Amedei

The Amedei plant in Italy

Brother and sister, Alessio and Cecilia Tessieri, founded Amedei chocolate brand in 1990, naming it in honor of their grandmother. With no prior experince making chocolate, they followed their passion and traveled the world in search of the perfect cocoa beans. The goal being to produce organic and exclusive chocolate like no one before.
Cecilia now runs the factory on an every day basis, while Alessio travels the world visiting the plantations from where their beans come and always searching for the best beans and ingredients. They have developed unique relationships with the growers caring for both quality in the beans but paying equal attention to the conditions for the workers on the plantations.
I have tasted two of their chocolate bars, Porcelana and Chuao.

Porcelana is a 70% bittersweet dark chocolate made exclusively from the very rare and expensive, genetically pure cocoa bean Criollo, also known as Porcelana (porcelain) for it's white, translucent color. This chocolate has a slight nutty and floral aroma. Dense and dark on the palate with a hint of nuts and a lingering finish.
It is made in very limited quantities, only 20,000 bars per year. They are all hand marked and mine is no. 10,705/20,000. Really makes you enjoy this beautiful chocolate a little bit extra.

Chuao is a 70% bittersweet dark chocolate. Amedei has bought the exclusive right to these beans and were the first chocolate maker to make a bar of pure Chuao beans. Chuao is the name of both the plantation and the Venezuelan peninsula where the cocoa beans grow, and they have been naturally selected over the centuries, creating a "natural blend". Before Amedei came along they were only added to chocolate products to enhance flavor. Now we can enjoy it in it's pure form.
Raspberry and dark fruit aroma with a floral, fruity round flavor in the mouth. Delicious!

These chocolates were a real treat to me. They are certainly not for a quick sugar fix, but to enjoy, slowly melting in your mouth, to truly appreciate their complexity.
They can both be found at http://www.chocosphere.com/, along with other Amedei products, for about $12/1.75 oz.

Columbia Winery Gewurtztraminer Columbia Valley 2005

Columbia Winery in Washington

This bottle seemed like a steal at BevMo for $7.99, with a lot of good reviews and 90 points from Wine Enthusiast, to back it.
Pouring it in the glass it has a pale straw color. The very first time smelling it I got a clean soap aroma on the nose, but after that it subdued, and I got apple, pear, white floral and a touch of elder berry. Tasting, it is fresh and lively on the palate with great balanced between acidity and the mellow sweetness. Apple, citrus and floral notes ends in a long, brilliant finish. This is a bottle I want more of.
$6.95 at http://www.wine-searcher.com/.

Melipal Mendoza Malbec 2004

Thirsty for new experiences I picked up a bottle of the 2004 Melipal Mendoza Malbec from Argentina the other day.
This wine has a dark, blueberry-red color in the glass that promises me a ripe fruit bomb. Showing buttery oak, big dark fruit and a hint of coffee on the nose, this is a very promising wine. Tons of black currant and black cherry on the palate with persistent tannins gives this wine a long, round finish. It was not quite as big from sweet fruit on the palate as I expected and this is a good thing. The very ripe, but a hint tarter, currant and cherry works perfect.
This is a very enjoyable wine! Nothing to complicated, big, bold and fruity and really easy to drink, especially with a piece of Marabou Dark Chocolate.
Rated 88 by Wine Enthusiast and 89 by Wine Spectator. Find it at http://www.wine-seacher.com/ from $11.99. A great price for a real crowd-pleaser.

Video: Couture Chocolates by Ginger Elizabeth

Ginger Elizabeth Power is a chocolatier and pastry chef from Sacramento, California, that has her own company, Couture Chocolates by Ginger Elizabeth.
I had the privilege this weekend to taste her Caramel Collection. Fantastic, rich, creamy caramel covered in high quality chocolate. Check out my video below to see just how good they were and where you can find them.

Episode 4: Couture Chocolates by Ginger Elizabeth

More New Zealand Pinot Noir...

We found the Sacred Hill 2004 White Cliff East Coast Pinot Noir from New Zealand at the franchise wine store Vino 100 a couple of weeks ago. Their concept is to feature 100 wines from all over the world, all of them under $25. I had never heard of, or had, this Pinot before, but at $19 I was willing to risk it.
This Pinot has a light red, translucent color in the glass. Medium dark fruit, strawberries and a floral hint on the nose. A little thin with dark fruit and red berries on the palate. Good acidity and tannins gives this wine a moderate finish.
I never quite got the whole "strawberry" nose/palate when it comes to Pinot Noir. But after having had this Pinot I finally got to experience it.
This Pinot was a little to "thin" for my taste, but never the less not a bad, or probably a pretty good Pinot, if this is the style you prefer. $15.99 at http://www.winezap.com/.

Video: La Vie Vineyard 2004 Pinot Noir Rasta Rita Santa Rita Hills

A new video! Do not miss this fantastic Pinot Noir!

Episode 3: La Vie Vineyard 2004 Rasta Rita Santa Rita Hills

Huia 2005 Sauvignon Blanc

Out looking for something new and exciting to taste I ran into the 2005 Huia Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. I had the Huia Pinot Noir not to long ago and really enjoyed it (read more here). The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc was labeled at BevMo as at 92 pointer from Wine Spectator and was at sale for $16.99. How wrong could I go?
The grapes for this wine was harvested from 5 different vineyards throughout the Wairau Valley. Some early herbaceous grapes and some later harvest fruity, sugar plump grapes. A small percentage had a quick fermentation in old French oak and the rest, a longer in stainless steel tanks. The result is a wine with very pale straw color in the glass. The nose holds tropical fruit with pineapple and hint of citrus. In the mouth, muted tropical fruit with ripe grape fruit, and vivid, fresh acidity with a light creaminess that ends in a lingering finish.
Thanks to the fact that part of this wine was aged in oak it has a touch of creaminess, and is therefore a great Sauvignon Blanc to introduce to somebody who is set on Chardonnay, and thinks that Sauvignon Blanc are to light, crisp and fruity (like my husband).
This wine is one to enjoy with seafood, or do as I did, just sip it while making dinner.
Find it at www.winezap.com for $15.99.

Cooking with and drinking the same bottle of wine...

I made a pot roast the other night that called for 1/2 bottle of Syrah. Since that meant that I would be drinking the other half, but on the other hand of course cooking with one half, I did not want to go to cheap but not to expensive either. The 2005 Qupe Central Coast Syrah fit the bill. Qupe makes good quality wine even at their entry level bottles. Owner and winemaker Bob Lindquist shares a winery, located at Bien Nacido Vineyards, with Jim Clendenen, his mentor and long time friend, of Au Bon Climat.
The wine showed dark red and purple color in the glass. Ripe fruit with spices/herbs on the nose, and ripe, dark, fruit, raspberries and cherries on the palate, with tannins supporting a medium length finish.
This is a non-heavy, very easy-drinking, everyday Syrah that you sip without having to put to much analyzing and thought into it.
Find it strait from the winery at http://www.qupe.com/ for $16.50, or save some dough ordering it from http://www.winezap.com/ (from $12.98).

The pot roast turned out great by the way...

Kim Crawford Marlborough Pinot Noir 2005

After having the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc yesterday I just had to try their Pinot Noir to see if it has the same high quality. Their newest release is the 2005 and I found it in my local grocery store. This Pinot Noir has sweet, dark cherries and plum on the nose with a hint of sweet pea flower. The same dark, but not as sweet, fruit carries through to the palate with some red currant and moderate tannins that ends in a nice finish.
Now, as you know I thought the Sauvignon Blanc was spectacular for the price and the Pinot Noir is certainly a good wine at a good price as well, but my conclusion is that the Sauvignon Blanc is the one bottle out of the two you must try.
FYI: Rated 89 by Wine Enthusiast. Find it at www.wine-seacher.com or www.winezap.com from $11.99. Let me know what you think...

Video: Walter Hansel South Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2004

Time for my first wine tasting video blog. I would love to have your feedback! Leave comments!!!

Episode 2: Walter Hansel South Slope Vineyard Russian River Valley 2004 Pinot Noir tasting

Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006

I've heard so much about this wine, and ranking as number 40 on Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines of the Year, rated 92 for a mere $16 I just had to try it.
The color is light straw in the glass. A ton of tropical fruit, star fruit and passion fruit on the nose. The palate shows beautiful cloud berry, passion fruit and grape fruit that is balanced out with crisp, refreshing acidity on the long finish. I REALLY enjoyed this wine. One of the best buys I have come across in a long time. A must try for everyone!

Find it at http://www.wine-searcher.com/ for only $10.97.

Introducing my video blog!

The Swede has gone crazy again. This time I am venturing out from my blog to make a video blog.
The first episode is just a short intro telling you a little about myself and what to expect from this adventure.
I would love your thoughts and comments. Please be easy on my. I have never been in front of a camera before but I think I'll warm up after trying this a couple of times.
So check it out and let me know what you think!

Introduction to Tastes of Life, the video blog

My first video tasting will be posted tomorrow... Don't forget to check back.

Crush 29

Crush 29 just had it's opening night in Roseville, CA two nights ago. Celebrating a birthday last night we decided to try it for dinner. As always when a restaurant opens you do not expect perfect service and this was the case for last night as well. I did not quite expect that bad service however... It was not lack of attention or good will, but the fact that, at least the staff we were serviced by, seemed very inexperienced and pretty much untrained.
We had reservations and got seated promptly (so far so good). We ordered VOSS bottled water, a bottle of wine, and 2 appetizers for the table, and 5 minutes later the bus person showed up with tap water... We explained we ordered bottled water and he corrected the mistake. Our waitress returned and took our order for dinner and explains the wine will be right out. Soon enough one of our appetizers shows up, Seared Ahi with Pickled Cucumbers and a Soy Mustard Wasabi Sauce. Perfectly seared Ahi made an interesting paring with the pickled cucumber, but the sauce had not a real kick and could have had some more spiciness to it. Ten minutes later we are still waiting for our wine and the other appetizer, Sweet Baby Back Ribs, to come out, when suddenly the salad is served. We ask for the ribs and our waitress realizes she forgot about them. Five minutes later the ribs appear and finally the bottle of wine we ordered as well, Chateau St. Jean Cinq Cepages 2002. A tasting is poured for my husband, or so we thought, but the waitress goes on and pours the rest of us as well before any tasting is performed. She does not walk around the table and pour into our glasses like customary but have us send our glasses across the table for her to pour at the spot she stands, leaving my husband in the end with just the initial little tasting in the glass while the rest of us got the normal amount of a "glass of wine" in our glasses. Interesting...
The wine on the other hand was really good. Dark, ripe fruit on the nose with black cherries and big tannins. A medium bodied wine with a nice long finish. It went perfect with my husbands main course and I enjoyed it on the side of mine (see below).
Dinner is served and my brother-in-law and wife got the Asian Inspired Clove Brined Pork Tenderloin and a Portabello Mushroom Risottos. My husband had the Beef Tenderloin with Crush Smashed Potatoes, Fried Onion Strips, Gravy and Asparagus, and for me, the Snap Crackle Salmon with Crush Smashed Potatoes, Asparagus and Mandarin Orange Sauce. The filet was made as ordered and the salmon was cooked perfectly, a little undercooked for that moist, tender finish. We both really enjoyed our main courses. The pork was just ok but the risotto was really good according to our company. As our plates are cleared the bus person also clears our wine glasses, and for one of us it is still half full and we have to ask him to please leave it as he goes to remove it.
Dessert time came along and nothing to exciting caught our eyes on the menu so we decided to skip it and head home.
We all really loved the decor of the restaurant, and it has a great circular bar in the center of the room with tables for eating in the bar around it. I for some reason had expected a more quite, sophisticated restaurant but the music was blasting in the bar and the place was very loud and lively. A great place for an after work drink with friends. The also have around 50 wines by the glass, which you just have to love...
Despite the lacking experience of the staff, and the service they provided, they were very polite and eager to please, and we will definitely have to return for another dinner in the future. I think this restaurant might just need a little extra time to reach what it was meant to be. In the meanwhile we might just drop by for a cocktail in the bar (they had a great drink menu of interesting house specials) and enjoy the stylish decor.
Check out their full menu at www.crush29.com.

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Twenty Bench

The 2004 Twenty Bench Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley is made at Regusci Winery by their winemaker Charles Hendricks. Hendricks has also been winemaker for Viader, Barnett and Paoletti through the years, and now has his own label, Hope and Grace.
This wine is densely dark red with a hint of purple in the glass. A ton of dark fruit on the nose with black berries, black currant and anise. Again on the palate, dark heavy, but not sweet, berries and fruit carried up by firm tannins. Nicely structured with a long finish.
The goal for Twenty Bench is to deliver a great quality wine at an affordable price, and at $20 per bottle they truly reach that mark. The best deal I could find online was at http://www.winelibrary.com/ for $13.99. What a steal for a really good Napa Cab!
This is a bottle you just have to find and try for yourself...

Morbier

It's been a long time but here is finally a new cheese review...
This time I have tried a French Semi-soft cheese made from pasteurized cow milk, the Morbier du Haut Libradois. This is a stinky cream/ivory colored cheese with a layer of gray ash in the middle.
In the old days the bottom layer was made from the evenings milk and was covered with a layer of ash to prevent a rind from forming during the night, and to keep flies away. The morning after the top layer was added, made from the morning's milk, and then the cheese was aged for about 3 months.
Opposite to the stinky exterior the taste of the cheese is pretty mild to medium bold and has a nice nutty flavor to it. This is definately an interesting addition to any cheese plate.

I happend to find it at my local supermarket, Safeway, but if you can't find it locally, buy it online at www.artisanalcheese.com.

The Stump Jump

In this months issue of Food and Wine they had an article about 10 great wines under $10. I ran in to one of them today at World Market and thought I would try it. Turns out when I came home and double check that the magazine reviewed the 2005 and I bought the 2004. Oh well, here it is...
The Stump Jump 2004 Grenache, Shiraz and Mourverdre is a Rhone blend from Southern Australia by d'Arenberg. It has red cherries, vanilla and a touch of earth on the nose. Medium bodied with tart berries, raspberry with tannins taking over at the mid-palate ending in a nice finish. Letting this sit for a while in the glass the raspberries also comes through on the nose and the fruit on the palate gets a little sweeter and rounder. According to my taste it should be drunk now, not cellared, as it will continu to loose it's fruit.
This is rated 87 by Robert Parker and 88 by Wine Enthusiast, and cost me $8.99 today at World Market. So head out to your local CostPlus World Market or order it online at http://www.wine-searcher.com/. This is a really nice wine for the price.

South African Wine

In my quest of widening my knowledge on other wine than California wine, I last night tried a Bordeaux blend from South Africa. The 2002 Raka, Quinary has won several awards from all over the world and the winery is located just an hours drive from Cape Town, nearby the coast.
This wine has black currant, smoke and a hint of coffee on the nose. On the palate you again have the dark berries that struggles through the smokey tobacco, with a medium length finish of firm tannins. This wine was a little bit to restrained when first opened so I let it air for about 1 hour and if definitely improved and came to its right.
I could not find this wine online through my regular resources. I bought this bottle at a Vino 100 store for $25. If you happen to run into it one of these days I definitely think it's worth trying if you're just like me curious to try something different. If on the other hand this price range is a little bit of a splurge for you I would pick up a bottle that I know I really like instead...

Weekend in Santa Barbara

We just came back this afternoon from a weekend in Santa Barbara, CA. They had some really great restaurants and wine and here are a few of my thoughts and comments...
We started our visit by meeting up with my mother-in-law, who lives in Santa Ynez Valley, on Saturday night to go to Brothers' Restaurant at Mattie's Tavern in Los Olivos. I have heard great things about this place but this was my first personal experience. Mattie's Tavern was built in 1886 and used to be a Stagecoach stop way back when. Today it's a restaurant owned by brothers Matt and Jeff Nichols.
I started my meal with the Tuna Tartar with Avocado and Yuzu Sauce, served with Wonton Chips. The tuna was fresh and very nicely balanced with nice acidity from citrus juice. A perfect start.
For main course I had the Prime Filet with Caramelized Onion Potato Gratin with Stilton Cheese Port Sauce and medley of Green Beans and Baby Carrots (my husband and his mom ordered this as well). The Filet was done exactly according to my request and the Potato Au Gratin was to die for and paired perfectly with the not to concentrated port and blue cheese sauce. I will order this again. After this I was stuffed and declined dessert until I heard what their special for the night was. A Trio of Chocolate. Now, it is impossible to be a chocoholic and decline this kind of dessert, no matter how stuffed you are. Dessert arrived and it had a Mini Chocolate Cake with Ganache, a Chocolate Creme Brulee, and a Chocolate Macadamia Nut covered Ice cream Lollipop. The cake was good but a bit to dry and cold, the Creme Brulee was simply amazing, and I finished it all. The Lollipop was a nice finish with the cool ice cream.
Overall a great evening and I will return again and again.

Sunday night we went to a favorite of ours in Santa Barbara, Elements. This is pretty much a standard for us when we go down to S.B. Sometimes (not always) fabulous. but always really good. The restaurant is right across from Santa Barbara Courthouse, the most beautiful building in town. Fantastic architecture! We were lucky and got a table by the window for an amazing view over the lite up Courthouse. If you think it is beautiful daytime, just wait until the lights come on at night...

I started with the Deconstructed Ahi Poke with Yellowfin Tuna, Yuzu Sesame Dipping Sauce, Taro Chips and Seaweed Salad. A great fresh, not to heavy start to your meal. The Filet here is always a safe bet and so is the Halibut with Coconut/Curry sauce but I felt like something different and decided to try the Tandoori Spiced Lamb Shank with Marsala Yogurt Sauce and Gingered Basmati Rice. The lamb was really tender and the sauce had a nice spiciness to it. This was a very good dish, not great though. But absolutely worth trying if you are a big fan of lamb. My husband had the Hoisin BBQ'd Free Range Chicken with Chive Mashed Potato and Beurre Blanc Sauce, which he really enjoyed. For dessert I had the Flourless Chocolate Cake with a Vanilla Brandy Sauce, and my husband had a scoop of their Dulce de Leche Gelato. Both were a great finish to the meal. We rinsed all of this down with a bottle of the 2003 Foxen, Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir from Santa Ynez. A really good Pinot with great balance between the dark berries and tannins. A bottle we find ourselves drinking over and over again.
These are just two of many outstanding restaurants in the Santa Barbara area. Keep your eyes open for more reviews as we usually go there about once every/every other month.

Casa Pedro Domecq

Our good friends and neighbors just came back after a weeks vacation in Cancun, Mexico. Knowing, of course, that I love wine they brought back a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon produced in Mexico, more specifically, Valle De Calafia, Baja California.
I have NEVER had wine produced in Mexico before and was very curious, and had no idea of what to expect.
The bottle they brought was the 2005 Casa Pedro Domecq Cabernet Sauvignon XA Vinos Premium. I tried to find it online and only found a few sites, the majority in Spanish, which is not my forte. I found one single site mentioning price, it said $12.95, but you could not buy it from there.
Well, time to taste it. This wine has a dark red, inky color in the glass. Very lush fruit on the nose with black currant, dark cherries and a little earthiness. Medium length finish on the palate with dark berries, black currant and firm tannins.
I poured this wine to my husband without telling him what I opened. He came back after finishing his glass and said: Not bad, pour me another glass. Upon hearing what I was pouring he was pleasantly surprised and told me it was better than he expected. I share his opinion in this case. I really enjoyed this bottle of wine. I have not done a ton of research, but after a couple of searches on google I did not find a place to buy this bottle in the States. If you do bump in to it and the price above is correct, grab it and enjoy. I know I will...

Don Miguel Gascon

Don Miguel Escorihuela arrived in Argentina 1880 after a long trip from Spain. Four years later he had acquired 42 acres of land that would mark the beginning of the Bodegas Escorihuela Gascon. The winery has been known throughout the years for it's consistently outstanding wines and is today operated by the Catena family.
Dark red with a hint of purple in the glass the 2004 Don Miguel Gascon Mendoza Malbec give aromas of dark berries, red cherries and touch of smoke. Tart cherry, restrained dark berries and a hint of tobacco end in a finish accentuating the mid firm tannins. I think this is a good wine at a really good value (see price below). Try it for yourself and let me know what you think...
Rated 87 by Wine Enthusiast and 88 by Wine Spectator (if this is of interest to you).
Find it at BevMo for $10.99 or order it online at http://www.wine-searcher.com/ from only $8.99.

Dr. Loosen 2005 "Dr. L"

Everywhere I turn lately I hear about the German and Austrian Riesling, and it really seems like they are reviving to their former glory. For a while there the world forgot how fantastic Riesling can be, but it is now making it's comeback.
I have not had a lot of Rieslings in the last couple of years and thought it was time for me to start to taste more of this, according to some, greatest grape of white wine in the world.
So said and done, I decided to start with a "budget" Riesling from Dr. Loosen, which is probably the most known Riesling producer in the world. The Dr. Loosen Estate has been in the family for over 200 years and all the grapes they use come exclusively from the Mosel Valley in the south west of Germany. Riesling is the only grape they grow there and make wine from, and they do a great job doing it.
The Dr. Loosen 2005 Riesling Dr. L has white floral and sweet peach with a hint of rhubarb on the nose. It tastes of juicy subtle peach, pear and a hint of citrus. It is sweet but not overly so and has a burst of fresh acidity that balances it out very nicely. I got this wine at BevMo for $11.99 and think that this is a great value for a really good wine. You can find it at www.wine-searcher.com from $7.88 and at this price it is a true steal.
I will work my way up the ladder in the world of Riesling, so keep your eyes open for upcoming reviews.

Turnbull Wine Cellars

The 2003 Turnbull Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shines with beautiful deep dark red color in the glass. From looking at it I for some reason get the feeling that this is going to be a jammy, perhaps a little bit overly fruity cab, but sometimes looks can be deceiving. Putting your nose in the glass black currants and dark cherry great you. In the mouth it shows black currant with cherry and black berries, plus a touch of cranberry, with long tannins on the finish.
This wine definitely had more tannins than I originally expected. It is fruity, but not a sweet, lush fruit, instead a bit tart. It is very drinkable right now but I think it will be even more enjoyable in a couple of years. I am looking forward to revisit this wine in the future to see how it evolves.

Rated 92 by Wine Enthusiast. Find it at http://www.wine-searcher.com/ from $32.99

Villa Mt. Eden Chardonnay

The other night I opened one of many bottles we got at Christmas this year. I was serving a creamy mushroom and lentil soup for dinner and hoped that the Chardonnay could handle the challenge. The 2005 Villa Mt. Eden Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley has pear and tropical fruit on the nose. The tropical fruit carries through, on the light side, to the palate with a round, creamy finish with slight acidity. Not a 100% off, but next time I think I'll choose a earthy, not to heavy, red. The Chardonnay was a nice wine for $20/bottle. Not a top favorite but I would definitely not hesitate to have it again if offered.

Lamborn Family Vineyards Zinfandel

Tonight I put together a hearty dish to warm us up in the cold, windy weather, Beef with Spicy Cocoa Gravy and Whole Grain Egg Noodles . I picked a zinfandel from our stash of wine to go with this meal. The 2001 Lamborn Family Vineyards The Cork Report Zinfandel Howell Mountain was a gift from good friends (Tim and Kendra) a year or two ago. I have not had Lamborn Family wines before and was quite not sure what to expect. Big purple fruit bomb or delicate fruit with pepper? Turned out it has earthy mushroom and dark fruit on the nose. The palate shows really good balance between dark cherry and currant, and round, full tannins. A really good, not to overly fruity Zin. Repeating: Great balance! A great wine for a hearty winter dinner or just to enjoy on it's own with good friends. Find it at http://www.wine-searcher.com/ from $33.

Bonaccorsi

I just have to pay tribute to Bonaccorsi after so many truely enjoyable bottles during the last three years (for me).
Born in 1960, Michael Bonaccorsi was the twentieth American to be awarded the Master Sommelier Diploma, and did so at a young age. He started out at Masa's in San Francisco and eventually ended up at Spago in Beverly Hills. His dream was always to make wine and in 1999 he and his wife Jenne Lee Bonaccorsi made their first wine under the Bonaccorsi Wine Company brand, inspired by their passion and love for Burgundy and Rhone.
Years later and after achieving great success Michael passed away in 2004, only 44 years old. His wife has since carried on their work to strive for even more excellent wine.
I have reviewed the 2003 Bonaccorsi Santa Rita Hills Fiddlestix Vineyard Pinot Noir below under Las Vegas Dining. After our trip to Vegas I ordered some more to enjoy at home and tonight we splurged on one of the bottles. I still agree with my initial tasting notes, although this time I can't seem to find the blueberry... Oh, well...
Bonaccorsi is one of my favorite Central Coast Wineries along with Loring, Sea Smoke, Foxen, Talley... and probably someone else I forgot. Non of them a cheap, ranging from $35-$65 for my favorite bottles, but never the less they have to be tried! All fantastic Pinots!
Do not forget the latest vintage, 2004, from Bonaccorsi. It has some excellent wines to offer. Even better than 2003...

Huia 2004 Pinot Noir

Having had a good New Zealand Pinot Noir during our Sweden trip I was curious about them and had to have another one tonight. I went to BevMo and found the Huia Marlborough 2004 Pinot Noir. It turned out to be a really good bottle as well, but a bit different in style with a little less fruit and some heavier tannins.

I served it with a Snow Pea and Green Curry Chicken dish that I made for dinner (dinner dish was already planned before the wine made it's way home), and it was not to bad of a match. The nose revealed cherry and black berry with a hint of tobacco. On the palate you'll find a nice balance of tannins and red cherries and medium dark berries with a long pleasant finish that accents the tannins. Find it at BevMo or at http://www.wine-searcher.com/ from $19.99.

This is a wine I will have again.

Christmas in Sweden and a great dinner at Grappa

Back in business again after spending Christmas in Sweden with family and friends. We had a great time seeing everybody and had our fair share of the foods at the traditional Swedish Christmas Smorgasbord, Julbord. The Julbord is a big feast of Christmas ham with mustard, sausages, Swedish meatballs, creamed spinach, oven baked omelet, cheeses, salami, liver pate, a wide selection of pickled herring, Janson's Temptation (potato au gratin with anchovies), grav lox, deviled eggs, a creamed cod dish,red beet salad, braised red cabbage, crisp bread, a special Christmas bread (Ortbrod), and whatever else you see fit. It all goes down with the traditional Julmust (a carbonated drink available only around Christmas), Christmas Beer and of course the snaps, in the Swedish case not a sweet shot but a shot of vodka or aquavit, properly spiced for Christmas (a common combination is fennel, cumin, and anise). So needless to say we were stuffing our self during the trip.
We did have one free night from family dinners/events and we tried a new restaurant in my home town, Varberg. We had gone for a glass of wine at Grappa a couple of nights before and glanced at the menu that looked delicious. Grappa is an Italian influenced restaurant, with modern Scandinavian interior design. The restaurant proprietors are Magnus Palmquist (who has a second restaurant in Varberg as well, Harry's) and Fung Dee, and the head chef is Sanna Apelqvist. Italy shines through both in the wine list and the menu. They have put together a great selection of wines by the glass that can be enjoyed over dinner or in the great little wine bar. It is made up of mostly Italian wines but also a couple from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
We had a late night dinner and decided to get the main course only. My husband had the Salami Stuffed Chicken Breast with Basil Risotto and I had the Sun dried Tomato Crusted, Oven Baked Halibut with Asparagus Risotto and a Basil Foam (?). My husband ate every last bit of his food and I loved my dish equally. The halibut was perfectly cooked, moist and flaky, which is far from always achieved in restaurants. I am a huge fan of great risotto and they could certainly make one here. Perfectly creamy from constant stirring and not from added heavy cream and great flavor from the crisp asparagus and right amount of added cheese.
With the meal we had a bottle of Villa Maria Cellar Selection Marlborough Pinot Noir 2004 from New Zealand. We had at first chosen a big, fruity, full bodied wine from Chile, not because we thought it would matches our choice of food, but because we were curious of the wine. Our waitress was very knowledgeable of the wine offered and immediately picked up on our non matching choice of wine and recommended the Pinot Noir instead as a great match. We decided to abandon our initial bottle and try the Pinot instead that we had failed to notice as we looked through the wine list. As anticipated (being a Pinot Noir) it turned out to be a great match for both of our dishes. It is not very often that you get help/guidance from staff (or the staff is knowledgeable enough to give help) when you pick a wine that does not necessarily match your dinner. A big bravo to Grappa for educating their staff of the wine list and teaching them how to smoothly guide you and/or suggest another wine if yours is not the best option.
Overall we had a great dining experience with delicious food and great service. Hands down the best restaurant in Varberg right now and I am looking forward to return this summer during our next trip home to Sweden.