Drink Eat Love

Last Day in Piemonte and then it happens

2012-01-11T18:52:04-05:00

Capon Anellini with the unreleased 2008 Costa Grimaldi Barolo

We left Piemonte this morning after two and a half great days of tasting wine, enjoying amazing food and Spring like weather. The above was the best dish I had in Piemonte and the 2008, though very young, was pretty and went well with the dish.

Yesterday we visited Cascina Bongiovanni, a VERY small modernist producer in Castiglione di Faletto and Podere Luigi Einaudi in Dogliani. I will write more soon about the wines we tried.

Today we drove five hours between Dogliani to Montalcino to Fuligini. I have not been to Tuscany in nearly six years and boy I have I been missing out. Until today I enjoyed Brunello di Montalcino but now I LOVE it on the same degree as I love Barolo...I know that sounds crazy but the wines I tried today showed me that when a producer does not screw around in the vineyard and does not decided to follow fads (ie: new oak) the wines are not just amazing or good but affirming. After many months of hustle and bustle on the floor of Del Posto I needed some inspiration and I got it in spades today.

Each of these wines, yes even the 1997 (I have a so-so history with that vintage) got me to the place I needed. Though I enjoyed my time and the wines while in Piemonte, none of them woke me out of my post holiday work stupor...these three wines awakened the wine geek that had been sleeping. Each wine was pure, classic sangiovese and ethereal. Thank you Fuligni!

Back to Piemonte - home sweet home

2012-01-10T04:00:17-05:00

The hill of Cascina Francia

After a quick flight from JFK to Milano I arrived to an unseasonable warm Barolo. With clear skies in every direction it was one of the most beautiful days I have ever seen in the region. I am on a very fast tour with Empson Imports to Piemonte and Tuscany to visit Barolo and Brunello producers, taste new vintages and check out the vineyards.

These two bottles showed great!

Our first stop was Conterno-Fantino in Monforte d'Alba. The family has owned vineyards in the region since the late 1800's but only began to produce their own wine in 1980. The house is very modern with the wines spending time in new French barrique but the wines hold on to their elegance and innate Nebbiolo uniqueness. As a staunch lover of traditional Barolo I was happily surprised by the two wines above. The 1986 Vigna del Gris was elegant, pure, with vibrant acidity and nuanced flavors of spice, leather, dried roses and earth. The 1996 Sori Ginestra showed off this great vintage with its depth, power and brilliant acidity. The new vintage of 2008 (which will not be released until late Spring) were rich, full in body, tannic and need time. As expected the oak is very primary in the wines but I feel that this vintage is going to surprise many people (It had gotten a mediocre initial review by much of the press, but I see it as a more classic vintage versus the lush and easy 2007). Though modern wine making techniques tend not to be my preferred style Conterno-Fantino produces well balanced, well structured wines that show off oak but do not hide the beauty of Nebbiolo.

Walking the Le Serra vineyard with Luisa Marcarini Marchetti

Our second stop for the day was in the bucolic village of La Morra to see Marcarini, an exact opposite from Conterno-Fantino in style. The Marcarini family has been growing grapes in the region since the late 1700's but did not produce their first commercial vintage until 1958. Their initial release was the very first wine from Barolo to have the vineyard, Brunate, written on the label!

The large Slovenian oak barrels of Marcarini

Marcarini's style is defined by the photo above - TRADITIONAL! The wines of Marcarini are textbook studies on traditional wines from La Morra - floral, expressive and elegant. The houses two crus - Brunate and La Serra are unique and extremely different, even though they are only 500 meters apart. The 2008 vintages shows the differences in a perfect light. La Serra is wafting, caressing, and pretty while Brunate is brooding, dark, and firm. Each wine is pure and so true to Nebbiolo I highly recommend trying this wines to experience tradition at its best.

Here is one more picture to define a great start to my trip...though at this point I had not slept in over 24 hours...it was worth it.

Yea...you can't see the egg under all the WHITE TRUFFLE!!!

SMILE

2011-12-06T11:00:00-05:00

I rarely write about topics that do not involve food, wine or travel, but the LOVE part of DEL is supposed to include other passions that stir my heart. I recently purchased the Beach Boys' Smile Sessions. The album was never fully finished or realized but Brian Wilson and Co. have put together the best of what they cut and I can tell you it is one of the most beautiful albums I have ever listened to.

Wilson's genius in arranging, the Wreaking Crew's ability to interpret Wilson's vision and Van Dyke Park's alluring and sometimes haunting lyrics are all amazing. My mom loved the Beach Boys and I remember listing to her albums as I was growing up, but it was not until a few years ago that I began to dig into Pet Sounds and the mystic of Brian Wilson. Smile is a true work of art and Wilson's name belongs along side greats such a Mozart, Beethoven, Lennon, and Dylan. I am addicted to the album and love hearing harmonies that haunt me all day.

This is a MUST have album of 2011!

Check out these Youtube videos with some of the songs from the album:

Heros and Villians

Good Vibrations - it was released as a single and became one of the Beach Boy's greatest hits but heard in context with the rest of the album makes it that much great...listen to the harmonies, the tempo changes, the arrangment and the space between the notes.

Smorgas + Brewery = YUM

2011-12-05T17:29:53-05:00

(The Brooklyn Brewery)

Now that GQ Magazine has officially declared Brooklyn the, "...coolest city in the world," it is hard for me to disagree when I walk around the neighborhood. Throughout Brooklyn there are great restaurants, bars, parks, museums, flea markets, and a food like flea market called Smorgasburg. Smorgasburg is an outdoor food market that takes place every Saturday along the Williamsburg waterfront from March through November. This year as the cold is fast approaching Smorgasburg has teamed up with the Brooklyn Brewery to host Smorgasbrewery. Ever Sunday from noon until 5:00 PM at Brooklyn Brewery five food vendors from the Brooklyn Flea/Smorgasburg will be be cooking up their goods. This weekend was the first installment and it was a great way to enjoy food, community and some beer.

At this week's Smorgasbrewery:

Killer cold Chinese noodles from Shorty Tang & Sons

The Brooklyn Oyster Party was shucking fast and furious...they were great with the Pilsner

The brisket smelled wonderful...there was a really long line for the Mile End Delicatessen

Smoking and grilling meat out back was Landhaus

Kumquat Cupcakery was the lone sweets vendor

The Maple Bacon cupcake was a two bite delicious fest!

Turkey Day Wine

2011-11-23T10:37:15-05:00

(Image from NYT)

Everyone wants to know what the "best" wine to have at Thanksgiving dinner is. Honestly, there is no one wine that can handle all the flavors on the Turkey Day table, but what would a great meal be without good juice...boring! So here are a few DEL rules for T-Day wine:

1. Know your audience - if they like wine but don't love wine...don't go crazy. The variety and intense flavors can bury the flavor of the wine. Better to save that great Grand Cru Burgundy for a dinner where you can savor it.

2. If you have more than five people...BUY a magnum. Magnums are fun! A magnum of wine is 1.5 liters or two bottles (roughly 8 glasses).

3. Have fun and don't over think it - trying to pair the courses can be daunting and if you are having a potluck or a big buffet, the wine just gets lost.

My Favorite Styles of Wine for Thanksgiving

Sparkling - I always love to start any meal with some bubbles. I LOVE Champagne but if you have a lot of people that can get expensive. Prosecco is a great value for Thanksgiving with its bright fruity aroma of apple and pear. Bubbles are a great way to put a smile on even your crankiest of relatives.

White - I tend to choose wines that have ample fruit and acidity. Chenin Blanc from the Loire (Vouvray), Riesling from Germany, or try Rhone Whites...yum!

Red - Fruity is the key with lighter tannins. Save your Bordeaux for that Beef Wellington on Christmas day. I tend to go with Gammay (try the Cru Beaujolais, not the nouveau), Pinot Noir, or Barbera.

Sweet - If you have dishes with more caramelized flavors (like an apple or pumpkin pie) ice wines are fun. I also like BA or TBA Rieslings from Germany. If you have a lighter take on dessert, Moscoto d'Asti is the BEST!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving and have fun!

My Heart Belongs to Alba via Nebbiolo

2011-11-07T17:41:11-05:00

(Looking up to the village of La Morra from Bricco Chiesa)

It is a blessing and a curse (a minor one) to do what you love for pay. Something that started as a hobby or a means just to get a few free bottles of wine has morphed into an amazing adventure that has taken me across the world and introduced me to some of the most amazing people. Yet, in the end a job is sometimes a job and can get me down - the strange part is that I love my job and when it gets me down it hurts. How can something I am so passionate about hurt me? That is when I try to seek inspiration. Thank GOD for those moments that re-inspire, that knock me out of my pity party and help me remember how fortunate I am.

(A colorful concreate tank at Oddero's winery)

One of my favorite people in the wine business paid me a visit this week, Isabella Boffa. Her family's wines were the kick in the pants I needed and reminded me of where my heart longs to be...the rolling hills of Piemonte where Nebbiolo proves time and time again that it IS the best red grape in the world.

(Mariacristina Oddero and her niece Isabella Boffa in their La Morra vineyards)

Isabella Boffa is the granddaughter of Giacomo Oddero and works side by side with her aunt Mariacristina to bring the amazing wines of Oddero to the world. Isabella brought five wines for me to try: the 2008 Barbera d'Alba, 2009 Langhe Nebbiolo, 2007 Barbaresco "Gallina", 2006 Barolo, 2006 Barolo "Rocche di Castiglione" and 2006 Barolo"Villero". All of the wines show the classical style of the winery - long maceration (30 to almost 50 days in the case of the 2006's), aging in huge Slavonian oak casks (these casks do not impart oak flavor but allow for slow oxidation of the wine that help to soften the tannins and integrate the wine) and extended bottle age.

Now most people would rush to the "Cru" (single vineyard) Baroli and marvel at their depth, concentration and aging potential (These wines will be around for a VERY long time), but it was the classic Barolo that got my heart racing. The moment it was poured I was whisked though a worm hole of wine to the hills of the Langhe. When I opened my eyes Isabella was staring at me, along with my fellow sommeliers, thinking there was something wrong with me. "Nope, nothing wrong just remembering my happy place through this wine."

The 2006 Barolo is a combination of vineyards from the communes of La Morra (providing the floral and elegant notes) and Castiglione Falletto (providing the darker aromas and power) creating a combination that is as close to perfect as one can get. The nose is textbook Nebbiolo: sour cherries, roses, worn leather, cola, mixed spices, and earth. The palate is so beautiful it makes my hands shake just typing this: perfect cherries mixed with sweet and savory spices, fine tannins that are firm like a hand shake from John Wayne and not someone scraping sandpaper on your tongue. The greatest part of the wine is the integration between fruit, earth, acidity, power and elegance. It is amazing that this can exist on Earth.

I cannot emphasize enough that you run out to your local wine store and buy a case. Keep three bottles to drink whenever you want, put the rest away and revisit a bottle in 3 years, the next 3 years after that and keep on going till your out. I am going to also buy some in magnums...because when is bigger not better? With my first bottle I am going to slow roast a big hunk of meat, roasted root vegetables and some braised greens with garlic.

Not Just Meat in Argentina

2011-10-30T14:50:32-04:00

(One of the gardens at Cassis)

The majority of our dining in Argentina was centered around beef and Malbec and though we loved both we felt we should try something different. Bariloche's has its share of Parillas but has a select group of restaurants that focus on the bounty of Patagonia. Our concierge at our hotel, Charming, told us the most inventive and unique cuisine in region was a small restaurant outside the city center called Cassis. She had steered us right the previous night, so we were game.

(Owner/Chef Mariana and her husband Ernesto on the beautiful deck over Lake Gutierrez)

Cassis is a beautiful and elegant restaurant located on Lake Gutierrez, south of Bariloche. The tandem behind Cassis is wife and husband Mariana and Ernesto Muller de Wolf. Mariana runs the kitchen and Ernesto is the server, sommelier and all around nice guy. We were the ONLY guests in the small dining room and from the moment we were greeted our experience was incredible. Ernesto asked us if he wanted Mariana to cook for us and we jumped at the opportunity. The next four hours were one of the most memorable dining experiences of my life.

(The wine cellar features 200 plus wines from Argentina)

The region of Patagonia that we were in is known for two primary proteins: trout and lamb. Ernesto explained that, though beef is the primary staple and what most people expect at Cassis, Mariana preferred to highlight the local ingredients...after four days of just meat it was a welcome change.

(First course: Cassis grown flower and herb salad with a parmigiano-reggiano crisp)

Our first course was one of the BEST salads I have ever enjoyed. The herbs, greens and edible flowers were all bright with flavor, fresh and grown by Ernesto. With each bite we all looked at each other in bliss and our bodies thanked us for, even if it was small, some ruffage.

Our second course was a house-made chicken live pate with house-made bread (served warm!) and wild berry marmalade. It was yummmmy!

(Slow cooked trout with Jasmine rice)

The thrid course was the a beautiful cooked river trout. Ernest said that Mariana does nothing but salt and pepper the fish and then cooks it at 150 degrees. The sauce was a foamy cream sauce with mustard seed. The combination was delicate but full in flavor.

(Lamb two ways - roasted and in crispy pastry dough)

Our last savory course was local free range lamb that was THE best lamb I have ever had. The meat was earthy, but not gamey and I could cut it with a spoon. We did enjoy a Malbec (with a little Merlot) with this course and it was one of the better wines of the trip. It too was grown in Patagonia giving it lighter body than the Mendoza counterparts and it had higher acidity - Bodega Noemia "J. Alberto" 2009.

(Our dessert of mixed berry crumble with home-made ice cream)

Our last course was a light and not too sweet mixed berry crumble with home-made ice cream. The berries were bright and had such intesne flavors that each bite was a reminder of how much fun summer fruits are.

Our meal at Cassis will be ethced in my mind for years and I cannot express how amzing the food is - Mariana and Ernesto are two of the best in the industry.

Meat-o-nism

2011-10-17T20:18:01-04:00

(The meat counter at El Boliche de Alberto in San Carlos de Bariloche)

The past week has been an amazing adventure of food, culture, history, nature and geological events. Though Argentina has a long and storied history beginning with the Spanish in the early 1500's, a war for independence, Juan and Eva Peron, and a dark period in the late 1970's through early 1980's called the Dirty War, my friends only asked me about two things: MEAT and MALBEC.

(The butcher at the San Telmo Market Place)

Prior to the trip, various sommeliers jokingly told me not to drink too much Malbec or my teeth would fall out (a reference to the wines being very fruit forward, bordering on sweet) and not to take too many "shots" less I get too drunk (Malbecs can be as high as 14.5% alcohol). Argentine Malbecs tend not to be very nuanced or complex, and have a reputation with some sommeliers as being boring, simple or just not very good. Many will argue with my claim that the wines are neither complex nor nuanced but in relation to other grapes such as Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo, or Syrah, Malbec is fruit forward, and plays all its card on the first hand. And that is PERFECTLY ok! Not all wine needs to be a doctoral thesis or cause a bunch of wine geeks to sit around and contemplate the evolution of the bottle. I readily admit that I do not drink Malbecs from Argentina at home or would even think about buying one at a wine shop or off a wine list. But I love wine and am always looking to explore, especially when I am in the country of origin. At our first meal, a simple lunch, I immediately ordered a bottle, thought that it was pleasant and kept drinking, yet felt a little guilty and un-sommelier like.

(One of the Parrillas we enjoyed!)

But three days into our escapade I realized what Malbec was for me...a guilty pleasure. If you only drink wines that are challenging, complex and elegant you can become jaded and out of touch. Sometimes you just want to listen to Lady Gaga and not Radiohead. And sometimes I want to eat a big slab of beef and enjoy a rich, over-oaked, and "hot" (a wine with a high alcohol content) red wine. It was this epiphany that made me respect and appreciate "Meat-o-nism", the pure hedonistic experience of perfectly grilled meat paired with big rich red wine. We tried a selection of Malbecs that would retail in the States for $10 up to $65. They each provided me exactly what I wanted for what we were eating and experiencing. The wines from Mendoza tended to be the richest, most oaked, and highest in alcohol and were great with the bife de Chorizo (NY strip). The Malbecs from Rio Negro and Neuquen were best with the empanadas and grilled lamb. In the end, the beef was amazing, the wine was delicious, and the trip was a pure blast.

Here is a list of the Parrilla's (grills) we went to:

Buenos Aires

La Brigada - Great lomo (tenderloin), wine list is better than most for a Parilla.

465 Estados Unidos

San Telmo

El Pobre Luis - AWESOME is the only word to describe El Pobre Luis...this is one of the best! A bit of a long taxi drive but well worth it. We were the only non-locals there! Perfect morcilla (blood sausage) and ojo di bife (rib-eye).

2393 Arribenos

Belgrano

San Carlos de Bariloche

El Boliche de Alberto - One of the best steaks I have ever eaten. The bife de Chorizo was sublime. It was so good we went here twice!

Bustillo Ave - the one we went to was a bit outside of town (go here!)

La Marmite - We had a quick lunch here and though it is not strictly a Parrilla the ojo de bife was good.

329 B. Mitre

More Argentinian dining up next!

No Volcano in our way

2011-10-12T19:27:08-04:00

(Puyehue-Cordon Caulle Volcano - from Solitudecanyon.com)

We have been in Bariloche for three days and it is a VERY special place. In June a volcano in Chile erupted and covered the area in metric tons of ash causing the airport to close and most tourists to find other destinations to visit, devastating the local economy. The volcano is quieter now but the airport is still closed and you can only get to Bariloche by bus or car. We drove five hours from Neuquén to get to our amazing "cabin-hotel" Charming. We have hiked, taken a boat tour, eaten copious amounts of meat and had an amazing tasting menu that was world class. This is an amazing place that I look forward to visiting again. We are headed to B.A. tomorrow but I will give you the details on what to do, eat and drink soon!

In Argentina

2011-10-08T21:41:33-04:00

(Bariloche)

It has been nearly three years since I was last in Argentina sipping Malbec from Mendoza and eating my weight in empanadas. Well, I'm back purley as an escape prior to the start of a busy holiday season in New York City. My father, step-mom, wife and I are all headed to Bariloche for some hiking, drinking, and fishing. We landed in Buenos Aires this morning and have already consumed two bottles of Malbec...though it is a big depature from my beloved Nebbiolo, it went great with the giacantic T-Bone steak I had at La Brigada. Hopefully we will have an internet connection in Bariloche but if not...have a great week!