News from Meritage Wine Agents Ltd.

Meritage Wine Agents Ltd.

issue 7-12

In This Issue

Good Morning..

Seems every Monday morning of late, has been a weather news day. With much snow already fallen and more scheduled, we can't seem to shake these Monday morning blues. I realize that we are in a slow time of year. Most of us want to jump on a plane and head off to sandy beaches and palm trees, to shake off these winterly doldrums.

If you can't head out, like me, I tend to melt into my wines and take some time to discover new foods that go well with the wines. Most do it the other way around, but us self proclaimed wine nuts find food to fit the bottle in hand. Follow me below as I discuss a very old grape variety from the north of Italy, and also discuss Carlin de Paolo who is the only producer with this variety in our fine snowy Province.

Also I'm going to touch on a Chicago area restaurant I just discovered, that does business in a very unique way.

Sincerely,
Rome Awde
Meritage Wine Agents Ltd.

Grignolino

Italy's Beaujolais?

Grignolino is a red grape variety predominately grown in the northern region of Piedmont. The grape produces a light bodied, pale colored wine, with very fruity aromas and a highly acidic and tannic structure. When first poured into a glass, the color reminds of a darker roses. The wine, grown mostly around Asti, has been labeled the Italian Beaujolais, due to it's lighter and fresh character. Produced to be drank young, while waiting for the Nebbiolo and Barbera's to mature, Grignolino, along with Dolcetto have a reputation in the region of being a jug table wine.

Many producers are now playing with the grape to create a fresh and interesting wine. The grape is very highly reflective of it's terroir, as it will show the type of soil it is grown in and also is prone to mutation as there are a number of clones, that again impart a variety of styles and flavors. The grapes are also prone to millerandage, with clusters and different grapes within a cluster at different stages of ripening.

The name Grignolino comes from the word Grignole, which means "many pips". The grapes are very high in pip content and if pressed too aggressively can produce a very bitter "pippy" wine. Pressing is done slow and softly to reduce the amount of bitterness from the pips. Because of the pips though, the wine is highly acidic and tannic, which gives the resulting wine a real backbone structure that is not expected when looking at it's pale color in the glass.

When first put to nose, a well made Grignolino has a pronounced berry fruit, mostly strawberry or raspberry. The structure and high acid content will surprise you when tasted. The best ones will linger and give many layers of interesting fruit and terroir, with great mouth feel. I have found the wine seems at it's best when chilled just a little, true cellar temperature or slightly cooler, but not refrigerated.

Grignolino is almost totally grown in and around Asti and Monferatto Casale. There is a small amount grown by Heitz Cellars in Napa California.

You really must try this wine. It is so unique and interesting that it is worth searching out and enjoying a bottle with friends. It is the kind of wine, that served with hard cheese, salami's, especially Genoa, you will not be able stop analyzing and thinking about what other foods you can find in the fridge or whip up to taste with it. I suggest a little pan fried mild Italian sausage, a block of Romano and sliced Italian loaf along with a little antipasto, this will give you a little taste of heaven, Italian style, and this wine will shine and jump for joy. You may also.

Cheers, Rome

CarlindePaolo
Piemonte Grignolino DOC

In the glass, this Grignolino is very light in color, almost a roses style, polished and clean, with gentle hues of light brick and ruby. The nose is all strawberry, not just the fruit, the whole plant. a very pleasant green vegetation, soils and the berries themselves. With a slight chill, the mouth feel is again light in body but highly structured with acid and natural tannins. The acidity is a surprise as it it is not expected at first. Bush fruit is pronounced, follows into herbs and spices, especially pepper and clove. There is a gentle finish of natural anise too.

The wine is nothing like it looks and works so well with hard cheese's, cured meats and game.

12o Alcohol. Awesome food wine. ;)

ALGC +747328 $17.29. Limited amounts.

Next Restaurant

Chicago area Chef Grant Achatz has created the newest concept in ultra dining experience. With my 20 years of dining experience, I have yet to come across such a unique and creative concept. Chef Achatz opened Next in November of last year to a waiting public. Achatz had a very good reputation in the Chicago area and so his many fans were waiting with baited breath for the new experience. Achatz is among the, what I call, new 'food chemist Chefs'. That is using the chemistry of food to create amazing morsels that rarely reflect what they look like.

Next is a interesting concept, as you have to buy tickets, preassigned at a certain day and time to get a table. The experience has taken off so well that there is now a ticket scalping and trading problem and the owners are now setting up a trading area on their web site. Can you imagine, buying tickets, like going to the theater or concert for dinner? Very cool idea! The tickets are non-refundable, miss your assigned date and time and your S__t out of luck. It takes months to get a table, if you ever get one at all. the normal seat price is around $300 to $400 including wine pairings.

The menu is completely table de haute, no provisions for Veggies, or Allergy suffers, the risk is fully on you. The wine pairings are pre-decided by the Sommelier, but there is a non-alcohol pairing as well.

You follow them on Face Book as they open up a couple of tables each night and you can jump on buying that nights tickets. They go in about a hour, often less!

The menu is changed 3 times per year, currently the menu has 29 courses! Can you imagine, of course they are mostly bite sized courses, but 29! The current menu is inspired by elBulli, the infamous "Worlds most famous restaurant" from Spain which closed for good 1n 2010 as the owners retired.

Next, what a amazing idea! If you ever make it to Chicago, only book your flight after you have your Dining ticket! Oh forget it, you'll never get one anyway.