Des Moines Wine and Food Connection

2011 Wine Industry Tasting Pt. III

Ruby Fine Wines tasting: 45 wines tasted                                                            

Two industry wine tastings were held yesterday (9/20). Ruby Fine Wines out of Iowa City and Des Moines distributor Johnson Brothers. Today I'll focus on Ruby's tasting.

Ruby Fine Wines is a small, eclectic distributor out of Iowa City. Their portfolio leans more towards imported than domestics. This is the first tasting of theirs I've been to here in Des Moines. It was held at Mojos on 86th in Johnston and was very tastefully done. The food & wine were nicely displayed and buckets & water were prevalent. Ruby's price book was easy to maneuver and had plenty of room for notes. Here's some of your wine and food guys finds:

2011 Wine Industry Tastings Pt. II

Dimitri Wine & Spirits tasting: 71 wines tasted 

Dimitri Wine & Spirits put on their holiday show last night (Weds.) at the "new" Embassy Club on the 34th floor of the Ruan Building. I didn't think the new location could possibly equal the Club's previous location at the top of the 801 Building. I was wrong. The new location is every bit as spectacular and the space and setup of the club may even exceed the previous one. Very well done.

Dimitri W & S is not one of the "big boys" in the local wine scene but Dimitri Papageorgiou conducts business the old school way. A personal touch, a shake of the hand, looking you in the eye. You know his word is good. His business is local (Davenport) and is family oriented instead of a corporate, multi-state, big business operation. Sometimes there can be confusion but the intent is always good.

Dimitri always puts on a classy holiday show. It may be the one show I look most forward to each autumn. Their portfolio is a little more eclectic, not a bunch of mass produced juice. The people pouring seem a bit more connected to their product and proud of it. The food & service is always top notch. White tablecloth, good spacing, accessible spit buckets & water pitchers. And a easy to use booklet with pricing and space to write (good on ya' David). A beautiful day to look out over Des Moines and the scene was complete. The tasting was a pleasure. What about the wines???

2011 Wine Industry tastings

Pre-Holiday shows are de rigeur in the wine industry. Here I'll try and give a brief synopsis of each tasting I attend.

 Glazer Tasting: 51 wines & 4 beer tasted.

The fall wine tasting season (for industry professionals) kicked off this afternoon at Embassy Club West with the Glazer Distributing Holiday Show. The tasting was very nice with adequate space, good lighting, and plenty of spit buckets & water pitchers. This year's booklet made it easier to take notes but any way we can get the program to proceed in the same order as the tables next year folks?

Some of the wines that made my highlight list:

Nicolas Feuillatte Champagne Rose - France's #1 bubbly always makes a good value rose.

Cline 2010 Viognier (Cal.) - Showing nice balance of fruit & mineral. Very Rhone like.

Fontanafredda 09' Barbera (Piedmont, Italy) - Easy fruit with some grip on the back end. Screams for tomatoes & pasta.

Hope Family "Troublemaker" Red (Syrah, Grenache & Mourvedre) - A Rhone style blend from Paso Robles. Seems I'm on a Euro kick here.

pro+mis+Q+ous Red - (Zin, Merlot, Cab & Petite Sirah) A California blend that shows nice deep fruit and layers of flavor. Worth checking out.

*Get it while you can* - 2006 Villa Mt. Eden Cabernet Sauvignon - Just a few 6-packs left I'm told. Deep, lucious & complex without going over-the-top or being jammy. A well made Cab for now and the next 5-7 years.

Beer alert! Zatec Lager from the Czech Republic. Think Pilsner Urquell. Think good beer.  

Final note: We go on and on about food/wine combos and so many times the sum is so much greater than the individual parts. Tasted the Russell Hamilton Pinot Noir from South Africa by itself and it was bright and acidic and a bit wild. Went and grabbed a piece of brie or camembert (not sure which) and tasted the cheese and then the wine again. The richness of the cheese completely knocked down the acidity and tamed the wine leaving beautiful red fruit to stand alongside the cheese. THAT'S what it's all about.

Good on ya' Glazer,

Howard Bernstein
Wine & Food Guy,
Des Moines Wine & Food Connection

Eating & Drinking

Casa di Vino may be closed but your Wine & Food Guy is always in the field doing research. Here's some brief updates.

My wife and I visited Baru 66 for the first time last week for our anniversary. We had a very nice meal. She had the french onion soup, provencal lamb & creme brulee. I had escargot & sweetbreads, a truffled chicken sausage on risotto, and apricot 3-ways for dessert. We will definately return to try some of the chefs other creations. By the way, Baru's wine list just got a Best of award from Wine Spectator.

Enjoying Lagavulin 16 yr. and cigars recently courtesy of Kerry & Joe. Thanks much and good on ya' folks.

Some fine corks have been pulled over the past few weeks and the juice has flowed. 04' Mollydooker's The Boxer & The Maitre' d. Both at their peaks. Orin Swift Machete, 1996 Lynch Bages (outstanding), 2001 Harlan Estates Cabernet (superb), & 1995 Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet. Also and ethereal 2004 Badia a Coltibuono Vin Santo. Great pours.

While in Detroit, pastrami from The Bread Basket deli. Sorry Des Moines, nothing like it here. Detroit also has it's own style coney dogs that must be a local thing. Native Detroiters go nuts over them, New Yorkers & Chicagoans go "huh?".

If you haven't tried the sandwiches being made by Pronto down around Nollen Plaza you're missing the boat. I had their Banh Mi sandwich the other week and it was spectacular. Marcus, you rock!

Anyway, that's the scoop. Eat well, drink well, live well.

Howard Bernstein
Owner (now defunct), Casa di Vino
Wine & Food Guy,
Des Moines Wine & Food Connection 

    

Casa di Vino in February

Hi all:

February at Casa di Vino includes a visit from Chocolaterie Stam. Tuesday, February 8 from 5-7 PM we present “For my Valentine”. A tasting of chocolates and vino that will surely put a smile on your valentine’s face.

 On Tuesday, February 22 from 5-7 PM Casa di Vino visits “The Great Northwest”.  Oregon, Washington and British Columbia have had some great vintages lately. Join us as we pour some of our current faves.

Last call: Still some seats available for Casa di Vino’s “Introduction to Wine” class Wednesday, Feb. 16 from 7-9 PM. Join CDV as we help foster an appreciation for the fruits of the vine. Seating is $25 per person and reservations are required.

Serving all you wine needs since 2004,

Howard Bernstein
Owner, Casa di Vino
Wine & Food Guy
Des Moines Wine & Food Connection 

 

Holiday Wines

Coming into the holidays and people are wondering, what wine to drink? Of course pinot noir, gewurztraminer & rose's work well with turkey, ham & the fixins' but what else? Casa di Vino poured a wonderful Garnacha (same as French Grenache) from Abrazo(Spanish) at our holiday show this past Saturday. Bright red cherry and raspberry like a pinot but just a bit spicier. The wine was a hit and works well with these meals also. Regio Zinfandel from Lodi, California is our Zin for the season. Nice fruit, a great nose and not too big, alcoholic nor jammy. A good red for white meats and even a good firm piece of fish. For those that prefer prime rib or lamb, CDV has a wonderful Cabernet Franc/Carmenere blend from Chilean winery Oveja Negra (Black Sheep) or a fruit-forward Syrah from Washington winery Wines of Substance. These are all good wines and great wine pairings that this wine and food guy is featuring this holiday season and beyond. As far as other whites go, CDV has two different Chardonnays that we're sweet on this season. Brownstone Chardonnay from California has nice apple & pear notes riding on top of subtle oak tones. From Australia, Grant Burge Barossa Chardonnay has brighter tropical fruit on a soft, lush body. Both will compliment your pork or poultry. Finally, if you're looking for something fun to pair with dessert, Casa di Vino has the Pacific Rim Vin Glaciere Riesling out of Washington. A small glass of this alongside a slice of pumpkin or pecan pie will finish off the evening just right. Whichever way you decide to go be sure and let the folks at the Casa (me!) guide and assist you. Also, if you need recipe ideas see our website. Recipes that we featured at our holiday show are posted there.

Eat well, drink well, live well,

Howard Bernstein
Owner, Casa di Vino
Wine and Food Guy
Des Moines Wine and Food Connection      

A Celebration of Harvest

Had a fun tasting here at Casa di Vino Tuesday evening. "A Celebration of Harvest" celebrated the seasonal crops and foods that we enjoy as autumn sets in. Your wine and food guy not only paired recipes up with each wine that we poured but also made a pumpkin stew in the crockpot for folks to sample with the vino we poured. All the recipes will be available on the CDV website in the next day or two. Shannon Ridge Sauvignon Blanc from California and Castle Rock Willamette Valley Pinot Noir were the tasting stars. The Castle Rock, with it's cinnamon notes went particularly well with the stew. Autumn is a wonderful time of year to enjoy food and wine. The bounty of the harvest and the pleasure of the fruits of the vine just serve to help us appreciate the glory of the world around us. Live well, eat well, enjoy life.

Howard Bernstein
Owner, Casa di Vino
Wine and Food Guy
Des Moines Wine and Food Connection