Already, 2013 has been an impressive year for Corridor Sausage. The artisan sausage company has found a rhythm in their new Eastern Market facility, they’ve launched The Grindhouse food truck, and thanks to USDA approval, they’re about to start selling to retail outlets.

So it seems like this is the time to take the region by storm.

Corridor co-founder Will Branch agrees. “If it isn’t, I probably have a bankruptcy and a divorce in my future,” he says with a hearty laugh. He’s kidding (sort of), but after a long three and a half years of strenuous work, he and partner Zak Alexander seem poised to truly reap the fruits of their labor.

The journey began in 2009 when Branch and Alexander were cooking together at a southeast Michigan restaurant. Neither wanted to open their own eatery, but both were excited at the prospect of something beyond working the line. “If I wasn’t going to law school and I was going to cook, it wasn’t to work for someone else for the rest of my life,” Branch says. “It’s about ‘what am I going to create?’”

Branch had grown up as a routine visitor to metro Detroit’s ethnic butchers, and Alexander had worked on a charcuterie program at Novi-based Steve & Rocky’s prior to their meeting. So the notion of starting a sausage business emerged quickly. “Planning a sausage or charcuterie shop is something every cook or chef talks about at 2am after too much Jameson and Guinness,” Branch jokes.

Wasting little time, they organized a meeting with some potential investors, a restaurant group looking to put a few businesses into a Midtown, Detroit-based development.

“That’s where we started to get attached to the space in the Cass Corridor,” Branch notes. Schoolcraft College generously granted them one-time use of their space and equipment to put together a product tasting, and though it went well and lease negotiations proceeded swiftly, the project eventually stalled. “We branded as Corridor Sausage and thought it was a done deal,” he continues, “And you could say, ‘Oh man, that didn’t come through, we’re bitter about it,’ but we’re not. Those people were all so, so helpful.”

The duo, unfazed, took a flexible approach, looking for any entry point to the marketplace.

They acquired rental space in Howell, got licensed, and started making sausage just seven or eight hours a week. For a full year, they made sausage to order, serving clients like Woodbridge Pub and Jolly Pumpkin. That slow ascent allowed them to perfect their process, eventually making about 500 pounds of sausage in just their eight hour kitchen stint, which opened the door to farmer’s markets.

Jolly Pumpkin’s first order, which they made on Labor Day, 2009, still stands as a memorable moment. They had to produce 250 pounds, and they weren’t yet operational in Howell. So they borrowed restaurant space in Detroit with coolers in the basement, grinders on the fourth floor, and stuffers on the first floor. Branch’s exhaustion is evident in his voice, even years later.

But looking back, he couldn’t be happier. “Pretty much, [the Jolly Pumpkin] order financed our company,” he contends. “Instead of going out of pocket, we had something sitting in our bank account we could parlay into success.” And he still remembers what they put together that day – Vietnamese chicken, lamb merguez, apple and sage pork, and Moroccan lamb with fig.

In summer of 2012, they moved into their new production facility in Eastern Market, a space at the corner of Division and Orleans – perhaps best known to Market goers as the Marry Me Tizzie building. With the new space came new equipment as well, including a vacuum stuffer than apportions the ground meat into their desired quantity. For all its obvious advantages, that brought a series of headaches all its own.

Branch explains: “That first month in the new space sucked. It was awful. It was new equipment, it was an enormous space compared to what we were used to. So everything took longer…. Eight months ago, a fuse blew on our stuffer. Now we know how to fix it and what to look for, but at the time… I didn’t know.” After wading through circuit boards and wires, they got the machine repaired – and now they’re capable of producing thousands of pounds per week.

In outlining that production process, Branch and Alexander humbly reveal the level of quality to which they aspire.

On Mondays, their sole task is preparing the ingredients to mix into the meat – chopping fresh herbs, mincing fresh garlic, weighing spices and figs, and prepping sauces. There are no bagged mixes, no pre-assembled products that go into their sausage. Tuesday, I watched them halve chunks of lamb and unpack ethically raised pork to head into the grinder. After grinding, they mix with their prepped ingredients and stuff into natural casings. And finally, on Wednesday, they package and freeze the meat.

USDA certification represents the next evolution: For Corridor, the rules will preclude any possibility of working with the same protein on the same day. Thus, different meats will get moved to different days of the week, meaning their production schedule must expand. “Right now, we typically make four to six varieties, 600 to 800 pounds [on that Tuesday],” Branch says. “We’ll have to shift our production model to maybe 1,000 to 1,500 pounds in a day, but that’s maybe only two varieties.”

If it seems like a lot of effort, that’s because it is. As finely honed as their process is, it still takes hours of focused effort to achieve. After all this time, Branch still enjoys talking about it. And when I ask what makes his sausage different, he laughs, “It’s the love. The secret ingredient.”

Earnestly, he continues, “No, it’s the quality and the care we put into it. The freshness of the meats.  A lot of it is the recipes, the flavor that comes through you won’t get anywhere else.”

Early on, Corridor routinely extended their business to regional catering. Indeed, Branch credits a spike in their initial Eastern Market business to a large event at Cloverleaf Fine Wine in Royal Oak. But as their business has grown, they’ve invested in their food truck – The Grindhouse – and in doing more charity events in town.

“[Last fall], we got to do a catered charity event which may be the thing I was most proud of,” Branch says. “At the Downtown Youth Detroit Boxing Gym, Rock Financial walked into the building with a check for $15,000. Catering has taken a step back to a point where we can do charity stuff.” They continue to work with Dave Mancini of Supino Pizzeria on efforts for the Gym, and last summer, Branch participated in the Next Urban Chef, a program that supports food education initiatives in the city.

While Branch contends they don’t want to overreach, he acknowledges that they’re primed for significant business growth. The USDA label will allow them to sell to local markets as well as take advantage of contacts across the western half of the state and the entire Midwest, building upon existing restaurant clientele in Cleveland and possibly Chicago.

So what comes next? Alexander showed me their new charcuterie cooler, which is in place though not fully built out. Within weeks, they should be hanging salumi and growing their cured meat portfolio. After, Branch says, “the next step will be provisions, like mustards.”

I pressed Branch a bit more about if all the work was worth it and if he’s still genuinely glad that he and Alexander chose to pursue sausage. He chuckled, and offered a sentiment that’s impossible to argue against: “Sausage is delicious. It’s delicious.”

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/5632173984

Wine Soak @ Signal-Return: Introduction to French Red Wine

When: 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m., Thursday, April 25th

Where: Signal-Return – 1345 Division Street in Detroit’s Eastern Market

What’s the difference between the Loire Valley and the Rhone Valley? How is it that Languedoc-Rousillon produces a third of all wine in France yet you don’t see many bottles from this region on the wine store shelf? Why do some Burgundy and Bordeaux sell for hundreds of dollars a bottle? Does all Beaujolais smell like bubble gum? (No!) Can you find a good wine from any of these regions without taking out a loan? (Yes!)

We’ll explore these and other questions while hanging out and drinking at Signal-Return, a working letterpress studio that offers workshops and open studio time in the historic Eastern Market district. Our team of talented drinkers will select a specific red wine to represent each of six different regions of France: Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Languedoc, Loire, and Rhone. Each region will have its own short presentation, followed by open discussion.

If you’re hip to discovering new wine in a casual environment with a fine group of people, Wine Soak is where it’s at.

Wine Soak: Introduction to French Red Wine will be held on Thursday, April 25th at 1345 Division Street in Detroit’s Eastern Market. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Presentations will begin at 7:00 and end at 8:30. Limited seating is available for the ridiculously low price of only $30 per person. Cost includes a pre-game glass of sparkling wine, 2 oz. pours of six different wines, and pizza from Supino Pizzeria.

Wine Soak is a wine tasting and discussion series designed for all levels, from novice to professional. Each event covers a different varietal, region, or theme, with a brief review of wine basics, sampling of six to eight different wines, and a rotating venue. No posing. No bullshit.

Special thanks to Southeast Michigan’s Premier Merchant of French and Spanish Wine since 1992, Elie Wine Company.

Last Saturday, though, it was an entirely different setting: Andy’s kitchen was a range and a few tables in the corner of Eastern Market’s Shed 5, and his team consisted of a handful of local students participating in The Next Urban Chef, a food system education project put together by Detroiter Alison Heeres.

Hollyday joined Corrdor Sausage’s Will Branch, The Sunday Dinner Company’s Eric Giles, and Supino’s Dave Mancini as team leaders, about a dozen students learning and working under their guidance to learn about food, local agriculture, and teamwork.

The competition was judged, with each team preparing three dishes and their subsequent scores being allocated based not just on the food but on their ability to work together and their use of Michigan ingredients.

Hollyday’s team, which won the competition, besting reigning champ Dave Mancini, prepared sweet corn ravioli with shrimp, roasted chicken with an apple cider vinegar sauce and Swiss chard, and an apple rosemary tart with homemade vanilla ice cream. I’m fortunate enough to say that I tried all three courses, and Chef Andy and his students did a great job.

To learn more and be privy to info about next year’s event, check out their Facebook page.

The first time I hung out at Lincoln Street Art Park was a couple of days before Halloween last year on a crisp autumn evening. The park’s founders were throwing a dedication party to celebrate the completion of the project’s first phase. We ate, drank, listened to tunes, and hung out around a pallet fire while the Amtrak Wolverine Service sped past a mere thirty feet away and a dazzling sundown filled the sky with orange and pink. It was a good day.

Subsequent impromptu bonfires saw us toasting ham and cheese sandwiches in a hobo pie maker or bidding farewell to winter by burning dried-up Christmas trees while Charley Marcuse, also known as Detroit’s singing hot dog man at Comerica Park, presented a speech rousing enough to complement the 20 foot high column of flames.

Pallet fires and trains and interesting people are enough to make a place appealing. At Lincoln Street, there’s also the art, from murals that cover entire walls to small ink drawings on random cinder blocks. There are graffiti tags, metal sculptures, stencils, and stickers. A frequent sightseer with a keen eye will find something new every time they visit. It’s a unique place, so I figured that more people should know about it and have the kind of fun I was having. With this in mind, Gourmet Underground Detroit organized our first event of the year – a late April potluck brunch.

Those who were paying attention to the Facebook event page chatter would have thought that the potluck was going to be a meatfest. And it was: Bob Perye from Rouge Estate was on hand with his smoker and more pulled pork than we could eat. He came armed with four different homemade sauces to complement the tender pork. He was also serving decadent slices of pork wrapped pork wrapped in pork, aka “FrankenBacon”, provided by Tim Idzikowski of Detroit BBQ Company. John Schoeniger of Porktown was grilling sauerbraten sliders while sipping on a fine German weisse bier. And someone even brought a party pack of Cajun fried turkey wings from the nearby Turkey Grill. This place has been on my radar for a couple of years now, but the potluck was the first chance I’ve had to taste the wings. They did not disappoint.

Yes, there was an abundance of meat. But reflecting the diversity of Detroit, there was also plentiful vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free goodies. Assorted salads, pickles, savory tarts, guacamole, and sweets helped balance the spread. Everything was good, and I personally loved a simple cilantro, lime, and chickpea salad that spoke the language of a warm and sunny spring day in Detroit. Thanks to the generosity of Green Safe, there was no shortage of earth-friendly, compostable cups, plates, and utensils.

As with any Gourmet Underground event, the libations were flowing. Evan Hansen revised a punch recipe to allow for single servings over ice that included three bottles of overproof rum. Assorted beer and wine was being poured from the tables, under the tables, around the tables. Towards the end of the day, the few of us that were still around and not wanting to let the day go were sipping Motor City Brewing Works hard cider with a float of corn liquor infused blueberries. Nobody went thirsty.

Lincoln Street Art Park won’t be mistaken for a typical suburban tract with plastic playground equipment and an acre or two of manicured lawn. Some rubble from the building that once stood on the lot still remains. A nearby hydrant has been leaking for so long that a small wetland habitat is growing around it and a sandpiper, typically a shoreline wading bird, has adapted to make Lincoln Street its home. It is the decaying Detroit that most of us know. But when the park is filled with the sounds of mirth, it is a Detroit that’s as alive as it ever was.

While we were cleaning up for the day and polishing off the last of that “City Billy hard cider spritzer,” Matt Naimi, in a moment of booze-fueled insight, best described Lincoln Street. He said, “we’re all just kids, and this is a great place to play.”

We dig Lincoln Street Art Park, and you should too. Show your love by voting for their proposed graffiti-style street art gallery in the Let’s Save Michigan Placemaking Contest.

We’ll see you at the 3rd Annual Belle Isle Potluck Picnic on Saturday, June 23.

RECIPES

Cilantro, lime, and chickpea salad

One 15-oz can chickpeas (2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed

2 cups spinach
1/4 cup sweet onion, chopped finely
Juice from 1.5 limes
3/4 cup fresh Cilantro
1/2 tsp sugar (or to taste)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 garlic clove
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp kosher salt + ground pepper

Directions:

In a food processor, add the spinach and pulse a few times until chopped very small. Add the processed spinach, drained chickpeas, and chopped onion into a large bowl.

In the food processor (no need to rinse the bowl!), add the lime juice, cilantro, mustard, sugar, garlic, cumin, and oil. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Pour the dressing on top of the spinach chickpea mixture and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let stand for about 10 minutes to let the flavors develop.

Bombay Government Punch (Hansen Remix)

3 bottles of Wray & Nephew overproof rum
3.5 quarts of cold-brewed Darjeeling tea
18 oz lime juice
16 oz demerara simple syrup
2 oz ginger syrup

Ideally, it’d be served on a block of ice so it slowly dilutes, and it’d go from being a bit too boozy and sweet to being pretty much perfect. But it was damn fine poured as single servings over ice.

Again, my favorite was an Old Forester product, their Birthday Bourbon.

The line up this time was, in order, Four Roses Single Barrel, Angel’s Envy, Jefferson’s, Woodford Reserve, the B-day Bourbon, and Elijah Craig 18 Year.

Elijah Craig seemed to win the tasters’ hearts overall, with a sort of supple, billowy mouthfeel and fat, rich, mildly oaky flavor. It was definitely in my top three, but I found the Old Forester superior in that its smoothness felt a bit less forced, its oak less obvious. On my very first sip, I thought it had a nice woody, almost mineral note, but the more I drank it, the more fruity and full it became.

The Four Roses felt a bit manipulated and obvious, but I have to say, I liked it. Despite any vanilla, which I presume to come from the barrel, there was a clear malty fruit quality that I rather enjoyed. The Jefferson’s I liked more as I diluted it over the tasting. Initially kind of lean and intense compared to the others, it softened with water. Woodford was spicier than I would have thought undiluted, but when I added water, an odd sort of bitter off-flavor emerged. Angel’s Envy was, regardless of dilution, my least favorite. Keeping in mind that I would very much drink the shit out of any of these six bourbons and that I am now, to some extent, just nit-picking, I found the Angel’s Envy to be far too soft, far too fruity, and far too artificial tasting. Layers of artificial, bubble gum-ish flavors, very soft. Not my cup of tea. Or bourbon.

All of these were great bourbons, and I’m pleased to have been there. But for the second tasting in a row, Old Forester is bringing the pain to its competitors at an assortment of prices.

Barkeep, I’ll have another Birthday Bourbon.

This week there are an unusually large number of new wines at Slows.

Gone, for now, are:

Ulacia Txakolina,
Verasol MCS,
Montsarra Cava,
Domaine Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon
Dr. Thanisch Riesling (“Sofia’s”)

New Items:

NV Lini 910 Lambrusco Rosé
2010 Thomas-Labaille Sancerre, Chavignol, Les Monts Damnés
2009 Didier Montchovet Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire
2008 Eugen Wehrheim Riesling Kabinett, Niersteiner Oelberg
2009 Vieux Chene, VdP Vaucluse, Cuvee de la Dame Vieille

LAMBRUSCO

The Lambrusco label will look familiar to most of you. Last year we carried a similar wine from the same producer, their “Rosso.”

This so-called Rosé is fairly dark in color. Think of it as a very light colored red. And while grouping wines into broad, visibly evident categories – Like “Rosé Wines” – is easy and quick, that approach will help explain conformist wines better than distinctive ones. In other words, we are right to prefer the renegade over the predictable. So before considering Lini’s Rosé you might want to forget what you know about pink wine.

Lambrusco is a grape variety associated with the Italian province of Emilia and the culturally rich city of Bologna. It is commonly equated with a sweet factory made drink sold under the Riunite brand. (“Riunite on Ice, So Nice.”) This, however, is quite a bit different. It’s dry, for one thing, and the wine-growing is on a smaller and slower scale. It is less processed.

Is it sparkling? Yes. To be more specific, it is frizzante, which means it has about half the gas of a Champagne-method wine.

The Lini family established their winery in 1910, hence the name.

A 5 oz. coupe holds about 4 oz. and it costs $7. A bottle is a sensational value at $28 and it is the easiest thing in the world to drink – not boozy, tannic or heavy – in fact the opposite.

It tastes delicious. It will not clash with any of our foods, so in one sense it will pair well with any of them. However, I think this is less of a food companion than it is a pure drinker, before a meal, after a shift, whenever drinking will be done.

SANCERRE

Sancerre is a French region in the upper Loire valley. White Sancerre is always 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Within Sancerre, the town of Chavignol is known to produce particularly ripe and sturdy wines. And there is one more distinction to mention, the vineyard: Les Monts Damnés. (Damnation Mountain)

Les Monts Damnés is a unique slope in Chavignol. It is aimed and curved toward the south in a way that amplifies the sun’s rays making for a unique ripening of the grapes. Here are photos of it: http://jimsloire.blogspot.com/2012/04/sancerre-monts-damnes-views.html

Kimmeridgian Marl makes up the soils in Burgundy, Champagne and Chavignol and it is the greatest dirt in the world!: http://www.winegeeks.com/articles/139

This is truly a rare find. I would be shocked if this were offered by the glass anywhere else in Michigan, or even in the Midwest. Slows sells a 5 oz. pour for $11, a bottle for $44. The only other restaurant I could find selling it in the country is in North Carolina where it is sold by the bottle for $52.

How does it taste? Rather like a Chablis-Sancerre hybrid of sorts. It is racy and scented of diverse fruits and plants: apples, citrus, apricot, dandelion stems, stone, and clover. It combines richness, persistence and precise detail in a unique way. By contrast, brand name Sauvignon Blanc wines from New Zealand will taste noticeably more herbaceous and of grapefruit, and cloying, with alcohols out of whack. Other wines from Sancerre are leaner and more ephemeral than this. This bottle can develop and reward patience as it ages.

Your takeaway: While this is indeed “a Sauvignon Blanc,” selling it as such would be wildly short of the mark. This is a classic Les Monts Damnés, a great Sancerre, and if it can even be considered representative of Sauvignon Blanc, this is one of its greatest expressions found on earth.

This will pair well with the Slows cheese trio – mac, hoffmans, and enchiladas. Also it will complement blackened catfish, rare salmon, and the various chicken based items – wings, yardbird, strut, breast.

BGO – BOURGOGNE GRAND ORDINAIRE

Everyone knows Red Burgundy – or Bourgogne Rouge – is made from Pinot Noir. But there are two exceptions: Passetoutgrains, which is typically a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir, and Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire. In this case we are drinking a wine made from Gamay. Gamay, incidentally, is the grape that makes Beaujolais in its region just to the south.

This is a good example of strictly “Natural Wine.” The grapes are certified biodynamic and almost nothing was added to the wine during fermentation and aging. The idea is to capture the whole taste of the fruit and the vineyard. And indeed, this is a charming bundle of Gamay goodness, tempered with a bit of bottle age. It is light bodied, dry and berryish on the palate. And as its fruit-flavored baby fat has worn away over time, there is emerging a distinctive earthy flavor that might remind you of Agave (see Mescal and Tequila.) This comes from the whole pulpy mess of fruit and the diverse microbes that get the fermentation going after the grapes are picked. In a perfect world I’d like to see this served a bit cooler than room temperature. Ice-bathe the bottle for 3-5 minutes if you want to see what I mean.

Consider allowing someone asking for “Pinot Noir” to taste this (and with an additional sample of the Rayos Uva Rioja they will know the two best and very different alternatives.)

Pair this with pork in all its forms, but especially in the form of a Reason sandwich.

$8 / $32

OIL MOUNTAIN RIESLING

This Riesling has been seen on our list twice before. It is from a single vineyard in the German region of Rheinhessen and it is off-dry, semi-sweet, fruity – whatever you want to call it. The reason it’s sweet is that Riesling, and wines from this far north in general, tend to have so much natural acidity that residual fruit sugar is an important balancing element to the flavors. The Oelberg (Oil Mountain) vineyard is in the township of Nierstein, and it is one of the few esteemed vineyard sites in the Rheinhessen.

The best way to experience Riesling is to concentrate on the aromas. There is really a lot going on in there. Smell it for at least a minute before you even take a taste. Red apples, preserved lemons, flinty mineral and stone sensations, and all of it is fairly intense and organized.

This wine certainly can pair with fish and chicken, but there is one unorthodox pairing that I like even better: brisket. There is a groomed classic personality to both the wine and the meat that speak to each other. The meat does not “overwhelm” the wine, or at least not completely. Consider having that with a side of green beans and potato salad or sweet mash.

Still $7 / $28

RHONE

Vieux Chene (Old Oak) is an estate in the hills that join the Rhone Valley to Provence in southern France. This is from a certified organic farm.

It is made with Grenache from very old vines (old vines produce more concentrated and complex wine) and younger plantings of Syrah, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Merlot. This is a perfectly ripe, dry and drinkable every day red wine. It’s lack of pretense and complication is in direct proportion to its charm, good flavor and utility.

This will pair well and complement virtually everything on the menu. Vieux Chene rocks.

Medium-bodied. $6 / $24 … another astonishing bargain

http://www.bouche-duvieuxchene.com/wines/fiande2.htm

WHITE PORT

I’ve become a little obsessed with our Ferreira White Port. As a concept, White Port has a few knocks against it. 1) It is not an antique tradition – the first white port was bottled sometime in the past 100 years, and there is little coherence to the various styles that would exemplify it. 2) It is an obscure subset of an already niche wine, that being the standard ports, ruby and tawny, made with red grapes. And 3) There are some expectedly shoddy “white port” knockoffs made in the central valley of California which tend to appear in liquor stores in poor neighborhoods – a perfectly legitimate if quick and cheap alcohol high.

This wine however is worth some serious consideration and reflection. Comparisons to good Sherry and Madeira are warranted. All have a certain nutty aroma that does indeed invite pairing them with roasted almonds. All are fortified – meaning the natural sugar in the grapes was preserved by halting fermentation by way of an added dose of neutral grape spirits. So it’s strong and a bit sweet. But so, …, balanced. This has aromas and scents of baked apples, peppered candied lemons, fresh figs, hazelnuts, apricots, and rainier cherries.

This is typically thought of as an aperitif (moreso in France) or digestif (moreso in England) but I had a hunch that this would actually pair well with a JP’s revenge. So on Friday I sat at table 209 and tested my theory. It was the wine and sandwich equivalent of bacon on a Chuck Norris, or to name a sanctioned classic, Sauternes and Fois Gras. Two incredibly rich and succulent flavors brought together to amplify and complement the other. And in spite of the decadent flavors, it actually made a rejuvenating meal.

That’s plenty to think about for now. Please call, write or see me to offer your insights or to pose questions.

Thanks for reading,

Putnam

Here are three new wines on our list, and I seriously adore all of them. So give credit to Tara for gettin’ em, and blame goes to me if you manage somehow to find fault with them. Item by item:

2010 Rioja, Rayos Uva. $9 / $36

Short version: this is our closest thing to the common notion of “Merlot.” Dark. Ripe, assertive fruit tannins. In terms of suggested fruits and spices, it is more linear than exotic. Considering the alternatives - at Slows now - this wine will also be the nearest thing to the common notion of “Pinot Noir.” (It’s like a Bugey Pinot with more density.) But please note, comparisons to warm weather Pinot Noir grown in fertile soils (i.e. from Santa Barbara, Willamette, and Marlborough) are much harder to make. This wine is not fat or pumped up with flavors of Jäger, bruised strawberries and cola.

The comparisons to Merlot and Pinot Noir are conveniently suggested by the biography of the winegrower. Olivier Rivière studied enology in the heartland of Merlot (Montagne St. Emilion, Bordeaux) and later worked at the great Burgundy estate of Domaine Leroy, famous for its biodynamic Pinot Noir vines.

Rayos Uva is 100% Tempranillo farmed organically and aged in large vats. It can be considered a Tinto, bottled younger than Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva. Oftentimes Rioja – particularly common Reserva – is associated with barrel-aged wines which can taste rather more of leather, vanillin, and tobacco. In this case by contrast, vat aging results in a wine more reminiscent of fresh fruit, ripe skins, and scented of minerals.

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2010 Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, La Quercia – $7 / $28

Look in any wine shop, or any list at an Italian restaurant. There are a LOT of wines bearing the appellation “Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.” (mōn-tā-pool-CHYA-nō : da-BROOTS-ō) In a crowded field of red wines competing for fickle consumer attention, common entries often exhibit signs of a winemaking arms race. There is ever more extraction, more alcohol, and more wood flavoring. While that aggressive style may indeed get attention, after exposure it can become tiring in a hurry.

La Quercia’s Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is different. Hand work, organic farming and minimal interventions have resulted in a wine that – while appropriately tannic and robust – leaves the palate refreshed and wanting more of its whole fruit and spice.

Let’s iron out a common point of confusion. This wine is made from the Montepulciano grape variety grown in the southern Italian region of Abruzzo. No problem there. However, there happens to be a more prestigious wine from the Tuscan town/comune also called Montepulciano, the best wines from which are called Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. The latter is made from a local clone of the Sangiovese variety, which is the variety grown in neighboring Chianti and Brunello. The most likely reason for the shared name is that once-upon-a-time farmers in Abruzzi idealized the wines from Montepulciano and so used the name to describe their own vines which best emulated it. Such borrowing of names is very common in wine history; you could even regard it as the rule rather than the exception. (See California Burgundy, Chablis, and Madeira)

The upshot is this: it is not necessarily specific enough to refer to this wine only as Montepulciano. More completely put: it is a Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. By the same token, asking for a “Pinot” could get you a cheap Italian white wine or a red wine from someplace like Oregon.

Short version: Montepulciano produces dark, tannic wines with a certain rustic edge. This sterling example is a good suggestion for someone looking for a “Malbec” or even a “Cabernet” (If the prices were reversed, and this were $9 while Domaine Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon were $7, I would gladly drink the Montepulciano for the higher price. This is not to say that our Cabernet Sauvignon is not solidly above average for things called Cabernet Sauvignon. It is.)

http://www.enjoysmall.com/wines/Wine/montepulciano-dabruzzo-doc

2010 Macon Charnay, Domaine Jean Manciat $9 / $36

Short version: 100% Chardonnay, which should be assumed of all things White Burgundy. Slows carried this cuvée about five years ago. The intervening years have allowed these younger vines to accrue the benefits to wine-quality of age: deeper roots, harmonious micro cultures, and accumulated interactive experience with their farmer, Mr. Manciat.

Some context: The Macon region is the vast southernmost region of Burgundy. By nature, Macon white wines *should* be fatter and sweeter than comparably situated wines in the more northern Burgundy regions of the Cote d’Or (i.e. Chassagne Montrachet.) However, industrial farming and a collapsed market in the postwar period encouraged most farmers to produce thin, dilute and acidic wines. To some extent, especially with older wine drinkers, Macon is associated with this cheap type of Chardonnay, and it may even suit some wine drinkers. Jean Manciat’s Macon is one of a handful of notable exceptions to this old rule. In fact, with the perspective of a few decades, the Macon region is now a happy hunting ground for drinkers seeking distinctly delicious wines that wear very well on the palate, in an open bottle, and laid down in a cellar.

Serve cold, but enjoy it best at about 60 deg. F.

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That said, in our tasting, we only covered a somewhat random handful of whiskeys, so I was kind of excited when Dave at the Sugar House decided to host a bourbon tasting tonight.

Here’s what I wasn’t expecting: Old Forester 100 would be my favorite.

The line up of 6 total whiskeys was (in order) Four Roses, Buffalo Trace, Elijah Craig 12, Old Forester 100, Old Granddad Bonded, and Henry McKenna.

I tasted each straight and then tasted each with a bit of water as well (we were given one ounce pours), and I most admired the OF 100 for its round, balanced flavor and lack of any noticeable off flavors either straight or cut. (I shouldn’t have been surprised: I probably drank 8 ounces of the stuff last Saturday night.) None of the whiskeys were noticeably “bad,” though I was surprised that Buffalo Trace was my second least favorite (next to Elijah Craig). I was equally surprised that the Henry McKenna didn’t clearly assert itself as a top two or top three choice and that Elijah Craig 12 year was so grassy and flat. It just wasn’t as complete of a drink. Among the 80ish proof bourbons, Four Roses was the clear winner. Compared to the McKenna, a higher proof spirit, I think I preferred the Old Granddad.

For straight drinking, the OF 100 seems pretty unmatched in the price range. For mixing… Well, more experimentation will be required.

From my perspective, the first (hopefully of many) iteration, held last night, Sunday, March 18, seemed to go pretty well.

Putnam was pouring a solid kolsch-style beer on draft as well as serving the always delicious Kapuziner Weisse and three different German wines. (For what it’s worth, I think Kapuziner is easily one of the best wheat beers in the world; it has that marvelous banana/clove aroma without the same estery flavor and sweetness. It finishes dry despite the aroma, and it’s one of the few wheat beers that I find “sessionable” as a result.)

All of the food was good – I’m pretty sure we tried everything on the menu except the charcuterie plate – though as I recall the sausage and pretzel were the universal favorites among our crowd. Porktown really has their knackwurst formula down to a science, it seems – perfect flavor, perfect texture – and Putnam’s pretzel is a can’t miss item, especially with a dollop of their mildly spicy homemade mustard. The meal ended with a pleasant surprise: Molly O’Meara from Beau Bien made an apple strudel. Not too sweet and surprisingly light, which struck me just right on a day that closed in on 75 or 80 degrees.

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As the warmer months approach, our thoughts wander to breezy spring evenings and glasses filled with refreshing, white wine. We’ll explore the varietal, Sauvignon Blanc, from origins in France to its place in the New World.

Because Sauvignon Blanc is grown in so many regions, we’ll be able to travel a diverse wine path from dry to off-dry to sparkling. If you’re hip to discovering new wine in a casual environment with a fine group of people, Wine Soak is where it’s at.

Wine Soak: Sauvignon Blanc, will be held from 8 until 10 p.m. on Saturday, April 14th at a private gallery in Ferndale.  Limited seating is available for $30 per person. Cost includes a pre-game glass of sparkling wine, 2 oz. pours of six different wines, and an assortment of light snacks.

Wine Soak is a wine tasting and discussion series designed for all levels, from novice to professional. Each event covers a different varietal, region, or theme, with a brief review of wine basics, sampling of six to eight different wines, and a rotating venue. No posing. No bullshit.

Click this link to reserve your seat