A Beautiful Beginning: Sunday in Toscano

We had a great start to our trip yesterday, our first full day in Toscano. The weather was absolutely gorgeous with bright sunshine and a comfortable 70 degrees. I started with a run/hike up St. Egidio mountain using the CAI (club alpino italiano) map of the Arezzo region as my guide. The trails are very well marked and took me on a quite strenuous trek for about 2 hours.


After a quick bite to eat we joined up with the group at the villa for our tour of the upper part of Cortona with a wonderful guided tour of the Chiesa di San Niccolo from the 13th century that features two beautiful paintings by famed Renaissance artist Luca.


Next was the trek up the hill to the beautiful church of Patron Saint of Cortona, Santa Margherita and then to the very top of the hill to the Fortezza built by the Medici in the 1500's. Stunning scenery and a wonderful look at the culture and architecture of Cortona from medieval to the renaissance, we worked up quite an appetite and walked back to the villa for our panini lunch.


A leisurely lunch featuring regional meats and cheeses (sheep's cheese rules here!) with a few bottles of Prosecco and finished off with shots of espresso, we moved on to the next activity of the day. Antonio took a group to the Etruscan Museum, while the rest of us shopped, strolled the quaint streets and of course had a gelato while we sat on the steps of the Palazzo Communale taking in the scene.


Dinner was homemade lasagna from our favorite Italian nonna who makes the best ever with many layers of thin, thin pasta sheets, a bechamel sauce and beef ragu. We topped it off with a big salad, fresh buffalo milk mozzarella and tomatoes (my favorites from Southern Italy), and ended with Vin Santo AND limoncello!

Needles to say, everyone went to bed relaxed with full stomachs and fuzzy heads, waiting to see what the next day would bring!


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Antonio's Italy 2012 Begins!

We've moved from one spectacular view to another as we arrived in Cortona Italy Saturday afternoon. It was a long day of traveling as we left the fabulous Villa Le Sirene at 5:45am for the long, winding trip to Naples, then a train to Rome where we said arrividerci to our friends and said buongiorno to our new group of travelers. Another train to Cortona where everyone settled in to their home for the week in this gorgeous 14th century village.



We had a wonderful "light" lunch of regional cured meats, cheeses and vegetables accompanied by a few bottles of local wines. But more eating and wine drinking awaited as we walk to the center of town looking for our dinner at the beautiful Ristorante La Logetta overlooking the main piazza. We are off to a good start! Ciao!


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Treasures from the Sea

Scattered among the shiny black pebbles, the lovely worn pieces of colored terra-cotta are a source of mystery and fascination for tourists on the Amalfi Coast beaches. Whether strolling or lounging, you can't resist their call to sift and comb through the small rocks curiously seeking a bright spot of color, an interesting pattern or an eye pleasing shape. We don't know how they got here or where they came from but they are wonderful, little mementos from the beckoning aqua blue seas...
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La Nostra Buona Fortuna

Today was one of those wonderful days where from a disappointing morning arose the most perfect afternoon. The plan today was to take our friends to da Adolfo, one of my favorite beachside restaurants from our last visit. But when I called for a reservation this morning there was no answer and I found out from our friend Chiara that they are not yet open for the season. So she recommended her friend Sonia's place that sits on the beach right beside the now sadly vacant spot of da Adolfo. We had some miscommunication about our arrival so after a few phone calls to Chiara they arranged a private boat to pick us up in Positano and take us the short but breathtakingly beautiful trip to Laurito beach where Le Sirene is located.

Le Sirene is a small hotel and restaurant that shares the tiny pebble beach nestled in between the cliffs with da Adolfo. As the boat pulled up to the shore the scene that awaited was the stuff dreams are made of...a special table set for us right on the beach just a few feet from water's edge complete with a with a bottle of prosecco and the most gorgeous plate of bruschetta anticipating our arrival. Since the day was cool, there were no sunbathers, only a few dinners from the hotel, so we basically had the beautiful, peaceful beach to ourselves.


Sonia rushed to greet us and get us settled at our table. As we toasted with prosecco and sunk our teeth into that delicious bruschetta, we asked Sonia to chose our meal giving very little guidance as to what our stomachs could hold. I can't even begin to describe all of the platters of the freshest most incredible seafood, "appetizers" and pasta that arrived at our table. Mussles and clams in a lemon and rosemary broth, octopus carpacciao, insalta del mare, marinated raw tuna, gnocchi with zucchini, spaghetti in a seafood broth; the giant plates of food just kept coming.


We ate like queens in an unimaginably gorgeous setting, toasting our good fortune, enjoying each other's company, drinking regional wine and dining on the local dishes. Although is was sad to see the vacant space that last year was the scene of so much activity at da Adolfo, Sonia made the afternoon an absolutely unforgettable experience for us all! Grazie mille Sonia, we will be back!

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Just another week in paradise...

"Positano bites deep. It is a dream place that isn’t quite real when you are there and becomes beckoningly real after you are gone.” John Steinbeck

It is an amazing thing to sit on this balcony and listen to the wonderful little town below wake up. The gentle sound of the ocean lapping against the pebble shore, the shop keepers sweeping up their small piece of treasured real estate, cats meowing at the door of the pescheria, dishing clinking in the open air restaurants on the beach and the birds softly singing their Sunday morning songs; this is our second trip here in less than a year and I still feel like I've stepped into paradise.

You never know when you come back to a place if it will have the same impact it did on your first visit. The breathtaking beauty is now familiar and comforting, the friends you made are even more welcoming than before, and while I look forward to returning to some of our favorite spots, I can't wait to discover new people and places. And as I sit here on our first full day, I know already that I'll be back, because this place affects me deep in my soul and there is no way, or reason, to resist its tug on my heart.


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Wild About Rosé Tasting Series

Some give credit to the Egyptians for its creation, others to the Greeks but most agree that France, especially Provence, has been the capital of rosé production for centuries.  By the time that the Romans reached the area in 125 BC, the rosé wine produced there had a reputation across the Mediterranean for its high quality. From the delicate, dry rosé of the Anjou in the Loire valley and pale style clairets of Bordeaux, the popularity of rosé swept over all of Europe and have historically been a part of everyday life.

Pretty much every winemaking region in the world produces some sort of rosé whether it be a sparkling, still or dessert style. While European rosé has usually been produced in a dry style, it was the US that began the "blush", sweet style wines that became popular in the late 1970's.   As a result, many Americans unfortunately still associate "white zinfandel" with all rosé wine and are missing out on a whole world of fabulously dry, flavorful and incredibly diverse wines.

Rosé is basically a lighter style red wine, made with red wine grape varieties, served cold.  Red wine gets its color from the dark grape skins being in contact with the juice, so if you remove the skins early and shorten the time of contact, you'll get pink wine.  And those same skins also give red wine its tannins, so by removing them early you get a pink wine that is structurally more similar to white.

We've always been huge fans of rosé and over the years have made a concentrated effort to educate our customers on the value of rosé for food pairing and quaffing.  A good supply of them is in the shop no matter what the season, but the number of offerings increases in the summertime and our Friday tastings almost always include a rosé.  Well something seemed to click last summer as New Orleanians, and the rest of the US, are finally embracing it and giving rosé its due. According to Nielsen Company, rosé sales in the US market grew 26.1% in 2011 and I excpect 2012 will see an even bigger jump.

Our efforts, combined with Bacchanal and their very popular rosé fest, WINO and other fine wine shops in the city, have paid off and people are coming to the shop in droves wanting to experiment with rosé.  In fact our best selling wine over the past two weeks has been the 2011 Charles & Charles Syrah Rosé with 10 cases sold in less than 2 weeks!

So I've been on a quest to find the best of the 2011 rosés, telling our reps to bring them in as soon as they arrive so we can taste and decide which of these lovely, refreshing pink wines we should stock for your, and our, drinking pleasure.  As promised, we've been sorting our of favorites to taste at our Flite Nite on Wednesday, April 18.  But since there are so many good rosés continuing to come in, I've decided to hold 3 different tastings over the summer with the first featuring the impeccable wines from Southern France.  So please join us this Wednesday for Wild About Rosé Part I, a flight of 6 wines from France.  The tasting is $15 and will feature 6 wines presented by myself, Mike Fabianski and sommelier Kimi Kirivania and I can't tell you how excited we all are about this event!  Due to the interest we've received, reservations are recommended, call 504.304.0635 to hold your spots.  We will accepts walk-ins as spacing permits.

Farm to Table on the Rise in New Orleans

From Covey Rise Farms in Husser

There are a few things we can actually thank Katrina for. We were forced to move forward and embrace change faster than our usual snail's pace.  People came from around the world with new ideas and fervent energy, bringing their forward thinking global consciousness to the city that care forgot.  Combined with the strong will and survival instincts of New Orleanians, a city known for it's decadence and overindulgence is now focused on green building practices, sustainable energy and, most exciting to me, a fast growing farm to table movement.

Lucky for us, we've always had a strong and unique local food culture primarily based on our seafood industry.  Chefs like John Besh, Emeril Lagasse and John Folse and culinary activist Poppy Tooker helped put New Orleans on the map as a unique destination for local food and flavors.  Their longtime support of our fishermen and local farmers markets put meaning to farm to table well before the term was coined. 

Mike Fabianski, HGMF

Now we have even stronger support and more access to our local growers through the Crescent City Farmers Market and the Hollygrove Market and Farm as well as the many community gardens that are popping up all over the city. Young entrepreneurs and chefs are embracing our culinary roots like never before and we are reaping the benefits.  In the last few weeks we've visited three farm to table restaurants and were thrilled with the options we now have for well priced restaurants that support our local food economy.


Maurepas Foods in the Marigny - Chef Michael Doyle, formerly of Dante's Kitchen, has been a Swirl supporter for years.  It's been great to hear about the progress of the project and his dreams brought to life in this renovated corner store on Burgundy Street.  We've visited a few times now and have had great experiences.  From the carefully selected wine list, artfully crafted and affordable cocktails and fresh, creative twists on local food favorites presented in an energetic, comfortable atmosphere, Maurepas Foods should be high on your list of places to try. Maurepas Food, 3200 Burgundy St., at Louisa, 504.267.0072, is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Satsuma Cafe

Satsuma in the Marigny has been a favorite of ours for a while now, but we've been hearing rave reviews about their newly renovated kitchen and added dinner options.  The quiet, intimate atmosphere was perfect for us and the fact that you could bring your own wine for a $5 corkage?  Priceless...Anyway the food was delicious from start to finish, the best ceviche I've ever had, a lamb bolognese that was out of this world, truly everything was delightful!  We will soon be considered regulars...  Satsuma Cafe,  3218 Dauphine St. | 504.304.5962

Sweet Olive in the Saint Hotel - We were looking for a new spot to celebrate a few birthdays with friends and Mike Fabianski (of swirl and HGMF fame) recommended we try Sweet Olive. Beautiful presentations, a wine list that offers 3 or 6oz pours which makes it perfect for pairing with different dishes, and a list of local farmers and ingredients are shown on the menu.  Nice atmosphere for hotel dining with a great combination of hip yet elegant and comfortable decor, we will definitely return!  Sweet Olive, 931 Canal Street • New Orleans, LA 70112 • Tel: 504.522.5400

Wild About Rosé, Chronicles of the 2011 Season, Part 2

We had a great week of rosé tasting and are working hard to find you the very best of the 2011 vintage.  Two standouts for the week were the 2011 Charles & Charles Syrah Rosé from Washington, and the 2011 Fabre Montmayou Rosé from Argentina, while the biggest disappointment was the Farnese Cerasuolo (due to an ordering error the 2009 vintage arrived instead of the 2011), which unfortunately was not an age worthy rosé...

So onto our two gems of the week...Jared Breaux showed up at our weekly tasting and social hour on Tuesday with a little beauty from Argentina, the Fabre Montmayou. Yet another Bordeaux producer who found a home in the mountains of Argentina, Hevré Joyaux Fabre makes this Malbec/Merlot blend with all estate grown, hand harvested fruit from vineyards at 3800 feet.  Bright strawberry and juicy red cherries, nicely balanced acidity and a dry finish, it screams for light fare from the grill.  At $13.50, you gotta try it!

Knowing my quest for the 2011's, David Sobiesk has been gushing about two wines he's been waiting for from the two Charles', Charles Smith of K Vintners (the guy that makes some of our Washington State favorites, Kung Fu Girl, Boom Boom, Velvet Devil, etc..) and his partner in crime Charles Bieler (Three Thieves).  Together they produce the Charles & Charles label and we've been anxiously awaiting their Syrah rosé.  Dave ran into the shop with it on Friday and I just couldn't pass up the watermelon jolly rancher nose all wrapped up in a palate of vibrant red fruit, mineral, spice and racy acid.  This is your perfect summer porch lounging, bayou sitting, picnic wine and we've got three cases coming in Monday or Tuesday.  We can't wait for you to try it, so we are featuring it in our Wednesday Nite Flites this week...We're still waiting for the Charles Bieler rosé from Provence, I'll keep you posted!

Gina Warren promises to bring the Librandi from Calabria later this week, so stay tuned, I'm doing quick Facebook posts when we try something we like.  And while my quest is focused on the fresh 2011's, don't discount some of the 2010's that are in the market and drinking beautifully like the 2010 Ferraton Cotes du Rhone Rosé, 2010 Puzelet KO Rosé and the 2010 Chateau d' Aqueria Tavel Rosé.


Salute!

Wild About Rosé Chronicles 1: 2011 Domaine Salvard Cheverny

It's an exciting time of year here in New Orleans.  Everything is becoming green again, flowers are blooming, vegetables gardens are sprouting shoots, people are coming out in droves to enjoy the beautiful weather and, most importantly, the 2011 rosés are arriving!  While rosés are really perfect any time of year in New Orleans, it is always a treat to try the new releases in the "spring" and fill our shelves with our favorite picks.

I'm asking my wine reps to bring me their 2011's for the next 6 weeks and I'll feature our top picks in my "Wild About Rosé" chronicles.  At our Wednesday Nite Flites on April 18 we'll feature 5-6 of our favorites to let you be the judge of the 2011 rosé season!

And so it's begins as last week I got my first "wow" of the season with this delicious wine from the Loire Valley...

Overshadowed by it's famous neighbors Sancerre and Tourraine, the young and dynamic AOC Cheverney (AOC status since 1993, one of the youngest in France) is an often overlooked wine region that produces some stellar wines at great prices.   The white wines from this AOC are primarily Sauvignon Blanc (60-80% by regulation) with the addition of some Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Arbois. The region is also known for its rosé, sparkling wine and lighter reds made with Gamay, Cab Franc and Pinot Noir. Like the most wines of the Loire, these lovely aromatic wines are heavily influenced by the limestone, calcareous and sandy clay soils of the region.

The 2011 Domine Salvard Rosé screams Loire Valley with it's stony minerality and thirst provoking acidity, but with a blend 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Gamay, it is full of rose petals and strawberries with a touch hint of white pepper.  The Domaine has been producing wines on the land since the late 1800's through 5 hard working generations of the Delaille family. They produce very classic Loire Valley wines, elegant, fresh, simple and utterly enjoyable.

So for those of you who are fortunate enough to have a taste for rosé, this is a must try.  At $17.00 it is a gorgeous example of Loire Valley rosé and one that you simply can't stop pouring into your glass until the bottle is totally drained so you should probably have at least 2 on hand at all times!

Next up in "Wild about Rosé?  I'm trying a Cerasuolo di Abruzzo from Italy tomorrow and I heard that one of our absolute favorites from Calabria will be in this week...I'll keep you posted.

St. James Cheese + Wine Pairing Class

Our Monthly Cheese & Wine Pairing Classes at Swirl are Back!
Casey Foote from St. James Cheese will join us on Wednesday, March 28 for a new and exciting class featuring Austrian and German wines paired with a small farm sourced artisan cheeses.  We'll be comparing styles, grapes, laws, aromas, flavors and pairings! And while Casey's been practicing his accent and bringing in new, hard to pronounce cheeses, I've been searching for great selections from both of these classic wine producing countries and have come up an excitingly diverse lineup.  While there will be one German Riesling, which is one of the best cheese pairing wines on the planet, we'll also showcase a Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Noir, a Sparkling Zweigelt Rose and a red Zwiegelt as well as at least one German beer!  Neither of us has ever presented a Germanic wine and cheese class so we are really excited about this one!! This class is at Swirl on Wednesday, March 28th, 6:30pm.  Reservations and prepayment are required, limited to 25 participants.  $25, call for reservations, 504.304.0635.