There Will Be Blogs

I have been negligent on my blogging... Sorry! A mix of school, work, alcohol, and my 2nd job.

Soon though, more blogs... expect to hear more about Champagne and (affordable) Burgundy... and Mondeuse!

Hope you have been well!

Best,
V.

Hypocrisy rampant in the restaurant industry

Like Popeye said, "I've had all I can stands, and I can't stands no more!"

So many of the new "farm-to-table" type restaurants boast seasonal menus, and food coming to your table, straight from the Farmer's Market. GREAT! But what is listed on their wine list? Freaking Orin Swift 'The Prisoner', or Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay, or something else just as mass-produced and manipulated, full of oak, and 15% alcohol. Lots of restaurants going for the easy sell. If you are taking the time to find the finest, freshest ingredients in season, then why are you still serving industrial-produced, chemically-enhanced wines to your customers?

What's up with that?

Sorry for bringing Cartman into this, but that's just...

I love you Meletti Amaro!

This is The Shit (excuse my inappropriateness). I tried this last week when our awesome rep, Kevin came by. I wasn't expecting to like it tremendously, since I've had, and own, a bottle of Fernet Branca, which is also an Amaro, and sets the benchmark for all other Amaros (in my humble opinion, anyway).

How to describe the nose??? Well, ridiculous. As you inhale this, you smell some sarsaparilla, anise, saffron, cardamom, date, orange peel, and some eucalyptus. The little hairs at the back of your nostrils feel the heat as you inhale. I could spend all day just nosing this stuff. It is absolutely dazzling.

Drinking it... you essentially can taste the same elements as the aromas, which makes this such an awesome drink. There is the bitterness to it as well, from beginning to end; though not as pronounced as Fernet. Think of this as Fernet's good-looking, younger, sandy-haired brother. There is a bit of sweetness to the Meletti, too, on the nose and by taste. It is not an overpowering sweetness, it's just off over in a corner, waving and saying, "Hi!."

Amaro's purpose is to act as an apertif, aiding digestion. Whatever. It's freaking delicious.

We just got this today. I've been thinking of this ever since I tried it, and came in on my day off (I live a half-hour away) to buy a bottle.

Less than $20.

Dazzling.

Classic Tiki Music

This beautiful Tiki music is called "Quiet Village," originally done by Les Baxter in 1951. So enchanting!

Martin Denny does an excellent job of this too. I'm pretty sure this was the background music for Pee-Wee's Playhouse.

Speaking of "Quiet Village" - that sums up January for us. The Christmas and New Year's rush has passed, and now we have time to clean up the cobwebs underneath the stacks and stacks of wine, with the job of inventory ahead, followed by replenishing with new wines. Oh those '09 Bordeauxs are on their way! Get ready!

Hope you had a great holiday season filled with friends, family and the lion's share of food and libations. Wishing you good times ahead in 2012!

Cheers,

Champagne: Why this is the BEST gift for your wine-guzzling friend

What to get your wine lover/wine snob/wino friend for Christmas?
I HEARTILY recommend Champagne. WHY, you ask? I'll tell you why:

Just about every wine-drinker (especially in California) who starts out buying and collecting wine, starts off with Napa Cabernet, or Bordeaux. We cut our teeth on it. Then, our palate changes, and we try different wines, different regions. We start discovering Barolo, Riesling, Riojas, and eventually our palate will evolve, so we start drinking new and different wines. (Meanwhile, our cabs, Bordeaux sit in a pile somewhere). Though some people will stay with Cab/Bordeaux and that is fine. But many wine drinkers branch out. Think of wine as food. Would you like hamburger for every meal?



And then there is Champagne.



So very different from any other wine. Uplifting, exuberant, minerally, graceful and makes you want to swoon. It's difficult not to love it. It possesses an inherent, special quality. As wine snobs will attest, a party with Champagne is always a great time. The only problem with Champagne, is... there never seems to be enough. I may have pricey bottles of Cab or Bordeaux in my cellar, but what is really precious to me are the bottles with the bubbles.


The writer Dorothy Parker said it best:
"Three be the things I shall never attain: Envy, content, and sufficient Champagne."

You said it, girlfriend!!

Cheers.

A Year in Retrospective - Best wines of 2011 - Trumpets, please!

This isn't Wine Spectator's Top 100 or whatever, it's MINE. Which matters the most... to me, that is. :)

Someone asked the question: What are your Top Wines of the Year? Here are my answers:

• What was your favorite wine of the Year?

2010 Schloss Lieser Niederberg Helden Spatlese - by the time I got to try this, it was already sold out from the distributor so I ran to one of our competitors and bought a case

• What was your favorite red wine of the Year?

2002 Clos Roche Blanche - Gamay
Stunning, haunting, beautiful fruit and nuanced... it was all that, and under $30.

• What was your favorite white wine of the Year?

Equipo Navazos La Bota de Manzanilla Pasada #10
Sea-salty minerally goodness. Just supremely good!

• What was your favorite effervescent wine of the Year?

Pierre Peters NV Brut Cuvee de Reserve Grand Cru. Also, a good friend brought a 1988 Billecart-Salmon Blancs de Blancs to a party which was outstanding. Also the 1996 Dom Perignon Oenotheque was very good.
(Pictured: Pierre Peters Champagne being chilled. Just kill me now)


(Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1996, rarely seen in the states. Beautiful wine!)

• What was your biggest new producer discovery of the year?

Patrick Piuze!

Chablis winemaker, Patrick Piuze. Yes, he's adorable, but he makes great wine! Start buying his wines now, before they get too expensive in the future!

• What was your favorite tasting of the year?

Tie: The Rudi Wiest German trade tasting, and the Terry Theise Champagne tasting.
Pictured: Rudi Wiest - One of the coolest people in the wine biz.

• What was region did you start getting into this year that was new for you?

Sicily/Mt. Etna - These are wines made at high altitudes in volcanic soil. Wines with breathtaking minerality and graceful fruit. Look out for the Occhipinti Frappato, and other Mt. Etna wines such as Tenuta Terre Nere.

• What wine disappointed you this year?

I had the Pierre Peters 02 Chetillons recently and I usually love that wine, but was disappointed. Maybe it's going through a dumb phase, or I am!

• What was your favorite QPR this year?

2010 Ameztoi Getariako Txakolina ($17) and killer.



Those are my picks. What are yours???

Bringing out the Big Guns

Sometimes, you gotta go balls out!

Such was the case when our friend, Phil came back from Iraq, after flying Blackhawk helicopters after one of his several tours of duty for the Army. Phil is a supremely awesome guy... so a bunch of us winos got together (some coming from Seattle, Texas and NYC... gotta love that) to celebrate Phil's safe return.

Everyone brought some very special bottles to give a proper hero's welcome. Along with some Flannery steaks and spot prawns we drank:

1988 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blanc - my first aged Champagne, and such an excellent year for Champagne. Astounding... amazing, mind-blowing wine.

1996 Dom Perignon Oenotheque - used to be, that we couldn't even get Oenotheque in the States. That has changed, though. Beautiful wine. Rounded fruit, fresh, citrusy. Delicious.

2002 Serveaux Fils Champagne Brut

Jadot Richebourg - They only make ONE BARREL of this a year. A lovely, graceful expression of Pinot Noir. Was lucky to drink it.

1995 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau - The nose on this... Man! Now this is barnyard! Dark red fruits, earth and more barnyard and herbal notes. Very good.

2001 Chateau Pavie - Everything a winemaker could do to manipulate this wine, they did. Ugh! Tasted like an over-extracted/overdone California or Aussie cab. Nothing elegant about it. Severely disappointing, bordering on undrinkable.

Chave Hermitage - Beautiful red fruits, gorgeous as always.

Lignier Clos du Roche

This list will be continued... the blogger needs to get some sleep!

Cheers!

Rosé 2010

HOWDY!!! It's been a while.

Well, up until last year, I used to say Domaine Tempier Rosé was the best of Rosés. I had the chance of tasting the 2010 Tempier... very good! Very nectarine-y... and I looove nectarine. But it wasn't the slamming good cantaloupey goodness of the 09. What's with that?!!

Having tasted more Rosés than I can count... this year, my favorite seems to be the 2010 Clos Marie Pic St. Loup... from the friggin' Languedoc! The Fontana of France. I had to keep my wine snobbery in check, especially since this Languedoc wine beat out a Bandol Rosé... and cost twice as less. Amazing wine this is, limpid, refreshing, lots of cantaloupe and delicate all-round. Amazing. $17, and I got it at The Wine Country. I'm going back tomorrow to pick up as much as I can.

Second fave was the Commanderie Peyrassol. From Provence. Yaaaayyyy! Delicate, light, melon fruits running around. All too delightful. $21.

Third this year (in my books, anyway) was Domaine Tempier Bandol Rosé. Still beautiful, awesome. With a delicate freshness, and spurts of nectarine. Very good stuff. The price tag might push off a few: $32. For the hardcore Rosé lover.

TIED for 3rd place is: the Ameztoi Rubentis Txakolina (all of these are 2010, by the way). There's a bit of Cherry Jolly Rancher in this one (but dry), and a bit spritzy (it's supposed to be that way). Ever so refreshing. I love this wine and am intending on buying a case. $17. If you want to impress a wine geek, bring this wine.

OK, so I had 3 ties for Third place, the last (but not least) is the Schloss Schonborn "Pink" Rosé, made of Pinot Noir. Think of watermelon juice, but dry. So very good. $16. I've already bought a few of these.

Ahhh! Good summer sipping. Cheers!!

Crank Dat! Doughboy

Top Chef Korean Challenge! Go Korea!

A great time had by all for the Top Chef Korean Challenge, held in gorgeous San Diego.

Some highlights right now... more pictures and words coming soon!







--

An Eastern Winter

Last week was very eventful for my friend Chef Anahita Naderi, as she put out an exquisite meal for those of us lucky to be at her Pop-Up Restaurant, which she aptly named, "Hidden Dinner".

Chef Anahita and her assistants had to improvise and turn a break room into a professional kitchen to create this delicious and visually appealing meal. My table mates were Aimee and Scott, a lovely couple whom I sat with for this special dinner. We were allowed to bring our own wine or beer, so I brought the Claude Carre et Fils Champagne... Light yellow with persistent bubbles, a nose of marzipan and dough, and taste of lemon curd, ginger, very crisp and citrusy.



The evening started with farfar, a dish I was not familiar with, but easily came to love. Crunchy, with pink, green and yellow rice bent into whimsical shapes. It was served with honey and Pop Rocks Candy. There was a "Snap, Krackle, Pop!" with the emphasis on Pop! Pop Rocks and Champagne? Who knew that could be so good! The course was also served with a Spiced Chai Tea shooter... warm and soothing.



The next course was a crispy potato latke, smoked salmon, chilled Creme Fraiche served with a dab of caviar on the top. The crunch, soft latke meshed with the salmon and savory Creme Fraiche. The caviar gave it an extra "Pop" at the end. Wonderful.




Why, HELLO Darling!



From there, we had a waffle with date spread, and on it sat a lovely Tamarind Shrimp... served with a side sip of Coconut Curry Soup. This all interwove.. the brine from the shrimp, the sweetness of the date, the comforting waffle and the savory curry soup.

Next...



Cold Beef Noodle Salad. I think this dish was overlooked by many because it was served in such a simple manner. But it was incredibly delicious and I could have just had that all night. Simply presented... yes, but with great flavor and texture.

The entree:


Seared Duck Breast with Pomegranate Walnut Emulsion, and (get this!) Savory Saffron Krispies. OMG... the Saffron Rice Krispies were heavenly. Again, more of the "Pop" in your mouth sensation, but the flavor of the saffron was very refined. So very good. To put such a sophisticated flavor profile on Rice Krispies was profound and totally unexpected.


Just when you thought it couldn't get better...



Almond Cake with Marscapone, and Beet Ice Cream. WHAT?? Beet Ice Cream? Amazing.

The almond cake was like eating marzipan straight from the tube, and with a flaky crust. Anahita got the recipe for the Beet Ice Cream from Thomas Keller of The French Laundry. Instant love.

And to think I have absolutely hated beets for most of my life (until this year). But never would guess Beet Ice Cream to be the end of this meal.

A great dinner made by a good friend, and made other friends on the way. So good!

Terry Theise! Go!! Go check him out!!

http://www.wineberserkers.com/viewforum.php?f=23

Legendary importer, hero to the modern wine world, and bon vivant Terry Theise is a guest for a couple more days on WineBerserkers. This is the man who helped forge the grower Champagne movement, and responsible for bringing some great wines to the US. He's on the board and answering any questions from anyone. Intellectual questions, silly questions. All of them. A lot to learn from him, and he is so gracious. Most excellent!

NYC!!!!

Going to NYC next week. So excited!!

Things to do include: hanging out with my wine nut friends from WineBerserkers.

See my friend, Melissa

Going to Ess-A-Bagel for my everything bagel with butter. I will attempt to go here every single day i'm in The City.

Hit Lotus of Siam

Get a Pastrami at Katz's

Hopefully make it to WHISKEYFEST! on the 9th in NYC.

Tons of stuff to see and do there. As always, there's not enough time.

EXCITED!!!!

Junior Johnson - Moonshine Runner

Junior Johnson will be visiting Hi-Time on Monday, October 4th. I have a newly found admiration for him based on the following vids. Total rebel!

and more...

Ok. Now wine. It is hot. I mean, freaking HOT!!! But a perfect time to uncork a lovely Chablis. Had the 2007 Louis Michel & Fils Montee de Tonnerre Chablis yesterday. Clear, light yellow in the glass. Taste: Ground-up sea shells. That's the best way for me to describe it. Clean, minerally, a racy streak of acidity. A beautiful wine. 100% Chardonnay.

Also had the pleasure of trying: 2007 Robert Chevillion Nuits St. George. Still just a baby. Clear, dark ruby in the glass. Iron? Raspberries, violets, with some earthiness to it. Good acidity. Absolutely lovely and would like to see how this wine tastes, over the years.

Tomorrow, I am visiting my friend Roberto who works at a shop in Santa Monica called Wine Expo. Followed by a bartenders competition and a rum meeting in LA, if I last that long.

Cheers! Make granita, and keep cool kiddos!

V

Amarula and Party Animals

Been there, done that.

Yes, this is the same Amarula creme liqueur that you see in liquor stores. I hear it's tasty.

09's are in!

Forget Bordeaux (BORRRRING!)... Cru Beaujolais and Riesling are having their own stellar vintage... and what's more, they're affordable. The 2009's are trickling in, and they are delicious. Do yourself a favor and try one.

2009, Joseph Drouhin, Beaujolais - Morgon.
Clear, dark ruby color, a bit of white pepper, and aroma of blackberries. Good acidity!! Nice! One of the better Cru Beaujolais I've had this year, and this is probably my 4th. The berries and pepper carries on through the palate. Evaporating finish, but very drinkable, and enjoyable.

Bye, Bitch!

Rather than playing Taps, I'll just say, "Aloha!" to the Aussie grenache with the clever and cute label.
It was a good run. I'm sure we'll see your return one of these days. You fueled many a Bachelorette party, and for that we salute you.

R.I.P.

Dancing Merengue Dog & 2003 Bressan Verduzzo Friulano

Watch the whole thing, it's pretty awesome.


2003 Bressan Verduzzo Friulano



Also awesome. This post is really to tell you about a wine of Bressan Mastri Vinai. But how could I not pass on the Dancing Merengue Dog? Such a cute video, it's a shame not to share.

Am enjoying and reflecting over the 2003 Bressan Verduzzo. Color: clear, yellow gold. Getting a waxiness on the nose, also a faint touch of kerosene, and sea shells.
Finally pinned down that this wine smells of... Marcona Almonds. Also the taste reminds me of Marcona Almonds... with some slight lemon, a hint of stone fruit, sea salt and nettle. Good acid. A highly aromatic and complex wine.

The Madness and Brilliance of Grant Achatz

Chef Grant Achatz is known for his highly-acclaimed restaurant, Alinea in Chicago. In Fall 2010, he will be opening his bar, Aviary (well, except it isn't a bar, nor a lounge, and has no bartenders). The chefs in the kitchen will be making the drinks. Holy Hell!

Needless to say after watching this, I cannot wait to visit. I'm awed by the painstaking, meticulous work he and his staff do with cocktails, and this doesn't even cover his food. His other restaurant, "Next" will open at the same time.

Amazing the thought that went into this:

Acid is your friend.

2007 Benito Santos Albariño Viñedo de Xoan, Rias Biaxas (Ree-yas Bye-Shas), Spain - from José Pastor Selections



Had this with calamari and cod from the local fish market.

Jose Pastor is the importer of this wine, who you'll hopefully hear more about in the future. This is a "Natural Wine", meaning (here's the Cliff's Notes version) this is a wine produced with minimal intervention in all aspects of wine-making, from using indigenous yeasts, and also using several organic methodologies from farming to production.

The term "natural wine" is currently a hot topic with wine geeks because the official definition is still being discussed and yet to be agreed upon. I think the goal of natural wine, is to use natural farming and wine-making practices that produce wines reflecting the soil and the weather where the grapes were grown. There are different philosophies and not everyone agrees at which point a winemaker intervenes, and to what degree. Hence, the controversy.
Anyhow, back to the wine...

Light-golden color with the faintest bit of spritz. Smelling a sea salt briny goodness, and lemon. Good acid! If you are new to wine: Don't be afraid of acid! It makes having food and wine together a joy, gives a 'zip' (for lack of better words) to the wine that you'll appreciate and love, and acid plays a big role in allowing a wine to age.

If I had to describe this wine in one word: Exhilarating. Going back to ask, "What was that?" I detect lemon, sea water, peach pit, and on the finish: more lemon with a kind of cheddar (?huh?). Re-tasted on the 3rd day and still drinking well. Love this. An extremely interesting wine which I don't think I'll tire from, and I can't wait to try this again.