My 500’TH Article as a Wine Blogger

Posted on January 28, 2014 by thewineraconteur

According to my publisher WordPress, this is my 500’Th article that I have written about wines.  In the world of Blogging, I am sure that this may not be much of a milestone, but I am proud of the fact that I have gotten this far and still having fun with it.  I call myself The Wine Raconteur because that is what I am, a story teller, I relate stories to the wines that I have enjoyed over the decades.  I am a self taught wine devotee, and I have no degrees or certificates from the industry.  I enjoy good wine and good food, and sometimes to the chagrin of my Bride, I can be a real pain in the arse about both.

Side Panel in Wine Cellar

Through out the decades, we have had some great dinners, some stellar wines; we have visited wineries and done tastings.  We have also had some mediocre dinners, undrinkable to good wines, and some trips to wineries that are not that memorable.  We have been to tastings where we were treated like royalty and we have been to some tastings where we felt like we were intruding, even though I bought a bottle of wine from them, that was about a hundred and fifty dollars (I wanted to try the wine and to own a bottle of it, we should have bought more, but because of the poor treatment we didn’t and I still have not opened the bottle, because of the treatment).  Wine is fun, and through the course of writing The Wine Raconteur, I have had the pleasure of corresponding with other writers and I have even had the good fortune to have met another Blogger and his wife.

Far Wall in Wine Cellar

People presume that one writes a Blog for monetary benefit, and this is far from the truth.  I have not had to worry about a code of ethics, as I have not received a single bottle of wine gratis, from any concern wishing for a review.  Then again, my writing style is not one of glowing verbiage trying to neither convey the nose and taste of any wine; nor do I write detailed notes about the intricacies of a particular winery’s production.  I feel that all of the technical jargon can be found on the websites of the winery or producer.  I enjoy the moment of having the wine, which is the memory for me.  There are the occasions where I have had such a great wine that somewhere in a back alley of my brain, when I try a wine, I will be told by that part of the brain, that it is not as good as another bottle that I have had.  I do try to keep that part of the brain, hidden only for my own recollections.

MI Vince's BC

My publisher has a grand report that they have furnished me; suffice it to say that I will mention only a few highlights.  The first year of writing, I maintained a regime of an article a day, just so that I would get used to doing it, and to prove to myself that I could.  After a year of writing, I tapered off to an article every other day.  From the report that I will highlight some numbers and facts, bear in mind that it is only for one current year and not a grand total.  Last year I had over 17,000 viewers and they came from many different areas, as I had readers from 96 different countries.  The readers found me from my publisher, other Bloggers, Facebook, Google as well as other search engines.  Not surprising to me that my two biggest articles relate to growing up in Southwest Detroit.  One day I had 220 views of an article about Vince’s in Detroit, Michigan and my second best article for viewers was about Joey’s Stables, which is also in Detroit.

Joey's Stables

I am very pleased with my work, and I do hope those that take the time to read my prose appreciate it as well.  It is amazing what a hobby can do to a person, not to mention that I had to teach myself some skills in carpentry to build my wine cellar, as I am just a working man, who had a grandiose wish to have his own cellar.  I look forward to more writings and remembrances, as well as discovering new wines and new restaurants to visit.  I wish you all could join me.

Bottle of J Champagne

Posted in Dining, Uncategorized, Wine | 11 Comments

Shaw’s Crab House

Posted on January 26, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I am getting ready to go for an overnight trip to Chicago, and I thought of the first time I went to the “Windy City” on a business trip as a buyer.  I was traveling with the owner and we were staying at the Inter-Continental Hotel on the “Magnificent Mile” better known in Detroit as Michigan Avenue, the same street that I worked at.  The clothing show was being held at the McCormick Place and it would be a huge show, and it was quite a heady experience for me as a young kid.  One of the things that I remembered was that the Playboy Club was handing out their magazine and passes for the club at the show.  There used to be a Playboy Club in Detroit, but it had closed by the time I could venture into it, so I knew that I would have to go see it, just because, but I was there on business so that would be later on, on my own time, if I had a chance.

Pouilly-Fuisse Latour

The first night that we were there after the show ended, we ended up going to Shaw’s Crab House for dinner, along with some business acquaintances of my boss as well.  Shaw’s was a famed restaurant even then and I had heard of it, back in Detroit.  My boss was very partial to seafood, so this was a given and there we were.  After the glamour of the hotel, and the trade show, I felt at home in the comfortable setting of the restaurant; but since I had been to a couple special restaurants in Detroit, I could accept the idea that the food was more important, rather than the appointments of an establishment.   I remember having a shrimp cocktail, and a house salad.  I was not a big fish eater at that time, so I remember ordering a perch dinner that others at the table were going to get as well.  I finished the meal with a slice of Key Lime Pie and that was the first time I had ever tried this dessert.  I was a very happy camper and felt like a “big man” who had arrived.

IL Shaws Crab House

I was still early in my learning curve about wine, but my boss announced that I was a “maven” on wine and that I should select the wine for dinner.  I had a certain amount of trepidation about this, as I did not want to make a mistake.  Since everyone at the table was ordering seafood or fish, I knew enough to select a white wine.  There were many white wines to choose from, and I knew that I should select a medium price wine from the list, and not try to gouge my boss.  Then I saw a wine, that I had read about, but had never had, an affordable white Burgundy.  I ordered a Pouilly-Fuisse Latour, which is a Negociants blended wine from a famous house.  Pouilly-Fuisse is a wine made from Chardonnay, and is from the Maconnais district of Burgundy and it has its own Appellation Controlee.  It was crisp and dry and everyone seemed to enjoy it, and I felt that I had passed the test for the evening.

IL Playboy Club MB

As an epilogue to the evening, I did venture off to the Playboy Mansion with my pass and had a drink.  How could I not go, when I was there and I had the chance to see it?  This is just another memory for a young kid with the belief that he felt like he had arrived in his chosen field of work.

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The Chambertin

Posted on January 24, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I have mentioned this restaurant in passing several times in the past, and how can you not love a restaurant with the name of The Chambertin.  To name a restaurant after a stellar district, you better be serving stellar food, and they did that in Aces.  When I was a kid, the restaurant was located in East Dearborn, and then when they had a chance they moved into a brand new Holiday Inn that was being constructed in West Dearborn.  This particular Holiday Inn was built with a separate tower for long term residence, because of the automotive industry, and The Chambertin was there for them.  I may got out on a limb, but I will state that this was the only Holiday Inn that I knew of, that had a four star restaurant.  There was a coffee shop and diner, they had a tavern and they had a white tablecloth restaurant as well as catering facilities, but they only had the one kitchen, so all of the food was great.

Ch La Conseillante 1970

I had a long history with the family as customers of mine years ago, and I also enjoyed going to the restaurant, though I usually dined in the tavern, and alas I cannot believe that I did not save a single matchbook from The Chambertin.  The matchbooks were very elegant and they had your name printed on the outside of the book, and used them as your place setting when you reserved a table.  They were famous for the creamy garlic salad dressing that they made in house, and when the son opened up his own restaurant, he maintained the dressing at his new location.  Some of the dishes that were always popular were; Prime Rib, Canadian Pickerel with a Cardinal Sauce, Rack of Lamb ala Grecque, and Shrimp Helene.  By and far the Shrimp Helene was my favorite dish, as it was spiced jumbo shrimp wrapped in Phyllo dough and served with Béarnaise Sauce, in fact this was another dish that his son carried over to his restaurant, as there were so many people that enjoyed this dish.  The restaurant also had one of the best wine lists, back in the day, when most restaurants only had perhaps a choice of five wines, they had a real book to present, including several different Burgundy wines, and there was always, as I recall a bottle or two of a Chambertin wine.

MI Chambertin Restaurant Menu

One night I remember I was home, and I received a phone call from the proprietor of the restaurant and he had forgotten to stop by the store to pick up his clothing order, and the store was closed, and he was leaving on a trip the next day.  I remember calling my boss, to tell him what had happened, and to let him know that I was going back to the store to pick up the altered clothes and deliver them to the restaurant.  This is what is now called “customer service,” but it was just part of the job as I saw it.  He and his wife were so pleased with what I had done, and they knew that was I was a fledgling wine devotee, that rather than offer me a gratuity or a gift certificate, they gave me a bottle of wine.  I kept that wine for several years before opening it, as I cherished the choice of the selection.  Some people would have just grabbed a bottle of one of the house wines, but they gave me a bottle of Chateau La Conseillante Pomerol 1970.  Even though Pomerol at the time had not been classified as the Medoc had been, this wine was considered one of the finer wines from the district, and I felt honored, I think that is why I held the wine for so long before opening it and it when I did, it was a most enjoyable evening.  The restaurant is no longer around, neither is the hotel for that matter, but when you talk to people in the know in Dearborn, they still speak of it, in a reverent manner.

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An Eclectic Set of Wines

Posted on January 22, 2014 by thewineraconteur

Once in a while, when you are with friends at a location, you encounter a couple of wines during a good time.  Sometimes the occasion is just a mini-party or a reason to have a drink and some laughs and this was an event.  I was helping out someone and then some other people came along, and that called for a glass of wine, and this was not at my home.  The host that day claims that his palette is not that sophisticated, and hence, even though he enjoys a glass of wine or two, he says that he buys “swill.”  I would not call either wine “swill” that we opened, as they are above what I call bulk wine, and perhaps they even tasted better, because of the occasion.

Cable Car Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

The first wine that we opened up was a bottle of Cable Car Cabernet Sauvignon 2012.  This particular wine is from Lodi, California and is owned by a much larger wine concern and they produce wine for immediate consumption, as opposed to cellaring for later enjoyment.  I find this is a trend that is quite the norm among a lot of wineries these days, as this is what the buying public seems to be interested in.  The wine was a good Cabernet Sauvignon, not excellent, but I thought it hit the mark for the type of wine that it was.  It did not have a great nose, or a lingering aftertaste, but it was made for a time and place that we were in at the moment.  I would not shy away from trying some of the other wines that they produce under this label at another time similar to this affair.

Castillo de Molina Merlot 2008

After we had finished this wine, the next wine was a Merlot wine, and there were some of the groans that I hear on occasion when a Merlot is brought out.  As I try to be diplomatic, I suggested that everyone give this wine a chance as I have enjoyed other wines from Chile and have been pleased with the products.  We opened up a bottle of Castillo de Molina Merlot 2008.  This wine is from the Cachapoal Valley, which is the Northern half of the much larger area known as the Rapel Valley, which is often encountered on wines from Chile, as this is a great expanse of a wine growing area.  This particular wine, marked Merlot, also had ten percent Cabernet Sauvignon as well.  I am glad that we had this wine after the first, as I felt it had more body and taste compared to the first bottle of wine.  As a popular priced wine, I felt that it offered more of a wine experience, than I have encountered from other wines in this category.

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Gundlach Bundschu Mountain Cuvee 2010

Posted on January 20, 2014 by thewineraconteur

A little while ago, I had the chance to enjoy this wine with some friends and it was a fine time.  We were enjoying the afternoon and everybody was happy.  We opened this bottle and we enjoyed the richness of this blend.  Then we enjoyed another bottle of it as well, with the same favorable appreciation.

Gundlach Bundschu Mountain Cuvee 2010

Gundlach Bundschu Winery is in Sonoma County, California and they have been making some fine wines and blends.  The estate was established in 1858 and has suffered the ups and downs of the wine industry and is still in the family.  They produce some fine estate varietal wines, but we were enjoying their Mountain Cuvee wine, which is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Petit Verdot, Syrah and Malbec.

The winery was one of the first to go out and produce a Merlot to market under their name, and they are quite proud of the fact.  In a side note, I had written an article for the Monthly Wine Challenge where the theme was “Mystery.”  I went on to discuss how it was a mystery that Merlot was apparently shunned by today’s wine writers.  I have to say that it may have been my most popular article that I had written, from the favorable response from other Wine Bloggers, and I also discovered that I was not the only one that had this respect and enjoyment for Merlot wines.  One of the other Bloggers, namely SAHMmelier, actually redirected me to a “GunBun video” that I was not aware of.  This video actually validated my article as far as I was concerned (and I am sorry if that sounds conceited, it is not meant to be, but I just enjoyed the video and its message so much).

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Kiernan’s in Dearborn, Michigan

Posted on January 18, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I am sorry to say that I just heard today, that a favorite restaurant, as well as a watering hole of mine is changing hands, as the owners are selling.  The fate of the restaurant is unknown at this time, as to whether it will continue being a steak house or if it will change its format.  As a way of honoring the memory, I am reposting this article that I wrote in August 2012, which was the fourth month of my writing this blog, so many people may not have ever read this, but I do hope you will humor me and allow me to repackage a story that I am very fond of.

Kiernan’s Steak House or the Night I Thought My Bride Lost Her Mind

This is a remembrance of a great dinner that started off, with me questioning the sanity of my Bride.  As I believe I have stated before I have belonged to a dinner group and I had planned on attending my club meeting that evening.  I got this strange cryptic phone call from my Bride, who insisted that we go to Kiernan’s for dinner that evening.  She told me that she had the taste of a certain dish and she wanted it to have it.   I reminded her that I had my dinner group and I would be pleased to go to Kiernan’s another evening.   That was not in my future, she was emphatic that we go that evening.  So I had to make calls and drive around to drop off part of the business portion of the club at another member’s home after I had ascertained that he was going to attend the meeting.  When he asked me, I told him that I had no idea why I had to go that evening, but for the sanctity of all that is holy I was going to go.  I was sure that my Bride had lost “it.”

 Kiernan's 1

Kiernan’s Steak House is one of the old guard restaurants that has survived the whims and changes of corporate methods of doing business.  The old days of great business lunches with the three martinis or manhattans and a great steak (or dinner for that matter) was a way to get business accomplished.  When I first started to go to Kiernan’s it was a long and narrow bar with some tables and booths and a great steak.  The patriarch of the Kiernan family slowly but surely acquired all of the neighboring business, until he had the entire corner.  With the able assistance of his sons they transformed the original Kiernan’s into a beautiful old bastion of a business eatery.  Part of it is now called Silky Sullivan’s and they still do a grand job of serving quality food, well made drinks and a short but fine wine list.

Kiernan's Matchbook

As we were getting ready to go to Kiernan’s I was also informed that we had to be there at an exact time and luckily I did not endanger any other motorists or pedestrians and I did not acquire any speeding tickets.  I was not a happy camper, as the saying goes.  We arrived at the restaurant and we were led to a big corner booth, and my Bride insisted that I sit next to the draped back of the booth, with my back to the restaurant.  I was reluctant, as I had so many customers and friends from Dearborn that I wanted to see if I could see some old faces, especially since I was upset by the events of the evening.

I had just ordered out dinner choices to the waitress.  My Bride was having her “Salmon” salad that she had to have and I was going to have a platter of ribs.   As my Bride enjoys a red wine with salmon, I ordered a Pinot Noir (you have to forgive me for not remembering the wine or securing the empty bottle as we left as a reminder, this will all make sense soon enough).

The bottle of wine was presented at the table, and I had just tasted it to make sure it was fine, and the glasses were poured and the waitress departed.  We were making small talk at the table, and I was still questioning my Bride’s sanity and faculties when all of a sudden I am getting kissed on the side of my face.  I was startled and jumped, thinking who would do that before introducing themselves at the table.  I turned to look at the perpetrator of such an indelicacy.  It was my daughter, who had made an emergency trip back to Dearborn by herself.  Now the situation made total sense to me, as my daughter does not feel that a trip to Dearborn is not complete without a dinner at Kiernan’s.  So we hastily ordered a dinner for my daughter and we all had a grand meal with a lot of catching up on her home front.  With all of the excitement of the evening I had forgotten to get the empty bottle to soak off the label as is my custom.

Kiernan's 2

We skipped dessert at Kiernan’s to go and have coffee and dessert at Shatila’s Bakery in East Dearborn.  Another of my daughter’s mandatory stops (she must be mine as food and beverage is an integral part of her plans).  Shatila offers some of the best baklava made and they make it both in the Armenian style and in the Arabic style, plus a wonderful selection of fine French pastries.

All in all, I am pleased to report that my Bride has not lost it, but I am still monitoring the situation.

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A Couple of New Toys

Posted on January 16, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I have discussed wine gadgets several times, and I dislike beating the subject to death, but I recently received a couple of gadgets that I think deserve mentioning.

 Decanter and funnel

The first item is another decanter, and yes there are several decanters already in this house, and it is in the classic style.  What is unique at least to me is the funnel with a micro screen mesh to make decanting a little easier.  Now there is just something as elegant as decanting an older bottle of wine over the flickering flame of a tapered candle.  This allows the wine to aerate and it also eliminates the sediment that can be found in the bottom of older Claret.  There is also the time when a newer bottle of wine needs to be decanted because the cork has crumbled and fallen into the bottle, and that is some fiber that is not necessary for the enjoyment of a bottle of wine.  This may alleviate the need for my using my tried and true method of using coffee filter papers in a funnel as I decant the wine, and it will look much classier.

 Travel Wine Pump

The other gadget and I must admit that both of these were gifts from my Bride, who just adores gadgets of all types, especially for the kitchen.  Naturally these are part of her bailiwick, or an adjunct to her domain.  The other gadget that I am looking forward to trying is a “wine pump” which we have used on those odd occasions when there is some wine left over.  What is intriguing about this particular pump, is that it is self contained in the stopper itself, and should be great to keep in my Dopp kit when we travel.  We like to have a bottle of wine in our hotel room, especially during the time when we are getting dressed to go out for dinner in the evening.  I will only need this pump, and not a separate pump attachment, so that will be one less item to pack and worry about.  I think that this is very ingenious and I am looking forward to trying it out as soon as possible.

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Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #6 (Mystery)–Time to Vote!

Posted on January 15, 2014 by thewineraconteur

The voting on this challenge is not just for bloggers, but for the readers as well.

the drunken cyclist's avatarthe drunken cyclist

MysteryWell, the time for submissions is now over, and I have to say I am thrilled with the number and quality of entries this time around! The previous “record” number of entries was 15 and this month we had 25 (a 67% increase). Now comes the hard part–choosing the top post. Here are links to all of the posts submitted (in order of submission), and they also can be found over at the “official” website of the challenge: www.mwwcblog.wordpress.com

Please let me know if your post is not listed–I Googled MWWC6 every night to make sure I was not missing any, so hopefully each post is below!

Wine Ramblings        An Edible Quest          Confessions of a Wine Geek

Michael’s Wine       Oenophilogical        renenutet13       Wayward Wine

foodwineclick        Julia Bailey        sweetempranillo        Duff’s Wine

My Custard…

View original post 223 more words

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From the Land of Tequila

Posted on January 14, 2014 by thewineraconteur

I am sure that most of you, like me, when you think of Mexico, you think of Tequila and Margaritas.  I like mine with salt on the rim of the glass and on the rocks, while my Bride prefers a frozen one with no salt.  The debates do not end there, as there are discussions about the different brands of Tequila, not to mention the myriad of beers that have also crossed the border in the last thirty years or so.  I mention this because I received a bottle of wine recently from Mexico, and it made me remember another bottle of wine that I had also received, and I had cellared with my Spanish wines, for a lack of a better designation on the wall.

 LA Cetto Nebbiolo Valle de Guadalupe 2009

If you are like me, you would wonder what varietal would be grown in Mexico and where in Mexico.   The wine center of Mexico is in Baja California, and it appears that the best area is Valle de Guadalupe.  Now this particular bottle is a “private reserve” of L.A. Cetto and was a gift from a dear friend of ours who also penned an article once here.  I have known him and his family for years now and I truly enjoy his company, and his subtle and sly humor.  A nice Sicilian who brings me a bottle of wine from Mexico, and the varietal is Nebbiolo; the famed grape that is found in Barolo wines of Italy.  This wine like its famed cousins in the Piedmont has been aged for four plus years at the winery, prior to the release date, as to allow the tannic quality of the grape to mellow.  This wine is sounding more intriguing as I study it.

 Ch Domecq Vino Tinto Valle de Guadalupe 2002

Surprising as it sounds, another good friend of mine, also of Italian descent loves to go deep sea fishing in Mexico, and he had brought me a bottle of wine from the land of the agave azul.  This second wine is also from Valle de Guadalupe from Casa Pedro Domecq and the label reads Chateau Domecq Vino Tinto 2002.  This particular wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, after the first wine should I refer to this wine as a “super Guadalupe” as I think of what these varietals have done in the Tuscan region.  I guess I shall have to come up with a special themed dinner to showcase these wines and allow my two friends to meet each other.

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Vacation Memories

Posted on January 12, 2014 by thewineraconteur

As a raconteur, I allow myself the leisure of rambling on at times.  I also have maintained souvenirs from vacations, which have allowed me a bit of “show and tell” at times.  Not only can I show wine labels or if I am in a hurry the wine bottle.  I also try to show matchbooks, when that was a common “gimme” that most hotels, restaurants and bars offered, in hopes that it may cause a return visit.  We also used to have a collection of cocktails stirrers, which is another item from a bygone era, not to mention that people (and surprise we are not of this group) collected ashtrays, before the government mandated that one cannot smoke in an establishment, but they still condone the practice as a way to create tax revenue.  I also have a friend that collects bar coasters, which are still being produced.

 Vacation Souvenirs

When friends come to our house, one of the wall curios in our family room is a framed “what-not” display that we inherited.  The question was what could be displayed in this wall hanging.  Enjoy me a little freedom from a wine article and we found the perfect keepsakes from our business and vacation travels.  We have acquired oodles and oodles of airline liquor bottles, not to mention that we also buy some unique items during our trips.  We have a very suitable liquor cabinet as we try to be good hosts, and periodically there are some guests who prefer not to have wine.  We may not totally agree with them, but we can certainly make them feel at home with a good drink or even a beer, if we know in advance on the suds, as neither of us really drinks beer.

 Four Different Bottles

Most of these bottles are still intact, though I am sure that there have been gremlins on the premises that have out of curiosity opened and enjoyed a drink or two.  The collection runs the gamut from the ordinary to the esoteric, and as I say some have been purchased as a reminder of a great trip.  Others may think of it as hoarders, but I have too many good memories to be made allow negative comments on our eclectic collections.

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