Cantina Laredo

Posted on September 3, 2014 by thewineraconteur

We had arrived in Columbus earlier then the other members of the family that were meeting us, which was fine. My daughter had went and challenged me to do the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, and I figured since I had to do it within twenty-four hours, that I would record the event, when I got to the hotel. The hotel had an indoor swimming pool and a hot tub area, so I figured that would be the best place to do it, and I would only have to worry about the swimsuit drying, before our return trip, and I would not have to have soaking wet clothes from the endeavor. The hot tub area was being used by a family and they watched with glee, as I went through being recorded by my Bride. So I used the pool instead and the water in the pool was cool enough that the ice wasn’t as traumatic as I had expected, because I had warned my daughter on film, that if I had a coronary, she was going to be cut out of the will. She is safe for the moment.

Brancott Estates Sauvignon Blanc 2013

We got back to the room and changed for dinner, and by that time the other two parties had arrived and we started to make plans for dinner. There was a very nice indoor/outdoor mall across the road from the hotel and we went over to a restaurant and made a reservation at a famous national chain that is known for their extensive menu and a decent wine list and booked a table for fourteen. We were told about an hour wait and they gave me a beeper, and everyone went off shopping. After an hour I went back to see how our reservation was going and I was told that I was only gone for twenty minutes and that it would be at least an hour and half longer wait; and that was not good news since eight of the attendees for dinner were children. We saw another restaurant in the complex Cantina Laredo, which advertised “Modern Mexican” and we inquired about a table for fourteen and that had us taken care of, by the time I got back from returning the beeper that I returned to the first restaurant. Needless to say this restaurant was eager to please and a table for fourteen would produce a nice dinner tab when all was over. The table was overflowing with food, as we had several different appetizers ordered for sharing and then fourteen entrée plates that ended up being shared as well. In fact, because after some cocktails we tried ordering a French rose wine, since the weather was hot and humid and a rose sounded good, but they were out. To make it up to us, the restaurant sent some additional appetizers to the table, so there was plenty to eat.

OH Cantina Laredo BC

As I said the weather was hot and humid, so we were looking for something refreshing to have in the way of wine for dinner. Since the French Rose was a no-go, we chose Brancott Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2013. I was surprised to see on the label “the original Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc” and knew that it would require some more research. Sauvignon Blanc is the varietal that is famous in New Zealand, and Marlborough is the largest area for viticulture in New Zealand. Wine growing was introduced about a hundred years ago, but it was only in the 1970’s that it was grown in a commercial style. In fact for years the Muller-Thurgau was planted and it was pulled and Sauvignon Blanc was replanted and it has thrived in that climate, though there are mixed reviews by some about the quality of some of the wines. It turns out that Brancott Estate was originally Montana and they were the first to grow Sauvignon Blanc successfully as a vineyard, so I guess they can rightfully claim the statement. The initial taste for everyone was grapefruit, but as the wine warmed and breathed a bit, it mellowed out and seemed to be a nice pairing with the spicy foods that were ordered, and the night ended up good from a shaky start.

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An Afternoon Respite

Posted on September 1, 2014 by thewineraconteur

We just recently got back from a short trip to Columbus, Ohio. You may think it is reckless to have Michigan license plates on your car and venture into the city, but all was fine and it was a wonderful trip. We went down with three of the grandchildren and their parents, as we were meeting our relatives from Louisville, Kentucky who came up with three of their children for a get-together before school started. There were a couple of day trips were scheduled for all the cousins and a good time for the adults as well.

Chateau Cheval Blanc 1985

After one of the day trips, my Sister-in-Law and her husband stopped at our suite to relax and have some wine. I know that that sounds so strange for wine lovers, as the four of us are. My Bride had packed some wine for the trip, along with cheese and fruit and other assorted snacks. If you saw our car and luggage one might have thought we were moving, with our portable electric refrigerator for the car.

La Crema Sonoma Coast Chardonnay 2012

We had opened up a bottle of La Crema Chardonnay 2012 from the Sonoma Coast, which is always a safe bet for a bottle of wine. For an afternoon drink on a Summer day it had hit the spot, and our in-laws always enjoy a glass of Chardonnay or two, along with us. Then my Brother-in-Law brought out a bottle for us to enjoy as well, and I was blown away. He handed me a bottle of Chateau Cheval Blanc 1985, a Grand Cru from Saint-Emilion and one of the most famous bottles of wine from the Bordeaux. It is one of only four wineries that are designated as a Premier Grand Cru Classe. The vineyard is planted with Cabernet Franc, Merlot as well as some Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine has been featured in such diverse films as “Never Say Never Again,” “Ratatouille” and “Sideways.” In “Sideways” one of the main characters Miles is constantly berating Merlot (and those of you who know me, know that I am very fond of this varietal) and there is a famous scene in the film where he is drinking a Chateau Cheval Blanc 1961 from a Styrofoam cup while eating a hamburger and fries at a diner. While we were mentioning this film, we were getting ready to open the bottle, as my Brother-in-Law was concerned about the age of the wine. After removing the foil cap, he started to uncork the bottle and the cork began to crumble, but with style and finesse he actually was able to uncork this very long cork, though it is too bad that it was broken, as it would have been a great keepsake on its own merit. The moment had arrived, as we all tasted the wine at the same time. The wine may have lost some of its power, but it was still very mellow. The tannins and fruit were very soft, but one could see the elegance of the wine was still there, and we knew that it was a fine wine, and we knew that we would not have anything as fine as that later in the evening with a table of fourteen for dinner, especially one that could handle the taste buds of six children.

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Some New Offices

Posted on August 30, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I had the privilege of attending a party to showcase the new suites for an accountant. I went as a guest and the leasing agency for the building had a wonderful affair to show off the new units, along with the local chamber of commerce. The gentleman was ecstatic over his new location, and it was a moment of serendipity that it all came together just at the right moment. The suites were even furnished, so he did not have to worry about that aspect. Between the local chamber of commerce and their commendable work, and his clientele there was quite a crowd there that evening. I even had the good fortune to run into a member of my dinner club and his spouse at the event, and we were both surprised to see each other.

Sycamore Lane Chardonnay 2012

The leasing agency did a wonderful job to showcase the suites, and they had a beverage center at one end and a selection of charcuterie, cheese and assorted other finger foods at the other end. There were also some servers with trays of hot appetizers for the guests to enjoy as well. There was another room set up with coffee and an assortment of desserts to finish the experience for everyone. It was first class and very well done.

Sycamore Lane Red Wines

At the beverage center there were a choice of wines from Sycamore Lane; the choices were a Chardonnay, a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon, all with a California designation. I tried the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon and they were both good choices for this type of an affair. Sycamore Lane is one the thirty-four labels from the Trinchero Family Estates group of wines. The Sycamore Lane group is a food-service only line of wines, so it is not available directly to the public. It is designed to be the house wine for bars, restaurants and catering companies, and since it is a “blind item” in regards to price, no one can complain that they are getting a second rate wine, because it is unknown in the retail world. I think the Trinchero Family Estates did a fine job with these wines and the niche market that they are focused on.

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Another Dinner Club Meeting

Posted on August 28, 2014 by thewineraconteur

My dinner club is a venerable old society that was founded in the late 1800’s in Detroit. The Detroit Philatelic Society was even honored when the City of Detroit celebrated their 300’Th Anniversary as one of the oldest clubs still in existence, and by chance that was the year that I was President of the group. Some of the original and early members have their names on businesses and streets in the metropolitan area. I do not claim membership in that august and elite group that I cited, but I have been a member for years and thoroughly enjoy the group. The original group would have the meetings at a member’s home, but since most homes cannot handle a dinner party for up to forty-five diners let alone a spouse or staff to prepare the dinner, we now meet in restaurants around the area, according the largesse of the hosting members for the evening. The group tends to frequent just a handful of restaurants through out the year, because most places no longer have a private room that can handle the membership, which is a shame.

Layer Cake Shiraz 2012

Our last meeting was held at The Courthouse Grille in Plymouth, Michigan and I have discussed the history of this restaurant in prior articles. Most of the meetings have a similar menu, which is a salad, a choice of three different entrée dishes (normally a meat, a chicken and a fish choice) and dessert. The most common item that we always seem to have is a chocolate sundae for dessert, and that was almost a fixture from the time of our late illustrious secretary, who assumed the duties from his Father who also held the office for decades before his son. There is always a cocktail hour before dinner, which allows everyone to mingle and kibitz. This past meeting we were allowed a choice of Barbequed Ribs, Barbequed Chicken or Grilled Salmon. As some of you may have noticed from my writings that I tend to be a bit fussy about my dinner selections, and when I found that the ribs fall off of the bone, I had made my decision. I find it very unappealing to have to pick up and gnaw on a bone, but that is my peccadillo and I can live with it.

MI The Courthouse Grille Menu 2014

With this group I do enjoy having a cocktail before dinner; there is just something about traditions that must be maintained. I remember one member that I used to be a fellow host with, who had joined in 1928. He would scout out the seat that he desired for the meal and laid out his required accoutrements for the evening. He would count out twelve cigarettes and three small intermission cigars and line them up, just above his plate. He would then order two “Boiler-makers” and a glass of either Brandy or Cognac (depending on the venue); of course this was way back when drinking and smoking were “derigueur” in restaurants and clubs. My self I am happy with a Whiskey Sour before dinner with this group and then a glass or two of wine with dinner. This particular evening I had a Layer Cake Shiraz 2012 from South Australia, and it took a few minutes to decide, as they have a nice selection of wines by the glass to choose from. I enjoyed this full bodied wine that have enough flavor to stand up to the Barbequed Ribs, nothing worse then having too soft of a tasting wine to pair with dinner.

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A Quick Dinner in Northville

Posted on August 26, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Some dinners are planned and other dinners are by happenstance. This was one evening, as a fine gentleman had passed away, much too soon and very respected in his community. The funeral home was totally congested and we parked about three blocks away, and then we had to stand in the rain until there was room for us to enter, which shows how beloved the individual was. Even the chance to sign the guest book had a long line, but we were happy to pay our respects to a couple of the family members, and alas, we had to make it quick, because there were so many behind us that wanted to do to the same.

Clayhouse Malbec 2011

After we left, we started to walk to our car, but we decided to have dinner before we left Northville, and as we were walking by a restaurant that we had been to before, it just seemed natural. Needless to say, we were not the only ones with this thought in our mind, as the restaurant was packed as well, and I would venture that it was because of where we had just left. My Bride and I decided that the wait for a table was going to be long and there were two seats at the end of the bar, and we were told that it would be fine for us to have dinner there. So we had some classic comfort bar-food. My Bride surprised me and ordered a chopped Black Angus burger with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and cheddar cheese on a brioche. I ordered the Kobe beef and veal meatloaf with whipped potatoes, green bean casserole, crispy onions with red wine demi sauce gravy. The meals were filling and quick, as the restaurant continued to get packed with more diners as we went into the evening.

Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

My Bride decided to have a glass of Concannon Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. We have another wine from this winery, but not the Cabernet Sauvignon and she enjoyed it with her burger. This wine has a California designation, so the grapes can be harvested from anywhere in the state and these wines tend to be more fruit forward and designed to be enjoyed after bottling, and not to be cellared. I had chosen a wine, also from a winery that we had tried before. I had a glass of Clayhouse Vineyards Malbec 2011 from Paso Robles. This was a deep inky wine and delivered a full bodied glass of wine from this varietal that seems to do quite well in California, and I am enjoying more and more wines from Paso Robles and the entire Central Coast. As we were leaving, my Bride said that I had picked the better of the two wines, but since we were sharing, all was good. It was also a nice way to remember the fine gentleman, as he always wanted me to have a glass of wine, when we would run into each other.

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The City of Lathrup Village

Posted on August 24, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Somehow the sound of it sounds incongruous, but because of the many laws governing municipalities some villages do indeed become cities. Townships get incorporated, but then they are just referred to as “the city of.” I found myself in tow with my Bride to a “Night Out in Lathrup” and it was fun. Let me explain that Lathrup Village is less then one and a half square miles in size and it is located within the City of Southfield. The community was the dream of Louise Lathrup Kelley who purchased the land and basically created a planned and controlled community, where the houses could only be built with masonry construction, that there would be an attached garage to the house, as well as a fireplace in the basement as well as a second fireplace. In fact most of Lathrup Village is in the National Register of Historic Places. There are parks in the neighborhoods, and it is a beautiful community. There are no bars, no chain or fast food restaurants and there is no shopping center either. Since Lathrup Village is situated within another city, most of the streets dead end on the perimeter of the community as a way to impede automotive traffic from cutting through its neighborhoods. I found all of this totally fascinating, and that explains why my Bride often talks of wanting to live there, but that is another story.

Woodbridge Chardonnay 2013

A “Night Out in Lathrup” is a community event; even though we do not live there we attended the function. There was a huge tent erected behind the city hall with long rows of dining tables and chairs set up, just off of a gazebo and the war memorial for the city. There was a separate trailer set up for beverages, and under the tent was a long table of food arranged by a catering company for the evening, as they were honoring some individuals for their continued community service. For the price of ten dollars a ticket, one could enjoy fresh watermelon, Cole slaw, potato salad. Baked beans and chicken, and later on in the evening one had a choice of either two gelatos or a sorbet. The other part of the evening was a large trailer that the city rented that opened up into a stage and there was a seven-piece band that entertained for the evening with dance music in the style of a Jimmy Buffett. My Bride and I took advantage of the music and danced on a section of the parking lot that had been cordoned off in front of band and between the tented area.

MI Lathrup Village Ticket

The beverage trailer had an assortment of beer and two liter bottles of assorted wines that they were selling by the glass, but one could only enjoy the wine under the tent, I guess this is to cover liability rules for a community event. I notice a few different bottles from the Woodbridge Collection by Robert Mondavi, and this collection is based in Lodi, California and the wines all have a California designation, this way they can secure the fruit from across the state as needed. The Mondavi organization must have done there homework, as this collection has been in existence for over thirty years now, and they are interested in crafting wines that can be drank young with a fruit forward taste. This wine is not for cellaring and is not made with that intention. Since it was a summer evening we enjoyed a couple of glasses of Woodbridge Chardonnay 2013 and since it was on ice, it was very enjoyable, as was the entire evening’s festivities.

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“Wears Like a Pig’s Nose”

Posted on August 22, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Isn’t that a great way to advertise a product? Actually it was, at the beginning of the last century. It was the slogan for Finck’s Overalls, which curiously are still in existence, but now known by another label. The Finck Overall Company has been intertwined with another company, known as Carhartt, which is very big in working man’s clothing and for a short time; it was the attire for the “hip-hop” trade. In fact the clothing store that I was with for most of my career had originally begun in the working man’s clothing business and they carried Finck. As the business evolved they went from the top of the line work clothes to the top of the line work clothes, but the new clientele appreciated the finest in business attire (when men wore suits). All this is a segue to an article that I remembered seeing in the paper, and then several follow ups on a Social Media site that I follow. The Finck Mansion in a part of Detroit called Indian Village, because of the names of the streets in the area, was and still is, one of the elite addresses in Detroit. The Finck Mansion was in the midst of a sale, and parts of this fine old building was being dismantled, not by scavengers that plague the city for scrap, but for fine architectural pieces of the building, and who the proper owner is in question, and the home is part of the National Registry, so the dismantling is a big no-no. I hope that I haven’t lost you yet in this introduction that seems to be rambling.

Ch Figeac 1972

I had the good fortune to be taken as a guest to a fine restaurant while I was a college student, and it was because of my avid interest in wine that got me the invitation. I guess I talked and rambled even back then. The restaurant that I was taken to was the Van Dyke Place and it was in the Finck Mansion (there I finally got there). It was a grand experience and the building was beyond my limited knowledge of what a mansion looked like, other then from the cinema. Not only was the experience grand, but so was the cuisine and the menu was in French, thankfully there was a translation as well. My host for the evening explained most of the dishes to me, and wanted me to try something new, to spread my wings, which was a scary thought to me, as I had a limited knowledge of food beyond what we usually had at home. So I tried, instead of what I considered fancy and ordering Escargot, which I had enjoyed already I tried an appetizer of artichokes with spinach done with Pernod and crab meat and Gruyere. I had bisque of shrimp as the next course (and I had had bisque of lobster before, so I was trying to be safe). The salad course concerned me, as I had really only had Italian dressing all of my life, which I still enjoy to this day, but it was a creamy dressing that had spice, so I made it through that course. I had a crispy duck for my entrée and that dish started me on a quest for duck dinners ever since. My host tried to coax me to try two other dishes, one had Foie Gras, which during the explanation of I declined, but have since learned to savor this delicacy; the other was Veal Sweetbreads, now I had eaten at home liver and kidney dishes, but this gland did not make me excited, and I still have not tried it to this day (I know that I am so pedestrian about certain things). For dessert we had fruit and cheese, and this was where I discovered that certain cheeses do not agree with me at all and I allowed my host to finish most of the cheese, though I did enjoy the vintage port that was served with that course.

MI Van Dyke Place Logo

We started off drinking cocktails and I had a Vermouth Cocktail, while my host drank a couple of Manhattans, so I was a little frou-frou compared to his manly drink of the day, but he understood why I was drinking Vermouth, as his drinks also contained Vermouth. We were discussing Clarets and I told him that I was really enjoying the wines from Saint-Emilion at the time, and he thought that was a fine choice so he selected a Grands Cru from that area. He selected a bottle of Chateau Figeac 1972. Now the varietals of choice for Saint-Emilion are Merlot and Cabernet Franc, but Chateau Figeac is from the North-western corner of the district which has a unique gravelly soil, where Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc excel. The other winery that has this soil is Chateau Cheval Blanc, so it is in great company. What a unique evening that was, and I remember years later as I was driving around in Detroit, a building was being razed and it exposed a wall of the adjoining building which had almost the entire side of the building with a painted sign which was the norm for advertising back then and it was for Finck Overalls for “the man who thinks, invests in Finck’s.”

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A Couple of Glasses of Wine at Fleming’s

Posted on August 20, 2014 by thewineraconteur

There are times when we want to have a fast meal, and rather go to a fast food emporium or a quasi-fast food place; we will run over to Flemings Steak House. Here you can have quality food and if you sit in the bar area, you won’t feel bad about having one of the best burgers around. Why have a mediocre burger, when you can go to a steak house and have some real meat in a nice setting, not to mention that they have about a hundred wines by the glass.

Domaine Lafage Cote Est Blanc 2013
One of the wines we enjoyed that night was Domaine Lafage Cote Est Blanc 2013. This is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Chardonnay and Marsanne. This particular wine is from France in the large area known as Languedoc-Rousillon, which seems to be getting more popular, or at least I seem to be noticing more wines being offered from this area. This wine is from the IGP Cotes Catalanes, which sounds more impressive then the older version Vin de Pays de Cotes Catalanes, I guess the wine industry in France is trying to eliminate the old expression of “table wine.” This was a very refreshing wine on a summer evening and it had the taste of a French white wine, I am not sure, how to explain that, but it is true.

Josep Masachs Mas Fi Brut Cava NV
The other wine we were enjoying was Josep Masachs Mas Fi Brut Cava NV from Catalonia, Spain. I really have been enjoying these sparkling wines from Spain, while not as nuanced as Champagne, they are more affordable for the most part and they still feel festive. The traditional blend for Cava wines is Xarel-lo, Macabeu and Parellada, though since 1986 Chardonnay has been allowed to be used as well, perhaps to make the wine more world-wide friendly and accepted. I have to admit that both of the wines worked well for the evening, especially in the summer time and they did work well with the “bar food” that we stopped to get.

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The Dakota Inn Rathskeller

Posted on August 18, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The neighborhood that I grew up in, in Southwest Detroit was at one time predominately a German area of the city, and there were other pockets elsewhere in Detroit as well. The area was once called “Ferndale” more as borough of the city, just as another section was and still referred to as Delray. I mention all of this, because with my last name, which is of Armenian descent, my late Mother who grew up in the old neighborhood was of German descent. As an homage to my Mother, who passed away while I was in the Tenth grade I periodically will go to a German restaurant, though the food is not what I grew up on.

Dr. Burklin-Wolf Rppertsberger Geisbohl Riesling Spatlese

One of the other areas that was at one time heavily populated by German immigrants was in Northern Detroit. The Dakota Inn Rathskeller is from that area and still has a great following to this day, even though the area is no longer a Germanic area of the city, but then neither is my old neighborhood. The restaurant dates to the days of the Great Depression and has weathered quite well, and I remember going there during my high school and college days. It was a place that I could go to, to get Potato Pancakes, Red Kraut. Hot German-style Potato Salad and Jager Schnitzel as well as other traditional German dishes. I also remember some great desserts, which for some odd reason does not excite me as much these days (and I guess I can blame that on maturity).

MI The Dakota Inn Rathskeller Logo

I remember in my youth trying to enjoy as many different wines from the world, and I still attempt to do this, even today. One of the times I had a bottle of Dr. Burklin-Wolf Ruppertsberger Geisbohl Riesling Spatlese, but alas the vintage year must have been on the neck of the bottle and I did not record it, when I saved the label. This particular wine is from the Rheinpfalz of Germany, which according to my notes is the largest wine producing area of Germany. The two biggest varietals found in this area are the Sylvaner and Riesling. I was told by wine merchants back then to remember the three B’s of Germany, and though in music it was Bach, Beethoven and Brahms, in wine it was Bassermann-Jordan, Burklin-Wolf and von Buhl. This particular bottle was by Dr. Burklin-Wolf and was a Riesling, which meant that it had two plusses already for the area. The wine is from the village/town of Ruppertsberg which is in the center of the Rheinpfalz and this area is known more for Riesling wines, and the vineyard is Geisbohl, which is a monopolized vineyard of Burklin-Wolf (if my research is correct). Then the wine was a Spatlese, which is higher up the wine chain and indicates that it is a later harvested group of grapes and hence it is listed as Qualitatswein Mit Pradikat. All in all, as I rediscover some of the wines that I had in my youth, I am quite pleased that I did better, then one would imagine for a kid, though I am sure that I would probably enjoy this wine more today, then I did back then.

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A Lounge Singer at The Roostertail

Posted on August 16, 2014 by thewineraconteur

“I left my heart in San Francisco,” “Because of you,” ”Smile,” ”Stranger in Paradise,” “The shadow of your smile,” and “The good life” is some of the songs I think of, because Tony Bennett is coming to Detroit. Of course I remember another time when he came to Detroit. I was still in college and I was selling clothes to help pay for my expenses back then. I was selling a gentleman a couple of suits, and while he was changing I was making small talk with his wife. She brought up the subject of Tony Bennett, and since I had grown up hearing music from the Rat Pack and the contempories of that type music, I was able to maintain a decent conversation. They asked me if I was going to see him that evening, and I said something to the effect that on a student’s part time wages I could not afford it. They then informed me that they had two tickets for that evening’s performance and they could not use them and they gave them to me. I was dumbfounded and thanked them profusely. Getting the night off was easy, the hard part was getting a hold of a date at that short period of time, as this was way before cellular phones.

GH Mumm & Co Champagne Reims NV

It turns out, from what I had learned from the couple, was that the owner of The Roostertail, an iconic venue in Detroit on the river was an old friend of the singer. By this time in The Roostertail’s history, it was used more as a catering hall for functions, concerts and such, and not open to the public on a daily basis. It is still the same way today. We got to The Roostertail in time for the show, and may I say that the tickets were for some wonderful seats. This was not a dinner show, but there was a bar, in fact, I believe that it was a two drink minimum, and there was a lot of scurrying about by the guests and by the staff. We were informed that we had to order all of our drinks at one time, because there would be no service during the concert, and that problem was easily taken care of. I had always heard his singing and I was surprised to see that he was performing with a combo, and it was more in a lounge format and he referred to himself as a “lounge singer.” When he came out to perform, there was very little talk to the audience, outside of mentioning who had written the song, and who did the arrangement. These facts were more important to Tony Bennett, then to me at the time, and I was slightly disappointed that he did not work the room more, he was just singing in his own style, and I learned later on that this is his technique when performing especially in smaller settings like that evening. I still remember at one point in his performance, he actually stopped singing, and directed a statement to a lady who was having a conversation, and informed her that as soon as she finished talking he would resume his singing, as he was under the presumption that the people had come there for his singing and not her conversation. That was the first time I had seen that behavior, but it has not been the only time since that evening.

MI Roostertail Logo

With the news that there would be a two drink minimum, I quickly did some math in my head, and decided that a bottle of non-vintage Champagne would be more economical in my situation if that would be allowed, and not only that, but it would allow possibly six or more drinks instead of the four. We enjoyed a bottle of G.H. Mumm & Co Champagne NV for the concert. I believe it was a Brut, but the label does not say that, but Brut seems to be the most popular style of Champagne imported to the United States. The Mumm Company from Reims in France is one of the oldest houses in the Champagne district and their Cordon Rouge is their flagship brand and label; we were not having that particular wine. There are seven different varietals that are allowed to be used in classic Champagne, the main three are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier and to a far lesser degree one may find Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Petite Melier and Arbane. Since the non-vintage bottles are blends, and each Champagne house has a certain taste that they strive for year after year, any combination is possible. So there we were a couple of kids at The Roostertail, enjoying Tony Bennett, drinking Champagne for the evening and my singing later (perhaps to myself) “The best is yet to come.”

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