Foodies Get Together at Nola Oyster Bar in Norwalk, CT
Since its opening in March of 2013, Nola Oyster Bar in Norwalk, CT was a subject of multiple blogger reviews, so I will not inundate you with the details which you can easily find online. This was our first visit to Nola, and I can tell you – we had the best time. The reason? Simple. Yes, the restaurant has a very good food, drinks and service, but what makes your restaurant visit special is the company. We visited Nola with the group of food bloggers! We only knew a few people at first, but you know, when you share a passion, the connection sparks faster than the lit match can fire up a stack of dry hay. From the moment we got at the table, we were in the company of the old friends – the conversation was flowing, and uncomfortable silence never took place. It was a great pleasure to share this experience with Wendy and Greg from Connecticut Bloggers, Bonnie from Home Place, Kaitlin from the For Love of Carrots, Jeff and Cristina from Cooking with Jeff and Cristina, Jenn from That’s So Jenn, Alicia The Natural Princess, and Linda from MaxExposure, who got us all together.
It is very interesting to see 8 cameras pointing at the same dish – when nobody would yell at you to stop using the flash (yep, this was my experience a few weeks ago). When the food is served, you almost feel as a judge on Chopped with all the comments like “hmmm, interesting, I think this is a bit too acidic”, “I would slightly reduce the sweetness”, “ahh, the regular waffle would become too soggy, this is why the corn flour is used”, “I would make this dish a bit differently”. I can tell you, despite this level of attention, there was not a single dish which we didn’t like, so I think it tells something about the mastery of Chef Kardos.
Let me tell you about the dishes.
I started from the tiny cocktail – as it was called on the menu, “soon to be famous” oyster shooter. Think of it as a shot of Bloody Mary with a fresh oyster right inside, perfect combination of spiciness, saltiness and freshness:
“soon to be famous” oyster shooter
We started with Crab & Artichoke Fondue (bacon, smoked Gouda, sriracha, crackers) – perfect texture, nicely put together without being too heavy, as some of the artichoke dips do:
Crab and Artichoke Fondue
Next up – Beer Braised Mussels – smoked ham broth, chipotle butter, toast. Tasty, flavourful broth is a key to this dish – and we got it. Glad we also had enough pieces of bread, not to leave any goodness on the plate.
Beer Braised Mussles
Our next dish was Cornmeal Fried Oysters & Braised Pork (creamed spinach, pearl onion jam, aleppo chili flakes):
Oysters and Pulled Pork
This was definitely an unexpected combination for someone used to the New England seafood style – I’m sure this dish has New Orleans roots. Cornmeal fried oysters were delicious, and so was the pulled pork. Just enough spice without overpowering. I probably could live without creamed spinach in this dish, but all in all it was very tasty.
Meal is not a meal without a vegetable, right kids? Our vegetable was a side of Fried Brussels Sprouts (bacon, maple, coder vinegar, pistachio):
Fried Brussels Sprouts
Very tasty, and again very unusual. Definitely unique texture, due to deep frying instead of pan frying – crispy flakes, with some sweetness of the maple syrup , cut through by the cider vinegar. I have to admit that I love Brussels sprouts and could’ve eaten the whole dish just by myself.
A culmination point of the meal – Poached Lobster & Cornbread Waffle (butter-poached lobster, griddled scallions, Queso Fresco):
Poached Lobster & Cornbread waffle
In my book, lobster is a very difficult ingredient – yes, of course it is considered a luxury, but in a lot of cases, it simply doesn’t taste well, no matter how expensive the restaurant is. This lobster was excellent. Tender, very flavorful, and it worked very well with the cornbread waffle. This cornbread waffle was the one which solicited the discussion as to why the cornbread ( heavy and dense) and not the regular waffle (which would become too soggy). Needless to say, this dish was devoured in a blink.
We finished the main course with Blackened Shrimp & Pork Fried Rice (soy, sprouts, egg, scallion, sesame):
Blackened Shrimp with Fried Rice
Perfectly cooked shrimp (some of the best I ever had), very tasty rice, overall very successful dish – this was a nice to finish our main course.
For dessert we were served Maple and Pistachio Panna Cotta (apple jam, pistachios) and Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pot Pie Cream (whipped cream, roasted peanuts):
Chocolate and peanut butter tasted almost like Nutella, only with a slightly different texture. Panna Cotta tasted very light – both dishes were quite successful, and I would gladly have them again.
That is all I have for you, folks, as an account of our great evening. Nola Oyster Bar is definitely recommended as a place where you will find the New England traditional seafood with the New Orleans, southern twist. If you live in the area or visiting, take the opportunity to try it for yourself.
Disclaimer: I attended the dinner as a guest of management. All opinions are my own.
Nola Oyster Bar
68 Washington Street
South Norwalk, CT 06854
Phone: 203-957-3352
http://www.nolact.com/
Weekly Wine Quiz #74: Grape Trivia – Trebbiano
Ugni Blanc grapes, as shown in Wikipedia
Welcome to the weekend and your new wine quiz!
We are continuing our grape trivia series, still focusing on the white grapes, and today’s subject is Trebbiano.
Have you had Trebbiano wines? How about Ugni Blanc? Before you answer no, think again. There is a very high degree of probability that you had the wine made either from Trebbiano, a.k.a. Ugni Blanc, or at least with Trebbiano being a part of the blend, as Trebbiano is second most planted grape in the world. Ugni Blanc is the most planted grape in France, spanning from Bordeaux to Provance to Corsica. In Italy, Trebbiano is allowed to be used in more than 80 different DOCs and has 7 DOCs of its own.
The grape’s historical (as well as genetical) roots are still not fully established yet. It seems that the first mentions come from the area of Bologna in Italy in 13th century. In the 14th century, the grape made it to France together with the Papal court, where it became known as Ugni Blanc. Starting from 16th century, the plantings of the Trebbiano increased quite substantially, but the grape practically never made it on its own. Trebbiano’s main characteristics include high acid, low sugar, minimum aromatics and vigorous growth, which are not the star quality when we are talking about the wines. At the same time, these very characteristics make it an excellent foundation for producing all kinds of distilled spirits – this is where majority of the Trebbiano/Ugni Blanc grapes are used today.
And now, to the quiz!
Q1: Ugni Blanc is a main grape in the production of what famous spirit?
Q2: Name the wine, in which Trebbiano was a required part of the blend, and it was considered to be the reason for a bad, flabby quality of that wine (it is no longer required to be used in that wine).
Q3: Trebbiano is often a foundation for the popular food product (containing no alcohol). Do you know what food product it is?
Q4: Contrary to the name, Trebbiano di Lugano is not considered to be a part of the Trebbiano family, but rather related to another Italian grape. Do you know what grape is that?
Q5: When used for the wine production (as opposed to the distilled spirits), Ugni Blanc is rarely used on its own – it is typically a part of the blend. Name 3 grapes, traditional blending partners of Ugni Blanc.
Good luck, enjoy the quiz and your weekend! Cheers!
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Chinese Terroirs, #MWWC3 Last Chance, [again] Wine Reviews and more
Meritage time!
First, let’s start with the answer for the wine quiz #73, grape trivia – Sémillon.
In the quiz, you were supposed to answer 5 questions about white grape called Sémillon. Here are the questions, now with the answers:
Q1: Name a grape, primary blending partner of Sémillon
A1: Sauvignon Blanc. While Muscadelle is also allowed as part of the blend in Bordeaux, the most popular combination worldwide is Sémillon and Sauvignon Blanc.
Q2: Below is the list of years. There is something common between all of them (and of course it has a relationship with Sémillon) – do you know what is common among those years?
1930, 1952, 1964, 1974, 2012
A2: This is a partial list of years when Château d’Yquem Sauternes, the most famous Sauternes wine, was not produced. Since 1825, there were only 10 years when d’Yquem Sauternes was not produced: 1910, 1915, 1930, 1951, 1952, 1964, 1972, 1974, 1992 and 2012.
Q3: Ture or False: Sauternes produces only sweet wines
A3: False. Dry wines are also produced in Sauternes, under a designation of Bordeaux Supérieur. Example – “Y” by Château d’Yquem, 50% Sémillon and 50% Sauvignon Blanc.
Q4: Name a key factor for the great tasting dry Sémillon wines
A4: Bottle age. While acidity is important, dry Sémillon wines, such as those produced in the Hunter Valley in Australia, are known to fully develop and really blossom after about 10 years of age in the bottle.
Q5: What is Semageddon?
A5: Semageddon is a new annual event in Napa Valley, created to celebrate Sémillon grape. You can read more about the event here.
This was somewhat of a difficult quiz. We don’t have a winner, but we have three people who get an honorable mention – the drunken cyclist, EatwithNamie and Vinoinlove.
Now, to the interesting stuff around the vine and the web!
What do you know about wine in China? Do you think China will be able to produce the wines we will all crave? Well, can’t tell you about the craving yet, but the hard work already started. Here is an interesting blog post from The Wine Economist blog, talking about the Chinese Terroir quest which is already under way.
Another interesting post is coming from the Joe Roberts of a 1WineDude fame. Joe is bringing up a well beaten subject of the wine reviews, relevance of the wine critics, collective wisdom of the crowd-sourced wine reviews (yep, of course the CellarTracker) and more. You can read the post here, and of course please make sure to read through all the comments. I personally don’t understand why is it so popular and necessary to return to this subject over and over again. I might respond with the rant of my own – if I do, you will be the first to know.
Next important subject: Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #3 is almost over! You need to make a final effort to convert your obsession into possession, and finally publish that blog post. Submission deadline is September 23rd, and for more details please check this formal announcement with all the rules and dates.
As I mentioned last week, Spanish Wine Festival is coming to New York City. If you love Spanish wines and want to taste something amazing, don’t miss this event! For more details and tickets please click here.
And one more event I want to bring to your attention. If you love (or at least like) whiskey, this is the right event for you. WhiskeyFest is coming to New York on October 11-12. For more details and tickets, please use this link.
That’s all I have for you for today, folks. The glass is empty – but refill is on its way. Until the next time – cheers!
How Possessive Are The Wine Lovers?
If you are following wine blogs, you might have noticed the theme “possession” showing up here are there. Yes, this is no accident – the common linking factor is the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge (MWWC for short), in its third incarnation.
The theme for the first challenge was “transportation” – it was relatively easy to tie up to the wine both directly and allegorically. The theme for the next challenge was “trouble”, which sent me home scrambling – “trouble” is not the first thing which comes to mind when you are looking at a glass of wine. In the end of the day, many bloggers successfully found the connection and produced a lot of interesting posts. The current theme, “Possession”, is a whole different game. On one side, it has a direct connection to the wine – but it is too direct for the nice intricate piece. “I possess wine. Sometimes, wine possesses me. The end”. On another side, it is almost forcing you to go into pretty much the exorcism route, which can be played, but this is not necessarily pretty (need examples? Do a google search for “wine possession” – you will find some stuff which might make you afraid to visit your cellar when it is dark).
So as you can deduce from my rant, I don’t have a good play on the theme. What you will find below is rather a collection of random thoughts, centered on the wine appreciation, with the nod towards the “possessive” relationship of wine lovers with the subject of their love.
So how possessive the wine lovers are? We can find few different types of “possessiveness” among the wine lovers as such. First, there are wine collectors (of course, that is an obvious one). But even among wine collectors there is one extreme group which I would like to exclude from the actual category of the wine lovers. That is the group which rather collect the money than anything else. Wine is strictly an investment for them, and they never think about bottle of wine in terms of the actual content. For this group, the wine is only an object which will appreciate in value, and at some point it will be exchanged for cash and profit. This group also includes the worst possible type – the wine-possessive ego-maniacs. For this group the wine which they stock in their cellars is intended to be an ego-booster – “I spent on that bottle 10 times more than you did”, and “my bottle is bigger and more round than yours”. In the end of the day, I’m not even sure if this group even belongs to the true wine lovers category.
Then there are those who love wine, but don’t care to possess it at all. Folks in this group happily drink the wine at any occasion, they serve the wine at their parties, and they buy a bottle on the way home when they feel like it. But they really don’t “possess” wine, as they don’t keep much wine in the house, and most importantly, they don’t assign any special attributes to any bottles.
And then comes the rest. The group of wine lovers who possesses the wine and actually, is possessed by the wine at the same time (I’m including myself in this group, so I’m continuing here from the collective of “we”). We keep the wine. We make the wine special by associating special mementos with those bottles – “ahh, this is the year we got married”, “remember we had this wine in Tuscany”, “this is the year our son was born”, “remember that winery visit”. We do our best to keep those bottles cool, quiet and comfortable. And then we wait. While buying the wine with mementos, we are also investing, of course. We are investing into exciting anticipation of how special this wine will taste when we will finally open it. While we hold on to the bottle, we can re-live that future moment over and over. We are possessed with finding the right moment for that special bottle. But what is important, that right moment also includes the right people. How many times have you thought “ohh, if they (whomever “they” are) are coming over, I got this special bottle we have to open”. Yes, we are possessed with wine. But we don’t buy it just to enjoy by ourselves. We are also possessed to share. We want to share the experience. We want to share the special moment. We don’t want to keep it to ourselves. Without special moment or a special company, that bottle never gets to be opened.
And that is what I want to leave you with. Possessed by wine. Possessed to share.
Following Wines Til Sold Out – September Cheapskate Marathon
And here we come again – one of my favorite subjects – a round up of a Wine Til Sold Out wine marathon event. This time around the event took place on Tuesday (September 10th) instead of traditional Wednesday. It also lasted for 17 hours instead of 18. For those who are not familiar with the Cheapskate Marathon, it is the event which takes place once in the few month on WTSO.com, where all the wines are priced in the fixed range of $7.99 to $18.99 and typically are sold in the quantity of 4. Also, unlike normal course of sales at WTSO, during Cheapskate the new wines are only advertized on Twitter and you need to keep refreshing the main WTSO web page in order to see the new wines coming out.
Below are the stats for the event – if you are interested in comparing with the past events, you can find three of the recent posts here, here and here.
| Time | Wine | Rating | MSRP | Price | %off |
| 11:01p | THATS ALL FOLKS! THANK YOU to everyone who participated in our #CheapskateMarathon -it’s been a blast! Hope you got some great deals! CHEERS | ||||
| 11:01p | La Fornace Brunello di Montalcino 2006 | JS93, WS93 | $78.00 | $34.99 | 55% |
| 10:52p | Bordeaux Superieur 2010 Chateau de Macard By Amelie Aubert | IWR90 | $21.99 | $10.99 | 50% |
| 10:39p | Montagny Chardonnay Louis Latour 2011 | $28.00 | $14.99 | 46% | |
| 10:36p | Super Tuscan 2007 Scopone ‘Il Bagatto’ #48 JS Top 100! | JS93 | $60.00 | $17.99 | 70% |
| 10:31p | Thumbprint Pinot Noir Erica’s Vineyard Winemakers Reserve 2012 | JHN92 | $45.00 | $18.99 | 58% |
| 10:23p | Falesco ‘Tellus’ Syrah IGT Lazio, Italy 2011 | WA89, WS89 | $21.00 | $11.99 | 43% |
| 10:08p | Vinsobres 2010 Southern Rhone Cru Dom. Constant-Duquesnoy | WS91 | $34.99 | $15.99 | 54% |
| 10:02p | Shadowood Red Blend Napa Valley 2009 | JHN93 | $40.00 | $16.99 | 58% |
| 9:50p | Rioja DOC Crianza 2007 Bodegas Baigorri | ST90 | $35.00 | $14.99 | 57% |
| 9:41p | Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs Brut NV Jaffelin Grand Cuvee Speciale | JHN91 | $30.00 | $12.99 | 57% |
| 9:30p | Provenance Merlot 2009 Napa Valley | $35.00 | $16.99 | 51% | |
| 9:20p | Maxwell Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2011 Napa Valley | JHN91 | $29.99 | $14.99 | 50% |
| 9:14p | Fontegalli Vino Rosso IGT Fattoria Lavacchio 2003 | WS90 | $39.99 | $18.19 | 55% |
| 9:05p | Ribera del Duero ‘Arrocal’ Tinto Fino 2009 Bodegas Arrocal | WA90, WE90 | $19.99 | $11.99 | 40% |
| 9:01p | Merlot Reserve Meadowcroft Wines Napa Valley 2006 | $32.00 | $12.99 | 59% | |
| 8:52p | Tallulah ‘Como’ Marsanne Stagecoach Vineyard Napa Valley 2010 | JHN91-92 | $40.00 | $17.99 | 55% |
| 8:42p | Maroon Napa Cabernet Heritage Collection 2010 | $40.00 | $18.99 | 53% | |
| 8:31p | Chianti Riserva DOCG Rio Camerata 2006 Fattoria di Piazzano | WA91, ST90 | $30.00 | $14.99 | 50% |
| 8:11p | Sardinia White Wine Argiolas ‘Iselis’ Bianco Isola dei Nuraghi IGT 2012 | $28.00 | $12.99 | 54% | |
| 8:01p | Northern Rhone Syrah Saint-Joseph AOC 2010 Les Larmes du Pere Maison Alain Paret | IWR91, W&S90 | $51.99 | $18.99 | 63% |
| 7:56p | Bodegas Estefania Tilenus Envejecido en Roble Bierzo D.O. 2010 | ST90 | $24.99 | $10.99 | 56% |
| 7:51p | Montepulciano D’Abruzzo 2009 Single-Vineyard Orsogna Cantina Mallorio | $25.00 | $9.99 | 60% | |
| 7:47p | Pinot Noir Reserve Robert Storey Cellars Carneros 2009 | JHN92 | $39.99 | $17.99 | 55% |
| 7:41p | Secoya Sauvignon Blanc ‘Mello Vineyard’ 2012 | $24.00 | $12.99 | 46% | |
| 7:34p | Super Tuscan 2007 AnimaLibera ‘Alma 3’ Toscana IGT By Emiliano Falsini | $32.00 | $11.99 | 63% | |
| 7:24p | Red Rhone Blend 2009 Minervois Lo Mainatge La Croix de St. Jean | WA90-91 | $30.00 | $11.99 | 60% |
| 7:11p | Chianti Classico DOCG Savignola Paolina 2010 | JS91 | $32.00 | $14.99 | 53% |
| 7:03p | Robert Oatley Cabernet/Merlot Blend Mudgee, Australia 2009 | WS89 | $20.00 | $9.99 | 50% |
| 6:56p | Gauthier Zinfandel Los Chamizal Vineyard Sonoma Valley 2011 | JHN91, WE90 | $42.00 | $14.99 | 64% |
| 6:41p | Macon-Chardonnay ‘Les Crets’ 2009 Chateau De Messey | JHN91 | $28.99 | $14.99 | 48% |
| 6:31p | Territorial Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2011 | $24.00 | $14.99 | ||
| 6:18p | Languedoc Vin Rouge Pic Saint-Loup ‘Bonne Pioche’ Domaine Clavel 2010 | WA90-91+ | $39.99 | $14.99 | 63% |
| 6:13p | Blanc de Blanc Brut Philippe Herard NV Methode Traditionalle Sparkling Wine | $22.00 | $10.99 | 50% | |
| 5:57p | 93 Pt. Eden Road Shiraz The Long Road 2010 Canberra, Australia | JH93, ST91 | $28.00 | $15.99 | 43% |
| 5:49p | Pighin Red Cuvee Terre di Risano 2008 Friuli Grave DOC | $25.00 | $9.99 | 60% | |
| 5:43p | Anderson Valley Pinot Noir Londer Estate Vineyards Calstar Cellars 2007 | CG89 | $50.00 | $17.99 | 64% |
| 5:32p | Sauternes 2010 Bastor Lamontagne Chateau Bordenave | $42.00 | $16.99 | 60% | |
| 5:24p | Rosat Cava Brut Nature Loxarel ‘999’ NV Best Buy 2012 | W&S91 | $16.99 | $9.99 | 41% |
| 5:14p | Cotes Du Roussillon Villages AOC ‘Cuvee Constance’ 2010 Domaine Thunevin-Calvet | WA90-91+ | $29.99 | $13.99 | 53% |
| 5:06p | Chianti Classico Riserva Savignola Paolina 2008 | JS92 | $45.00 | $18.99 | 58% |
| 5:01p | Petite Sirah Reserve 2010 Stonehedge Winery Dry Creek Valley | 90 | 50% | ||
| 4:46p | Kingsford Manor Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Napa Valley | JHN91+ | $24.99 | $12.99 | 48% |
| 4:35p | Salento IGT Negroamaro Tenute Materdomini Marangi 2009 | $20.00 | $11.99 | 40% | |
| 4:30p | Cotes-du-Rhone Blanc ‘Valvigneyre’ 2011 Maison Alain Paret | $22.99 | $10.99 | 52% | |
| 4:14p | Orentano Pinot Noir 2009 Russian River Valley R. Buoncristiani Vineyard | $38.00 | $17.99 | 53% | |
| 4:11p | Castlebank Cabernet Reserve 2008 Sonoma County | JHN92 | $37.99 | $15.99 | 58% |
| 3:57p | Tinta de Toro Old Vine Carodorum ‘Issos’ 2010 Carmen Rodriguez Mendez | WA90 | $22.00 | $12.99 | 41% |
| 3:47p | Bella Vetta Vineyards 2008 Rockpile Zinfandel | CG92, WE90 | $34.00 | $16.99 | 50% |
| 3:38p | Bourgogne Pinot Noir Philippe Leclerc 2009 | JHN91-92 | $35.00 | $16.99 | 51% |
| 3:28p | Riesling Spatlese Urziger Wurzgarten Markus Molitor 2009 Mosel, Germany | WA90, WS90 | $30.00 | $18.99 | 37% |
| 3:22p | Malbec Reserva 2009 Bodega Clop ‘Los Clop’ Mendoza, Argentina | WA90 | $25.00 | $13.99 | 44% |
| 3:07p | Right Bank Bordeaux Puisseguin Saint-Emilion 2009 Chateau Rigaud | WS90 | $32.99 | $16.99 | 49% |
| 3:01p | Michel-Schlumberger Red ‘Coteaux Sauvages’ 2009 Dry Creek Valley | JHN92+ | $62.00 | $18.99 | 69% |
| 2:49p | Ardeche Viognier 2011 Vin de Pays IGP Coteaux de L’Ardeche Maison Louis Latour | $27.00 | $12.99 | 52% | |
| 2:42p | Burgess Cellars Merlot Oak Knoll, Napa 2007 | WRO90 | $28.00 | $14.99 | 46% |
| 2:39p | Bernabe Navarro ‘Beryna’ Alicante DO 2008 | WA92 | $55.00 | $13.99 | 75% |
| 2:24p | Friulano 2011 Terre Di Risano by Pighin & Figli | $25.00 | $11.99 | 52% | |
| 2:20p | Pinot Noir ‘Crane Vineyard’ David Noyes Wines Sonoma Coast 2008 | JHN92 | $50.00 | $17.99 | 64% |
| 2:07p | Northern Rhone Cru St.-Joseph 2011 Louis Cheze ‘Ro-Ree’ | RR91, ST90 | $50.00 | $17.99 | 64% |
| 1:56p | Quixote Petite Sirah ‘Pretense’ 2009 By Carl Doumani | $25.00 | $12.99 | 48% | |
| 1:45p | Gavi di Gavi DOCG 2012 Michele Chiarlo ‘Rovereto’ | $40.00 | $17.99 | 55% | |
| 1:39p | Chianti DOCG 2011 ‘Colle De’ Fossili’ Fattoria Piccaratico | $21.00 | $9.99 | 52% | |
| 1:35p | Dignitas Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2010 By David Stevens | JHN93 | $50.00 | $18.99 | 62% |
| 1:30p | Casa di Terra ‘Moreccio’ IGT Super Tuscan Bolgheri 2010 | JS92, ST91 | $45.00 | $15.99 | 64% |
| 1:14p | Ridgeline Cabernet Franc Napa Valley 2010 By Mark Beringer | JHN91 | $35.00 | $15.99 | 54% |
| 1:00p | Rioja Reserva 2004 Diez-Caballero Vendimia Seleccionada | WA91+ | $38.00 | $16.99 | 55% |
| 12:44p | N.Z. Sauvignon Blanc Spy Valley Wines Marlborough 2011 | WA89, WS89 | $20.00 | $12.99 | 35% |
| 12:29p | Maremma Toscana Syrah Pieve Dei Monaci 2010 Cantina Pieve Vecchia | ST90, WE90 | $20.00 | $12.99 | 35% |
| 12:22p | Robert Storey Red Alexander Valley 2010 By Nick Goldschmidt | $37.99 | $12.99 | 66% | |
| 12:14p | Cotes-du-Rhone Cuvee Prestige 2011 Auguste Ravier | $15.99 | $9.99 | 38% | |
| 11:56a | Southern Rhone Cru ‘Rasteau’ 2010 Domaine Fond Croze By Philippe Cambie | WS91, RR91 | $35.00 | $17.49 | 50% |
| 11:47a | Napa Red Blend Verismo ‘Stella’ 2007 | JHN92 | $36.00 | $15.99 | 56% |
| 11:34a | Vionta Albarino 2010 Limited Release Rias Baixas, Spain | WE89 | $18.00 | $9.99 | 45% |
| 11:26a | Morellino di Scansano AnimaLibera 2009 By Emiliano Falsini | $30.00 | $9.99 | 67% | |
| 11:14a | McCrea Cellars Syrah ‘Cuvee Orleans’ 2006 Yakima Valley | WE91 | $40.00 | $16.99 | 58% |
| 11:08a | Barrister Red Wine Sonoma County 2010 By Zach Long | JHN92 | $35.00 | $14.99 | 57% |
| 11:01a | Spanish Red Wine Arrayan Petit Verdot 2007 | WA91+ | $34.00 | $17.99 | 47% |
| 10:56a | Maroon Napa Cabernet Heritage Collection 2010 | $40.00 | $18.99 | 53% | |
| 10:49a | Black Stallion Chardonnay Napa Valley 2010 | $32.00 | $14.99 | 53% | |
| 10:44a | Bordeaux Rouge 2011 Chateau Lucat | $15.99 | $7.99 | 50% | |
| 10:38a | Chianti Classico Riserva Castello di Bibbione 2008 | JS92, WE91 | $35.00 | $17.99 | 49% |
| 10:30a | Valley Gate Chardonnay Versada Vineyard Napa Valley 2010 | JHN92+ | $39.99 | $13.99 | 65% |
| 10:19a | d’Arenberg Shiraz / Viognier 2009 ‘The Laughing Magpie’ McLaren Vale | WA91, ST91 | $30.00 | $18.99 | 37% |
| 10:16a | Cabernet Reserve 2011 Mockingbird Hill Winery Napa Valley By Reed Renaudinrating | 92 | 58% | ||
| 10:09a | La Tribu Red Wine 2010Bodegas El Angosto | WA90 | $16.99 | $8.99 | 47% |
| 10:02a | Estate Sauvignon Blanc Ant Moore 2012 Marlborough, NZ | $20.00 | $11.99 | 40% | |
| 9:56a | Russian River Pinot Noir David Noyes Wines 2008 | JHN91+ | $50.00 | $16.99 | 66% |
| 9:52a | Castlebank Zinfandel O.V. Giulia’s Vineyard 2010 Dry Creek Valley48% | JHN92 | $25.00 | $12.99 | 48% |
| 9:39a | Bodegas Olarra Anares Rioja Reserva 2006 | WS92 | $22.00 | $12.99 | 41% |
| 9:34a | Super Tuscan 2005 Vitanza ‘Quadrimendo’ Toscana | WE90 | $32.00 | $14.99 | 53% |
| 9:30a | Arger-Martucci Cabernet Napa Valley 2006 | $40.00 | $16.99 | 58% | |
| 9:15a | Cotes de Bordeaux 2009Chateau Lafitte-Marcellin | IWR89 | $20.00 | $10.49 | 48% |
| 9:09a | Fitch Mountain Cabernet Alexander Valley 2010 By Optima Winery | $40.00 | $15.99 | 60% | |
| 9:00a | Napa Chardonnay 2010 Mockingbird Hill Winery By Mark Beringer | JHN91-92 | $30.00 | $14.99 | 50% |
| 8:50a | Valpolicella DOC Classico Superiore 2010 Caterina Zardini | WE90 | $35.00 | $16.99 | 51% |
| 8:35a | Cotes de Provence Rose Vieilles Vignes 2012 Dom. du Garde Temps | $25.00 | $10.99 | 56% | |
| 8:23a | Rioja Gran Reserva Vendimia Seleccionada Diez-Caballero 2001 | WA92 | $44.99 | $17.99 | 60% |
| 8:17a | Muir-Hanna Vineyards Estate Muir’s Heritage Bully! Red Oak Knoll District, Napa Valley Red Blend 2008 | $24.99 | $10.99 | 56% | |
| 8:11a | Barbaresco DOCG 2007 Fontanafredda ‘Varej’ | $60.00 | $18.99 | 68% | |
| 8:00a | Gigondas AOC 2009 Cotes du Rhone Cru Domaine du Pradas | WE91 | $40.00 | $17.99 | 55% |
| 7:55a | Saddlers Peak Zinfandel Napa Valley 2009 | JHN90-91 | $32.00 | $13.99 | 56% |
| 7:49a | Villa Romanti Pinot Grigio Venezie IGT 2012 | $10.00 | $9.99 | 50% | |
| 7:45a | Red Burgundy 2009 Chassagne-Montrachet Chateau Chassagne de Montrachet | JHN91-92 | $50.00 | $18.99 | 62% |
| 7:40a | Red Heads Studio ‘The Moonlighters’ Cabernet Blend 2010 South Austrailia | WS91 | $22.00 | $12.99 | 41% |
| 7:25a | RustRidge Winery Napa Valley Estate Bottled Chardonnay 2009 | JHN91 | $30.00 | $14.99 | 50% |
| 7:17a | Turn 4 Cabernet 2010 By Bennett Lane Winery | $25.00 | $10.99 | 56% | |
| 7:08a | 93 Pt. Ribera del Duero Reserva Bodegas Balbas 2001 | WS93, IWR92 | $50.00 | $18.99 | 62% |
| 6:53a | Regnie Cru du Beaujolais Vignes de 1918 Domaine Dupre 2010 | WA90 | $23.00 | $11.99 | 48% |
| 6:48a | Sonoma Mountain Cabernet 2008 Peters Family Winery | WE86 | $55.00 | $18.99 | 65% |
| 6:36a | Maxwell Creek Rose Napa Valley 2011 | JHN89 | $21.99 | $8.89 | 60% |
| 6:28a | Vina Aljibes Red 2009 Tierra de Castilla Bodegas Los Aljibes | WA90 | $15.99 | $8.99 | 44% |
| 6:15a | Conundrum (by Caymus) California Red Blend 2010 | $28.00 | $18.99 | 32% | |
| 6:00a | Brancott Pinot Noir Marlborough, NZ 2011 | $14.00 | $8.99 | 36% | |
| Marathon STARTS NOW! GO!!! and Good luck! #wine #deals #free #shipping #until11PMEST #online #mayham #MoveQuickorEndUpThirsty |
Weekly Wine Quiz #73: Grape Trivia – Sémillon
Sémillon grapes affected by noble rot, as shown in Wikipedia
Welcome to the weekend and your new wine quiz!
We are continuing our grape trivia series, still focusing on the white grapes, and today’s subject is Sémillon.
Sémillon is a white grape, once considered the most planted grape in the world. One interesting fact is that the origin of Sémillon is not easy to pinpoint – while working on this quiz, I went through quite a few articles on Internet and even books, and it is hard to find any historical data outside of the fact that Sémillon was very popular in the early 19th century throughout the world. In the early 19th century, over the 90% of all grape plantings in South Africa was Sémillon – considering its popularity, it was simply called Wyndruif, the “wine grape”. Today, Sémillon occupies roughly 1% of the grape plantings in South Africa. It is still the most planted white grape in Bordeaux, where it is used in the production of most of the white wines, from dry wines of Pessac-Léognan, Graves and Entre-deux-mers, to the spectacular dessert jewels of Sauternes and Barsac. Sémillon plantings exist in many other winemaking countries – Australia, Chile, Italy, New Zealand, California and Washington in US – but you rarely hear about Sémillon, as it is mostly used as a blending grape. Well, this might be changing – but we will not be talking about it in the quiz.
The issue with Sémillon is that under normal growing conditions, it tends to produce plump and dull wines, the wines which are not showing much of the aromatics and have very low acidity. When the grape is forced to work hard, it can produce amazing wines. In Sauternes, Sémillon is typically affected by Botrytis cinerea, the noble rot, which leads to the shriveling of the grapes which concentrates the sugar – dessert wines produced from such shriveled grapes are some of the best in the world (Châteaud’Yquem, anyone?) – they also make some of the longest living wines in the world, being capable of ageing for 100 years and beyond. In Australia’s Hunter Valley region, the grapes are exposed to the harsh climate with the high level of humidity, which leads to the grapes accumulating high level of acidity. Hunter Valley Sémillon is known to age very well, and the wines also improve with age quite significantly.
And now, to the quiz!
Q1: Name a grape, primary blending partner of Sémillon
Q2: Below is the list of years. There is something common between all of them (and of course it has a relationship with Sémillon) – do you know what is common among those years?
1930, 1952, 1964, 1974, 2012
Q3: Ture or False: Sauternes produces only sweet wines
Q4: Name a key factor for the great tasting dry Sémillon wines
Q5: What is Semageddon?
There is nothing wrong with answering even only one question from the quiz – your participation is always appreciated! Also, without any regard to the questions, please share your personal experiences with Sémillon wines.
Good luck, enjoy the quiz and your weekend! Cheers!
Bar Q – Good Beer, But The Food Can Be Improved
Beer list at Bar Q
It seems that one of the unwritten rules of the blogosphere is that everybody tends to share positive experiences, and for everything else – well, that is what critics are for. Yes, we rant from time to time, but more to discuss a general problem, and not for any particular reason. Thinking about it, having a true picture is important. If someone provides mediocre product or service, we often just “vote with our feet” – instead, providing some criticism could be the best thing to do, as this is the only way for someone to find out that improvements are needed. As you already got my point, this post is about experience which could’ve being better.
We went to the Bar Q BBQ & Grill in Stamford during the restaurant week (a couple of weeks ago). This was our second visit – we were there last year at about the same time (also during the restaurant week), and we had a very tasty experience, so we were very much looking forward to visiting the restaurant again.
As you can guess from the name, Bar Q is focused on serving the American barbecue. Their wine list is very limited, but the draft beer selection is excellent (and the beer is more appropriate for the BBQ anyway). Also, the menu offers to create a beer tasting flight – 3 oz of beer, 4 beers in the flight, all for $9.
Beer flight at Bar Q
Our flight included Allagash White, Belgian style wheat ale – perfectly refreshing, Goose Island 312 Urban Wheat – had a bit more weight compare to Allagash, still quite refreshing, Woodchuck Amber Draft Cider – very dangerous to have in the presence of kids, as in appearance it is not any different than Ginger Ale – light, fizzy taste with some sweet notes – perfectly quaffable. The last beer was Blue Point Toasted Lager, which is in the category of so called Red Lager – it had some bitter notes, medium weight on the palate – quite enjoyable as well.
So the beer flight was great, the service was also very good – friendly and prompt, but the food – not so much, unfortunately.
We always like to try different things, so we ordered 4 different appetizers.
Appetizers round at Bar Q
Out of Truck Stop Queso Dip, Pig in a Blanket, Chipotle Meat Sliders and Potato Pig Skins, only Queso Dip was tasty, and the sliders were okay. The potato skins were mushy and had no taste, and the pig in the blanket was a tasting disaster.
Our “main course”, a variety of BBQ items, was not great either.
We took pretty much everything from the BBQ “small plates” menu which was not a poultry – St. Louis Cut Sticky Ribs, Classic Pulled Pork, Sliced Beef Brisket, Beef Burnt Ends, House Smoked Kielbasa Sausage, Grilled BBQ Shrimp, Smoked Pork Belly and Memphis Dry Rubbed Baby Back Ribs. Most of the dishes were okay, but none of them was at the “wow” level. “Burnt ends” dish was a disappointment by comparison – last year we couldn’t get enough of it – it was so flavorful and delicious. This time, it was only “well, okay”. And the smoked pork belly was a disaster – a blob of dribbling fat, smothered in the BBQ sauce. Yes, it was cooked, but the piece itself was such that in my opinion it should be never served in the restaurant as a dish (may be only used as a cooking fat). The sides dishes were [unfortunately] the best part of the meal.
To conclude, I wouldn’t put this as a “terrible experience” – it was an okay food experience, and drinks and service were excellent. But the problem is, this restaurant is no longer on my “I would love to do it again” list. No, I’m not asking for an absolute perfection – but, there should be at least one “wow” moment, an anchor which will pull us back – and this time around, Bar Q clearly didn’t have one. I hope it might be different in a future, and I will be glad to give Bar Q another try – but someone will have to convince me that it is well worth it.
Bar Q BBQ & Grill
261 Main St. (Behind Black Bear)
Stamford, CT 06901
PHONE: 203.316.0278
http://www.barqstamford.com
Wednesday’s Meritage – Wine Quiz Answer, Oh No, Don’t Lose The Bottle, Wine Prices, Reminders and more
Donna Paula Torrontés
Meritage time!
First, let’s start with the answer for the wine quiz #72, grape trivia – Torrontés.
In the quiz, you were supposed to answer 5 questions about white grape called Torrontés. Here are the questions, now with the answers:
Q1: Name three varietals of Torrontés growing in Argentina
A1: Torrontés Riojano, Torrontés Sanjuanino, and Torrontés Mendocino
Q2: Wine Spectator calls wines rated in 90-94 range Outstanding. True or False: there are no Torrontés wines with Outstanding rating?
A2: True. The highest rated Torrontés from Bodega Colomé has a rating of 88 points.
Q3: As established by DNA analysis, Torrontés is a cross of two grapes. One of them is Muscat of Alexandria. The second grape played an important role in the early days of winemaking in the United States. Do you know what grape it is?
A3: Mission. Torrontés is a cross of Muscat of Alexandria and Mission grape, which used to be widely planted in California in the 1800s.
Q4: Most of the Torrontés is growing in pretty unique conditions, for most of the plantings being at a high altitude. Name one problem which needs to be controlled for the production of the high quality wines.
A4: Overproduction. Torrontés enjoys almost ideal growing conditions, with dry mountain air, no diseases and plenty of water – but that doesn’t allow grapes to concentrate the flavor and produce high quality wines.
Q5: True or False: Torrontés produces both dry and dessert wines
A5: True. Santa Julia, Susana Balbo and number of others produce Late Harvest Torrontés wines.
Talking about the results, I was glad that there we people who said that they had Torrontés before and they like it. And of course there were those who said that they never had it before – I hope this quiz will make at least one person curious enough to go and find a bottle of Torrontés to try – this shouldn’t be difficult at all. We have only one person who attempted to answer the questions – while Linda from Foxress didn’t answer all the questions correctly, she definitely gets an honorable mention for attempting to solve the quiz.
Now, to the interesting stuff around the vine and the web!
Boy, there are lots of things to talk about. First, I came across an interesting article by Chris Kassel, who writes an outstanding blog called “Intoxicology Report” – if you enjoy the high level of language sophistication almost to the point of reading challenge (for me it is), read Chris’s blog, I promise you will not regret. In this article, Chris shared his view on the latest series of commercials themed “Lose the Bottle” and produced by Black Box Wines. I don’t want to take away from your pleasure of reading Chris’s hilarious comments, so I recommend you will read the article first, and then watch the commercials.
Next, Steve Heimoff ponders at the high prices of the brand new wines in their first release (here is the link to the blog post). Steve is talking about new Central Coast wine made by Raj Parr (famous sommelier at RN74 in San Francisco) and released at measly $90/bottle; he is trying to figure out the logic and reason behind such a high introductory price. My personal view on the price of wine is that any price is possible, but in the free market, you have to have enough people willing to pay the money, and if you do – good for you, and if you don’t – you are out. The post is definitely an interesting read, and make sure to read through the comments, some of them being quite interesting.
Another post from Steve Heimoff is an excellent set of instructions for the perfect day in Napa Valley. I like his take on the tasting at the most of Napa vineyards nowadays (“slurp 3 of something for $25”), so if you are planning a Napa getaway, make sure to read this post which will help to improve the experience.
Now, a friendly reminder: you need to possess your possessions – the Monthly Wine Writing Challenge #3 with the theme “Possession” is still on, with the deadline for submissions on September 23rd. Get possessed and write. All the rules and other important information can be found here.
Do you like Spanish wines? Do you live in New York City or in a close proximity of? Don’t miss Spanish Wine Festival 2013, taking place on October 4th at The Metropolitan Pavilion. This will be your great opportunity to experience Vega Sicilia, Emilio Moro, Clos Mogador, Clos Martinet, multiple Rioja verticals and many other outstanding wines. Click here for all the details.
And the last update for today. I changed my Top Wine Ratings page ( I mentioned it in the post yesterday), and I also added the menu links for my top dozen wines for 2010, 2011 and 2012 – for all of you who likes the lists, these are a few more to play with.
That’s all I have for you for today, folks. The glass is empty – but refill is on its way. Until the next time – cheers!
Simplicity, Brisket and Wine
I recently came across the post by The Food and Wine Hedonist, where he was talking about the fundraiser party he cooked for. One of the dishes he made was beef brisket sandwiches (I think the name “pulled beef brisket” should be the most suitable). In the comment to that post, I mentioned that beef brisket is one of my favorite dishes to make, and promised to share the recipe in the near future.
Beef brisket is one of the traditional dishes on the menu for Rosh Hashanah, Jewish New Year which we celebrated a few days ago, hence I took the opportunity to take a few pictures and share the recipe.
One of my favorite things about cooking beef brisket is simplicity (this is why “simplicity” is a part of the title). The simplicity is associated with the cooking of beef brisket in many ways – it is both simple to prepare and simple to cook, with virtually no possibility of ruining it.
The recipe I’m talking about here is a dry rub based (there are many ways of cooking the beef brisket, of course). Basically, the cooking consist of a few simple steps – rub the brisket with spices ( anything goes!), wrap in foil, refrigerate overnight, take it out, put it in the oven for 6-7 hours at a low temperature, get it out and enjoy. That’s it. If you want a bit more details, here it is
- Prep time – 10 minutes, cooking time – 3 – 6 hours
- Beef brisket, trimmed of excess fat, any size – size will only be essential for the cooking time
- Dry rub spices – anything your heart desires – garlic powder, chipotle, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper, etc – again, the amount should be proportional to the size of brisket
- Dry fruit – dried apricots, figs, prunes
- optional – baby carrots,
- 1/2 to the whole bottle of red wine (can be replaced with broth or just water) – amount depends on how much brisket you are cooking.
- cooking time – 45 min per pound, 300F
Cooking instructions: Take brisket, trim excessive fat. Rub with any spices or spice mixes you desire (see picture below – yes, I know, I went a little too far), wrap in the foil, refrigerate overnight. Take the brisket out of the fridge about 2 hours before cooking, just to let it warm up. Preheat oven to 300F. Take a cooking pan, put dried fruits and carrots (if using) on the bottom. Unwrap the brisket and put into the pan, fat side up. Add wine ( or any liquid you are using) – you need it to prevent brisket from drying up during the long cooking time. Cover baking dish with foil and put into the oven. Cook for about 45 minutes per pound. Take out of the oven periodically and braise the brisket with cooking liquid. When done, let it rest for 10 minutes. Cut brisket across the grain with the sharp knife. Serve with boiled potatoes or any other starch of your choice. Additionally, if you made too much brisket, you can use leftovers to make pulled brisket sliders – break it apart using fork or fingers, add BBQ sauce and put it on the buns.
Now, below are the same cooking instructions in the form of pictures:
Beef brisket, excessive fat trimmed
Spices for dry rub – anything you have in your pantry
Brisket in the foil, covered with rub
wrap completely in foil and refrigerate overnight
prepare the pan with dried fruit on the bottom
Put in brisket, add dried fruit on top. Add wine
6 hours later …done! Brisket is ready for your enjoyment
I don’t know what you think, but this is a really simple recipe as far as I see it.
And of course there was wine:
Recanati and Vitkin
Twice a year, my wine selection conundrum ( what to open, what to open) is resolved with ease – for Passover and Rosh Hashanah, the choice is simple – it should be an Israeli wine. This year I opened two bottles, from two well-known producers – Recanati and Vitkin.
2008 Recanati Red Wine – I don’t read Hebrew, and this wine came directly from Israel, so there is not a thing I can tell you about the grape composition of this wine. Red fruit on the nose, a touch of warm spices on the palate, some blackberries and plums, tannins are barely noticeable, medium finish. Okay wine, but really nothing special. Drinkability: 7
2006 Vitkin Cabernet Franc (14% ABV, 86% Cabernet Franc, 14% Petite Verdot, aged 14 months in small oak barrels) – outstanding. You know, some wines you define as “a lot going on”. And some wines demonstrate singular perfection. This Cabernet Franc wine had this singular perfection – Cassis all the way. A perfect bouquet of Cassis on the nose. Same on the palate – luscious, soft and rolling mouthfeel (this wine is unfiltered), pronounced Cassis notes with an addition of dark chocolate, supple tannins, firm structure and cutting acidity in the back, perfectly balanced, with the long finish. Definitely belongs to the “dangerous wines” category. Drinkability: 8+
And we are done here! While the wines might be difficult to find in the US (but Vitkin is definitely worth asking for by name), I hope that at least you can put a brisket recipe to good use. If you will decide to make it, drop me a note – I will be really curious to know what do you think. And until the next time – cheers!
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