Going Wild at the Winebar

When I am in Portsmouth New Hampshire I love eating at this amazing Spanish restaurant called Cava http://www.cavatapasandwinebar.com/.  It has a great atmosphere and the servers are knowledgeable and friendly.  The kitchen is exposed and you can eat at the bar that overlooks their cooking areas. It's great!

You wouldn't think that in New Hampshire you could have some of the best Spanish food, but it's true. Last year the entire staff went to Spain for 2 weeks and now their menu is inspired by their trip, and so is their wine list.

A few food highlights and then I'll move onto the wine.  Amazing variety of pinchos like dark chocolate on toast with sea salt and pistachio oil is a must have (dessert first, yes!) and here are a few other MUST HAVES:

• roasted medjool dates, manchego, serrano ham
• grilled asparagus & ramps, romesco sauce
• day boat scallop, plums, serrano chips, saffron
• ellensburg spring lamb loin with berbere spice, cantaloupe, almond, mint

 The food excels, and the wine list is also a lot of fun (would be more fun when my wine is on the list).  At any rate, I tried a few tastes of some different vinhos.  It was really perfect - just a few swallows. Lots of little things to drink and lots of little things to eat.  I love to try and break out of my comfort zone when I'm at a wine bar.  Most of the time they will offer tastes of their wines by the glass and that is really a perfect excuse to go wild and order away.  Take notes, at least take mental ones.

Here's what I drank:

El Perro, Verdejo, Spain.  Verdejo is a lovely crisp and minerally white grape from the Rueda region in Spain.   It is super refreshing.  This particular one had lovely lemon and apricot on the nose and was very crisp and clean on the palate.  I felt like I could drink an entire bottle, easily.

Sartori Ferdi Garganega, Italy - Garganega is a grape usually found lurking in your Soave.  It is medium bodied and smooth.  This one from Sartori Ferdi was pretty full bodied for a white, it had a lot of pear and honey on the nose, followed by honey and lemon on the palate. 

Losada Mencia, Spain - Mencia is one of my favorite grapes. It's a little off the beaten path.  It's from the Bierzo region in Spain near Madrid and makes wines that are spicy and rich.  This one was full bodied and earthy with aromas of blackberry.  It mirrored those same blackberry and brambly tastes on the palate.  Yummy yum. 

Clos St. Thomas Blanc, Lebanon - I ordered this one because it was from Lebanon and I love Chateau Musar from Lebanon so I had to try.  I was pretty disappointed when it came.  It was a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc and it tasted so overdone.  There were super-duper apricot and peach aromas and pear candy - it was like a gross fruit cocktail.  The palate was viscous and fruity too.  It's like Conundrum, if you've ever had the misfortune to try that.  Yuck, stay away!

Drinking En Rose!! Channing Daughters Merlot Rosato 2008

I always scan the Rosé section of stores.  I'm always on the look-out for something new and exciting.  This summer, I have not been disappointed.  Retailers in NYC are stepping up their Rosé sections and I appreciate it!

Poo Poo New York State wines all you want and poo-poo Merlot!  I dare you to try this Merlot Rosato and I dare you not to love it.  This is created from 100% hand-harvested Merlot that is then fermented in stainless steel tanks.  A little over 600 cases were made so if you see a bottle; grab one!  I just bought some on their website. https://www.channingdaughters.com/about.php  Buy some so I don't have to share with you!  They also make a Cabernet Sauvignon Rosato, Cabernet Franc Rosato, AND a Refosco Rosato! 

You may say, "Why Rosato and not just Rosé? What's the deal?"  Rosato is Italian for Rosé.  I know, the last time you checked Long Island's second language was not Italian.  However, the Channing Daughter's Winemaker is heavily influenced by Italian varietals and winemaking methods.  Try their Ramato Pinot Grigio - an "orange wine" made by fermeting the Pinot Grigio on their skins.

 Don't be afraid, they don't just make nerdy wine-geek wines, but Channing Daughters has been quietly pushing the envelope every since they started in the early 1980's.  From the beginning they have been experimenting with different grape varietals with the hope that they will pair the perfect grape with it's ideal terroir.  They were spot on with this Merlot Rosato!

Long Island is suited to Merlot.  This Merlot Rosato is no exception.  It has a beautiful balance of fruitiness and minerality.  It is crisp and yet medium bodied.  It has character and style, and when I served it at my house last Friday (a particularly steamy night), it was gone in about 15 minutes.

Try Channing Daughters' Wines whenever you have the chance, or go out and visit them.  They will not disappoint.


color: pale pink
nose: strawberry, red plum
palate: mineral, crisp, lively, watermelon, spiced strawberry, red plum

Limoncello in Maine? You Bet!! Street & Company's Housemade Limoncello

I'll be honest with you... Portland Maine is one of the last places that I thought that I would sample some of the best limoncello of my life.  I've been to Ischia, Naples, Sorrento, Vibo Valencia, Cosenza, Siracusa, Agrigento, etcetera.  What I mean to say is that I've headed out to Southern Italy where literally everyone and their nonna make their own limoncello.  They are surrounded by lemon trees! What do you expect?

Having been to Italy, and having sampled nonna-made limoncello passed down from generation to generation,  you can see why I feel a little guilty for loving a limoncello made on the east coast of the USA.  It's not even from Florida!  Mamma Mia! It's from Maine!  We can't help who/what we fall in love with.  I'm telling you, it is superior.  This extraordinary limoncello can be found at a cool Portland restaurant called Street & Company.  Some of you may be familiar with their famous sister restaurant Fore Street Restaurant.  If you are in Portland, Maine you MUST go!! Look at their Menu: http://www.streetandcompany.net/menu

This is made mainly (no pun intended) by the bar manager Mark, who has NEVER even been to Italy before!! He's never experienced the sun dappled lemon grove of Sicily or the ripe sweet scent of the lemon as you pluck it off the tree in Campagnia stare off into the Mediterranean and bring it home to Zia Rita to make into her famous-in-the-village limoncello.  Yeah, I still feel really guilty.  However, good is good no matter where it comes from and this was my kinda limoncello!!!

Perche? What makes this so good?  It is a perfect balance of sweet and tart, lightness and viscosity, acid and sugar. It's like the perfect lemonade - except potent and  in tiny little glasses.  What makes the housemade limoncello at Street & Company so great it that it has a balance that I have not experienced yet in limoncello.  I said potent earlier, and this is indeed alcoholic, but it didn't taste like lemon Pledge rocket fuel as so many do.  It was fresh and subtle, natural and zesty.  It was totally in keeping with the food on their menu.  Clean flavors, great products, fresh, fresh and fresh.

Now that you know where to get the best, let me give you a little 411 on Limoncello in general.  This is usually made from a neutral grain spirit - like vodka and lemon zest is added to sugar and water and then left to steep in the booze for up to 3 months.  Everyone has their own magical cut off time, and honestly if I had been less tipsy at Street and Company, I would be able to tell you their secret formula.   Really all you need to know it that it should be served chilled and frosty.

If you ae interestested in making your own (and then inviting me over to sample) check out this website:

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Beverage/Limoncello.htm