The Rhinoceros

Posted on November 2, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The Rhinoceros is a restaurant that I only went to once, and it was a hot place for years, maybe I was too young to appreciate it and what they were doing. It was in Downtown Detroit, in what was called the warehouse district. It was on Riopelle Street and on the site of the original Riopelle farm, when Detroit was a series of “ribbon” farms that were long and narrow and every farm had direct access to the Detroit River. The building if I recall was originally a livery stable and the building eventually became one of Detroit’s earliest bars. The owners of The Rhinoceros attempted to give the establishment the feel of the Nineteenth Century with an eclectic collection of art, museum type pieces and some rather risqué artwork. The problem was, that when I went there, I felt uncomfortable as it was not the type of restaurant that I was familiar with, and I felt that it was too “frou-frou.”

Chateau de Pizay Morgon (1)

At that time in my life, I was still more meat and potatoes in my diet, though I did enjoy seafood. I think this was one of the first places that I encountered that offered a vinaigrette for my salad, and to begin with, I was not big on salads, and I basically only did Italian or Creamy Garlic dressing, so I was at a loss. I think that I had escargot instead of a salad, followed by tournedos of Prime beef with Béarnaise Sauce. I was not that adventurous back then, and sometimes I think that I am still not the most open to trying new dishes.

MI The Rhinoceros Logo

I remember having Chateau de Pizay with my dinner. This wine is from Morgon which is one of the ten Beaujolais Crus, and the wines from Morgon are much more elegant and have more body then a regular Beaujolais or Beaujolais-Villages. This wine is made from the Gamay varietal, which is the grape of note in the entire Beaujolais district, and in fact this grape excels when you find a great bottle of wine from the area. Morgon is not seen that often here, but this wine is from the Barton & Guestier (B & G) negociants and distributors; hence this wine gets more distribution than probably any other wine from Morgon. Even though I had a safe dinner from the menu, I remember this wine more than the restaurant, and I never went back, but the restaurant survived for years with out me, so I guess it was just me, and I should have ventured back there, years later, but I never did. It is funny, how one remembers certain things.

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , | 14 Comments

The Lakes Bar & Grille and Déjà vu

Posted on October 31, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Sometimes happenstance brings good fortune and it can also be a cause for déjà vu. For some odd reason, most times the job of selecting a restaurant falls into my lap. Most of the time, it is rather easy, as I hear or read about so many different venues, that I can usually rattle off a few, off the top of my head; other times I may have to do some research, which is not all that bad. Our son and his family offered to take us out for dinner to celebrate my Bride’s birthday. My mission was to find a suitable restaurant between our house and their house, and the city of Commerce, Michigan was just about right. I did a search on the internet and found a couple of candidates, but one intrigued me more, because of the positive reviews and a mention of a well thought out wine list; I was sold and the decision was made.

Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2011

We were off to the Lakes Bar & Grille and I have to admit with the new roads, it was a much easier destination than it used to be. As we were watching for the address numbers, we ended up at the restaurant and upon entering, it was déjà vu. It was the Commerce Grille from years back, and the basic room structure was almost as I remembered it. We got a booth off in a corner that was perfect for five diners. When I told the hostess that I had been there, when it was the Commerce Grill, she looked at me in a surprised state, but I told her that I had fond memories of the old restaurant.

The menu while not large had some very good choices and reasonably priced, as we were guests, it was something we paid attention to without making it noticeable, and truthfully there were only a few entrees that were more expensive than the majority. My Bride had a seared Ahi Tuna salad that was not on the menu, but was suggested by our waitress. I decided on a Macaroni and Cheese dish that was beyond the norm. The five cheeses in the dish were all within my comfort level, as I have stated in the past, I have a problem with certain cheeses. Beyond the Macaroni and Cheese or should I say beneath it was a layer of tenderloin tips in a butter (Zip) sauce, and above the main part of the dish was chopped lobster; instead of mixed vegetables they brought me as a side Bourbon candied onions. It reminded me of a Lobster Newburg in a sense with steak. The dish was very rich and satisfying, and my Bride told me later, that I had the better of our two dishes. There was also freshly baked bread and whipped butter. For dessert we shared a Crème Brulee in a classic presentation. The food was just as good, as the old restaurant, and my Bride decided that we shall be going there again, because of the food and for the logistics.

MI The Lakes Bar & Grille BC

We had gotten there early, because the travel time compared to the old days was cut in half, and we also wanted to select a bottle of wine for dinner and pay for it separately, since only the two of us drank wine, so why should we burden our son with an added expense like that. There were several potential wines that I could have chosen, but I ended up with a bottle of Flowers Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir 2011. I thought a Pinot Noir would pair with the (I hoped) creaminess of the Macaroni and Cheese dish, as well as the seared Ahi Tuna. Flowers Vineyards & Winery produce five different Pinot Noir wines depending on the vineyard where the fruit came from. The wine we had, the Sonoma Coast was the basic wine of the group and it was delicious. If there basic wine is that good I shall have to look for some of the designated vineyards at another time. All in all, it was a delightful evening, great conversation, wonderful food and a charming new wine; all for my Bride and may she have many, many more birthdays.

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Another Halloween

Posted on October 29, 2014 by thewineraconteur

It is hard to believe that another year has passed, and we attended another Halloween party/ October birthdays. There was a few less in attendance, because of the football season and people on vacation. As is always the case for a Halloween party some will come to the party, only for the party and will skip the frivolity of a costume, which I have to say negates the theme of the party. Though there was enough in costume to make it proper and some of the costumes were very good and fun. One of the guests had even decided that Halloween should be celebrated with fireworks, but a neighbor disagreed, and I do have to admit, that it was a loud fire cracker explosion.

Guglielmo PR Syrah SLH 2010

There was an array of foods, starting with appetizers for the revelers to enjoy: from cheese and crackers to a “fruit pizza.” There were also several salads, vegetables, Eggplant Parmagiano, Lasagna and meatballs. The desserts were plentiful as well, including a homemade pumpkin shaped cake that was decorated perfectly. There was plenty of food for the guests and all seemed happy and well fed.

Chateau Suzeau 2010

Our efforts for the evening besides have costumes, was my Bride’s Caesar Salad, decorated cup cakes and we also brought some wine for the occasion. My Bride had bought a couple of magnums of wine for the partiers, from I believe now the largest wine merchant in the United States, namely Costco. She brought a magnum of Kirkland California Cabernet Sauvignon 2013, and a magnum of Kirkland Chardonnay 2013, which were two good choices for a party. One of the other guests brought a bottle of Chateau Suzeau 2010 from the Cotes du Rhone. I complimented him on his choice on a good dependable red wine, and he told me that I had mentioned to him that he could never go wrong with a Cotes du Rhone wine and he had tried several of them over the past year. The typical blend for a Cotes du Rhone wine is Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre varietals. I had also brought along a wine that I wanted to try, that we had received from our wine club out of Monterey, a bottle of Guglielmo Private Reserve Syrah 2010 from the Santa Lucia Highlands of Monterey County, California. I have to admit that so far, I have not been disappointed with any of the wines that I have received from the club and this was one of the best Syrah wines that I have had. Oh, by the way, my costume that I had created from an old suit won the “Most Original” award for the evening.

Halloween Costumes 2014

Posted in Dining, Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Serendipity

Posted on October 27, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I would venture to say having some esoteric knowledge in the haberdashery field can pay off. There I was helping out at my local clothier, I guess I can never truly retire, because I just enjoy the industry. The phone rang and answered, and the next thing I knew I was going to be a fireman and put out a fire. One of the customers at the store was at his country club with the groom and the groomsmen and they were having trouble trying to tie their bowties for the coming nuptials. They all had their phones linking to sites trying to accomplish this task, to no avail, and the limousine was coming to whisk them all off to where the ceremony would take place, and they were a bit concerned (I won’t say frantic). Since I was the only one at the store, that could tie a bow tie, I was off on a mission.

Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon 2010

I found out what room the men were at, and I got a chance to see the dining room that the reception was going to be at, later on that day and it was wonderfully decorated and I was sure that it was going to be a grand affair. First off though, was getting them fully dressed and I walked into the room to see if I could help. I felt a little nervous as there were a wedding photographer and a videographer there recording the men as they prepared for the event. The bow ties were in several stages of attempted completion, and I just went and started making the ties look proper for the event, and we were joking about how easy I made it appear. I told the men, that I cannot tie a bow tie if I am looking in the mirror as I get all befuddled, but that I can do it, by feel and then adjust it afterwards in the mirror. As all of this was being recorded and I knew that I was working against the clock, I proceeded as quickly as possible. Then I went and adjusted everyone’s pocket squares in the breast pockets of the tuxedoes, so that they would all match for the pictures. They all thanked me, and I wished them a grand time and a future of happiness to the groom, I joked and said that if they find a stray bottle of Latour ’61 that would cover my services, and a few of the men that understood my little joke did laugh and agreed.

MI Dearborn CC MB

As I was getting ready to leave them, as the driver of the limousine had arrived, the customer of the store looking resplendent in his tuxedo escorted me to the main entrance of his club, and stopped at the main desk and requested a bottle of wine, to give me as his token of appreciation. I balked, as it was not necessary and that I was glad to have been of assistance. I left a few minutes later with a bottle of Silver Oak Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 as a gift. I was honored, as this is a wonderful bottle of wine, and I have had the pleasure of enjoying this wine at other times. As I was walking back to my car in the parking lot, looking at the “limousine/bus” that was waiting to whisk the men on their journey, I was getting a bit nostalgic and thinking of singing a song to my self, but I couldn’t decide if I should channel Joel Grey, Louis Armstrong or Liza Minnelli because as the back label of the wine states “Life is a cabernet

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Restaurant Duglass

Posted on October 25, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Is there anything more daunting then the first time you go to a fancy upscale restaurant and you feel like a neophyte. I remember feeling that way, after hearing all of these great reviews of Restaurant Duglass when I was in college. I felt like a country bumpkin as I was all dressed up and out on a date and the majority of the menu was in French. How could I look suave and debonair when I was confronted with this menu? I was in this beautiful room with calming colors, wonderful floral arrangements and a piano bar; and I was having a panic attack, at least that is what was going through my mind. I could figure out the difference between Soupes Froides and Soupes Chaudes. I could decipher Tournedos, Boeuf, Veau and Agneau, but what do Gibier Impromptu and Filet de Canard mean in English? I had to get up from the table on the excuse of using the facilities, to find someone to translate for me, before the server had to give me French lessons. It was a lesson that I have not forgotten as Gibier Impromptu roughly means Game of the Day, and Canard was duck, or was it duckling.

Volnay Clos Des Chenes

I remember having Escargot, which I knew. I had a Crustacean Bisque, which to me meant that it was some sort of seafood that was not Lobster, I am not sure now, but it may have been shrimp, prawns or maybe even crawfish. I remember that the menu was divided by the terms Diner Rich and Diner Not So Rich, which I thought then and I still find humorous. I ordered from the Diner Rich side, which if my memory and French are correct was Filet de Canard Roti, which was Roasted Duck Filet. I remember that there was Artichokes with Béarnaise on the menu, but I had never had an artichoke and did not know what to expect, so I ordered broccoli instead. I was so bewildered that I did not even have a dessert, just a cup of coffee afterwards. For the record, the food that I had was excellent, but I just felt like a fish out of water, I think because I just felt so awkward.

MI Duglass Logo

Now the wine, was another story, which at least I could understand from the wine carte, so that I wasn’t a total blithering fool, let us say that young men have delicate egos. I had a bottle of Joseph Drouhin Volnay – Clos des Chenes. The vintage alas, I did not record as it was on a neck label and I only have the wine label itself, but I would venture to say it was from the late 1970’s. Volnay is a red Burgundy wine from the Cote de Beaune, and it is considered the most feminine of the red Burgundies, because it is such a smooth wine. The other unique aspect of Volnay is that more than half of all the wines from this Appelation are from Premier Crus; as in Clos de Ducs, Les Caillerets, Les Champans, Les Fremiets, Santenots and Clos des Chenes. Clos des Chenes refers to a past life of the area when there must have been a beautiful grove of oak trees, but they have all been replaced with Pinot Noir vines instead. This may have been one of the first times that I had a duck entrée accompanied by a Pinot Noir, but certainly not the last time. Oui.

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

Cain Five Makes an Anniversary Even Better

Posted on October 23, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Everybody has a date or dates that make them smile and want to celebrate. I guess that I am no different, though I like to celebrate the memory with a bottle of wine, as if anyone would be surprised. My Bride and I just celebrated our nineteenth anniversary and is our usual custom; we exchange greeting cards in the morning, during coffee and breakfast, before we start off on our day. I knew that we were not going to go out for dinner that evening as she was mentoring; my Bride does a myriad of volunteer work in her off hours in hopes of benefiting others. Along with mentoring she is also does a form of counseling, actually more of a type of sounding board, as she only has a limited amount of training in a certain school of counseling that she has studied for. Suffice it to say, that some of the individuals that she has encountered have continued their contacts with her long after her assignments have ceased, but that is just because of her personality and her deep caring.

Cain Five 1998

Since I knew that we would not be going out, as it would be a very late dinner by the time she got home, I know that we will eventually go out to celebrate the event. We tend to go out for dinner often, so we do not have worry about the actual date. One of the memories tied into our wedding anniversary was that on the night that we married it was Sweetest Day and we supplied our guests with small boxes of chocolate to mark the day. Sweetest Day is a holiday that is celebrated in the mid-western states and was started in Cleveland, Ohio and has kind of morphed into a second Valentine’s Day for many, and some people eschew the holiday as a commercial event, though the day originally had an altruistic beginning. As Sweetest Day is not the same date every year, we marked that date as well, because it has especially fond memories for us.

Anniversary Card

That evening as I was doing some research, my Bride phoned me and asked if I wanted to meet her somewhere after she left her mentoring session and I declined. I did enjoy her next suggestion of how about bringing up a bottle of wine from the cellar for when she got home. That was a “no-brainer” and I went and grabbed a couple of bottles, to allow her to make the selection, of course I knew which bottle she would decide on. She chose a bottle of Cain Five 1998, which was a favorite of mine from the first time I tried it. Since that first time, I have been a fan of this wine and we even went to the winery on a trip we made to Napa years ago. Cain Five is one of those wonderful Bordeaux style red blends that many firms market as a “Meritage.” Cain Vineyard & Winery still market their wine as Cain Five and they list the percentages of each varietal for each vintage, which does change; this wine is made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. My Bride was a little concerned that we may have kept this wine too long, but I was not, as I have appreciated the winemaker’s craft over the years. Upon opening the bottle, the cork was in perfect shape and the nose was not musty, two great items to notice on an older bottle of wine. The first taste was a concentration of terroir and it made my Bride a bit hesitant that her first concern was true, but we allowed the wine to breathe for just ten minutes and it was perfect. After sixteen years, this wine was not showing any faults and I am glad that we still have some more of it in the cellar. All I can add to this story is Happy Anniversary my dear and “Here’s looking at you, kid.”

Posted in Wine | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Dinner in Port Huron

Posted on October 21, 2014 by thewineraconteur

It has been ages since being in the city of Port Huron; normally we end up on the overpass to the Blue Water Bridge on a trip to Canada. The trip was uneventful until getting to the city with all of the construction and as they say “you can’t get there from here” sounded like a truth. I was tagging along with my Bride for another board meeting and we were staying at the Thomas Edison Inn, which was a quaint establishment, but it has morphed into a new complex albeit with out the quaintness into the DoubleTree by Hilton Port Huron. Stopped in at the restaurant, tavern on the establishment to see who was an early bird and we had a drink with another member, actually I would have liked to have stayed longer, as they had Cain Cuvee on the wine list for a very reasonable price, but alas we didn’t and by the time we got back to the hotel, it was late, and my scheduled appointments for the next day had changed, and as they say the “best laid plans of mice and men…”

Llama Malbec 2013

The dinner the night before the board meeting on Saturday was held at a restaurant in downtown Port Huron. Since I got waylaid on my trip to the hotel, I was able to observe some beautiful architecture in the city, both in homes and in commercial structures, which made getting lost a little better. When we arrived at the restaurant Fuel Woodfire Grill and made our way to where our dinner group would be, I asked for a business card, since matchbooks are not offered anymore, and the hostess could only offer me a flyer of their “to go” offerings; which is better than nothing. The restaurant offers “smokehouse” type foods and we were able to select some nice entrée dishes. My Bride started off with a Caesar Salad (which was not nearly as good as her own), but she did enjoy the croutons which were made from the cornbread muffins. I started off with the house soup which was a bowl of Lobster Corn Chowder and it was great (I might add that my Bride was going to go for it, but she really only wanted to taste it, so I ordered it and she had the salad). She then ordered grilled, blackened Atlantic salmon with sautéed artichokes, while I tried one of the “specials” of the evening, “Smoked Prime Rib.” I had never had Prime Rib smoked before, and I was interested in trying it, especially after I learned that it was done in house and not a frozen dish. It was one of the largest slices of Prime Rib that I have ever encountered, and the “smoke” was a bonus and a mild extra taste suggestion to this fine cut of meat. As a result, my Bride and I had a unique version of “surf & turf” that evening, and she opined that I had the better dishes that night. We must be getting old, as there was no room for dessert afterwards; in fact I noticed that none of the diners at our table had dessert.

MI Fuel Woodfire Grill Logo

The wine list was not long, but I was trying to figure out a wine that would work with our dinners and I opted on a fuller red wine, as my Bride has a preference to a red wine when she is having salmon. We ended up having Llama Malbec “Old Vines” 2013 from Mendoza, Argentina. I was curious about the “old vines” description and discovered that the vines are 104 years of age, so I guess they have a point. The wine is also from a new appellation to me from Mendoza, as it is from Alto Agrelo Valley – Lujon de Cuyo. This wine is from the Belasco de Baquedano Winery and is hand harvested with aging of six months in French Oak and then six months in the bottle, before releasing. I was impressed with the wine, especially since it was reasonably priced and worked well with both dishes, and it even was able to stand up to the fresh horseradish that I had requested for my Prime Rib. It was a nice evening among some of my Bride’s professional associates and a few extra people like me, who were spouses.

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

Sparky Herberts

Posted on October 19, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I remember hearing years ago from people that I respected, that restaurants don’t survive in Grosse Pointe, because everyone belongs to clubs. I know that is not really true, but it was a belief that was bandied about, and to be truthful, there was not an abundance of restaurants back in the day, especially compared to eruption of eateries that are now there, and by there I refer to the cluster of communities that all have Grosse Pointe as part of their name. Grosse Pointe Park was the community that was adjacent to Detroit and there was for years a popular place that defied the rules for some time and it was Sparky Herberts. It felt like a bar, but it was a restaurant. It was also one of the first restaurants that I remember that was also a sidewalk café.

Beaujolais Selection de Lancelot

It was a place that you could go for a sandwich, a burger, Chateaubriand for two, and also a rack of lamb. The menu was rather eclectic as you could get oysters, shrimp, potato skins and cheese plates. There was fresh fish of the day, steaks, veal, and chicken and assorted pasta diners. You could also get deli sandwiches. They also had one of the best Key Lime pies around, and it was probably the most ordered dessert on the menu. It was very casual for a community that was considered very proper and staid at the time and I think it appealed to the younger people who did not feel comfortable in their parent’s clubs (at least that is how I viewed it and I could be wrong). It was just a fun place to go to.

MI Sparky Herberts MB

You could have a cocktail or a beer and yes they did have a wine list. I think that they had wines like Chablis, Liebfraumilch, Burgundy, Rose and Lambrusco. They also had a blackboard that had wine specials that could be easily erased, once the inventory was finished. I remember having a bottle of Beaujolais there, way back before Beaujolais Nouveau created a special stampede that was all its own. Beaujolais is a huge wine producing area and it is where the Gamay varietal is famous, and you can find some Pinot Noir and the local version of it Pinot Liebault. Beaujolais also has some very famous villages that have serious fans, but the bottle I am talking about was just a basic version and I ordered it, because I did not want to have one of the house wines. I always felt that the food there was much better than the wine that was offered. Sparky Herberts had about a twenty year run, and it is now another restaurant, but it is still a good memory.

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

John Laffrey’s Vineyards

Posted on October 17, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Who doesn’t love dining and dancing? Of course that is a term that was used more in my parent’s time. Last night I got home, and there on a counter in kitchen was a pizza carry out box, which was empty. I smiled when I saw the name on the box, which was Bigalora, which originally was Pizzeria Biga. This location was the fine Italian restaurant Il Posto, and before that and what caused me to smile, was I thought of the restaurant that I first dined at, at that location, and it was John Laffrey’s Vineyards. In its day, it was a lively spot, table linens, stemware and the proper place settings, and they also had music and dancing several nights a week. It was a wonderful place for dates when I was in college, when I had a few extra dollars for entertainment.

Ch Prieure-Lichine 1973

The house specialty was a one pound center cut pork chop, which I never had, because it was done in a sweet and sour sauce, and that did not sound appealing to me, and I was too young and naive to know that I could have probably requested it done in another fashion. So back then I had to suffer through courses like Filet Mignon, Alaskan king crab, Veal Oscar, Scampi and Duck a l’Orange. It does sound like I had a very poor diet as a student.

MI The Vineyards Logo

It was always fun to look at the wine list, even back then. I was a greenhorn, but an avid student of wine, so as not to make myself look silly on a date. The wine list was well thought out by the restaurant; while it was not large it hit many of the right notes. I remember that I even popped once for a Fourth Growth Bordeaux, when wine prices were not astronomical, though still dear for a college student. I once had a bottle of Chateau Prieure-Lichine 1973 from the Margaux district. This wine had the distinction of being owned by the famed wine writer and authority Alexis-Lichine and for awhile even after his death; his son maintained the winery, until it was sold. The wine is a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. After fermenting in cement and stainless steel vats, the wine is then aged in oak for about a year and a half. I remember that it was pretty heady stuff for me at the time, and I am sure that I would feel the same way about it today. All of these memories from a pizza box.

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

A Couple of Phone Calls from The Caller

Posted on October 15, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Over the course of these articles, I have kept the cast of characters to a minimum, though in reality, this Raconteur has met and knows some very colorful characters. The one cast member that gets the most attention is the Bride, and then after that I guess would be “The Caller.” This nickname was actually awarded to him by another wine Blogger and the two have never met, but The Winegetter dubbed him, and Oliver, ever since then, that is his name. Lately he has been like a Ninja, sending short and fast texts and photos to me of what he has discovered and liked while out dining.

Domaine de Paris 2013 neck label

The first cryptic message I got was of the neckband and the lower label from a bottle of wine that he and his wife were enjoying with some cheese, crackers and fruit out on their gazebo overlooking the lake that they live on. The wine was Domaine de Paris 2013, from the Cotes de Provence. A rose wine from the Southern Rhone area, and Cotes de Provence is the largest appellation in Provence. The label reads “vieilles vignes” which just means “old vines” and is a term that I think is more for marketing, but it does sound nice, as I am not sure what determines old. Some of these old vines are of the following varietals for this wine; Grenache, Syrah, Cinsault and Carignan. I told The Caller that it should have been a wonderful pink wine on the summer afternoon that he contacted me.

Domaine de Paris 2013 bottom label

The other text message I received a few weeks later, found he and his wife in Biloxi, Mississippi and they were dining on mussels, followed by blackened red fish and shrimp. He does like to surprise me and I think he likes to let me know that he is getting around. This time he was enjoying a wine from the Galicia area of Spain, and more narrowly from Rias Baixas. The photo showed a bottle of Paco & Lola Albarino 2012, this is produced by the Soc. Coop. Arousana, the winery is also known as Rosalia de Castro and they are the third largest producer in Rias Baixas. This Albarino wine, known locally as Albarinho is a charming white wine and I think he paired it with his dinner very well. I texted him back and informed him that we had just bought some Albarino wine ourselves. His last message that evening was “great minds.” My Bride has made a couple of tentative dinner dates with the two of them, and it will be a joy to see them again.

Paco & Lola Alabarino Rias Baixas 2012

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