Piqueras and Piccata

Posted on April 24, 2020 by thewineraconteur

“Von Luger: Are all American officers so ill-mannered? Hilts: Yeah, about 99% Von Luger: Then perhaps while you are with us you will have a chance to learn some.  Ten days isolation, Hilts. Hilts: CAPTAIN Hilts. Von Luger: Twenty days. Hilts: Right, Oh, uh, you’ll still be here when I get out? Von Luger: (visibly annoyed) Cooler!”

We are still here, gallows humor and all, making the most of the situation.  I am sure that most of the country, if not the world is into “Social Distancing” and isolation.  We are all trying to keep our wits about us.  Life goes on, a bit slower, perhaps, but it does.  You can talk to the family and trust that everyone is good and that is all that we can do, travel is not essential.  We are actually trying to keep to a schedule, my Bride is for sure, as she is one of the fortunate ones that can work remote, so from 8:30 to 4:30 she is manning the computer and phone, I mean she went so far as to have her desk phone at work transfer all the calls to her cellular phone, so that she doesn’t have to retrieve messages.  As for me, I have been practicing being retired, and perhaps I will go back to practicing when this is all over, but I am retired with no place to go and no one to see.  We check the morning newspaper for the latest changes if any and then we also will check the official rules listed by the State Police.  We will get out to see the daylight beyond our thirty-minute three-mile walk.  I am not laying down watching television, I gave that habit up almost forty years ago, just like smoking, salt and coffee, but I still enjoy wining and dining.  I also discovered that I am drinking more at home then in my entire life, only because unless we had company over, we normally did not drink at home, but we did drink out.

So far, between the two refrigerators and the one chest freezer, and the two pantries we are surviving quite comfortably.  As I have stated before, my Bride once had a bad stretch and she never wants to repeat those days again, so she has always bought groceries anticipating Armageddon.  It paid off in spades this time, as we have besides groceries, cleaning supplies of all types, alcohols and disinfectants, medical supplies and paper products.  We won’t have to rip pages out of first editions and hopefully the price of toilet paper will be normal, by the time we need to buy it again.  I am even thinking, but only thinking that perhaps I might even go through all of the spice containers and maybe consolidate what we have and see if the ones that we have are still worth saving; who knows I may even organize the DVDs.  Anyway, my Bride is trying some new dishes and it has been good.  She made Chicken Piccata, a dish that we usually have if we want something lighter when we go out for dinner.  She was very happy that it was much easier than she had imagined and she didn’t use as many capers as the recipe called for, so she was glad and as for me, I just enjoyed the dinner. 

I decided that I wanted a red wine for dinner, as we have had quite a bit of white wine, as that is what she still basically grabs as her go to wine.  Chicken with lemon, garlic and capers made me think a bit, as to whether I would attempt a red, but I figured why not, if it didn’t work, we have whites on reserve.  I am a realist.  So, I went to some of the more esoteric reds that we somehow accumulate and then I sneak them in, especially at parties, where wine tends to evaporate.  The wine I selected was Bodegas Piqueras Black Label 2015.  The winery is in their fourth generation and is found in Almansa, a newer DO (1966) located in the much larger Castilla La Mancha of Spain.  They have been growing wines there since the Sixteenth Century in an area that is known for their lack of rain, but the gravelly limestone soil seems to hold the necessary water for the season.  Almansa “prefers” red wines, but the DO does “authorize” some white varietals as well.  The most famed grape for Almansa is Monastrell, or Mourvedre as it is known in the rest of the world, and this particular bottle is half Monastrell and the other half is Syrah, another grape that does exceedingly well in Spain.  The wine is aged four to six months in a mix of French and American Oak barrels.  The wine had a natural spice to me, that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, and I thought a kind of frizzante finish which I know shouldn’t be there, I really enjoyed it for a change of pace, my Bride, not as much, but she did say that a day later when we reopened it, that she felt that it was much better the next day.  Even wines like to get into fresh air. 

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A Night of Shrimp Cocktail

Posted on April 22, 2020 by thewineraconteur

“From this day on, the official language of San Marcos will be Swedish. Silence! In addition to that, all citizens will be required to change their underwear every half-hour. Underwear will be worn on the outside so we can check. Furthermore, all children under 16 years old are now… 16 years old!” That is a classic quote of nonsense that I remember from a film, back when I was in school. I am developing a sense of gallows humor as I write this article it has been 26 days that I have been under shelter at home rules and the rules are getting more stringent, while I have heard of others that have endured ten days and are getting back to some form of civility and humanity.  Michigan is the third in the country for the most golf courses and second in the nation for registered boats and the citizens are not allowed to do either, along with dining in, and getting haircuts and manicures.  The rules have since lightened up a bit, you can go on your boat if it doesn’t have a motor, and you can golf on a private course if you carry your own clubs and keep a social distance from your golfing partner. With tuberculosis they ended up building sanitariums out in the country and let the people reside there, until they were cured or died. I realize that we must be safe, but I don’t remember such measures in my lifetime about any other disease, and there have been several terrible diseases that have been seen over the last ten and even to twenty years.

One of the Friday evening meals, my Bride decided that we were going to make a meal of Shrimp Cocktail, because we are still in Lent and she abides by the rules, and hence so do I, by osmosis.  She had a bottle of Cocktail Sauce with fresh horseradish that she wanted to try.  She also had a commercial rice pilaf that she had bought that was with almonds, but she altered their suggested method of preparation and used chicken broth in place of water, and it was a much better alternative, I am sure.  Actually, it was kind of fun to have such a casual dinner and she probably allotted too many shrimps, but she says that she has plenty more for other dishes.  Actually, it has been an interesting experiment, even if I do complain, but I think that those that obey, suffer more harshly compared to ones that are out gallivanting as if the laws don’t apply to them.  I guess that is why there are parts of Michigan that are suffering more recorded ailments, but I feel that our satrap governor may be demanding that every medical incident, be it a hangnail or cancer be listed as the whatever the current politically correct name is for this disease.

We were still making room in the refrigerator in the garage, for storage of dishes waiting to be used as leftovers, trying to be as efficient as possible.  So, I grabbed a bottle of wine that was already chilled.  The Joseph Carr Josh Cellars Pinot Grigio California 2019 is a wine that I felt that I needn’t worry about as we have always had success with his Chardonnay.  Joseph Carr began in 2005 making his line of wines, representing the best of vineyards for a California version of the classic French wines.  In 2007 he created the Josh Cellar line to represent California wines in a more relaxed, and affordable price range and named this collection after his father.  The fruit for this wine comes from all parts of California.  Joseph Carr is part of the much larger Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, and as an interesting side note, Joseph Carr lives in Cape Cod when he is not making wine.  I was also very impressed with an add that I just saw from Joseph Carr and Josh and their pledge to the Restaurant Workers’ Community.  Normally, with shrimp I think I would have gone with a white wine that had more body, but I thought that a chilled Pinot Grigio would be a more low-key pairing with the Cocktail Sauce with fresh Horseradish and it worked quite well.  Onward to more wining and dining at home. 

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Thank God for a Cellar

Posted on April 20, 2020 by thewineraconteur

“Papillon made it to freedom. He lived out the rest of his natural born life. The Penal Colony did not.” As the days dwindle away, I almost feel like I should be making hash-marks on the wall.  We are making the most of it, the same way everyone else is.  The liberty that we enjoyed just weeks ago, seems like a bittersweet memory as we are just pawns in a political fiefdom.  I can think of plenty of things to do, and I am trying to make small dints in the progress, but I just can’t get truly motivated and I am really a happy go-lucky guy.  It is hard to believe that a virus has put a stranglehold on parts of the world, and yet we hear nothing from other parts of the world.  My Bride and I are doing what we can, and we are still maintaining our life style.  Getting up in the morning, three square meals a day, household duties and our daily half-hour walk, which may have to be extended, because soon the route we walk will be finished in less than a half-hour, but we do need that brisk walk, as we walk all over the place, so as not to invade the space of other neighbors that have decided that they need to get out in the fresh air as well.

We have a well stored larder, which is a bonus today.  My Bride had a brief period in her life, where food was limited and since that time, she has been determined to have more food that is needed, and it has paid off now.  Our meals have been varied, not frou-frou, but with the ability to maintain our strength and our soul.  Just before this ordeal, she had signed on with Weight Watchers, because she thought she was a bit overweight, and she had maintained the regimen, I have been kind of under the same system as we both are eating the same meals, but she is more strict and she is getting the results that she desired.  One of the meals that we have had, and yes, just about every meal has been made to have at least one additional meal was Kielbasa and Sauerkraut.  Definitely a good Ethnic dish, but we have always had discussions, as she always bought “fresh” and I was always a fan of “smoked” and one day she tried the “smoked” and she really liked the flavor.  She also used to boil the meat, and I have always preferred it fried with the sauerkraut and onions and some diced potatoes.  After a meal like that, one is not hungry, which is good, because if anything, I have to lose some weight as well.

Since, it was time to open another bottle of wine, I had to do some decision making.  With Fresh Kielbasa it would be much easier, because the meat is rather bland, except for some spices used in the preparation.  With Smoked Kielbasa, the flavor is heavier and more pronounced, and even the fat has a different personality.  So, I was looking at my different wines, not the usual suspects, I was looking at some of the wines that we buy for company, but we have no company to entertain.  I went with a winner, actually a real winner.  The wine was a spectacular wine from Michigan, namely Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling 2017.  In their Twentieth year of production Black Star Farms on Old Mission Peninsula in Michigan, they were honored to receive the 19’th Annual Canberra International Riesling Challenge (CIRC) -Best Wine of the 2018 Challenge and only the second time an American wine came out on top.  There were 567 Rieslings from six countries (Australian, New Zealand, USA, Germany, France and the Czech Republic).  The Black Star Farms Arcturos Dry Riesling 2017 scored 98 points, in addition to taking home Best Dry Riesling and Best American Riesling.  The acidity of this wine just did wonders with the potentially difficult Kielbasa and the two just paired perfectly.  Even my Bride enjoyed it the nuances of flavor, so we may not be at the French Laundry, but we are wining and dining as best as we can, as we all look forward to an end of this period. 

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A Dish for All Nationalities

Posted on April 18, 2020 by thewineraconteur

“These walls are funny. First you hate ’em, then you get used to ’em. Enough time passes, you get so you depend on them. That’s institutionalized.”  Maybe, a week went by and were deciding on other dishes to make.  I mean, if we are going to cook, we may as well make enough for a second night of food and then it can feel like it is a “doggie bag” from dining out.  The mind has to try to make the most of the situation that it has been given.  Slowly, our personal liberties have been taken from us, by the Nanny State, as the State knows what is best for us, no dining out, no shopping, no barber or beauty parlor trips and the list goes on.  Now, in the big picture, it is true and we must all bear the burden together, or do we? Somehow, some people suffer more than others and in parts of the state, the whole set of rules have seemed to be ignored, because certain pockets have much higher casualties compared to other parts of the state. I think that we are all feeling claustrophobic and powerless in our own homes. I will feel better when I can go out of my house for more than our daily three mile walk in the neighborhood, avoiding anyone else that also wants some fresh air to clear out the cobwebs. While we all wish for the end of this mess, and hope for the best, there is still an undercurrent of them against us, that I also hope will end.

Anyways, we were trying to come up with a dish that was different and I suggested Stuffed Peppers.  I mean, to me there is not a dish that is more universal.  Growing up, in my little borough in Detroit, which was the “melting pot” that they used to talk about when discussing America.  Every kid that I grew up with, grew up eating Stuffed Peppers, there might have been different nuances on the ingredients, some might have used lamb, beef or pork and the spices may change, but otherwise it is rather universal.  To be truthful it, it is even a dish that we hadn’t had for some time, because it isn’t a dish that one thinks of ordering when one goes out for dinner (remember those days).  We haven’t really even done take out, because of the rumors that people driving around are viewed as “enemies of the state” and you may need letters of transit, but that is another movie, but there is no prison scene in it.  Oh, a bonus to making the Stuffed Peppers is that my Bride made Rice Pudding from the extra rice.  The funny thing is that with all of the grape products in this house, we had no raisins, so she got creative and used raspberries; and it worked. 

I guess, we are trying to be good and before I start attacking the cellar with gusto, we have slowly used up the wines that were previously opened, and so far not a wine suffered for being opened and then resealed with one of those rubber corks and air pumps, so they are really a good investment.  I also have found that we are not drinking as much wine, in the confines of the house, which seems counter-intuitive, but that is the way it has worked out.  The Joseph Carr Josh Cellars Chardonnay 2018 is a wine that I never worry about, as it is always fresh, citrusy with a touch of oak/butter in the mix.  Joseph Carr began in 2005 making his line of wines, representing the best of vineyards for a California version of the classic French wines.  In 2007 he created the Josh Cellar line to represent California wines in a more relaxed, and affordable price range and named this collection after his father.  The fruit for this wine comes from both Mendocino and Monterey counties, both respected for producing quality Chardonnay grapes.  Joseph Carr is part of the much larger Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits, and as an interesting side note, Joseph Carr lives in Cape Cod when he is not making wine.  I really debated as to whether I should have used a white or a red with the dish, since the meat was beef, and there was a tomato based sauce, but the Chardonnay being chilled and with that touch of oak, was pleasant with the dish and the spices, and I think we both had seconds to finish off the wine, but it just tasted that good.  We would worry about the wine for the leftovers for a later date. 

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The Durand and the Joule for Easter

Posted on April 16, 2020 by thewineraconteur

“On the avenue, Fifth Avenue, the photographers will snap us. And, you’ll find that you’re in the rotogravure.  Oh, I could write a sonnet about your Easter bonnet.  And, of the girl I’m taking to the Easter parade.”  I have such memories of Easter that I even tried to maintain for my children, though I think that I lost the battle with the grandchildren.  I did not grow up in an affluent wealthy community, but we were rich in traditions and beliefs.  I can remember every parent and child looking their very best for Easter Sunday, as we walked to church, and actually plenty of people back then actually did walk to church, because where I grew up, I bet in a twenty block area there must have been a dozen churches from cathedrals to store fronts and they all had full attendance, especially on Easter.  I think children were excited to get something fancy to wear, not to mention that there would be an Easter basket or gift for them.  The other great memory was that we would be eating at our grandparent’s home, just because it was Sunday, but on Easter it was an extra special treat.  In this house we maintained having an Easter dinner, of course we even celebrated all the birthday people in the month as well, for a festive day.  A great tradition until this year, when a power-hungry brand-new governor with no real experience, shut down the state for commerce, education and for the citizens.  It was emphatically stated that people could not visit, even on Easter, this fiat came after the start of Passover.  I mean most people that I know would have been smart enough, not to mention that most of us had by that time already experience at least fifteen days of solitary confinement, so if we had been ill, it would have been apparent.  This was not good enough for the hob-nailed booted petty satrap that wanted total allegiance to her.  She had even in her infinite wisdom announced that home-schooling was not allowed, which had to be changed by her, when even some of her lackies had the common-sense to point out how bad of an idea that was.  Anyways, as I stated in the prior article, my Bride and I celebrated Easter at our home alone, and she watched Mass on the television, because attending church was also verboten.  We dressed up for our Easter Sunday and there were gifts, just like when we were kids. 

The only difference on gifts nowadays, is that at our age, we get items and will tag them for special occasions.  I mean she may buy a blouse and say it is for Easter and that is great, well there was a “toy” that we have watched being used a couple of times, and I even remarked that I could see her getting one eventually, well eventually was Easter.  We now have the Joule Sous Vide by ChefSteps in white.  What is Sous Vide?  Joule cooks food Sous Vide, by heating water to a precise temperature for perfect, predictable results.  The claim is that anyone can cook Sous Vide; one simply sets the Joule in a pot of water, place food in a “Ziplock style” bag, and drop the bag into the heated water.  Joule will let you know when it is done to the exact temperature that you want.  I have read some articles and there are two school of thoughts, some feel that the meat should be seared first, and others feel that the meat should be seared after; I guess it will take some experimentation to discover the best method for us. 

This year, my Bride did not give me an Easter basket, but a nice gift bag with a card and the required chocolate candies, alas not my one marshmallow peep, those candies that could probably survive in a time vault and still be “edible.”  Underneath all of that candy was a box, containing The Durand.  Now to back up the narrative, on another Social Media site I saw a very curious type of corkscrew being used on a very old bottle of wine with good success, and I have to admit that I have some very old bottles of wine.  Most of the time the corks crumble and I must decant the wine through a coffee filter in a funnel.  The Durant is a combination of two corkscrews that work in tandem with each other.  First you use a part of the tool that is a classic version of a corkscrew with a very impressive worm.  The second part of The Durand is the corkscrew that some call the “Ah So;” the tool that has two ribbons of thin steel that is slowly inserted between the cork and the glass bottle.  I think this two-part endeavor will be perfect.  Looking forward to trying it, but I will watch their instructional video on their website a couple of times, before I attempt the first one.  Another Easter has been put to sleep, and hopefully we won’t have another one like this. 

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Yacoubian-Hobbs for Easter

Posted on April 14, 2020 by thewineraconteur

Easter is considered to be the Holiest Day for most sects of Christianity.  As an Armenian, I can attest from history that ever since they became the first Christian nation, Armenia has been suffering at the hands of other nations that don’t believe in the same faith.  The term genocide was coined over the mass murder of Armenians.  Why do I bring this up?  Ever since I can remember, there has been an Easter dinner with lamb as a central focus of the meal.  As the family grew, one of my cousins even created an Easter Eve party, because we had all started having Easter dinners with our own families, as a way to get the cousins together the night before for another lamb dinner.  This year, as you probably are aware there is a virus that is allowing petty satraps to take away liberties from the citizens.  Here in Michigan through the fiats of the governor, it is verboten to visit a friend, a neighbor or a relative.  It is now illegal to go to a nursery to buy flowers for the table or to take to a gravesite.  It is illegal to visit your own vacation home, you must continue to pay the taxes for the two homes, but you are stuck in one location.  As was written in The Detroit News “She would rather be obeyed than compromise” and in the same article the attorney general has even gone to paying informants if people attempt to express their liberty in doing such actions that are subversive to the governor.  Which all brings me back to Day 26 of our solitary confinement and my Bride wanted me to have an Armenian dinner, even if only the two of us could enjoy it.

We started off with Lahmajoon, which for non-Armenians, I usually call it an individual size Armenian pizza, but it is beyond that.  It should be made with small very thin sheets of dough, that is covered with finely ground lamb, diced onions, diced parsley, diced garlic mixed with a tomato paste and plenty of hot spices, it is then baked and should be immediately eaten.  I can remember in the old days, my Grandmother making hundreds of them and they seemed to vanish as soon as she pulled them out of the oven, to make more; now granted this is when everyone sat and milled about in the kitchen while she was cooking.  She also made Armenian Pilaf which is a staple in our house, almost for any dish, especially for the big parties and even the non-Armenians are upset when we don’t have it.  For the uninitiated, it is browned egg noodles and rice steeped in chicken broth and butter, until all the broth and butter have been absorbed by the rice, and yes, my family has always made this with garlic as well.  She made Brussels Sprouts sautéed with Bacon and drizzled with Aged Balsamic for some greens.  We also had Lamb Chops, which were marinated in garlic and rosemary, you do see a common denominator here.  After we had house-made Chocolate Pudding with Whipped Cream.   We called the two families in Las Vegas before dinner, and had a “Face Time” with Ms. Yoga during dinner, and then afterwards we had a “Zoom” sessions with her sisters and Mother and it reminded me of an old television show The Hollywood Squares, but there were twelve squares instead of nine and conversations  were continuous. 

Which finally brings me to the wine for the evening and we went Armenian as well, and no there was garlic in the terroir.   About a half a year ago, I went to a special wine tasting event at one of the Armenian churches in the Detroit area and had a chance to try many different Armenian wines along with some great Armenian food, and the event was a fund raiser.  I did not give the wine a glowing review, much to my sadness, but I feel that I must be true, in what I write.  I went back and copied what I wrote, to save you the effort “The other wine that I will discuss is the Yacoubian Hobbs Areni Noir Vayots Dzor 2015 that I had actually read about and was glad to see its presence and I was looking forward to trying it.  Paul Hobbs of California has been partnered with at least two wineries outside of the United States and here with the Yacoubian family.  The partnership began in 2008 and a new vineyard was planted in 2014 near the Areni – 1 Cave, the site of the world’s first commercial winery.  The Areni Noir grape is ancient in Armenia, but a fresh newcomer to the international wine community; it is a dark, thick skin grape that is perfectly adapted to the major temperature swings in the high elevation plateau where the grapes grow best.  This wine is also from the Vayots Dzor region.  The wine was fermented and aged in Stainless Steel and eleven-hundred cases were produced.  As I stood in line to get a taste of the wine, the couple in front of me, took one sip, poured the balance of the wine into the spittoon, and immediately rinsed the glass with water, looked at me, and told me not to bother, but I had to try it.  They were absolutely right, I could find no redeeming qualities to the wine, and I really would prefer not to say that.  The entire wine was off, the nose was non-existent and the wine had nothing worth noting, I could not even find any words to describe what I was tasting.”  After all of the wines and reviews I did mention that I felt that the tasting event was not well handled, the wines may have been rushed in, and in perhaps not the best manner.  I also mentioned that a lot of the vineyards were young, and there is something to be said about old vines, or so many labels would not mention that fact.  I also said that I would not let that one night deter me from trying more wines from Armenia.  I was amazed that I was approached by Yacoubian- Hobbs, as I was surprised that they even found my article, let alone would even offer to let me write about their wines again; I feel that reveals the integrity of the winery to look past a poor review and try again.   I would say that with ten days of being contacted by Paul Hobbs of California, I was in possession of Yacoubian-Hobbs Areni Rind, Vayots Dzor 2016.  Everything I have read about this new wine, is consistent with the 2015 vintage, so I am hoping the extra year for the vines and my cellaring will produce a different review.  My Bride even kind of made a face when she saw what wine I was opening up, as I think she was expecting me to open up something more to her liking for the dinner.  I allowed the wine to breathe an hour before dinner and I poured two glasses about a half hour before dinner.  This wine, was not the same wine that I had at the fund raiser and the short time in the cellar allowed it to mellow, the nose was soft and the taste and finish evoked red fruits and not dark fruits, but still very tasty.  In fact, my Bride looked at me and said this wine is really good, and we proceeded to finish the bottle between dinner and “Zoom” time.   It would have been better with people, but we obey the laws, with the anticipation that the governor will issue a reprieve.

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My Sauce Bolognese

Posted on April 12, 2020 by thewineraconteur

“Hey, come over here kid, learn something.  You never know you might have to cook for twenty guys someday.  You see, you start out with a little bit of oil.  Then you fry some Garlic.  Then you throw in some tomatoes, tomato paste, you fry it, ya make sure it doesn’t stick.  You get it to a boil.  You shove in your sausage and meatballs, heh..?  And a little bit of wine, add a little bit of sugar, and that’s my trick.”  We are losing count of the days we are in self-quarantine.  It is the first time that I can remember that a Michigan governor followed an Ohio Governor in how to lead, but most of the state seems to be coping with it. 

Any ways, I guess I am helping out in the kitchen, and that is OK, because it was brought up that perhaps I should make my Sauce Bolognese.  Now you have to realize, that when I cook, there is a mess, not like I am a slob, but I get everything prepped like I am a big-time chef.  There are bowls of pre-diced peppers, garlic, a couple bowls of onions and mushrooms.  My Bride went to one of those chains that sell everything and they even think that they can sell groceries, I have never set foot in one of the stores, but she came back with the ingredients, but mostly Brand X.  Now normally, I want the stewing meat from the butcher shop ground twice, but since there was a rush on groceries she came home with a couple of packages of “ground sirloin” that did not look like any ground meat that I have ever saw.  I have two secrets that I will share with you, when making the sauce, I like to start with frying up some prosciutto, but we started with bacon for a smokey flavor in the bottom of the pot, plus then I have a little bacon sandwich, during the early part of the cooking.  My other secret is that I also finely dice up some carrots and I use this in lieu of adding sugar, to cut the acidity of the tomatoes, and this was shared by an old paisan of mine.  I spiced up the “meat” while it was cooking, and then I added the Brand X canned tomato products of paste, sauce and puree and then I added more spices and zing.  I even added a half bottle of a great red wine to the sauce and let everything simmer for about four hours, with nothing but stirring and some more spices.   I mean it was tough, that I didn’t even have “real” bread to scoop up some sauce for a sauce sandwich to check on the flavor.  In spite of my bellyaching, while it may not have been my best sauce, I finally was able to doctor it enough that it had some taste, not to mention that she was able to bag and freeze about three or four quarts for using later on, depending on whether we get clemency and an early parole. 

While it was simmering, I went down to the cellar and was rummaging around looking for something interesting or something I may have forgotten about, you know that happens.  I found a bottle of Farnese Vini Castello Vecchio Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 1997.  Farnese Vini is an Italian wine group and one of the leading export companies in Southern Italy and today produces about thirteen-billion bottles of wine a year.  They have seven wineries in Puglia, Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo and Sicily.  In Abruzzo, Farnese Vini owns two wineries one is Caldora and the other is Fantini Farnese.  Fantini Farnese has a wide range of red and white wines under multiple labels and designations.  Castello Vecchio is no longer a viable label that I can find, but it was barrel aged and of course made from the Montepulciano grape.  This wine was a bit troublesome to open, as the cork was giving me some difficulty, but with aid of one of my “Ah-So” metal prong openers, I got the cork out intact.  The wine still had a deep color, with just perhaps a tinge of brown at the rim, and the nose was very light.  The wine was drinking very easy with almost no tannins or fruit showing, but a very layered soft wine that really was subtle with the Sauce Bolognese.  Even a couple of days later, when we had some leftovers of the pasta and I reopened the bottle it was still totally enjoyable.  I am sure that this wine would have been quite robust young, but it was very interesting to see how it had become a mellow twenty-three-year-old.  The good news is that we are still eating and drinking through the mandated quarantine.

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We’re Bank Robbers

Posted on April 10, 2020 by thewineraconteur

That was the first thought I had when I saw the prototype of the face mask that my Bride created.  I guess that I have a strange sense of humor, especially the “gallows humor” from the forced incarceration that we all seem to feel.  This will be one of my stray articles away from wine.  I guess it is because I am proud of her and her ability to do this project.  I think it was Day 17 that she decided to go and get her sewing machine and set it up in the family room.  She had already commandeered the dining room table for her new office, because she and basically all of her company are working remote and so far, it seems to be good.  I think that our governor tried to put everyone into bankruptcy with the draconian measures that are in place, but it doesn’t seem to be working out as well here.  It seems that we are hearing fewer bad reports from the coasts, but Detroit seems to be behind the curve.  So, as my Bride was talking to her coworkers and clients, she was hearing all types of sad reports on the shortage of goods, she decided that she would help by making the face masks. 

First, she went looking for fabric, and shades of Carol Burnett, she found the extra fabric from the curtains in the kitchen and the breakfast nook.  She also ended up ordering fabric from a fabric shop, because they are deemed an essential business and she arranged for street side pickup.  She was on a roll, and then she ran out of the fabric used for the ear straps, which was good, as she was ruining needles, she became creative and started crocheting the straps.  She would have gotten gold stars in Home-Economics, but I don’t they teach that anymore in schools, because it is more important to teach Human Sexuality to kindergartners.  She got me to assist in the cutting of the fabrics and this was done in the living room on the coffee table, as it was fair game and was an open space.  She has a regular sweat shop going, but since she is the only laborer, I guess she can get away with it, not to mention, that it is not done for a profit motive.

She has gone out of the house to mail her parcels of face masks to the family, and she has been spreading the news out to different circles of friends now, to make sure that they have face masks as well.  She will be sending out more shortly, and while they may not be trendy or chic, they are accomplishing what they are designed to do.  I think that it took longer for me to find a photograph of actors in face masks, then it does for her to make one.  Fear not, even though we cannot have dinner parties, birthday parties, holidays events, dinner club meetings, restaurants or wine tastings as mandated, we are still eating and drinking and there will be wines to be written up.  The food may be depleted before the wine is here, but the stories will continue, and I hope that everyone is trying to maintain safety and good health habits and we will all survive this, or we will all be living in a Warner Brother’s film from the Thirties.       

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Chicken at Home

Posted on April 8, 2020 by thewineraconteur

This whole stay in shelter or whatever is the official term for it is, is giving my Bride a taste of retirement, even though she is working every day.  While we may be home all day, we are still trying to maintain some semblance of order, you know, a routine, like getting up, showering, shaving (for me), paper and breakfast and coffee.  Some days breakfast is more elaborate and some days very Spartan.  She then goes off to the computer to work remote, like the majority of her associates and I create projects that I can do, while maintaining my sanity as The Wine Raconteur.

Lunches are normally a solitary thing, as we normally don’t have lunch together during the week, and for the most part, they are easy lunches that we both have.  I attempt to channel my inner Dagwood, and I know that the majority of the people that will read that, will say “what in tarnation’s is a Dagwood?  Is that Endorra mispronouncing Darren again?”  I mean lunch is reverting back to my days in school, a good bread (and I am sure that will be one of the first things that are gone) a couple of different deli-counter meats, a couple of different cheeses, a couple of different spreads and some hot peppers and then once assembled, a quick trip to the toaster oven and I am satisfied.  She thinks she is at the office with soup or yogurt.  One of the nights she made Parmesan Breaded Chicken Breasts with potatoes and vegetables.  She is a firm believer in a rounded meal, just like we were taught in the last century.  This is one of her favorite dishes for home, because she says it is quick and easy. 

I decided to go with her new favorite go-to wine and also because it was already chilled, it is amazing how that works, and brownie points are good when-ever.  Famille Sichel Sirius Bordeaux Blanc 2017 was the wine that was poured.  Famille Sichel is a family owned negocient firm from 1883 in Bordeaux, as they were in the procurement process for their locations in Mainz, London and New York.  In 1938 they even bought Chateau Palmer, which at the time had fallen on bad times and have since brought it back to all of its glory.  The family does not believe in resting on their laurels as in 2001 they even built a completely new bottling and storage facility in the Bordeaux region.  This particular bottle of wine is a blend of the two leading white grapes of Bordeaux, namely Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc.  I don’t think that I would be amiss to opine that this wine was aged in Stainless Steel as there was plenty of fruit and very refreshing.  It starts off with a nose of citrus fruits and finishes with some terroir with a decent finish.  I will tell you, that this is a new habit, that may be difficult to break, and that is drinking wine at home, just for the two of us.

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A Surreal Beginning

Posted on April 6, 2020 by thewineraconteur

As we got on the road leaving Louisville to go home, the highways were rather eerie in appearance.  There were very few cars on the road, but there seemed to be more trucks and that was great especially as we were listening to the news.   The trucks had to try to keep up the pent-up demand for toilet paper and hand sanitizers.  The longest stretch is crossing the State of Ohio, which is a state that is perfect for highways, as it is flat and rather barren; a long boring drive except for the construction zones.  One thing that took us for a surprise, was when we had to make a pit stop, we usually stop at a “fast food” restaurant, the only time that I really try to “indulge.”  We walked in, and all of the chairs were piled up at the entrance areas for the seating areas, as if it was a scene from “Le Mis” and then it hit me, that the restaurants were only doing carry out orders.  So, we ate in the parking lot and went back on the road. 

When we got home, there was a period when we were taking a lay of the land, to see how we were going to hold out.  Thankfully, my Bride had gone to Costco before our trip, so we had plenty of paper products and other stuff, that she normally buys there.  Many years ago, before I appeared on the horizon, my Bride had a short period of hard time, because of other forces and she has vowed never to be in that situation again.  I have occasionally teased my Scarlet O’Hara, because of all the food that she has to buy.  I guess that is a good thing, as we have two refrigerators and a chest freezer all filled with groceries, not to mention two pantries filled with canned and dry goods.   I guess I will never tease her again. 

She had made a decision that what ever dinner is made, it should be enough for at least left-overs for another day, without the need to ask for a doggie bag.  She decided that we should have filets the first evening, so that we could have steak salad the next night.  She is quite efficient, especially when she puts her mind to it.  After unpacking from our trip, I went into the garage, where we had wine chilling, either waiting to be opened, or opened bottles that had been resealed.  The garage had been a good storage area, and I decided that I had better rearrange the refrigerator in the garage, in case it starts warming up, I didn’t want any of the wine to go bad.  I was also deciding what we should have with the filets, and there was a bottle of local Michigan wine that I thought would be festive for the start of our staycation, at least for my Bride.  I decided that a bottle of Mawby Sparkling “Us” NV was the way to start and we discovered this wine on our last trip to the wine country in Michigan and the great sparkling wines from Larry Mawby, one of the elder gentlemen of wine in the Traverse City region.  Mawby Sparkling offers wines made in both forms, Traditional and the Charmat Method.  The Mawby Sparkling US NV is a classic blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, aged in Stainless Steel, then later blended with some reserve wine, aged and with an added dosage to maintain a certain finish and bottled.  This wine is an excellent bottle of sparkling wine that is affordable, dry and crisp, with a steady flow of small bubbles, but still offering some fruit in the finish. I am hoping that this nightmare will not last too long.

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