Having Wines at Bistro on the Greens

Posted on July 21, 2014 by thewineraconteur

After four hours and fifteen minutes in the car (can you tell that I am a Michigander?), a half hour ferry ride and just short of a mile hike we arrived at our destination for a conference. We were going once again to Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island. The reason for the hike, is that on Mackinac Island there are only three vehicles (I believe) a police car, a fire fighting vehicle and an ambulance. The methods of transportation on this resort island is by foot, by bicycle or by horse drawn taxis, so one does have to keep an eye on the road, unless one wants to have some unwanted extras on their shoes; in fact just due to this fact, my Bride took her oldest pair of walking shoes to the island. Our hotel had arrangements with one of the ferry services, so we did not have to walk our luggage to the hotel, which is a good thing, as not only were we carrying clothes and necessities, but two lap top computers, one projector as an adjunct to one of the computers, and another suit case just for documents, brochures and other items for the conference. I would not have been a happy camper lugging all of that luggage for a mile going uphill at times.

Andrieux & Fils Cuvee Victoria Cotes de Provence 2013
There were several building on the campus of the resort, in fact at one time this resort was an actual campus, but it had been totally remodeled and updated. We had a suite in one of the outlaying buildings away from the main lodge and the conference center as well. We had a two room suite, which was very nice, but the best part was we had an enclosed patio off of the suite with tables and chairs and a very private hot tub. Since we did not have a lake view this was great, as our patio abutted a wooded bluff, so we away from all distractions. For two days in the late afternoon there was a small gathering at the “Bistro on the Greens” at the resort. The ‘greens” was a small well manicured miniature golf putting course overlooking the lake, a part of the channel, so one got a chance to watch the huge freighters that ply the Great Lakes for commerce.

Ch L'Hospitalet Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape 2007
The Bistro had a small menu, a small bar and a small collection of wines for those that either finished “golfing” or just wanted to enjoy the charming weather and enjoy a drink or two. We tried several different glasses of wines during our gatherings and two of them caught my fancy.

Mission Point Resort Suite Spa
The two wines that I will mention were from the “interesting” list of wines on the wine list. The first wine was Andrieux & Fils Cuvee Victoria Cotes de Provence 2013, a rose wine, which is one of the well known types of wine from the Provence region. This wine is a blend of Grenache and Syrah and was very enjoyable in the afternoon sun, and thankfully we were all grouped under the veranda of the Bistro and had a great view. The second wine was Chateau L’Hospitalet La Reserve Coteaux du Languedoc La Clape 2007 by Gerard Bertrand. The Coteaux du Languedoc is becoming more popular, especially for the price points, as so many French wines from the great regions are pricing themselves out of the price of fun drinking, and hence some of the producers are really making strides to get away from the concept of just making table wines. This wine was a mix of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre and I enjoy this wine as well. I am not big on using flowery descriptive terms for wines, especially since I was not going to keep a log while I was enjoying the company of friends and to me that makes the wines all that much better in taste and in memories.

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My Favorite Magazine Issue of the Year

Posted on July 19, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I guess that I am an amateur “foodie” and “wine geek.” The two go together so well and when you throw them into a mix with friends or sometimes just a great date night, it is almost nirvana. What does this have to do with a magazine you may wonder? I subscribe to Wine Spectator and once a year they have their “Restaurant Awards” issue and this is an issue that I keep right at my desk. I have used it as an amateur concierge for some of my customers through out the years, but basically I use it as a guide for when my Bride and I wish to go out for dinner to try something new, or when we are planning a vacation.

Wine Spectator
There is a caveat in the issue where they state “our awards program evaluates wine list, not restaurants as a whole.” This is fine, and I look at the recommendations as a guide. When we are going somewhere new, I automatically subtract any chains that are located near us, or that we have already been to, as most while they may be wonderful are cookie-cutter establishments, and if they are successful, why change? I look at the wine selection of a restaurant, as in the number of wines that they offer, then I look at the type of food offered and then I look at the price range of the menu that they submit to the editors. My philosophy has been that the finer the wine selection, and if the menu prices are in the proper ration, I will take a chance on the restaurant. As far as I am concerned, if a restaurant has a large cellar, they would only do it to enhance the food that they are preparing. In all of the years that I have followed this concept, I have only had one bad experience, and it was not about the wine or the food, but the monotony of the plates encountered in a “Chef’s Tasting” as there was not enough variety, and the total indifference of the wait staff and administration. Of course I have never bothered writing about that evening, and it may have been the most expensive dinner we ever had.

NY Windows On The World MB
I also look at some of the past years of this issue, as I have tried to maintain most of them. I get a chance to look at some of the restaurants that are no longer in business and I lament that. I also think of some of the famous restaurants that I will never have a chance to go to, either that my Bride went to, before we met, or vice-versa. I also think of some of the great dishes that I have enjoyed, and less I forget to mention, some great wines that I have had over the years as well. After all, what does a raconteur have besides memories to talk about?

The French Laundry Bill

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A Leisurely Day in Plymouth and a New Restaurant

Posted on July 17, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The Plymouth Art Fair was going on, and the weather was obliging. We decided to make a day of it in the charming city of Plymouth, Michigan. The art fair seems to keep growing in size, as there were more little by-ways of tents to discover this time and it made for a nice afternoon stroll. My Bride had a few ideas of items that she wanted to shop for, but we ended up empty handed, which does happen from time to time. On the way back to where we had parked our car, we noticed that the Plymouth Historical Museum was open and we decided to spend some time there, since neither of us has ever been there before. The assorted docents were well trained and the exhibits were well done, especially the Weldon Pets Lincoln Collection, which captivated my Bride, while I meandered over to the rest of the displays and then took a second tour of them with her.

Laetitia Pinot Noir 2012
We decided to go have dinner, and we were going to try a new restaurant that had just opened up. Aqua was this sleek new establishment housed in a building that used to be a Greek Coney Island eatery, and it now has a very enticing façade. Facades and facelifts may be the easiest things to change, but we were willing to try this new establishment that was between two sections that are popular in Plymouth. We went in with out a reservation and were taken to a table immediately, as we really did not want to sit in the lounge area, as I dislike television sets when I am dining, and I am also not a big fan of dining outside, though the patio area was very appealing. We were each handed an I-pad which allowed us to navigate through all of the different menus, drinks and wines. Every item was photographed, and it was easy to decipher what wines were offered by the glass and which ones were by the bottle. The menu was quite different from the last establishment, even though I understand that it is still the same owner, only now there is a “fusion” element to the dishes.

Cepasantiguas Rioja 2011
We were excited from using the menu, and we were going to share many of the dishes, so that we could get a wider sampling of the different plates being offered that day. We started off with baked Brie in Phyllo dough wrapping with assorted micro-greens and fresh fruit. My Bride started off with a glass of Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay 2012 from the Sonoma Coast of California and after all the walking in the sun, I am sure that she enjoyed the wine even more and it went well with the Brie plate. I started off with a glass of Martinez Corta Cepas Antiguas Rioja 2011, which was made entirely from the Tempranillo varietal and I found it very satisfying as well with the Brie. Our next course was a plate of Mussels, which my Bride favors much more than I, but I did share them with her. This dish was prepared with natural broth, smoked tomatoes, garlic and an Albarino white wine, it was very well prepared. I had finished my wine with the Brie and I was enjoying a glass of water with a slice of cucumber, a very nice touch for this summer day.

Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay 2012
As we were studying the assorted menus, there was a brunch item that had caught both of our attentions, and since the major underlying part of the dish was offered as an entrée, we asked if the brunch version could be ordered and the kitchen was very amiable and agreed to our request. The dish was called Lobster Benny, and it was a take off on Eggs Benedict, where the base was two Lobster and Crab cakes, topped by a poached egg and a very subtle Hollandaise Sauce with a side of spiced home fries. I decided to try their Seven hour Beef Short Ribs with came with root vegetables. I have to say that both dishes were very well prepared and presented.

Sassi Pinot Grigio 2013
My Bride had a glass of Sassi Pinot Grigio 2013 from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. It had just the right amount of acidity and a touch of sweetness that worked extremely well with her dish. I chose a wine that surprised my Bride a bit, she thought I would order a Cab with my entrée, but I selected a Laetitia Vineyard and Winery Pinot Noir 2012 from the Arroyo Grand Valley. This wine was very supple and complimented the slow cooking of the short ribs.

MI Aqua BC
Each dish came out looking exactly like the photographs that were on the I-pad menu, but they were all served on oversized plates, so the dishes were deceiving. After our four courses we were both sated, and really did not need a dessert. We may have tried a dessert, but our only complaint, if it is really a complaint, was that they did not have any de-caffeinated coffee, and perhaps that is still because they are new and it was an over sight on their part. My Bride is already talking about going there again, with me and with some of her friends, which is how much she enjoyed the experience.

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Another Graduation Party

Posted on July 15, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The time of the year is upon us, where we get to celebrate our graduates. One of my cousin’s daughters was an honoree this year and they had a party at their house. There was a huge pavilion erected in their back yard and I am sure that they were cooking up a storm prior to the party. There was an assortment of Armenian and Italian dishes prepared to cover both sides of the family involved, and that is not to mention all of the desserts that were set out on a sweet table. I would venture that nobody went hungry that evening.

Luna, Menage,Decoy
There were beverages set up all over the grounds, from water and soft drinks, beer and wine, as well as mixed drinks; so all of the basics were covered. There were also two iced urns of homemade Sangria, one white and one red, which I thought was a nice touch, instead of some of the store bought Sangria wines that are marketed.

Carnivor and Cryptic
There was an ice tub with a selection of three wines on ice. The first bottle of wine was Luna Pinot Grigio 2012 with a California AVA. Ménage a Trois Midnight 2012 from the Trinchero Family Estates was the second bottle in the tub. This wine is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot and it had a very deep color, perhaps that is why they named it Midnight. The third bottle was from the Duckhorn group of wines, their Decoy Sauvignon Blanc 2013 from Napa Valley and this wine also had some Semillon blended with the Sauvignon Blanc. Of the three wines that were on ice, I seemed to keep going back to the Sauvignon Blanc as it was the most refreshing and had the best taste for my liking.

Sangria urns
There was also a selection of two other red wines that were located in the house to keep a more steady temperature instead of being out in the sun. There was Carnivore Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 which carried a California AVA. The other wine was from Cryptic Wines, their Cryptic Red Wine 2012 which had a rather eclectic blend of Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and another 7% of other red varietals. This wine also had a California AVA as the grapes were harvested from Paso Robles, Clarksburg, the North Coast, the Central Coast and some other California locations as well. I have to admit that I did not try either of these two wines, as I was enjoying myself with family and friends under the pavilion and the chilled wines were fitting the need aptly.

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Another Social Media Wine Story

Posted on July 13, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I hate to be the bearer of bad news. I have to admit that I belong to a couple of Social Media sites, some are more business oriented and one is basically social. While I was trying to keep abreast of all the postings I received a private message from a friend that I had earlier wished a Happy Birthday along with other salutations to it. My friend asked me if I had seen the two pictures of wine that he had posted from Sicily. I told him that I had never had any wines from Sicily, and that I was curious about them and that I would check out the wines at a later point in time. I was intrigued and I looked forward to checking the postings. Imagine my surprise when I looked at the two bottles of wine and discovered that neither was from Sicily, but from Italy proper.

Madrigale Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale 2011
The first bottle of wine was an easy one for me as it was Cantina Zaccagnini Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2011. This is one of my favorite districts in Italy and I have written about the wines often. This Tuscan wine is made from the Montepulciano grape and truth be told, I have yet to have had a bad bottle of wine from this district, some may be a little lighter then others, but always a safe bottle to choose to accompany a dinner. I have written about a Pinot Grigio wine from this particular winemaker before, but I have not had this wine.

Cantina Zaccagnini dal tralcetto 2011
The other wine is quite fascinating to research; Madrigale Primitivo di Manduria Dolce Naturale 2011. This wine is from the Puglia district in the Southeastern part of the boot and is known for its wine as well as its olive oil. Primitivo is the only varietal that is allowed to be used for Primitivo di Manduria DOC, and this varietal is known here in the United States as Zinfandel. The Dolce Naturale DOCG is the sweeter variant of Primitivo di Manduria and has a stricter and higher classification. The grapes are dried on the vine, hence a higher concentration of sugar and a minimum alcohol proof of 13.5% and is only made in particular vintages, so it is a rarer wine to find. So I think my friend received two bottles of wine that he will enjoy for his birthday.

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A Wine Tip through Social Media

Posted on July 11, 2014 by thewineraconteur

“One of the best $13 bottles of wine. What’s your opinion John..?” is the message that was posted on my personal Facebook page the other day, with a photo of a particular wine. It was posted by an old friend of mine, going back to the days of my involvement in a youth group through my church. I know that he likes wines, because he has mentioned it to me, and we share a common consideration for Rioja wines.

Creta Roble
The photo that I am posting of the label is exactly as I received it, just with the name of the wine and the vintage year and at first I was perplexed as I did not recognize the name of wine. Since the label said Creta Roble 2011, I was not sure what to expect, since the two of us are Armenian by nationality, I immediately thought of the island of Crete and maybe he had found a wine in a Greek restaurant, but I discounted that thought immediately.

MarquesDeRiscal 1970
So I was off to do some more research, which I don’t mind, and I am always open to a wine suggestion, even from my Barber (which I have wrote about). It turns out that this wine is a pure Tempranillo wine from Ribero Del Duero in Spain, which fully explains why my friend enjoyed this wine, as this is the key varietal for Rioja wines from Spain. This is a wine that is made from a seventy year old vineyard and the wine is aged in older American and French Oak barrels. I also found out that “creta” means chalk in Spanish, a word that I must have missed in my classes of Spanish that I took. The “creta” refers to the chalky soil that is prevalent in the Ribero Del Duero. Another wine that I will be on the look out to try, and that is why Social Media can be a learning experience at times.

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A Graduation Party

Posted on July 9, 2014 by thewineraconteur

This is the time of year when high school students have graduation parties and we just went to one for a young that happens to be our nephew. He graduated from a military academy and is getting ready to start his high education in equine studies, which goes beyond just equestrian arts. The young man lives in Kentucky, but both of his parents are from the Detroit area, as well as the majority of their relatives, so they elected to have the graduation party in Michigan.

Concannon Chardonnay 2012
The venue selected is a great complex that is a huge marina, restaurant, bar, catering, apartments or condos (I am not sure), boathouses and a myriad of related amenities. Mac & Ray’s is a great place to have a party, and I have been there on prior occasions as well, that is how I can explain the matchbook that is becoming an antique curio, as they are no longer given out. The graduation party was held as a Sunday brunch and there was a fine turnout to honor the young gentleman of the moment. The brunch was in the main dining room and we were in an adjacent banquet room with a great view of the marina and Anchor Bay. It was a classic style brunch set up with a very long table of chafing dishes with assorted breakfast dishes, a Prime Rib carving station, a custom omelet station and then a sweet table. As is typical for a brunch like this, one cannot eat all that is offered, well perhaps the teenagers can, but at my age, I did not even try.

MI Mac & Ray's MB
Our banquet room also had a private bar that was well stocked with assorted liquors and beers. The wines offered were typical for an institutional meal like this and I tried the Chardonnay, it was agreeable, so I stayed with it for the time; they also were offering Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon as well. Concannon Chardonnay 2012 was my choice, and it is listed as a Glen Ellen Proprietor’s Reserve, but it carries a California AVA. Since they were not serving Mimosas I figured that a Chardonnay would be the best choice for the dishes I was choosing.

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The July Birthdays

Posted on July 7, 2014 by thewineraconteur

As I have written before we get together once a month to celebrate all the birthdays in the families at one time. It is more economical and convenient to just have one big party each month and it has become the norm for this ritual. Needless to say it was rather hectic at the house in preparation, giving the house an extra dose of cleaning and getting a dinner planned to work around all the different food requirements and regimens of the some of the guests. Shall I say with all due modestly that my Bride excels at this type of stress and she survived effortlessly.

Opus One 2000
We had her wonderful Caesar Salad that I think everyone is addicted to, as well as a couple of other salads that she or some of her sisters brought as well.  One of her sisters had made an appetizer of shrimp that was Mexican in origin with an avacado, lime and cilantro mix. Her one sister from Louisville made all of the vegetables in the kitchen with all of the chaos that was surrounding that area at the moment including sautéed asparagus and Brussels sprouts with bacon. I was busy slicing the meat because we had made whole tenderloins of beef and pork, so they were all sliced into medallions for the dinner. There were an assortment of cakes and puddings and even a scratch-made Key Lime pie by our son and his new wife. In fact when I surveyed the food table after everyone had eaten, there was nary a “doggie-bag” to be made for anyone to take home, so the dinner was a total success, but I really expect that anymore under my Bride’s supervision.

Moreson Pinotage 2012
As for the beverages we had started out with an assortment of white wines that I have written about in the past that are a staple in this house, and then there was Sangria that was being enjoyed as well. I was all set to surprise my Brother-in-Law with the new bottle of Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013 that my Bride had just discovered and since I know how much they enjoy that varietal. When they arrived, his wife handed me a three bottle travel bag of wines that they had brought to share with the party and she said that they were concerned that carrier had slid over on the side and they were worried that some sediment in one of the wines would have been disturbed and that I might have to decant the one bottle. I also wanted them to try the Moreson Pinotage 2012 to get there take on the wine, as neither of them had ever had this varietal. When I opened the carrier, imagine my surprise to find that besides another Chardonnay to add to the festivities, there was a bottle of Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013 and I started to laugh and I had to share this fact with my Bride who thought she had found a coup and here they were ahead of the curve. The last bottle in the carrier was the one that my Brother-in-Law was concerned about, it was an Opus One 2000 and he wanted to see how it was maturing as he had some more of it back at his cellar. The Pinotage was a hit, as they were admiring how smooth this wine was, and then we opened the Opus One during our dinner and there was nary a trace of sediment, and I had forgotten how great this wine is, as we had not had some in a while and made me think of the bottles in my own cellar. We finished off the evening enjoying the Meiomi though we should have started off with this wine as it was much more fruit forward then the first two reds that we were drinking, but by this time we were just enjoying the company and this wine was just easy sipping to finish off the night.

Meiomi Pinot Noir 2013

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A New Collection of Wines

Posted on July 5, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I was visiting a local clothier who does an excellent job in his craft and he likes to entertain his clients as if they were in his home. He always offers coffee and espresso, water, and soft drinks. He also maintains a selection of beers in a well stocked refrigerator with representation from several countries around the world. He also likes to have some wine on hand to offer his clientele.

Los Hermanos Tinto and Cabernet Sauvignon
While I was there, he received cases of wine for his wine cellar and he asked me to take a look at what he was getting. A quick look revealed that it was from a division of Beringer Vineyards of Napa Valley, but this was a collection labeled Los Hermanos and it was a new grouping for me, so I did some research, as my curiosity was piqued. Beringer Vineyards has been an old stand by for me, and I have had some great bottles from this company over the years. Los Hermanos is the name of the original vineyards where in 1876 the Beringer Brothers began, hence Los Hermanos which is Spanish for The Brothers.

Los Hermanos Chardonnay and Moscato
That is all I could actually find from the Beringer web site, and there was a hyper-link to the Facebook page for this collection where I further read on their “About” page that Los Hermanos “offers five varieties with a slightly sweeter taste profile.” Which I took to mean that they are marketing this collection to “new” wine drinkers who are used to having sweeter drinks. The five varieties of wine were: Cabernet Sauvignon, Moscato, Chardonnay, Rosado, and Tinto. All of the wines are Non-Vintage and are just California wines, so the bulk fruit is harvested across the state.

Los Hermanos Rosado
The three wines with varietal names are straight forward, but it was the two other labels that I was curious about. I tried to research the Rosado, which is a Rose wine and the only one that I tried at the moment. After searching several sites the only entry that I found about this was “a non varietal rose blend” and to me, it tasted more like a White Zinfandel, then any Rose wine that I have had before. The Tinto was another wine that I had to research and what I found was Zinfandel, Muscat, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and others. It just surprised me that I had to hunt for some answers as most manufacturers have web sites that offer an overload of technical information and for this collection there was only hype. I am sure that in the course of time, I will try the other wines from this collection.

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Not Just another Steak House

Posted on July 3, 2014 by thewineraconteur

“On State Street that great street I just want to say
They do things they don’t do on Broadway
They have a time, the time of their life
I saw a man who danced with his wife…”                                                                                      In Chicago of course in the old days when “Old Blue Eyes” sang that song, you immediately knew there would be good times, and that is how I think of the venerable Chicago Chop House. Of course the restaurant was not on State Street, but the idea is still the same. I had a customer that refused to dine in any establishment that had “steak” in their name, so this restaurant would have passed his quirk, and Chicago was always known for having great steaks, so what else would I have had, and this was back before all of the exotic steaks started to hit the landscape.

Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert ----
I remember having dinner there one night with my Bride while on was on a business trip. The dinners were really the high point of my business trips and the funny thing is, I never expensed any of my dinners, because the principals of the firm would have blown a gasket over my charges, but it was always worth the price of admission as one would say. We started of sharing a plate of Oysters Rockefeller, because in a fine old steak house there would be plenty of food to eat. My Bride is always sensible and she had a Caesar Salad, while I was contributing to my cholesterol count by having Lobster Bisque with lobster and White Truffle Oil. She then went on to have Chilean Sea Bass (which is one of her favorite choices in fish) and her dish came with sides of greens and potatoes. I am always the indulgent one who racks up the dinner tab by ordering a full cut center Filet with Sauce Béarnaise. At that time my appetite was larger and my metabolism worked much quicker then now. I am also one of the few people that I know that prefer not to have a bone in my steak, though I have been lectured for years how there is more flavor when one has the bone in, but I am still happy to just enjoy a well aged filet. Of course in a good steak house, one must order a side ala carte, and I had sautéed spinach and mushrooms and passed on a potato. For dessert we had some wonderfully rich coffee and a homemade flourless chocolate cake, which also seems to be a staple offering in a fine steak house. After all, who am I to buck tradition?

IL Chicago Chop House MB
Since I have been writing about wines, one of the areas that I tend to lean to is the Rhone Valley and usually a good Cote du Rhone makes me happy. Some purists would tend to chastise me for not having a Medoc or a Burgundy with this dinner, but with my Bride having a rich fish dinner, and knowing that she enjoys a red wine with a robust fish entrée I went a little softer on the red. Instead of just a Cote du Rhone, which would have made me happy I selected a Crozes Hermitage Domaine de Thalabert (the vintage alas has been forgotten, because Maison Paul Jaboulet Aine uses a neck ring to record the vintage year and it has been separated from the label over time). Crozes Hermitage is the largest of the Northern Rhone appellations and contains eleven communes. Domaine de Thalabert has belonged to the Jaboulet family since 1834 and is the oldest vineyard in the appellation with some of the oldest vines as well. Syrah is the varietal that works wonders in this valley and it is aged for at least a year in wood and then in the bottle for this wine. There are some Syrah wines that I have had over the years that somehow always don’t taste as good as they make them in the Rhone, or maybe I am just biased.

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