D.O.C. Dan Of Chicago

Craft Beer Renaissance

2009-08-07T08:46:00.000-07:00

President Obama this week hosted a White House meeting between Harvard Professor Henry Luis Gates Jr. and the Cambridge, MA police officer involved in the now infamous arrest at the professor’s house. The three men were to get together for a beer and discuss the recent national headline-grabbing confrontation. This ignited another, albeit minor, controversy. What beer would be served? Obama would have a Bud-Lite, Professor Gates a Red Stripe or Beck’s and the officer would drink Blue Moon. Jim Koch of Massachusetts-based Samuel Adams brewery began immediately lobbying for one of his brews to be served as he is the local favorite where the controversial arrest that sparked the racial profiling debate occurred. Also, it was noted, Samuel Adams is the largest American-owned brewery now that the big brands are owned by European conglomerates. All this, over a beer?

Beer, the world’s oldest alcoholic beverage, has come a long way over several thousand years and is truly a global beverage. But its most recent renaissance is being experienced on the local level with the rapid increase in demand for so-called ‘Craft Beers.’ Here in Chicago, I’ve become accustomed to comprehensive beer lists at not only beer-focused bars, but also at locally owned neighborhood restaurants and fine-dining spots downtown. Blackbird restaurant, a Chicago favorite and James Beard award winner, offers a beer list featuring no imports and no brands that advertise during the Super Bowl. Another Beard winner, Hot Chocolate in the Bucktown neighborhood, recently hosted a Beer-Dinner with local beer, instead of wine, pairings for each course. The event was sold out weeks in advance.

I have grown to take this for granted and assumed it was like that anywhere locally-owned restaurants thrived. But while on vacation in Austin, TX, I was mildly shocked at the lack of craft or otherwise small-batch beer offerings at restaurants. I dined at several highly regarded restaurants and found that while the menus and wine-lists were carefully assembled, the beer lists had very little variety beyond Texas staple Shiner Bock and locally brewed Fireman’s Four from Real Ale Brewing Company of Blanco, TX. In contrast, Feast Restaurant on Damen Ave. in Chicago has eight taps, all of which are Midwest Craft brews or Imports. Feast manager and beverage buyer Bret Heiar has had the occasional disappointed customer that tries to order a Budweiser, but by and large he says his patrons appreciate the variety and uniqueness of his beer offerings.

On the retail level, I spoke with Greg Stellatos, co-owner of W Crossings Grocer, a neighborhood grocery, beer and wine shop, and he tells me that 80% of his beer business is Craft Beer. He carries 150 beers with the vast majority being small brewers whose beers sell for $10 or more per six-pack. From a merchandising perspective, Greg has given the majority of his cold case space to Craft Beers. With twenty-four linear feet of cold case, he dedicates only six feet to national, heavily-advertised, brands. On the floor, his case stacks are not Bud and Miller, but instead Three Floyd’s of Indiana and Bell’s of Michigan. His Craft offerings reach beyond the Midwest with beers like Fat Tire (Colorado), Ommegang (New York), Allagash (Maine), and Dogfish Head (Delaware).

Beer Business Daily, an industry newsletter, reported last week that five of the six national ‘work-horse’ brands are seeing a free-fall in their sales (Miller Lite, Corona Extra, Budweiser, Bud Lite and Heineken) in the past quarter, with only one brand being up, Coors Light, a meager 1.7%. Reasons attributed to this? The economy was, of course, a factor, but historically beer has been ‘recession proof’ as it is relatively cheap entertainment. Another reason offered was a “shift in consumer tastes.” Craft Beer sales are on a rapid increase and some in the business suggest that these beers are taking sales from not only ‘mega beer brands’ but also from wine. So excited are consumers about these beers that Craft Brewmasters are beginning to enjoy the celebrity status in some circles that was previously bestowed only on famous winemakers.

Where’s this going? Will we see a Bell’s Oberon sponsored Nascar team? Likely not. But restaurants and retailers that ignore this shift will surely feel the same pain felt by those that a few years ago that thought Kendall-Jackson, Yellow Tail and Jadot constituted a comprehensive wine department or list.

Grand Crew Classy

2009-01-11T17:19:00.000-08:00

I am not sure what took us so long to get around to it, but the Grand Crew finally got down to business and had a Bordeaux night. Also, I am not sure what took me so long to chronicle the night! I don't know how Godin and Lefsetz do it. Anyway... Sadly Jim was not able to join us for this Grand Crew. His company was missed in addition to his expertise. He out of all of us proabaly has the most experience with Bordeaux wines, especially the classified growths. Oh well, sorry Charlie! We had an incredible night.

Before we get into the wines, let’s discuss. Bordeaux is home to some of the worlds most famous and sought after wines. Prices for said first and second growths can be sky high, but I think there is still value to be found in Bordeaux. If you like wines with those old world, earthy and minerally flavors with a good dose of restrained fruit, then Bordeaux could be your new best friend. Even the non-classified Bordeaux you see for $20 or less can be interesting. That’s where shopping at a wine retailer with whom you can develop a relationship can really pay off. Work with someone you trust, someone who can get to know your palate and make good suggestions.

Ah, enough of that. Now the wines. Vikki started us in delicious fashion with a beautiful Graves Blanc from the Pessac-Léognan AC. This area is famous for its gravel soil and is typically thought to deliver wines superior to that of the rest of Graves to the South. The 03 Chateau Smith Haut Lafite was a beautiful way to start the evening. Golden straw in color with an appley nose, if gave off a small hint of oxidation, but in a very good way. It was full and rich on the palate and reminiscent of salty caramel. A fine pairing with Vikki’s Champagnemarinated shrimp served with Buerre Blanc.

Blooms had a the tough task of finding a cool Bordeaux blanc that WAS NOT from Graves. They scored nicely with the 04 Chateau de Launay. This was brighter and more herbaceous than the Smith Haut Lafite. The acid came through late in the palate as did a touch of creamy oak flavors. Killer wine for sure. Excellent with Blooms adapted monkfish and pineapple dish that he recreated from a childhood memory.

Into the reds we went. Jenn and I thought it’d be fun to rock a little vertical. For Lalande de Pomerol we selected a 95 and 00 Chateau Bertineau st Vincent. We served both with a charcuterie and cheese course, complete with my homemade chicken pate! Jenn loves it when I sauté chicken livers, whip them in the food processor and chill the concoction in Beef Jell-o. I did it all for her. These wines were raging. Both made under the auspices of one Michel Rolland. You can knock this guy or praise him, but the fact remains that he works with some of the finest terroirs in the entire world. So, if you are dealing with fine wine, it is sometimes hard to avoid this guy. Both wines were predominately Merlot of course. The 95 gave off that beautiful, textbook Bordeaux nose. Loads of cedar and cigar box, smoke and stewed fruit. The mid-palate had more in common with cheese and dirt than fruit and I mean that in a good way. Tannins were very soft; the mouthfeel was supple and sublime. The 2000 was much more intense on the nose with aggressive fruit aromas with a more apparent presence of alcohol. Tannins were dusty and integrated well with the abundance of fruit. Both were incredible wines but I would choose the 95 too drink again in the near future.

Have you heard the one about the new members of Grand Crew that made their debut with an 88 Lafite Rothchild? Did you read the card?? Carl and Ruth made an excellent impression and contribution to the evening with the first First Growth to show up at Grand Crew. This wine was ridiculous. On the nose this crazy mentholated and eucalyptus thing opened my sinuses. The velvety structure was nothing short of sexual. The finish was long and took its sweet time unfolding., revealing layers of dark fruit, fennel, bacon and earth. Thank you!

As a backup, in case the Lafite bottle was damaged by several moves over the past 25+ years, Carl and Ruth brought an 04 Chateau Ponet Canet, a 5^th growth from Pauillac. This was so different, obviously, than the 88 Lafite. Predominately Cab and Merlot with small amounts of Cab Franc and Petit Verdot, the Ponet Canet drank like a Napa wine. Huge huge huge fruit. Very few Bordeaux characteristics, if any, were apparent.

Where do you go after a bottle from one of the top Chateaus in the world? Thank goodness Victor and

Krassi were up next… they never disappoint and were definitively up to the challenge. Second Growth, anyone? Nice! 97 Chateau Leoville-Las Cases should do the trick. This Saint Julien chateau holds vineyards just across a tributary from Latour. Nice neighbor to have. I wonder if there is a vintners version of penis envy… are they always secretly checking each other out? Anyway.. the 97 was beautiful. Perfect red and blue fruit on the nose with cedar notes. Strong and powerful palate followed by a long seductive finish. Krassi wowed us with a Rabbit Terrine au aspic served with celery root, apple and mustard dressing. Trés délicieux.

Robert Parker loved the 98 vintage in Pomerol. In fact, he rated the Right bank ACs far higher than the usual superstars of the Left. Perhaps he was thinking of Jill and Dan’s 98 Chateau Nenin, a property which is now managed by Chateau Leoville Las Cases. This was true elegance. The nose was beautiful and feminine, showing mystery and complexity. Aromas of perfume were followed by balanced flavors of red and blue fruit. Tannins were soft and very well integrated. Gorgeous soft Merlot that was excellent along side Jill’s Beef Bourgogne. Dan must have a secret connection for mushrooms…

Dessert time! I am reading the Billionaire’s Vinegar. Every page it is Lafite this, Y’Quem that. No one besides Billionaires get to drink this stuff on a regular basis, but here was the grand crew rocking out both of these on one night. Check out that book by the way… it is a great read, a real page-turner. It reads like a true crime novel, which I guess it is.

Peter and Jane, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. From the couple that blew my mind at the inaugural Grand Crew 12 months before with the insane dessert “Pavlova,” tonight came the oldest bottle of wine I had ever handled. 1978 Chateau d’Yquem. They gave me the honor of opening it. The bottle showed good fill level just above the shoulders. I applied the slightest pressure to the cork with the horn of the wine key and the cork immediately plunged into the wine. We poured everything out into our glasses right away as to avoid prolonged cork contact. It was rich and amber in color, like Samuel Adams beer. The nose was pickly and smelled slightly of oxidation. The sweetness took a back seat on the palate to nutty and salty flavors. It was almost like a lighter Madeira or a white port, but with a pronounced salinity. I feel that maybe the cork on this wine lost its seal somewhere along the way, permitting too much oxygen contact. Regardless, this was a pleasure and an honor to drink. I was three years old when these grapes succumbed to botrytis.

I love Bordeaux. There is nothing like it. Napa has abandoned its roots and no longer seeks to deliver nuance and complexity like Warren Winiarski did 40 years ago. Now it is all about power and strength. Bordeaux, as we saw from Michel Rolland’s wine, has taken a few pages from Napa’s book, but still delivers subtlety. Still delivers multi-dimensional experiences for the wine drinker.

Next stop 2009 and the Grand Crew heads down under for a quick tour of Aussie and NZ. See you there ya banana bender.

My smoker caught on fire again!

2008-10-19T20:21:00.000-07:00

Dagnabbit! I have been smoking meat for years and have never had a problem. But this year I have had TWOOOOOO grease fires. Thank goodness Tommy was there this time to assist in the fireman detail. The brisket was already out when the fat caught fire, so no loss of smokey deliciousness.

Crush 08 at James Berry Vineyard / Saxum

2008-10-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I headed West to my favorite wine region of California, Paso Robles. There’s been wine production here for a long time, but not until recently has the quality of West Paso, especially Rhone Varietals, gained the attention of the power brokers of wine. I was fortunate enough to honored with the privilege of assisting in Crush at James Berry Vineyard, home to the Saxum winery.

I had worked the Chicago market all day with Robert Kamen then caught a 7pm out of Midway to San Jose. As with all Chicago flights, we were delayed getting out but I finally got into San Jose around 11:15pm Cali time, 1:15am Chicago time. I grabbed my rental car from Fox and hit the 101 South. First stop, IN AND OUT BURGER. And you KNOW I had it animal style. Hard to eat in the car, but so worth it. So I enjoyed Loveline on Live 105 for a while then when I lost that I switched to AM and caught some lunatic on AM 810 raving on and on about how all men eat breakfast cereal every day, especially late at night. Nutjob… Anyway, I finally get to Paso after 2AM and check into the Motel 6. I totally collapse into sleep, but cant wait to wake up the next day and get into it at James Berry Vineyard.

After quick biscuits and gravy at a diner, it was off to the West Side. Being an Illinois boy, it never fails to blow me a way when roads curve, rise and fall with the contours of mountains. Paso is a beautiful community set in absolutely gorgeous surroundings. When I got to the vineyard, Justin and the crew had just finished picking a block of Roussanne that was already on its way North to the Copain winery. It was time to work in the winery instead of the vineyard.

He got me started doing pump-overs. Here’s why the wine needs to be pumped over. When grapes and the juice ferment, carbon dioxide is produced that pushes the skins and stems of the grapes to the top of the fermenter. If left unbroken, this cap can create an anaerobic environment and that will stunt the yeast growth and inhibit fermentation. BAD! So Justin had me pump juice from the bottom of the fermenter back into the top of the fermenter to keep oxygen in the mix and break up the cap. Before getting going, I had to sneak a few peeks and smells of the wine-to-be. I leaned my head over the top of the whole cluster fermenting syrah from the Bone Rock parcel and was entranced by the aroma. Yeasty, grapey, slightly winey… almost like if you made bread out of grapes. Loved it. BTW. The fermenters, and most machines for that matter, at Saxum all have names compliments of Mark. Hank the Tank. Biggie Talls. I guess you had to be there…

That was the order of the day. We pumped over a few different lots of Syrah and that was that. The next day was to be the real work. Harvesting the lower parcels of Bone Rock. Before leaving the winery, Justin gave me a tour of the vineyard. He has your G/S/M Rhone Varietals, along with some Roussanne and Chard. A highlight was tasting one cluster of Roussanne at the end of the row, sour and green, and then another cluster not 25 yards away and it was sweet and delicious. A slight change in the exposure made a huge difference in the ripening. After I helped take delivery of some barrels, I headed back to Paso to get cleaned up for dinner at Villa Creek, which was delicious. Love their food…love their wines.

Bright and early (actually, it was still dark) the next day it was go time. I was at the vineyard at 6:30am ready to pick. As the sun rose from the East and shined its flashlight on my surroundings, I was taken once again with the stunning beauty of West Paso Robles. I ate a cluster of Roussanne as I felt the cool air, watched the mountains, trees and vineyards come into view. The rest of the picking crew showed up and it was time to pick. My timing was perfect for this trip. I was lucky enough to be there the day that the upper parcel of Bone Rock was being picked. For Syrah lovers out there, and I include myself among you, this was an incredible privilege. This is a parcel of the JBV that sits at a 45 degree angle. The Syrah on this block is head-trained, meaning there is no cordon cable for the vines to grow along. The vines are not guided in any particular direction. They just grow up like a big bush, like in many places in Syrah’s original home, the Rhone Region of France.

The picking crew arrived and we were off and running with our FYBs, see pic. Armed with gloves and some snips, the task at had was not a complex one. Cut the good clusters into the bin while avoiding the second set. When the bin is full, empty it into the trailer. Repeat. It was beautiful, fun work. The grapes were a luscious blue and tasted delicious. The seeds would crack under my teeth; they weren’t green and chewy. It took about 4 hours to pick 2 acres, which gave us about 3 tons of fruit.

From the vineyard, straight to the crush pad. I was on the first pass of the screening process. Grapes are emptied into a hopper that empties onto a vibrating table. I was the first guy to see the fruit and pull off any bad berries or bad clusters altogether, remove leaves and other debris. The grapes were like Chicago voters… early and often. They kept coming! It is so funny what you can become accustomed to. I am not a bee hater, but I certainly do not respond well to bees in my immediate vicinity. Well that was out the window because bees love fresh grapes and grape juice, and we were all basically lightning rods in the middle of a bee electric storm. They swarmed. Everywhere. But I didn’t get stung. I am sure it is a trick… down the road I will apply my cavalier attitude to a bee in my presence and zing! He will get me.

Anyway, after the table I worked with 5 others, the destemmer got ahold of the grapes, and did what else? De-stemmed. Then the loose berries were sorted again, last chance to get rid of the raisons, and then they went into a device that lightly cracked the berries only and dropped them into French Oak Puncheons where they would undergo fermentation. These lots of barrel fermented, de-stemmed, bone rock will later be blended with the stainless, whole cluster fermented lots to give us the mighty 2008 Bone Rock when it is released in about 3 years. Can’t wait!

With picking, sorting, destemming etc done for the day and the equipment cleaned up, it was time to head back to hotel and get some rest. Or so I thought… Justin informed me that some work had yet to be done. The aforementioned caps needed some more breaking. But this time, no pump over would do. We needed to do it, Lucy style.

After a hard day at the winery, I needed to get my fix so I headed to the Burger Station in Templeton before heading back to the hotel to watch the first presidential debate.

Aside from learning a great deal about how wine is made, I had the opportunity to taste some back vintages of Saxum and Villa Creek wines. And to those out there who say that these wines (high extraction, high alcohol etc) wines can’t age, I say you are wrong. I tasted the first vintage of Bone Rock, 2000, and it was raging. Incredible intensity on the nose, great fruit and firm tannins. And the acidity is perfectly in check and if it didn’t say 16% on the label you probably wouldn’t know. Robert Parker (say what you want, but the guy tastes the best wines in the world every vintage and has been to the very top vineyards and Chateau) called the James Berry Vineyard a ‘Grand Cru’ sight. I agree.

Thanks again to Justin and his family for hosting my visit.

In addition to Saxum, here are some other excellent West Side Paso wineries to check out:

The Grand Crew.. the Big Night. Yeah, Italia

2008-10-16T21:03:00.000-07:00

The Grand Crew… the Big Night

Have you seen this film. The Big Night? The two brothers, one with a mind for business and one with a mind for the food, the passion and the tradition. They clash over how to save their failing restaurant. Well the Grand Crew hit the boot in full style not too long ago, but without the business woes and internal tension. Grand Crew en Italiano! Molto Buono!

Victor and Krassi hosted the evening and we began with a tour of the basement. No, no John Wayne Gacy plot twist… just Victor’s ‘indo or garden.’ NO! Not that kind of garden... the Orchids! Very cool. That requires far more patience than I could offer.

Into the juice and eats. We jumped straight in with a Prosecco showdown and Caprese salad made with Heirloom tomatoes from Peter and Jane’s garden. The first Prosecco was the Sergio Mionetto NV. It was great. I think I opined aloud that this “isn’t your usual ‘bachelorette party prosecco.’ Is that offensive? I don’t think so. If I were tasting through the Unibrou beers and said to a group of males, ‘this isn’t your usual bachelor party beer’ I think they’d be ok with it. Anyway, the Mionetto was dry, had a wonderful bready, cheesy nose. It was for grown ups. The second Prosecco was also serious in style. The Nino Franco Rustico had a very cool minerality on the nose, a gentle tartness on the palate along side flavors of cut melons. The effervescence was beautifully integrated into the flavors and finish.

Bring out the Blooms. I’d like to personally thank them for hipping me to Pasta Fresh on Harlem Ave in Chicago’s NW side. I had no idea this place existed, but am now a super fan and I can’t wait to eat their pasta again. Apparently they have the dough all made and they will cut it into any format you want. Great biz idea…. Especially in Chicago. The Blooms served their Pasta Fresh with a delicious calamari salad. It was beautiful along side the 06 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis. This wine was very classic Italian white on the nose… that cool blend of minerality, earthiness, citrus fruit and a small floral component. Some Italian whites can be a real snooze but this was kicking.

So Jenn and I we’re in the mid-zone. The transition from white to red. Oh, the responsibility! It took some time to decide on a wine, but I finally did. But when I went into Glunz looking for a “large format refosco,” I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when the guy laughed in my face. Sort of a niche item, I suppose. He hooked me up with a super cool 04 Elio Grasso – Vigna Martina – Barbera. From Monforte d’Alba, this was killer. The malo was present but very balanced with the gorgeous, lush yet elegant fruit. Perfect touch of oak with a slight earhiness completed the wine. Superb. Nice pairing too with our homemade pecorino and pear ravioli finished with a red wine brown sauce. Thanks for the assist in the kitchen Jill and Krassi! Since I couldn’t find a mag, I did bring a second bottle. This one was somewhat lame. The 04 Castelcosa Furlan Refosco. It had that Bretty, Band-Aid on the nose which sometimes I can get into, but this was lackluster at best.

Vikki and Jim do not disappoint…. Check this out. This wine was superb. Story goes that Giovanni Almondo is a man of all talents. He makes excellent wine, was the mayor of Monta d’Alba, and has a doctorate in Agronomy. The Bricco delle Ciliegie Arneis come from a vineyard neighboring a cherry orchard. The juice spends 6 months in stainless and a small parcel sees some oak. This wine had incredible acid, balanced by stunning flavors of each pit and skin. The nose gave off very cool white-rhone characteristics, but wasn’t as fat on the finish.

Vic and Krassi… our hosts with the mosts! Ah, the Magnums. Bring out the “biggens . How about a 97 Mag of Fattoria di Felsina Beradenga Chianti Classico. This wine was killer…. Pure Chianti. A textbook example Italian Sangiovese. And obviously, 97 was no slouch vintage. Age has treated this wine well and the wine drank beautifully. Little bricking in the color, but the fruit held strong. Great complexity.

Not one, but two mags were offered us compliments of Team V&K. How’s about a 99 Altesino Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. WS gave this wine 92 points, not that that is worth much anymore. But still, this was exceptional wine. Huge fruit up front with an underlying earthiness. Very Italian. Beautiful floral nose… strong, gripping tannins. And the Osso Bucco we enjoyed along side of this wine? How they say, ‘fugedaboudit…'?

For dessert we concluded the evening with Jill’s beautiful creation, a Peach Latice Puff Pastry and Olive Oil ice cream. Yeah, it’s like that…. So awesome. Dessert Wine in Italy? Say hello to the saints, the wine of the saints, that is. Vin Santo. The 93 Castello D’Albola Chianti Classico Vin Santo was golden honey in color and delivered wonderful nutty aromas. Thick and luxurious on the palate with more nutty and orange peal flavors. incredible complexity, well paired with the pastry and olive oil. Bravo!

Another Grand Crew Grand Success! Next stop, 1855… Bordeaux. See you then.

The Asia Blooms

2008-09-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

The foods of Asia. I wonder if people in Asia ever say “the foods of the Americas” and mean anything originating from Buenos Aires, Bismarck, L.A. Nova Scotia and all points between. Iraq is Asia. Japan? Asia. India! Asia! You get my point… we focused on the ‘usual’ suspects: the flavors of Japan, China, Thailand and of course the wines that ride shotgun, but don't fly bonzai.

After a nice reception with welcome wines, we got to the task at hand: pairing wine with exotic spice and delicate flavors. Peter and Jane kicked us off with a tasty shrimp dish paired with a NZ Pinot Noir. The 06 Tohu Pinot Noir from Marlborough was outstanding. Very light in color but strikingly intense on the nose and palate. Hints of green gave way to leather, spice and stewed dark fruit.

On to the second course. The Blooms, our gracious host, prepared delicious egg rolls and a noodle salad which paired perfectly with the 07 Sineann Pinot Gris. I love this wine. It shows the uniqueness of Oregon’s Umpqua Valley. Cool climate, diverse soil types, all the result of the convergence of three mountain ranges. The Sineann PG showed big bright acidity, citrus and pear flavors are complimented by a subtle nuttiness. Waxy and long in the finish.

For course three, Jenn and I made one of her favorites… a sockeye salmon grilled in cedar paper. We went to dirks and asked dirk to cut two pounds of sockeye salmon in to 14 cigar sized and shaped pieces. At home we wrapped each piece in a sheet of cedar paper that had been soaked in water for an hour. To keep the package closed we tied then with green onions. Also rolled in there were some Pennsylvania shitake mushrooms. Cooking is easy… just grill the rolled pieces, cedar paper and all, over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Essentially you are steaming the salmon while imparting some of the cedar paper flavors. The rich and intense flavor of the salmon is simply gorgeous. Texture-wise the salmon is dense, yet you can cut it with a fork… no knife needed. The mushrooms added a nice earthy note which was picked up and complimented by our wine, the 06 Domaine Paul Blanck Pinot Blanc d’Alsace. This Domaine dates back to the 17^th century and they have holdings across the region, including the celebrated Schlossberg and Furstentum Grand Cru sites. The PB showed zesty citrus and peach pit flavors with this very cool mushroom undertone.

Dan and Jill stepped it up considerable. It was a hot and humid, classic July Chicago day. That did not deter Jill from biking from Evanston. What’s the big deal.. a little bike ride. Oh, did I mention she had a pressure cooker full of amazing soup strapped to the back of her bike. Yeah, it’s like that. Love the dedication. And this soup was ridiculous good. It was a Thai soup of Chicken and Shrimp that Jill called Tom Yum Gung, I believe. Beautiful! With delicate spice and layers of flavor that kept peeling back to reveal another. The pairing? Red Burgundy! Bold. It totally worked. They selected an 02 Jacques Girardin Santenay Clos Rousseau, a 1er Cru in the southern end of the Cote de Beaune. Without the soup, this tasted very bloody, dirty, but some cherry aromas came though on the nose. With the soup, the fruit jumped out but was firmly grounded with said nastiness. This was killer. Classic Burgundy.

Jim and Vikki never disappoint. 06 Kollwentz “Steinmuhle Reserve” Sauvignon Blanc from Burgenland, Austria. Hot damn. Insanely good. Waxy with peach skin flavors and petrol aromas. Beautifully bright acid with flavors of cut lemons, grass and olives. It was fantastic.

We finished off with Victor and Krassi’s banana “egg roll” and mango sticky rice. This was a light and refreshing way to conclude the evening on the Blooms’ very relaxing and serene back porch, over looking their well manicured yard and garden. Moscato d’asti got the call to accompany the dessert and how could you go wrong? The Vignaioli de S. Stefano was classic moscato. Peachy bubbly flavors, lightly evervescent, clean and refreshing. Some in my wine circle call this wine L P R (Liquid panty remover). That was not the case this evening but a good time was had nonetheless.

Next up the Grand Rock has their own big night at Victor and Krassi's place. Can not wait.

Thank you for smoking

2008-07-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

The meats, sauces, fats and, of course, wines that make summer a culinary and caloric tsunami provided us the theme of Grand Crew Quatro. Brisket, Ribs, Bulgarian Sausage et al.. you name it we grilled it. The wines were white, pink, red, refined, sludgy, New World, Old World – showing the infinite variety of wines that can rock your BBQ fare this summer. I have always thought it to be peculiar that smoked ribs, for example, pair well with a ridiculous Cali Zin as well as a Rosé from the Rhone. One wine is light and refreshing and the other resembles fruity motor oil. Jim and I were discussing this as I held the beautiful Alsatian magnum he brought when he made the first excellent suggestion of the evening, “enough talking, more pouring!” Well said, my man… well said.

After some Bellini to kick the evening off, we jumped into Jim’s mag of 06 Domaine Weinbach – Riesling Schlossberg Cuvee St. Catherine. (Some Grand Cru for the Grand Crew, ya dig?) I put my nose in the glass expecting that signature petrol, but instead was hit with intense and beautiful vegetal aromas and earth. Waxy and oily fruit filled the palate and the minerality was beautiful along the well-integrated RS. Merci, Monsieur Jim!

Michael, after my own heart, provided me with a nice depletion as he brought an 07 Crios Rosé of Malbec he bought at Whole Foods on Cicero. Susana Balbo’s everyday label, named for her Children, is an excellent value line from Argentina. The Rosé was an accident of sorts. Susana was observed bleeding off her Malbec juice for her namesake label wine and running that pink

juice down the drain. “Make a Rosé” her importer said and make a Rosé she did. It’s a fun, easy drinking, fruit-forward wine that’s completely dry… perfect for summertime sipping.

We kept the pink team cheering with Vikki’s very cool 07 Stift Göttweig's Rosé of Pinot Noir from Kremstal region of Austria. The label said “messwein” which apparently means the rules of the local church must be followed when making the wine. Reinheitsgebot they call it. I had Reinheitsgebot as a child but the doctor gave me corrective insoles for my shoes and it cleared up over time… back to the wine. Awesome. Imagine dried strawberries served on a piece of cool slate. Nice long finish, very clean.

Sometimes wine labels give you very few clues as to how a wine will taste. The 03 Tobin James Fat Boy Zinfandel from Paso Robles is not one of those wines. At 16+% Alcohol, the Fat Boy was as advertised. Big, juicy, thick, fruit forward, oaked and yes, FAT. Absolutely perfect with the smoked brisket. Yeah, smoked brisket. Smoked brisket that almost cost Jenn and I our garage.

I was supposed to get up at 4 AM to begin what was to be a 14 hour smoke of the 10lb brisket in my char broil water smoker. When Jenn stirred me at 8am asking, “do you need to flip the brisket or anything?” I jumped up and freaked. Flip the brisket? I needed to START the brisket. I had slept through my 4 am alarm and was now four hours behind schedule. My revised brilliant plan was to run the fire just a little bit hotter… keep that charcoal burning. I knew I wouldn’t end up with a perfect brisket, but I knew I’d at least have a brisket to serve the hungry and thirsty Grand Crewians. Fast forward to 4pm. The internal temp of the brisket is 160… which means it is technically cooked. The target temp is 180; that’s when the fat melts and the moist, juicy goodness rewards your patience. The temp was stalled at 160 so I cranked that fire up just a little bit more. Now I won’t bore you with lengthy explanations of how the water smoker works, but here is the basic concept. On the bottom of the unit is a pan which holds burning charcoal and wood chunks. Above that is a large water pan. Above the water pan are two grates for the meat. All of this is contained in a R2D2 shaped cylinder.

So here’s an essay question for you… what happens when the water pan boils down dry, the fire gets hotter and the water pan fills with fat drippings from the above brisket? Huh? FIRE! Yeah, my shit burned. I come outside and the smoke is billowing into the sky, the flames are creeping out of every hinge and opening on the smoker and a neighbor from across the alley is yelling asking if I am ok. Now just like every reasonable person, I have priorities. I see 6 foot flames in contact with my wood garage and the paint peeling off my smoker and my first thought is SAVE THE BRISKET. I grab a cookie sheet and hot pads, open the smoker and the flames shoot up into the sky like the 4th of July. I reach in, grab the brisket and toss it on a pan. Then, and only then, do I address the fact that our back yard is burning down. After closing the smoker I doused it with the hose for ten minutes and it cooled down. The temp guage shattered from the heat and as you can see from the pic, the smoker now looks “well seasoned.”

To salvage the meal I scraped off the charred outer layer of the brisket and finished cooking it in the oven at 220. It was delicious and I got a great story out of the deal.

Brad brought us some loot from a recent trip to Tejas. Cabernet, grown in Texas? Oh, you better believe it, Bobby (Dallas reference, disregard.) The 05 La Bodega Private Reserve tasted like cab, but on the green side which is shocking considering you’d think the Texas sun would get those grapes nice and ripe. A very cool offering... thanks Brad!

And let's not forget Dan and Jill's excellent contribution, an 03 Tablas Creek Mourvedre. Tablas Creek: the perfect selection for Francophiles. Tablas Creek has a relationship with Beaucastel, among the numero uno producers in CDP and Tablas brought rootstock from the Rhone, put up with years in quarantine with the DOA, and planted that rootstock in the Paso region of California. And dare I say, Tablas Creek wines are the most "authentic" central coast Rhone wines I have ever tasted. The 03 Mourvedre was no exception. Merci Jill and Dan!

Peter and Jane brought not only beautifully smoked ribs, but a fantastic Cab from the Langhorne Region of South Australia (Near Adelaide), the 02 Killibinbin (Is that an Australian word or what?). Wine Advocate (RP, I assume) 90 points. This was chewy, big, lots of fruit and seemed to have years ahead of it in aging potential. Great with the ribs!

Krassi and Victor, continuing to bring some next level action to the Grand Crew, went over the top with homemade Bulgarian sausages. DELISH! Vino-wise the sausage was paired with a killer, over-the-top Shiraz, the 04 Kilikanoon (again!) “Oracle.” Lots of fruit on the nose with some coffee and smoke action. On the palate this was classice Shiraz. Fruit, pepper, oak. Very rich… very intense.

We finished the evening with a fantastic desert wine from Palimina of Santa Barbara... check the video for more details and double entendre. Love the Palmina!

So… the Grand Cue tough us all something. TOO MUCH FOOD. Jim had the great idea of assigning “positions” in the meal for the next gathering so we didn’t have 7 main courses, 13 deserts etc.. not that there’s anything wrong with that. The next stop is Casa Bloom for an Asian feast and the appropriately delicious wines.

Grand Crew meets White Burgundy

2008-05-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay in posting. With my starting the new gig with Cream and the nice weather allowing some fun in the sun, I have not had the devoted Vaio time that I am usually accustomed. Not too long ago, the Grand Crew, with new members Victor and Krassi, got together to taste the white wine of the gods, White Burgundy. We convened on Jim and Vikki's on a beautiful Saturday night. May I say, their apartment is killer. Classic Chicago long floor plan, bay windowed dining room as well as the Chicago classic "three season den" - the finished back porch. Also contributing to the awesome apartment quotient is their impeccable taste for vintage (not used junk) furniture and a total lack of clutter.

On to the juice... we started the evening with a few "welcome wines," including a 06 Domaine Perraud Macon-Villages. A nice, easy wine to start the evening with. Balanced, clean, stoney - Macon. Jim was busy in the kitchen preparing a fantastic meal... I couldn't help but over hear that pork belly was on the menu. That will definitely work for me.

The night’s “assignment” was White Burgundy so we divied up the region and everyone brought a selection from a different Appellation.

Peter & Jane brought a 05 Domaine Servin Chablis - Montée de Tonnerre (1er Cru).
This was just fantastic. Elegant and powerful with flavors of stone fruits and pure Chablis minerality. Too bad many people associate the word “Chablis” with crappy cali wine. As we know that word was high-jacked years ago and has not fully recovered. Now I understand why the Champagne people get so antsy about their ‘word.’

Michael seleceted a 05 Vincent Dancer Meursault "Les Coubins."
This was a cool little wine and the winemaker, a young and rising superstar in Burgundy, has a cool blog (I opted for the Google translation… speaking French is the Other Dan’s skill.)
About the wine…. Very small production with fruit sourced just below located below the Volnay 1er Cru Santenots. Fantastic and balanced wine. Funny that Meursault has no Grand Cru designated vineyards.

Dan & Jill - 04 Bernard Morey Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot (1er Cru).
Parker likes these wines, but I won’t hold it against them. Very full wine, leesy in style but not fat. By now the theme is emerging… Chard from its home is not the overly-buttered & oaked, flabby unbalanced wines we’re accustomed to tasting from mass producers in California. Balance… Balance… and the minerality that keeps the malo and richness from being overwhelming, make White Burgundy something so different from “Chardonnay.”

Newcomers Victor and Krassi came correct with a Mercurey - 02 Chateau de Chamirey. This was drinking wonderfully. Very round but with a bright acidity that complimented the rich nut and butter. Not only did their wine do us proud, but Krassi brought her own little mini-feast, complete with plates. Yeah, she brought plates! The scallops were ridiculous good. Welcome to the Crew, K&V, welcome.

Brad had Macon and selected a 06 Chateau de la Greffiere Macon la Roche Vineuse – This was easy and unassuming… floral flavors mingling with peach and other stone fruits... chalky and pleasing.

Myself and Jenn were happy to represent Pouilly-Fuissé with an 04 Domaine Vessigaud Vers Asnieres A few years ago we were fortunate to spend some time in Burgundy and took the long and winding road to the two villages of Pouilly and Fuissé. At one point you get to a fork in the road and Pouilly is this way and Fuissé is that way. Needless to say, there is NO wrong turn at that intersection. We picked up the bottle at the tasting room in Pouilly... how could we not? The cute old man came out of his house and showed us his wines. This particular PF comes from a parcel in Fuissé that is described as clay-ey and rocky, giving us that signature PF minerality that I can not get enough of. Side bar: why is Minerality not a word? Seems silly.

Now the big dog…. Jim and Vikki did not mess around at all. They volunteered for Corton Charlemagne. Who’s gonna argue with that? They selected a 99 Follin Arbelet Corton Charlemagne. The first impression from the nose was “wow…this smells like Pinot Noir, not Chard.” It was massive on the nose with that telltale French funk. This wine was incredible. Soaring mid-palate and a never ending finish. The winemaker is a purist. Hand harvesting only, no herbicides or pesticides. He comes a family of winemakers dating back into the 1800s. Sometimes nepotism pays off.

Jill’s food recap / blog is in development, so stay tuned for that. The Grand Crew has quickly evolved into not just an evening of wine, but also of tremendous eats. I like the Italian approach: wine IS food.

The Grand Crew part Deux - gettin' sticky with it

2008-02-11T19:32:00.000-08:00

The sweet life was ours this a few Fridays ago as the Grand Crew dove into the world of dessert wines. After a wonderful meal hosted and prepared by Jane and Peter, we went straight for a long and fantastically delicious line of desserts and dessert wines. The field was wide with tastes from around the globe: Portugal, Australia, British Columbia, France, Austria…. But no USA? Jenn and I contemplated bringing the Tobin James Late Harvest Zin, but instead opted to blow minds with white port?!?

Anyway, on to the treats and sweets. We led with Vicki’s very generous offering. 2001 Kracher TBA #6 and 2005 Kracher TBA #6. It was a privilege to taste two of Kracher’s wines side by side, of the same “sweetness” but from different vintages and cooperage. The 2001, a blend of 60% Chard and 40% Welschriesling, which saw oak, was full and generous in the mouth. Flavors of citrus and burnt sugars lingered long and were a nice pairing with the sweets Vicki scored at Andersonville’s Swedish Bakery. I tasted the 05 (100% Muskat Ottonel, no oak) next and was hard pressed to find a favorite among the two. The ‘05 was a much lighter, more yellow hue in the glass, whereas the 01 was golden in color. This offered a bit more spice, but showed also citrus and some vegetal notes on the finish. Again, as with the 01, this TBA offered a creamy and full mouthfeel and the sweetness was brought into balance by lively acidity.

Next up: Jenn and I. I had thought we had the pairing locked… a Barros White Port with white chocolate crème brulée. No problem, right? We’ll get to that in a minute. First… cue the blowtorch! I had always wanted to walk around a dinner party with a lit torch. No one takes your seat and no one dances with your girl when you are packing a blowtorch! Tonight was my night… we finished Jenn’s delicious and perfectly prepared crème brulée at the table by torching the sugar on the surface. FUN!! I recommend it to all. Crème brulée: delicious! Barros White Port: delicious! The two together, nada. It just didn’t work. The acidity seemed out of whack between the two. Back to the superfantastic blowtorch part… As I burnt the sugars on everyone’s dessert, I told the story of the Barros 1935 Colheita White Port – AKA Lolita Port. Email me and I will fill you in, if you like.

The other Dan came strong and unique with a Mead from the Tugwell Creek Meadery – Wassail blush, that he bought at the Meadery in BC. This was unlike anything I had ever tasted. Big aromas of Banana Candy, but not in that flawed wine-making-banana-bad way. Necco wafers anyone? This was excellent with the outstanding spread of sticky icky stinky cheeses that Dan and Jill brought… especially the triple cream.

Jane and Peter took us downunder for the 2006 Heggies Vineyard Botrytis Riesling. Simply put, everyone was blown away by this. The sweetness was brought into beautiful balance by a streak of minerality and wet stone accompanied by a flutter of vegetables on the finish. Bravo! And another Bravo for the homemade chocolate ice cream!

Back to the old world for Jim’s 2004 Domaine des Baumard Quarts de Chaume. Chenin Blanc + Botrytis Cinera = happy grand crew. This was fabulous. Honeyed and golden with splashes of melon and citrus. Delicate, yet assertive. Dare I say, feminine? We stayed in France for Brad’s Pineau des Charantes from Pierre Ferrand, with which I was not familiar. From what I could discern, this is made in a somewhat similar fashion as port in that fermentation is stopped and alcohol content is raised through the addition of sprits; in this case Cognac. Although in port, some fermentation is allowed to take place and with a Pineau des Charantes, the juice is unfermented. We served this neat and slightly chilled, while some others suggest it is best over ice. The Pineau (pronounced Pinot) had a nectarine sweetness and was a nice bridge between dessert wines and the gnarly spirits Peter broke out as the evening evolved into a tour of their beautiful home.

The Spirits of the night:

Rachiu Vechi Gutui “Rachiu de Gutui” from Romania?!? Brandy, made from QUINCE! What the hell is Quince? Apparently it is a fruit and when you make brandy from it you get a very strong, perfumed and floral glass of fire! This was very cool and had an incredibly unique bouquet. An experience to taste, no question about it.

Pazo De Senorans “Aguardiente De Arujo De Albarino." Yeah.. it’s like that. Brandy made from Albarino. Wild, aromatic, very hot.

Sidebar... we gave a road test to Peter's automatic Aerator with Brad's Michigan Meritage. I volunteered for the challenge. Caveat: the wine had been open for an hour, so there's the fine print. Check out the video below for the results. Hint: I had a 50/50 chance...

Next up, the Grand Crew goes to Burgundy to save Chardonnay from the California Oak maniacs. We’ve all been assigned a designation and I am looking forward to the next event. Salut!

Wine Blogging Wednesday #42

2008-02-11T14:29:00.000-08:00

So the challenge was issued by the good people at Spittoon: Blog an Italian wine in 7 words. No problem. I considered taking a dig at Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio "you paid how much for this plonk?" but decided a more serious entry would serve the greater good.

So here we go. A good friend at a Chicago restaurant turned me on to this wine...

2001 San Patrignano Montepirolo
Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The back label says only "Cabernet" but further info from the importer specifies a more typical left-bank blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc.

And now to my seven words:

Pencilbox, dust, terroir of France? Italia? prego!

Wine Blogging Wednesday - My first!

2008-01-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

After listening to various podcasts that mention WBW, I decided to give up my lurker status and take the plunge. This month’s theme was white wines from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia of Italy. This is not a go-to region for me, so I was excited to try something new. I selected a 2002 Ronco Cucco Tocai Friulano from the Collio DOC that I found on closeout at Sam’s in Chicago for $18.99. Tocai Friulano is the most widely planted grape of the region and according to the importer’s website, Villanova (the maker of Ronco Cucco), has been making wine in the region since 1499. The steep hillsides of the region require hand tending and harvesting. Total annual case production is 1000.

Now on to the wine. We opened this as our sipping wine while we cooked a glorious meal on New Year’s Eve. We had just returned from a Hawaiian vacation and were inspired by the Polynesian flavors. The Ronco Cucco paired quite well with our Poke and kept us refreshed as we prepared the heavier dishes for later in the meal. As the night went on and the wine approached room temperature, the character was not lost at all. Dare I say it improved as it warmed!

The nose on this wine was somewhat reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc with lots of tropical fruit aromas, but also offered some floral and grassy – green hints. I enjoyed the wonderfully full mouthfeel, which separated it from your usual SB. On the palate, my head taster, Jenn, picked up on flavors of candy, specifically white jelly beans! The green undertones continued throughout the palate and the wine finished strong and long, offering more flavors of simple candy. Acidity was assertive and lively but not out of balance.

All in all I would call this a great wine at the price point and would pour this for any person that dismisses Italian whites as boring or uninteresting.

Ronco Cucco

2002 Tocai Friulano

Collio DOC

$18.99 (closeout, regularly $25)

The Grand Crew Debut!

2007-12-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

After lots of talk and "yeah, we should do that!" our wine club THE GRAND CREW was finally "born." We decided to kick it off with a wine selection that would tell everyone a little about each other: a biographical selection of wine. Rather than "Cabs not from Napa" or "Tastes like Sauv Blanc but isn't," we were each asked to bring a wine that had personal historic relevance. This made for great ice breaking and we ended up with an incredible variety of wines and stories. The tasting notes, compliments of the other Dan, and stories and musings are below.

Peter and Jane brought us the 2006 Vasse Felix Margaret River Chardonnay as it reminded him of times spent in that region years ago in his native Australia (we'll get to the incredible Pavlova later). This was a nice, clean, crisp Chardonnay. Oak was barely detectable and did not interfere with the bright, tropical fruit on the palate. A great value, a wonderful seafood white.

Brad went for the "most interesting bottle" of the evening with the 2001 Zeller Black Cat Riesling Qualitatswein from Mosel Saar Ruwer Germany. Supposedly the story goes like this ".... Long ago, four wine merchants of Aachen had a tasting at an estate in Moselle. They had to select the best of three barrels but could not decide. The party grew louder as everybody tasted just once more. Suddenly, the wine growers cat mewed, jumped up, sat on the barrel, humped its back and clawed at everybody that tried to approach. Finally, the merchants agreed and bought the wine, which was strongly defended by the cat. They knew in their hearts that this was the best, and named the wine after the event: Zeller Schwarze Katz, or 'Zeller’s Black Cat.'" Love the story, but thank god the juice was good as well. This was a great, approachable German Riesling with a full mouthfeel and a touch of RS on the finish. I picked up no floral aromas at all... this wine was all about a steely minerality with a hint of apple on the finish. Brad chose this for the event simply because he bought it a few years ago at a shop in Colorado and was waiting for the right occasion for which to break it out. Thanks Brad!

We moved into my selection from there. Jenn, who could not join us for the Grand Crew Debut as she was sick in bed (don't worry, her Mother-in-Law was there to keep her company) and I chose the 2004 Kistler Hudson Vineyard Carneros Chard. Why a big, oakey, malo, Robert Parker Chardonnay? We will admit it... we loved it. We used to live for this wine. It was a Kistler Chard a friend shared with us that gave both Jenn and I the chills. I remember we looked at each other upon first sip and didn't even have to speak to communicate "oh baby, this is the real deal." If was from there that we began our pursuit mailing lists and other ridiculousness. I still enjoy this style of wine and I usually like it best along with shellfish or any fish cooked or poached in butter, but Jenn is done with it for now. Either way, this is an incredible example of California Chardonnay. Aforementioned Robert Parker said " The light gold-hued 2004 Chardonnay Hudson E-Block (500 cases from the famed E-Block made famous by Helen Turley) possesses lively acidity, gorgeous depth as well as richness, and a full-bodied, smoky, tropical fruit-filled (especially pineapple) personality. The wood component is well-integrated" and scored it in the low 90s. I agree most with the oak being supported... that's the trick of GOOD Cali Chard.

We moved into the red from there with the other Dan's 2000 Domaine Alain Paret Rochecourbe Saint Joseph. I love wines of the Rho ne so I was THRILLED to see this on the table and even more thrilled to see it in the decanter! Dan told a story discovering this wine at Sam's here in Chicago and taking advantage of the great value that Rhone wines offer when compared to Bordeaux or Burgundy. I loved this wine...outstanding Syrah. It showed aromas of leather, cassis, pencil box and dried figs. The palate was earthy but offered also bright spots of cinnammon candy. Soft tannins and a lasting finish.

From here we headed back to the Southern Hemisphere for Peter and Jane's take on the Syrah grape...2005 Mr. Riggs "The Gaffer" Shiraz from McClaren Vale. I was expecting a one-dimensional fruit bomb but was pleasantly surprised by this inky/dark Shiraz that offered aromas of leather and a chewy palate of brash fruit, supported by fine tannins and a long finish.

By now we are deep into Jill's delicious meal. That girl can bake some Salmon! Back to a Jenn and Dan pick. A brief story... 10 years ago Jenn took it upon herself to make me a special birthday dinner. We had just begun to dabble with wine and we headed to a local shop and asked the clerk for a $10 red that would pair with Beef Stroganoff. He put in our hands a "DAO." For all we knew DAO was a grape that grew on the moon... but it did pair well with the incredible meal Jenn prepared. That was one of the best birthdays I'd ever had so I thought it appropriate to bring out a DAO for the biographical wine club. I selected a $13 bottle from The Cellar Rat - 2003 DAO Quinta Dos Roques from Portugal. A very typical Dao blend of Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Alfronchiero and Jaen. Gnarly, woolly, dark and chewy. True old world value from Portugal.

We ended the night in high fashion with the other Dan's booty from Hungary... a Tokaji Aszu - 3 Puttonyos. Dan scored this on a recent trip to Hungary and told stories of language barriers, knocking on doors, getting lost... all for the sake of the grape. Dan, we salute you. This Tokay was outstanding. It offered nutty flavors with notes of apple along with earthy, mushroom nuances as well. On the nose I was thinking, "Oh, Hungarian Muscat," but there were no similarities beyond that. The label said "Vinem Regumi Rex Vinorum" which means Wine of Kings, King of Wines. Take that Budweiser.

All in all, this was a great night of wine, company, stories and conversation. Many thanks to Dan and Jill for hosting. And thank you Peter and Jane for introducing me to my new favorite dessert - Pavlova. Is it NZ or Aussie? I will let you figure that out while I enjoy another piece, please.

Death's Door Spirits event at Lush on Roscoe 12/4

2007-12-03T07:06:00.000-08:00

C.I.A. Graduate Chef Leah Caplan will be in Chicago Tuesday evening (December 4th)for the Death's Door Spirits Chicago launch party. Long story short... Leah has developed a line of Vodka and Gin made from organically grown wheat farmed on Washington Island Wisconsin. The gin and vodka are not your usual "mouthwash" tasting spirits. They actually have FLAVOR and MOUTHFEEL and can be paired with food. If you are in the Chicago media or beverage industry, stop by and sample the goods on Tuesday from 5:30PM - 8PM at Lush Wine and Spirits in Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood.

Hi.. I am new.

2007-09-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hey all.
I am just getting this started. I'll be posting about Wine and Wine events in and around Chicago. I may hit you with some music news here and there as well.

More to come!