by whitney on August 31, 2010
Luis Moya is the owner/importer of Vinos Unico and he brings in some great value (and delicious) wines from Portugal, Spain and Argentina as well as making wine right here in California. Luis is Cuban…but he sure knows how to make a mean paella. He and his crew were in LA making the rounds this past weekend showcasing the portfolio and they made a stop at Rosso Wine Shop. Luis arrived hours before the tasting with a car full of fresh seafood, spices and rice from The Spanish Table in Berkeley, some giant paella pans and a bad ass double ring burner made just for paella cookin’.
And now- the evolution of the paella…
One of the wines of the night- 2007 Luis Pato Baga from Portugal. And yes, baga is the name of the grape!
Also on hand for pouring- 2009 Murahlas Vinho Verde rosé (one of my favs this summer), 2009 Luis Pato Maria Gomes, NV Capote Velho and many more. Safe to say everyone had a full belly and always a full glass.
And then these wine loving guys pulled up and decided to play an impromptu live concert!
Fun times! Gracias Luis for your hospitality, contagious energy and lively spirit, great wines and of course- your paella.
by whitney on August 25, 2010
You lovely readers just met the cool Proof Wine Collective dudes Philip and Josh the other day. Well, when those super nice human beings were recently in LA, they brought me a gift.
Er- 3 gifts.
3 bottles of some rare Santa Ynez pinot- 1979, 1980 and 1981 Sanford & Benedict pinot noir. I know. They’re nice. What possessed them to give it to little old me? I’m only coming up with “I’m lucky.” But, the real question is how in the hell they actually acquired these bottles. Josh said…
We got them from an old cellar of Michael Benedict. Who I am told didn’t want to have anything to do with the wine. Either he thought the wine was dead or the memories of the partnership with Richard was too painful/sad to keep in his life. They are some of the last vintages of S&B wines ever made.
I did a bit of digging and poking around to learn a bit more about these two Sanford and Benedict guys and why they only produced 5 vintages together. They planted their namesake vineyard 39 years ago…apparently the first pinot noir vineyard in the region- between Lompoc and Buellton (source.) According to the book North American Pinot Noir by John Winthrop Haeger, the pair made their first wines with “portable electric power and gas lamps, in an old rustic barn uphill from the vineyard” and that the “first fermentors, made of wood, were said to have been built in a friend’s hot tub factory.” (!)
Sad to say, but their partnership dissolved for whatever reason in 1980. Therefore, I have the last remains of what was the work of these two men together. Sanford went on to make wines under his own label and Benedict sold fruit from the vineyard to other winemakers. The vineyard was eventually sold to a British couple in 1988, but they continued to give Sanford some amount of access to the fruit for his wines.
So- when should I drink this stuff ? Do I drink them all together and compare vintages? Do I save my birth year ‘81 for the big 3-0 bday next year? I don’t know! But I do know I am excited to see what lies within those bottles. Will it be any good? Will the ghosts of friendship past float up and out in a cloud of tears and heartbreak? Or, maybe instead a sense of possibility and magic and the beginning of things? I’ll have to find out.
PS- how cool is wine?
by whitney on August 15, 2010
You’ve already seen one of the fine establishments I call an office. Here is the other- Rosso Wine Shop.
Meet Lisa and Jeff.
Aren’t they the best? Yes, I agree.
Meet some wine bottles.
And a blackboard.
Every Friday (and Saturday) Jeff offers up a tasting flight. Sometimes there are yummy nibbles to go with the wines. But there are always some great regulars that stop by and imbibe. Sharing stories of their week. Their travels. Work. Family. It’s a nice thing. And another reason why wine is so lovely; it brings people together around a bar, around a table and gets them to talking and sharing.
This past Friday was a little special…On The Lamb was in the house for food pairings! I chose a beer (!) and 2 new Argentinian arrivals to pair with our loosely themed Cuban menu.
With the tropically fragrant Durigutti torrontes- a papaya salad with cotija cheese, papaya seed vinaigrette, pickled walnuts and herbs.
And the Durigutti bonarda got matched up with papaya marinated skirt steak topped with chimichurri on homemade flatbread. The Schneider Weisse unfiltered hefeweizen was paired with a plaintain “tostone” with citrus black bean and chorizo salsa. Safe to say it was a fun night for all taste buds involved.
by whitney on August 12, 2010
What’s For Sipper? returns for its 2nd installment with my dear friend and fellow Kentuckian Dean Fisher! She left sunny LA last year for the arctic circle that is Chicago (I kid…sort of) and I’ve been missing her something awful. And her ability to throw a stunning party on the fly and redecorate my entire apartment. Without further ado…
Name: Dean Fisher of My Little Apartment
Hometown: Lexington, KY. Current City: Chicago, IL
Favorite summer beverage: My first instinct is to say a Pimm’s Cup (I prefer mine mixed with champagne or sparkling lemonade- or both- then filled with sliced strawberries, cucumber, and torn mint). Then again, I’m also a big fan of shandies. And summer is probably the best time for a good rosé– We’ve been drinking a lot of the Meinklang Prosa 2009 Rosé from Austria. Oh, and have you had that sweet tea vodka? Just sayin’…
Favorite cocktail or spirit: Lately I’ve really been enjoying a classic Manhattan. My boyfriend makes them better than anyone and it’s the perfect nightcap.
Favorite place to grab a drink: Living in Chicago, there are TONS of great bars…but I can probably narrow it down to a couple of favorites. The number one spot goes to The Whistler, hands down. Paul McGee is a bartending genius and his drinks are always perfect, the atmosphere is just right, and the bar is small inside with a patio out back. I also like Big Star’s “La Paloma” (el jimador, grapefruit, lime, mexican fresca), and The Rainbo is an old standby for cheap beers. When I’m in LA it’s El Prado or Footsies and in Lexington I like Sidecar or Jonathan’s.
Favorite toast: Sourdough. (haha)
Favorite post-dinner quaff: This is really a better question for my boyfriend. He loves port wines and digestifs….After dinner I generally just want more wine. Or tequila shots.
Favorite food & beverage pairing: This is a TOUGH ONE. Seriously, I have to pick a favorite? Oh man. Um…I mean, an amazing cheese plate with unique accoutrements is kinda one of my most favorite things ever. I’ve been really digging on rosés this summer (and last…and the summer before that), and find that a great rosé/stinky cheese paring can have very interesting results. I also love weird meats with a super nose-y, spicy pinot noir or pinotage. Like oxtail or rabbit pate or beef marrow. Oh! And thanks to Whitney, I love a good Lambrusco with a thin-crust pizza. But really? I just love food. And drinks. [editor's note: word.]
and last but not least…
What’s for Sipper? I’m actually planning on taking a night off from imbibing, but last night I tried out a couple of rando bottles I picked up at Jewel. I went to my friends’ house to attempt pizza-grilling and brought along a prosecco (don’t remember the brand) and Frenchhouse 2008 Syrah. The prosecco was okay- the bubbles were nice, but it tasted a little vitamin-y to me. The Syrah was great and paired so nicely with the pizza! I’d definitely buy it again! PS: grilled pizzas are awesome.
