It is time for March Madness. Besides basketball it is time to start thinking about farmer's markets and starting my garden. The tournament pools may be very boring this year as everyone will be picking Kentucky. I may start a pool to pick the runner up.
Check out Lettie Teague's article this weekend in the WSJ on sulfites in wine. I have previously discussed this and she reiterates how wine needs sulfites so it does not spoil. http://www.wsj.com/articles/wine-headache-chances-are-its-not-the-sulfites-1426250886 As she concludes, if wine gives you headaches, maybe it is the alcohol.
Grand Cayman Island
I had a chance to visit Grand Cayman Island again. All appears to be good there. The sting rays are still the major tourist attraction and the snorkeling and scuba diving are great. Had a chance to eat at Tukka Restaurant and Bar, which is owned by ans Aussie, and it was surprising good. I had lobster and it was straight from the ocean. http://www.tukka.ky/ Also a thumbs up to Kaibo for its location and ambiance. http://kaibo.ky/?page_id=98 A true happening bar with good food on a beautiful beach.
BTW the local beer Caybrew is still very good. You will be amazed. Try their dark beer Ironshore Bock on draft.http://caybrew.com/
Phoenix and Scottsdale
I have also been able to be in Scottsdale and Phoenix a few times recently. For comfort food try Binks.http://binksscottsdale.com/ Located in a strip mall, it is the casual bistro of the chef who has a much more expensive place a few miles away. Not sure if the menu changes in the summer, but I had braised lamb shoulder with pomegranate glaze. The meal starts out with biscuits topped with butter. Delicious but heavy stuff.
I also finally had a chance to eat at a branch of Pizza Bianco called Pizzeria Bianco Town and Country.http://www.pizzeriabianco.com/locations/ The branch was hidden in a nondescript mall behind a Nordstrom's Rack. The pizza was great. Wood burning oven, chewy charred crust, good sauce and cheese. We also had a salad that was superbly dressed very lightly with olive oil,(I think some vinegar or lemon juice) and salt. The prices are reasonable; $13 for a Margherita pizza.
I also had a chance to eat at Parlor Pizzeria.http://theparlor.us/ The place is hip and the menu appears to interesting with many healthy choices and fresh food. The pizza does not compare with Pizza Bianco but it is decent and the other food was good. They have a good wine list and we had a
2010 Sottimano Barbera d'Alba Pairolero for $50. It was very good, Earthy, some fruit and good acid.
I also had a chance to eat at BLT at the Marriott Camelback Resort. They have a dessert called Crepe Souffle with Passion Fruit sauce. It was very good. It looked like an omelet in sauce. I love passion fruit and this dessert hit all the right spots.
Wine Vintages
One of the great things about wine is that there is always another vintage. Bordeaux had 2 great vintages in 2009 and 2010 but the 2011 and 2012 years were not that great. There still are a number of reasonably priced 2010 Bordeaux's coming to stores. I have not tasted many of the 2011 and 2012 wines yet. 2013 appears to be a very poor year and 2014 appears better but it is still too early to tell. In great years lesser wineries can have very good wines as the quality is spread around. Thus in 2010 a number of less famous wineries in Bordeaux made some very good wines. As I have been saying for a while, it is easy to purchase a great wine for under $25 from Bordeaux form 2009 and 2010. However I would warn that the same wines in poorer vintages may not be as good.
Willamette Valley wines are celebrating 50 years of wine making and they are having a tasting event at City Winery in NYC. The event called Pinot in the City is on April 14. http://willamettewines.com/event/pinot-in-the-city/
Recent Wines
2012 Domaine de la Janasse Côtes du Rhône Cuvée Réserve $14.99 Good stuff. Lots of fruit but good tannin to balance. It is 14% alcohol which is not over the top. An Eric Solomon wine.
2014 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc $13.33 with a $3.00 rebate. The 2014 vintage of this wine is light and not overly fruity. It has good acid and is thoroughly enjoyable. With the rebate which expires shortly the wine is a steal. The rebate is good for up to 12 bottles and gets better the more that you buy.
I have also had the Melville 2012 Estate Pinot Noir a few time now and it is very good. The wine is fruity but with terroir and is 14% alcohol, which is light for Melville. It is around $28 in a store and $62 in restaurants.
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