking, I think, because it was young and still an easy drink. The other wine was also a proprietary red blend, but of a much different blend and identity. The T-Vine “Hallowed Ground” 2013 is also from Napa Valley. This wine was a blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Charbono and Carignan and spent sixteen months in oak for aging. The “Hallowed Ground” was that the fruit was from some famous vineyards in Calistoga, Howell Mountain and some other areas in the valley. I actually found this wine more interesting of the two reds of this article. I may also state that over the years we have been to many wine bars in many areas with Ms. Yoga and we have always had the best of times.

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A Respite

Posted on August 29, 2016 by thewineraconteur

As I have stated often, I consider myself a clothier, which means that I am in the retail industry. If you have never been, or if you have in the past, you will understand that meal breaks can be the loneliest times of the day. Most of the stores that I have ever worked at did not have staffs that were large enough to have more than one person eat at a time. I have tried especially in the early years to pack my lunch, but when one is in the store all day long, just the ability to go out and have one’s meal is a treat. It isn’t too often that I have company for a meal, but my Bride had business out my way and she wanted to join me. She had dinner plans that evening, due to her job, so she really wasn’t going to eat, but wanted to give me some company, which was so appreciated.

Count of Buena Vista Founders Red 2013

She went and secured a booth at R.P. McMurphy’s, a delightful establishment that is nearby and then I went to join her. They describe themselves as a “long time tavern for classic comfort food and spirits, served in a turn of the century pub setting.” Since I did not want to have a meal and eat in front of her, I scanned the menu for something that we could share, while we visited. I chose one of their classic bar/comfort food selections, namely the Super Nacho. As most of you know, the Super Nacho plate is one that can be shared quite readily as it is made of fresh tortilla chips covered in seasoned ground beef and Jack cheese, then topped with onions, green peppers, tomatoes, avocado and Jalapeno peppers. One just reaches in with your fingers and grabs the chips and starts munching away; and the dish was largest enough for the two of us to share.

MI RPMcMurphy's MB

Since she still had to work and drive, she did not want to indulge in a glass of wine, and in today’s climate, that is a good choice, if one is only going to be eating for a short period. I ordered something interesting which I thought would compliment the dish and that she could sample. We enjoyed the Count of Buena Vista Founder’s Red Wine 2013 from Buena Vista Winery. This wine was named after the founder of the winery Count Agoston Haraszthy in Sonoma County, and is part of the Boisset Collection of wines. The Founder’s Red Wine is a blend of Merlot, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Syrah, Petit Verdot, Carignan, Cinsault and Valdigue. The assorted varietals are aged for eleven months in their own barrels, before being blended; and the barrels are a mix of Hungarian, French and American Oak. I had to research to see what the wine was blended with, but I will tell you, that we both found it to be a great choice and I think that it would work well with almost any dish that calls for red wine

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Kind of

Posted on August 27, 2016 by thewineraconteur

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” was penned by the cleric Charles Caleb Colton. This kind of described the night, a while ago. Went to the cinema and saw another of the films in the new generation of Star Trek; we saw Star Trek Beyond.   Now I have to admit that I am not the “Trekkie” in this household, but I have seen the movies, and the original television series goes back to the days when I actually watched that little box. There was just something so fun to watch the original series, because they did not take themselves really serious, and the star was so hammy, that it was enjoyable. Any show of this genre, gets my Bride’s attention, and she has watched all of the shows and the movies and will still watch them in syndication. The film was “kind of” like watching the old show.

Le Grand Courtage Brut NV

We went out for dinner in conjunction with the show. We ate at California Pizza Kitchen which is a chain, and they were in the adjacent mall where the movie was playing. California Pizza Kitchen has a tight and decent menu, nothing outstanding, but good, just the same. My Bride had the Thai Crunch, which is a salad that has crispy vegetable and cilantro, chicken, peanuts and rice sticks tossed in a Thai Peanut Dressing. She tends to be a creature of habit and she normally orders this dish when she is there, and it is “kind of” a form of Thai food. I have to admit that the odd time that I have gone there, I am also a creature of habit and because I have found a dish that has some flavor, I keep repeating it as well. Now we have had several holidays in the French Quarter of New Orleans, and the dish I always have is “kind of” Cajun in flavor. I had the Jambalaya Fettuccine with blackened chicken and shrimp, crawfish, Andouille Sausage and Tasso Ham in a spicy Cajun sauce. We both liked our dinner that time, as well as any other time that we have been there.

Mionetto Prosecco de Treviso NV

We both had splits of sparkling wine, because it was a very hot day and the chilled wine would work with both of our entrée picks. My Bride had Le Grand Courtage Grand Cuvee Blanc de Blancs Brut NV. This “kind of” sounds like Champagne, but it is French, but from Nuits St. George in the Burgundy region. This sparkling wine is made in Stainless Steel and is a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Colombard and Ugni Blanc. I have to admit that it fitted the bill very nicely, though it would not be confused with Champagne, it had that festive feel to it. I also tried some sparkling wine, but mine was Mionetto Prosecco de Treviso DOC Brut NV. Prosecco de Treviso DOC is a relatively new designation from 2009 for the Treviso province in Veneto in North East Italy. To get this designation the wine must be made from at least 85% Glera or Prosecco grapes. The other 15% can be Verdiso, Bianchetta, Trevigiana, Perera, Glera Lunga, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanco and/or Pinot Nero. I have to admit that I enjoy having Prosecco or almost any other sparkling wine, if there is some taste and flavor, and I don’t confine myself just to Champagne. The evening on the whole was much better than “kind of.”

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