Friday, September 30, 2011
Weekend wine sale
Check out cinderellawine.com this weekend (9/30 - 10/2) for their "turn back the clock" sale on wine with shipping included if you buy 6 bottles.
Friday, September 23, 2011
Europe Part 3
Day 5 Our hotel was near the main train station in Milano. In many European cities there is a good selection of hotels near the main train station. This tends to be very convenient for us travellers. Milan has a subway/underground system that worked well for us. Our hotel room was not completely ready when we arrived so the manager gave us passes to the subway system.
We wanted to explore the center of the city and also find a place for dinner. Most restaurants of note are closed in August in Milano. I did have 1 place in mind that was supposed to be open. We tried to find it but it was so far away from transportation that we gave up.
We went to the Duomo and it was magnificent.
The manager of our hotel recommended a restaurant in the center of the city and we ate dinner there. I ordered a valpocella and when they poured me some to taste, it smelled awful. I rejected the wine and ordered a piemonte wine. I believe that it was a dolcetti di alba. I had veal milanese and we shared a risotto milano. The meal was good but it was officially the day of our 25th anniversary, so the meal was special.
Day 6 Milano is a fun city. We had perfect weather - low 80's and no humidity. We saw the Last Supper. The fresco was better than expected.We had to take a walking tour to get into the last supper but we enjoyed the tour. The guide was very personable.
We went to the Pinacoteca di Brera. A great museum that is not my taste. Old paintings.
We enjoyed the Castello Sforzesco. After 4:30 admission is free. A variety of things including Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta. We walked thru Peck, Milan's fancy food place. Things looked nice but nothing excited us.
We found lots of small food shops in Milan despite all of the guidebooks telling us that everything is closed in August. Lots of gelati.
For dinner we at in the Navigli area (above). It was a beautful evening and we ate outside on a table by the canal. Pizza, salad and beer. For dessert we found a gelati place.
Day 7 We left Milano and headed for Zurich. This was to be our longest driving day. We headed towards Lake Como. We followed the road along Lake Como for 40 kilometers. The lake was beautiful and we tried to stop in Menaggio but it was very crowded and we could not find a place to park. Bellagio looked beautiful across the lake but we did not go there.
We decided to eat lunch in Lugano and then followed the road to Lugano which is on Lake Lugano and in Switzerland. Lugano looked like a nice city. We went down to the lake and found a place for lunch. We instantly found out that Switzerland is much more expensive than Italy.
We left Lugano and found the highway to Zurich. The road went thru the St Gotthard pass tunnel. About 5 kilometers from the tunnel the traffic stopped. I thought that there was a major accident. We got out of the car and spoke with other people. Apparently the tunnel is one lane in each direction and going from a 2 lane highway to a 1 lane tunnel creates huge jams at busy times. The tunnel is 17 kilometers long and with traffic it took us about 3.5 hours to go thru.
Zurich was OK. We only spent a night and a morning there. We stayed at the Marriott. Not usually my choice in Europe but I used Priceline for the first time and paid $125 for a night at the hotel. The usual rate at the hotel was $500. The hotel was very nice and it was the fanciest hotel on our trip. 2 people could fit in the bathroom. This is big in Europe.
We scouted the Bahnhofstrasse (the main street) and found chocolate shops. Our goal in Zurich was to buy lots of great chocolate truffles. We found Teuschers, Sprungli and Merkur. We bought 100 grams of truffles for a snack and went to dinner. We ate dinner in the old town. It was very touristy and expensive. We found a tapas restaurant and ate well outside on the cobblestone street. We then found a cafe with Teuschers pastries and had dessert.
Day 8 We had to be at the airport by 1pm so I went out at 10am and bought my chocolates at the 3 stores that we had scouted the night before. I bought about 1 and 1/2 pounds. We brought a cold pack bag with us so I could get them home in the best condition possible.
We drove to the airport and took our flight to Munich. We flew 1st class on a small Lufthansa commuter plane. We were served very interesting food. A square of smoked salmon and sundried tomato cottage cheese. A 6 oz can of Sprite.
It took a long time to retrieve our luggage in Munich. We took the train which ended 4 stops before our stop so we had to change trains and haul our luggage. We checked into our hotel which was modern and different. A glass shower was in the room. The upside - the bathroom was more spacious. Flemings Munchen-City. This hotel was also near the main train station which made life easy since we did not have a car in Munich.
We went straight to the Viktual market for our beer. Had 1/2 liter of Spaten with giant soft pretzels. The pretzels are fabulous. How they made their way across the Atlantic and became the disgusting thing sold in the US is beyond my ability to comprehend.
Dinner at Altes Hackerhaus. They serve Hacker Pschorr beer.Great beer hall. We ate in the atrium which was glass covered. We shared a giant slab of pork with the crackled skin accompanied by a giant potato dumpling. Had Hacker Pshorr Dunkel, Hell and Pilsner. The Pilsner was very good.
Guess which glass is mine. Winner will be announced in the coming weeks.
We wanted to explore the center of the city and also find a place for dinner. Most restaurants of note are closed in August in Milano. I did have 1 place in mind that was supposed to be open. We tried to find it but it was so far away from transportation that we gave up.
We went to the Duomo and it was magnificent.
Day 6 Milano is a fun city. We had perfect weather - low 80's and no humidity. We saw the Last Supper. The fresco was better than expected.We had to take a walking tour to get into the last supper but we enjoyed the tour. The guide was very personable.
We enjoyed the Castello Sforzesco. After 4:30 admission is free. A variety of things including Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta. We walked thru Peck, Milan's fancy food place. Things looked nice but nothing excited us.
We found lots of small food shops in Milan despite all of the guidebooks telling us that everything is closed in August. Lots of gelati.
For dinner we at in the Navigli area (above). It was a beautful evening and we ate outside on a table by the canal. Pizza, salad and beer. For dessert we found a gelati place.
Day 7 We left Milano and headed for Zurich. This was to be our longest driving day. We headed towards Lake Como. We followed the road along Lake Como for 40 kilometers. The lake was beautiful and we tried to stop in Menaggio but it was very crowded and we could not find a place to park. Bellagio looked beautiful across the lake but we did not go there.
Bellagio
Day 8 We had to be at the airport by 1pm so I went out at 10am and bought my chocolates at the 3 stores that we had scouted the night before. I bought about 1 and 1/2 pounds. We brought a cold pack bag with us so I could get them home in the best condition possible.
We drove to the airport and took our flight to Munich. We flew 1st class on a small Lufthansa commuter plane. We were served very interesting food. A square of smoked salmon and sundried tomato cottage cheese. A 6 oz can of Sprite.
It took a long time to retrieve our luggage in Munich. We took the train which ended 4 stops before our stop so we had to change trains and haul our luggage. We checked into our hotel which was modern and different. A glass shower was in the room. The upside - the bathroom was more spacious. Flemings Munchen-City. This hotel was also near the main train station which made life easy since we did not have a car in Munich.
We went straight to the Viktual market for our beer. Had 1/2 liter of Spaten with giant soft pretzels. The pretzels are fabulous. How they made their way across the Atlantic and became the disgusting thing sold in the US is beyond my ability to comprehend.
Dinner at Altes Hackerhaus. They serve Hacker Pschorr beer.Great beer hall. We ate in the atrium which was glass covered. We shared a giant slab of pork with the crackled skin accompanied by a giant potato dumpling. Had Hacker Pshorr Dunkel, Hell and Pilsner. The Pilsner was very good.
Wines of the week; some real corkers
Sometimes wines just don't click.
| 2004 Bodegas Y Vinedos El Chantre Ramos Paul | ||
I had made duck breast so for the second bottle I opened a 2007 Beaulieu Rutherford cabernet sauvignon. $25. This should have been a very good wine. WA 90. After a glass it was getting tired and it wasn't enjoyable to drink. I have 2 more bottles of the Beaulieu. Oh well.  Edna Valley 2004 Syrah - A $16 wine that I got for $5.This was the second bottle of this wine we opened. Loved the first bottle but this bottle did not thrill us.Chateau Valrose , Cuvee Alienor 2004 , St Estephe $25 I had about 5 bottles of this wine. Opened this bottle because I was curious to see how it was aging. This bottle was very good. This wine has been very inconsistent from bottle to bottle. A blend of 50% merlot 25% cabernet sauvignon and 25% cabernet franc. D'Arenberg Dry Dam Riesling 2007 $14 My wife loves this wine. This bottle showed a more intense flavor that I liked. |
Friday, September 16, 2011
Wines of the Week
Coopers Creek, New Zealand, Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $9 --Nice bouquet; drank drier than it smelled; nice wine.
Chalone - Pinot Blanc 2007; A favorite of mine; first time I have had the 2007; good blend of oak and fruit; $16
Termes 2004- Spain ; I have had this wine in my celler for several years; $23; Toro grape which is also called tempranillo, the grape of rioja. Big wine, not great but enjoyed. Not enough balance yet, probably could use another few years in bottle. I have a few more bottles. This wine gets raves from the critics.The WA gave it a 94 and says that it is currently selling for $90. Oh my.
Malvira Sagiletto 2008 Roero Arneis, $18,Piemonte, Italy -- Enjoyed this white wine. BTW Malvira appears to be a winery worth seeking. I have recently a few of their wines and have been impressed.
Several nights ago I finally ate at Lupa in NYC luparestaurant.com. A Mario Batali production in Greenwich Village. Had a good meal. The food is fresh and the prices are very reasonable. I had wild striped bass and started with clams mixed with something like cous cous, olives and spaghetti squash. Had caramel gelati for dessert which was so-so. Flavor was good but it did not taste like gelati.
The wine was a Brandini Langhe Nebbiolo 2003 $57. I must admit that I had the "wine person" choose the wine. After speaking with me about my likes she chose a very safe wine. Interestingly I said I wanted a wine under $50 and she rounded up to $57. Oh well. I could have said no.The wine was very good and we enjoyed it immensely. BTW when we arrived they told that we had to leave in 90 minutes and at the end of the meal they just gave us our check without asking. I guess Manhattan trumps Italy no matter how authentic a restaurant tries to be.
Chalone - Pinot Blanc 2007; A favorite of mine; first time I have had the 2007; good blend of oak and fruit; $16
Termes 2004- Spain ; I have had this wine in my celler for several years; $23; Toro grape which is also called tempranillo, the grape of rioja. Big wine, not great but enjoyed. Not enough balance yet, probably could use another few years in bottle. I have a few more bottles. This wine gets raves from the critics.The WA gave it a 94 and says that it is currently selling for $90. Oh my.
Malvira Sagiletto 2008 Roero Arneis, $18,Piemonte, Italy -- Enjoyed this white wine. BTW Malvira appears to be a winery worth seeking. I have recently a few of their wines and have been impressed.
Several nights ago I finally ate at Lupa in NYC luparestaurant.com. A Mario Batali production in Greenwich Village. Had a good meal. The food is fresh and the prices are very reasonable. I had wild striped bass and started with clams mixed with something like cous cous, olives and spaghetti squash. Had caramel gelati for dessert which was so-so. Flavor was good but it did not taste like gelati.
The wine was a Brandini Langhe Nebbiolo 2003 $57. I must admit that I had the "wine person" choose the wine. After speaking with me about my likes she chose a very safe wine. Interestingly I said I wanted a wine under $50 and she rounded up to $57. Oh well. I could have said no.The wine was very good and we enjoyed it immensely. BTW when we arrived they told that we had to leave in 90 minutes and at the end of the meal they just gave us our check without asking. I guess Manhattan trumps Italy no matter how authentic a restaurant tries to be.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Plum Torte Recipe
I have had a number of requests for a plum torte that I make frequently. I usually make it around this time of year since this is when the purple plums aka Italian prune plums are in season. This recipe has been the most requested New York Times recipe over the last 20 years. The link to the recipe is below.
While I think that the recipe is easy to make, if you have any questions or concerns about the recipe, let me know.
www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/dining/216frex.html
While I think that the recipe is easy to make, if you have any questions or concerns about the recipe, let me know.
www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/dining/216frex.html
Friday, September 2, 2011
Recent Dinner and Wine Tasting
Just had a great meal accompanied by excellent wines at a friends house in Ft Wayne. The wines were :
Malvira Roero Riserva Trinita 2005 100% nebbiolo. Nice fruit, balance tannins, enjoyed immensely.
Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 - A reliably very good wine. A crowd favorite. Check out the Guigal Cote Du Rhone. One of the best values in wine today.
Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages 2007 Good and was ready to drink. Low tannin.
Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (not sure of the specific designation but I think it was Stag's Leap)Also very good but needed more structure. 2007 is a great cab year in California but the year is a never a guarantee of the actual wine. Be careful when stores tout the vintage over the particular wine.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Great wine, excellent fruit, very balanced. Caymus is of the reliable names in California cab.
Joseph Phelps Insignia 2006 Awesome wine. Second time I have had the privilege to taste this wine. Different style than the Caymus. According to the experts, this wine can last 30+ years. High in tannin but it works with the fruit. The wine has a purity that is impressive. I really like this wine.
We had great steaks and of course DeBrand chocolates to end the meal.
Malvira Roero Riserva Trinita 2005 100% nebbiolo. Nice fruit, balance tannins, enjoyed immensely.
Guigal Chateauneuf du Pape 2005 - A reliably very good wine. A crowd favorite. Check out the Guigal Cote Du Rhone. One of the best values in wine today.
Chateau St Jean Cinq Cepages 2007 Good and was ready to drink. Low tannin.
Chimney Rock Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 (not sure of the specific designation but I think it was Stag's Leap)Also very good but needed more structure. 2007 is a great cab year in California but the year is a never a guarantee of the actual wine. Be careful when stores tout the vintage over the particular wine.
Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 Great wine, excellent fruit, very balanced. Caymus is of the reliable names in California cab.
Joseph Phelps Insignia 2006 Awesome wine. Second time I have had the privilege to taste this wine. Different style than the Caymus. According to the experts, this wine can last 30+ years. High in tannin but it works with the fruit. The wine has a purity that is impressive. I really like this wine.
We had great steaks and of course DeBrand chocolates to end the meal.
Recent Wine Purchases
In my continuing effort to let you know what I am drinking and buying, here is a list of wines that I recently purchased:
Monsanto Chianti Classico Reserva 2007 $15 -- This is a favorite of mine and highly rated by the gurus. At this price it is a wine to buy. Tried this 07 a few nights ago and it is very good. More refined than most chiantis in a good way.
Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto 09 $18 -- Giacosa has a great reputation and his wines sell for a premium. As you can see after my Italy trip, I am beginning to buy all sorts of wines from Piemonte. Since Barolos and Barbarescos are so expensive I am concentrating on barberas and dolcettos.
Seghesio Barbera D' Alba 07 $13.50 - Another Piemonte wine that has gotten very good reviews.
Armando Parusso Dolcetto 09 $15 -- This wine received a fabulous WA review. Have not tried yet.
Borsao Blanco 10 $6.39 The white wine from my favorite bargain wine producer. Not tried yet.
Andezon La Grancha 09 $10 A very good producer from the Rhone in a great year. Not tried yet.
Coopers Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2009 $9 A New Zealand wine. I find most NZ sauvignon blancs to be similar. Fruity and easy to drink. I like them. This has gotten good review and is very well priced. Not tried yet.
Satellite Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $12 -- Another New Zealand sauvignon blanc, supposedly made by Spy Valley a vg NZ winery. Not tried yet
Achaval Ferrer Malbec 2010 $15 - One of the top producers in Argentina. Have not had this vintage. I am getting tired of Malbecs. Most lack structure. Will report back after we have opened it.
Monsanto Chianti Classico Reserva 2007 $15 -- This is a favorite of mine and highly rated by the gurus. At this price it is a wine to buy. Tried this 07 a few nights ago and it is very good. More refined than most chiantis in a good way.
Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto 09 $18 -- Giacosa has a great reputation and his wines sell for a premium. As you can see after my Italy trip, I am beginning to buy all sorts of wines from Piemonte. Since Barolos and Barbarescos are so expensive I am concentrating on barberas and dolcettos.
Seghesio Barbera D' Alba 07 $13.50 - Another Piemonte wine that has gotten very good reviews.
Armando Parusso Dolcetto 09 $15 -- This wine received a fabulous WA review. Have not tried yet.
Borsao Blanco 10 $6.39 The white wine from my favorite bargain wine producer. Not tried yet.
Andezon La Grancha 09 $10 A very good producer from the Rhone in a great year. Not tried yet.
Coopers Creek Sauvignon Blanc 2009 $9 A New Zealand wine. I find most NZ sauvignon blancs to be similar. Fruity and easy to drink. I like them. This has gotten good review and is very well priced. Not tried yet.
Satellite Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $12 -- Another New Zealand sauvignon blanc, supposedly made by Spy Valley a vg NZ winery. Not tried yet
Achaval Ferrer Malbec 2010 $15 - One of the top producers in Argentina. Have not had this vintage. I am getting tired of Malbecs. Most lack structure. Will report back after we have opened it.
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