Lenz Old Vine Merlot Unfiltered `07 $60.00

Word of mouth is a wonderful thing.  I was on a whirlwind trip to the North Fork AVA of Long Island with my friend Valerie from Wine Dog Review, we stopped in at Empire Cellars to check out some local wines, and a woman recommended that we swing by Lenz Vineyard and Winery in Peconic for a taste.  I never looked back. After enjoying flights of their Estate and Old Vine wines, I was hooked. It's a luxury to be able to taste and buy wine at the vineyard where it is produced, but I am a woman on a mission, I'm going to try to visit every Vineyard in the North Fork AVA... all 57 of them. It helps that I have an open invitation to cook in the Yaphank Test Kitchen on weekends which puts the North Fork AVA almost in my back yard.  Now, on to the Lenz Old Vine Unfiltered Merlot, a rich, flavorful Merlot with hints of Cabernet and Cabernet Franc.

This is another "Special Occasion Wine" at $60.00 a bottle, you want to share it with friends, pair it with an amazing meal, and just enjoy. When I drink really good American wine, I always think of Thomas Jefferson, and his passion to bring the qualities found in French wine to the nascent United States, Jefferson was a passionate farmer. Lenz's winemaker Eric Fry has made a very good Merlot that I easily could have tasted in Burgundy. This wine makes me proud of the work of our growers and winemakers - it's Jefferson's dream come true.

I paired the wine with a dinner of:
Spinach Salad with Pears, Walnuts and Goat Cheese (above)
Anatolian Roast Pork (pork roasted with butter, garlic, cinnamon, rosemary and thyme)
and
Chocolate Souffle

#WBC13 Black Sage Vineyard Merlot `10 Live Blog Red

Jason James, Black Sage's winemaker.presented this smooth Merlot.  This was a bottle from a 1500 case year.  This is a wine that sadly, most people will never get to taste.  It is a limited wine, and I feel very lucky to have been able to taste it. 

Chateau Simard Saint-Emilion `99 AOC $25.00 (not TJ's) ***

This review was borne of a gadget.  A gadget called "the Electric Rabbit". Those of you in the know will smirk. Others will say "huh?" I will simply say BRILLIANT MARKETING!

Over Christmas, two of my closest friends independently bought Wine Rabbits as a gag wine gift for their boyfriends. Another was gobsmacked to see it for sale in a kitchen store, whipped out her iPhone and snapped a picture for her Facebook page. Let's just say that many sniggers were heard.

It is a shame that I am tainting the review of this GREAT wine with shtick on a fad.  BTW, a totally lame fad at that, all it is, is an electric screw; you still have to pull the cork from the bottle and it is rather slippery as the shaft of the Rabbit is quite sleek. Seriously, save the $50.00 on a gag gift and buy a really nice bottle of wine instead!

Now on to the wine:
Chateau Simard Saint-Emilion Bordeaux is a fantastic blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. I love Cabernet Franc, the dried fruitiness and the highlights of raspberry blend with the earthiness of Merlot.  This is a really nice, not too heavy wine, but it does have some pepper to remind you that you are drinking a red wine.  The tannins are very, very subtle. 

We had it with Beef Stew over egg noodles.  It is a not too robust wine, so I see it as a very versatile red.  It was great for sipping before dinner as we were laughing about the Rabbit.  It was good with dinner and was good as I sat at the computer and started this review.  This wine is not cheap, you are paying for the enjoyment, which is why I can't give it four stars. I can easily see this as a go-to wine for a glass at the end of the day or a really good wine to serve with nibbles if someone special has popped over for a visit. : )

I need to remember to give K an aerator so that we can taste this wine pre and post aeration. I'll be curious to see what, if any change aeration brings to this wine.  If we open another bottle in the future, I may update this review.

Whenever I review a good Bordeaux (St.-Émilion is a sub-region), I imagine Thomas Jefferson and his "claret" table wine. We could easily plow through a few of bottles of this wine over dinner while talking travel, politics, health-care or gossip. Of course, TJ elevated that to an art form. The book, Passions: The Wines and Travels of Thomas Jefferson is on my reading list. Wow, I have brought this review from low brow to Jefferson in just a few paragraphs.  How very Franklinesque of me!

I'll leave you with Kodi.  

K's gentle giant who, from his enthusiastic greetings
and subsequent attempts at being a lap dog,
seems to like me as much as I like him.

Kodi is an Alaskan Malamute of the "Giant" persuasion.

He guards over dinner, 

hoping that a scrap of food may come his way.  

On the left was last night, as we were getting ready to go to the table and 

next to that is a more flattering picture of Kodi simply being adorable.

Chateau de Macard Bordeaux Superieur `05 $19.99 (not TJ's) ***(*)

Thomas Jefferson had his claret, I have my Cabernet Franc blends.  (the only other things president TJ and I have in common is our hair color and our financial acumen)

This is a great versatile wine.  30% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 50% Cabernet Franc makes this a very easy to drink table red that is mild, slightly fruity and has a finish that works with almost any savory meal with a hint of complexity. I really do think that this wine is made so versatile by the 50%Cabernet Franc that lightens the Sauvignon and the Merlot.  You still have a nice wine, but it just mellows the depth and density of the Merlot and the Cab Sauvignon, yet you are still drinking a distinct red wine hence my reference to Claret, an archaic word that evokes in my mind - just what we drank tonight.

After a run through the Vinturi: It has more of a finish and is a bit more cutting, but really, I'd rather just pour it straight from the bottle and swirl it a bit in my glass as I slowly drink it in between bites of a delicious, filling dinner.

Let me put that into a real scenario:  Dinner of leftover Anatolian loin of pork (my favorite roast pork - with butter, cinnamon, thyme and rosemary) re-purposed in a light veloute; White beans and garlic cooked in a beef stock and a sauteed ratatouille with just a hint of crushed red pepper flakes.  Now, THAT is a meal of delicious and complex flavors (and there may have been some fried potatoes with truffled butter...) - the quandary... what to serve with this delicious amalgam of tastes?  Well, nothing so heavy that the cinnamon would be overlooked.  Nothing so acidic that the subtle flavors of the beans with a hint of garlic could be lost, and well, the red pepper highlights of the ratatoullie, well, what wine to serve???

The answer came from the wine-rack.  JPH pulled out this Bordeaux, and a delicious meal was born.  The wine simply highlighted it and made every bit just a bit yummier. Do you think I am waxing on a bit too much? Well, no, because tonight's dinner is a great example of what pairing is all about. (sorry that I am not very good at photo composition)

The Chateau de Macard is a solid all around wine.  But, I wouldn't serve it with a fatty steak. This is a good, safe wine for any type of roast chicken dish, or something that just won't overpower it. That is what a good glass of Claret is for, wouldn't you say Mr. President?  (ok, so maybe we have been watching the John Adams HBO miniseries on DVD, and maybe, just maybe I have had a few glasses of wine before I wrote this, well, the fact is, it's my blog, and I am standing by it - I reserve the right to correct typos in the morning!)

Antonelli San Marco Baiocco Umbria `07 IGT (Not TJ's) $19.99 ***

Birthday Dinner part II

Not everyone in the world is a red wine drinker.  I realize that.  And, when you are faced with the challenge of serving wine to a diverse crowd, you have to pull back the reins a bit and serve an all around wine when, maybe in your heart of hearts, there could be a Cabernet or Zinfandel that is just jumping out at you. This wine is a good compromise.

90% Sangiovese and 10% Merlot, gives you a mellow red table wine with hints of strawberry freshening the light dried cherry taste. We served this wine with steak, but I would have easily served it with a cheese course or simply as a sipping wine with heavy appetizers (stuffed mushrooms anyone??) or maybe with a nice roast chicken.  It is good wine, no tannins, very easy to drink, and definitely did not overpower any of the food. And at 13.5% it was a welcome break from all of the 14.5% wines that we have been drinking for the past month.

This wine spurred a discussion on IGT wine in Italy.  A decade or so ago (1992), there were winemakers who did not conform to the standard DOCG or DOC boards.  But they were making really good wine, and they were thinking outside the box.  And so, my non conformist friends, IGT was born - vineyards were designated, and the box has been slowly encasing them for label freaks like me.

Menu:
Terryaki Grilled Flank Steak
Truffled Potatoes Dauphinoise (yeah, we plowed through two platters of those, and could have used a third... mmm carbs, butter, truffles and cream...mmmm)
Roasted Jalepino Peppers with Olive Oil and Garlc
Heirloom Tomatoes
French Bread
and
S's Homemade Chocolate Cake with Buttercream Frosting (I had that with Port!)


The consensus was that she is no longer allowed to halve the Buttercream recipe.  It is just too delicious.  Calories do not count on Birthdays!!!

I also want to add a disclaimer... It is VERY difficult to take a good picture when there are 12 people clamoring for food.  Really! That is my excuse, and I am sticking to it.

The day after: We had two bottles for dinner, so there was enough to have a glass with lunch.  The wine looses some of it's smoothness the day after, and tastes very high acid.  That being said, it went really well with the duck confit sandwich.

On a cooking note:

This was my contribution to dinner.  I peeled the potatoes.  

One day, I will start cooking again!

Ménage à Trois Red `08 $10.00 (Not TJ's) ***(*)

Of course I have a lot of fun with the name of this wine - after all, wine is fun! Would you expect anything else? This wine is produced by a winery called Folie à Deux in California - I've had their whites, they are good too.  The discovery tonight was that this is a really delightful pour and it is also a bit of a chameleon.  I am not usually fond of blends, BUT this is a nice blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Zinfandel. 

First pour:  Yummy.  Light and fruity with a long finish.  Fresh currant and raspberry, with a Cabernet Sauvignon slightly oaky finish.  WOW! A great wine for food. JPH helped me style this first picture.  What a beautiful purple wine.  There had been a breakfast pie baked earlier in the afternoon, and I wanted to show off JPH's handiwork (6:30am coffee is only made better by the promise of pie!).

After the vinturi: WOW - it opened up the wine so that it was light and deliciously fruity - the depth of the finish was gone, but it became sooo easy to drink. Of course as I was nibblish, a plate of goldfish made it to the table, and now I can say that this red goes really well with goldfish crackers!  This red changed dramatically after the vinturi, but BOTH ways, it is extremely palatable. It is also interesting that this wine is blended AFTER fermentation - the flavors don't meld until they are bottled - maybe that is why it is so distinctively layered (any why aeration blends the flavors so completely).


Then the deluge began.  I wish I had taken pictures of the torrential rain that was soaking the lawn and flooding the roads. Wow, it was raining, and I was safe and dry in the kitchen with really good glass of wine in my hand.  It was all good.


The rain slowed down and S went out to inspect the new plantings, then came back in muddied, but satisfied that they had survived and were enjoying a much needed watering.  I went to check on the dog  - she is an octogenarian and does not like thunderstorms - I found her blocking the door and shaking. That was when the lights started to flicker, and the adventure began.  By the time I asked about the power going out, it was out. Supplies were rounded up, candles were lit, plans were canceled and we all settled in for a beautiful Thursday night dinner - of course, I still had to cook it - thank goodness for gas stoves!!! It was my turn - and let's face it I'll trade cooking risotto for a fresh baked pie any day!!

It was late afternoon, but the storm  made it look like nighttime.  I poured another glass of wine, started making my notes by candlelight, JPH opened a beer, S checked on the garden again for storm damage and MEH provided the play list (iBook/iTunes) to set the ambiance. We played with shadows and flashlights. All of a sudden, a small dragon looked ominous.

We had Risotto by candlelight.  Poor traumatized Nell had a dinner of marrow bones, chicken and kibble. We sat around the table enjoying our meal, talking about the wine (there was mention of stocking up on it) and a good time was had by all.

This is a longer than usual review, because we happened to open this bottle on an eventful evening. What was originally going to be a simple dinner of Risotto with bone marrow and porcini mushrooms from Aosta, ended up being an intimate dinner in the dark of a power outage after a deluge of rain and NYC being forced to a grinding halt by tornadoes and thunderstorms. One person died in the storm and millions of dollars of damage was done.  Train lines were stopped and people were stranded in the city. We counted our blessings when the power came back on a few hours later and we saw the news.  We were safe, dry & well fed; and I get to review a very nice bottle of wine named Ménage à Trois.

Tait Ball Buster `08 (not TJ's) $17.99 ***(*)

I'm going to rave about this wine, because it is a total contradiction and I love contradictions - hence the (*) to four star. This blend of 76% Shiraz, 12% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 12% Merlot is incredibly sophisticated.  When I say sophisticated, this wine makes you think.  First sip, whew, rough.  A strong taste of dried fruit, soft tannins, and well, my tongue needed a break - for a second or two.  Of course we opened it as dinner was being cooked, so I was tasting it alone.  Then, on my second sip, the complexity hit me.  It had the taste of dried fruit (blueberry, cherry) with some earthy undertones and then the tannins, which were oak(y) but disappeared quickly. See, sophisticated - like getting a great electronic present and then realizing you have to read the owners manual to really be able to use it.  This wine forces you to stop and think about it and then once your head is wrapped around it, it is totally enjoyable.

The contradiction?  It is called Ball Buster (hee hee - my inner child is stuck at 9) and it is from Southern Australia. This wine is also a screw top. The screw top is a great economiser, which can recoup some of the expenses in producing this blend. Tait Wines have a craftsman/artisinal view to their products.  I appreciate that, and I appreciate their "Ball Buster" humor. A very good wine, but plan appropriately when drinking it. I expected plonk, and what I was served was an enjoyable education in a glass.

After decanting with the Soireee, the Ball Buster became smoother and more velvety.  There were some spice notes that jumped out after decanting (ed. thanks to the comment below cloves + nutmeg), I would say go ahead and decant this before drinking.  It definitely opens up the wine.  I will also be demoing a new aerator in the next two weeks.... it looks like there may be a better one out there than the Vinturi (my current champion).

Now for the menu.  I was a guest on a beautiful Saturday evening. Miranda styled the pictures as her parents cooked in the kitchen, I drank and wielded my new (to me) Nikon. I took the picture above, and then out came the Head Cheese.  There is a story behind head cheese, part of our dinner table conversation over the past month has been the making of head cheese after butchering a pig (all things that I experienced in my childhood in rural Maine).  So, SMF bought some head cheese at Karl Ehmer's, and I am proud to say that for the first time in my life, I have eaten head cheese (really just ham is aspic - not like the stuff of my childhood nightmares).  The wine went well with the Head Cheese.

We then moved inside for a dinner of:

"Herb Garden Pasta" - Fresh Basil, Parsley (picked from the patio as we were tasting the head cheese), tossed in pasta with a chopped tapenade of capers, anchovies, olives, olive oil and tomatoes.  It was an amazing pasta with strong but not overwhelming flavor.  It paired really well with the Ball Buster.

Mouthwatering fresh corn on the cob from Rottkamp Brother's Farm (I will be doing a post about this farm-stand in the near future - it is amazing!), fresh bread and perfectly grilled steak. The wine in the crystal glass on the left is Muldersbosch Rose. For dessert, we demolished an Apple Tart from Leonetti's, and there may have been Limoncello involved!

You can see from the (not so great) picture on the left that we left the Soiree in situ.  I still think that it is the most awkward of aerators that I have tried, but it did the trick as it was all we had.  (Although, I do think that a classic decanter could be found, I am still enamored with toys...)

Bedell First Crush Red`08 (not TJ's) $16.99 ***

The first winery I ever visited was Bedell - happy, happy memories of the North Fork of Long Island.  A lot has changed in the years since I first was at their tasting room  - originally in a barn, now it is pretty swank, and owned by a Hollywood producer.

I was at a tasting a while back and the rep was pouring their newest, First Crush.  This red is 72% merlot, 28% cabernet franc.  Both wines that I love.  No oak (another hit with me) and no tannins.  This is a fresh, kind of acidic fruity, light red wine that tastes of slightly tart raspberry, and smells like crushed fresh fruit (I love that smell!).  I chilled it slightly, and we really liked it. This "first crush" is pretty much a text book example of a lightweight's starter red wine. After the vinturi, this kind of sharp wine mellowed.  It is well worth decanting.

It is sunny and hot here in NYC 88 degrees, and I am out of white wine.  I cooked up some skirt steak, tossed a salad, toasted some bread from the Farmer's Market, and here is dinner.

Here is a hint though, and I am told that it is industry wide.  This wine is more expensive at the tasting room than in the wine shops of NYC. To save some money, do your market research before you load up at the winery (the money you save could pay for a vineyard VIP tour & tasting).

Raphael Rose of Merlot `08 (not TJ's) $12.99 ***

This is my favorite Raphael wine so far.  Dry, a bit effervescent and crisp.  I bought it after a tasting at Bacchus.  This rose was good at around 60 degrees.  Crisp, kinda grapefuity.  I liked it with my standby pesto flat bread pizza -  flatbread and pesto stored in freezer - all you have to buy is fresh mozzarella & grape tomatoes (I usually have Parmesan & onions on hand in the fridge).  This Rose cut the fat of the mozzarella and the olive oil in the pesto, added a citrusy punch and is a dry wine (like a super light, refreshing Merlot!).

This is a good summer wine to chill - it was a perfect day to use the vacu vin rapid ice wine chiller (they really do work). I think that it would be a good picnic wine too. It cuts through fattiness, and just lifts up what you are eating to a new level.

Good job Raphael.  I am happy that I liked this, after not really liking your Cabernet Franc.  I'm glad that I found a Long Island Wine of yours that I can recommend. I like that we have a burgeoning vineyard economy here in NY.

About Raphael Winery: (from their website)
The winemaking philosophy is based on an understanding of the cycle of nature, the climate and soil, the ripeness of the grapes and the success of time-honored techniques. Utilizing gravity flow and a natural winemaking philosophy, Raphael wines are produced sustainably, utilizing spontaneous fermentation with little fining and filtration resulting in wines that purely express our local terroir. Our goal is to produce ripe, fruit-driven wines that exhibit a marriage of depth, finesse, elegance, and balance – the flavors of the North Fork – provided first by the terroir and secondly, by the dedicated, impassioned attention of our own hands.
The winery was designed by John Petrocelli who was inspired by the Italian monasteries of his ancestral home. Our production facility blends classic Mediterranean architecture with modern winemaking equipment. By building the winery 12 feet underground we are not only able to make our wines using a gentle gravity-flow method, but were able to construct a very energy efficient building using the earth’s natural 55F temperature to cool the winery in the summer and warm it in the winter.

Indaba Merlot (not TJ's) $8.99 ***

First rule, aerate this wine.  After running it through the vinturi, the wine opened up and smoothed out.

Second rule, pair it with the right food.  I found out the hard way that if you pair it with a spicy food.  I couldn't figure out why this wine, which I have tasted and liked before, was all of a sudden awful. So off to the internets I went.  Come to find out, the capsaicin in peppers and other spicy foods can interact with the wine to create a bitter, more alcoholic taste. Go for milder spices, like black pepper, and prevent a bitter taste in your mouth. When I read that here, I realized that a spicy Rotel Chickpea chili was the WRONG food to have with this wine.  So, on the next day, I made a sweet chorizo and shrimp tapas, and then mixed it with the chickpea leftovers to make sandwiches, and we tried the Merlot again. SCORE.

This Merlot is a full bodied deep cherry wine with oakiness and a kick.  When I swirl and sniff, it does not have a pure fruity smell.  It has an astringent undertone. I wonder if it needs some more time to mellow out.  I think it would age well.  I wonder what the `09 would taste like in `11? Maybe I'll buy another bottle and find out.

Menu:
Leftover sandwiches with Chorizo, pork, bell peppers, greens, chickpeas onion and tomatoes.

Benvolio Merlot Toscana `04 (not TJ's) IGT $12.99***

A rainy day of candles and movies.

I bought the Bevolio at a tasting last year.  I'm not a huge Merlot fan, so it has been dwelling on my rack.  I like Tuscany though, and it was kind of an Italian afternoon.  In between watching The Way We Were and Notting Hill (you have to love Netflix on Tivo!).

This is a full, soft wine with a bite of acid and a subtle chocolate taste. It smells like dark cherry. You can still taste a touch of oak long after you have swallowed this wine. 

After the vinturi, it seems lighter, not as full.It is easier to drink alone decanted but honestly, it works either way.


Today's Menu, a salad of leftovers:
Hangar Steak
Buffalo Mozzarella
Grape Tomatoes
Crispy fried onions
tossed with romaine lettuce and a balsamic/olive oil dressing

Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot (not TJ's) $5.99 ***

Arbor Mist is a trip down memory lane.  For one weekend, my best friend and I were 16 again.  She came to NYC to visit and for a weekend, we were two girls in the city.  With her husband and teenagers back home, we reverted to the days of John Cougar, Glen Frey, U2, jeans and funky socks, driving around hanging out windows (in the case of this weekend it was the sunroof of a Mini Cooper and my bra stayed on), and we even went to the Zoo.

On Friday night, as Boons Farm Tickle Pink is no longer available, I legally (as opposed to our teenage years) bought a bottle of Arbor Mist.  Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot isn't really wine (as oenophiles would describe wine), it tastes more like fortified Kool-aid/ fruit juice.  It is 6% ETOH, sweet, red - and we loved it.  I chilled it really well, unscrewed the top and the evening began.  While we reminisced, looked at classmates on facebook, gossiped and fell into our teenage routine as if a decade and a half  had never passed since we last saw each other.

Anna's Curtis Road Fried Rice:  Minute Rice  - I haven't bought that in a very long time (now they have it in Brown Rice!), anything La Choy in a can (water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts etc), pork loin, onion, red pepper, celery, egg, all seasoned with soy sauce and  La Choy red sweet & sour sauce - I couldn't find Duck Sauce...sigh.

Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot
Ghirardelli Chocolate Brownies made with Kahlua

The moral of the story - life can be amazing no matter what you drink or what you eat.  Friday night's dinner was one of the best meals I have had in years, and Arbor Mist Blackberry Merlot is a great successor to my Boons Farm Tickle Pink memories.

Monday night I'll be back to wines that have corks, appellations and vintages.  I'm taking an Italian Wine Tasting class at Bacchus.

Chateau Auguste Bordeaux Merlot 2007 $7.99 ***

One thing about taking a butchering class, my freezer is full of meat. Even though it is officially Spring in a few weeks, I'll be able to move the herbs outside. My gardening plans have already started. But today, I am doing a riff on a traditional Sunday Roast Supper. I am making Merlot Pot Roast using this wine, I poured myself a glass as I was searing the meat. I am excited to see how this turns out.

It is a light, dry wine, with simple straightforward flavor. I may even use the pretentious word sophisticated because it is subtle (no harsh after taste) and clean. The dryness is evident and the wine is smooth, easy to drink - not George Clooney, maybe Clive Owen. Because I liked the flavor profile so much, I added garlic and thyme to the roast to see how the flavors meld in cooking. Next, let's see how the wine does when run through the vinturi.

After the Vinturi: This is a good wine. (Jason (in the comments section of his blog), was so on the money!). Decanted, it is smoother, and you taste the youth (it was bottled in 2007) I think that with a year or more on the wine rack, this could be a great wine. I think that I am going to do that, buy two bottles, rack them, and mark to be consumed in March 2010, and March 2012. Then I can go back and see if I was right. Now, it is a 50 degree sunny NYC day, I am going outside to do some yard work before my company arrives.

Menu:

Iceberg Salad with Italian Vinaigrette
Merlot Roast Beef with Carrots, Porcini Mushrooms, Garlic & Onion
Egg Noodles

Dessert
Fresh Pignoli Cookies
Coffee Ice Cream and Amaretto whipped cream

The wine was perfect with supper, I had just enough left over from tasting an cooking for each of us to have a glass (wish I had bought a second bottle - but maybe it was a good thing that I didn't - it is a work/gym night).

Sigh, my only lesson learned today is that I wish I had a dishwasher. Good wine (which I hope will only get better with age); amazing roast, good company and a lot of dishes.

Drinking wine while on vacation

Yes, I did it. I took a mini vacation - my first after my transplant, and it felt great! I live pretty frugally on a day to day basis, but when I am on vacation - well, random splurges do happen, and the most random (and most delicious) was before I even left NYC. At JFK (I know, who would have thought that you could get a really good meal (with wine) at the airport?)

Vino Volo is a chain restaurant. (who knew? I am recommending a chain restaurant.) It has a small menu of really good food that is designed around the wines that they are featuring. All wines can be had by the glass, and should you wish (as I did) you can order a flight of wines for a tasting. I am writing to tell you that this is a great concept, and now I am desperate to travel again just so I can start my trip with a wine tasting and meal there. Is it bad that I will need to go through security to go to my new favorite restaurant? Or that I want to fly to Dulles, Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, Newark, San Antonio, Sacramento or Seattle - just to taste the wine at each airport's location? Ok, maybe not San Antonio or Sacramento, but you get my enthusiasm. (The pictures are from my treo - sorry for the poor quality)

Now on to my menu and pairings:

I chose the "Shades of White" flight ($9.00):
Pascal Jolivet French Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley 2007
Il Greto Pino Grigio, Venezie 2006
Iron Horse Vinyards Chardonnay, Sonoma County, CA 2005

And to eat, the smoked salmon over crab salad crostini.

The flight comes with a bar mat that describes each wine (using grown-up words and exact flavors - reading the descriptions made the tasting so much better, I was searching for the elements mentioned, and for the flavors) and also a four square graph to plot the wine on the scale of bright, rich, light and brooding. I think that this will help me describe my TJ's wines in the future. I ranked the three above. My favorite white was the Pascal. It was subtle, and highlighted the saltiness of the salmon and the creaminess of the crab. Second was the Il Greto, it was very light, a bit too light, but very refreshing. And third was the Iron Horse - I just felt that it was very sharp.

All three of these are 3-4 star wines, I just felt that the Iron Horse was heavier - it gave a good contrast to the two European wines, and when I read the description of a "finish of chalky stone" - I had my EUREKA moment of the day: I tasted the chalky stone.

I was so excited about the white wine and I still had time before my flight, I went for a second course of red. The flight was "California Kings" ($12.00) and as a pairing, I had a Ligurian chickpea and chorizo chili. The food comes in two sizes. For the salmon, I had the full plate ($11.00); with the chili, I had the small plate ($8.00)

The chili was great, and stood up to these robust reds - which were:

Havens Wine Cellars Merlot, Napa 2004
Hall Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa 2005
Trinitas Zinfandel, Contra Costa County, 2006

Again, the bar mat under the glasses gave a great description of the wines The graph really helped to understand depth. (although I still can't quite figure out how a wine can be brooding - I always think of men (Heathcliff) or a hen as brooding - maybe on my next trip, I'll figure out how a wine can brood.)

The chili was spicy and really good, which gave a great contrast to the expensive reds. My favorite was the Havens Merlot. It was juicy and a great wine (it was also the cheapest at $29.00 per bottle). Second was the Zinfandel from Trinitas; it was fruity and spicy and matched really well with the chili. Last, but not least was the most expensive the Hall Cabernet Sauvignon. It was heavy, rich and had a lot of tannin, I would have that with a fatty steak or some other heavy meal, it was a bit overpowering for the chili.

Vino Volo is a great way to taste expensive wines by the glass on a moderate budget. The staff were great, and the atmosphere is happy. I'd get to the airport early and hungry just to try another part of the menu. The total cost for this eye opening, palate pleasing lunch was $45.52 plus tip. This splurge set the tone for a refreshing vacation.

More TJ reviews later this month.

Lindemans Bin 40 Merlot $4.49 ****

I am always inspired when I spend the night in the LES. On my way to Nancy & Yori's, I stopped at the Pickle Guy's and bought some not so fresh for passover horseradish (I was too late to get the really good stuff).

On my way back home on Saturday am, I stopped at Jeffrey's in the Essex Street Market for some meat. (Jeffrey is a cook's butcher, great service, good selection, quality meat and fair prices)

He was out of hangar steak, so I bought some skirt steak. Next door at the fruit & veg stand, I bought some mushrooms, leeks and young zucchini - it is gearing up to be a nice afternoon.

It is so beautiful out, when I got home, I opened up all of the windows and hauled out the ice cream maker.

Wine: Lindemans Bin 40 Merlot

Main: Grilled Skirt Steak with mushroom/cream/horseradish sauce
Zucchini sauteed with oregano and lemon
Potato and leek mash

Dessert: limoncello sorbet & ladyfingers

I did my usual, as I was cooking, I poured a glass of the merlot to try. First sip - WOW. I like it. Great fruity taste, soft aftertaste, almost a little sweet.

We really, really liked this wine. It is a gorgeous spring day, so we ate outside in the tiny strip of green that I call my garden. As a matter of fact, as I type this, we are sitting in the yard, just finished our meal - gotta love wireless...(we haven't even had dessert yet) and I'm blogging this. Lindeman's Merlot is a 15 - 20 dollar wine for $4.49 - we, the slightly tipsy jury declare it 4 star.

Blackstone Merlot $6.99 ***

Merlot. Fruity. Not bad. A little acidic. I poured myself a glass as I was making Pat Monahan's Turkey Chili Recipe. I'll be using the Merlot in the chili. That is my Saturday night, cooking and sipping on a glass of wine. The chili is for Sunday, and I'll save the balance of the wine for then.

I may also use this merlot for a coq au vin for Monday night. (I did) The chili was a hit - but the meal ended up being for beer drinkers, so after I cleaned up on Sunday night, I started the coq au vin.

It is now Monday night and the house smells amazing. The chicken is bubbling away in it's merlot/mushroom/carrot/potato bath, and I expect that there'll be some amazing leftovers tomorrow!