A Few Days in Paris
If you have followed this blog for some time, you know what the “a few days” title means. Yes, pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. This post will not be an exception – get ready to scroll.
Pictures have such an important role in our lives. Pictures solicit emotions, bring back memories and moments, and let us re-live those moments. Pictures can also serve as a personal journal, keeping all the dates in perfect order.
Probably my favorite shot of the entire week
Based on the pictures stored on my computer, I was able to figure out that the last time I was in Paris was almost 13 years ago, in October 2010. Of course, even if one is not familiar with Paris from the books, once you visit, that memory will be with you forever. Yes, I knew what I will find in Paris in a general sense, but the particulars, such as navigating this sprawling city, became rather blurred.
Once I arrived, though, it all came back rather quickly. Paris has one of the very best subway systems in the world when it comes to navigation – before every entrance, there is a full list of stations which you will find in a given direction – as long as you know where you are going, getting there is really easy.
This was a trip for work, and I was definitely lucky with the location of the meetings – a stone’s throw from the Eiffel Tower. For 5 days straight, I could look at the Eiffel Tower any time I would want. We even took some pictures from the roof of the building, admiring it from an even closer distance.
We also had a dinner cruise along the Sienne, allowing this photography junky to take a beautiful picture of the well-lit Eiffel Tower during the night – despite the rain which was going on the whole night but conveniently stopped as we were passing the Eiffel Tower, allowing for some magnificent pictures to be taken.
And then there were numerous strolls around the streets of Paris, allowing more magic to be captured. Remember I promised to inundate you with pictures? Here you go – and when you will be done scrolling, we will switch our attention to – yes, you guessed it – food and wine. See you in a minute or so.
Now, food and wine, as nobody can talk about Paris without paying attention to food and wine. And wine and food.
Let’s talk about wine first.
First of all, I now did what I usually do during my trips, especially the European ones – visited the supermarket to see the selection of wines. Considering the location in the center of Paris, I think the prices look quite reasonable – good luck finding $3 wines in New York.
I grabbed two bottles to enjoy in my hotel room during the week. 2020 Rasteau AOP Cru de Cotes du Rhone at €7.23 was a very nice find. The wine needed a bit of time to open, but then offered a smokey, concentrated, powerful mouthfeel with a good amount of dark fruit. My second bottle was a bit more expensive – €9.28. It was 2021 Gérard Bertrand Solar 6 Syrah Cévennes IGP, a certified organic (Bio) and bee-friendly wine from the South of France. Along with Domaines Paul Max, Gérard Bertrand is one of my “safe choices” for situations where I need to pick a decent bottle of wine for a modest amount of money. This Syrah was quite generous, good amount of fruit, a tiny hint of black pepper, round and well-balanced. I run into the Gérard Bertrand wines a few more times during the trip – last time at the airport lounge in the form of the 2021 Gérard Bertrand Crémant de Limoux An 825 Brut, a blend of Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which was delicious in its own, but also perfect in Mimosa, with its firm structure and consistent bubbles.
I need to mention a few more wines. Of course, when in France, you should drink French wine. Except, maybe, when you are in a kosher restaurant. We visited L’As du Fallafel restaurant twice during the week (one of my colleagues eats Kosher, and then, of course, the food is just tasty), and an Israeli wine was a perfect option in my opinion. 2020 Gamla Cabernet Sauvignon Galilee was well approachable from the get-go, nice amount of dark fruit, good acidity, good structure, well-integrated tannins – a very nice wine overall. Last but not least was Chablis I had at the restaurant called Au Petit Marguery.
2021 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Vieilles Vignes de Sainte Claire was excellent. First, there was the nose of sapidity, minerality, and a touch of gunflint. I spent a good few minutes just admiring the aromatics before taking the first sip. The wine continued on the palate offering savory and complex mouthfeel with good acidity and restrained expression of the white-stone fruit. While working on this post, I looked up this wine – turns out that the grapes for this wine are harvested from the 70 years old vineyard with the roots of the vines extending for 25 meters into the Kimmeridgian soil. Now that will guarantee some complexity.
Now, let’s talk about food. There are two restaurants I want to mention. First called Suffren was an accidental find, as we were walking around looking for a place for dinner. I’m glad we stumbled upon it, as the food was outstanding, and the service was even better – happy and friendly. It was fun sitting at the table close to the entrance and observing the people waking in, shaking hands and talking with waiters – truly a neighborhood spot. The steak tartar was my choice of main course, and it was delicious. Everybody also got desserts, and polished their plates – profiteroles, baked Alaska, Crêpes Suzette (made tableside, of course).
The second restaurant was Au Petit Marguery. I found the restaurant via search as an affordable restaurant offering traditional French cuisine. The food was good even though it didn’t leave me speechless. Foie Gras was good overall, but it was served with some sort of a sweet toast which I didn’t appreciate at all, and I was really expecting more condiments to accompany such a rich dish.
My main course was fish (have no idea which one), which was not bad, but again, not truly memorable. For dessert, I got an oversize profiterole which was not bad but not amazing, but again maybe it was competing with my overinflated expectations.
I also stopped by a few of the cheese stores – this is literally a mandatory activity when in France. Tea is something I love, but talk much about tea in this blog. I found my favorite tea store, Mariage Frères, a short walking distance from my hotel, and I got a few teas to bring home. Around the corner from the tea store, I found another one of my favorites – Le Café Lenôtre. I was really hoping for a cup of hot chocolate but was laughed at as nobody else wants to drink hot chocolate in July.
And now you have my full report. It was definitely fun to spend a week in Paris and see how your memories are coming back to you. Before we part, I would like to leave you with one of my favorite pictures, taken during the rainy trip along the Seine. I think it gives you a perfect Paris mood in one shot…
Alcohol Shenanigans
Alcohol Shenanigans.
Yes, I know. The title is not great. Leaves a horrible impression. Sounds like a story about college dorm adventures. And yet this is all I can come up with for this post.
“Next time, we will taste tequila,” said my friend before going home after our cognac tasting. “And I will bring Tequila”, she said.
A few weeks ago, the “next time” arrived – she showed up with about 20 bottles of tequila, mostly anejo with a few interesting oddballs. This is where the shenanigans started.
Mirriam-Webster: Shenanigan Definition: “a: tricky or questionable practices or conduct“
Let’s begin with the fact that we had no idea how you are supposed to taste tequila. Tequila is generally not considered a sipping liquor. Go to the bar, ask for tequila, and it will be served in a shot glass. And here we were not planning on any shots – the plan was to taste tequilas the same way as we do the cognac and scotch. After a short(?) brain freeze, we settled on small glasses – for the people in the US, if you ever bought Tiramisu dessert from Costco – these are the glasses I’m talking about. And off we went.
I think we went through almost a full lineup the first night. I’m sure we made a number of mistakes in the order, as some tequilas tasted sweet and not even reminiscent of a traditional agave – and they tasted very different the next night. And I didn’t mention it before, but we went a bit beyond tequila in the tasting – we also had Mezcal and Sotol. While I’m familiar with Mezcal as a category (side note: Tequila is a subset of Mezcal. Tequila can be made only from blue Agave, but Mezcal can be made from 30 different types of Agave), Sotol was completely new to me.
Sotol is a distilled spirit from Chihuhuan desert in northern Mexico made from the plant called Desert Spoon (there are other scientific names for the plant, but I will leave it for you to research). The plant takes about 15 years to mature, and the yield is about one bottle per plant. Sotol is clearly not widespread at the moment, so I was happy to expand my liquor vocabulary.
This tasting was just for fun, so as you might imagine, I didn’t take any notes. Therefore, the below is just a collection of impressions. We had 3 different types of Don Julio. The Riposado was good, Anejo was very good, and neither one of us cared for Don Julio 1942 Anejo (I call this “overdone”). Chinaco Blanco tequila was very good, restrained and herbal. 1800 Anejo was very good, however, 1800 Anejo Cristalino was even better. I guess when the color was removed to make regular Anejo of the clear color, some of the impurities were filtered out as well, so the resulting tequila was one of the smoothest ever.
Costco’s Kirkland Tequila Anejo was somewhat unimpressive (ok, but too light) – I’m sure it is fine for the money. At some point, we tasted my beloved Tres Generaciones Anejo, which I always compare with the cognac based on its smooth and mellow showing. It had such a pronounced agave taste that I even brought my own bottle thinking that something was wrong with the bottle my friend brought, and my bottle tasted identical. No idea what has happened.
Don Roberto 1924 Anejo was a favorite of my wife and my friend. I liked it too, but it was not my favorite. Casino Azul Anejo, Ocho Single Estate Anejo, Patron Anejo, Centenario Anejo, San Matias Gran Reserva Extra Anejo were all solid, excellent tequilas I would be happy to drink (sip) any day – and yet we had a few more that fared just at an exceptional level.
Wait, before we get to the exceptional ones – the promised oddballs. First, there was not an oddball, but an absolute curveball – 21 Seeds Cucumber Jalapeno Tequila Blanco. It was incredibly spicy to the point of not being able to taste much of anything after a small sip of this fire water. I guess this would be okay as a cocktail mixer, but this is not something I would enjoy by itself.
Los Magos Sotol was very interesting. The herbs were very pronounced on the palate, together with green pepper (not spicy) and cucumber. Truly a unique taste, in a league of its own – of course it makes sense as this was my very first Sotol without any frame of reference.
Next was my personal favorite liquor of the tasting – Mezcal Ilegal Anejo. A typical Mezcal has smoke, both on the nose and on the palate. This Mezcal was truly something else. The only reference I can offer to you is a freshly made log cabin. I don’t know if you ever walked into the log cabin which was recently built – the one that has a smell of freshly cut lumber, this sweet aroma that I can’t really describe. But if you ever experienced that, and if this is something you enjoy, this Mezcal was instantly transporting you to such a cabin – you didn’t even need to close your eyes.
The last Tequila was truly the king of the first night – Gran Centenario Leyenda Extra Anejo. It was round, it was smooth, it was delicious – and it was hiding the agave flavor perfectly well. When I tasted that tequila, I said – tomorrow we are going to compare our “best in show” with cognac. And then we will bring the scotch if we have to.
There is still one more tequila to present – Maestro Dobel Atelier Extra Anejo. A very unique and unusual bottle to begin with. And as far as tequila itself is concerned, it was very round, but somehow was leaving me unmoved, especially in comparison with Gran Centenario. So when we settled for the night’s favorites, Maestro Dobel was not in the picture – but it was a runner-up.
I have to say that I was discouraged by a somewhat puzzling showing of some of the favorite tequilas, so I was convinced that we are not doing the tasting right. The next day, I decided to do a search online to look for recommendations regarding the proper way of tasting the tequila. In one of the first videos, I came across the recommendation to use the Champagne flutes – which made good sense. Our next night’s tasting of Tequila versus Cognac was done using Champagne flutes for Tequila and standard brandy sniffers for the Cognac.
Before we started, I was absolutely sure that cognac, pretty much any decent cognac would have no issues beating tequila in side-by-side tasting. Of course, the only comparison metric we used was a simple “Which liquid do you like more”. And my friend insisted that Dobel Atelier has to be in the tasting – I agreed without much enthusiasm.
As we moved along in the tasting, a simple truth emerged – nothing could beat Dobel Atelier. Granted, I didn’t have the XO-level cognacs to throw into this battle, but we had a few of the excellent cognac specimens – Pierre Ferrand Reserve, Hardy Legend 1863 (spectacular cognac), Park Borderies Mizunara Oak – and Dobel Atelier was still smoother, rounder, and richer than any one of these.
The next night we brought in the Scotch which we both love tremendously. Not only that, but we also decided to switch glasses again and this time we did the tasting using proper, official Glencairn Whisky Tasting glasses. But the story repeated itself. Macallan 15, Macallan 18, Highland Park 16, Lagavulin 16, Glenmorangie 18, Compass Box Affinity – Dobel Atelier was unbeatable…
Truth be told – Dobel Atelier was the most expensive bottle compared with anything else we tasted – if you can find this bottle here in the US (my friend brought it directly from Mexico), it would set you back at least $250. But – I learned about the price of this tequila only after we were done with the tasting, so this was definitely not the factor – and if anything, it would have an opposite effect on me (I’m always a lot more critical of the expensive bottles versus the more reasonably priced ones).
Here you can take another good look at our alcohol shenanigans. Was this tasting a stupid idea? Quite possible. Was it lots of fun? You bet it was. And nobody got hurt 🙂
I’m not trying to be your source of inspiration, but hey, maybe you want to try such a tasting on for size? Cheers!
What Can You Do With One Grape? Ask Lugana Winemakers
What can you do with one grape? We are not talking about the quantity of the grape berries in your possession – we are talking about one variety. Especially if this is the white grape variety such as Turbiana (a.k.a Trebbiano di Lugano), for example?
Before I’m publicly ostracized, let me be clear. I’m not trying to say that Lugana is the only region in the winemaking world with only one official grape – Brunello, Barolo, Barbaresco, Burgundy, Albariño (Rias Baixas) are all single grape variety greats. But comparing Lugana with Brunello, for example, wouldn’t be fair. I will explain.
Feel free to disagree, but I always say that delicious white wine is harder to make than red wine. In white wine, you have nowhere to hide – typically, no oak, no skin contact – the grape itself either delivers or not. Besides, Brunello and the others we mentioned above already built their reputation, and a single grape is all people want.
Even in the white wine world, Lugana is not the only “one grape” place – we already mentioned Rias Baixas with its Albariño, and then there is Sancerre, Condrieu, Vouvray, and many others. However, as I tasted the delicious range of Lugana wines last week at the Destination Lugana event, I couldn’t help but wonder about Lugana winemakers’ ingenuity. So what can you do with one grape?
Lugana DOC wines can be produced in 5 different styles. First, there is a regular Lugana DOC wine, which requires minimum aging of 4–5 months in the bottle. Next, there is Lugana Superiore DOC, which has to be aged at least 12 months. Lugana Riserva requires a minimum of 24 months of aging, 6 of which have to be in the bottle. Two more styles to complete the list: Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest), which also required a minimum of 12 months of aging, the same as Superiore. And last but not least is Spumante, which can be produced using both Classic and Charmat methods.
At the Destination Lugana event, we were able to taste all the different styles with the exception of late harvest. As the event was taking place at the rooftop bar in downtown Manhattan, I didn’t even attempt to take any sort of reasonable notes. As one general note, I can only tell you that there was not a single Lugana wine I didn’t like. Fresh, clean wines with beautiful acidity – if I have to use a serious descriptor, I would have to call them “happy wines”.
Here is the list of the Lugana DOC wines I was able to taste (we have to add to this a bunch of Lugana sparkling wines I didn’t take the pictures of the labels from):
2022 Tenuta Roveglia Linne Lugana DOC
2022 Zeni 1870 Vigne Alte Lugana DOC
2022 Ottella Le Creete Lugana DOC
2022 Cà Maiol Prestige Lugana DOC
2022 Tommasi Le Fornaci Lugana DOC
2022 Vigneti Villabella Lugana DOC
2022 Cantina Valpantena Torre del Falasco Lugana DOC
2022 Cantina Cereasa Ceresa Lugana DOC
There was also food. Fresh sushi, made right there on the spot – perfectly complemented by Lugana wines. Few different types of fresh pasta – I can’t even tell you if I had a favorite, all were tasty. And pizza, a simple pizza. All worked quite well with the wines.
Let’s get back to wine. So what else can you do with one grape? For example, you can take multiple harvests. As an example, in Oregon, early-picked grapes are used for sparkling wines (higher acidity), and then the later harvest is used to produce regular still wines. In the case of Lugana wines, we had an opportunity to taste such two wines from Scolari. While both belong to the standard Lugana DOC category, the first one, 2022 Scolari Lugana DOC was harvested about a month earlier than the second one, 2022 Scolari Premium Lugana DOC. While the first had cut-through acidity as a main trait, the second wine was more round and unquestionably more complex. Add to this a bit of time with the skin contact, and you get beautiful light tannic tartness from the wine which never saw an inside of the oak barrel.
And then, of course, you can age your wines, to produce Superiore and Riserva styles. We had an opportunity to try wines from 2017, 2019, and 2021 vintages, and I would be hard-pressed to name a favorite out of these three – I would just suggest you should find them and try them for yourself (you will not regret!).
2017 Corte Sermana Riserva Lugana DOC
2019 Le Morette Riserva Lugana DOC
2021 Perla Del Garda Madonna Della Scoperta Lugana Superiore DOP
And, of course, the rooftop bar means views, and it means I have an opportunity to inundate you a bit with the city’s pictures.
Here you are, my friends. Lugana wines are happy wines, I said it. Moreover, they are versatile, food-friendly, and will not make you break the bank to enjoy them. Do yourself a favor – visit your favorite wine store, grab a few bottles of Lugana wine, and then leave me a happy comment. Cheers!
A Weekend In Unique Wines
A unique wine.
A unique concept.
We can take it to the extreme if we want. Wine in the bottle is a living thing. Wine is changing – for the better or worse, but wine is changing – enzymes are breaking, tannins are fading down. We can claim that every bottle of wine is unique, and similarly to “you can not enter the same river twice”, you can not taste the same wine twice.
Okay, let’s move away from such highly esoteric spaces, and let’s talk about personally unique wine happenings – and I will do my best to explain why I designate each encounter as “unique”.
Unique wine case #1 – “I never had it before”
“light golden color, guava, herbs, med-intensity, inviting; vanilla, apples, lemon, crisp, fresh, round, clean med-long finish” – in all modesty, I’m quoting the description of the wine from my own tweet a few days ago. Looking at this description, what wine do you think was in my glass?
Give it a thought for a few minutes. Meanwhile, I continue.
I will not be playing this #inmyglass game here, of course – especially since I actually borrowed this game from Le Bon Vin #inmyglass. The game was played on Twitter, asking people to identify the place and the grape(s) this wine was made from.
Chardonnay. Chennin Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc. Bordeaux Blend. Garganega from Soave. Lugana. Vermentino. Roero Arneis. These were some of the guesses, I’m sure I’m also missing a whole bunch.
Once we established the place – Italy – and after a few strong hints that the wine is a “curveball” and “thinking out of the box required”, we arrived at the correct answer.
Sangiovese in Bianco. A white wine made from red grapes.
It will not be the first – two out of the 3 main grapes in Champagne are red; Pinot Noir Blanco is quite popular in Oregon; I also had white Merlot and even white Cabernet Franc – and it will not be the last, I’m sure, but this was my personal first experience with white Sangiovese wine.
From the very first whiff 2021 La Loggia Toscaia Sangiovese in Bianco Toscana IGT (12.5% ABV) was special. Beautiful aromatics of guava and herbs, followed by a brilliantly balanced presentation on the palate, with lemon, apple and vanilla, crispy, fresh, delicious. If I would try this wine in the blind tasting, I would confidently make my bet on the old world Chardonnay – and yet this wine was made from Sangiovese.
I got this wine from the Last Bottle wines, which means that I might never see the same one again (I have a few more bottles to see how it will age) – but to my delight, I learned that an increasing number of producers offer Sangiovese in Blanco – I just hope the others will be as good as this one.
Unique wine case #2 – I might (will?) never try this again
Every Champagne lover knows Bollinger. A legendary producer whose Champagne was often 007’s wine of choice (yes, it is James Bond I’m talking about). Bollinger even produces one of the Champagnes under the “007” name. But I’m not talking about Champagne here.
Champagne appellation laws allow production of the still wines. The 2002 Bollinger Ay Rouge La Cote Aux Enfant Coteaux Champenois (12.5% ABV) is red Pinot Noir wine, produced from 2 acres of vineyard called La Cote Aux Enfant located in the heart of Grand Cru Aÿ region and aged in oak casks. This wine is only produced by Bollinger in exceptional years. I had this wine once 9 years ago, and at that time the wine was quite powerful, requiring some time to breathe. This time, the wine was ready to drink from the get-go, offering mostly the tertiary aromas – plums, dried fruit, still having enough acidity and some structure. My daughter offered probably the best descriptor for this wine – she said that the aromatics remind her of an old book – in a good sense. It is the book you lovingly and carefully take into your hands, expecting the magic to happen as you turn the pages. Do I wish I opened this wine 4-5 years ago? You bet. Did I regret my choice of keeping this wine for as long as I did? Not for a split second. A perfect rendition of the mature wine…
Unique wine case #3 – back from the dead and then red with cheese? Surprise!
1998 is one of the special vintages in my book, and I am always on the lookout for 1998 wines for a reasonable price. When I saw 1998 Chateau Saint-Nicolas Fronsac AOC (12.5% ABV) for $19.99 at Wine Exchange, I couldn’t help but grab a few bottles. I opened this bottle right after the 2002 Bollinger. The aromatics were very restrained, and on the palate, the wine just had some glimpses of fruit, but overall the wine gave an impression of the Bordeaux I don’t want to drink. A few hours later, things turned even to the worst – the wine was offering nothing on the nose or on the palate. Of course, it tasted like wine, but it had nothing going I would be able to apply any descriptor to. It was late in the day, so I pumped the air out and decided that I will deal with the wine the next day.
The next day I reopened the wine having literally zero hope for anything even half good happening to this bottle. The smell from the glass offered a glimpse of hope – dark fruit and a hint of eucalyptus showed up. To my delight, the palate completely transformed, offering silky cassis, anis, and lots of herbs. The wine didn’t even give out its age, it was still perfectly fresh with a good amount of acidity.
I had a small cheese board on the table, and without much thought, I took a sip of wine after a cracker with cheese. Combining wine and cheese is a lot more difficult than people like to think, so once again, I didn’t expect much. All of a sudden the taste buds jumped of joy, because the cheese, Bucheron soft-ripened goat cheese from Trader Joe’s, was perfectly complemented by this 21-year-old Bordeaux, creating a new level of hedonistic pleasure. A unique wine transformation and a unique pleasure of elevated food and wine experience – the experience worth remembering.
Here you are – my report on the weekend in unique wines. When was the last time you had a wine which you considered “unique”?
Virgen Wines – No SO2 Organic and Delicious
No added SO2.
Organic.
Delicious.
Simple, right?
Organic seems to be the word of the town. Four years ago, in 2019, 6.2% of the vineyards in the world were certified organic. In absolute terms, it doesn’t sound impressive. However, we need to take into account a few factors. First, many vineyards practice organic farming but are not inclined to undergo an official certification process due to the high cost. Second, and probably more important, is that from 2005 till 2019 the organic vineyard plantings increased by 13% per year, compared with non-organic vineyard plantings’ growth rate of 0.4% per year, according to the article in Drinks Business. I have a feeling that the organic vineyard growth could even have accelerated over the last four years, but we will need to wait to see the official data.
But grapes from organic vineyards don’t automatically mean that the wine can be called organic too – this gets a bit tricky, as every country has different rules for what wine can be called “organic” – this is why you can see on many labels the statement “made with organic grapes” instead of simple “organic”.
SO2, an abbreviation for Sulfur Dioxide, is an essential element in winemaking. It is used literally at every stage of the winemaking process because of a few important properties. SO2 is an anti-microbial agent, regulating harmful yeast and bacteria growth in wine. It also has anti-oxidative properties, protecting the wine from oxidation. It is important though that the use of SO2 is not excessive for a variety of reasons – one of such is an allergic reaction it can cause.
So here is the culprit – if you want to import your wine to the USA, and you want to be able to simply state on the label “organic”, you are not allowed to add sulfites (it is okay to add sulfites to the organic wine in Europe and Canada). This doesn’t mean that the wine will have no sulfites – sulfites are a natural by-product of fermentation, and they are always present in wine – but they will be present in minuscule quantities in the organic wines. However, not adding sulfites is not for the faint at heart – considering how many things can go wrong in the winemaking process – this is why today you see the majority of wines labeled with “made from organic grapes”.
Domain Bousquet was founded in 1990 in the high-altitude desert in Tupungato Uco Valley in Mendoza, Argentina, on the pure vision, passion, and conviction of its founder, Jean Bousquet. Jean was told that he is making a mistake of his life when he purchased 1,000 acres of nothing but dry, empty, arid land. Today, Domain Bousquet sustainably and organically farms 667 acres of vineyards, produces 50 million liters of wine, 95% of which is exported to 50 countries around the world, and ranks among the top 20 Argentinian wineries in terms of export. Domaine Bousquet also just extended its leadership in organic winemaking by introducing the wines produced without adding any SO2 – and this is exactly what we are talking about today.
Three new wines were just added to Domaine Bousquet’s collection, under the name of Virgen – Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Malbec. All three are certified USDA organic, unoaked, and have no added SO2. To ensure the proper handling that these wines require, Domaine Bousquet even decided to ship them wrapped in a blanket.
When I received an invitation to review these new wines, my instant inclination was a simple “nope, not doing that”. No USDA organic wines made me excited so far. But the next thought was … well, these are just the samples, it might be interesting – especially if I can compare them with the same wines made in the traditional way – and this is pretty much what I was able to do.
Winemaker Rodrigo Serrano. Source Domaine Bousquet
In my mind, producing wines without SO2 requires a leap of heart. So even before I got the wines, I decided to ask Domaine Bousquet’s winemaker, Rodrigo Serrano, a few questions about his inspiration and goals – here is our short conversation:
[TaV]: You had been farming organically since the beginning, so your wines have always been made from organic grapes. Getting USDA Organic certified is another test, as you now need to certify the entire winemaking process. Why did you decide to opt for this certification?
[RS/DB]: We did it because we had the opportunity to experience it in 2018. Little by little I moved away from the use of SO2, until I suggested trying a wine without using it. I felt like an innovator, without knowing the real magnitude of this.
[TaV]: Virgen wines do not have SO2 added, so special care must be taken during the transport of wines. How did you come up with the idea for a blanket? How does it help protect wines?
[RS/DB]: The theory says that the temperature is very harmful, so in a wine like this, in which there is no protection, extreme care is taken. Today with experience, we understand that both in Virgin and in the rest, the temperature is harmful, so we put the blanket in all shipments. It helps by generating an air chamber between the wall of the transport container and the wine box, obtaining less impact from the outside temperature on our bottles.
[TaV]: What is the expected shelf life of Virgen wines?
[RS/DB]: Initially I was not optimistic, today with more than 5 years of experience, we still have 2018 stock, and it remains correct.
[TaV]: Somewhat related question: Once virgin wines have arrived at someone’s home, how should they be stored? How long can they be stored before having to consume them?
[RS/DB]: It must be stored like the rest, away from light, with a temperature no higher than 20°C and no less than 5°C.
[TaV]: Can “SO2-free” wines age? Did you experiment with that?
[RS/DB]: It is a challenge that we have ahead of us, to work with sulfite-free wines for aging, we are working on it, but for the moment they are only projects.
[TaV]: I see that Domaine Bosquet is not only organic, it is also certified Organic Regenerative. How is Regenerative Organic different from just Organic? What did you have to do to obtain the Regenerative Organic certification? How long did it take you?
[RS/DB]: ROC is something incredible, and for this I recommend watching KISS the Ground. He will answer better than anyone. It took us a few years to certify it, but I don’t work extra, considering that our philosophy coincides 100%
[TaV]: Last question. Far beyond viticulture, Domaine Bosquet is also a certified B Corp. Why did you decide to become a B Corp? Why is this important for you?
[RS/DB]: As with ROC, the coincidence in our philosophy, measuring the social and environmental impact, led us to this certification in a natural way.
Obviously, the proof is in the pudding glass, so next I tasted the wines, and – spoiler alert – was blown away. Here are my notes in the exact order I tasted the wines:
2021 Domaine Bousquet Virgen Natural Cabernet Sauvignon Tupungato Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina (14% ABV, $13, no added SO2)
Dark garnet
Chocolate and tobacco on the nose, a hint of berries
Blackberries, a hint of cassis, black plums, minerally driven, rich and luscious, good structure, crisp acidity.
8, outstanding on its own, and a great surprise as the wine is unoaked.
2021 Domaine Bousquet Virgen Natural Malbec Tupungato Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina (14% ABV, $13, no added SO2)
Dark Garnet
A hint of barnyard upon opening. On the second day barnyard smell disappeared, leaving behind only dark fruit.
On the palate, the wine is just spectacular. Imagine taking a load of perfectly ripe, perfectly crunchy, perfectly fresh berries – blueberries, raspberries, and wild strawberries, and sending it into your mouth – now you know how this wine tastes. Perfect structure, perfect balance, perfect acidity.
8+/9-, kudos to the winemaker.
2022 Domaine Bousquet Virgen Natural Chardonnay Tupungato Uco Valley Mendoza Argentina (13.5% ABV, $13, no added SO2)
Light golden
Asian pear, herbs
The palate is matching the nose, Asian pear, a touch of honey, herbs.
7/7+ first day. The wine somewhat improved on the second day, but overall didn’t go anywhere near the reds
And here is my “Frame of reference”:
2021 Domaine Bousquet Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve Tupungato Uco Valley Mendoza (14.5% ABV, $19.99)
Garnet
Dark berries, cherries
A touch of cassis, eucalyptus, clean, classic, perfectly balanced, good acidity.
8, very good
2021 Domaine Bousquet Malbec Reserve Tupungato Uco Valley Mendoza (14.5% ABV, $19.99)
Garnet
Dark fruit, espressoFresh berries, salivating acidity, medium body, playful, perfectly balanced.
8+, delicious.
Let’s discuss our tasting.
First, both of the no SO2 reds were outstanding. The unadulterated fresh berries are really something to experience when they are delivered in a fully balanced, perfectly structured way. No SO2 Cabernet Sauvignon was perfectly on par with the reserve Cabernet Sauvignon; I liked no SO2 Malbec even more than the reserve version, even though I wouldn’t complain about either. Second, I managed to get the answer to the question about the aging of the no SO2 wines. I left both no SO2 Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec on the countertop, closing back the screw cap, and the wines were perfectly delicious on the second and third days. In my book, that means that the wines have at least another 10 years of life easily. Not that I’m suggesting that you should age these wines, but it is good to know that you really don’t have to consume them the same day you got them from the store.
Here you are, my friends – organic, no SO2, and delicious. These wines are worth seeking out, whether you care about sulfites or not. And if you have friends who complain about headaches and sulfites – they might love you even more after they will taste these wines. If you had a chance to taste these wines already – let me know what you think!
The Land Whispers… You Just Need To Listen
I love wine dinners. Especially the wine dinners with the winemaker.
I dread wine dinners. Especially the wine dinners with the winemaker.
I know, I don’t make much sense at the moment. Wine dinners are wonderful, and I really do love them. The dreadful part comes from the experience of not being able to write about those wine dinners in a timely fashion. “Timely fashion”, huh – there are wine dinners I never wrote about in 5 years and such memories can hunt you down – they definitely do for me. I don’t know why this is happening on a regular basis – the elation often experienced during open and engaging conversations about wine becomes an ephemeral spirit, woefully resistful and easily escaping the slightest attempt to capture it in the form of words…
Let’s see if I will be able to break my unsettling tradition.
Last week I had a wonderful time and experience tasting the wines of Viñedos Veramonte and speaking with Gonzalo Bertelsen, General Manager and Head Winemaker in a small group of wine lovers, around the dinner table at the Monterey Brasserie in New York. The conversation topics were ranging from low-alcohol wines (is that really a trend? Are people really asking for it or is that just a gimmick?) to the production of organic and biodynamic wines to “why Germans don’t want to drink organic wines from Chile” (I will not tell you why but you are welcome to guess) and to many other far and between. But most importantly we got to enjoy Viñedos Veramonte wines with and without the food.
Viñedos Veramonte was one of the first wineries in the Casablanca region, founded in 1990 by Agustin Huneeus, a Chilean wine pioneer. From the very beginning, the winery embraced organic viticulture – and more recently, the winery spent more than 6 years making estate vineyards officially organic certified, obtaining ECOCERT® organic certification, one of the most respected in the world. The project involved the conversion of more than 1,200 acres of vineyards in Casablanca and Colchagua valleys to organic and biodynamic farming, with the aim to also become fully Demeter’s biodynamic certified – which requires making changes in the winery, not only in the vineyard – plus importers also have to be biodynamic certified.
Viñedos Veramonte produces 4 distinct lines of wines – Veramonte, Ritual, Primus, and Neyen – all from organic grapes, of course. We had an opportunity to taste wines from all 4 lines.
We started with the 2022 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Casablanca Valley ($13.99 SRP). This wine has one of the biggest productions, and it is very important for Veramonte. Preserving freshness is paramount, so special care is taken to prevent any oxidation of the grapes and juice, and the wine is bottled as soon as possible. The wine was herbaceous and crisp, delicious on its own but also nicely supporting our first course – Grande Plateau of seafood containing oysters, clams, tuna tartare, and lobster. The Sauvignon Blanc pairing with the oysters was the best – and the oysters were delicious, probably my favorite component of the Grand Plateau.
Next, we moved on to the 2019 Ritual Chardonnay Casablanca Valley ($20.99 SRP, fermented in oak barrels and concrete tanks). I wrote about Ritual wines many times, last time only a few months ago – the wines are consistently delicious. The wine was paired with a choice of appetizer – crispy artichokes or barbecued prawns. I selected crispy artichokes, forgetting that artichokes are notoriously difficult to be paired with wine. The dish was delicious on its own, and the wine was also good – on its own.
We also tried the 2020 Primus Carmenere Apalta DO ($20.99 SRP) with our appetizer course. The wine was excellent and had a nice profile of cassis supported by the bell peppers, showing off the pyrazines. Some of the winemakers are trying to prevent the pyrazines from showing up by changing growing conditions, harvesting regime and more – but I personally enjoy the pyrazines’ flavor very much, it adds to the authenticity of the wine. While Carmenere was still not a perfect match for the artichokes, it offered a bit better pairing than the Chardonnay.
Now we were ready for the main course, and the new wine arrived.
Last December I had an opportunity to try for the first time yet another Veramonte wine called Neyen. Neyen vineyards are located on a small parcel of land situated between the Andes Mountains and the Coastal Range. Neyen wines are literally always a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Carmenere, both coming from truly the old vines – Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in 1889, joined by Carmenere in 1936, which makes the vines respectively 134 and 87 years old.
In the local dialect, Neyen means “whisper”. The land whispers, you only need to listen to her – low intervention is what the Neyen winemakers practice. And this is the whisper you can taste.
The wine literally stopped me in my tracks. You know that stupid smile that you can’t control when something good is happening? This was my face upon the first whiff of the 2003 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Apalta DO ($N/A) – the first vintage of Neyen wine ever produced. The time stopped – there was only the endless pleasure of aromatics that only mature wine can bring.
Time, wait. Don’t move. I’m still enjoying it. Please, just a few more moments.
Cassis and eucalyptus on the nose. Cassis and eucalyptus on the palate, silky smooth, perfectly integrated tannins, full body of the mature wine at its absolute peak, pleasure slowly descending layer after layer. This is the case where the words are clearly insufficient to describe the joy of the oenophile, but I hope I offered at least a glimpse.
For the main course, I selected Bluefin Tuna au Poivre with baby beets and citrus sauce – and to my delight, the 2003 Neyen offered a perfect pairing, elevating every bite of the food.
We also had the 2016 Neyen, Espíritu de Apalta Apalta DO ($N/A). Tasting 2016 after 2003 was somewhat of a mistake. 2016 is an excellent wine, but the beautiful core we were able to experience in 2003 was still covered by layers of baby fat, the wine showing a lot richer, almost jammy on the first sip, and in need of time to open up.
The culmination point of our evening, though, was … a bit unexpectedly, as we are talking about Chilean wines … the Malbec. 2019 Neyen Espíritu de Apalta Malbec Apalta DO ($149.99 SRP). 2016 was the first released vintage of this super low-intervention wine – harvested and destemmed by hand, fermented in small tanks, no machines, no electricity used in the production of this wine, aging only in 3rd and 4th use French oak barrels. This is the crown jewel of the Veramonte Neyen collection – even James Suckling agrees, rating this wine at 100 points. Only 200 cases of the wine were produced in 2019, with the US allocation standing at 40 cases.
The main word I would use to describe this wine would be “elegant”. The wine was showing beautiful eucalyptus notes, a lot leaner than most of the Argentinian Malbecs, begging comparison with old world Malbec, the Cahors. Elegant, layered, delicious.
And this, my friends, brings us to the end of the wonderful evening. The company was great, the food was excellent, the wines were amazing.
Mother Nature whispers, and good things happen when we listen. I wish I had a case of this 2003 Neyen Espiritu de Apalta – that would really make me happy. Well, we generally don’t get to have all the things we want – and I’m grateful for the opportunity to experience such wines at least once.
Veramonte wines offer a great selection for every budget and every palate – check them out when you will have a chance. Cheers!
New Releases From Bodegas Beronia
When it comes to Rioja, Bodegas Beronia is a relative newcomer, founded in 1973 by a group of friends who fell in love with La Rioja while visiting on a holiday – compared with many of the Rioja’s finest taking its roots from the 19th century.
I wrote about Beronia wines many times before, so instead of sending you to this link to read about the winery itself, here is simply an excerpt from that post:
The name Beronia is not random – here is the explanation: “name linked to the history of the land where the winery is found. In the 3rd Century BC, the area known as Rioja today was inhabited by a Celtic tribe called the ‘Berones’. They inhabited the towns of Tricio, Varea, and Leiva, marking the limits of the Berones region, today La Rioja.”
Originally, the wines were produced literally by friends for the friends, without much thought of commercial sales. In 1982, Bodegas Beronia became a part of González Byass family, and at that point, wines of Bodegas Beronia started to appear on the international markets.
Beronia style starts in the vineyard, practicing sustainable viticulture. Different vineyards are used for different types of wines – Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva. For example, Gran Reserva wines are typically produced from 80-90 years old vineyards. And talking about the style, wines are manipulated as little as possible.
Bodegas Beronia Rioja wines represent an intersection of tradition and modernity. While “traditional” and “modern” styles of Rioja can be a subject of great debate with a lot of wine consumed to prove the point, I would offer a very simplistic viewpoint. Tempranillo has a great affinity to the oak; the resulting Rioja wine is well influenced by the oak regimen. Traditionally, Rioja is matured in American oak casks. Modern-style Rioja often uses French oak. Here is your style distinction – American oak versus French. Bodegas Beronia goes a step further than many. They create their own barrels, using both American and French oak elements in one barrel. Thus the wine is not defined by blending of the separately aged components, but instead, it is aging in a mixed environment.
Now, here is something I never shared before. In June of 2018, I had an opportunity to attend a lunch with Bodegas Beronia winemaker, Matias Calleja. During that lunch, we were able to actually taste the differences between the same exact wine, 2015 Tempranillo, aged for 18 months in 3 different types of oak – French, American, and Beronia’s own, mixed.
When we tasted these three wines side by side, the wine aged in the American oak had the brightest fruit. The French oak-aged was more earthy and had a bigger presence on the palate. The wine aged in the mixed barrels provided the most complexity, and fell in the middle, with interesting spicy notes. Pepper, which is not a typical Tempranillo descriptor, was very pronounced on the mixed barrels. The mixed-barrel one was my favorite.
Now, we can talk about the latest release from Bodegas Beronia – pay attention to the notes on the oak regimen:
2022 Bodegas Beronia Rosé Rioja DOC (13.5% ABV, $12.99, 55% Garnacha, 45% Tempranillo)
Very light pink, almost a rose gold
Very restrained, a hint of underripe strawberries
Crisp, tart, very limited fruit, a distant hint of strawberries with a tartness of cranberries, medium finish
8-, Provençal style, clean, refreshing
2019 Bodegas Beronia Rioja Crianza DOC (13.5% ABV, $14.99, 95% Tempranillo, 4% Garnacha, 1% Mazuelo, 12 months in mixed American oak (staves) and French oak (ends) barrels, 3 months in the bottle)
Dark garnet
Cherries, cigar box, a hint of sweet tobacco
On the first day, the wine had a lot of baby fat, too round
Second day – much better, tart cherries with good acidity and earthy undertones.
8-, needs time. The wine is either genuinely too young, or this is a problem with the screwtop enclosure, not allowing the wine to properly breathe, therefore properly mature.
2018 Bodegas Beronia Rioja Reserva DOC (13.5% ABV, $24.99, 95% Tempranillo, 4% Graciano, 1% Mazuelo, 18 months in mixed American and French oak barrels, 18 months in the bottle)
Dark garnet
Earthy, dense, inviting
A hint of barnyard, tart cherries, vanilla, good acidity, good balance
8-/8, elegant and round. Asking for food
2015 Bodegas Beronia Rioja Gran Reserva (14.5% ABV, $29.99, 94% Tempranillo, 5% Graciano, 1% Mazuelo, 28 months in French oak barrels, 36 months in the bottle)
Dark Garnet
A touch of barnyard, dark and earthy, anis appeared on the 3rd day
Cigar box, sapidity, roasted meat, cherries and plums, clean acidity, firm structure, well-integrated tannins. On the third day, a touch of espresso on the finish.
8+, delicious. Will evolve. I would love to taste this wine in 10 years. And then in 20.
Just to summarize this tasting experience – the Rosé was excellent. I really didn’t love the screw top on Crianza – I believe it doesn’t let the wine properly mature in the bottle. And the Gran Reserva for $30 MSRP is the wine to get by the case and let it gracefully mature…
What were your latest Rioja discoveries?
Experience Lugana in New York
“Drink your Lugana young, very young and you will enjoy its freshness. Drink it after two or three years and you will enjoy its fullness. Drink it after ten years and you will be amazed by its dignified authoritativeness. Lugana wines, a rarity of their kind, have an extraordinary ability to make themselves known. If you taste a Lugana, and you are a competent taster, you cannot forget it”
– Luigi Veronelli
Imagine yourself sitting by the lake, a beautiful lake.
Source: Consorzio Tutela Lugana DOC
Let’s make it more precise, to make the picture vivid.
Imagine yourself sitting by Lake Garda in Northern Italy, on a beautiful summer day. The water is tranquil, there are tiny waves and an endless horizon. Next to you, there is a little table with a glass of white wine. You take the glass, take a sip of the wine. The wine is delicious, it is locally made, it is called Lugana, and you take another sip of the liquid pleasure. You capture the moment of this pure, hedonistic pleasure in your memory, Next, you put the glass down and go back to your happy thoughts. In that moment, life is absolutely perfect.
What if I will tell you that you don’t have to travel to Italy right this moment to experience this life’s perfection? What if this experience can come to you?
If you live in New York or the New York area or plan to visit the city over the next few weeks, you are in luck. Instead of you going to Lugana, Lugana is coming to you. The Lugana wine experience is coming to New York. And this Lugana experience will move past just the Lugana wine itself – it will bring you the ultimate gourmet’s salvation – wine and food paired together.
Starting on Monday, June 12th, 19 producers from Lugana will have their wines paired at a series of dinners taking place at 6 New York restaurants (I will give you a full list of restaurants and producers in a minute). All the wines will be specifically paired with the dishes – and as someone who never visited Lugana, I was really curious about what one can expect to find on such special dinner menus. I reached out to Consorzio Tutela Lugana DOC which is organizing this event, and asked a simple question (or two): What is the traditional Lugana food? What are the traditional pairings for the Lugana dishes and wines? Here is the reply that I received:
“Like all Italian wines with century-long traditions linking them to their place of origin, Lugana is lovingly paired with the classic gastronomic repertoire of the region. This of course includes dishes of freshwater fish: from the lake, river or stream, whether noble or poor. But even better-known sea fish can be happily matched with this refined and versatile white. Therefore the “base” version can be readily paired with seafood antipasti, fried pessìn (small fish or whitebait from the paddy fields), boiled bass, boiled shrimps and large carp. The Superiore and the Riserva are literally the perfect partner for richer and more complex dishes, such as pike in sauce (boiled pike with anchovies lightly sautéed in oil, from Lake Garda of course), grilled eel, trout with grape, risotto with frogs, as well as grilled crustaceans, peppered clams, salted bass, and several white meat dishes, such as chicken, capon and rabbit (especially roasted in the oven). The Vendemmia Tardiva (late harvest) wines are ideally matched with cheeses, from the fresher varieties such as ricotta, robiola and crescenza, to the more seasoned and flavoursome such as several exquisite D.O.P. cheeses like Monte Veronese, Grana Padano and Provolone Valpadana. Spumante has a broad range of possible pairings, since this “bubbly” wine can be served right throughout the meal. However, since a spumante is usually uncorked at the beginning of a lunch or dinner, why not try it with all types of antipasto, ranging from the broad range of tasty local cold meats to the wide variety of egg-based dishes. Instead avoid serving it with dessert. The versatility of this wine does not stop here. International tastes are certainly no obstacle for Lugana. This white wine, either in its “base” version, Spumante, Superiore or Riserva, is in fact the perfect match for raw fish, from the Japanese sashimi and sushi to all the variations on the theme proposed at the international level. It is also ideal with salmon and tuna and the perfect match for seafood finger food. Ideal serving temperature (in broad bowl tulip-shaped wine glasses for all varieties): Lugana Spumante at 8°C; Lugana “base” at 12°C; Lugana Superiore and Riserva at 14°C; Lugana Vendemmia Tardiva at 12°C.”
Lugana wines are produced from the local indigenous variety called Turbiana. Lugana wines can be still, sparkling, and late harvest (sweet), but no matter what the style is, they are literally guaranteed to be delicious. I had an opportunity to do a little preview of what someone might anticipate experiencing during the tasting – here are my notes on 3 wines that will be presented during the tasting:
2022 Corte Sermana Cromalgo Lugana DOC (13% ABV)
Straw pale
Beautiful intensity of tropical fruit, lemon and honey
Lemon and lemon zest, a hint of white peach and underripe white plum, tart, perfectly structured, with medium-long, tart finish
8, delicious.
2022 Ottella Lugana DOC (12.5% ABV)
Straw pale
Tropical fruit, guava, lemon, honey, herbaceous undertones
Crisp, fresh, tight, Meyer lemon, clean acidity, a tiny hint of gunflint.
8, imbues seafood craving
2022 Perla del Garda Lugana DOP (12.5% ABV)
Straw pale
Tropical fruit, honey, fresh, inviting, enticing, seductive. It says “drink me”
Beautiful. Fresh Whitestone fruit, cut through acidity, lemon. Crisp, fresh, delicious. A happy wine that can transpose you.
8+, superb. Had a few friends try this wine too, and they were literally blown away by it.
As promised, here is the list of participating restaurants, dinner dates, and the wines which will be poured at each:
IL FIORISTA (Monday, June 12, 2023)
Le Morette, Mandorlara 2022
Cantine Di Verona, Torre di Falasco 2022
Tommasi, Le Fornaci
VICEVERSA (Tuesday, June 13, 2023)
Ca’ Maiol, Lugana Prestige 2022
Scolari, Lugana Doc Premium 2022
Zenato, Riserva 2020
GNOCCO (Monday, June 19, 2023)
Sguardi di Terra, Riserva 2018 Fachetnabia
Selva Capuzza, Selva 2021
Ceresa, Ceresa 2022
Montonale, Montunal 2022
HEARTH (Monday, June 19, 2023)
Zeni 1870, Vigne Alte 2022
Tenuta Roveglia, Vigne Catullo Riserva 2019
Famiglia Olivini, Lugana 2022
MISIRIZZI (Wednesday, June 21, 2023)
Pasini, Il Lugana 2022
Perla del Garda, Madonna della Scoperta 2021
Citari, Conchiglia 2022
OSTERIA CARLINA TRIBECA (Thursday, June 22, 2023)
Corte Sermana, Riserva 2017
Vigneti Villabella, Lugana 2022
Ottella, Lugana 2022
You can find additional details of the Lugana festivities in New York on the Destination Lugana website.
This is not every day that instead of you going to your travel destination to experience delicious life’s offerings, the travel destination comes to you. This is your chance for a memorable experience and I hope you will not miss it.
And I will be sure to tell you more… Who knows, maybe we will run into each other during one of the dinners. Cheers!
Restaurant Files: 360 Experience – Çka ka Qëllu in Stamford, Connecticut
Wow, it’s been over 4 years since I posted about the restaurant visit on these pages. “Restaurant files” used to be a regular feature on this blog, and yesterday’s restaurant experience offered a perfect opportunity to bring it back, so here we are.
Think about your restaurant visits. Sometimes, we love the food, but the wine list is not up to snuff, and the cocktails are just bland and tasteless. Sometimes, the food and wine are amazing, but you can’t stand the ambiance (this was my case recently while visiting Firefly in Las Vegas – one of my favorite restaurants, just moved to the new location, and the food became even better while I actively despised the decor). Sometimes, all is great, but not the service. Some other times, all is good, but the experience simply can’t cost that much.
And then there are those where everything works, delivering that wonderful feeling of a great, memorable experience. I took the liberty to call such a situation a 360 experience – an all-around happy experience.
I was interested in visiting this new restaurant in Stamford, Çka ka Qëllu, for a while. The restaurant offers Albanian cuisine which I’m not familiar with. And it is not only food – the wine list also contains a couple of Albanian wines. I never had Albanian wines, so I’m obviously curious – and it is also an opportunity to add a checkmark to my collection of wines around the world. Last but not least is the fact that the restaurant participates in Marriott’s Eat Around Town program – who can say no to the bonus points?
The moment we walked into the restaurant, we were instantly transported to different place and different time. I remember walking in the center of Tokyo, along a wide, modern street, wondering what restaurant my host is taking me to. We took a turn under the bridge, and we instantly traveled probably 400 years back, to the old place where food was cooked by the open fire in the tiny stores, and dining tables were rustic, eternal wooden benches. At the Çka ka Qëllu, I had exactly the same feeling – we traveled to medieval Europe, just 3 miles away from our house. All the decor, the tunnel leading to the kitchen, the old clock on the wall… The whole time we were at the restaurant, I kept looking for more of the unique tiny details.
First, the drinks. Out of the long list of craft cocktails, my wife went for the Strawberry Margarita, which was absolutely delightful – very reasonable sweetness and a pop of fresh strawberries. I knew that I wanted to try an Albanian wine – I didn’t see it offered by the glass, but when I asked our waiter if I can get a glass of Albanian white wine, the answer was “of course”. I was honestly not expecting much, but the very first whiff of the glass of the 2019 Stone Castle Chardonnay Reserve Rahoveci Valley Kosovo brought me to the happy land. This was beautiful, classic Chardonnay, with vanilla, apples, a hint of perfectly integrated butter notes with honey – as classic as Chardonnay gets.
We ordered a few appetizers – Pepper Dip, Mantia (veal-stuffed small fried dumplings), and Burek (a pastry with cheese or meat, we ordered cheese). The appetizers showed up with two loaves of fresh bread which I’m sure is made at a restaurant. That bread was absolutely delicious and was perfect with the pepper dip. As a bonus, the flavor of the cheese the pepper dip was made with was reminiscent of the famous Georgian Khachapuri. The dumplings were delicious too. Burek was served with two sauces – a sweet pepper relish and another one reminiscent of the fresh buttermilk – not sure what it was, but very tasty.
For the main course, my wife decided on Qofte (traditional Albanian grilled veal meatballs marined with onions, crushed red pepper & herbs) – delicious is not even a sufficient word that can describe the flavor profile. I’ve chosen Fasul (soup style traditional dish with simmering white beans, and onions, slowly cooked in meat). I love white beans in any form, and by description, the dish was reminiscent of my beloved French Cassoulet, so I decided on this entree as soon as I saw it on the menu. I made the right choice – the dish was served in a small clay vessel and this dish was a pure comfort on the plate – delicious to the smallest, tiniest little morsel.
Traveling through space and time with Çka ka Qëllu made for a great Friday evening – a true 360, all-around experience (I didn’t mention the service that was timely, attentive, and friendly), just a few minutes away from our house. If you are living in Stamford or nearby, Çka ka Qëllu is definitely a place to visit. And you can thank me later – but don’t feel obliged.
We will definitely be back. Cheers!
Stories of Passion and Pinot: Eugenia Keegan
Joseph Swan Vineyards. Volnay, Puligny-Montrachet. Hop Kiln Winery in the Russian River Valley, Bouchaine Vineyards in Carneros, Vine Cliff Winery in Oakville.
Keegan Cellars in Russian River Valley, dedicated to single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Oregon.
France again, this time Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Roussillon.
And back to Oregon.
This is not a random list – these are some of the places where Eugenia Keegan, born fifth generation to a family with deep roots in the Russian River Valley, worked during more than 45 years of her wine-centered career.
Working in the cellar. Working in the vineyard. Making wines. Managing wineries. Managing wine businesses. Going beyond just a business, Eugenia had been actively involved in Oregon’s wine world at a higher level as chair of the board of directors of the Oregon Wine Board, president of the Oregon Winegrowers Association, president of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association Board, and co-chair of Willamette: The Pinot Noir Auction. And to top it all off, Eugenia was named the 2021 Wine Executive of the Year as part of Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s 2021 Wine Star Awards.
Since 2016, Eugenia is working as a senior vice president of winemaking and business development for Jackson Family Wines’ Oregon properties, overseeing the winemaking programs for Gran Moraine, Penner-Ash Wine Cellars, WillaKenzie Estate, and Zena Crown Vineyard.
Eugenia Keegan. Source: Jackson Family Wines
A conversation about Oregon’s Willamette Valley wine inexplicably means a conversation about Pinot Noir. As you probably know by now, conversations about Oregon’s Pinot Noir had been one of the longest-running themes on the blog, a collection of winemaker interviews under the Stories of Passion and Pinot. As most of Eugenia’s winemaking career rotated around Pinot Noir, I thought that a conversation with her would be a great addition to the series – and with the help of Carl Giavanti, I managed to sit down (virtually) and talk with Eugenia.
Here is what transpired in our conversation:
[TaV]: How is this managing 4 different wineries with their own established style and following? Do you enforce JFW brand identity or encourage individuality?
[EK]: Individuality is a major part of our success. JFW provides the tools and overarching guidance (safety and quality). Each winery is encouraged to find its own personality based on the estates and people that are key to that brand.
[TaV]: You personally produced Pinot Noir in California and Oregon. If it is at all possible to “average out”, how would you describe the difference between California and Oregon Pinot Noir?
[EK]: Weather and light are the key differentiating factors when comparing these two areas. The long summer evenings allow the grapes to catch up to a warmer area like parts of California that bud out earlier and the cool Septembers allow the Oregon fruit to mature during cooler days, pushing fresh fruit and higher acidities.
[TaV]: You started in the wine early, and you were born in Sonoma, so wine obviously is in your DNA, but nevertheless – did you have a pivotal wine in your life? The one you tasted and said, “now I understand”?
[EK]: Yes indeed! But after I was in the business. I recall with absolute clarity while in Ireland having a 1985 Louis Latour Corton Charlemagne and “knew” that this was the benchmark of great chardonnay and have been in pursuit of that ever since. There were many fabulous Burgundies, both red and white, along the way that continue to provide inspiration years later.
[TaV]: Thinking about your long career in wine, do you have any regrets? Is there anything you would do differently knowing what you know now?
[EK]: I would have stayed in Burgundy longer. After each of my stagiaire I quickly came home excited to apply what I had learned. If I knew then how long a road this would be, I would have stayed longer and probably have tried to work there full time.
[TaV]: What is the sustainability story for Jackson Family Wines in Oregon? Where are you now and what are your plans for the future?
[EK]: Throughout our 40 years in business, the Jackson family has long prioritized natural resource conservation and environmental stewardship. We embrace climate-smart farming and winemaking practices that lower our environmental impacts, including preserving open space to building soil health and reducing our water and energy use. These sustainability values and practices extend to all regions where we grow and make wine, including Oregon. In fact, our Oregon properties have been on the forefront of many initiatives that we’re proud of as a global wine company. Less than 35% of our total acres are planted to vines to protect natural habitats and wildlife. Each year, we generate enough onsite renewable energy to offset the annual consumption of approximately 15 homes in Oregon. It’s also worth pointing out that our WillaKenzie Estate was the first LIVE-certified winery in Oregon, so it has a long history and legacy of sustainability leadership. All of our other Oregon vineyards and wineries are also certified through the LIVE program.
So, whether it’s through sustainability certification, our commitment to protecting natural habitats, or use of renewable energy, Oregon has had a positive impact on our overall Jackson Family Wines Rooted for Good: Roadmap to 2030 sustainability and climate action efforts. And, they will play a major role in our efforts to reach or goals for 2030.
[TaV]: Are there any plans to convert to organic viticulture at any of the JFW properties in Oregon?
[EK]: At this time, there is no plan to convert our estate vineyards towards organic farming in Oregon. As I mentioned all our vineyards are currently LIVE certified and as part of our Rooted for Good: Roadmap 2030 sustainability plan, we made a commitment to transition 100% of our estate vineyards to regenerative farming practices, including in Oregon. We believe this transition to regenerative agriculture is the best approach for maintaining a healthy ecosystem. By using a lighter touch, regenerative farming will leave our lands healthier for future generations so we can continue to craft distinctive, beautiful wines for the next hundred years. For us, we define regenerative farming as a set of farming principles and practices that increases biodiversity, enriches soil heath, improves watersheds and enhances the ecosystem surrounding our vines. Key regenerative farming practices include rebuilding soil organic matter through limited tillage and adding carbon rich compost and other nutrients; increasing biodiversity in and around our vineyard with cover crops and livestock integration (sheep + chickens); and reducing synthetic chemical inputs. Beyond the environmental benefits of regenerative farming, we also believe it’s the best approach for wine quality.
[TaV]: We repeatedly hear that the young generation (Gen Z, I guess) doesn’t want to drink wine. Do you agree with this? If yes, what needs to be done to change that?
[EK]: I think that the approach to wine is very different for younger consumers. My generation grew up with wine as mystical and magical. Everything was done in the ancient European tradition. I think for people growing up in the US now, wine is just another beverage option, not an extension of some old culture. I consider this a huge opportunity to move outside the traditional European varieties and styles and a chance to experiment. And along the way I believe that many will find the same magic and mystery of the ancients.
[TaV]: This might be the only question I like to ask all the winemakers I’m speaking with – what is your take on biodynamic viticulture?
[EK]: There are two things that I love about biodynamics: the whole farm concept and the attention to detail. And the beauty is that these two principles apply to any approach to farming and land stewardship.
[TaV]: What is ahead for the Willamette Valley wine in general? What do you think will happen over the next 10 years?
[EK]: I think that in the traditional world we will see Chardonnay and sparkling wines take their position on the global stage next to our Pinot Noirs. And I think that we will see a lot of new and interesting wines from the younger winemakers.
[TaV]: Are there any plans to add more wineries to the JFW collection in Oregon?
[EK]: We are always looking for the best sites for winegrowing everywhere in the world. Oregon is no exception, but for now we are pretty busy with what we have.
[TaV]: Is there a wine you always wanted to make but still didn’t have a chance?
[EK]: Working with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for 50 years has been everything that I could ask for. But I would not mind taking a crack at Chenin Blanc and Grenache, two of my favorite wines.
[TaV]: Are there any problems facing Oregon wineries now, or is everything is perfectly clear on the horizon?
[EK]: There is climate change of course. The fascinating thing about climate change is that it is a global challenge. EVERY winegrowing area in the world is facing this same issue. That helps in working toward solutions. But nothing that is existential to Oregon.
[TaV]: Can Oregon ever produce the wine rivaling DRC? Leaving the image aside, maybe a better question is: is there an Oregon Pinot Noir that you know of which can take on DRC in the blind tasting?
[EK]: HA, that is a loaded question! Oregon cannot make Burgundy anymore than Burgundy can make Oregon. Can Oregon wines give one the same pleasure and satisfaction as the great wines of Burgundy? Yes indeed.
[TaV]: Do you have unicorn wine? The wine you always wanted to try? For example, I have two – DRC and Quintarelli Amarone. What would be yours?
[EK]: After several hours of thinking about this, the answer is no. BUT having said that I still have that same thirst for winegrowing knowledge that I had 50 years ago and continue to explore new regions and wines every day.
[TaV]: You and David Adelsheim have been friends and partners for a long time. How did you meet and how would you characterize your relationship? Do you talk business or keep church and state separate?
[EK]: David and I met at the Steamboat Pinot Noir Conference in the early 80’s. We found that we shared a lot of interests in common not just being fully engaged as producers of Pinot Noir (before Sideways) in full throttle pursuit of wine quality and healthy sales. We are still the very best of friends with a dash of romance thrown in. NO, there is no division of church and state. We talk wine ALL the time.
Here you are – another addition to the Stories of Passion and Pinot. I hope you enjoyed this encounter with the winemaker’s passion and maybe even learned something new.
Until the next time…
P.S. For more stories of Passion and Pinot please visit the series’ main page.
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