by katrin on January 17, 2012
If you are a wine lover living in Greater Boston – and if you are reading this, I can only assume that you are at least a wine enthusiast – the Boston Wine Expo is the must-attend event of the year. I personally consider it the post-holiday, dead-of-winter joy. The 2012 Expo is a week-long celebration that culminates over the weekend of January 21 – 22 with the Grand Tasting and seminars.
The seminar offerings are more robust and diverse this year than they have been in several years. Ranging from knife skills to the wines of the Finger Lakes to wine and food pairings to getting to know Amarone, the seminars are a great way to learn something new and take a break from the floor of the Grand Tasting. I am particularly looking forward to the Catena Zapata seminar and tasting with Fernando Buscema on Sunday. Catena is largely credited with leading the quality revolution in Argentina and helping to make the country’s wines the international sensation they are today. And, because I enjoyed it so much the first time, I will be going to “Argentina Beyond Malbec – Celebrating the Diversity of Argentina” with Nora Favelukes again.
The Boston Wine Expo developed an app for the 2012 show. I just downloaded it and it looks like it will be really useful in planning for the Expo and creating a schedule of seminars and speakers. It will allow the user to track the wines that they tasted and where find where they are available locally, which is a pretty neat feature. Trying to remember the better wines after having tasted dozens is more than a challenge; it’s nearly impossible. Speaker bios are also listed and you can mark your favorites.
There’s also the Grand Cru Wine Lounge, which I will one day attend, and cooking demonstrations by some of Boston’s well-known chefs, including Patricia Yeo of Om, Andy Husbands of 647 Tremont and Sister Sorel, and Chris Douglass of The Ashmont Grill. New this year are the Vintner Dinners that feature food and wine pairings from different wine regions.
So much to taste, learn, and experience! If you enjoy wine, don’t miss this year’s Boston Wine Expo. See you there!
by glenn on December 12, 2011
The season of festivities is underway. Are you hosting a holiday gathering for friends, family, co-workers? Are you experiencing “menu anxiety”? If this be the case, turn to Whole Foods River Street to make your party menu planning stress-free. The store can assist you in designing a menu and even providing beverage selections for all budgets and diet preferences. To showcase its seasonal catering menu, the River St. Market held a Bloggers Holiday Showcase Friday Dec. 12 for Boston-area bloggers.
The evening was hosted by David Remillard – social media person for the River Street market - who was joined by the lovely Claire Davies – social media person from the Fresh Pond store.
We were presented with an array of foods from the store’s various departments. First up, a selection of various themed and priced cheese trays; since every party needs a liquid component, a wine and beer station; next, a variety of hot appetizers, including vegetarian options; then, seafood appetizers which featured – for me at least – the winning hors d’ouevre of the event, house-smoked baby octopus tossed with agave syrup and cayenne – a perfect item for any Feast of Seven Fishes; and since no event is complete without dessert, a selection of petit pastries from the Whole Foods Bakehouse. To provide additional merriment to the evening, we were invited to participate in a store-wide scavenger hunt – the inducement a $150 prize. To complete the affair, we were given gift bags as we departed. Upon arriving home, I was pleased to find among the thoughtful items a box of truffles. How long will I be able to resist them? And should I even try?
And me being me – and not Manny – I positioned myself between the cheese station and the beverage station. The wines featured both reds and whites and covered a range of price points. At the “extreme value” end were two selections from the Whole Foods proprietary label “Three Wishes”. Mid-range in the line up were a cava and one of my favorite Loire Valley whites, the 2009 Cave de Saumur “Les Pouches”. The selection was topped off by my fave of the offerings, the 2009 Bodega Bernaveleva Navaherros, an old vine Garnacha, organic and biodynamic. The one beer being poured was the Peak Organic Winter Session Ale. This tasty wheat beer, like any good session beer, was easy drinking. And at 5% ABV, it won’t threatened to ruin the party with overly boisterous behavior. Yet what impressed me most was its compatibility with the cheeses. Too often, folks try to do a wine and cheese match up, when beer is the better partner.
The Everyday Value cheese platter
And finally, the pièce de resistance, the cheese displays. Nationally, Whole Foods has a strong cheese division. Cathy Strange, Global Cheese Buyer and past president of the American Cheese Society, has been the force behind the strength, diversity and quality of the cheeses that Whole Foods offers. Their partneship with Hervé Mons – négociant and affineur extraordinaire – is exemplary of their commitment as are their relationships with small producers. On the local level, however, the cheese department shines or not depending upon its Team Leader. At River St., it does, thanks to Mike Clark, Specialty Team Leader. Since his arrival at River St. four years ago, he’s done much to upgrade the cheese selection, presentation and care of the cheeses. Frankly, though, Mike should be entitled “Cheesemonger” since that shows a more appropriate respect for his experience and knowledge. Mike and his staff presented three trays – an 365 Everyday Value platter – which was indeed a good value; a “Local” platter featuring among other items, Great Hill Blue, assorted chevre from Vermont Butter and Cheese, the now ubiquitous but always wonderful Moses Sleeper from Jasper Hill Farm -which, I might add, was quite well ripened - and the Team-made Cheddar – made by members of various Whole Food stores – from Grafton Village Cheese. And lastly, the “Connoisseur” tray with an fine selection of domestic and European cheeses. Also featured were Raincoast Crisps, a great accompaniment to cheese.
It was a great opportunity for Whole Foods River Street to show those who write about food the options that the store offers for easy holiday entertaining.
Many thanks to David Remillard – it was great to see the person behind the tweets!
Cute and delicious - chocolate glazed bite-size brownies topped with buttercream, a strawberry cap and an icing pompom
by glenn on December 6, 2011
Though Champagne is always the appropriate beverage – for both quotidian and celebratory drinking – and knows no season, it is de riguer for the holidays. Whether as party beverage or gift (hint! hint!), the Yuletide is made merrier with bubbles. Each year, shortly after Thanksgiving, Federal Wine and Spirit ,in collaboration with its distributors, hosts the premier Champagne tasting in Boston – the event spanning two evenings. The first night is devoted to the Champagne houses – the grands marques, while the second evening features the smaller independent estates. Besides the opportunity to sample a variety of Champagnes, an added inducement is the significant discounts offered the night of the tastings; Champagnes do remain on sale until year’s end. This year,the event was held at the venerable Marliave. And since we of WDWU are interested in smaller producers and interesting, idiosyncratic wines, we attended the second session which showcased the Récoltant-Manipulant Champagnes.
In recent years, estate champagnes have grown in popularity and respectability. Decanter, the venerable English wine magazine, recently hosted a panel of Champagne experts to taste and evaluate grower champagnes. The panelists enthusiastically endorsed the wines or as the magazine stated, “Grower Champagnes get thumbs up in first Decanter panel”. One panelist went even further to describe the wines as “a refreshing change from ’the dull conformity of the grand marques’ “.
In all, we sampled fifteen Champagnes ranging from Blanc de Blancs to Blanc de Noirs, including several rosès.
Undoubtedly, though, the highlight of the evening was Derek Whitaker of Atlantic Importing Co. pouring at Table One. But Derek wasn’t just pouring – he was conducting a class on Champagne. For each of his selections, he would discuss the grower, the cépage and with the assistance of a detailed map from The Wine Atlas would locate the estate, discuss its village location, appellation designation and the aspect of its vineyards. Not once, but continually as he poured five different Champagnes. Truly amazing! I had previously met Derek at the legendary Bueno Queso Social Club where he had been in charge of beverages. The selection he would present at each gathering of the club was always well curated and his exposition about each was captivating. He is a born wine educator. When we left, the crowd was three-deep around his table.
And it was at his table that I drank my favorite Champagne of the evening – the Billiot Brut Rosé NV. With an intriguing aroma of cherries, the wine is rich and voluptuous yet bracing. The perfect accompaniment to holiday festivities or as an antidote to overbearing holiday hoopla.
Many thanks to Federal for hosting such a fine event!
Happy Holidays!
by glenn and katrin on October 19, 2011
Julie Johnson of Muir Glen introduces Will Gilson
GLENN – Since 2008, Muir Glen has been producing a line of Reserve Tomatoes – a limited edition of exceptional organic tomatoes grown in Yolo County CA. This year’s edition – The Harvest Sunset Reserve, a blend of red and yellow tomatoes – won’t be available until Nov. 1. However, Muir Glen promoted the release with a press party for Boston bloggers. I was invited to the event last year and was fortunate to be included, along with Katrin, on this year’s guest list. This year’s event was markedly different from last year’s – rather than being presented Chef Gilson’s creations for our enjoyment and appraisal, we would be assisting in their preparation. This was an interactive cooking class at the Boston Center for Adult Education and we would be slicin’ and dicin’ for our supper.
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by glenn on September 15, 2011
- Finale, 1306 Beacon St., Brookline MA
Just how fortunate am I? The e-vite from Mindy Valone of CM Communications inquired whether I would like to attend gratis as a media guest a port and dessert tasting at the Brookline location of Finale, Boston’s outstanding desserterie. Port and dessert are two of the essential elements of my life. I know those who will turn to the dessert menu as soon as they are seated at a resto. As for myself, not only do I head to the dessert section, I also scan the dessert wine selection. Would I like to attend this confluence of two of my favorite things? Sign me up. [click to continue…]
by glenn and katrin on June 28, 2011
L’Espalier Wine Monday
Argentina
The Menu
First Pairing
2010 Crios de Susana Balbo, Torrontés, Salta
Apple Street Farm Greens with Shaved Carrot and Rhubarb
Second Pairing
2009 Alfredo Roca, Malbec, Mendoza
Roasted Lamb Sausage with Pearl Barley, Tomatoes and Kalamata Olives
Third Pairing
2009 Jean Bosquet [sic], “Reserva”, Malbec, Tupungato Valley
Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri and Roasted Potatoes
Fourth Pairing
New Age, Sauvignon Blanc/Torrontés, Mendoza
Mt. Tam, Menage and Fourme d’Ambert
GLENN – We were eager to attend our first Wine Monday at L’Espalier on June 27th. The featured wines were from Argentina, one of our passions at WDWU. What interesting gems would Sommelier Erich Schliebe offer us? What wonderful culinary treats from the kitchen? And what imaginative pairings would we experience? Alas, the watchword for Wine Monday is casual, as in “off-the-cuff”. The wines were basically an uninspired selection of entry-level wines. Though Susana Balbo’s “Crios” is a favorite of ours, this is a large scale production and not some undiscovered gem. I found a similar lack of depth in the choice of Malbecs. The first, the 2009 Alfredo Roca, was flat and unexciting. The second, the 2009 Jean Bousquet, was over-oaked. I don’t enjoy “chewing on an oak floor” (quote attributed to Kathy Benziger). And finally the fourth wine, billed as the most popular wine in Argentina and the mainstay of Buenos Aires nightlife, was a sweetened, carbonated concoction. (An aside about restaurant wine mark-up: additional glasses of wine were available for $12 a glass – more than the wholesale, and in some cases the retail(!), cost for a bottle of any of these wines.) This was definitely “Argentina for Beginners.”
KATRIN – Glenn described the wine selection perfectly. I really had been looking forward to this dinner, and particularly the wine selection, for weeks, knowing that the wine list at L’Espalier is well-chosen, both elegant and comprehensive, and has a number of fine selections from Argentina. Plus my last experience at L’Espalier was stellar and unforgettable. If this was “Argentina for Beginners”, then I wouldn’t be surprised if it made would-be Argentina enthusiasts run back to European selections. Which is not to say they make bad wines. Quite to the contrary. Susana Balbo has become a flying winemaker in South America and Europe; Alfredo Roca has made wine in Argentina for four generations; Jean Bousquet immigrated from Southern France in the 1990s, where he had made wine; and Valentin Bianchi’s namesake and founder left Italy in 1910 to make his future in Argentina.
GLENN – The food exhibited a similar lack of excitement. The greens from Chef Frank McClelland’s farm in Essex were unremarkable – my salad a handful of baby spinach leaves, some of which were totally bruised; the vinaigrette, though, was well made. The lamb sausage – tasty, but overly salted – sat on a tasteless bed of barley. The flank steak was fine and as there are as many versions of chimichurri as there are cooks who make it. L’Espalier’s rendition was quite different – more an herb aioli. The meal ended though with a solid cheese plate – the triple creme “Mt. Tam” was at perfection and the tomme-like mixed milk “Menage” from Carr Valley Cheese provided a good contrast. And of course, “Forme d’Aumbert” is always a reliable choice for the requisite bleu. The rye bread – a variation of Swedish rye – that accompanied the cheeses was outstanding. However, the cheese plate was done a disservice by the wine that accompanied it. Service, as one would expect, was professional and courteous except for the greeters at the doors who were overly scripted and effusive – honestly, I felt like a woman of a certain age being fawned over.
KATRIN - The impression I was left with was that the restaurant has a “you get what you pay for” mentality and that if you are only paying $65 for the privilege of dining there then that is the quality of the food and wine you should expect to receive. I asked Erich how the wines were selected and it seemed that the decision was based on price. A gem like the Bodega Chacra Barda Pinot Noir, which is on their wine list, wasn’t served because it would be too expensive. Meanwhile, only Susana Balbo’s Torrontés is on the wine list; the fact that the other three didn’t make the cut speaks volumes.
by glenn on June 15, 2011
The Art of Graciousness
I had once remarked that dinner at the Herb Lyceum was on my “to go” list, but that I’d never gone. Yet finally, here I was sitting in the gardens of the Gilson Family Homestead, drinking Prosecco with the convivial members of the Dinearound, waiting to be summoned to table by our hostess Kathy Gilson. Earlier, we’d been met and warmly greeted at the door of the renovated carriage house where the dinners occur by Kathy, shown the dining room which by the way seats thirty and made our seating choice; we then wandered off to the gardens to enjoy some sparkling wine - which always sets the tone for an evening – before embarking on our dining adventure. [click to continue…]
