June travels

I had an opportunity to try the 2006 Joseph Phelps Insignia at a recent dinner in Ft Wayne, Indiana. The wine was great. While it had complex flavors, it had a pure and focused taste that made it special. However the real highlight of the experience was sharing the wine with 2 friends. Wine is meant to be shared. This wine is not secret and was very highly rated by the Wine Spectator and the Wine Advocate.

Also tasted 3 wines- Franciscan cabernet, Cain Cuvee and Merryvale cabernet. Not sure of the vintages but I think they were 2005. The restaurant did not put vintages on the wine list. We had to ask the waitress to check the vintage of every wine that interested us. The waitress was very accommodating but it was a slow process. None of these wines merit further drinking. They are examples of poor California cabs.

I am still trying to fill in the blanks for the trip to Europe.We are staying in Courmayeur, Italy on the first night. This town is in the Alps at the base of Mt Blanc. I love the Michelin Red guidebooks. However the Red guide for Italy is only in Italian. This makes things more interesting since my Italian is not good. To be continued.

At another dinner in Ft Wayne (800 degrees Wood fired Pizza) the wine list was not good and they would not let us bring a bottle. However the beers were great. They had 6 beers on tap. They gave me tastes in shot glasses to make my decision. I tried Dog Fish Head Poppa Skull. It had 10% alcohol. I did not like it. I also tried the Tyranena Dirty Old Man Imperial Rye Porter. It was intriguing. I also tried the Stone Ruination IPA, 7.7% alcohol. It was OK but I settled on the Two brothers J Series Resistance IPA, 6.9% alcohol. I enjoyed it and it was the cheapest. $3 for 16oz. pour. Interestingly they charge by the alcohol contnent of the beer and you also get less of the beers with higher alcohol content. BTW the pizza was good.

Recipe of the Week
I started with a dozen clams in their shells. Put them in a large frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and covered the pan on medium heat. I added thin slices of garlic, half a clove, and fresh herbs - oregano and rosemary. I then added 2 chopped scallions and a zucchini diced up. Added a little more olive oil. At the end I added a chopped up a shitaki mushroom.

In a separate pan I seared 6 sea scallops and I prepared a wide noodle pasta, pappardelle. The clam mixture generated a beautiful broth from its own juies. When the clams are fully opened the dish is ready, about 10 -15 minutes. To serve - pasta in bowl with a touch of olive oil, top with clam mixture and top with 2 or 3 scallops. I am now getting my seafood from the jersey seafood guy at the farmer's market. Served with a green salad. BTW I always use extra virgin olive oil.

Any interesting white wine goes with the meal. I had Schiopetto Blanc Des Rosis 2007 13.5% alcohol from the Venezia area of Italy that I had in my cellar. I paid about $14 but it usually sells for more. Not sure of the grape but a full bodied white that we enjoyed.

Ft Wayne is also home to one of the most amazing chocolate shops to be found anywhere - DeBrand Chocolates. http://www.debrand.com/. They have several locations in Ft Wayne. The shops are elegant and have very nice seating areas where you can enjoy chocolate and they have a huge selection of chocolates to take home. They make a hot fudge sundae that is a definitive statement and sets a very high bar for hot fudge sundaes. I had vanilla ice cream in a dark chocolate cup with hot fudge, caramel and pecans. OMG. See above.
Ciao. I am practicing.

Prelude to Summer

I am still looking to eat my first NJ strawberry of the year. Wegman's was selling some but I did not buy them. They are not easy to find these days but they can be great. They are much more delicate than the commercial strawberries that we usually get. The season is very short.NJ blueberries are also comin soon. I am also patiently waiting for fresh sour cherries. Visions of sour cherry tarts are in my head.

I'm planning a trip to France, Italy Switzerland and Germany. It sounds like we are doing lots of travelling but the distances are quite reasonable. Will be going to Piemonte region in Italy home of Barolo and Barberesco wines. In preparation I have trying some Piemonte wines. Had a Dolcetto d' Alba which was very good. The grape is Dolcetto. Medium bodied with nice fruit and tannin. Pira Dolcetto d' Alba 2009 $12.

Also tried rosso from Langhe by GD Vajra in Barolo 2007, Nebbiolo grape, about $14. It was OK. Decent flavor nothing really exciting. The Wine Spectator gave it an 88 but we would not be that positive about the wine.
We will be ending the trip in Munich where the beer is excellent. We are looking forward to drinking beer in the beer garden in the center of the old city. We have been to Munich before and really enjoyed the city. It is amazing to see a waitress carry 5 or 6 liter mugs of beer in 1 hand.

My favorite farmer's market starts this Sunday. Located in Summit. I will be able to get fresh fish from NJ which is amazin. NJ has some of the best tuna that I have eaten. The scallops and the clams are outstanding.

Last week we drank a malbec rose from Susana Balbo Crios. It was 2010 and cost $12. The wine looks like cherry juice but it completely dry and has more body than most roses. It is high in alcohol but very enjoyable.When buying a rose, buy the most recent year that you can find. They usually do not have a long shelf life.

Tried a new cava this week. Kila Cava 2008 from Spain, $8. The importer is Jorge Ordonez, Temprinillo Imports. He specializes in spanish wines. A good way to buy wines is look at the importer. Most good importers work with the winemakers to get the best possible wines for their portfolios. Since I love cava from Sant Sadurni D'Anoia this wine had all of the right stuff on the label. It was a very good sparkling wine with all of the fruitiness that I love with cava.