Untangled Vine

Holiday Wines

2007-12-29T00:33:00.000-05:00

No excuses, no comments, just an article that the Toledo Free Press ran last week...

Holidays: that 6 week stretch of consumerism and indulging. Wine plays such a natural part of that celebrating, gathering and feasting, that it’s probably wise to have some perspective on how to spend your already stretched dollar.

Hosting a party? Great move! Pigs in the blanket? Check. Crudite? Check Turducken? Check. The baseline festive beverage of choice should be wine. This way everyone can have a great time in moderation. How do you shop for your party? How many wines do you offer? Unless you are a real wine geek, I suggest you keep it simple, Go with a dry white, a couple of dry Reds, and maybe an off-dry wine (please no White Zinfandel). You can get some great party wines for around $10-$12/ bottle, and most local wine shops offer case discounts that will save you 10%. Don’t attempt this on your own; seek professional experience assembling the lineup. The best advice I can give is to place trust your wine merchant. Their career is built upon trying to find you the best wine for the money. They carry brand names because they have to, but if you want to see their face light up, utter the following phrase “I trust you”, and you will be rewarded. Don’t be afraid to discuss your budget. Some general guidelines though, should you decide to go it alone: When choosing a white, keep the acid in moderation. I love a great Sauvignon Blanc, but high acid whites need food, and sometimes these gatherings are more about conversation than sitting down and eating. Chardonnay is always safe (avoid oaky- California versions), but you can wow your guests with a nice Oregon Pinot Gris, White Rhone Blend, or South African Chenin Blanc. For reds, think 2 different style choices. First, something with deep rich fruit and a nice spiciness, like Zinfandel, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Shiraz all of which are great crowd pleasers. Then choose something that has a little more structure like Cabernet and Merlot. Pinot Noir may not be your best choice here simply because it’s nearly impossible to find a decent bottle under $20. You can widen the net to include something imported, because the less you’ve heard of a region, the better the bargain.

Ok. Your party is over and now you want to buy something special for your friends and associates. How do you select something that will be appreciated, remembered and ultimately consumed? Set your budget; know something about their wine preferences, then try to find them something that is a discovery. Often a gifted wine that is gifted is the “gifters” favorite wine, because they want everyone to love it as much as they do.But remember, just because you like it doesn’t mean everyone else will like it, everyone has different palates. Let’s say your friend loves Napa Cabs. Well, you could try to find a Napa Cab they haven’t had, but if they’re astute, they may have beaten you to the punch. The best strategy is to take a style or region, and find a twist. Syrah is a great alternative to Cabernet, and very few people have explored this varietal as deeply as Cabernet, and they have great versions in Napa. Plus, with Syrah, you can get twice as much wine for the money. Or you can take that Cabernet and look for bottlings form other countries; Australia has some great examples of this grape. If you get them something new to them, that will make it memorable. This is a great example of how to use your local wine merchant, with their vast knowledge of all things wine, they will help guide you to find the perfect gift bottle.

Finally, you’ve taken care of wine for others and now it’s time to personally enjoy the holidays with wine for you and yours. What goes with holiday fare? Everything. This isn’t really true, at least not from a culinary standpoint, but at some point, it’s important to just drink great wine without putting any importance on it. Great wine goes best with great times, friends and family. Open something old or new, just make sure you have a great time and happy holidays!

a few things happening...

2007-06-16T09:58:00.000-04:00

It seems like I am always writing about how busy I just finished being, and then I fail to post for a few months. In new hopes that this cycle has ended, here is what has been up…

a) First order of business let me introduce Abigail Jane to the wine blogosphere. May 29^th, 5lbs 11oz. She’s awesome! She’s been a very big part of my preoccupation. I think I have pictures of everyone I know holding her…

b) Our pacific Northwest Event in Cleveland. We hosted Michael Adelsheim, Adelsheim Vineyard, Peter Rosback, Sineann, Poppie Mantone, Syncline, Susan Neel, McCrea, Craig Camp, Anne Amie. It was a huge success, and as great of an event as we could have envisioned. It made a bold qualitative statement to host such a great event. Very well attended by both the trade and consumers

c) We now have 2 salespeople in Toledo. That means that I now have some help, it also means I needed to spend a lot of time training our new guy. His name is Evan, and he is local musician who know as much about beer as I think I know about wine, but he has a great wine palate and endless enthusiasm. The only thing that makes me nervous is he is very forgiving of late 1970’s Rolling Stones. We are both big fans of both Queen & The Replacements, so I’m not that worried.

d) Maumee Valley Food and Wine Festival-I haven’t been spending as much time on this as I’d like, but it’s starting to take on a life of it’s own. My brother and his team designed that very cool logo. October 6^th, 2007, should be an incredible event. C’mo Toledo, don’t disappoint me, you haven’t yet. I’m staking everything on my theory that you all want something better…

With Springtime, comes the rebirth of Untagled Vine.

2007-04-08T15:34:00.000-04:00

OK, that was a ridiculously long time between posts. Where do I begin? Is anyone still reading this? I originally started this blog as a way to post my articles that were published in one of our local papers. As it turns out, said paper wasn’t so interested in wine articles anymore, maybe they’ll change their mind one day. At any rate, that was my original inspiration for posting. I then became enthralled by many of my fellow bloggers, and I read everyone’s blogs on a nearly daily basis. So, blogging was always on my mind. Then, last year, our company went through a major transformation, and I found myself devoting all of my time and creative energy towards getting this thing off the ground. Business has been growing exponentially, and my involvement in the day to day operations and planning has grown as well. So here I sit 6 months later trying to figure out why I should blog, and of course realize that this is another creative outlet for me. It’s a place to flesh out my opinions, experiences and theories. So this blog exists for my own catharsis, once in a while I get an email, or a friend or family member tell me they read it, but for me, it has to be about an outlet. That’s why I try to avoid the “Today I had a cheese sandwich” syndrome. Today marks the beginning of untangled vine 2.0, or v.2, or the next generation, or electric boogaloo, or the reckoning, whatever.

So what’s really been happening? Well, we are expecting a new addition to our family within the next 2 months. That’s really exciting for us, obviously. But this isn’t my personal journal, so except for the biggest of news, I will skip over these details, this is after all about food and wine, and the cultural battles that we fight for the sake of food and wine as culture. A little too self-important? Yeah, that’s me, and that is my advice on how to enjoy your livelihood, by assigning an Us vs. Them relationship, and treat it like you are personally trying to save the entire civilization.

On that note, I am in the middle of another cultural struggle. I have been asked to head up a Toledo Food & Wine Festival. It’s my own fault, and it was my idea about a year ago to mention this to a friend of mine that sits on the board at Citifest Toledo (that’s the Non-profit organization that puts together many of the well-attended riverfront events including Rally by the River, etc…). They wanted to use me to put together this event, but I didn’t like the amount of time until event (< st="on">Toledo a better place, with a better self image, with what could possibly be the best food and wine event in Ohio ever! The general apathy has been taxing the hell out of me, but I will persevere, and just as I sell wine everyday, I just now need to sell this event to the good people of Toledo if I have to beat them over the head with it. So as it stands, The Maumee Valley Food & Wine Festival will happen on October 6th, 2007.

Also exciting for me, bringing my career full circle. I have always been of French Wine, and lately, we have scored some great French wines for our portfolio (a friend of mine recently compared building your portfolio of producers to building a baseball card collection- this is a perfect comparison) and since we have grown and improved so much, we are now in a position for me to go after some of my favorite producers that no one else can quite do justice to. It’s a small and very good industry, and the constant change and challenge down the next road make everything in the wine industry more and more interesting every day.

2006-11-05T17:43:00.000-05:00

Stop number 2, after getting lost, was Duxoup in Dry Creek. With what will always be one of the most memorable winery visits I will ever have, we were introduced to Andy & Deborah Cutter. Want to hear unique? Duxoup leads with Charbono. I can say, especially after tasting Coturri’s practically rancid version yesterday (Not to rant, but with anywhere from 2-10% Residual Sugar, the whole “naturalistic approach to winemaking is lost on me when wine itself is just a pit stop on the way to the natural progression towards vinegar.), that this is the best Charbono I’ve ever tasted. Ok, it’s a bit of a geek thing, but this wine is fantastic. One of the latest ripening varietals in Napa, they usually harvest around Thanksgiving, and end up with 12% alcohol. Great balance and fresh fruit elevate this from a curiosity to a world class wine. We also tasted an excellent Sangiovese & Syrah. The highlight was the handmade home they live in as well as the hand made gravity flow winery. Did I mention they have a thing for Sumo Wrestlers, seriously. The name Duxoup, comes for the French phonetic spelling of the word Duck Soup, which is what they named their home as they were building it by hand over the course of several years.

Napa Sonoma Trip Day 3 Part 1

2006-11-05T17:35:00.001-05:00

So if I took this trip 3 months ago, why am I still writing about it, and just now getting to it? Well, I’ve been really busy, but this blog is the telltale heart of personal journals, so without waxing poetic about my exploits, I feel like it didn’t really happen. Wow, blogs have really improved the quality of my life. But here it is, the dramatic conclusion to my 3 days in Napa and Sonoma, the third day-Sonoma.

We had many stops during this beautiful day in Sonoma, the first was Eris Ross in Glen Ellen. Eric Ross is dedicated to making amazing Zins and Pinot from mostly the Russian River. Their Pinots have an incredible Old-World quality that is most certainly age-worthy, and their Zins are likewise age-worthy, with great vibrant acidity. They source from some incredible vineyards such as Saralee’s and Occidental. These are cerebral wines that have a unique feel. The story behind this winery is interesting as well. 2 old friends, Eric Luse and John Ross Storey, former acclaimed photographers from San Francisco daily newspapers, and longtime epicureans, decided to get into the wine business.

Napa Valley Day 2, part 2

2006-09-28T09:25:00.000-04:00

Peter Thompson led us up a long and twisty road, it reminded me of the time, 2 years ago, that I rode up Spring Mountain with the Henry Wine Group SoCal divison, and got so carsick that I booted right next to the VP of the company. Damn You Ford Windstar! Your bad shocks, and top heaviness, caused me to miss the afternoon at Cain (along with being overserved the previous evening) but that’s a different story. Today we were riding to the top of Diamond Mountain, to one of the highest elevation vineyards in the whole region. We already knew Peter Thompson from Andrew Geoffrey was putting out some world class Cabs, but we of course had to take a look at this remote vineyard ourselves. Armed with some beautiful steaks, cheeses breads, etc, Peter hooked it up! With what had to be the most breathtaking view of the visit., 1800ft elevation on a clear day, pretty much gives you the lay of the land. We could see just about every vineyard in the Northern Half of the Valley from one vantage point. A truly spectacular day! But let me mention the wines. Andrew Geoffrey makes one wine, Cabernet. It is blended with all of the usual suspects, and they do receive some
press, but I would just like to say this: press can’t do these wines justice. Their deep, rich tannins, and unending complexity make me think of only one other producer from this region, and at a lower elevation, only Diamond Creek has made wines of
this style. The only difference is the fact that Andrew Geoffrey wines show better young. The vines were planted around 1997, so within a few vintages, they should really start showing their stuff. It seems that 10 years is what Cab needs to peak, which is an almost unimaginable statement having tasted 3rd-5th leaf of these wines.

The rest of the day was spent visiting some potential new producers, and the competition being what it is, they shall remain secret for the time being.

Napa Valley Day 2, part 1

2006-09-28T09:09:00.000-04:00

Ballentine has a storied and rich history in the Napa Valley. In fact, they are celebrating 100th anniversary this year. Originating as the Pocai Family, the winery has fluctuated back and forth between Pocai and Ballentine for the better part of the last 80 years, and Pocai Vineyard is still providing some of the best zin grapes around. Van (Ballentine) and Betty (Pocai) have been the embodiment of these 2 families coming together. Van has worked over 60 harvests in Napa Valley, and certainly knows where all the bodies are buried. As we tasted through just about everything you can imagine, we were amazed at the breadth of the wines. My 2 favs were undoubtedly the 05 Chenin Blanc, which has got to be the best example of this grape I’ve ever seen in the US (they used to supply most of Chappelet’s production, so don’t poo poo me), and the as yet unreleased, 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon. Ballentine has always been known for their Zins, and the multiple examples were all impressive in a very noble and structured way. The inclusion of the best oak barrels (Gamba, among others) today, is helping to elevate this historic producer to newfound heights.

Napa Trip Part 2- still day one

2006-08-21T09:21:00.000-04:00

One of the main reasons for our Napa/Sonoma trip was for the world premiere of Matt (henceforth known as Mat’tulio) Bonanno’s custom crush Napa Cab. This is a wine made at Steltzner Vineyards according to Matt’s specific instructions and ideal style. Matt and his family are very involved in our company, and this is an exciting time. So we were taken in by the extraordinarily hospitable Steltzner family, and treated to a Michael-Chiarello-eat-your-heart-out-Napa-Valley-get-together.
I can’t begin to describe the generosity and love that is Dick Steltzner and his clan. Every member of the family is the ideal host, buzzing around, connecting people, and most importantly, serving kick ass food. Their’s is not a typical Napa the rich get richer story either. This is a story that dates back 40 years, when buying a swath of land in The Stag’s Leap District seemed like a questionable business move at best. But Dick grew up not too far from the bay area, and had a bit of faith in the potential. You can tell from his demeanor and large, tough hands that this winery was built on sweat equity, and perseverance. This winery was also built on humility and respect for the product and consumer. This is why their wines are priced the way they are, fairly. Stag Leap District Cabs typically retail for double the price of a Steltzner bottling, which is usually better than the competitors version. The Winery isn’t some sort of monument, or Chateau, but rather, a building offset, with a non-descript cavern.

The wines themselves display a consistent style. Since they are mostly Bordeaux Varietals, all of the reds share a common thread of a fine-grained, fruit driven tannin, which can only come from the vineyard. The wines are all balanced, with delicious dense fruit, and incredible complexity. The star for me is the Merlot, which I personally rank in the top 5 Merlots I’ve ever had from the US (along with Pepper Bridge, Larkmead, Medlock Ames and Del Dotto). The Cab is the calling card, and is not to be missed, but one of the outright best values in the whole world of wine is the Claret, which unlike other California Appellation Claret’s at the same price, is 70% Stag’s Leap District, 30% Oak Knoll District.

Napa Trip Part 1

2006-08-15T17:51:00.000-04:00

Last week, the whole team from 55 degrees went on a pilgrimage back to the Motherland (at least of wine in this country). We visited, well, too many Wineries to recount, and a few that I can’t discuss. But we drank some amazing juice, and chatted with some very cool folk, and a few that weren’t all that cool. This is my little chronicle of what went down.

Part 1- L’Uvaggio di Giacomo & Renard at Zuzu

We met with 2 of our geekiest (endearment) suppliers immediately after traveling (and fasting) for 11 hours. Jim Moore of L’Uvaggio di Giacomo must reaaly like to make things difficult. He is one of the best producers of Cal-Itals, well, in California. A tough marketing niche is an understatement. Problem is, everything he makes is excellent. He has opted for an esoteric label, and a very esoteric name. Both of which are probably changing in the not too distant future. He makes Barbera, Rosato, Arneis, Vermentino, Nebbiolo, Sangiovese, and Vin Santo. We tasted all that day except the Vermentino, he’s sold out of that little gem. Moore has worked in Napa for about 40 years, and was pretty important with Mondavi (remember the La Famiglia & Luce projects? That’s him.). He is, as we like to say, Salty. That means he’s like Quint’s (from Jaws) occasionally charming, brilliant, and slightly disaffected offspring. But we love him nonetheless.

Bayard Fox of Renard hits us in our sweet spot. He makes incredible Terroir driven Rhone Varietals mostly from the North Coast. His wines showed great, and we fell in love with a few rarer selections, especially the Truchard Vineyard Syrah, The Santa Rita Syrah (Cote Rotie Anyone?) and the consensus fav. The Cappelli Vineyard Syrah, which was so old world, with it’s nose of raw meat, that we just wanted to cry. Bayard is a Barrel Salesmen by day, and not just any salesmen, he sells some of the best French Oak to guys like Jean Louis Chave. Renard is , French for Fox, which obviously explains the name of the winery. Bayard is also a tremendously cool guy with hilarious opinions and gossip about all sorts of things you don’t read about in the average lifestyle magazine.

If you don’t know either of these guys wine, well, get with it…

adieu.

2006-07-31T21:05:00.000-04:00

Earlier this month, Michel Richard CITRONELLE in Santa Barbara closed their doors in favor of a new concept called Fresco's. For me, this is a very sad turn of events. I relate it to finding out your childhood home has been leveled. I spent 3 years as Sommelier at CITRONELLE, and for me, it was the most intensive and fascinating span of my wine career. It's not that the restaurant was the best restaurant (it was quite good to be sure) it just provided me with a forum to learn a great deal about wine. We had a 500 bottle California/ French list, so, I was well versed in the old school vs. new school dichotomy. It also taught me just about everything I would ever need to know about how buyers feel about distributors and salespeople, and provided me with cue on how not to be that guy. I dealt with an ass of a French chef that makes Gordon Ramsey look like royalty (Felicien Cueff, I curse you wherever you are, enjoying your strange fetish), and a prince of a celebrity chef, who was mostly occupied by his top notch D.C. venture by the same name. I served wine to many celebs, including Julia Child, and I had to throw coked-up dotcom-ers out of a winemaker dinner. Let’s face it, restaurant life generally sucks, long hours for no pay, but, It was where my Career found it’s voice. It was the springboard for everything that would happen professionally from that point forward.

I still stay in touch with some of the good people that I worked with there, and have likely forever lost touch with many others. I have had meaningful wine jobs before this experience, and certainly since, but this span was an epiphany. The first moment I began to succeed and excel. It was the time I built relationships in this business that continue on to this day. It was the time that I fell in love with Santa Barbara wine country. Although I am sad that the Restaurant no longer exists, I know that I will always think back to those days and situations, and continue to learn from the past.

Nah, I'm just gonna watch...

2006-07-12T20:21:00.000-04:00

I have become focused lately on a pet peeve of mine that seems to be growing in the wine world. Men (not to be sexist, but it’s always men so far) attending tastings, and not interacting, just scribbling notes. And sometimes, they run home to post their findings on Squires bulletin Board. Now I don’t really care that these people feel like their opinions need to be heard for no especially good reason (Hey, I have a blog, who am I?). My problem lies with fact that by painstakingly scribbling down each note, the mini-Robert Parker in them is missing something altogether. Wine is a participatory activity.
The term social drinker exists for a reason. There is a whole swath of wine drinkers that exist solely to put a number on something. I am one of the worst wine note takers in this business. But, I don’t need to access my notes like retailers or restaurateurs. I sell, I don’t buy (except for personal consumption) I have noticed that when I do take notes, I remember the wine a little better, so that may be an area I work on. But I digress, the point of all of this is the dichotomy between the observer and the participant. By choosing to observe wines from afar in as sterile and pure a circumstance as possible, these people are choosing analysis over enjoyment. If they are enjoying the experience, beyond just the wine, they are not following scientific observation guidelines, and should be immediately discredited. The flip side, is, if you just embrace it, who cares if you can reference your 20 year old Lafite notes, it’s always been good, it will always be good. By trying to analyze and describe every nuance these people are completely missing the boat. The best wines I’ve had in my life have been in the company of others, and I am sure this amplified them. That scene in Sideways where he drinks Cheval Blanc from a cup just kills me. Not because of the setting, but because he’s alone. Here’s another movie reference, In Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s character is sitting in a coffee shop reading and listening to classical music. At one point, his character is so into the music that he looks around for someone to share the moment with, but finds no one. Incidentally, I once came up with a theory that said the most telling quality about a person was whether or not they loved Groundhog Day.
Sometimes the wine helps to create the moment, others, the moment creates the wine. If you don’t set out to enjoy both the moment and the wines, you should probably take up a more solitary activity.

No Wimpy Wines?

2006-06-28T10:24:00.000-04:00

Wine, it has been said, can be the most confusing of all indulgences. Why we like a certain wine is sometimes not understood. It stands to reason that in a sea of confusion, one might reach out for stability and predictability and call it “brand loyalty”, therefore bringing familiarity to an otherwise confusing and daunting prospect, choosing a wine. I bring this up, because a few days ago, a friend of mine asked me what I though of Ravenswood. Not that he cared, but because he knows I’m a wine guy, and he wanted to show me that he’s attached himself to a brand that I would think would make him a credible wine drinker. The problem lies in the very suggestion that Wine Brand Loyalty is good. I am glad that he thought enough to try to start a conversation about something he knows I’m interested in, but it really got me thinking about Loyalty, and I thought that Ravensood would be good case study. It could have just as easily been Yellow Tail, or Blackstone, or Beringer, but today, it’s Ravenswood.

Now, Ravenswood has a long and illustrious history, but they have since sold out in favor of commerciality. And it is everyone’s prerogative to make money, and sell what they will, and approach it however they deem best. But as an advocate for consumers, I disagree with the direction they’ve turned over the last 5-10 years. If they didn’t have a history, they wouldn’t even be a blip on my radar screen, but because of their history, and their new commercial viability, they will be our example today.

Ravenswood started as a winery focused on the top Zinfandels. This was an especially noble pursuit in the 1980’s. Their wines were so good, that they were deemed to be in the “holy trinity” of Zinfandels. But a few years ago, they were gobbled up by one of the biggest wine companies in the world, Constellation Brands. Constellation, with over $4 Billion/ year in annual sales, has so many wineries under their control that they had to create a boutique portfolio to include their small producers, including, Robert Mondavi, Estancia, Franciscan, Columbia Winery, and several other “small” wineries. I would go so far as to say that from the mid-90’s on, Ravenswood was posturing to be purchased from just such a conglomerate for an obscene profit, all the while selling out. Some may argue that the winemaker is the same guy that founded the winery all those years ago, and Constellation has allowed him to stay true to his vision. Yeah, right. Constellation didn’t get to be the size they are today by allowing winemakers creative control. Wine is a tough business, and Constellation is a huge evil giant, existing only in this business to make money.

From a marketer’s perspective, this was a prefect situation: Once prominent cultish winery with great name and logo (edgy looking animals on the label), decided to take mass market approach, and starts making gobs of Merlot and other lowest-common-denominator wines. The name is the same, the product is totally different. What does this mean to the consumer? That these wines, since they have a following, are widely available. Ravenswood has a reputation, albeit newly tainted, for making good wines. The consumer tries it, doesn’t have a problem with it, can easily remember the label, and brand loyalty is born. The problem is that Ravenswood makes 42 different wines, and every vintage the wine should change. So with so much variety under one “predictable” label, why not branch out? Most of the time, predictability is an illusion created by ubiquitous producers in the marketplace. How else can they rise above the artisan producers creating truly special wines? If you are loyalty to a wine brand, dump it for 6 months. Try not to drink the same wine twice. Ask for advice in your local wine store (not grocery store), and be slightly adventurous. I promise, you will never again fall victim to the conglomerate brainwashing, because you have embraced the adventure that is the world of wine.

We've been busy birthin' a distributor...

2006-06-11T11:25:00.000-04:00

Ok, I've been busy, really busy. We, as in Langdon Shiverick in Ohio, have been bought. This is a very exciting and positive time for us.We have a cool new name (see above logo, my brother Brad and his cohorts designed this graphic). If you could build the perfect wine distributor, how would you do it? What sort of standards would the distributor be built upon? We had an existing portfolio, but what needed to change, what needed to stay the same? We felt there was a gaping hole in the Ohio wine market, and we had some strategies on how to fill it. We came up with 5 ideals. These ideals we felt could only work with a small, quality-driven distributor, and we are that company. we hope to get bigger, that is , sell more wine. We want to be the biggest advocates for our artisinal producers. Not a new company for big commercial brands to use and abuse. We belive in dancing with the person that you brought to the dance, or however that phrase goes...

The following is an excerpt from our launch party's program last week. I thought I'd copy and paste, and launch it into the blogoshere.

A birth, or maybe a rebirth. We are pleased to announce the beginning of our new company, of sorts. We are, and have been a Fine Wine Distributor, servicing Northern Ohio. Today began as a dream 9 years ago as Walt Wirth came to be hired by David Shiverick of Langdon Shiverick Imports. David, a Cleveland native, wanted Walt to build to new heights an existing distributor as a conduit for his acclaimed Import portfolio. Walt grew the company under the promise that one day, David would sell the company to him. As Langdon Shiverick grew, so did the sophistication of the market. Walt looked increasingly to new world producers to supplement the already strong French, Italian, Spanish and German portfolio. Not to mention adding a sales and warehouse team.

So today, we celebrate anew Walt’s dream coming to fruition. With the help and support of the Bananno Family, we will look forward to the future. Walt has created such an impression upon many of our producers, that we had no difficulty filling the restaurant with some our favorite Wineries from California. We set forth to become a new Fine Wine Wholesaler. We will build ourselves on Five Attributes, characteristics we all hope to portray and strive towards.

o Integrity- We promise to be forthright, honest and dependable. We will also display unrelenting loyalty to both our clients and our suppliers.

o Enthusiasm- We will make our enthusiasm about wine infectious.

o Education-As we are constantly educating ourselves, we will be a resource for those striving to learn about wine

o Ambassadorship-Translates to a twofold approach to care of product. First is the careful custody of all wine so that it travels from Cellar to glass in optimal condition, the second is the inexorable pursuit of the perfect portfolio, continually searching for the most exciting producers.

o Participation-Continuing support of the local food and wine community. We will offer conributions at every level and for all purposes. With with singular goal to better our partners and thereby the community.

...tan and rested

2006-05-10T10:30:00.000-04:00

My brain has been taking an extended vacation from creativity. Since I haven’t, in some time at least, devoted myself fully to creative expression on a semi-regular basis, I’ve been waiting for the tank to run dry this year, and it seems as if it briefly had. With a backlog of zealously written articles at my writing home, I’ve been at the mercy of inspiration for this blog, and that inspiration has been a cruel, cruel mistress.

You know what they say, when it rains it pours, and having just returned from a brief jaunt to California, I have many items on my mind, and a few articles that will materialize in the coming days. First, let me weigh in on some issues at hand…

a) wine bloggers being ripped. Craig Camp gave me a heads up on this little ditty about us all being self-absorbed and prosaic. Umbrage I take! Wine Blogs have given me 2 things that are irreplaceable and invaluable- An open dialogue with wine intellegistas, and a creative outlet. If no one read this, I’d write it anyway. This is a good place for me to crystallize my thoughts and opinions, and it gives my out of town friends and family a chance to read what get’s published only locally. There is an enjoyable camaraderie that comes from this sort of subculture, and it translates to many different topics and demographics. It’s always easier to tear down something we don’t understand, than support something we don’t have the capacity to fully envision.

b) Southern Wines is just evil. This has come up often in the blogo-world recently, and I weigh in with a word-evil, like the fruits of the devil, evil. I would divulge more, but I watch Sopranos, and somewhere in Florida, there’s a giant Bada-bing, and in the back room, they may be already discussing my demise. O.K., One quick believe-it-or not story (This is how I heard it, I make no claims to the accuracy, other than the person that told me this story is a highly sincere and respected winemaker in Santa Barbara). My winemaker friend, let’s call him Mr. X had just returned from a Vegas trip, frustrated. Southern had just bought his old distributor, and not only did they not seem to care about his artisinal, hand crafted wines, they billed him back for escorts for one of their most important buyers. I’ve already said too much…

c) Wine Lists. They seem to have a life of their own. They are all at once a display of ego, buying power, bravado, etc… Rarely are the strategic for the cuisine. Even less frequently do they educate. This last weekend, we went to The Ranch House in Ojai. WS Awards all over the place. Recently they downsized from Grand to best of. I love this list. Instead of just rattling off wines, and assuming everyone instantly understands the wine’s significance, they actually will write several paragraphs above a single selection of Hermitage, just so the consumer can understand what makes this wine special. And those comments are lovingly written for many categories regardless of how many wines are available, or how much that may increase their sales.

More to come, I will actually finish writing my opus about the Farmer’s Market Bill, and rant about many more fun topics.

The Willy Wonka of Wine

2006-04-03T21:31:00.000-04:00

Several Years ago, I lived in Ventura, CA. While living there, I knew about Sine Qua Non by reputation and difficulty to get ones hands on. I was hard-pressed to find anyone that had even tried these wines. I knew this winery was close to my house (try less than 2 miles away)but I could never find it (the winery or the wines). Once in a while, I would run across a bottle, but the cost was always prohibitive (hard to justify almost $300 for a Central Coast Roussanne). All the while, no one in the wine biz seemed to know the proprietor Manfred Krankl, but a visit to erobertparker would make your head spin. 99, 100, 98 points consistently? I wouldn't go as far as to call this my white whale, but there was something about it that I never was at peace about. All of the connections and relationships I had built couldn't bring me any closer to meeting Manfred or trying his wines, outside of shelling out too many Benny Franks.

Fast forward to 2004, I move back to my hometown in Toledo, Ohio and land a job with Langdon Shiverick Imports, and guess what's in the portfolio. I had to relocate over 2000 miles away to find the one wine that was made geographically closer to me than any in my life. Walt Wirth, who runs Ohio, landed SQN a few years back after trying for years to get Manfred's wines- actually, a fantastic story in itself. So, I have now tasted these wines 3 times in the last 6 months. Each release is affectionately, individually named. Krankl prefers Syrah, Grenache and Pinot. He often sources Central Coast Fruit. So how does he do it? Well, apparently they are proprietary winemaker secrets, although, I know for a fact, it's all natural with no additives of any kind. I have some theories, but I'm not about to divulge them either. Walt tells me Manfred is like a mad scientist and Willy Wonka rolled into one. Walt also says that Manfred is intensely loyal and hard-working, and he's one of Walt's favorite people, period.

Last week, We had a chance to check out the newest release, the 2003 "Papa" Syrah. The label is enough to bring a tear to your eye. When describing this wine, I sort of realize why this wine lives up to the hype as few wines ever do. First, the aromatics are profound- I got Milk Chocolate, with a cacophony of fresh berry fruit aromas. A little pipe tobacco, baking spice, and lavender. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. there is so much depth and complexity on the nose that I feel like I could keep going, but I don't want to continue using that part of my brain anymore. I just want to take it in. The nose sings and never relents, and then you taste it. I expected a monster, and overextracted fruit bomb, but instead, I was greeted with an elegance of texture and integration of a million flavors, all in harmony with chocolate leading the rhythm section.

I concede that given the specialness (is that a word?) of this bottle, I may have paid more attention than I would ordinarily, but the quality and originality of this wine is undeniable. Next, I need to try to sneak in to his factory, hope he doesn't have any oompa loompas.

"There's always someone cooler than you"

2006-03-25T10:48:00.000-05:00

I confess. As much as I am an elitist about media, and the utter disdain I hold for reality TV, I can not steer away from reality TV involving any sort of Food Premise. “Iron Chef America”, “Hell’s Kitchen”, “Cooking Under Fire”, I devour them all. On a personal note, I was edited the fool on “Faking It” several years ago as they took a beer champion and trained him to be a Sommelier- real heady stuff. Maybe that’s the bitter bile I taste. My latest interest is the Bravo series “Top Chef”. The show consists of a group of chefs of underwhelming talent, inspiration and tact. Hey everyone has a guilty pleasure.

The reason I bring this up, is one of the contestants, Stephen, is a sommelier from Nob Hill in Las Vegas. If I ever catch this SOB in a dark alley, it will be, to quote the great Ben Folds, “Stephen’s last night in town”. I’m not a violent person, but I can give a tongue lashing that can send a recipient into years of therapy. This guy represents everything that Americans hate about wine, and wine snobs. He is pretentious to the nth degree. His double wide double windsor, and his cockiness are as wrong as his attempt at working a Brut Champagne into a dessert. I lost count, but in the first episode alone, he identified himself as sommelier at least a half-dozen times. I will not criticize his, or anyone’s attempt at cooking, as creativity is a highly personal thing. This guy also has a very impressive resume. I can, however, address what this clown represents. Being a sommelier is not about being the most sophisticated person at a party, nor is it about being the most suave and snooty. It’s about being an educator, and a conduit by which to turn people on to wine, and as an extension, wine and food. The late, great Michael Bonaccorsi, M.S., one of my heroes, used to downplay his fame and education. It was clearly passion and love that drove him, not lifestyle. It's jerks like Stephen that make Americans afraid to ask a “stupid question”. This is the type of guy that would corner you until you rattled off the Grand Crus of Burgundy.

I also identify myself as a sommelier, and I feel like I’ve earned it as well. But I often struggle within myself about what this title means. I don’t ever want to give the impression that I know everything about wine, but I am proud of what I’ve learned. I always try to remember the etymology of the word sommelier, which is French for “Wine Mule”. When a sommelier makes themselves the most important part of the equation, the other parts: The Restaurant, The Wine, and especially The Guest are immediately marginalized. The great sommeliers watch each customer intently, and thrive upon the moment when know that they’ve guided them towards inexplicably beautiful and memorable evening. Stephen, go sell pretentious somewhere else, we’re all full here.

Letter to The Toledo Blade

2006-03-18T10:04:00.000-05:00

Your March 18th Headline “Trio of closings indicate area diners losing appetite for finer restaurants” was appalling and irresponsible. The restaurant business is one of the most difficult to succeed in. We all know that the failure rates are very high, even for established places. But to declare that Toledoans don’t enjoy Fine Dining may be a self-fulfilling prophecy. I know I can always trust Chicken Little, er, The Blade, to make a snap judgment over something slightly more nuanced than they care to report. The fact is, Fine Dining in America today looks different than it did 10-20 years ago. Restaurants can fail for a multitude of reasons, including: failure to update menus or décor for a long period of time, mediocrity at any level, better competition taking their business away, as well as the laundry list of operational headaches. Fine Dining is not limited to tuxedoed waiters anymore, and those type of establishments are going out of business is every city. What you failed to mention is the thriving successes of places such as Cohen & Cooke all the way down in Bowling Green, the re-emergence of Diva, and the explosive opening of Mancy’s Blue Water. All of whom have eclectic food beyond steaks (please take note Mr. Favorite). Toledoans spend too much money and time at generic chain restaurants. It’s actually criminal how much they support the rampant mediocrity of chains, but the smoking ban is an excuse. If your business is down, it’s because you are relying on your bar crowd too heavily, it’s time to adapt and utilize the skills that made you want to open a fine dining restaurant in the first place. Most cities are judged by their restaurant scene, why does the Blade feel the need to be the first to dismantle ours?

The indefensible corporate wines

2006-03-15T10:55:00.000-05:00

Jennifer Rosen has defended corporate wines with a tirade about how we need to make wine more inviting. I agree wholeheartedly, although, she oversimplifies the argument. I am afraid that the evil nameless, faceless lifestyle sellers have failed to ensure that the wine that they have produced will result in turning consumers onto wine. If the welcome gates of the wine world have Blackstone Merlot waiting for me, I’d probably go to the next house, where the bad cold beer goes pretty well with wings and mowing the lawn. I appreciate her idealism, but I feel as if the “corporate” wineries are selling out their own quality in favor of profit, not being inoffensive. As witnessed by a recent blind tasting of more than a dozen inexpensive California Cabernets, I was shocked at the median quality level of these wines. You could almost draw a perfect corollary between marketing dollars spent and size of the winery in direct contrast with quality. My complaint is not only the quality of the wine, but also they way they are marketed and sold. Everyone in this business, is well, in business, but these corporate producers have been undermined by p&l statements and marketing people (no offense marketing people). As a salesman, I know that these wines don’t compete favorably against their less famous rivals, but the corporate producers get the wine list placements and floor stacks, and the small, family-owned producers get the shaft in favor of recognition over quality. This of course, in endemic of the entire world of wine, where we get so burned out by consumer’s buying habits and tendency to recede into a safe place, that we cease to be educators, and we let the novice tell us what we will serve, and quality and expertise be damned. Until corporate wineries actually produce great cheap table wine, I will always consider them lifestyle brokers, and they will always be the Cosmopolitans in the World of Gin Martinis, they just share the same stemware. Oh and by the way, the wine Rosen lists as recommended do not fall in the category of Corporate Wines.

Thansk to Tam Wark for turning me on to this article, read his post and threads here.

Cohen & Cooke

2006-03-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

All great chefs are artists in their own right. I am not speaking as to what the food looks like, although that too is important. I am referring to how a great chef can take ingredients of differing origins, textures, and flavors, and know how to assemble these in such a way that the experience is original, interesting and delicious all at once. Add to that the knack for finding the highest quality ingredients and freshest meats and produce, and you are beginning to scrape the surface of the genius behind Cohen & Cooke.

Located at 109 S. Main St in Bowling Green, Cohen & Cooke has quickly earned a reputation for its high-flying cuisine, but how many of you have actually tried it for yourself? Cohen & Cooke offers a highly personal and personalized dining experience for each patron. It is a place where a novice can all at once feel adventurous and safe. Culling from the best products available, the chefs at Cohen & Cooke understand the specific wishes of diners, and are happy to customize each experience.

Mike Sader & Jeremy Skiles are the accomplished team behind Cohen and Cooke. With resumes to make some of the most experienced chefs weep, Sader & Skiles could have opened a restaurant in any town, but chose Northwest Ohio for their dream. Both hail from this area, but are humble about their impressive pedigrees. Instead they focus not on past accomplishments, but on how they are finding new inspiration each day.

Cohen & Cooke specializes in locally grown produce, and are proud of their selection organic fruits and vegetables. New York Strip steak is always available, and they dry age each cut in-house from 14-40 days. Skiles is a master baker, and produces fresh sourdough daily that you have to taste to believe. And then there’s the seafood. Sader & Skiles have gone to such extreme lengths to ensure the freshest seafood that in many cases the fish you eat today was just being caught half a world away less than 24 hours ago. Sader understands the hesitation of Northwest Ohio residents towards seafood, particularly from the ocean. “Historically, this area has not been privy to the best or freshest seafood available, and unfortunately, this has affected their overall attitudes towards seafood. I’m so confident in both the quality and preparation of my seafood, I can (and have) convert just about anybody.”

The menu changes every evening as ingredients come in and out of season. Each night, the chefs put pen to paper, and draw from their inspiration. Friday and Saturdays they offer 3 dining options: 5 course Prix Fixe ($50-$60) , 7 course Prix Fixe ($60-$70), or a la carte (entrees range from $15-$23). Sader believes that their 3 menu options give the diner a chance to go as casual or as extravagant as they please, and the menus are designed to offer something for everyone. Thursdays are more of a Bistro atmosphere, and everything is offered a la Carte. Coming soon will be true bistro fare on Tuesday and Wednesday early evenings, with entrée prices in the $10-$15 range.
In addition to their dinners, Cohen & Cooke is open for lunch from Tuesday-Friday. They offer sandwiches, salads, and pastas to order.

A unique approach to wine rounds out the dining experience. “You won’t find any grocery-store wine here!” Sader, having spent a fair amount of time cooking in Napa, has a unique understanding and appreciation for the intermingling qualities of great wine and great food. As a result, his wine prices are just a few dollars above retail to encourage exploration. This restaurant at it’s best when it pairs food and wine. A recent visit from world renowned winemaker, Craig Jaffurs from Jaffurs Wine Cellars yielded this comment “I have been to 50 winemaker dinners a year for the last 10 years, in all of my travels, I can honestly say that my Winemaker dinner at Cohen and Cooke ranks among the best I have ever been involved with, I was blown away!”

Cohen & Cooke is not meant to be grouped with other restaurants; they strive to be one of the leaders of the industry. To one day be mentioned in the same breath as a Charlie Trotter, or a French Laundry is the ultimate goal. We are blessed to have such a jewel here in Northwest Ohio, and we can be proud our Culinary Direction.

Follow-Up H.R. 710

2006-03-05T14:08:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking with Rep. Kaptur about The Farmer's Market Infrastructure act. She was gracious and candid. I was impressed by her passion and patience to grant me this interview considering the multitude of big issues she is dealing with right now, including: Our communities largest employer declaring bankruptcy 24 hours earlier, the temporary shutdown and reorganization of our own Erie Street Market, her re-election, and her first meeting with our newly elected mayor since he took office last month. That was all on Saturday!. We began the interview at 9am, and she had to cut it short due to scheduling constraints, she offered to call me back after 6pm. Sure, I thought, assuming that she wouldn't have time, but at 8pm last night, my phone rang, and she answered every question I asked. For me, that was a breath of fresh air from an elected official. By contrast, I asked Mayor-Elect Finkbeiner's (Photo-right) office if I could be of any assistance in regards to creating food or wine events downtown, or advising on any food community changes, and here is the form letter I received 6 weeks later:

Dear Adam:

Thanks for communicating.

Believe in Toledo. And stay in touch!

Yours from Toledo – an All-America City!

Carleton S. Finkbeiner
Mayor

Yeah, I know! You are welcome! Glad I could help, kay, bu-bye...

I am writing an article for The Toledo Free Press, after I finish some more research on locally grown food throughout the country. I am most interested in whether or not large national grocery chains tend to at least offer local food products. Rep. Kaptur indicated that large contarcters, growers and distributors dominate selection in practically every mid-size city and smaller in this country.

To be continued...

Ode to Syrah-Toledo Free Press Article

2006-03-01T11:46:00.000-05:00

I know, generally speaking, people that are into wine tend to be masochistic, always championing the unlovable wines (see Gruner-Veltliner). This not only occurs in the world of wine, but other artistic expressions such as: Film (i.e. David Lynch) and Rock Music (Sonic Youth). I suspect that for 7% of you reading this, your blood is boiling, but you what they say about opinions. Anyhoo, I tend to drift more towards rampant enthusiasm when it comes to great wines, and my definition of great wines is probably broader than most. My enthusiasm about wine is akin to a 13-year old girl who “dots her eyes with a smiley face”. I love many wines, but perhaps my favorite grape is Syrah.

Syrah may be thought of as a novelty amongst the average wine drinkers. It’s historical significance is great, as is it’s sphere of influence. Bordeaux and Burgundy steal the spotlight in France. Bordeaux has it’s power and extremely long life, and Burgundy is an enigma, mysterious and magical all at once. Nothing captivates my attention and my muse more than the wines from The Northern Rhone Valley. The reds, being primarily, if not exclusively Syrah, show tremendous extraction and power, while constantly maintaining a beauty and otherworldly floral bouquet. The mouthfeel can be velvety and silky, or it can posses powerful tannins. The very best of Northen Rhône are from 2 Appellations: Hermitage and Côte Rôtie. While debate may rage about which is better, both are at the very top of quality for this fantastic grape. With a strong showing as well in Southern Rhône as well as Provence and Languedoc, this grape is one of the faces of the Southern third of France.

Syrah has also found a home in Australia under the label of Shiraz. The linguistic origin of the name change is unclear, but I write it off to Aussies being Aussies. Stylistically, Shiraz in Australia is nothing if not concentrated. Ranging in character from a fresh baked blueberry pie to a fresh baked raspberry pie, to well, a fresh baked blackberry pie. Shiraz is usually hedonistic and delicious. Elegance is not what one thinks of when describing the Aussie version of Syrah. The alcohol of these wines can be significant, as can their staining ability. While it’s trendy to bash these stylized wines as overly zealous and monochrome, I think that there is a place in the world for these types of wines, and I just like the way they taste.

There have been many interesting versions of Syrah in both Italy and Spain, not to mention the birthplace of the term Shiraz, South Africa. Although, no region has me quite as excited about the possibilities of this grape as the U.S.. I’m sure my love of this grape can be traced back to my time in Santa Barbara County, where Syrah is perhaps at it’s domestic best. It has strong palate memories for me just like your Mother’s Comfort food has for you. But with 3 distinct AVAs in Santa Barbara County, Syrah thrives in all of them. Then there’s Paso Robles, with near Aussie-style bombastic baddies. The real coup as of late has been Syrah’s success in the cool microclimates of both Napa and Sonoma. Cool Climate tends to make Syrah taste like their Northern Rhone brethren. And finally Washington State, which also shows extraordinary promise.

Look for wines that have lavender and violet on the nose, with an almost sweet black/ blue fruit quality to them with moderate to big tannins. These wines are the perfect foil to Lamb in most incarnations. But it will pair nicely with practically any meat, especially anything slow cooked or braised. Spend a little money (over $20) and you will be rewarded handily. The top Syrahs tend to cost just a fraction of the similar quality level of Napa Cab. Happy Hunting!

A Nationwide Network of Farmer's Markets?

2006-02-26T10:53:00.000-05:00

As the subculture of would-be gourmands try to get their hands on the best produce, we all agree that locally grown fruits, vegetables, dairy products etc... are really something that we can all strive for. In some cities, these are more readliy available than others. With the advent of the one-stop shopping experience, convenience has trumped quality, and small farmers. My congressperson, Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) has again proposed this bill (h.r. 710) before congress. Kaptur is asking for federal funding for local farmer's market in everyone's community. The proposed bill stipulates that these farmer's Markets are to include a majority of locally and family owned farms. Not only has Slow Food U.S.A championed this measure, countless other growers have gottne behind this bill as well. Unfortunately, this bill is in it's (at least)third incarnation. The previous votes have gone along party lines (shocker!). Now political idealism aside (and that means you alleged libertarians!) this is a pimple on the budget, but it is the sort of legislation that can inspire (food) cultural change. Please take some time to research this measure, and barrage your congressperson (especially those represented by Republicans), and ask them to ignore party lines, and vote for a change for both consumers and farmers.

Clarification: This is a bill that only loans out money for Farmer's Markets, and only helps to capitalize money "not exceed 25% of the cost of the individual Markets". You can find the language of the actual bill here

I have been preliminarily given permission to interview Rep. Kaptur next week, and I'll be anxious to hear some of the particular challenges she is facing with this bill. Stay Tuned...

Critics' Arrested Development

2006-02-12T12:02:00.000-05:00

Tom Wark (does this guy sleep?), over at Fermentation: The Daily Wine Blog, has again, stumbled on an interesting trueism, something that really hit home for me. And he used Arrested Development as his example (which gives him unlimited credibilty in my book...).

Read his post at above link. Here are my comments:

Arrested Development's imminent departure has been the saddest news in my home in the last several months. I've never quite been able to fathom that this comedy couldn't find an audience as big as some other death rattle celebrity reality show. I believe it is the perfect comedy. I know that the final 2 hours is sitting downastairs on my TiVO, but I haven't been able to bring myself to watch it, I must be in some strange denial. It's strange, I listen to certain Film & Television critics, but I have a tough time listening to any Wine critics. Through trial and error, I have found that certain critics of film and television are the appropriate personal filters for all of the crap that is out there (how the hell is that Jim Belushi show still on the air!?!?!?!?!). While wine critics seem to filter out all of the interesing wine, and leave us with the wine versions of, well, jim belushi (sorry Jim, it's been downhill all the way since your pissing scene in the Man with One Red Shoe...). It's a very interesting question... I just need to learn to not fall in love with brilliant television anymore, I guess I'll see if the Apprentice is on.

Uh oh, Adam's on his high horse again...

2006-02-08T13:02:00.000-05:00

A year ago, I spent the better part of the afternoon writing a very angry and venomous rant about how Toledo can improve the diversity of its cultural landscape. I have reconsidered said article, and I can’t help but feel like it’s time to reiterate, restate, and reassure upon what I said in 2005.

Dear Toledo,
You have done me proud, you have embraced the concept of a food and wine community. Restaurants that take wine seriously like Mancy’s Blue Water Grille Cohen & Cooke and Diva are busier than ever, and have garnered much deserved buzz around town for both their food, but also their wine program and well-trained staff. And this sort of adaptation has been sorely needed in this community for some time. The tide is turning because of establishments that offer a true voice by their cuisine, ambiance and dedication to individuality. All of these qualities will be the defining traits of this community. As much as we may embrace them, we also fall very short on the promise offered. Independent restaurants in Toledo continue to be outpaced by newly opened chain restaurants throughout this city. Every anchor restaurant at Westfield Shopping center is a chain, as well many of the restaurants in Levis Commons. Every dollar spent at one of these chains filters money out of Toledo at an alarming pace. This is money that will never be used to contribute to our community. Chain Restaurants continue to be the bane of our existence, and by their very nature, they are a catalyst for homogenization.

I recently participated in, what I consider to be, the best food and wine event I have seen in Toledo. During this event, I was speaking to a group of about 65 or so diners, and I made the off-handed comment that it almost didn’t feel like Toledo. To which I was greeted with boos and murmurs. Well, I apologize if I offended anyone, but Toledo needs to start recognizing it’s own problem. We may talk about locally owned-businesses, and how we really want downtown to improve, and we want to be like other great cities that have rebounded, but sometimes it seems like we are using Fort Wayne as our template rather than Chicago. In great cities like Austin, Texas, Louisville, Kentucky, and Portland Oregon, movements have begun to “Keep Austin (or said City Name) Weird!” These movements are the last battlefronts for individuality of these communities. They haven’t yet been overrun by homogenization. And although, the battle front has advanced quite far into our corner of Ohio, it’s not too late to fight back. And the best way to do that is with your wallets and your feet.

Here is my recipe for Toledo Food & Wine Success:
1. Spend some time trying restaurants that are not a chain. It’s too easy to be lazy when deciding where to eat out, but it takes someone that truly cares to break the routine.
2. Explore parts of the city where you don’t live, see what else is going on outside of your corner.
3. Ask about restaurants that are using locally grown produce.

4. Find out the name of the chef at your favorite restaurant, time willing, they will come out and chat with you about inspiration and ingredients.
5. Get yourself on mailing lists, find out when special events are happening, these can be the best experiences.
6. Tell your friends. If you have a great meal at one of our locally owned restaurants, tell a friend, send out an email, and give details.
7. Order adventurously. Because of our lack of variety, we order predictably, next time you’re out, order something other that Steak, Chicken or Salmon, it will give the chef hope that they can try dishes that inspire them

Check out my Links

2006-02-07T19:08:00.000-05:00

I know that when I look at other blogs, I rarely look at the links listed. At this time, I'd like to call your attention to MY links. I have assembled a list of all of my favorite wine blogs, plus some other fun stuff. Please take a moment or two to patronize some of the other bloggers. I know that you'll find some cool stuff...