My Favorite Daughter

Posted on September 2, 2015 by thewineraconteur

A little while ago, my favorite daughter came to town with her whole family and it was a grand time, albeit too short. It is always too short, when we go to visit them, and for sure it was too short for her to visit here. It was so much fun to have her husband and her three sons stay at our house, though just like my daughter, she gave me a litany of things that she wanted to accomplish while she was in town, and one of them, was that she didn’t want us to cook or to throw them a party. Well my Bride cheated a bit, because she did make nice breakfasts every morning for them, when we could finally get them up, as they were still on Las Vegas time.

Caposaldo Pinot Grigio Veneto IGT 2014

I was very proud of my Daughter especially concerning some of the things that she wanted her family to see, as she had grown up in the Detroit area, there are some places that she holds near and dear in her memories, and she wanted to share them with her family. Two places that she wanted to visit were the Detroit Institute of Arts and Greenfield Village, which is part of “The Henry Ford” in Dearborn, where she was born and raised. It made me feel very good, because these are two places that I used to enjoy taking my children to when they were young, and both places I would venture to say are internationally known and acclaimed. The two main parts of “The Henry Ford” are the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village, and both were created by Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company. Since it was the summer and the weather was very agreeable, we went to Greenfield Village. If you have never been to Greenfield Village it is an amazing place. Every building in the Village has historical significance and was physically moved to its new setting from where ever. Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park in New Jersey, where he did most of his inventing, including the light bulb, was moved, along with Edison’s winter laboratory that was in Florida, and one of the original buildings that were retrofitted with electricity and lights, which was a boarding house for some of his employees, was also moved. Henry Ford’s birthplace home and even the garage where he build his first car are there, as well as homes from other historic individuals across the country. Even the bicycle shop, where the Wright Brothers built their airplane is now on the grounds. There is a vintage train that circles the village, antique automobiles that can be hired for rides in the Village, as well as a steam boat that navigates part of a river that has a tributary there. The children also had a chance to ride a real vintage carousel that had all the exotic carved and painted animals. There was a lot of walking for the children, and I think that they were disappointed that they could not milk a cow, which is one of the many memories that my Daughter remembers from her days there. On another day we were at the Detroit Institute of Arts, which is a stately and gigantic museum, with a world class collection of paintings, statuary and other assorted artwork. From Rodin’s “Thinker” that greets the visitors at the front door, to the great hall that features a giant two wall mural of the Detroit’s introduction of mass production by Diego Rivera, even children will be amazed at what they will see. One of the Peale portraits of George Washington, to an Andy Warhol painting, the entire gamut of art is covered, along with furniture, pottery, religious artifacts and almost anything that was or is deemed art can be found there. My only disappointment was that one of the grand halls that house the great collection of Knights in Shining Armor was gone, because of a large event that had been held in the hall, a few nights earlier; I am sure that the boys would have been dazzled by that collection, as I know that I still am.

MI DIA Visitor Map

We almost stopped and I could have had a glass of one of Michigan’s chilled white wines that were being served at Greenfield Village, but I was out-voted, as the majority wanted to stop and get some ice cream cones on that hot sunny day. Another time and another visit, I can discuss the wines that they served there. The day that we were at the Detroit Institute of Arts, my Bride took one of our grandsons to the Science Center, because he had made a tour of the DIA, just a couple of months earlier on a school trip. We were about two thirds of the way through the museum and we stopped for some refreshments, and it was a chance for my Bride to connect back with us, after they had finished the tour of the Science Center. While everyone was enjoying some soft drinks, I decided to have a glass of chilled wine, actually there were about five different wines to choose from, and I chose a glass of Caposaldo Pinot Grigio delle Venezie IGT 2014. The wine hit the spot after all of that walking, and then my Bride took advantage of my glass of wine as well. I have discussed this same wine from another vintage before, and it is just a nice glass of wine without any airs about it, the Venezie IGT, just means that the Pinot Grigio varietal is not one of the haloed wines of the area, but is now being grown there. One of the things that really got me excited about my favorite Daughter is that she remembered so much about both places that she wanted her children to see, that she could have almost been a docent at either destination; and in case you were thinking that I am showing favoritism, I only have one daughter, so I can tease her, and when she thinks it helps, she also reminds me of her favorite status.

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Seeing a Great Friend Again

Posted on August 31, 2015 by thewineraconteur

There is something to be said for seeing friends that have moved away and started new a new life. Recently that just happened and it made for a grand evening. Social Media is a wonderful way to keep in touch, and I had noticed that a good friend of ours was back in Michigan from Florida for a relative’s wedding. I had mentioned to my Bride about it, and opined that once somebody is up for an event like that, that there time is not their own, because they are under the timelines of the event that they are attending. Was I surprised to get a message, asking if the three of us could get together for dinner and drinks and some reminiscing. We thought back to all of the times before of dinners either here or in the Orlando area when we were there last, and all of the dinner or wines that I wrote about were with her company. She is a very gifted and creative artist, and when my Bride and I got married, this friend supplied all the floral arrangements as her gift to us; what a generous offer that was and still is appreciated to this day.

Vine Vault Brochure

We met at a restaurant that we have gone to several times recently, because it was near where our friend was staying. We met at Nico & Valle in Plymouth, which I have written about a couple of times and had some excellent meals. We also enjoyed a bottle of wine Ornella Molon “Bianchi Selezione” Sauvignon IGT 2012 from Veneto, which I have also, wrote about.

Ardea Seal

There were two things that I want to mention that caught my interest that evening besides our charming guest and the delightful evening. The first was a brochure that our friend dug out of her purse to give to me, that she was very excited about. She was doing some floral arrangements and some of the interior decorating for a new company at their first two locations, with more locations to follow. The company is called Vine Vault and they had locations in Atlanta, Georgia and Austin, Texas with another one soon to be in Miami, Florida. Vine Vault is a wine storage facility for people to store their wines in a climate controlled system with a biometric security system. They offer concierge services for the storage, handling, inventory, insurance, receipt and shipping without having to do it yourself, with signature lockers. They also have tasting rooms, assistance in finding wines as well as winemaker dinners. It is a virtual turnkey operation for the wine collector, especially if they live in a condo or an apartment, without the space for a wine cellar on the premises. Our friend was all agog about this new company. The other thing that caught my eye, that I did not notice the last time we had the wine, because we only ordered it by the glass, was the cork that the wine had been sealed with. I have experience synthetic corks before; this wine was sealed with an Ardea Seal, which was very unique and totally new to my eye. Ardea Seal has been created by Coro Developpment Srl of Italy and uses three different components to guarantee chemical inertia of the wine. The company uses computerized production to craft the seal and offers total customization for their clients. They first started off in Burgundy, which they consider their main market, but are now found in Italy, Spain, Australia and Japan; the seals can be used for wine, brewers, spirits and olive oil. So besides have a wonderful unplanned evening out, I discovered some innovations about services for wines and a chance for us to enjoy the company of an old and dear friend.

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Wine Crates

Posted on August 29, 2015 by thewineraconteur

Wooden wine crates have a certain allure to me, from the good old days. Wines that were shipped from Europe took long ocean cruises and they had to be packed securely for the ride. Mike at “Please Bring Me My Wine” pondered and queried what any one did with these empty wooden boxes. Of course I chimed in, as some of you, and of course my Bride may think that I am a pack rat. I probably am, but it came from being raised by parents that survived the Great Depression, and they instilled the concept, that something can always be used again.

WineCratesMargaux&VosneRomanee

When I first started buying wines, when I was still a student in high school, I always tried to cajole an empty case from the wine shops if I could. They were a simple way for me to safely store my purchases, because in the early days, I did not even have a simple wine rack, and of course, it did make getting a bottle to drink, more of a task, as I started to acquire more and more cases of wine. Some of the wooden crates had beautiful emblems burned into them with the names of some of the great wineries, and to me, it would have been sinful to just throw them away.

Crates 1     Crates 2

So I started to envision what I could do with them, and then it dawned on me, they would make great paneling in my future wine cellar, so I started to acquire even more wine and more crates, when I could. My first house was an old house that had a coal room, that is how old it was, and from the first day that I went to use it, up to my last day in that house, I always found traces of coal in that room. I started to dismantle the crates very carefully and then mounted them on wood slats in the room and I had my first wine cellar. It had a low ceiling as it was under the front porch, but the room stayed at a great temperature, back in the day, people would use these rooms under the brick porches as canning cellars, more often than wine cellars, especially where I grew up in Detroit.

Crates 3

When I met my Bride and we started to make plans for a new life, I realized that I had to save all of those great pieces of wood, so I had to take them all down, and panel the walls again to sell the house, and then I had to move boxes and boxes of dismantled wine boxes to our new house. I started to make plans on where to build the new wine cellar, and then after we came back from a trip to Napa with more cases of wine then I knew what to do with, I had to start building in earnest. I am not a carpenter, but what I lacked in skill, I made up for with passion and ardor. We had found a company in Ohio and bought our first rack which was about eight feet long and six feet high, and it assembled like an old tinker-toy contraption. I ended up ordering another rack from the company and started drafting plans. I even designed one wall next to the entrance that was the size of the end crates, as I thought those that had some nice designs could be featured there. One wall was completely paneled with the wine crates, and two other walls had wine crates along the lower parts of the wall, almost like a wainscot. The walls that were left bare, from running out of wine crates became works of art, as I slowly but surely pasted wine labels as a sort of wall paper, until there was no wall space that was left that did not have a wine theme.

                 Crates 4     Crates 6

Later on, I acquired more wine crates, and for the moment they are being used as temporary book cases, as they are stacked one atop another against the walls, you just have to be careful what you put in them, as they are not as deep as a usual bookcase. They are still a great way to store things, until I can find another use for them. Just thinking of all that work, has given me a reason to go to the cellar and find something to quench my thirst.

Crates 5

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International Cabernet Sauvignon Day

Posted on August 27, 2015 by thewineraconteur

August 27 is International Cabernet Sauvignon Day according to the Wine Lovers Calendar. Cabernet Sauvignon is probably the most recognized varietal in the world, even though it may not be planted everywhere, though it seems to be attempted. When I first started learning about wine, especially red wines, the world seemed to revolve around Bordeaux and especially the Medoc. One very seldom sees the name Cabernet Sauvignon on a label from that area, unless perhaps it is a table wine that is geared especially for the American Market. Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of grapes for Bordeaux, but it is normally blended with some other varietals, but it is the Cab that is the star of the cast. Just naming the First Growths is enough to verify the importance of this famed varietal; Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Latour, Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. I have had the good fortune to have had four of the five wines, and enjoyed every drop of them, and I also realize that I may never enjoy them again, as they have become very dear, and to other wine lovers, they are only recognizable names. For decades, if not a century, Bordeaux was where one learned and tasted the unmistakable taste of the Cabernet Sauvignon grape.

Chateau Latour Pauillac 1961     Ch Mouton-Rothschild 1973

Across the pond in the New World, especially in the United States, winemakers also decided that the Cabernet Sauvignon grape needed to be planted. When it did, it exploded and made the sleepy town of Napa in California as famous as the Bordeaux is to France. The varietal on the label became as important as the winemaker and for some lesser wineries Cabernet Sauvignon ended up in larger type than the winery. Everyone wanted to drink Cabernet Sauvignon, but then a small group of winemakers decided that they wanted to try making a wine that evoked Bordeaux and began blending, using the classic Bordeaux blend, but then there was a problem with what to call the wine, and these early pioneers came up with proprietary names, where the name was star and one had to discover the blend of grapes. An explosion of wine labels that were unique started appearing: Rubicon, Cain Five, Opus One, Le Clos, Les Pavots, Alluvium, Dominus et al made their appearance. When these wines became popular and accepted, a new wine name appeared called Meritage, which is the American version of the French Claret, but of course the pioneers, never joined this new society, as they had done the trailblazing and did not need to join, as they felt that the newcomers were riding on their coat-tails.

Beaulieu Vineyard Georges De Latour 2004     Peter Michael Les Pavots 1996

Cabernet Sauvignon created a minor revolution even in Italy, where it is not a native grape. In Tuscany, Sassicaia created a Bordeaux blended wine and beyond drinking it, no one was quite sure what to do with it. This wine that was being made was not playing by the rules and using new varietals, and it created havoc and even changed the DOC structure and they came out with Toscana IGT for all of these “Super Tuscan” wines following the creation of Sassicaia, and even a new DOC just for Bolgheri and more new wine names like Ornellaia. So as one can see that an old varietal like Cabernet Sauvignon can stay dynamic, even as it seems to go in circles with it blending capabilities, and it will continue to find more and more fans, in all price points and from all points around the globe.

Ornellaia 2001

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August is Washington Wine Month

Posted on August 25, 2015 by thewineraconteur

According to the Wine Lover’s Calendar the month of August for Washington wines and that is what I will chat about. I have to admit, that beyond a few of the big players from Washington there is not a lot of Washington wine to be found in my home state. I find that kind of funny because, even though Washington State is relatively new for winemaking, it now produces so much wine, that it is only second to California for production. Things are improving though, because last year, I did attend a wine tasting of only Washington State wines and I wrote about that evening.

Three Chateau Ste Michelle

One of the great things about writing this Blog is that I actually force myself to go out and try new wines and new areas, and as I do this I actually learn more, and when I first started writing I thought I had a good grasp about wine, and the more I discover, the more I realize that I only had a basic knowledge, but I had a great chance to enjoy some wonderful wines back in the day. I mean not only did I learn about Washington being second in overall production in the States, but I also learned that due to the latitudes in Washington, that during the growing season, they average two hours more sun, than California. I also discovered that between the soil, and the climate, it is almost impossible for Phylloxera to occur in Washington State, which I am sure makes the wineries and vineyards happy.

Corvidae Lenore Syrah 2012

The main varietals for Washington are Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, but many more types can already be found there as well. There are also plenty of wines to discover, far beyond just a Washington label. There are plenty of sub-regions to try, which can make for more fun when searching for a new wine to try. The regions are: Ancient Lakes of Columbia Valley, Columbia Gorge – Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills, Lake Chelan, Naches Heights, Puget Sound, Rattlesnake Hills, Red Mountain, Spokane County, Wahluke Slope, Walla Walla Valley and Yakima Valley. It is time for me to practice what I am espousing, so the next bottle from the cellar shall be a bottle from Washington State that we bought at the wine tasting.

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International Albarino Day

Posted on August 23, 2015 by thewineraconteur

August 2, has been declared International Albarino Day, and as always I am late. I just ask for your indulgence, as I always have so many articles written and then I forget to check about these wine days. Actually I like trying different varietals and I really have no preference at any given moment as to whether I drink a red or white wine. Albarino is one of those exotic grapes that has thrived in the Iberian Peninsula and is claimed by both Spain (Albarino) and Portugal (Albarinho). Thankfully there has been no war declared over which country can claim the grape first, but they both grow it equally as well.

Paco & Lola Alabarino Rias Baixas 2012

In Portugal, it can be made be made either as a still wine, or with some slight effervescence. It can be found in the famous wine type of Vinho Verde and it is substituted which is also known for being made with Loureiro, and it will be stated on the label of the wine usually which varietal is used. Most of the Albarinho that is planted in Portugal is in the Minho district. The most famed area for the grape, especially for Vinho Verde is the area around the town of Moncao which is located near the Spanish border, and this makes sense as it is in close proximity to Rias Baixas in Spain.

Rias Baixas in the Catalan area of Spain is responsible for most of the Albarino in Spain, as it basically ninety percent of the wine crop in that region. Rias Baixas, which literally means Low Rias (inlets) is named for the inlet coves from the ocean and produces a special micro-climate where this grape grows exceptionally well. In fact the grape is so prominent for the district that if it states on the label Albarino, it must contain at least seventy percent and the balance can be a mix of Treyadura, Torrentes, Loureiro and Caino Blanco.

Miudino Albarino Rias Baixas

So even if I am late for the party, I would still recommend that one try at least one bottle or better still a couple of bottles of this varietal from different producers to get the true feeling of this wine; I don’t think that you will be disappointed.

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More of the Cultural Exchange

Posted on August 21, 2015 by thewineraconteur

The Caller and his wife were handling the “Cultural Exchange” with all the grace and wit that they are known for. There was even an excursion out on the lake as they showed us all of the little coves, inlets and some of the tributaries. We also looked at some of the beautiful mature trees in the area, and not to mention the some of the wildlife around the lake, and one of the other guests was very astute with his knowledge of both of the categories. We also checked out the bridge that was closed that caused us to back up and go around, and looking at the bridge from that aspect, I guess it was a wise decision from the state to close that bridge down for vehicular traffic.

North 42 Degrees Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

Besides the cocktails, wine and appetizers there was also a delightful meal that was waiting for us. The Caller had the most unique barbecue that I have ever seen, not that I am such a maven on them, but he is, and he even had a unique manner for igniting the coals, as he is not a fan of gas grilles. For a few moments, it looked liked Mother Nature was going to give us a difficult time with the event, but it all worked out well, and I guess that he has an inside track on these matters. Even though there was a bit of discussion about how one of the individuals like their steak, The Caller cooked the most perfect monster beef tenderloin that I had ever seen, and I might add tasted. Everybody raved about the steak and the grilled vegetables as well.

Sirius Red Grape Dessert Wine NV

As for some of the other wines that we had that evening, and I was instructed not to bring any wines, as they were to come from some of the other guests or from The Caller’s cache. One of the wines that another guest brought was from Colchester, Ontario. North 42 Degrees Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 with a Lake Erie Northshore VQA was a charming wine, though not as full bodied as a California or French Cabernet Sauvignon. A few years ago, I may have tried an Ontario wine with trepidation, but since I have acquired an appreciation for some red wines from Michigan and from the Niagara Falls area of Ontario, I am much more amiable and open to trying wines from new frontiers. After dinner we enjoyed a fortified wine from Traverse City, Michigan. Sirius Red Grape Dessert Wine from Black Star Farms just hit the right notes. This wine is made like a Ruby Port style wine made from Regent grapes and Grape Brandy and aged in oak for about a year, and they made fifty cases of this wine. I also have to mention that even though I was told not to bring any wine for the party, I did, and just added it to the mix. I also took a special bottle as a gift to our host for the day, that he kind of wink-wink, suggested that he wouldn’t be afraid to see another bottle that I had given him before on another occasion. So I took The Caller a bottle of Pot Belly Port 2002 from Pot Belly Vintners of Monterey County, made from the Souzao varietal, which I get from my Wine Club, A Taste of Monterey.

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A Cultural Exchange

Posted on August 19, 2015 by thewineraconteur

There were several emails that went back and forth with “Cultural Exchange” for the subject, as it was from The Caller as he and his charming wife decided to have a dinner for some friends at their home. I guess “Cultural Exchange” sounded much more professional as it was originating from his business email account. Actually when I saw the first notice, I was thrown aback and had to ask my Bride what was going on, and of course she set me straight.

Torreraone Pecorino Colline Pescaresi IGT 2011

The Caller lives on a private drive, on a private lake, and getting there normally takes us about an hour, but we ran into two different major traffic problems, and even though we attempted to circumnavigate the situations we still took much longer than anticipated to join the party. As my Bride was driving I had texted him about the delays and his response was “I do like you, but you may be behind by one when you get here!” To which I promptly replied “you are slowing down.” Then just a half mile away from his home, we came across a bridge that had was closed and I texted him “the bridge is out,” to which he replied “just jump it.” We had to back track and go another way to his home and just as we pulling up he sent me another text “where are you now?” and I texted back “your driveway.” We had finally made it.

Oppermann's Chardonnay 2012

As we entered in, The Caller and all the others there for the “Cultural Exchange” were enjoying some appetizers and yes, they had almost finished a bottle, but they had been drinking cocktails. Most of the drinks, because The Caller enjoys the art of making cocktails was using a new vodka to him, that is a small batch craft vodka from Ferndale, Michigan called Valentine Detroit Vodka. This is vodka that is made from corn, wheat and barley in copper pots. Valentine Distilling maintains a tasting room and offers tours at their facility. I am only going to “cherry pick” a couple of the white wines that we started off with for the day. The first was Oppermann’s Chardonnay Pay D’OC 2012, a French light white wine that is termed a table wine, the unique aspect of this wine is that it is imported directly and privately labeled for Oppermann’s Cork ‘N’ Ale in Saginaw, Michigan. Oppermann’s is a shop that is dedicated to fine beer and liquors, the supplies for do-it-yourself individuals and they carry about three hundred wines, and from what I can ascertain they like to import some of their wines directly for the shop, as this wine is an example of. The other white wine that I would like to mention is Torre Raone Pecorino Colline Pescaresi IGT 2011 from Italy. The Pecorino varietal was at one time grown extensively, but through the years it had been abandoned, and had become all but extinct. The grape was rediscovered some time ago and has been nurtured by some winemakers and is being grown in Abruzzo and Marche regions of Italy. Colline Pescaresi IGT is a designation that basically covers the entire province of Pescara and covers wines from white to red, and still to sparkling, so that is quite a gamut, with Abruzzo being one of the major villages there. The afternoon was off to a great start, with The Caller and his wife being great hosts for the day.

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A Tale of Two Chards

Posted on August 17, 2015 by thewineraconteur

There are often times when we celebrate totally good memories and there are times when we celebrate memories; on this particular day we celebrated the latter. A very dear friend of ours had a tragic moment in her life, and we have been at her side, from the first day. She has created a foundation to help some students and has held golf outings for this endeavor, but on this day, there was a barbeque that was held for her family and close friends.

Louis Latour Ardeche Chardonnay 2013

Even with the solemnity of the occasion, everyone got together to remember the good times and for the future. It is too hard to continue to dwell on the past and our friend wanted a day of joy, instead of sadness. She held a barbecue for the event at one of her friend’s home, who had a pool for those that wished to partake of it. There were appetizers all over the kitchen area for people to enjoy earlier in the day, as people took it upon themselves to bring assorted dishes to help out for the dinner. In fact there were so many choices prior to dinner, that if one wasn’t careful, there would have been no room left for the barbecue. I mean who could not enjoy having shrimp, hummus and guacamole all afternoon, plus all sorts of other small plate items. The designated “chef” was busy at the barbecue grilling chicken to finish off the dinner after several hours of grazing all of the small plates. Then of course one had to save room for the cakes and pastries that showed up after all the dinner were done.

Acacia Chardonnay Carneros 2012

There were also plenty of beverages for the guests to enjoy from soft drinks, beer and wine. There was a huge assortment of wines to choose from, but since this was a beautiful summer day, I went with white wine, and in particular, I sampled a couple different bottles of Chardonnay and I tried to mention to some the differences between the two. The first bottle was Acacia Chardonnay Carneros 2012, a classic buttery type of Chardonnay from California. Carneros is one of the oldest areas that was used originally for grape growing and wine making and they have their own AVA and is a subset of the larger Napa Valley. The grapes for this wine is grown at Acacia’s Lone Tree and Winery Lake Estate and the wine is aged for about ten months in oak, and it shows the classic buttery taste of the Chardonnay wines that Napa Valley became famous for. The other wine was from France and showed the crispness that I tend to associate with Chardonnay from the Old World. The bottle of Louis Latour Ardeche Chardonnay 2013 is from the IGP Coteaux de l’Ardeche from the northern Rhone Region. The IGP designation has replaced the old designation of VDP which used to mean “table wines.” In fact the IGP Coteaux de l’Ardeche actually has three AOC designations; Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Saint-Peray. The firm of Louis Latour is a large and well respected negocient and known for some great wines as well as for wonderful affordable wines as well. The Ardeche Chardonnay is an example of a wine that has been aged for around ten months in Stainless Steel vats and this imparts a crispness that is totally different then if it had been aged in oak. Some people didn’t even realize that the two different bottles of wine were both Chardonnays, because of the marked difference and had only gone to these wines because they were chilled and white. It was a beautiful day to celebrate a memory.

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Johnny Carino’s

Posted on August 15, 2015 by thewineraconteur

The other day I had met some people and received some good news and I was on my way home, when I felt hungry. This was not an unusual occurrence, as I seem to have the capacity to always have a bite to eat, but I am not a fast food burger or sandwich type of guy. As I was driving, I was trying to run through some options and then I remembered being touted about an Italian restaurant called Johnny Carino’s and years ago my Bride and I had stopped and had dinner at the location in Commerce. I really could not recall much about it, but since I was in the Allen Park area, I thought why not try them again. Now I realize that I am not a fan of chains, something that I have mentioned often, but I was by myself, and I felt like having something more nourishing.

Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio Toscana IGT 2012

Johnny Carino’s as restaurants go, is not a large chain as they have around a hundred restaurants world-wide, and according to the business card that I picked up, there were four locations in Michigan. I am not partial to dining alone, and I am never sure, of the treatment that I will get taking up a table by myself, but this was not a problem, and they made me feel very comfortable. My server was very gracious and professional and took care of me, as if I was treating a party of ten. I had their fresh baked bread with a plate of spiced olive oil, as I waited for my order to arrive. I had an order of their Chicken Scaloppini, which was had a twist to the order, as it was a sautéed chicken breast with mushrooms, roma tomatoes, bacon and a lemon butter sauce over a bed of spaghetti. It was better than I had expected.

MI Johnny Carino's BC

As always I feel sorry for my any of my servers, because if I having just a glass of wine, I always request to see the bottle, so that I may photograph it, as I will not be taking the bottle home to soak off the label, and she took my request with out any questions or hesitations. I was enjoying a glass of Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio Toscana IGT 2012. I have to admit that I enjoy Pinot Grigio on a summer day as it is light and chilled. Banfi is a large winery and the wine was from Tuscany and carried an IGT designation as it is not the usual varietal that is of Tuscan greatness. One thinks of Toscana IGT to denote an Italian-Bordeaux style wine and this was neither. After all the Toscana IGT came about because of the Bolgheri Sassicaia wine that started the whole concept of Super Tuscan wines and now they have their own DOC. This was just the perfect glass of wine that was simple and did not try to compete with my enjoyable lunch, and even though Johnny Carino’s is a chain restaurant, I won’t hesitate to stop there again.

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