Nico & Vali in Plymouth, Michigan

Posted on April 15, 2015 by thewineraconteur

I had heard about this restaurant from friends and really wanted to try it out, but the best laid plans of mice and men… The other night I was surprised to get a suggestion to go out for dinner and why not? As fine as the food is at home, the chance to go out is just as compelling. A couple of ideas were bandied about, and I mentioned lets try someplace new and off we went. Nico & Vali is a quaint structure that gives one the impression of a little shop in Tuscany, and it is just on the edge of downtown Plymouth, which is as cute of a downtown as one would enjoy. We walked into the restaurant and were informed that there would be about a twenty minute wait, which was fine, so we got a chance to peruse the menu and the wine list, not to mention, the time to enjoy a glass of wine while we were waiting. I wasn’t surprised to see a line up to get into the restaurant, as I had heard many good compliments about the establishment. What surprised me was that there were all of these people in line to have dinner in a restaurant that was being remodeled at the same time. I mean there were huge sheets of plastic stretch across from the ceiling to the floor and from wall to wall and some tables just placed near all of the construction, and nobody was complaining. I was impressed from what I saw, and we had a chance to chat with some regulars while we were waiting, who also made my decision even better. Your Raconteur is a very quiet and unassuming person, actually I tend to be rather gregarious, especially when I have such strange requests, as in may I see the bottles of wine, so that I may photograph them. Most of the time I have to allay the concerns of the staff that I am doing it for the purpose of my Blog, and I tend to stress that it is a wine blog. I do not want anyone to think that I a critic, or that I am looking for anything free, that I just want to record the events, plus I am a lousy photographer so I can not take “food porn” pictures, actually, most of the photographs by amateurs tend to look that way, and sometimes the plate can be a turn-off to me, when I see them in social media sites, but then I digress.

Caposaldo Pinot Grigio Veneto IGT 2013

When we were seated we discussed our options and decided to start off with an Antipasti plate, which was a little different in that it was more of a Charcuterie plate of classic Italian cured meats, some liver pate and some olives with eggplant, but no cheese, but it was a nice way to start the meal off. We each then had a Caesar Salad with a very subtle dressing and I had mine with black anchovy filets, which I did share with my Bride, who had originally decided that she did not want to have some on her salad. We went with a couple of classic dishes, my Bride selecting Penne pasta with an Alfredo Sauce and shrimp, while I tried the Spaghetti with Aglio e Olio and dice scallops. While I was asking about the dish and whether they could add some anchovies in my dish, one of the owners overheard my request and suggested that I should try White Anchovies in the dish for a lighter different flavor. Off course that set us off on a tangent discussing cooking styles and I found out that the owners are the children from another restaurant that we used to go to. I had to search my site on my phone, until I found my article about DePalma’s and I showed them the page, even with a photograph of the old matchbook that we had saved from the restaurant, and I think he was surprised and I hope a little impressed.

Catena Alamos Malbec 2013

As for the wine that we were having, my Bride started with a glass of Malbec, and I looked so macho having a glass of Pinot Grigio; actually my Bride liked my wine selection better than hers and she changed over during dinner. She started off with a glass of Catena Alamos Malbec 2013 from Mendoza, Argentina. When I was doing some research I discovered that this wine is actually made for the American Market and is a different bottle of wine then the one they produce for the local market. This bottle of Malbec was a bled of Malbec, Syrah and Bonarda, while the Argentine version substitutes Cabernet Sauvignon for the Syrah. I just found that an interesting bit of information. The wine I started with and we both ended up drinking was Caposaldo Pinot Grigio Veneto IGT 2013. It was very refreshing and because it was listed as Veneto IGT, it could be labeled as Pinot Grigio. The Veneto has several famous wines like Valpolicella, Amarone, Soave and Prosecco, where as with the IGT designation you will find some wines not indicative of the area, though Pinot Grigio is. You can imagine that I even had a chance to discuss wines a few times with the owners and they are looking forward to adding more wines to the mix, after the remodeling has been completed. I know that we shall be going back there again and again, as I heard that a couple of times from my Bride as we were driving home.

MI Nico & Vali BC

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“Little Ole Wine Drinker Me”

Posted on April 13, 2015 by thewineraconteur

“When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now. Will you still be sending me a valentine, birthday greetings, bottle of wine.” April is National Poetry Month according to an email that I received from my publisher. Now I have to admit that I am not a major poetry reader, though for my education I did have to read all of the classic literature and there was some poetry in the mix. One of the few poems that I could come up with in the labyrinth of memories was:
“A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon;
The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune.”
Not exactly about wine in the Gold Rush Days of the North-West; the poem The Shooting of Dan McGrew by Robert W. Service. So I pondered about poetry, and then it dawned on me, that classic music when the lyrics are written are like poems, so I thought back to my youth and tried to remember some of them and offer a different type of article for your pleasure and some of the wines that were popular back then.
Tiny Bubbles

Of course the first couple of lines that I typed out were from The Beatles for those old enough to remember that group, and bear with me, because most of the lines will be from the ancient days, the days of my youth. Of course the next remembrance will make my Bride smile, because it was one the favorite songs of her late Father’s and her late Uncles called Elvira:
“Eyes that look like heaven, lips like sherry wine.”

In the old days of my youth, when we used to gather at the park and line up the cars with the windows open and the radios blaring, while we drank beer and even Boone’s Farm, and thankfully I do not have a label from those days, and I am not even sure if I would call that wine, but I digress, as I normally do, and I think of the song Bottle of Wine:
“Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine.
When you gonna let me get sober”
Leave me alone, let me go home.
Let me go home and start over.”
Or that other song that would get us a bit rowdy and loud Spill the Wine:
“I could feel hot flames of fire roaring at my back.
As she disappeared, but soon she returned.
In her hand was a bottle of wine, in the other a glass.
And raised it to her lips.
And just before the drank it she said
‘Spill the wine and take that pearl
Spill the wine and take that pearl
Spill the wine and take that pearl
Spill the wine and take that pearl’”

Champagne has been in songs for years and of course, my growing up with The Rat Pack for some guidance how could I neglect the great Cole Porter’s I Get a Kick out of you:
“I get no kick from champagne,
Mere alcohol doesn’t move me at all.
So tell me why should it be true?
That I get a kick out of you.”
While on the subject of Champagne, the “Frank Sinatra” of Hawaii, the theme song of Don Ho was Tiny Bubbles and I remember being on stage for a gag with him when I was in Las Vegas and I have the keepsake to prove it:
“Tiny bubbles (tiny bubbles)
In the wine (in the wine)
Make me happy (make me happy)
Make me feel fine (make me feel fine).”
Boones Farm Apple NV

Finally the old romantic in me, can’t leave this article (?) without mentioning another great crooner, who not only sang the title of this entry, but That’s Amore:
“When the moon hits your eye,
Like a big pizza pie, that’s amore.
When the world seems to shine,
Like you’ve had too much wine, that’s amore.”

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

“The Caller” Shows Up in Midland, Michigan

Posted on April 11, 2015 by thewineraconteur

I am starting to think that I am going to have to give “The Caller” second billing as he is all of a sudden appearing all over the map sending me cryptic messages about wines. I think he is having more fun with wines than I am at times. He also finds some wines that I may overlook, maybe not, but the one wine had a very unique label especially where it is from. His message to me was “lots of interesting wine in Midland mi eating paninnis” (sic); so one must presume that he is with friends and just out on the town.

If You See Kay Lazio IGT 2011

The first wine that he sent me a picture of was Vino de Eyzaguirre Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 from the Colchagua Valley in Chile. Chile is having a wonderful time with an explosion of better wines, and the Colchagua Valley is being called the “Napa” of Chile, because not only is it a fairly new location for wine production, but they are also building tasting rooms and making the area much more geared for tourists and wine enthusiasts. The Colchagua Valley is located in central Chile and is the South-Western half of the much larger Rapel Valley that has already been established for its wines.

Eyzaguirre Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

The other wine required much more research as the label appeared to be more California at the expense of Italy and is made by No Holds Barred Wine and is another venture by Jayson Woodbridge and Chris Radomski who have several assorted wine companies and brands including Layer Cake Wines. When I first saw the label all I could think of was an updated version of the old Groucho Marx song “Lydia the Tattooed Lady.” That is the fun thing about wine is that you can find something new all the time like the If You See Kay Lazio IGT 2011 that he was enjoying that night. Lazio is a new location to me and is in central Italy and home to Rome. This wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot and Primitivo and after doing some research I have found that Cabernet Sauvignon has been planted in several vineyards in Lazio, because of the popularity that it has achieved in the Tuscan region nearby. Knowing “The Caller” as I do, he must have enjoyed both wines or else he would not have bothered sending me text messages and photographs of these two wines. I do wonder where he and his wife will pop up next.

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Easter Sunday

Posted on April 9, 2015 by thewineraconteur

Everyone came over on Easter for dinner at our house, and we also celebrated four birthdays for the month as well. The menu ended up being a roast leg of lamb and turkey with all of the assorted sides that should go with the meal. We had a few less people than ordinary because of assorted and varied reasons, but we still had a fine crowd. Our one son and his family stopped by early as they were traveling to the West coast for a vacation and to visit and I am sure that they are having a fine time on their adventure. My Bride had everything under control and it was rather calm in the kitchen, as she was prepared; she even had time to drive our son’s family to the airport, while I stayed to man the house for any early guests and we had two arrive just after they left.

Pessagno Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow 2010

We opened a couple of white wines for the appetizers and for the pre-dinner crowd. The first bottle we opened was a wine that my Bride wanted to try. She had bought a bottle of Apothic White 2011 from Apothic Wines, as she liked the Apothic Red wines that she has had. This wine is just listed as a California wine and there must be two versions of the wine, as I went to their website and they show Apothic White NV which is a blend of Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Grigio, while the bottle we served the Apothic White 2011 was a blend of Chardonnay, Riesling and Moscato. The wine we poured was decidedly sweeter than we usually drink, but it was a hit with the crowd that mentions that some of our wines are too dry.

Apothic White 2011

The second bottle of white that we opened was Pessagno Chardonnay Sleepy Hollow Vineyard 2010 from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Pessagno Winery is one of a group of wineries that have fruit coming from the famed Sleepy Hollow Vineyard, as I have had wine from other wineries that get fruit harvested from there as well. The wine was much crisper and reminded me of a Chardonnay from Burgundy, rather than a Chardonnay from California, so there was a lot of nuance and quality and it was very fresh for a 2010 vintage. We just continued drinking this wine through dinner, rather than open a bottle of red wine, as it happened that only my Bride and I were drinking wine that day. It was not my first choice with the lamb, but it worked with the turkey and it was enjoyable enough that it was a fine wine to end the day.

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Another Easter Eve

Posted on April 7, 2015 by thewineraconteur

Around the world where Christianity is practiced, Christmas Eve is a recognized quasi-holiday that is celebrated by millions of families. I have a cousin that started celebrating Easter Eve almost thirty years ago, as a way to get all of our families together, because all the cousins have families of their own and the holidays get splintered and family get-togethers are a rarer commodity with today’s life style. I think it is a wonderful idea and it is a great way for everyone to gather and have a good time, and it is isn’t for a wedding or God forbid a funeral. Not only that, but my cousin serves a great collection of Armenian appetizers for a few hours before dinner. She starts the party at four in the afternoon, and by the time we got there around four-thirty, the party was already going at full tilt with about thirty people already in attendance, and the crowds kept coming. By the time dinner was being prepared there was closer to sixty people with some more late comers after that, and the main course was grilled lamb chops and there was an overly generous amount of lamb chops that kept getting piled and piled on the platters and no one complained about not having enough to eat, and then add all the other side dishes and it was a feast. Then when everyone was fully sated it was time for dessert, oh the indignities that we all went through that evening. My cousin even went so far as to have the Lord’s Prayer transliterated into English and a copy was given to everyone for a prayer before the actual dinner began, and some people were actually surprised as they thought the appetizers were the dinner for the evening, because those plates kept getting replenished as needed.

Chateau Christini Merlot Francis's Vineyard 2001

As for beverages there was not a want for anything, a bar was set up in the family room, and soft drinks, beer and wine could be found in the laundry room just off of the kitchen. Not only had people brought food and desserts, they also brought wine. I am only going to mention a couple of the bottles of wine that were opened that evening. One of the bottles was Chateau Christina Merlot Francis’s Vineyard 2001 from Joyce Vineyards of Salinas, California and the wine carried a Monterey County AVA. This is a father and son venture by Francis and Russell Joyce and it was a very mellow wine, in fact some people were surprised that it was a Merlot, from the few Merlot wines that they have had in the past. Francis’s Vineyard is a thirty some odd year vineyard created by Francis Cavelli who matched Merlot clone rootstock to the land to create a low yield Merlot.

Il Bruciato 2011

The other wine that I am going to mention is Marchesi Antinori Tenuta Guado al Tass IL Bruciato Bolgheri 2011 from Tuscany, Italy. This was a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. Bolgheri is one of the most prestigious areas in Italy and the DOC is for the land and terroir, as opposed to protect a certain wine varietal; as an example Chianti has to be for the most part Sangiovese. Bolgheri is famous as the birthplace of the “Super Tuscany” wines, which started with the release of the 1968 Sassicaia and how it changed Tuscan wines from that point on.

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

April is “Michigan Wine Month”

Posted on April 5, 2015 by thewineraconteur

What a wonderful idea, a month devoted to the wines of Michigan, and no this is not my idea, but is listed on the “Wine Lover’s Calendar.” I was born in Michigan, so I am a Michigander or a Michiganian, all depending on the term that one prefers. I remember when I first discovered the joys of wine; I immediately became a self-appointed wine snob and have my thoughts have changed drastically. At first I only drank wines from Europe, now granted this was back in the late 1960’s and I had the good fortune to have had some of the best wines early in my wine drinking past-time. I mean to say that when I was young and naïve at best, to have been able to drink a Richebourg, a Chateau Latour and a Chateau Ausone in my teens; I thought I knew it all. I mean why would I even want to buy a California wine, when a lot of them were priced similar to the great wines of the Continent? Michigan was not even a consideration at the time, so yes I can say that I was a self-appointed “wine snob.”

Ciccone Pallino Red 2003 autographed

Then somewhere at some unknown point in my life, I had a domestic wine that changed my thoughts and I started to enjoy the wines from the New World and yes, I even discovered Michigan. This was all new fertile territory for me and my eyes opened up to new vistas, as if Toto had pulled away the drapes. I started going to Michigan wine tasting dinners, I visited wineries in Michigan and I even attended some Wine festivals. I discovered that I enjoyed some wines from Michigan, not every wine, but that is true, about wines that I have had from around the world. Michigan is not the center of the wine industry in the United States and it seems that it is ignored by the big boys, but there are some hardy individuals that are doing their best to change that situation. While the Traverse City area seems to be the main area for the finest wines, grapes are grow all over the place. I remember once, my Bride and I were making a road trip to Chicago and we stopped at a famous/infamous fast food establishment to get a couple of milkshakes while driving. We stopped at this fast food emporium, and to be honest, most of them are “cookie-cutter” corporate images, but this one in Paw Paw, Michigan was different; it was celebrating the vineyards of the area and had a decidedly wine theme about it and it tickled us to no end. Paw Paw, Michigan is an area that grows more bulk type wines, but one of our favorite sparkling wines of the state gets some of their fruit for one of their wines from this area. Chateau Chantal up in the Traverse City area has probably one of the finest views and estates in the state and they make a bubbly called Celebrate that we first tried at the winery. I remember the first time we tried it; my Bride tasted it and said that it was too sweet, as she thought that all sparkling wines had to be “dry” and I told her to try another taste of it, which she did. I told her that this wine would become a favorite of hers and for her friends, and it proved to be true. In fact she became so thrilled with the wine that when we celebrated her Fiftieth birthday with a few hundred friends and family that was the wine we toasted her with at the restaurant.

Chateau Chantal Celebrate Semi Dry NV

While Michigan may not have the celebrity cachet that other areas have, there are some very dedicated people producing wine here. There are growers here that are using some of the great varietals that everyone knows, and then some are using hybrids that are “Cold Hardy” types as well, and to my taste, some have achieved remarkable success with both. I remember a road trip we took up North to try some wineries and restaurants with one of my Bride’s best girl friend and we ended up with so many cases of wine that it took me almost an hour to get the trunk of our car packed (and one of the main features that we shop for in a vehicle is the size of the trunk, because of the many times when she has to travel with display booth equipment for her job), because I had to get all of our luggage and the wine packed and I used every square inch of the trunk and it was a marvel to see. In fact my Bride and her friend on another trip without me did some wine tastings at the wineries and vineyards and she even brought me a bottle autographed by as close to a wine making celebrity here in Michigan that we have. They did a wine tasting at Ciccone Vineyard and Winery, while the winery may not be famous; the winemaker has a famous daughter you may have heard of by the name of Madonna. I shall visit this theme perhaps a couple of more times this month, because it is a month long celebration of wines from the state.

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Just a Couple of Bottles from the Cellar

Posted on April 3, 2015 by thewineraconteur

There are a couple times of the year, when it is quiet here on the home front, and there is not a lot of gallivanting around, nor “wining and dining” as the old expression goes. While not a lot of fun for a Raconteur to develop new stories, there is always something going on. This is a busy time for my Bride with her employment, not to mention her volunteer programs and mentoring that she does, she is highly motivated, or just finding new ways to stay away from me (just kidding). Hence the reason for the house painting and a few more projects after the Easter weekend for me to start; and to keep her happy. Since I have been home with a project and basically eating in, I did have to find a few beverages to try, since in the evening I became the least likely bachelor. So I went into the cellar and retried some of the wines that we had purchased at two different wineries in Ohio, to see how they favored in a non-tasting room environment.

RSV Valhalla

The first bottle that I opened was Rockside Vineyards Valhalla NV from Lancaster, Ohio. It was a fond memory visiting this winery as it looked like what I would imagine a small winery to look like. While the winery did some winemaking with the more classic varietal, they basically specialized in “Cold Hardy” wines like Niagara, Traminette, Vidal Blanc, Steuben, Chambourcin, Noiret and Chancellor. The wine is also “NV” or Non-Vintage since Central Ohio has no official appellation, they could not list a vintage year. The bottle of Valhalla did not offer any clues to what varietals were used and neither did their web site, but the wine was aged in oak and it was a “dry” white wine and it did pass the taste test of being enjoyable in a non-tasting room setting.

Wyandotte Glass Garden Vidal Blanc

I also tried another white wine during this period, as I was looking for refreshing after a day of toiling around the house. This time I opened a bottle of Wyandotte Glass Garden Ohio Vidal Blanc NV from Wyandotte Winery of Columbus, Ohio. The label pictures a portion of the Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens of Columbus, which was based on the Glass Palace from the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. The Vidal Blanc grape was developed by the French wine grape breeder Jean Louis Vidal and is a hybrid from the Ugni Blanc, famed for the grape production used to make Cognac and from another hybrid Rayon d’Or; the Vidal Blanc was developed to produce high sugar levels in cold climates with moderate to high acidity. While this wine was a bit sweeter than I usually enjoy, especially out on the town, it did work well with the fish and poultry dishes that I was having after each day of work around the house.

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Caller” Goes to St. Elmo Steak House in Indianapolis

Posted on April 1, 2015 by thewineraconteur

Imagine my surprise to get another call from “The Caller” to give me another tweak on my nose that he was out and about having a second fine dinner while spending time in Indianapolis. He can go for months with no contact and then he bombards me with new texts about the wonderful evenings he is having. Actually I think that I would and should reciprocate when my Bride and I are out and about.

Muga Rioja Reserva 2010

“The Caller” went to a local steak house in Indianapolis, and that is my favorite type of place to discover. They went to St. Elmo Steak House and I had to do some research on the establishment and now I am jealous that we had not been there. This restaurant is listed in the Wine Spectator dining guide and is listed at having 965 wine selections and I had a chance to search the wine list on line and it is very impressive, though they are listed as being expensive for wine pricing, which is a downer. They are also very proud of a product that they produce and sell to take home; their proprietary spicy shrimp cocktail sauce that is loaded with horseradish according to the reviews and discussions. The restaurant is very proud of the fact that they use many locally grown and/or produced products and list the sources as well. When I was reading the menu, which reads like most fine high end steak houses there one was one item that really caught my attention and that is a lamb porterhouse steak, which sounds very enticing.

IN St Elmo Facade

The wine my friend chose for to accompany his dinner, is a wine that I enjoy, and so does he, because he has texted me in the past with the same wine, albeit a different vintage. They were enjoying a bottle of Muga Rioja Reserva DOCa 2010. This is wine from the most important of the three sub-regions of Rioja, namely the Rioja Alta. The wine is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano and because it is a Reserva, the wine spends two years in oak, and then another year in bottle at the winery before it can be sold. Rioja wines are always a go-to wine for me and I do recommend them to everyone. He later texted me that he and his charming wife after having dinner at St. Elmo went back to Capital Grille to have a night cap, she had Campari and he had another glass of the Taylor-Fladgate, though he complained that she kept drinking his Porto. “The Caller” did send me another text the next day saying that when they got to South Bend they took it easy and had chicken for dinner washed down with beer and Irish Whiskey, so that shall be it for awhile until his next adventure or until my Bride and I can get together with them.

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Caller” is in Indianapolis

Posted on March 30, 2015 by thewineraconteur

I tend to write in spurts when my Muse hits and I had just finished the last article when “The Caller” texted me from Indianapolis. He and wife must be on road trip and he decided to regale me with another set of messages. It can be months between his texts and here I was being bombarded with notices twice in a couple of days. One can only imagine the joy he had of enjoying a fine dinner out. I received three texts in a row, and they were all photographs and I could tell that he was enjoying himself that evening. The first text was a bottle of wine and then the next two were of the restaurant. They were dining at the Capital Grille, which is a chain of fine upscale steakhouses, if you have never been to one. I have written about the Capital Grille as there is one in the greater Detroit area. The food is superb, the service is excellent and they also have a fine wine list. Since I have been to one in the chain, when we are away on holidays I try to avoid going to another one in the chain, as I prefer to experience a restaurant that has more local flavor, instead of a corporate environment. I should experience another one of the Capital Grille restaurants in another city, just to see, if I would enjoy it more in another setting. My only complaint of the restaurant and I realize that it is a small one, and perhaps a bit petty is that the location in the Detroit area is in a mall, granted a very upscale mall, but I find that it is a bit louder perhaps because of the shoppers, then a restaurant of this caliber should be.

Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013

“The Caller” finally let me know that he and his wife were enjoying porterhouse steaks, grilled Brussels sprouts, and twice-baked potatoes. They were enjoying the dinner and they should be, because if nothing else the Capital Grille is an excellent steakhouse and the sides are ample enough that two can share one order of each side and still be totally sated by the end of the meal. I smiled when I saw the wine that he had ordered and it was almost a repeat of the wine that he had texted me a day or two ago. He had ordered another Pinot Noir wine made by Joe Wagner, the youngest son of Chuck Wagner. The bottle of wine, was one that I have wrote about in the past as well, it is Belle Glos Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013. This is the more popular priced wine from Joe Wagner and it carries a California AVA as the grapes are sourced from Monterey County, Santa Barbara County and Sonoma County. Still a good choice for his dinner and I am sure that it was enjoyed.

Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Old Tawny Porto NV

A little while later, I received another text from him asking my opinion of what they should have for after dinner. He gave me a choice of Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Tawny Port, Taylor Fladgate First Estate Reserve Port or Graham’s Six Grape Ruby Port. To my way of thinking this was an easy decision, and told him to go with the Taylor Fladgate 20 Year Tawny Port. Port or in Portuguese Porto gets its name from Oporto and the famed Douro Valley in northern Portugal. The name actually was changed to Porto, because of all the inexpensive wines that flooded the market years ago called Port. If you ever get a chance to see a fine list of Porto wines being offered you will be surprised that they all seem to have English or Scottish names in the brand, and that is because for years the chief market for Porto wines was England, though the rest of the world has caught up with it. There are several distinct types of this wine and a Tawny is just one of them. A Tawny is a slightly lighter colored wine, hence the name, but especially in an older blended wine like this one, the nuances of the wine can be greatly appreciated; the other thing about a blended 20 Year old is that it can be enjoyed immediately as opposed to a Vintage Porto that may require another twenty years in the cellar to fully appreciate the complexity, and many consider a Vintage Porto to be one of the finest wines known to man. The most common varietals for this wine are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and/or Tinta Barroca. After touting the wine, I received two texts; one was a photograph of the wine bottle and then finally a simple terse “Wow.”

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Caller” is in Saginaw

Posted on March 28, 2015 by thewineraconteur

One of my frequent casts of characters that I get a chance to mention is “The Caller.” This nom de plume was bestowed upon him by Oliver of The Winegetter fame. “The Caller” is a good friend of my Bride and now me as well. He and his wife get to travel often, either for his business or hers and in between if we are lucky we can coordinate a dinner date with them. The two of them have always enjoyed a good meal and they are devotees of what is now called “craft” cocktails as well as some wine. I will take a small bit of credit for moving his interest up a notch or two about wine. The reason that he is now known as “The Caller” is because he will out of the blue, text me, to let me know that he is out and about, and enjoying some wine with his dinner; or he may request my assistance in selecting a wine from the carte in a restaurant. As I was gathering some notes to make a new article, lo and behold, I received a text message from “The Caller” and he is in Saginaw, Michigan. As always his message may be a bit cryptic, but he let me know that he was having dinner with friends. Knowing him as I do, I am sure that he was enjoying a steak, as the two of them seem to have a predilection towards steaks, from filets to porterhouse cuts. He is also known to enjoy some game dinners and Italian Cuisine as well; I guess that is why he and I hit it off so well, as we are both of the same ilks when it comes to dining.

Belle Glos Pinot Noir 2013

The first bottle of wine that he sent me a photograph of by text was Belle Glos Pinot Noir 2013 from the Clark & Telephone Vineyard of Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. He has had that wine before and so have I, and I have written about it before, but it bears repeating only for “The Caller” and his efforts. This is a wine made by Joe Wagner, the youngest son of Chuck Wagner of Caymus Wines. He is carving out a name for himself and soon may not be in the shadow of his father. This is a fine wine and Belle Gloss harvests fruit from a couple of different vineyards. The Clark & Telephone Vineyard is located near the intersection of Clark Avenue and Telephone Road, so it is easy to understand the origin of this vineyard.

Bevlamo Moscato D'Asti NV

For after dinner “The Caller” texted me another photograph and they were enjoying Bevlamo Moscato D’Asti DOCG NV. This is one of the sweet wines from the Piedmont in Italy and most Asti wines are known for their fruit and low alcohol, and what the Italians refer to as Vino frizzante. The Moscato grapes after harvesting are crushed and chilled almost to freezing in stainless steel vats. The wine is fermented and bottled to capture the carbon dioxide, which naturally creates this slightly effervescent finished wine. He did let me know that he did not enjoy this wine as much as the Pinot Noir.

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment