Wine Dinner with Giuseppe Vaira of G.D. Vajra next week . . .

&

Wine Dinner with Giuseppe Vaira of G.D. Vajra and Luigi Baudana

Wineries, Barolo

Wednesday, February 8^th 7pm

@ 3 Square Café, Venice

White Bean Crostini & Parmigiano

“N.S.Delle Neve” Sparkling Langhe

Taleggio & Pear Risotto

2010 Chardonnay Luigi Baudana, Langhe

Wild Boar Stew with Mushrooms over Polenta

2009 Barbera Vajra & 2009 Nebbiolo Langhe Vajra

Cheese selection from Piemonte

2006 Barolo Albe Vajra

69.50 per person + tax and tip

Limitied seating , please call for reservation # 310 399 6504

Mas de Daumas dinner at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara . . .

Happy New Year!

Mas de Daumas Gassac estate in the Haut Vallee du Gassac

What a better way to start the new year than with (more) wine!

It is my pleasure to announce the first winemaker dinner of the year at San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara. The owner of Mas de Daumas Gassac, Samuel Guibert, will be with us to share some of his latest releases as well as cellar treasures.

The vineyard, located in the south of France, has been called the Grand Cru of the Languedoc.

This special dinner will be held in the Wine Cellar on January 30^th.The reception will start at 6.30pm followed by dinner. Chef Matthew Johnson has created a 4 course dinner that pairs beautifully with these wines.

$145 plus tax & service.

#1 America's Best Hotel . . . Forbes Traveler

#1 America's Best Resort . . . Travel & Leisure

By S. Irene Virbila

Los Angeles Times

This is a zippy Trebbiano from an estate in Italy's south dedicated to organic farming. I can remember when it was nearly impossible to find a crisp white from that region. But Cirelli's 2010 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo is as refreshing as lemon sorbet. The fruit tastes ripe and golden, but the wine is bone dry.

It's just what's needed if you're serving a seafood salad or pasta. It's great with vegetable soups, beans with tuna and grilled salmon. Who knew easygoing Trebbiano could have this kind of elegance and balance? At $13, it's a small miracle.

Region: Abruzzo

Price: About $13

Style: Crisp and dry

What it goes with: Seafood salad and pasta, soups, grilled fish

A Christmas Miracle . . . not . . .

This is for all the ever hopeful wine guys out there:

Guy calls up and wants 12 of this champagne and 7 of that Condrieu by New Year's Eve and I say, "Cases?" thinking my ship had come in, big dinner party, hundreds of people and he says, "Bottles." and I say, sure, no problem, "Where do you want it shipped?", kind of deflated but still, a sale is a sale, right? So he says, "Paso Robles" and I just about died laughing. Paso is about as far away as you can ship a case of wine.

We did come to an agreement but my hopes of thousands of dollars vanished. I wonder. I am going to get coal in my stocking?

More harvest photos from San Polino in Montalcino in Tuscany

Look at that view!

Katia, the owner, working the cellar . . .

"Sangiovese grosso" grapes, just harvested . . .

Gigi, winemaker and owner . . .

Daniel, their son, out harvesting the grapes.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are some harvest notes from Cirelli in Abruzzo . . . .

(The view from the farm.)

Montepulciano: harvested on sept the 10^th, sept the 15^th, sept the 16^th. Please note that montepulciano is averagely harvested during the first 2 weeks of October…

High temperatures during the day (30 degrees), little bit lower and fresher at night (22-24). Was very hard to harvest with that warm climate but we did and I am quite happy because I lost 5 kilos! Now I look like a model and I am seriously thinking about changing job eheh!

I decided to harvest so early because I want to continue focusing on freshness, acidity, finesse, lightness. In that way I hope I’ve been able to partially save all these fundamental elements to my wines. Of course I was obliged to loose a little bit of poliphenolic maturation but I hope that aging and refining will smooth tannins. I am not worried at all by the colour since I don’t like deep dark wines.

The musts have been fermented by piede de cuvee and it is now resting in amphorae, cements and steel tanks.

Trebbiano: lovely vintage. I am sure I will love the white wines from this year. I harvested on sept the 20 and the grapes were at 19 babo therefore I am expecting a long life trebbiano.

Beatiful grapes, beautiful colour, perfect wellness. It is still fermenting and there are 3-4 days more.