A Reception Made With Love

Posted on May 6, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I had mentioned how we had gone to Las Vegas for a destination wedding for our son and new daughter-in-law. With the economics involved with such a wedding, my Bride and I were the only ones to attend the nuptials. Since this was a second wedding for both of them, my Bride wanted to share the event with some relatives and friends on a smaller scale. That meant she was going to be the caterer and she was all geeked up for it. She found a hall that would allow her to be the caterer as long as they handled the bar, and we had to do the policing of the hall afterwards.

Wedding Cake
My Bride was in her glory, she was going to use equipment that she had bought, but had never used, and may I say that our house looked like a warehouse depository for all sorts of kitchen accoutrements that only caterers should possess. We were having a Sunday afternoon dinner and our house on Saturday night looked like it was overrun by the ghosts of caterers past. There were piles of cardboard cartons that had been unpacked and all of the equipment was washed and ready to go. I think that evening I carved up eleven roasted chickens in preparation. She was making a dinner with guidelines for guests that were arriving with special dietary restrictions. She made her “famous” Caesar Salad, she attempted for the first time to make Fettuccini Alfredo (and as a side note some people thought that the dish came from an Italian restaurant that many of her relatives dine at, so that made her very happy), Armenian Pilaf, Steamed Broccoli, and one of the in-laws was making his musticcoli dish. We had roasters and an array of chafing dishes all ready to go for the big day. Sunday morning I did not have a Bride, but a Whirling Dervish and all I could hear in the back of my mind was Katchaturian’s Saber Dance. Amazingly, I somehow got everything packed into our sedan with every dish covered and packed so firmly that nothing shifted, even the Wedding Cake survived, of course with all of the table decorations and balloons one could not see out the back window, so the side view mirrors were a blessing and the hall was almost an hour away. We both knew that we would need a drink once we got to the hall and unloaded everything and we were met by the happy couple and some other volunteers who were waiting for all of the table decorations and to get all of the food ready.

Andre Spumante NV

There was a table for the buffet, a sweet table and a table was ready for gifts for the couple. We had to get all the plates, utensils, napkins, and service equipment set up in a logical manner. Then there were the spices, the cheeses and all of the small sides that were necessary. Breads, breadsticks, butter and all of the sundry items to make the dinner complete, had to be unpacked and presented as well. Then there were the two coffee urns, and then a pot to make hot water for people that enjoyed tea, not to mention the assorted paraphernalia that goes with that beverage table. When dinners for thirty are done at home, all of this is not even thought about, but when you are doing this in another venue and the count is around a hundred, one has to marvel at the work and foresight that the professional caterers do. Did I say that my Bride was in her element? Food and chaos were how it appeared, but she did a stellar job and I was looking forward to the point where she would finally be able to relax and enjoy the moment. She also smiled at me, while I was eating and said that it was good to actually see me eating at a wedding reception, as I am always checking to see if MSG is being used by caterers and if it is, then I must stick to just a few dishes for the evening, and in fact, I normally stop and eat before going to a wedding, just to be safe. This affair reminded me of the weddings that I attended in my teens, when families would do this for their children, before everyone tried to outdo the last wedding that they attended.

Foxhorn Merlot NV                         Foxhorn White Zinfandel NV
The hall was a private civic organization and they only offered generic bulk type wine and beer, and I could not bring any wine with me, as if there would have been any space in the sedan to put it anyways. There was Foxhorn Vineyards South Eastern Australia Merlot NV in the handy magnum size bottles, and I have to admit that it tasted better then I had expected, there was no nuance or craft to the wine, but it did taste like a Merlot. Then there was Foxhorn Vineyards American White Zinfandel NV and I have to admit that this was the first time that I had seen American in the description for a wine, and I admit that I did not try any of this, but I knew that it would be popular for the segment of the people that wanted a white sweet wine. The third wine that we had was for the toast and we were serving mimosas for the dinner and it was Andre Spumante NV. Andre Spumante was the first sparkling wine that E. & J. Gallo Winery created back in the Sixties, when they first started making wines that were not of the generic jug wines. For mimosas this was more then adequate and I do believe that I spent most of the afternoon drinking mimosas and watching my Bride in her glory. Actually I am not sure who enjoyed the reception more, the happy couple or my Bride.

At the reception

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Louisville, Kentucky

Posted on May 4, 2014 by thewineraconteur

By the time you read this, one of the most exciting minutes in sports will have been completed, while most people think of Louisville for Mint Juleps, I think of wine. Also by the time you read this, my Bride will be back home from spending several days down there to keep her professional credits intact, she also ties it in with spending some time with her sister and she takes her Mother along for the visit as well.

Ch d'Yquem 1961 Sauternes
Outside of the Detroit area, I may have written more articles about Louisville, then any other area. We have been going there for visits for almost twenty years and my Bride has been doing it for even longer. There have been black tie events, christenings, mini-vacations, birthdays, restaurants, barbeques, fund raisers and even trips to Churchill Downs; and did I mention wine. We have seen celebrities on the grounds of Churchill Downs as well as in the pavilion that is erected for a gala there. We have acquired Derby glasses, boy have we acquired Derby glasses. We have also acquired the posters by the likes of LeRoy Neiman and Tony Bennett. We have also had time to enjoy wine, did I mention that?

Churchill Downs Black Tie Affair
While most people do not think of Louisville as a culinary center, I do, when I think of all the fine restaurants that we dined at. There is a whole litany of restaurants that we have dined at over the years and they all bring a smile to my face. Quite a few of the restaurants over the years have had the honor of being listed in the Wine Spectator magazine’s annual list of restaurants that cater to wine enthusiasts, and I have always felt that a restaurant that is concerned about the right wine list, is also concerned with quality entrée offerings that would justify having a fine wine carte.

Churchill Downs Grounds
When I think of Louisville, I think of great clarets, the first growths that we have enjoyed during dinners. I think of stellar Napa wines from some of the great houses. I also think of some wonderful discoveries of some wines off the beaten track that we have had with relatives and friends. I think that the wine I most closely associate Louisville with is Chateau d’Yquem. Why this wine above all others? My Brother-in-Law has a love for this famous wine like you wouldn’t believe. He has gone so far as to acquire a jeroboam of this legendary wine, and he claims that he will probably serve it as his daughter’s wedding and since she is still attending school and has college in the offing, it will be well cellared by that time.

Churchill Downs Club House

So if you are curious about some of the restaurants or some of the great wines that I have enjoyed, because of Louisville, may I suggest that you type Louisville in the search box and discover for yourself what great memories I have of this city and the wines that I associate with it.

KY Churchill Downs MB

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Debbie Reynolds and Le Cirque

Posted on May 2, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I have been going off and on to Las Vegas for years, more so nowadays to visit two of my children and five grandchildren that live there. Some more astute vacationers select their times to coincide with a show by a celebrity that they wish to see or a major event or a trade show, not I, I just pick a week that I can go and take my chances. One time we were there and there were basically just the “canned” shows which are great, we enjoy them, but to me Vegas is celebrity driven, at least for the shows. Oh to have seen Louis Prima and Keely Smith would have been great, but I am just a youngster I guess. One week the biggest name in town was Debbie Reynolds, so off we went to see her one woman show. My Bride and I were probably the youngest people there, but that was fine, as she gave a great show; she sang, she joked, she told stories, she showed photos and film clips of her life and her career and somehow the show seemed to end way too soon.

Gaja Sperss Barolo 1991
This was one of our “date” nights when we were out in Vegas. Most of the time we spend our time with our children and their families and make the most of the trip, but even we need a date to enjoy ourselves. We decided to have dinner at a legendary restaurant from Manhattan that has a second location in the Bellagio hotel called Le Cirque. Le Cirque has moved to bigger and better locations in Manhattan and at one time Daniel Boulud was their head chef; Le Cirque literally means the circus and I guess they like to have a little whimsy in the kitchen. The venue in the Bellagio is wonderful as you can see the great water fountain show from the back side, the main side being on The Strip. We were concerned about time constraints because we were going to see the show after dinner, so we settled on a pre-show menu, and there was nothing second class about this “rush” menu of three courses. My Bride started off with Escargot au Beurne d’Ail with Confit Tomato and Parma Prosciutto; while I enjoyed Tartare de Boeuf Wagyu Kobe with heirloom tomatoes and lotus chips. She then had Dos de Saumon Ecossais, wild Scottish salmon with potatoes mousseline and wild mushrooms; while I had Le Poulet Roti, roasted organic chicken with polenta. Then we both enjoyed coffee and a Bombe for dessert. There was nothing rushed or secondary about this menu, though one day if we have enough time, the chef’s tasting menu should be marvelous.

NV Bellagio MB
We had a wonderful bottle of wine that evening from one of the great wine dynasties in Italy, the Gaja family. A bottle of Gaja Barolo Sperss 1991 was our choice for the meal. The Gaja family has been making wines in Italy for over a hundred years and they have been fine tuning their craft continuously. They had made a Barolo wine and then they stopped for a while, because they only wanted to use grapes from their own properties and had stopped purchasing grapes from outside vineyards, then they had a chance to secure thirty acres or so in Barolo and this cru vineyard is called Sperss. This wine is made from the Nebbiolo varietal, which is the famed grape in the Piedmont, though in the late nineties Gaja changed their DOG designation for Sperss to Langhe, the lesser designation because they had started to blend some other varietals into their Barolo wine, which is not allowed for DOG Barolo. As I have only had the Barolo and not the Langhe, I cannot offer an opinion, though I am sure that if the Gaja name is on it, it is done perfectly no matter the designation.

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My Third Pinotage Wine

Posted on April 30, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Pinotage is the national varietal of South Africa, and it is not that prevalent here in the states, at least I have not seen it that often. It is a cross between two varietals Pinot Noir and Cinsault (Hermitage in South Africa) and hence its unique name. I have wrote about the first two wines that I have tried, the first being rather light and unassuming and the second was the most terroir monster driven wine that I have ever had, and then I come to the third wine.

Moreson Pinotage 2012
First let me backtrack and discuss what I have had in the way of Pinotage, and this by no means makes me an authority on this varietal. The first wine I had this past September at the Culinary Extravaganza which is a fund raiser for the Culinary School at Schoolcraft Community College, and it is an awesome school and facility for future chefs. I had tasted about twenty different wines that afternoon. The Barista Pinotage 2012 was my first taste of this varietal, and I found it rather light and unassuming and I was not too much in a hurry to have another glass of it, if this bottle was representative of it.

Tukulu Pinotage 2007
My next time that I had the wine was courtesy of another Wine Blogger that I am glad to call my friend, namely Oliver who goes by the nom de plume of The Winegetter. My Bride and I were dinner guests at Oliver’s home with his charming wife Nina. One of the wines that we had that night was a bottle of Tukulu Pinotage 2007, and I think this bottle was brought out, because we were having a discussion of terroir, that ethereal concept of tasting the soil (or as I like to say “dirt”) that is noted in some of the great wines of the world. If you have ever had a Grands Cru of Burgundy, a First Growth of the Medoc, or a Classified Growth wine from Graves you will know in a minute, what the term terroir means. This concept is lacking from most wines and I am not sure if it is by design or not. When Oliver was opening this wine he warned me that not only would I taste the dirt, but burned rubber, paint and petrol. I thought to myself, not tastes that I normally look for in wine, but he was right and this wine hit me with a sledgehammer in its unique taste and aftertaste. This may have been the most defiant wine I had ever encountered.

BaristaA short time ago, another associate that I know bought some wine from a friend of his that went to South Africa to become a wine maker. He offered me a chance to buy some of the wine that he was waiting to get, and I told him the story about the Tukulu Pinotage and he just looked at me with his mouth agape, because the wine he was getting was the most expensive wine that he had ever purchased, as he likes to say he enjoys swill; he was very nervous about his purchase. He texted me the very evening that he received the shipment and he tried a bottle of the wine and he was ecstatic, and told me that I should see him tomorrow and try some for myself. I met him and we opened a bottle with a couple of others as well, and it was a very full bodied wine, with a nuance of terroir, but nothing like the Tukulu. We were enjoying a bottle of Moreson Pinotage 2012 and it was wonderful, as I was not sure what to expect from my associate. Moreson Farm is at Franschoek, South Africa and they produced forty barrels of this wine, and it was so good, that I kept some of the remaining wine in the bottle, recorked it and took it to my Bride to try, and she looked at me with some trepidation; the terroir of the Tukulu had overpowered her and she was afraid of another repeat.  She enjoyed the glass that I poured and was upset that there was only one glassful left that I had brought her.  That is the beauty and wonder of wines, no one can appreciate and enjoy every wine, but every one can find some to truly enjoy, and this wine is a surprise keeper for me, and from the initial taste, I am sure that it will cellar very well. And this little bottle was just right.

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Easter Dinner

Posted on April 28, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Preparations were at full steam after my Bride returned from doing readings at her church for Easter morning. The final details for the rooms with decorations and getting all of the gifts for Easter for the children; as well as the presents for the people that would be celebrating birthdays in the month of April had to be finished. We do enjoy having people over to the house, and there is nothing like having a party.

Wrath San Saba Vineyard Syrah 2010
My Bride was getting ready to make a leg of lamb, a ham and chicken for dinner that evening, so that there would be food to everyone’s taste. The dinner for Easter would not be as ethno-centric as the Easter Eve dinner we attended the night before. The roast leg of lamb would be Armenian in the sense that it would be heavily scented with roasted garlic and other spices. The ham was a more traditional Easter dish done with cloves, and the chicken is a concoction that is my Brides own recipe that comes out extremely moist. Add to these three entrée courses were the salads, vegetables, potatoes and of course Armenian Pilaf, a dish that even my in-laws have come to expect when they come over for dinner. There would also be other side dishes that some of the guests would be bringing, and that my Bride knew about, so she could keep the menu from being too lopsided with any one type of dish. There were also appetizer to set out, not to mention sweets and assorted munchies until everyone arrived. There was also a selection of desserts and a birthday cake as well decorated with the names of the April honorees. The one thing that does drive my Bride crazy is trying to get everyone to arrive by a certain time, as she wants the food to be hot for dinner, and she tells the guests to come an hour earlier, but that is not always the case, and she does fret about that. I always feel that if she served the dinner when she states and the same people end up with tepid dinners for being late, a couple of times they might be more attentive. Thankfully there is always wine in the kitchen, some is used in the dishes, and some is there to assuage the chef’s nerves.

Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling 2012
We always have a bar set up in the library with soft drinks, beer, and liquor and of course wine. There are a couple of bottles of our every day wines, plus something that I want to try for that dinner, and sometimes even some new bottles that are unexpected in the form of gifts. That morning my Bride ran into some old friends of her family, as they lived across the street from her Mother’s house way on the east side of the Detroit area from where we live, and these people had moved out our way. When she found out that they did not have any special plans, they were invited over at the last minute and they accepted, and there was no problem with the menu as there is always enough food even with teenagers in attendance. The new guests brought over a bottle of wine to the house which I opened. I always believe that people bring wine over that they enjoy, so let them enjoy what they are comfortable with. The wine was a bottle of Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling 2012. This is an off dry white wine from Columbia Valley in Washington State, but I found it a little sweeter then I prefer especially with the food that we were serving that evening. The wine that I was looking forward to trying was Wrath San Saba Vineyard Syrah 2010 in the Santa Lucia Highlands that we received from out wine club in Monterey. This was a very dark inky purple wine with a lot of fruit and much more powerful in taste then any Rhone wine that I have ever had; of course most of the Rhone wines are also blended with other varietals. This wine really stood up to the lamb and the roasted garlic for a pleasant change of what I would have normally served, so I was very happy. Later that evening after the guests had all left, my Bride looked at me and said “How could you serve a wine called Wrath on Easter?” and I just smiled and told her I didn’t even think of the name per se.

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Another Easter Eve Party

Posted on April 26, 2014 by thewineraconteur

One of the biggest hurdles is that it is hard to get family members together, as each sibling and cousin gets married and has their own family. The holidays are for families. My one cousin got very creative several years ago, and came up with Easter Eve as a way to get everyone together and the crowd seems to get bigger every year. While everyone has their own plans for Easter with their respected family, I think we all look forward to this night to have fun and forget about all the preparations and work involved with an Easter dinner. I have no idea how she does it, but she does and there are people in clusters in all of the rooms, with plenty of laughing and merriment. She opened the doors at 4:30 and we got there about twenty minutes later and the street was already filled with parked cars and there were crowds already milling about.

Miraval Cotes de Provence 2013
My cousin is so sweet and she was just having a great time getting all of the Armenian dishes out just for appetizers. I mean I could have made a meal just on all of the different dishes that she was putting out, and I was not the only one that felt that way. Thankfully she has very well built tables, because they would have been groaning from all of the plates of food that she was piling up in all of the different rooms. I am sure that everyone was thinking to themselves that they must show some restraint, and leave room for the main dinner, not to mention the desserts afterwards. Some people have better self control than I do, but the appetizers were so delicious. Her husband went out on the upper deck off of the kitchen and was cooking one of the main dishes on the barbeque; he had to cook a hundred lamb chops, no small feat in itself. There was so much more food to try and to enjoy. Somehow everyone still was not sated as they all left some room to enjoy all of the desserts after the main dinner dishes were cleared and a new banquet was arranged. One thing I have noticed over the years is that when everyone is having fun and enjoying themselves, their appetites expand from all of the great conversations and merriment, so the food never becomes a chore, except for the cooks.

Sola Meritage 2008
The beverages were flowing as well. There was a large ice tub with assorted beers and wines that needed chilling. There was a well stocked liquor collection waiting to be consumed and then there was a selection of wines to choose from as well. I will only mention two of the wines that evening as they were quite different from each other. I started off by trying a glass of Rose wine from France, Miraval Cotes de Provence 2013. This wine has gotten a lot of press, I think more for the principals then for the wine itself. It was a decent enough Rose from the Cotes de Provence made from Cinsault and Grenache varietals, but it wasn’t as crisp as some of other wines that I have had from this famed area known for. The principals are Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and family, and they seemed to have followed other celebrities in becoming wine makers, at least in the financial end. The other wine that I will mention was a California red blend, Sola Meritage 2008. It was a pleasant red wine that worked very well with the lamb chops, but I was surprised that it was a “California Meritage” instead of a more specific area. This wine was a blend of Petite Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Merlot; and with two of my favorite varietals I guess I found it more than pleasant, even without a better pedigree. All in all it was a great way to spend an evening with family and friends and a chance to not think of all the work that was waiting for us the next morning.

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MWWC #9: Fear

Posted on April 24, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Fear and wine do not seem like two words that should be together. I will grant you that there is a certain amount of braggadocio about my character perhaps from my DNA or my Zone 9 environment from Southwest Detroit. I have been pondering this word and how I should go about writing concerning the latest challenge in the “Monthly Wine Writing Challenge.” The more I thought about it, was that there is a certain amount of “fear” or trepidation when opening a bottle of wine for company for a dinner with family or friends.

wine-stain Monthly Wine Challenge
Easter morning as the house was in a mild state of anarchy in preparation for everyone coming over to our house for the Easter meal, as well as celebrating all of the April birthdays as is a usual custom here; I went into the cellar to see if I could find a likely candidate for this theme. When one has a decent size cellar, and ours is not immense, but it is ample with about thirteen hundred bottles of wine to select from, there are certain bottles of wine that may get overlooked as they acquire that patina of dust that is indicative of a wine cellar. I found a bottle of wine, that was highly touted at the winery as a great wine for cellaring and at the time, it was probably the most expensive domestic white wine that we had bought. My Bride may not remember every bottle of wine that we have purchased or drank, but there are certain wines that she remembers and sometimes she feels that a wine is too dear to be opened at a given event. This was one of those bottles.
On one of our trips to Carmel, California we had gone and toured and tasted at different wineries as is our custom while on holidays. One of the wineries that we had visited, in fact a couple of times in our trips was Chateau Julien, and we have bought wines each time that we had gone there. We bought a bottle without a taste, as it was part of their library of wines and we were told it was made to be cellared. The bottle was Chateau Julien Private Reserve Chardonnay Sur Lie 1994 and since it arrived in our house, it has rested on a rack waiting for the day, it would be opened. As I was in the cellar looking for a candidate, this one caught my eye and I thought to myself, this will make a good theme story, no matter the outcome.

Chateau Julien Private Reserve Chardonnay Sur Lie 1994
When we were at the winery, we were told that this particular wine was made like the classic Chardonnay wines of Burgundy, hence the “Sur Lie” indicated on the label. Sur Lie is the French wording meaning on the lees. If one has never seen this, is just means that the lees (skins, seeds, stems etc.) are kept with the juice during the fermentation and they settle to the bottom of the vat and allows deposits of dead yeast to accumulate for a secondary fermentation. Rather then racking the juice into another vat or barrel this mixture is kept together and stir occasionally, this is a filtering method that is found especially with Chardonnay grapes popular in the Burgundy and Champagne region to create a more nuanced wine with more emphasis on a yeast finish, rather then a barrel (oakey) taste. This type of vatting can be anywhere from weeks to twenty-four months depending on the vintner.
The wine bottle was very cool to the hand as I grabbed it, but I though that a little time icing it may be beneficial. I also looked at the bottle and saw that there was very little leakage as the bottle appeared to have a full amount of liquid, which I thought was a good sign. As I went to open the bottle, the cork crumbled which is not a good sign, and even my foil corkscrew was of no use, so I had to decant the bottle as the cork had fallen into the bottle. As I was in the process of decanting the wine, a few people remarked at the golden color of the wine, instead of a very pale straw yellow of most of the Chardonnay wines that we have served over the years. I calmly mentioned to the onlookers that white wines darken as they age and that red wines lighten in color as they age. There were no takers to try this wine, so the duty of being a guinea pig fell into the laps of my Bride and me. There was no foxiness in the nose of the wine, which to me meant that it had not oxidized, which was a good start. I had no idea of what to expect when I tried the first taste, and I can not still describe the taste. There was no butter or cream, there was no crispness either, it was just a very mellow wine, totally agreeable, but I could not identify any trace flavors, which mystified me. It did not taste like any of the great white Burgundy wines that I have had in the past, and it did not taste like any Chardonnay either. My Bride and I got to enjoy this wine during the final preparations for the meal, and I opened up other “safer” bottles of wine for the company that had arrived and that were still coming in through the front door.

Chateau Julien Decanted
So the fear that could have prevailed in a form of angst never got to rear its apparent character and the rest of the day was a fine meal and time with family and friends. All is well until the next time that there may be some fear or trepidation of opening another questionable bottle of wine.

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A Special Evening for my Dinner Club

Posted on April 22, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I have wrote often about my dinner club, and it is one of the oldest organizations still in existence in the City of Detroit, and it was even honored accolades at a breakfast when Detroit was celebrating its Three Hundredth Anniversary; we were one of the few organizations that was older then a hundred years. Through out the years, since inception the club has been a male bastion of members that have a common interest in philately. The club has had the occasional spouse’s night, roughly every ten years, though it appears that there is now a growing trend to have this occur annually, which I think is a great idea and I must say that my Bride is all for it, even if she does not share my ardent passion for this hobby.

Darioush Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Once the idea was accepted by vote of the membership, the evening was planned in earnest and there was a good showing by the members. We had the evening at Oakland Hills Country Club which was founded in 1916 and is Bloomfield Township. This is a legendary course in the state of Michigan and it has been host to some famous events over the years, and is noted for its two 18-hole golf courses designed by the noted Donald Ross. While my dinner club is not a golfing club, we have members that do enjoy the sport and they could appreciate the vista from the private dining room that we had for the evening. The evening started off with a couple of servers walking around during our traditional cocktail hour serving hot and cold Hors d’oeuvres. We got a chance to sample jumbo shrimp cocktails, Bruschetta with Mozzarella and tomato and Crab Stuffed Mushroom caps, and there was an ample amount of each appetizer to keep everyone content. After the cocktail hour, we all sat down for our dinner of the evening and started with a classic Caesar Salad, and while it was very good, I still feel that it is a pale version to my Bride’s interpretation, but I was pleased that they did include anchovies in the salad. Our dinner entrée for the evening was a form of “Surf and Turf” consisting of a Filet Mignon and grilled Salmon with a side of Potatoes Dauphine, and I noted that during this course the room was rather quiet for our group as everyone was busy enjoying the dinner. Our dessert course was a novel slice of Lemon Meringue pie that had ice cream as part of the pie filling along with some fine coffee.

MI Oakland Hills CC MB
There was a side bar in our dining room, with an able bartender with a good collection of beers, wine and spirits from which to pour. I took a look at the wines that were pre-selected and asked if I may see the wine list offered by the club for its members to enjoy. Since this was a “Dutch Treat” night, I did not feel that I should be encumbered by what was offered, as my Bride and I were having a wonderful night out. I was studying the list and was going to go with a French Burgundy or a Pinot Noir for the evening, when I saw a wine that intrigued me. I selected a bottle of Darioush Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon 2010. I have never had a mediocre bottle of wine from Darioush, even though they are a relatively young winery in Napa Valley, and I say that, because they were not in existence when my Bride and I spent a week there. The other reason that my curiosity was piqued was that instead of being listed as Darioush Cabernet Sauvignon, the addition of “Caravan” suggested to me, that this must be a Meritage style blended Cabernet Sauvignon and I was right. While it was basically a Cabernet Sauvignon, it was blended with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec; all from the estates of Darioush either in Napa Valley proper or Mt. Veeder. The wine had a very fine nose with some terroir and a very deep purple color, and a wonderful taste. I must say that my Bride mentioned that she enjoyed the wine several times during dinner, which is quite a compliment from her and that made me happy. As we were driving home, she mentioned that she hopes that this evening becomes an annual event as she really enjoyed herself, it probably helped that there was not a lecture or speaker that evening about any aspect of the hobby.

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Elvis, a Wedding, and a Dinner

Posted on April 20, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The main thrust of our week in Las Vegas, outside of visiting our children and grandchildren that live there, was that our son was having a second marriage and that is the destination that they had selected. It was an event, and we have already made arrangements for a reception to follow in town for all of the family and friends that could not make the wedding. Our son and his beloved and their children took a couple of trips to see ghost towns, the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon; being in Las Vegas all I could think of was the classic Frank Sinatra line “I went to the Grand Canyon, but it was closed.” There was also a day that we walked The Strip and thankfully it was not a classic hot day in the dessert. I was mildly surprised that The Strip was not as strewn with handouts of ladies of easy virtue and similar handouts that one is accosted with walking along the sidewalks, though the hustlers of the many venues were still there, but were restrained compared to years past.

Tormaresca Puglia Chardonnay 2012
The day of the wedding arrived and my Bride and I were the first to arrive at the chapel, and there were many of them between The Strip and the old Downtown area. The Bride’s Father, an Aunt and two other of her relatives came to see the nuptials, as well as our children. We were also pleased that a good friend of our son, who is now a headliner at one of the casinos on The Strip, came along with his date. This was the first time I had ever encountered a Las Vegas wedding with “Elvis” and I was surprised at how he seemed to be the center of the affair at the expense of the happy couple. I was also surprised that at one moment he shoved a microphone in front of my face expecting me to sing a line from an old song made famous by “The King” and I hope that my face was not included as I am sure that I grimaced and did not utter anything. The wedding concluded and then there were some additional photo sessions and then we made sure that everyone was aware of where the dinner was to be held later that day.

nuschese-wines-montepulciano-d-abruzzo-italy-10550697
My Bride was in her element in the months before the event, making plans and securing a restaurant for the dinner. We ended up at a bistro in the Venetian Hotel not far from the Grand Canal at a restaurant called Casanova. Everyone was allowed to order off the menu and there was a range of dishes that were ordered. We ordered more classic of bistro dishes since we were there, my Bride having mussels and I enjoyed a flat-iron steak. I guess with all of the angst about everything going perfectly, the inevitable occurred not once, but twice, which did not occur all week long. Two sets of glassware took a tumble with a mess, and I in my “grandfatherly” mien lost it and yelled at the grandchildren. I know that children are children, and accidents will occur, but why do they have to happen in the fine venues and not in a family oriented restaurant. I quickly made a quick walk around the area and returned and feebly attempted an apology, I guess my old-country upbringing raised its head that evening.

Mionetto Prosecco DOC Treviso NV
I know that we ordered three bottles of wine for the evening, along with the other beverages that were ordered. One of the bottles of wine was removed before I could take a picture of it, so I had to go and find it on the web. We had three different wines from Italy, as Casanova is a Mediterranean bistro, with a lot of Italian influence. We had a bottle of Mionetto Prosecco DOC Treviso NV, the sparkling wine that seems to be very popular these days. This wine is made from the Glera varietal and is done in the Charmat Process which does not have nearly the depth of a great Champagne, but it is still festive and easy for most people to drink. We also enjoyed Nuchese Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2011, this type of wine is always a go to wine for me with crowds as it is an easy red that is not over-powering and heavy as some Italian red wines can be. It is made from the Montepulciano varietal and blended with Sangiovese, the other popular varietal of the area. I think the hit of the evening was the Tormaresca Puglia Chardonnay 2012. This charming wine had a winning attitude with its crispness and it was even accepted by our guests from Washington State, who thought that I should have supported their state’s wine for the evening.

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A Children Friendly Restaurant in Las Vegas

Posted on April 18, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I have stated a few times that I am not partial to fast food or chain restaurants. Once you have eaten at one restaurant, they are pretty much all the same from city to city, and I prefer dining local. One night I was out voted and we ended up with all the grandchildren going to an Outback Steakhouse. If I have ever been to one, I do not remember, but I know that I have been to one now. All the adults were at one table and all of the children were at another table, as they did not have enough space to make one continuous table for the entire party.

Francis Coppola Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
My grandchildren I must admit were more then anxious to go to this restaurant and they all knew what they wanted to eat, and I figured that it would be better then some of the places that we could have ended up at. I was touted to try the sirloin steak, as I was told that it was probably the most popular item for an entrée, as I did not want to try a filet or a rib eye from this venue. I know that I sound like a snob, but I enjoy dining out, and I thought that I would try the signature dish. There was also something called the “Bloomin’ Onion” which was an appetizer and several of them were ordered to cover all the diners. The appetizer is like an overgrown version of onion rings, fried as a whole onion bulb, I tried a couple of pieces, but it was too greasy of a taste for me, and I am sure that if I was younger and had order beer with my dinner, I would have enjoyed it more, when I had more of a cast-iron stomach. Alas, my Bride has made me dine in a more healthy manner all of these years and now fried foods and I are not as good of friends as we used to be. I do have to admit that the sirloin steak was tender and cooked to order.

Dinner at Outback

I also found a nice wine for the table from their menu; a wine that I had bought under the black label collection when they were in Napa Valley and the winery has moved to Sonoma Valley. We enjoyed Francis Coppola Diamond Collection Ivory Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. The fruit in this wine was harvested from as South in California as Paso Robles and as North as El Dorado. While it is listed as a Cabernet Sauvignon, there was also some Petit Verdot, Petite Sirah and Syrah blended in as well. For me that evening the family was the most enjoyable part of the meal and then the wine, but that is how it should be.

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