"On Top of the World" by SashaW on Flickr

Wednesday night, July 21st, 2010, we attended the annual blind tasting challenge held at Chris Hinton’s Bin 75 tasting room in Johns Creek. It is the mid-week event during their anniversary sale, which nets you 20% off cases of wine. You can also score some wines at 25% off solid cases. Check the website or call for more information.

My wife went into the event as defending champion and was ready to take down all challengers, myself included.

The event was a slightly different format this year, with the addition of a seventh wine, the reception wine. Normally we know what that wine is, but this year it was also poured blind and would act as the first tier tie-breaker.

You are given choices in each flight, one of four whites, the other of three reds. You have five choices of grape variety and country, with no repeats of correct answers within flights.

Keith, the wine manager, plays host. He goes through the basics of blind tasting, explaining what color will tell you, what the aroma and taste markers are for each grape variety, along with the same tidbits for each country represented and whether or not they even grow that grape in that country. For example, you aren’t going to guess Germany if you think the wine is Chardonnay. He wants each selection to be a solid representative of both the grape and the country, though every once in a while he does throw in a curve ball. Last year, it was in the form of an Italian Cannonau, which most of us know as Grenache.

We arrived just in time, as my lovely bride was returning from a business trip and of course, we got stuck in Atlanta traffic. Go figure. Tired as she was, she got out her notepad and went to work, listening to everything Keith said and writing down notes as we went along. She swirled, sniffed and sipped. She contemplated and then, marked her answers. We don’t collaborate, so our results are completely our own.

The whites, were actually pretty straight forward, though I could see where the first one might trip up folks on the country of origin. When it came to the reds, the first was a bit shut down on the nose, but as it warmed the clues began to emerge. It was the second red which was not only my favorite, but my downfall as well. The third was fairly straight forward, though it could have easily been mistaken for another of the choices.

For whites, we had the following five grapes as our selections:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Pinot Gris / Grigio
• Riesling
• Viognier

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• New Zealand
• France
• Italy
• Germany

White Wine #1 (reception wine): The wine was a bit shut down for me, so my first thought was Pinot Grigio, but I wasn’t 100% sure since it was fairly cool at service. I was also a bit frustrated by the lack of hourly parking at the airport and then sitting in traffic, not to mention having not eaten much that day. Eventually, the fairly simple citrus pointed to Pinot Grigio from Italy. 2008 Banfi San Angelo Pinot Grigio $13.98

White Wine #2: Brighter than the first wine, with more white citrus than anything. It tasted sort of lemony to me at first, but eventually more like grapefruit, which of course marked Sauvignon blanc. There wasn’t any real grass or sweet hay notes, so I eliminated California / Oregon. It wasn’t super over the top either, so I got rid of New Zealand. That left France (Germany doesn’t make it and Italy wouldn’t be a good country for a typical SB), though for me it wasn’t obviously Loire Valley since I didn’t get as much minerality as I would expect. If I’d been doing this without choices, I’d have probably gone South African. Turns out, the 2008 Domaine Tariquet Sauvignon Blanc ($13.99) was from Cotes de Gascogne.

White Wine #3: The slam dunk of the night, as a couple inches from the glass and my brain went “OAK MONSTER!”. Yes, a California Chardonnay with plenty of sweet oak, but lacking any real fruit flavor. Nice for those who like this style. 2008 Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay $13.98.

White Wine #4: Hello German Riesling. Again, this was a slam dunk for me, as I’d have to say that when it comes to still white wines, German Rieslings are my favorite. This was a mouthful of stone fruits, with a touch of slate and just the slightest bit of residual sugar. It was also the favorite of the crowd, with probably 80+% of folks saying it was their favorite. This continues the streak of every single blind tasting event I’ve attended where Riesling was the crowd favorite. Yet, they still languish on shelves. Pity that. This gem of a wine retails for $10.99 and as Keith suggested, you can drink this and mow the grass at the same time. Slammin’ good idea. 2006 GR8 Riesling $10.99.

Now came the more challenging reds. Our five grape choices were:

• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Grenache
• Pinot Noir
• Sangiovese

and the sources of origin we had to choose from were:

• California / Oregon
• France
• New Zealand
• Italy
• Spain

Red wine #1: A bit reticent, but this eventually opened up and gave plenty of clues as to the grape and origin. It smelled of Sangiovese at first, but it seemed a bit more fruit driven than what I’d expect from a Chianti. Plus, I didn’t get a lot of that leather, bark note which is the classic marker for me. After about five minutes, those notes emerged and I went straight for the correct answer. 2006 Volpaia Chianti Classico $18.99.

Red wine #2: I missed this one. It was bright, juicy and full of crunch red berry fruits, with a touch of earthiness and loads of bouncy acidity. I kept thinking, Grenache or Pinot Noir. I tossed it about and just went with Spanish Grenache, which turned out to be my undoing for the night, as this was the one wine I got wrong. It was my favorite wine of the night and once again, convinces me that if you want to drink Pinot Noir for under $20, you should be checking out the wines from New Zealand. I’m starting to see more of them available and I hope you’ll try this one. 2009 Over the Edge Pinot Noir (Martinborough, New Zealand) $16.99.

Red wine #3: Slam dunk again, as this had the dark black currant fruit and touch of tannic bite that I come to expect from Cabernet Sauvignon. I guess I could see where one might guess Merlot, but in the $20 and under price range (which we knew all the wines fell into), I’ve never tasted a Merlot that wasn’t creamy and velvety soft. 2008 Villa San Juliette (Paso Robles, CA) Cabernet Sauvignon was $14.99.

The answer sheets were turned in, the scores were tallied and the winner was announced. It was a gentleman whom I didn’t recognize and he got every possible answer right, except for the country of origin on the Pinot Noir. I think I neglected to mention, but the grape variety was worth 1 point, the country of origin 2 points, but it only counted if you got the grape right as well. Keith then went through all the wines one by one. The audience cheered and groaned with each reveal, until we were finally done and wait a minute, we had a RECOUNT!

My defending Champion wife had written down her answers and she had 100% of them right. Somehow, a mistake had been made. As it turns out, our sheets (I’m not sure if anyone else got missed) hadn’t been tallied. We had handed in ours first and I think they got put down where they got overlooked. A simple error that was then corrected.

So, not only is my wife now the FIRST EVER two time Blind Tasting Champion at Hinton’s, she is also the first person to get all the answers correct. I think two others have gotten everything right except one country. As for me, in case you weren’t paying attention above, I got everything right except for the Pinot Noir, which like I said, I mistook for a Spanish Grenache.

A grand time and congratulations to my @AtlantaWineGal.

Cupcake Vineyards

Adam Richardson’s first love is flying, earning his pilot’s license before his driver’s license. Before he became a winemaker, he was a lieutenant aviator in the Royal Australian Navy. He flew helicopter search and rescue missions for 8 years before making a dramatic change in careers, entering the world of the vine.

“You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”.

I had the pleasure of meeting this true flying winemaker for dinner at one of Atlanta’s finest new restaurants, Miller Union. Adam is the head winemaker for Cupcake Vineyards, which is a part of the larger Underdog Wine Merchants organization. We enjoyed 9 different wines, along with great food during all three courses of our meal. FULL DISCLOSURE: The meal and wines were all covered by the winery, so I had to pay for nothing.

First, let’s talk about some of the highlights from our conversation.

Least favorite varieties to work with: Merlot and Pinot Noir. My wife was a bit taken aback by his lack of appreciation for Pinot Noir. We got to talking about it and he did say he loved (to drink) a good Burgundy, but that it could quite frustrating to really find those that really moved you.

Favorite variety to work with: Shiraz. He commented that his answer might seem obvious, being it is a major grape in his homeland, but he said that wasn’t the real reason. He felt Shiraz was a grape you could generally always make a good wine with, but that to make a distinctive, unique wine was a much more challenging task. It was finding that distinct voice which made it his favorite grape to work with.

Favorite wine to drink: Outside of his own wines, it was Barbaresco. His answer took me aback, as it wasn’t something I really expected. He said he was a big fan of German Rieslings as well, but when it came down to it, Barbaresco was his absolute favorite and it yielded my favorite quote of the evening, “You can spend your whole life looking for the bottom of the glass and not get there”. I thought this was a great way to describe the passion for a particular wine and it is one I feel like many Burgundy fans could identify with.

Worst thing he’s ever eaten: Adam is an enthusiastic cook whose favorite cook book is [AMAZON affiliate link] The French Laundry Cookbook. Not exactly lightweight stuff there. The answer to the question was lamprey eels that had been boiled in their own blood. He said it was as disgusting as it sounded. As for an unusual thing he’d eaten that he did enjoy, it was drunken prawns.

Approach to winemaking for Cupcake: In our conversation, I think I’d say Adam is shooting for a broad audience, but without making wines geared only for newbies. He wants to make balanced wines which exhibit typicity for their region and grape. His personal affinity for European wines and understanding of the US market make him well equipped to pull off his aim of creating value wines that wine drinkers of all experiences can enjoy.

Overall, I got the impression that Adam was quite a fan of food and wine, especially when you consider he is responsible for making wines on four continents and continues to add new wines to the portfolio. At this point in time, the Cupcake brand alone has 12 different wines, with more coming this Fall. From a business point of view, the brand is easy to remember and hints towards a more fruit driven style.

Here are quick notes on all the wines we tasted:

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (Marlborough, New Zealand) 12.5% alcohol: As before, this was a very nice balanced approach to the grape, which can often exhibit overwhelming grapefruit and herbaceous character. This wine weaves together grapefruit, pear and sweet lemon flavors that make it suitable for drinking alone or with seafood, be it raw, grilled or sautéed.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Pinot Grigio (D.O.C. Trentino, Italy) 13% alcohol: So, the wine world used to be pretty crazy for this grape, which I often found to be more akin to lemon water as the mass market producers tend to make it. This was actually pretty good and while I’d not personally run out to buy it, I’d have no issue with recommending this as a solid example of the grape.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Mosel Valley, Germany) 10.5% alcohol: We had a nice chat about German Rieslings and how they are becoming an endangered species in the wine world, as the vineyards are hard to work and many of the younger generation have no desire to work the land. At this price point, you have a nice wine that exhibits stone fruit and citrus, but lacked the punch of slate and overall flavor that I so enjoy from this region’s wines. I think you can do better with other choices.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Riesling (Columbia Valley, Washington) 13.2% alcohol: Creamier and drier than the German wine, I found this more to my liking. It just required the right food, which we weren’t really having and honestly, we sort of rushed through the two Rieslings and the next wine, as our entrees had arrived and we were eager to get to the whites. I’ve got a sample bottle of this in the fridge and think I may try it with some veggie spring rolls.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Chardonnay (Central Coast, California) 14% alcohol: Well made, with a nice balance to the oak and fruit flavors. The oak shows some character in the buttery vanilla nose, but the palate exhibits some nice tropical fruit flavors and I felt this was well made, though I don’t know if the world needs another $10 Chardonnay. This strikes a nice balance between the classic butter bomb Cali-style and the surging popularity of un-oaked wines. California Chardonnay fans will enjoy.

2007 Cupcake Vineyards Merlot (Central Coast, California) 13.9% alcohol: Juicy, but lacking any real character and was just sort of there. My least favorite wine of the night.

2009 Cupcake Vineyards Malbec (Mendoza, Argentina) 13.5% alcohol: Starts off with a great smoky leather aroma that lays over the black fruits, which make their presence known once you get this lovely drop in your mouth. I liked the sort of restraint this wine shows, as I’ve been finding so many Malbecs of late to be over ripened fruit bombs that are one trick ponies. This went really well with my NY strip, which was cooked to a perfect rare. (Thank you Miller Union!). This was my favorite wine of the night and something I’d buy.

Overall, the Cupcake brand is off to a fairly good start. They have an easy to remember name, no critters or low-brow marketing, an appealing price point and cover most of the major grapes. I had my favorites, as any wine drinker will, but it wasn’t like I found any of the wines undrinkable. Those I didn’t care for (Merlot and German Riesling) weren’t bad, I’ve just had better for the money.

A big thanks to Adam for taking the time to meet with me and my wife, we really enjoyed it.

Cheers!

While I missed out on the mass online tasting of Sauvignon blancs on Twitter last week, I did manage to open a couple of sample bottles I’d received. FULL DISCLOSURE: Both Sauvignon blanc wines talked about in this post were given to me as samples. We were invited to some friends for a dinner of garlic and butter grilled shrimp, so I thought this the perfect excuse to drink some Sauv blanc. The spring weather isn’t hurting either, as this is a time for crisp whites, along with the usual bubblies, all while we wait for fresh supplies of French rosés to arrive.

2008 NO Sauvignon Blanc / 2009 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

First up was the 2009 Cupcake Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc, approximate retail of $13.99. (I’ve seen it for less in our market.) This wine is sourced from Marlborough, New Zealand, the prime growing region of this grape in that country. 20 years ago, nobody had ever heard of New Zealand wine and then, Wine Spectator plants Cloudy Bay on the front cover and well, the rest is history. When I think of Sauvignon blanc from New Zealand, I think grapefruit and more specifically, white grapefruit. One of the most popular labels is so overwrought with this flavor, my wife actually puts an ice cube in her glass to cut it back just a notch.

The Cupcake version is quite nice, with plenty of grapefruit, but more like a mix of white and pink so as not to be overly tart. You also find very nice lemon notes intermixed, which are a nice compliment and provide a sweet note of balance to this very crisp wine. Acids are tart, but not bitter or sharp. I didn’t get a lot of complexity in the wine, but it finished strong and while it was a very straight shooting wine, it shot straight and on target. For the price point, it delivers and I doubt anyone would be disappointed in their purchase. I’d say this is a repeat purchase and would work well for your next shellfish centered meal or even as a base for a white sangria to help tame the summer time heat. Nice job.

The second wine was the 2008 NO Sauvignon Blanc from Lake County, CA. This just north of Napa region has been getting some buzz over the last 3 to 4 years as an area capable of great things, but at more affordable prices. The back label of this wine really pushes the NO concept, as in NO interference from the winemaker. No oak, no malo, no cork, just pure and unadulterated fruit. Honestly, I didn’t get a lot out of this one. One person commented it smelled sweeter, which I could see in that the fruits were more tropical and less citrus than in the first wine.

I got some apples, pear and just a hint of pink grapefruit, an obvious indicator that the wine came from a warmer climate. For me, California is usually the last place I look for Sauvignon blanc. I tend to gravitate towards Sancerre, but since they have become rather pricey, I usually stick with New Zealand for the value. We just don’t drink a lot of the stuff, tending towards other wines for the warm weather. I’d have to pass on this one, though one of our friends said she did like it. If you like a softer and more tropical styled wine and you opt for this, make sure to let it warm up for 20 minutes out of the fridge. It will show better, something I noticed as mine warmed up.

Cheers to you and have a happy Tuesday!

Quivira wines at Miller Union dinner with wine maker Steven Canter

Every once in a while, you meet someone who really makes you think.

Steven Canter, the wine maker for Quivira, is such a person.

I always liked to meet wine makers when I was a retail buyer, much more so than the PR / marketing folks. I enjoyed shaking hands and sharing wine with the folks who were doing what I considered the real work. There weren’t a lot of these meetings, but I always learned something. Having dinner with Steven taught me a lot about wine and has me looking at it in a new way.

It didn’t hit me like a wall, more like a slow trickle as I recounted the dinner with Steven and my wife at Miller Union. We met up with Steven at 7:30 on Wednesday, February 17th 2010. Dinner concluded right before 11PM, as we realized we were about the only guests still in the restaurant. I didn’t take formal notes, but will rely on my memory to give you a general impression of the topics we covered, along with my opinions of the wines we sampled.

I’ll start with saying that Quivira is Demeter certified Biodynamic and has been since 2005. I’m not going to give you a lesson in what that means, which is what the links are for. My view is that bio-dynamics seeks to create harmony between man and the land. Steven even commented that he goes beyond the “rules” and when I probed what that meant, he said how the workers were treated. He worked in South Africa not long after the fall of apartheid and he saw poor treatment of workers. Though not part of the Demeter doctrine, it is still a vital aspect of how he makes wine. This is one man who not only talks the talk and walks the walk, but also writes the words. If I were an aspiring wine maker, he is one person I’d seek to intern under.

Keep in mind, these are not in order, just how I remember them.

On wine critics: I’d say that Steven feels like they fill a certain role and understands their use, but he doesn’t get especially excited when he gets a good review. He also provided a story that made me wonder, just what would happen when someone reviews the same wine in two different labels. The answer is, the scores will be dramatically different.

On Champagne: Hands down, the grower stuff is better and what he drinks.

On alternative packaging: Steven replied the FDA wouldn’t allow him to use animal bladders. I’m not sure if he was kidding or not, but honestly, I think it is kind of a cool idea for local consumers who wanted to buy wine from the winery. He did say they were looking, but some things they couldn’t use. For instance, Tetra-paks have certain chemicals in them that Demeter doesn’t allow, so those are out. We also discussed closures and Steven is a very big believer in cork. He says it is natural, warm and ecologically the best choice. Cork taint is of very little concern these days, as any producer who belongs to a certain cork quality alliance (that I can’t recall the name of) has very few incidents of TCA anymore. My primary complaint regarding cork is the relatively limited ability to recycle them, though I know there is some movement towards improving that.

On oxygen and wine making: While drinking the Quivira Sauvignon blanc, my wife commented on how many of the New Zealand versions are overly grapefruit driven in taste. The Quivira was pure and tropical, but not very grassy. Steven remarked how a lot of wine makers are paranoid about the juice being exposed to oxygen and that they go through tremendous lengths to keep the wine away from oxygen at all times. He doesn’t do that and talked about how the juice will run from golden green to espresso brown during the fermentation process, but it will return back. He called this the “pucker stage”, hoping he has not ruined 10,000 gallons of wine. Trust me, he didn’t.

On natural yeasts: Quivira doesn’t use cultured yeast. I commented that I often read and hear direct from the mouths of other wine makers that natural yeasts are too much of a gamble and you can get off-flavors. At this point, I began to wonder, perhaps the use of all those artificial compounds in the farming process are what cause the flavors, since the naturally occurring yeasts might not know how to process them. I’m no chemist, so it was just a theory. I think Quivira proves if you take care of the land, the land will take care of the wine, as I found no off-flavors in the wines, though the Petite Sirah did go through a weird phase. See below.

Wild mushrooms on restaurant menus: A pet peeve of his and one I’d never have thought 0f, but the fact that when a menu says wild mushrooms, he has been served varieties that were obviously cultivated and not foraged, which is what wild mushrooms are. Our mushroom toast appetizer was obviously foraged and he inquired about their source, since the restaurant obviously emphasizes their use of local ingredients and these couldn’t have been. We were informed they did come from the West coast. I have to say, I’ll always be more attentive to the menu on these types of restaurants in my future dining excursions. It also makes me respect those restaurants that do support local sources and list them as partners on their menu. Great food really does start with great ingredients.

What Steven drinks: I’m always curious as to what other wineries a wine maker likes. Here is where I wish I’d taken notes, as the only one I can remember is Navarro, as it was the only name I recognized. I know that in general, he leans towards the old world wines.

On alcohol levels: A popular topic that never seems to lose life, my personal take is that alcohol levels are one component of what gives a wine balance and no matter what their alcohol content, it was neither inherently good or bad. I think Steven agreed, as he brought up Amarone, a still wine that ranges over 16% fairly regularly, yet nobody disparages those wines because of it. I did say that some high alcohol wines can be tiring to drink or even pair with food, but it wasn’t always the case. Yes, Quivira wines are all close to 15% and I found none of them to be out of balance or show signs of heat on the back palate.

On the difficulty of different varietals: I proposed that Pinot noir is often portrayed as being the most difficult of grapes to grow. Steven just smirked and disagreed, saying that Zinfandel is inherently more difficult because of its proclivity to have un-even ripeness of berries within the bunches. That and it tended to get raisiny if you let it go just a bit too far. I don’t recall getting a definitive answer as to what he thought was most difficult, but he did say it was NOT Pinot noir.

My overall impression: Steven is an extremely intelligent and convicted person. He lives on a farm, raises goats and vegetables, along with practicing bio-dynamic farming. It isn’t about marketing or some other bullshit reason, he just believes it is the best way to farm, which in the end, is what wine making is really all about. You respect the land, treat it well and you can be rewarded with excellent fruit. Shepard that fruit with minimal intervention and you get good to great wine. It may not be for everyone, but it is what the land has provided and you either like it or not. At least you aren’t getting a wine that has been forged into something it was never meant to be in the first place. I know that dinner with Steven has really changed how I view wine and the wine making process. While I’m not going to convert to 100% drinking bio-dynamic wines only, I know it will be something I’m more aware of when I’m looking for new wines to try, especially once I get past this year.

Now, onto the wines.

2008 Quivira Figtree Sauvignon blanc (approximate retail of $18): Clean and tropical, with a fullness of body that comes from six months sur lies. It has an ABV of 13.9%, pH of 3.25 and T.A. of .57g/100mL, with a production of 3,316 cases bottled in February of 2009. A great food wine and it had this very compelling aromatic I just couldn’t place. My wife said Steven sort of smirked when I kept referencing it, but made no comment regarding the wine. I read somewhere on Cellar Tracker that someone said it smelled like caraway, but I’m not sure that was it either. While not my favorite overall wine, it was very good and something we plan to have the next time we have oysters.

2006 Quivira Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel (approximate retail of $20): A blend of 92% Zinfandel and 8% Petite sirah, aged for 10 months in 15% new French oak barrels, ABV of 14.9%, pH 3.71, T.A. .55g/100mL, with a production of 3,900 cases bottled in August of 2008. A very claret like style, with the signature bramble, blackberry and baking spice wrapped in a jacket of soft tannins. For me, this was the second best wine of the night and a really good value.

2006 Quivira Dry Creek Valley Anderson Ranch Zinfandel (approximate retail of $34): We actually talked about the pros and cons of single vineyard wines a bit when this came out. I think we both agreed that single vineyards aren’t necessarily any better, but they do have that perception in the marketplace and often, that is where the higher prices come from. This is a brawnier wine, more like an old school middle linebacker who fills the gap and stuffs the running back on 3rd and short. Not as refined or as smooth as the Dry Creek, this wine needs more time in bottle and bigger food, but I think your patience will be rewarded, as the fruit has plenty of stuffing to stand the test of time.

2007 Quivira Grenache (approximate retail of $26): I loved this wine. For those of you who like Pinot noir, this is the wine to try. I tell that to a lot of folks, especially when I was in retail. I knew you could always get a really good Grenache, especially at the lower price points where many of the Pinots tasted more like their fillers. It was full of brown sugar laced red raspberries with toasted herbs spinkled in for good measure. Very food friendly and easy to drink, it was a great match with the pork. 100% Grenache, 15 months in 10% new oak (origin not specified), ABV of 14.9%, pH 3.71, T.A. .54 g/100mL, with a production of 812 cases that were bottled in January of 2009.

2007 Quivira Petite Sirah (approximate retail of $26): My wife’s favorite, surprisingly so considering her sworn allegiance to the fiefdom known as Pinot noir. While I associate Petite sirah with wrestling alligators bearing their teeth, this one was sedated, but not dead. I found the tannins to be modest, nothing a good steak, burger or juicy piece of pork won’t ease. Full of dark black fruits and peppered citrus, this wine did have about a 15 minute spell for me where a funky earth character took over. After that, it began to smell like a coffee house first thing in the morning where the baristas are pouring themselves shots of espresso and French roasted coffee made in a French press (I really need one of those…best way to have coffee really). I’d say the development in the couple or hours we had this open indicate a nice future, so you can drink it now and 5 to 7 years from now, though it will be hard pressed to see life beyond that. UPDATED 03/26/10 You can read another review at NorCalWine dot com.

Overally, I found all the wines to be of good to outstanding quality. While by no means cheap, I think the Grenache, Zinfandel and Petitie sirah over deliver for their respective price points and the Sauvignon blanc is a great change of pace from the usual new world styles. You can taste the dedication to quality and the purity of the flavors. For those who want to try bio-dynamic / organic wine, Quivira is a label I believe you can trust, but only your palate can determine what you like.

RETAILERS: Please call for pricing and availability. If you don’t shop at any of these fine establishments, you can always ask about special orders. Quivira is distributed by Empire.

• Tower Beer & Wine
• The Wine Cellars
• Whole Foods
• Sherlock’s Wine Merchant
• Bullock’s

RESTAURANTS:

• Miller Union
• Eno
• Pampas Steakhouse
• Quanto Basta
• South City Kitchen
• la Tavola
• Ecco
• Ellis Hotel
• Cakes and Ale

As for the food, I will say that everything we ate was quite good. We all had different appetizers, entrees and desserts, but everyone got to try a taste of everyone else’s dish. My personal favorite was the chicken liver mousse, which had a sweet component that was quite delicious, but when you threw in some of the stone ground mustard, it really elevated to a new level. The pork, duck and trout were all equally good and the desserts were good, but not stellar. Go for the appetizers and main dishes and give them some time on dessert, I’m sure they will come up to par with the others in due time. We will definitely return, which in my book, is the best endorsement you can give to any restaurant. Oh yeah, I’ve been told the farm egg appetizer is really rockin’, so consider it as well. Just make sure to do like we did and double up on nothing so you can try as many items as possible.

Cheers and many, many thanks to the fine folks at Folsom for arranging this intimate dinner and for Steven being so kind in sharing his time, wit and knowledge with us. If you ever get the chance to meet him, ask about the 5 billion dollar bill he carries.

Neil Ellis named this wine Sincerely as a tribute to Sancerre, a region in France known for world class Sauvignon blanc. Nowadays, you probably associate one of the parental grapes to Cabernet Sauvignon (lock that away in the useless trivia box) more with New Zealand than South Africa, but doing so means you are missing out on some great wines. South African SB is the peacemaker of the varietal, landing in the middle between the steroidish style of NZ and the refined style of Sancerre. You get nice fruit, but without sacrificing the herbal / grassy quality the grape was once famous for.

For those love Sauvignon blanc and are looking for something a little different, you should definitely be hitting the South African section of your local independent wine retailer. Better yet, grab a bottle from NZ, Sancerre and S. Africa, then invite over a few friends and do your own blind tasting to see which you like best. Just make sure to have some food (goat cheese is especially good), otherwise the New Zealand will win via brute force.

Price: $13.99 (I think)

Bought at: Bullock’s

Why you should drink it: This wine is a pleasant blend of lime, chalk (which is a good thing) and fresh cut grass in both aromas and flavors. Neither extravagant or loud, this gem relies more on finesse and superior balance for pleasing the palate. It has a slightly rounder mouthfeel than most, but still has a zippy finish that will keep your taste buds a tinglin’. Try this on some of your Pinot Grigio drinking friends and see if you don’t have at least a few converts.

Pairing suggestions: Grilled amberjack, anything with goat cheese, raw oysters or garlic sautéed scallops.