Another Christmas Season is Over

Posted on January 10, 2013 by thewineraconteur

If you follow this blog with any regularity, you know that my Bride has her annual Ladies Party right after the Thanksgiving weekend and that it kicks off our Christmas Season at the house.  That entails about forty cartons up from the basement in a “closet” that I set up using four bookcases, two deep and two wide.  I grumble that we do not lose any decorations, but we do seem to acquire more.

The End of the Christmas Season

 

Well we keep the decorations up for about a month; I won’t take them down until after Armenian Christmas which is January Six.  Some of the other Orthodox religions celebrate on the Seventh.  Well I had to open up the “closet” and carry the forty cartons back up, take down the decorations, and pack them up in the carton that they came in.  Then had to take them all down and repack up the closet.  A thankless task, at least it feels like that while I am doing it.

J Sonoma

 

I finished the task, and I had worked up a thirst, so I decided to see what a worthy reward for all of my labors was.  I discovered that I had another bottle of J Sonoma Champagne 1997 refrigerated, and once it is on ice, you don’t want to put it back in the shelf, that would be certain death for the wine.  So I decided that this was a worthy moment to sit back and enjoy some bubbly for a job well done.  Any reason is a good reason to open a bottle of sparkling wine.

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The Town Tavern in Royal Oak, Michigan

Posted on January 9, 2013 by thewineraconteur

This past Sunday was a rather unusual day for me.  My Bride was attending a memorial mass, and I was traveling to the far side of suburbs to a funeral home to pay my respects for a member of my dinner group.  I also picked up one other member of the group as we were going to go together.  So we made plans to meet our spouses afterwards at the Town Tavern in Royal Oak.

 

My Bride and I have been there before, but only at the bar and we enjoyed some very fancy bar dishes while we were with friends.  This time we were going to sit down and enjoy a meal with friends who live in Royal Oak, but had never eaten here before.  This restaurant is owned by the same people that own The Beverly Hills Grill in Beverly Hills, Michigan.

 

We enjoyed dishes like Chicken Caesar Salad, Sirloin Salad, Grilled Whitefish and Lobster Macaroni made with Mascarpone Cheese.  All the dishes were delightful and made very well, as there were no complaints about the food or the service.

Lock & Key Meritage 2009 Duckhorn Decoy 2010

 

We enjoyed a couple different bottles of red blend wines.  The first was a Meritage from Lock & Key Wine Company of St. Helena in Napa Valley, though the wine was from the North Coast.  It was enjoyable, but not as full bodied as some Meritage wines and it did not remind me of a Bordeaux wine.  The second blended wine we had was a  Duckhorn Decoy, which is a favorite of mine and had much more body and flavor.  I am glad that this was the second wine as it really delivered what I was looking for in a wine.

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The Canopy in Brighton, Michigan

Posted on January 8, 2013 by thewineraconteur

The Canopy was a popular restaurant in Brighton, Michigan a few decades ago.  It was a steakhouse before the term meant “premium.”  At the time, it was the finest establishment there, and they did a fine business the times that I was there.  They had a nice bar; this was the era when you either spent before dinner or after dinner in the lounge.  Times were more relaxed and one socialized more in these types of establishments.

 

MI The Canopy MB

 

This was the kind of restaurant that featured prime rib, porterhouse and T-bone steaks.  There were also a few seafood dishes and I will venture to say a chicken dinner as well.  There was one large dining room and then a second room that was used either as additional dining area or for parties.  In the era that they were busy, I believe that they had a smorgasbord feature one night a week.

 

Vin Rouge Lichine

 

This was a restaurant of its time and cocktails were king.  Wine was a secondary offering in places of this nature.  Which was fine, people dined, but they were not “foodies” like today.  So back then we enjoyed wines like Alexis Lichine Vin Rouge, a red table wine; or when offered a basic red Bordeaux like Chateau Redon.  Even then I would try to find a bottle of wine to make the dinner more special.  The restaurant is gone now, but there is a fine wine and liquor store in Brighton with the same name, and I have bought a few bottles there on occasion.

Chateau Redon Bordeaux

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The Fox & Hounds

Posted on January 7, 2013 by thewineraconteur

Years ago, when I first went to the Fox & Hounds it was considered out in the boondocks from where I grew up.  From Detroit it was almost in Pontiac, as this restaurant was located in Bloomfield Hills and it was said you couldn’t get there from here.  We used to joke that you had to pack a lunch to go there to eat, as we were much more pedestrian in travel to dine.  As the years past, this hallowed restaurant did not seem as distant as it once was, when I was a youth.

 

MI Fox & Hounds MB

 

This was a restaurant that gave the appearance of an establishment out in the country of England.  It became a landmark to travelers as it was unique in its architecture and façade.  This was also an era when prime rib was king among the restaurants and the Fox & Hounds was famous for its generous slices of this well prepared dish and always accompanied by some wonderful fresh horseradish on the side for a little zing.  While the restaurant had many other dishes that were popular among their regular clientele I was a creature of habit and always ordered the prime rib.  I always preferred the end cut, as I liked to order this meat a bit more well done, and it always seemed to arrive with less fat and more meat.  Also at this time my metabolism was better and it seemed that the end cut always was a bigger slice of meat, it probably wasn’t, but to my mind’s eye it was more generous.

Saint-Julien Descas Pere 1974

As I was just learning about wine at the time and self educating myself, the first time there I found a wonderful generic bottle of wine from the commune of Saint-Julien.  I found a blend from the negociants Descas Pere & Fils which was not really more expensive than a Bordeaux Superior or even an Haute Medoc at the time.  This commune is noted for some great wineries that have stood the test of time from the original classification of the Medoc.  While this was not a great chateau or even a minor chateau, it was from Saint-Julien and it allowed me to try something that I did not get a chance to try that often and I could afford in the early years (not by any stretch to I consider myself rich even today).  I still look for wines from the communes, either blends or some of the petite chateaus as a way to see how the district is holding up.

 

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Copper Creek and a Cab

Posted on January 6, 2013 by thewineraconteur

My Bride and I are always looking for a new restaurant and we tried The Inn at Copper Creek once.  It was a very nice restaurant just off a municipal golf course I believe, though since I don’t golf any more; I really did not check that out.  It was a good size restaurant and we had a nice meal there.

MI Copper Creek MB

 

They may have been ahead of the curve of a trend that is popular now in restaurants, that is the concept of comfort food.  This is now the rave, back then it was more novel for a new restaurant to attempt that.   I must admit that there are times when comfort food out is just the right choice after so many rich meals, and that is not to say that some comfort food can be very rich, but in a different style.  Macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy are all very filling and satisfying and depending on the skill of the Chef can also be very rich and velvety for a “foodie.”  My Bride and I consider ourselves “foodies,” and going out to discover new ways to prepare food is just so much fun.  This was that type of restaurant that gave a well produced dinner that was just enjoyable.

 

J Lohr Seven Oaks Cabernet Paso Robles

 

They had a small and tight wine list which is fine, if the restaurant is not pretentious.  We had a nice bottle of J. Lohr Estates “Seven Oaks” Cabernet Sauvignon from Paso Robles in California.  This was not a winery that we had stopped at when we were in Paso Robles, but we like the area for wines, and this was a very good wine to pair with our comfort food.  A good honest wine with good honest food is always a fine pairing as far as I am concerned, as the two must be harmonious.

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Boodles

Posted on January 5, 2013 by thewineraconteur

This is probably the classiest cinder block restaurant that one can encounter.  It has rather non-descript exterior, though they do have kind of a nice semi enclosed patio for dining as well.  Once you step inside you will be surprised at how nice it is.  It is a little cramped with tables, booths and a good size bar, but the ambience and the food will allow you to forgive the tight quarters.  On some nights there is even live entertainment with classic music playing.

MI Boodles MB

 

My Bride and I have been eating here for years, because it is a great in the middle location for us to meet other couples.  We have met people there for Sunday brunches as well as for dinners.  We have never had a bad meal there.  The restaurant has most of the classic dishes that a steak house would have, some great fish and seafood, and they make some excellent sauces to accompany certain dishes.

 

They also do some dishes table side like Caesar Salad, Steak Diane, Steak au Poivre, Rack of Lamb and Chateaubriand and a couple other dishes I am sure of, but these I remember.  How many restaurants still offer this service, especially not in a high rent district?  That is why this restaurant is always busy, the food is excellent and the prices are not dear, considering the quality and service.

Le Mas des Collines Cotes du Rhone

 

Another little quirky touch that I enjoy is that the specials are written on a couple of blackboards around the restaurant.  The specials are not only for the food, but usually a couple of wines that are not on the main wine list.  While the wine list is not huge, it appears to be well thought out with some good popular wines, and some very good moderately priced wines.  I always look to see what the special wines are, as they may be more fun and interesting.   One night we had a Le Mas de Collines Cote du Rhone wine and as I have stated more then once I really enjoy the wines from this region, and will always opt for a bottle, even if I don’t know the anything about the wine but the district.  It is hard to be disappointed and for the most part is very reasonably priced.

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A Couple of Other Wines

Posted on January 4, 2013 by thewineraconteur

When we have dinner parties I always like to put out some wines to start the evening off with, to lead into the main wine or wines later on with our meal.  I believe the wines with the meal are the most important, but I would not want any of my guests to die of thirst until then.  If you start off with a Chateau Petrus where do you go from there?

Chateau Ste Michelle Chardonnay 2011

 

 

The first two wines are popular priced Chardonnays and both of 2011 vintage.  I have found that this year has been very good for Chardonnay wines here in the states.  The first wine that I will discuss is Chateau Ste. Michelle from the Columbia Valley in Washington State.  It was a very pleasant wine that worked well with appetizers and some of the cheeses that we always set out on the table.

La Crema Chardonnay 2011

 

 

The other Chardonnay that I started off another evening with was La Crema from the Sonoma Coast of California.  This is from a big producer of Chardonnay wine and I really like the taste of it.  It is not mind blowing, but a good dependable wine that I am not afraid to serve my friends.  Either of these two wines have been our dinner wine at some restaurants that are not adventurous with their wine selections.

 

Rietvallei Shiraz 2008

 

The third wine that I will discuss is a red wine that sounded intriguing.  It is from the Burger Family Rietvallei Estate Wine company from Robertson, South Africa.  The wine was a blend of 75% Shiraz, 20% Petit Verdot and 5% Viognier.  Since I enjoy Shiraz and Viognier wines I thought what is not to like about this bottle.  It was a very nice red, not as heavy as some Shiraz wines that I have had, but perhaps this was from the blending.  There was some fruit and some spice, and I found that a nice mix with the appetizers.  Some times I can not always find the exact wine again, but I can always find something that I hope will be similar, which is the beauty and enjoyment of wines.

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Some Red Wines over the Holidays

Posted on January 3, 2013 by thewineraconteur

Between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve we had company over for three dinners.  There were several different meal plans and everything worked out well.  We enjoyed dinners of filets, pastas and pork tenderloins, along with assorted appetizers and desserts.  We also had wines, some of the white wines I have discussed before, because when my Bride finds a white wine that she enjoys, she makes sure that we have it available.  The three reds that I will discuss were brought here by my Bride’s sister and her husband.

Altesino Brunelllo di Montalcino 1997

 

 

The first wine I will talk about is an Altesino 1997.  It is a Brunello di Montalcino from the southern part of Tuscany near Siena.  The term Brunello is a diminutive form of the word Bruno, which means brown, because the grape is a brown color.  This grape is now known as the Sangiovese grape varietal that really excels in this region.  All Brunello di Montalcino wines are made of one hundred percent Sangiovese grapes.  While other sections of Tuscany are now growing Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes, they are not allowed in this designation and they do not grow as well in this area.  There was a scandal where some of the vintners were using other varietals and claiming the wine to be a Brunello.  The current law requires that the wine is to be in oak barrels for a minimum of two years and then an additional four months in bottles before it can be released   The Altesimo wine really showed its quality that night, even though it was made prior to this new set of laws.  There was still some fruit and the tannins had mellowed and it really paired well with the Lasagna and with the Palomino Sauce that we had with the pasta.  It was a bit overpowering, I thought, for the Fettuccini al Fredo, but everyone else seemed to enjoy it.

Duckhorn Merlot Howell Mountain Napa 2000

 

We also had a couple of 2000 vintage wines.  The first was from Duckhorn Vineyards in Napa Valley.  It was a magnum of the Howell Mountain Merlot, which is one the best designations from Duckhorn.  Since we had been to the winery we had tasted a couple of wines from Howell Mountain and it is wine to look for.  My Brother-in-law had bought this magnum the last time he was at Duckhorn, and then a couple years ago he had a new addition put on his house from the basement up, so he had a beautiful wine cellar built.  When he went to open the wine bottle he was a little concerned about the some wine on top of the cork, and he was concerned that perhaps the last couple of years may not have been the best storage for his magnums as they are on a rack standing up to showcase these bottles.  There was a little “foxiness” at the first taste, but it seemed to dissipate as the wine had time to breathe.  Another year or two of storage for this wine may have been detrimental to it.

Beaulieu Vineyards CS Centennial Lot Napa 2000

 

 

The other 2000 red that we enjoyed during the holiday week was from Beaulieu Vineyards also from Napa Valley.  This was a Centennial Lot Cabernet Sauvignon with the cachet of “Winemaker’s Collection.”  This was quite a full wine and it would have still been excellent I would say for another five or more years.  There was a lot of fruit still in the wine, it had not fully mellowed or matured, at least that was my thoughts as I was drinking it.  Beaulieu Vineyards is a winery that impresses me with every bottle that I have tried.

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A New Years Eve Story

Posted on January 2, 2013 by thewineraconteur

I have what I consider a good wine cellar that holds about twelve hundred bottles of wine.  I was getting some props to take a picture to post on Facebook to wish everyone a Happy New Year.  As I have stated in the past I am a bit of a pack rat, which for this blog is a good thing, because I can furnish scans of items that I have kept from wineries, restaurants and the like, which helps me remember stories to write about.

Vintage Champagne

 

I had four presentation boxes that had housed vintage French Champagnes, and I thought that would be a great picture as a way to toast my “friends” on Facebook.  As I started to gather the presentation boxes, I discovered one of the boxes was still sealed and it still contained a bottle of Moet & Chandon Dom Perignon 1983.  My heart sunk upon making this discovery.  I was sure that this bottle was over the hill, almost thirty years old for a white wine, it was a crap shoot as they say in the betting parlance.

Dom Perignon 1983

 

I took the bottle out of the box after the photo shoot and iced it along with some other bottles of Champagne for the New Years Eve dinner and party we were having that evening.  I thought per chance there would be a still a drinkable still wine left in the bottle.  After all it had been stored properly all of these years.

 

When the time came to open the Champagnes that we were pouring that evening, with trepidation the Dom Perignon was opened and there was a pop.  A good harbinger I thought.  I poured some into a flute; the color was a darker flax shade, with a good showing of tiny bubbles in a continuous motion, another good sign.  Then I brought the flute up and then the problems began.  The nose was foxy, not foul, but not a good nose for Champagne.  Then I tasted the wine and it was over the hill, there was no redeeming taste to the glass.  I then asked my Brother-in-law to try it as well, as I had relayed the story to him earlier over appetizers.  He concurred with my decision on the wine, and it was unceremoniously poured down the drain.  Here was a lost bottle of a wine that should have been enjoyed years ago, but was lost in the shuffle of my inventory.  I shall have to keep a more focused eye on my wines.

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Pan Asian Cuisine and Wine

Posted on January 1, 2013 by thewineraconteur

I have to admit that most of the cuisine from this part of the world is outside of my comfort level.  This is not the case for most people, so I am in a minority.  My other problem is that I have to find restaurants that can actually create dishes with out resorting to MSG (Monosodium Glutamate) which creates havoc internally for me.

Ch Julien Gewurztraminer Monterey 2000

 

I remember years ago when we were dating, my Bride insisted that we go to one of her favorite restaurants in Chicago for some Thai food.  I agreed to it, with some trepidation, but I figured she would be my guide.  When we got to the restaurant, which will remain anonymous we began to read the menu.  When the waiter returned to take our order, I asked him which dishes could I get that would have no MSG in the dish.  He paused, left and returned with the manager, to answer my question.  With the myriad of dishes on the menu, I ended up ordering boiled shrimp and white rice, no sauces of any kind.  After dinner I being the pain in the rear, that I can be, kept saying that was the best Thai food that I had ever eaten.

 

With that lesson firmly embedded, my Bride continued on her quest to find places that she could enjoy and be able to drag me along as well.  One restaurant not far from our home has a sign on the side of the building that says “NO MSG” that is bigger than the side which proclaims their name.  Since they do not have libations, she will usually get the food as a carry out and bring it home, if she is not in the mood to go out for dinner.

MI PF Chang's MB

 

Another place that she has found is a national chain of restaurants called P.F. Chang’s which also does not rely on MSG, so we have eaten at several of their locations through the years, as well as getting carry outs as well.  As I said earlier, I usually side step the menu and allow my Bride to make dinner selections, as she is used to my likes and dislikes about food.  This way everyone comes out happy from the dinner.

 

When we are ordering this type of food, since it is mostly chicken or seafood, the go to wine by choice is made from the Gewurztraminer grape varietal.  This grape must be hardy as it is grown in France, Austria, the western states of America, New York and Michigan at least I have enjoyed this type of wine from these areas.  The Gewurztraminer is sometimes seen also as the Traminer grape, and sometimes even as Spicy Traminer.  It is a white wine that has a memorable floral nose and a natural spiciness in the mouth.  I find it to be refreshing with the Pan Asian dishes that I have enjoyed.  When people ask me for a recommendation for a wine to pair, I always cite this varietal and tell people not to even worry about the brand, but to look for as young of a wine as they can get.  If you haven’t tried this type of wine, I would strongly suggest it the next time you are out, and you can usually find it being offered in some form.

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