Little BittyVerdot- Petit Verdot from Gallante Vineyards 2007 Carmel Valley, California

We just came back from California and we skipped our usual jaunt out to Napa and Sonoma, and instead headed South for Monterrey, Carmel and Santa Barbara County.  It was charming, and beautiful and I only wish we'd had more time to explore.

On one gorgeous foggy evening we ate at a place in Pacific Grove called Passionfish http://www.passionfish.net/.  The food was amazing and the wine list was equally (if not more) so.  They wine prices we basically comparable to what you would find in a wine store AND  on top of THAT, he had cool, esoteric wines along with some of the famous-er ones.  I almost went into shock there were so many outstanding bottles for $50.  I settled on a Petit Verdot from a local vineyard; Galante Vineyards.  We'd seen their tasting room in Carmel-by-the-Sea ( no we didn't see Clint Eastwood).

The bottle was super squat, like a little weapon and the label looked like leather.  Apparently it's a picture of this leather work that someone at the winery does.  Well, I had never heard of Galante, I'm not too familiar with the wines from Monterrey at all, but I chose wisely!  It was 100% Petit Verdot and perfect.  I rarely see a stand alone Petit Verdot.  It's such a powerful varietal and can often be masked with way too much vanilla oakiness (yes, Australia - I'm talking to you!) 

This one was well crafted to say the least! There was a exotic tea and cardamom spiciness that I love about Petit Verdot in general, and then it was tempered with the right amount of oak so that a lushness and velvetiness was brought out.  If you ever see a straight Petit Verdot or any PV, you should grab it. I luuurve it's black cherry, raspberry, earthy, spiciness. Soo good!

Galante is a small family owned winery with cowboy souls. They've been making wine since 1983. The owner; Jack Galante knows his Monterrey micro climates and he's just trying to grow the best grapes for the land he has and make the best wine he possibly can. His great-grandfather; J.F. Devendorf actually founded the town of Carmel!

A little 411 on Petit Verdot:   This is one of the 5 blending grapes used in Bordeaux (along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Malbec).  Winemakers tend to use this grape as chefs use seasoning. The "spice box" attribute of Petit Verdot gives a wine dense fruit, dark color, intense flavors, and heavy tannins.

Similar to Malbec and Carmenere (the 6th blending grape of Bordeaux back in the day), Petit Verdot is a late ripening grape -- so it doesn't always ripen well or consistently in cooler climates (like Bordeaux).  That's where it gets it's name too, Petit Verdot means "little green" referring to the little green berries that often do not ripen along with the other berries.  The most PV is grown in Australia now, and Chile and California also have a lot of plantings

Oh, and this was on the back label:

Cowboy Philosophy:  There are two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works

color: inky violet/garnet
nose: cardamom, cinnamon, black cherry, wild raspberry, earthiness
palate: rich black cherry, vanilla spice, velvety tannins, liquorice

On the Dôle! 2007 Favre et Fils Dôle, Valais Switzerland

Rarely do I see a wine from Switzerland in a store.  Switzerland doesn't produce a huge amount of wine, so not much of it is exported.  When I saw this lone bottle of 2007 Dôle from the Valais (Favre et Fils), I grabbed it.   Unfortunately, I did not pair it with racelette, fondue, or a Swiss Colony snausage log.

A little background on Dôle.  It's not the name of a grape, it's the name of the wine.  Primarily made with Pinot Noir grapes, there is also some Gamay blended in. Yes, our little friend Gamay that is synonymous with Beaujolais.  Some of you will say... comment?  pourquoi would you mix Pinot Noir with anything, let alone Gamay?

For starters, the French have been doing it for 100's of years.  Sometimes you'll even see a bottle here; it's called Passetoutgrains (meaning literally, press all grapes).  Pinot Noir is found in Burgunday, and Gamay is the starring grape in the Beaujolais region due South. 

Back to Switzerland.  This wine is from the Valais region, in the southwestern part of the country.  Can't visualize... it's right above Northwest Italy.  Not surprisingly some of the same grapes like Pinot Noir and Petit Arvine grow well on both sides of these Alps.  At any rate, the famous Rhone river flows east to west through the valley creating steep slopes that equal awesome in wine growing terms.  It allows for maximum sun exposure in a place that can often be a little chilly.  I just got an image of a St. Bernard and a chalet.

This wine totally tastes like you think a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir would taste.  It has a medium body, a brambly, cherry, and somewhat burnt molasses nose, and on the palate there is an earthiness, a slight bitterness and a big burst of black cherry.  It's the perfect harmony of the these two grapes.  I'm just not sure I want to drink a blend of these two grapes.  This Dôle was about $24 and I think I would have preferred an Oregon Pinot Noir or a Beaujolais Cru for that amount of money.  The novelty factor was very enjoyable and it made me happy to support the Swiss wine industry.  I know that there are amazing Swiss wines out there, and I will be happy to drink them when I find them!

color: dark black cherry red
nose: burnt sugar, boysenberry, black cherry
palate: lean and high in acid, earthy and minerally, black cherry

The Sweetest Aunt on the Top Shelf; Tia Maria!

I happened to belly up to a bar in Connecticut this weekend with some friends (you know who you are).  Since I was in a sweet mood, I ordered an Amaretto Sour for myself.  My boyfriend had a Tia Maria on the rocks and I couldn't stop drinking his drink.  Sorry! 

I don't generally like coffee flavored anything.  I am not a big coffee drinker in general.  This is why my high praise of Tia Maria really a huge accolade! 

So there is a crazy story that the brand would love you to believe that involves a Jamaican uprising in the 1800's, a rich noblewoman, and a loyal maidservant who managed to spirit out an old family secret recipe for a unique coffee liqueur.  We all know that a story is very important in selling; however, what we really need to know is how it tastes and what goes in it!

Tia Maria is a coffee liqueur made with the base of a sugarcane spirit.  Jamaican coffee, roasted coffee beans, vanilla, and sugarcane also go into the mix. Kahlua seems to me to be a little more mainstream.  The difference is that Kahlua is made from Mexican coffee instead of Jamaican and the neutral spirit base is different.  Although I can't seem to get onto their website, I'm guessing that it's a wheat or corn based neutral spirit as opposed to the sugarcane spirit base of Tia Maria.  The sugarcane gives a lightness to the liqueur.  Although Tia Maria is sweet, it's not cloying.

The color is cola brown.  It has a beautiful vanilla mocha aroma.  The palate has a rich coffee flavor along with a hint of chocolate.  It's really delicious!!! 

Maybe you think of Tia Maria as a throwback to the 1950's and 1960's.  Maybe you remember Iman's commercials from the 80's hawking it as a 'dark spirit'.  Perhaps you have a bottle of Kahlua instead.  I strongly recommend that you give ole' Auntie Maria a chance to be a sweet end to your meal!  or a starring role in a cocktail!  yum!

color: cola brown
nose: roasted coffee bean, cocoa powder, Mexican vanilla
                   palate: smooth coffee, not overly sweet, vanilla fudge

Funky Furmint

I was at Clo earlier last week.  It's a cool wine bar in the Time Warner Center on the 4th floor at the doorstep of PerSe.  They have over 50 wines in an oenomatic machine and you can buy a pre-paid card and get little tastes of this and that.  It's been unacceptably hot out lately, so I sauntered over to the white wine cases.   They had some cool things; Rieslings, Verdicchio, a gorgeous Sancerre, and a little nicely-priced Austrian wine made from the Furmint grape.  It's the Heidi Schrock Furmit from Austria.

Furmint is best known for producing the amazingly complex and sweeet Tokaji wines made in Hungary.  Those are awesome, but Hungary is also producing some dry wines made with Furmint, and so is Austria.   Heidi Schrock was one of the few winemakers that re-introduced Furmint to the Bergenland (borders Hungary anyway), her part of Austria, in the 1990's.  It's name has is from the french word "froment" meaning wheat.  It often makes a wheat colored wine.

They also had some nibbly-bits available at Clo.  I suppose it was Happy Hour after all.  I grabbed a few almonds and a little hunk of Parmesan, and they were the perfect accompaniment to my Furmint!  There is a certain honey and almondy quality about the nose of this wine and a bit of spice.  The palate has more of a quince-like, refreshing zesty quality to it.  It's also not a light bodied wine even though it looks like it might be.  You really get a bit of heft.  I thought it was really cool.  It was the first Furmint that I have tried (outside Tokaji) and I will try one again!

color: straw colored
nose: quince, honey, lanolin, linden flower, spiciness
palate: somewhat weighty for a white, definitely some heft and unctuousness, more quince on palate with a little lemon and pear, lots of minerality.  Great balance - very interesting.

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