A great wine for a summer night

A typical day in Baltimore brings temperatures in the low to mid 90’s and humidity that at times seems to defy the laws of chemistry. Though the hot and humid days tend to lead to warm, muggy nights, we love to be outside, having a nice glass of wine and grilling our favorite fish and meats. What better way to chill off than enjoying a nice, chilled glass of our favorite white wine?

It’s on these evenings that I reach into the fridge and grab a bottle of perfectly chilled Vinho Verde. It’s a crisp, refreshing wine from the region with the same name on the northwestern coast of Portugal. These non-sparkling wines undergo a secondary malolactic fermentation that results in some petillance (bubbles). The cool Atlantic breeze and unique terroir create conditions that are ideal for growing the many grape varieties that you find in Vinho Verde. The typical varieties used include:

• Alvarinho
• Loureiro
• Avesso
• Trajadura

My two favorite Vinho Verdes are Quinto do Ferro Avesso (2005) and Aveleda Alvarinho (2005). Both can be found for under $14 and are a real treat. The Quinto do Ferro is a single varietal of the Avesso grape (hence the name) and displays a brilliant straw color and offers pear, citrus, apple, and a bit of jasmine. The Aveleda is 100% Alvarinho, making it dry and filling it with tropical fruits, spice and some peach.

I recommend either of these, nice and chlled and served young. They are quite the treat on a warm summer night. If you have any other Vinho Verde, or summer wine recommendations, leave a comment!

Vote for the best…the Auburn Cafe!

I’ve been in Baltimore for three years now and have yet to find a Greek restaurant that compares to The Auburn Cafe, located back in my home state of Michigan. Tucked away in Ecorse, Michigan on West Jefferson Ave, the Auburn Cafe is a family owned and operated establishment that boasts the best lamb chops and Greek salad in metro Detroit…they aren’t lying.The restaurant itself isn’t huge, but you can pack in a big crowd, especially on the weekends. The restaurant is very elegant but also quite relaxed. The bar area is cozy and a great place to sit and have a drink. The seating is very comfortable and intimate, making it a great place to take a date. In high school is was my favorite place to take a girl when I was trying to impress her. It was easy to do with the staff being amazingly friendly and remembering your name and preferred seating.The menu is very traditional and the prices are very good. With each meal comes a free custard pie, which is homemade daily. The gyro is of course incredible, and I’d also recommend the lemon rice soup, which is my mom’s personal favorite!If you’re in southeastern Michigan and want to enjoy the best Greek food on this side of the Atlantic, stop in, ask for Gus (a close friend of mine), and tell them I sent you!

If you want to support the Auburn cafe as the best Greek restaurant in the metro Detroit area, follow this link:

WDIV City Voter Contest

The new site: Comments, suggestions?

As I continue to update the new site, I could use some feedback. I’m seeing a lot of visitors coming through daily and hope that everyone is enjoying the site in one way or another. Please feel free to contact me (michael@foodandwineblog.com) regarding food, wine, or anything to do with the site!Also, with this new site layout…you can register and post comments…so get to it!

New site design is in!!!

Welcome everyone.   I have the new site design up and running…it will be some time until all the links are situated and content is updated.  Check back soon and often!

Good wine quotes

Mankind . . . possesses two supreme blessings. First of these is the goddess Demeter, or Earth whichever name you choose to call her by. It was she who gave to man his nourishment of grain. But after her there came the son of Semele, who matched her present by inventing liquid wine as his gift to man. For filled with that good gift, suffering mankind forgets its grief; from it comes sleep; with it oblivion of the troubles of the day. There is no other medicine for misery.
Euripides c. 485 - 406 B.C.
The Bacchae [c. 407 B.C.], l. 274

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.
Ernest Hemingway
Death in the Afternoon

Wine with David Battani

Some of you may know David Battani (on the right in this picture with his brother Brian) as a former track star at the University of Michigan. Others may know him as a small town, Fraser, Michigan guy who recently moved to Baltimore and likes going out in Federal Hill. Buy how many of you know David, the wine connoisseur?Recently at our monthly wine club tasting, I had the privilege of tasting wines with David. His refined palette and serious outlook on wines was evident on the first pour. We had a 2005 Bogle Chardonnay. While my notes showed oak, pear, apple, pineapple and caramel, David’s were much more interesting. “Juicy fruit and green starburst. A touch of sprite and maybe some grassiness.” Amazing.

As we progressed through the night, his notes were even more interesting…in a Borat voice, I heard him say “I taste a fruit loops” or “a fragrant aroma of grapes.” It was a special night.

David is a prime example of why wine is fun. Anyone can drink and enjoy it, without having to dissect it or give it much more thought than “wow, this is great.” To each his own in the world of wine.

May your next bottle remind you of your favorite morning cereal or candy!

David is actually progressing quite well in developing a fine-tuned wine palette and appreciates the subtle differences in good versus great wines!

Happy Friday the 13th!

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! I am a big fan of Friday the 13th…both the day and the movies. Call me a nerd, but I really enjoy the old, cheesy horror movies of the 1970’s and 1980’s. They offer good story lines, moments of thrill and endless entertainment. A good classic horror movie has the same components of a good wine shop. First, to outline the types of shops we often encounter.

Wine shops to me come in a few varieties. First, you have your low budget, poor effects and no real thrill, horror or entertainment. This would be the equivalent of a liquor shop, or any wine shop where the most prominent wines on hand come out of a box or 5 liter bottle. These may offer some people a little bit of scare or a little bit of fun, but really they are just there to fill time, or in case of an emergency!

The next is the typical horror film. Blood, gore, screaming, terror. Think Saw, Hostel, and the new age, serious high budget and great effects films. These can be entertaining and have an OK story line, but really they offer nothing more than shock and awe. I would consider the wine shop equivalent of this to be a pretentious wine store in which the prices are very high, and the selection, though very impressive from a collectors or bragging rights point of view, offers little as a way of wines that are rare, unique, exciting or just plain fun. I like these stores from time to time when I want to get excited about a 1982 Cheval Blanc that is within arms reach, but it’s unlikely I’m going to do much of my purchasing here. The same with horror films: I liked Saw 2, but I’m not going to watch it, or its equivalent more than every now and then.

Finally we have the classic horror movies. I’m talking Psycho, Exorcist, the Friday the 13th series, Halloween, and The Shining. They offer a great story, multiple moments of terror, a wide variety of plot lines and some complexity, worthy adversaries and most importantly, endless entertainment. The directing is well done and the cast just seems to fit. I love these movies. They keep me thinking and make me justify wasting two hours watching a movie! These are the analogy of a well organized wine shop that has something to offer everyone. They have a nice selection, quality and variability always being more important than number of wines. They are well designed and easy to navigate and do not mark up wines more than necessary. Most importantly, they have an outstanding director - an owner that cares and a great cast - staff that loves wines as much as you do. I support these wine shops and promote them to my friends as much as I do a great horror movie.

Tonight I would take a trip to your favorite wine shop and grab a nice wine, then head to Blockbuster to rent a classic horror movie…why not make this Friday the 13th a great one!

2007 Nantucket Wine Festival (May 16-May 20)

For those of you lucky enough to have attended this event, the video will be a good recap of your wonderful experience. For those of us who missed out, it’s a great preview of what we can look forward to next year! Either way, enjoy (link sent in by -Wine Aficionado Caily T.)! The video can be found at:

http://nantucket.plumtv.com/

Why you should drink a zinfandel today…

The fourth of July represents one of the most important days in American history. A celebration of our independence from British rule, this is a day that should be not only about American beer and hotdogs, but also classic American made wines. What better way to celebrate our country than with a grape variety considered “America’s vine and wine.”

Zinfandel (or zin) is commonly high in alcohol (~14%) and is filled with big fruits (dark berry, black cherry, plum) and often spice (black pepper). The lush texture combined with the known for its intense fruitiness, lush texture, and high alcohol content.

Five zins I would suggest for a great fourth of July:

• Hartford Family Vineyards Highwire Zinfandel 2005
• Ridge Geyersville 2004
• Laura Zahtila Vineyards Zinfandel 2004
• Kunde Estate Zinfandel 2001
• Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel 2004

More can be less when it comes to a wine list

Often times at restaurants when we are offered a wine list, we do not no what to expect. The list may be a short excerpt on the first or last page of our menus, or it can be a large thick novel that appears to be in a different language. In any case, it leads me to the conclusion that more wines on a menu can be great, but it can also be a setback.

The obvious reason for why an extensive wine list can be great, is that it has something to offer everyone. From novice to master sommelier, a large wine list can be a lot of fun. Even more fun can be a large wine list complete with classic and old vintage wines, such as a 1961 Cheval Blanc, 1982 Chateau Haut-Brion, or even a 1994 Opus One. Often times I spend more time admiring these labels on the list than engaging in pre-meal (or even during meal) conversations or selection of a first (or even 4th) course! Nonetheless, it can be fun and exciting to see a thousand bottle wine list, but is it always better?

The short answer is no. First of all, an extensive wine list is only great if you know a lot about wines, or the restaurant has a very good sommelier (note: very good). It is important to pair the right wine with each course (or the main entree) and this can be difficult with a a large list. Furthermore, often times wines are not picked because they may go well with a primary course, but because they are in fact classic wines that are hard to find anywhere else. (Note: I do very much enjoy a restaurant with a extensive ‘wine by the glass’ list.)

My draw to a smaller list is that it is often a selection of carefully chosen wines that complement the chefs menu quite well. The sommelier is very knowledgeable in each wine’s vinography. These lists, when done well, can be very exciting and consist of wines that you would not find in normal restaurant wine lists (or are buried in an encyclopedia list at another establishment). In any case, the list is less intimidating, requires less attention, and can be more rewarding.

Whatever the case may be, I feel the best thing to do is to talk with the sommelier. Whether you are an expert yourself, or a novice. it’s important (and a lot of fun) to get their advice. The wait staff may be able to recommend a wine with a particular course, but to really get the most out of the experience, talk with the expert. As my friend Rich and I were discussing today, the right wine (from any sized list) when paired correctly with a great dish is truly something special.

Results from the 2007 Seattle Wine Awards are in!

Thank you Christopher for getting this news release to me!

(Seattle) - The 2007 Seattle Wine Awards announces the winners of Washington State’s most comprehensive wine recognition program. More than 450 wines were entered into the second annual event that brought Seattle’s most respected wine professionals together to evaluate wine and determine by consensus Washington’s top current releases.
“The Seattle Wine Awards is the most prestigious wine award program in the state,” said Christopher Chan, Seattle Wine Awards Executive Director. “Our tasting panel has over 150 years of wine experience recognizing not only the greatest wines in the world, but also understanding Washington wines better than most judges in the country. The wines we honor can be considered Washington’s finest.”
These awards celebrate and promote excellence in Washington wine by honoring the top scoring wines in each varietal/price category with a Gold, Silver or Bronze ~ Grand Award of Excellence. The 2007 event was held on April 28th & 29th at Seattle’s historic Rainier Club and honored a total of 68 wines in 14 categories with Grand Awards of Excellence. An additional 62 wines are receiving a Vintner’s Award ~ Outstanding Washington Wine Honor for achieving scores eligible for medal consideration.
“The Seattle Wine Awards helps consumers and wine professionals expand their knowledge and appreciation for Washington wines,” said Chan.