I am so grateful to have met you Lava Vine's Charbono

With only 65 acres of the Charbono grape planted in the US, I am one of the lucky ones to have tasted this unique, rich purple almost black wine from the one of my favorite vineyards in Calistoga, Lava Vines. As we opened the Charbono, we anticipated that the it was going to fall in the between a Syrah and Petit Syrah and that was pretty accurate as e told by the wine makers at Lava. It was so full of fruit - plums & blackberries and after watching Somm I have a new tasting descriptor which I would use to describe the Charbono - dried violets. This grape is definitely a force to be reckoned with....I just hope very few people find out about it.

Beer?!

I'm not a beer drinker. In fact, I really dislike drinking or the smell of it. Although, I am happy to announce that here is one beer that has changed my opinion. Brooklyn Local 2's ale brewed with honey and citrus peel was the game changer.
With great foam and a pleasant scent of pear, honey and lemon, it was a refreshing and delicious experience!

my growing love for the wines of Priorat

Priorat, with its steep mountainside and treacherous situated vineyards lying two hours south of Barcelona, I am awed and fascinated with this Catalan region's wines. Despite Priorat's small wine production and 4,450 acres of vines it has earned a prestigious classification of DOC (Demonacion de Origen Calificada). The region's popularity rose in the early 1990s as winemakers discovered the "licorella" soil. This soils consists of black and red slate and quartz. Obviously, these groundbreaking winemakers thought this tough soil was exceptional for winemaking...why wouldn't they...crazy! As the months quickly come and go, I become more excited for my trip to Priorat this sumer, but in the meantime I will continue to enjoy their delicious and extraordinary wines.      


2007 Vinedos de Ithaca 'Akyles' Priorat With it's impressive deep purple color, it smells of lavender, black cherries and plums this bouquet makes for a wonderful start. This full bodied wine of sweet baked cherry and blackberry had a pleasant and inviting minerality to it  with soft tanins that balanced so well on your palate. 
I think it's a wonderful introduction to the region of Priorat! 


Grapes: Granacha (42%), Carinena (18%), Garnacha Peludo (25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (15%)     


Price: $25
http://www.puigpriorat.com








2005 Joan Simo Sentius Priorat Rarely do you come across a red with a rustic character that leaves a refreshing finish on your palate. Great wine to pair with a warm bowl of brown rice, tofu, spicy marsala sauce and garbanzo beans. (wine spectator: 92 points)

Price: $35

wd50: the creative art of cooking

Last night, my husband and I dined at wd50, chef Wylie Dufresne's restaurant on the lower east side. I consider myself adventurous, but I don't think molecular gastronomy is for me.  Don't get me wrong, I applaud the chef for creating appetizers like spaghetti made from shrimp, a salad of cuttlefish & gelatinous root beer cubes and aerated foie gras, but my interest was piqued far more than my palate. Much of the fun of dining at wd50 is learning what your eating and how it had been prepared. Like the lamb skirt steak Jason ate, which had been cooked at 69 degrees for over 15 hours. Think about that...I don't even think you can set an oven at that low of a temperature! My mediterranean sea bass was cooked sous-vide, a term we learned last night to mean sealed in an airtight plastic bag in a water bath for over a long period of time.

While we enjoyed the chef's creativity, bringing us to try new flavors, textures and combinations (dessert combination: milk chocolate, black bean, plantain sorbet, soy milk and peanut) I'd never imagined, this Chicago girl's conservative taste would prefer something a little less "molecular" next time.

oregon: vista hills 2005 pinot noir

For many of us an aroma of 'barnyard' on a wine, can make us think twice about tasting it. There are some that enjoy it in wines and others that rather pass on it. I'm usually in the latter, but this time around I was going to give the 2005 Vista Hills' pinot noir a shot. It was graciously given to us as a gift from a fellow wine lover and friend. The unique bouquet of 'barnyard' and an aroma similar to a baby's fart was the beginnings to an elegant and distinctive pinot noir.

It's dark chocolate color and deep purple trim made for an exciting beginning. As I first tasted vista hills, I couldn't believe the freshness of the fruits. It was as if I was eating raspberries, blackberries and cherries straight from a farm stand. The freshness was nothing like I've ever tasted in a wine. As ripe fruits and freshness impressed my palate notes of earth, vanilla and clean tannins made for a balanced and complex wine. It was bright, rich and delicious on my first tasting. As I drank it two hours later, the fruits became a little less bright, yet still delicious...more like cherries from a baked pie. The aromas of barnyard became a little more apparent and the earthy tones arose from my glass.

The 2005 Vista Hills was truly enjoyable, I personally preferred the flavors right when the wine was opened. It's a great wine for those less likely to try a wine with barnyard aromas. If you fear the baby fart fragrance and dirty mushroom boutique, vista hills can open your palate to a pleasant and rare tasting.

The Wine Region of Mallorca, Spain

Featured Wine Region: Mallorca

'Breaking Bad' is Freaking Good

My husband and I just watched disc 1 of Season 1 of "Breaking Bad", a show that's on AMC.  It's the gripping story of a highly qualified chemistry teacher who decides to start cooking crystal meth to support his family, an issue of immediate concern, since he is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer.  Watching the first three episodes, you become drawn to the main character, Walter. We became so sympathetic to his situation that by the end we just wanted something good to happen to him. Even now, 20 minutes after watching these first three episodes, I still feel anxious about where his life's going.  I'll be praying for Walter until Netflix sends us disc 2.

Great show, incredible writing and phenomenal acting by Bryan Cranston.