Orange Wine This Week at Swirl!

This Week at Swirl Wine Bar & Market

Happenings

Ramato, Traditional Friulian Wine

While Ramato wine in the US is a pretty recent phenomenon, it is actually an ancient tradition from the Republic of Venice where a special vinfication process was used to give Pinot Grigio a beautiful copper color.  Pinot Grigio grapes are purple with a greyish tinge (grigio = grey) and with a few hours to a few days of skin contact the wines take on a copper (rama in Italian) hue.

The effect of the skin contact is remarkable giving it an intensity in both aroma and flavor.  Rich and weighty, with a little tannic structure, more robust fruit but still with crisp acidity, they are in complete contrast from the light, delicate wines that Americans know of as Pinot Grigio.  In fact until the 1970's, when the Santa Margherita craze began in the US, Ramato was the traditional style of Pinot Grigio in the Friuli region.

Curious? This Wednesday Kimi & Walter will be pouring a flite of 3 Italian Ramato wines plus a little surprise wine from the US.  The tasting is $15 for a flite of 4 wines and there will be killer cheese/meat plates to pair with the wine!

No reservations required, just show up and taste some delicious orange wine with us!

Upcoming Events

Food Truck Tuesdays @ Swirl! August 27, 6-8pm 

The Fat Falafel food truck pulls up at our front door every Tuesday and you can bring your food inside and let Magic Matt and El Casey pair it with our favorite wines by the glass! Theresa and Gavin do an amazing job with fresh, Mediterranean style food and in fact were named by Zagat as one of the top 10 "must try" food trucks in the country! 

Ramato! Wednesday Nite Flites, August 28, 6-8pm

Kimi & Walter will be pouring a flite of 3 Italian Ramato wines or orange wines, plus a little surprise wine from the US.  The tasting is $15 for a flite of 4 wines and there will be killer cheese/meat plates to pair with the wine! No reservations required, just show up and taste some delicious orange wine with us!

Friday Free for All, August 30, 6-8pm

Jared Breaux is in the house with 4 free wines from Spain and Portugal.  Plus chef Walter will be dishing out his amazing small plates!  

Saturday Happy Hour, August 31, 4-6pm

Join Erin & Matt for our weekly happy hour where all of our 25 wines by the glass are half off!

Closed Labor Day Monday, September 2!

New Orleans Wine Club Tasting & Selection Pick Up, Monday 9/9

Each month NOWC carefully chooses two exclusive wines for your exploration and enjoyment! These wines are hand-selected to fit the season, the right event or just for fun. Whatever they select each month is always exclusive to New Orleans Wine Club Members and not available anywhere else! These unique selections come with pairing ideas, wine descriptions and more. Check out their website for more info on membership & exclusive tastings: New Orleans Wine Club

Italia Nord & Sud - Back to Back Italian Wine Dinners, September 23 & 24!  

Italia Nord @ Mariza, September 23 features wines of the Veneto winery Maculan with Angela Maculan presenting the wines paired with Chef Ian Schnoebelen's regional menu. Italia Sud @ Ancora, September 24 features wines from Southern Italy with Ann Zankin, President of Marc di Grazia Imports presenting the wines paired with Chef Jeff Talbot's regional menu! I'll keep you posted on the details!

In the works...

~September 11: Wednesday Nite Flites + Trunk Show with our friends from Queork!

~Priorat, Eric Solomon Selections with Sommelier Liz Dowty, October 17, 6:30 Importer Eric Solomon is renowned for his Spanish wine selections, especially those from Priorat where his wife happens to be the winemaker for one of the top estates.  Tonight we will feature 5 stunning wines, red & white, from the region paired with regional cheeses presented by Casey Foote of St. James Cheese & Swirl fame :) $30, reservations are required, call 504.304.0635

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Zucchine Marinate

During our annual trip to Campania this year, we had the privilege and pleasure of visiting Cantine Antonio Caggiano, one of the most highly regarded producers in the Taurasi region.  This ruggedly beautiful area sits just east of Mount Vesuvio, benefiting from the volcanic soils that produce the best Aglianico grapes in the world. 

Lunch with Antonio Caggiano, beside me at the head of the table

We spent a wonderful afternoon with Antonio, his son Pino and winery manager Angelo (click here for my post on our visit to Caggiano), touring the winery and having a relaxing 4 course lunch under the arbor in the Aglianico vineyards.  While all of the food was spectacular, these was a contorno (side dish) of marinated zucchini that was just really fresh and delicious, made with the tender baby zucchini from their garden.  We all loved it and I've been thinking about it ever since, so here is my attempt at recreating it!  That day it was served with the Caggiano Greco di Tufo which was a match made in heaven.  

Marinated Zucchini 

-2 medium or 6 baby zucchini thinly sliced on a mandolin

-kosher salt

-1 garlic clove crushed

-3 T. of lemon juice

-3 T. of high quality EVOO

-2 T. chopped fresh mint

Slice the zucchini as thin as possible, sprinkle with salt and let stand in a strainer for 20-30 minutes.  In the meantime make the marinade using the lemon, olive oil and garlic with a little salt and pepper to taste.  When the zucchini are ready, rinse and dry them, then put in a bowl with the marinade.  Refrigerate for 4 hours, giving the lemon enough time to soften the zucchini.  Remove the garlic, add the mint and adjust the seasoning.

Serves 3.

This Week at Swirl Wine Bar & Market

Happenings

Antonio Molesini and Wednsday Nite Flites

In 1965, Renato Ratti bought his first vineyard for the production of Barolo, in the historical zone of Marcenasco, right below the Abbey of L’Annunziata at La Morra. In 1969, his nephew, Massimo Martinelli, joined the company and together, they perfected a technique of vinification, maturation and refinement for their Marcenasco Barolo, with the goal of obtaining the elegance, subtlety and longevity worthy of the variety's full potential. Since then, Renato Ratti has played an important role in the creation and production of single vineyard or "cru wines" from in the La Morra zone, known for its more supple tannins and opulent fruit.

If you are an avid reader of any of the wine ratings publications, chances are you seen the name Renato Ratti.  His 2006 Barolo Marcenasco (95pts) was the #1 wine of the year for Wine Enthusiast Magazine and his 2005  Barolo Marcenasco (96pts) was #7 in Wine Spectator's top 100 in 2009. We've carried a few of their lower end wines in the past but we'll be the first to taste the newly arrived 2009 Barolo Marcenasco as well as the Barbera D'Asti, the Nebbiola D'Alba and a beautiful Arneis from Prunotto.  

This promises to be a very special Wednesday Nite Flite led by our friend and traveling companion Antonio Molesini, native of Tuscany, walking encyclopedia of Italian wine and closet comedian - the tasting will be entertaining as well as educational and especially delicious.  Reservations are not required, but if you'd like to be sure to have a seat, call us at 504.304.0635.  The tasting is $15 for a flite of 4 wines that will include the 2009 Barolo.  We'll be doing Italian themed cheese and meat plates to pair with the wines tonight as well.

Upcoming Events

Food Truck Tuesdays @ Swirl! August 20, 6-8pm 

Fat Falafel is back! Theresa and Gavin had a little snafu with the truck last week (a big thanks to La Cocinita for filling in last minute!) but they are back and parked in front of the shop on Tuesday.  Bring your food inside and let Magic Matt and El Casey pair it with our favorite wines by the glass! 

Wednesday Nite Flites with Antonio Molesini, August 21, 6-8pm

Antonio will be pouring a flite of 4 wines from Piemonte including the 2009 Renato Ratti Barolo. Plus we'll Italian themed meat and cheese plates to pair with the wines.  Flites are $15 for 4 pours of really delicious juice and no reservations are required!

Friday Free for All, August 23, 6-8pm

Britt Nelson will be in the shop tonight pouring 4 free wines from South America.  Plus chef Walter is back with his amazing small plates!  

Saturday Happy Hour, August 24, 4-6pm

Join Erin & Matt for our weekly happy hour where all of our 25 wines by the glass are half off!

New Orleans Wine Club Tasting & Selection Pick Up, Monday 9/9

Each month NOWC carefully chooses two exclusive wines for your exploration and enjoyment! These wines are hand-selected to fit the season, the right event or just for fun. Whatever they select each month is always exclusive to New Orleans Wine Club Members and not available anywhere else! These unique selections come with pairing ideas, wine descriptions and more. Check out their website for more info on membership & exclusive tastings: New Orleans Wine Club

In the works...

Two wine dinners in the works for September, I'll keep you posted as things develop, but check your calendars for 9/23 and 9/24.  And yes, they will be Italian of course...

The Wines of Eric Solomon with Sommelier Liz Dowty - We are rescheduling this tasting with Liz as we are waiting from a few special selections to arrive.  We've also decided to make it a Priortat/Montsant specific tasting, as the portfolio carries some of the top wines of these regions.  And El Casey has spent a few years in this area so he is really excited to bring in a great lineup of Spanish cheeses and foods for the tasting!   $30. More info TBA

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Semplice, Italian Fast Food!

Real Parmigiano-Reggiano, not the dried fuzzy stuff you sprinkle from a can, is an amazing cheese. Following the strictest guidelines from the Consorzio del Formaggio it can only be made in a small area of northern Italy, a place where the soil, the climate and the geography all come together to yield a quality of milk found no where else in the world. There is nothing fast about the process of making it - it's aged for an average of 24 months, the longest of any hard cheese.  And they've used the same recipe for the last 9 centuries...

Our friends over a St. James Cheese have been bringing fantastic selections from a few new producers and el Casey brought me a sample from Giorgio Cavero the other day to see if we were interested in carrying it. I figured the best way to put the sample to use was to cook something with it, so I designed our meal last night around this beautiful hunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and another special ingredient given to us by our friends over at Cleaver & Co.

Knowing our love for all things Italian, Seth gave us a sample of their house made bresaola to try. Bresaola is an air dried salt cured beef from Lombardia that has been aged 2-3 months until it turns a deep reddish brown color. It has a musty sort of sweet aroma and is seasoned with a dry rub of coarse salt and spices like juniper berries, cinnamon and nutmeg. And besides eating it thinly sliced on a charcuterie plate, there is a classic Italian salad that involves bresaola and, of course, parmigiano cheese...

So it's Saturday night, we have a big MS training ride tomorrow and what better excuse to make a light, quick pasta and salad? I have the perfect, fresh, high quality ingredients for 2 Italian dishes, Insalata di Bresaola and Spaghetti al Limone.

Insalata di Bresaola
This is a simple, simple classic salad served in Italy that is amazingly flavorful if you use top quality ingredients.

Two big handfuls of arugula
1/4 lb sliced Bresaola from Cleaver & Co.
A few slivers of sweet onion
Excellent quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil (I used the Terre Nere that we sell at swirl)
Fresh lemon juice
Shavings of DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano ( I used the from St. James, soon to be at swirl)

Spread your two handfuls of arugula on a flat plate, top with bresaola and onion slivers. Shave the cheese on top, as much as you want. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste, squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top and drizzle with olive oil.  Enjoy, serves 2!

Spaghetti al Limone
I found a few Meyer lemons last week at the market that have been sitting in my fruit bowl waiting for something special to happen.  When I brought home the cheese, I knew why I had waited...

Ingredients:
1 T. coarse salt (for the pasta water)
1 gallon of water
1/2 lb. of spaghetti (I used a really nice pappardelle)
5 T. butter (we have the Parma butter from Italy at the shop made from the cream of the cow's milk used to for the cheese, amazing!)
zest of 1 lemon
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 t. salt
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 c. freshly grated DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano (I used the from St. James, soon to be at swirl)
Excellent quality Extra Virgen Olive Oil (I used the Terre Nere that we sell at swirl)
Basil leaves for garnish

Heat water for the pasta. When it’s boiling, add about 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta and cook according to the package directions. Melt the butter in a pan over medium-low heat. Add the zest, juice, salt and pepper. Heat for about 1 minute. When the pasta is done, toss it into the skillet with the lemon butter, add the basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss until spaghetti is evenly coated. Serve immediately, drizzled with a bit of olive oil and garnished with basil, offering extra Parmigiano-Reggiano to grate at the table.
Serves 2


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Winemaker Susie Selby This Week at Swirl

This Week at Swirl Wine Bar + Market 

Happenings

A Very Special Friday Free For All with Susie Selby

Susie Selby. A veteran of Sonoma wine production for more than 20 years, her name is synonymous with award winning, high quality, handmade wines. Her winemaking style imparts an elegance to her full bodied reds and classic whites which she makes using the best fruit Sonoma has to offer from the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys.

Susie loves New Orleans and our beloved Saints, in fact immediately after the BP oil spill she created the Clean Coast label, offering four Sonoma County wines with images of Gulf wildlife on the labels and proceeds went to support our local seafood industry and protect our coast. 

We are super excited to be a stop during her visit this weekend so we're pulling out the good stuff this Friday!  She'll be pouring 5 Selby Wines including her Old Vine Zin, Sonoma Cab, Sonoma Syrah, Russian River Chardonnay and Sonoma County Sauv Blanc, all wines retailing between $18-$30.  Five great wines poured by a really special winemaker with a soft spot for the Big Easy.

"Wine is life. My father taught me that wine is an incredible combination of art, science and nature. I learned after he died that wine holds a special place for celebration, love and life. It has been cherished, admonished and revered as it has held a unique significance throughout the world’s history. I am privileged to be a winemaker and proud to present my wine in honor of my father.

Enjoy wine; enjoy life. "            ~ Susie Selby

Upcoming Events

Slow Food NOLA Meeting Tonight @ The Edible School Yard

With special guest Justin Trosclair from St. James Cheese who will be talking cheese and discussing his recent adventures in New York City, during which he won the 2013 Cheesemonger Invitational. So, please make plans to come meet the nation's biggest cheese, learn more about the Slow Food movement and how you can become involved with Slow Food NOLA. 7pm, Edible School Yard, 2319 Valence Street, NOLA

Food Truck Tuesdays @ Swirl! August 13, 6-8pm

Fat Falafel is back! Theresa and Gavin took a little vacation in July but they are back and parked in front of the shop on Tuesday.  Bring your food inside and let Magic Matt and El Casey pair it with our favorite wines by the glass!

Wednesday Nite Flites - New French Rose'! August 14, 6-8pm

Kimi & Walter will be doing a sneak preview of 2 wines from our Thursday night event plus two other wines that are new to the store because we just can't get enough of the pink stuff!  Flites are $15 for 4 pours of really delicious juice and no reservations are required!

Sold Out!  Rose' and Charcuterie Pairing Event, August 15, 6:30-8pm

Join Swirl Wine Bar & Market and Mystic Vines for a unique event featuring 13 rose' wines from across the globe paired with handmade charcuterie by local culinary artisans.  Chefs from Sylvain, Cleaver & Co, St. James Cheese, Ste. Marie, Cafe Degas, Ancora and more will be creating special terrines, pates, salume and various other charcuterie to pair with the wines for this walkabout tasting event. The event is $20, prepayment and reservations are required to attend.  Call 504.304.0635

Friday Free for All with Susie Selby, August 16, 6-8pm

Susie Selby from Selby Winery in Sonoma will be pouring 5 great wines and signing bottles during our free tasting.  Her Old Vine Zin, Sonoma Cab, Sonoma Syrah, Russian River Chardonnay and Sonoma County Sauv Blanc are all on the menu, retailing between $18-$30.  Five great wines poured by a really special winemaker with a soft spot for the Big Easy.  Plus chef Walter is back with his amazing small plates! 

Saturday Happy Hour, August 17, 4-6pm

Join Erin & Matt for our weekly happy hour where all of our 25 wines by the glass are half off!

Wednesday Nite Flites w/Antonio Molesini, August 21, 6-8pm

We'll be flying direct to Piemonte tonight with Italian Wine Specialist Antonio Molesini with classics from the region including a stunning Barolo!  Flites are $15 for 4 pours of really delicious juice and no reservations are required!

The Wines of Eric Solomon with Sommelier Liz Dowty, Thursday 8/29 We'll take a journey across Spain with incredible selections from the Eric Solomon portfolio all paired with cheeses  and presented by St. James Cheese's Casey Foote. Reservations required - Thursday August 29, $30. More info TBA

New Orleans Wine Club Tasting & Selection Pick Up, Monday 9/9

Each month NOWC carefully chooses two exclusive wines for your exploration and enjoyment! These wines are hand-selected to fit the season, the right event or just for fun. Whatever they select each month is always exclusive to New Orleans Wine Club Members and not available anywhere else! These unique selections come with pairing ideas, wine descriptions and more. Check out their website for more info on membership & exclusive tastings: New Orleans Wine Club

Hope to See You Soon!

Beth, Kerry, Matt, Kimi, Casey, Walter, Erin and Sangi

 

Swirl Wine Bar & Market

3143 Ponce de Leon Street

New Orleans, LA 70119

504.304.0635

El Casey and Forbiddenly Funky Cheese

photo by St. James Cheese

It's 4pm on Thursday.  I arrive back at the shop after running a few errands, expecting to find El Casey checking in our cheese order that was to be delivered during my absence.  Instead I find El Casey and Magic Matt behind the bar tasting the open bottles for quality control purposes, and they inform me that the cheese truck driver said he couldn't make our delivery because in doing so he would exceed the 14 hour limit for time spent on the road.  Knowing there were a few important items on the truck that we needed, I get in the mini and drive down Old Gentilly highway to the Motel 6 and meet said truck driver in the parking lot and make the exchange.  

My car reeking of pungent cheese, I arrive at the shop and the boys help me unload.  El Casey's gleeful giggle at the sight of the case that is source of the offensive odoriferousness makes me realize that by my own request he has managed to get a forbidden product in our case, a truly stinky cheese.

You see, I've asked Casey, our resident cheesemonger, to start a new project in the store with a featured regional/seasonal cheese and wine pairing.  His first selection happens to be Livarot cheese from Normandy, so wildly popular that the region holds an annual two day festival each August to celebrate their famous curds.  In choosing the Livarot, he neglected to tell me that it is one of the top 10 stinky cheeses of France!  

Anyway, he has chosen his cheese, picked his pairings and this week we will reveal the details of El Casey's first regional/seasonal pairing.  We are very fortunate to have such a talented and kooky guy in the shop, so stop by and have a chat with him, and please pick up some of this stinky cheese!!

Toscana 2013, Photos from our Wine & Culinary Tour

Each year we take a group of 8 Swirl customers on a wine and food tour of Tuscany.  Our trips are based in the Medieval city of Cortona and are led by a Cortonese native, comedian and Italian wine specialist, Antonio Molesini.  If you'd like to join us sometime, let me know!

"Frizzy" Wines, the Perfect Antidote for the Summer Heat

Guido from da Ferdinando

Spending a lazy afternoon with our new friends Guido, Marco and Ferdy at da Ferdinando on Spiaggia di Fornillo became a blissful habit.  We would start in the morning with a little time on the water, renting a kayak or pedal boat from them with the later becoming our preferred vessel due to the minimal amount of effort it actually took to move it. After an hour or so of swimming and cruising in the cool blue waters,  we'd meet friends on the deck for lunch at our table in the corner.

One of our favorite appetizers, grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves

Lunch would begin with our favorite antipasti of prosciutto e melone (prosciutto draped over honeydew or cantaloupe), mozzarella alla griglia (grilled mozzarella on lemon leaves), insalata caprese, alici fresche al limone (fresh anchovies with lemon), just a little something to hold us over 'til our main courses arrived. Needing to wash all of that food down with a local beverage, the sheepishly grinning Ferdy would bring the first of many pitchers of our preferred drink to the the table, the house white wine. 

Kerry pouring us the favored vino bianco in Portole, Italy

Vino Bianco della Casa in Italy is really everything one wants in a summer wine and during one of those dreamy afternoons, many pitchers later on the beach a da Ferdinando, the name "frizzy" wine seemed most appropriate. Usually served in small ceramic pitchers or glass carafes with a subtle amount of spritz or frizzante, it is light, palate cleansing, refreshing and much too easily drinkable by the litre or two or maybe three ...And while we most enjoyed it during those lazy afternoons on the Amalfi Coast, it was our drink of choice from Rome to Cortona and everywhere in between.  

They call it VinhoVerde in Portugal, Txakolina in Spain, Frascati in Roma, Greco in Greece, Falanghina on the Amalfi Coast, but no matter the grape or the name, it's one of those highly quaffable beverages that when served with the local food makes for an unforgettable experience.  So in trying to recreate those moments for us and our friends I'm putting together a collection of "frizzy" wines at the shop.  And if you've been to any of those places I mentioned above, you know what I'm talking about.  Usually inexpensive and always easy to drink at any time of the day, best experienced by pouring them into a ceramic pitcher and envisioning yourself sitting on the Amalfi coast gazing into the crystal clear waters...

Our time on the deck at da Ferdinando would end with fuzzy heads from frizzy wine, so Guido would set up our umbrellas as we take our spots on the colorful beach chairs for a nap and a last dip in the aqua blue waters.  Once our heads would begin to clear we stop back at the bar for espressi and maybe a limoncello, say our good byes to the guys and local cats before we took the walk back into town in search of gelato, leaving another hard day on the coast behind us.

Spiaggia di Fornillo, Positano

Current selection of frizzy wine:

Fontana Candida Frascati, Riondo Soave, Anjos Vinho Verde, Arca Nova Vinho Verde, Ameztoi Txakolina, prices range from $8-$17

Terre Nere Olio d'Oliva, A Rare Treat from an Amazing Producer

Ancient elixir, ritual anointment, symbol of peace, gift from Athena to the Greeks, the olive has been an integral part of life in the eastern Mediterranean since the first stirrings of civilization.  In many ways, olive oil is one of the most important agricultural products of Europe and most wineries devote considerable acreage to the beloved olive tree for their own personal use and many for export.

So it is no wonder that one of our favorite Sicilian winemakers, Marco de Grazia of Tenuta Delle Terre Nere, produces an exceptional olive oil that we are very excited to have in the store. Marco's estate occupies prime real estate on the slopes of the famed Mount Etna, the still active volcano producing some of Sicily's most extraordinary wines that we had the privilege of visiting in 2009.  The estates has 1,500 trees, many which are centuries old, that are all farmed and cared for organically. Lovingly tended, the olives are hand harvested, cold pressed that same day, with the luscious green/gold oil bottled unfiltered.  The volcanic soils give it an almost sweetness, with elegant, spicy pepper notes; pure quality flows from the bottle.

We had the pleasure of Marco's company in the shop a few years ago for an intimate, seated tasting of his wines as well as a few others he is importing.  Soft spoken, loquacious and extremely passionate about the region, it was wonderful to hear about his approach to wine making on the Etna, to taste the wines with him and hear his stories about what makes this reason so special and one of the most exciting wine producing regions in the world today. His approach to wine is one of minimal intervention, using certified organic practices, and an almost indiscernible use of oak, allowing the expression of the true character of the wine. In tasting his olive oil, it is obvious that he applies this same careful, thoughtful approach to its production as well.

Olive oil is a daily staple in our home.  We use it liberally and as often as we can, often finding excuses to design a dish around it.  Having met Marco and visited the wild world of the Etna, this oil is extremely special to us. We have it now, it probably won't be here for long, so if you have an appreciation for this ancient culinary delight, representing generations of farming and centuries of history made by people who truly care, come see us.