Brad Ballinger

Before I scrolled down this thread, I had Amarone in my mind. Other whites not mentioned would be a Vouvray Moelleux or an Alsatian Pinot Gris SGN.

Tapas are what U.S. visitors to Spain eat for dinner because they can't wait for 10:00 or 11:00 when the rest of Spain sits down for the evening meal.

Garagiste as a place for a little bit of everything. But if you wish to specialize, then that opens up a whole bunch of places. But the prices at Garagiste are hard to beat.

My point exactly in beginning this thread.

If you can separate the wheat from the chaff (and I contributed to the latter) in this thread, you may find an answer to your question. But I don't know if Riedel stems are stocked at many places that have bridal registries.

They're twice as big as the regular M & Ms. It's more noticeable with the plain variety. The peanut are also double dipped, but it may not be as easy to notice.

It's not necessarily the funky colors (although those hold a certain appeal), but what is hooking me is the double-dipped nature of these morsels. If Mars would make the plain version of the candy twice as big (as they've done with the Shrek promotion), I'd hardly eat anything else.

Sam, There's a cocktail called French 75 Cocktail, of which there must be a number of variations on the recipe, which is named for a gun used in World War I. One recipe is... 5 ounces chilled Champagne 1/4 ounce gin 1/4 ounce Cointreau 1/4 ounce lemon juice Shake up everything but the Champagne in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a chilled Champagne flute whose rim has been dipped in sugar. Top with Champagne.

The wine comes from Friuli in NE Italy. It's a region that arguably makes the best white wines in Italy, and some would say beyond. This particular wine is a blend of sauvignon blanc, tocai friulano, chardonnay, and picolit. The blending wines are handled separately - all of them fermented and aged in oak except the sauvingon blanc, which only sees stainless steel - then blended when finished. I don't believe this wine is produced every year, but I could be wrong. As the tasting note from Wine Spectator suggest, this will be a full bodied white wine, and I'd have it with somethng that has a rich sauce, whether that be fish, chicken, or pasta. If you can read Italian, check out the Ronchi di Manzano web site.

There are biking and hiking trails. In winter, there is cross-country skiing. There are also Amish tours. But this place is all about being pampered by food.

I didn't think to look at the cork. Well, I didn't even pull the cork, so there. The Forteto della Luja Loazzolo can be found at Buon Giorno. They have the 2000 vintage right now.

For those interested in notes on the wines mentioned in this write up, go here. Late last fall I was having my car serviced at the dealer. I spied a copy of Mpls/St. Paul magazine in the waiting room, and began thumbing through it. This particular issue (October, 2003, I believe) had a feature on the top ten Bed and Breakfast places in Minnesota. Many of them sounded like ideal getaways, but one in particular grabbed my attention to a point where I started planning our wedding anniversary six months in advance, which is unheard of for me. And that was the write up on the tenth one listed in the article. Gourmets' Garden Bed and Breakfast in Harmony, Minnesota. The unique appeal of GGB&B (as I’ll refer to it from here forward) was that dinner was also served on the premises. Not just any dinner, your option of a three course or five course dinner paired with wines. And if you’ve ever been to Harmony, you know your other options are the pizza parlor, the diner, or the sports bar – all of which, I’m sure, serve up fair fare, but this would be our anniversary, after all. So, six months in advance, I booked a room. There are only two rooms in this B&B. Since we usually spend our anniversary with another couple (and they theirs with us), I booked both rooms. I also asked if we could bring our own wine. That would not be a problem. As a matter of fact, they would create a menu to go with our wines if I let them know what we’d be bringing in advance. Way cool. Fast forward six months to our arrival. The property is situated on a gravel road about 1.5 miles southeast of town. Driving up to it, it looks like a typical farmhouse built long ago, and added on to since then (but still a while ago). There is a barn and a couple of outbuildings. There is a large garden in front. It’s on the south side of the gravel road, which is important since, during the summer at least, the wind is usually from the south. So when a car passes by, the dust created drifts north. Marcia and I were warmly welcomed by the husband and wife owner/operator couple of Stephen Larson and Lisa Flicker (more on them later). We walked through a porch that has been converted into a dining area (they also offer dinners to non-guests), and into the actual dining room across which we saw the demonstration kitchen (cooking classes are also offered here). More on the kitchen later. To our right was the living room, three comfy, cushy leather loveseats. A wrought iron spiral staircase led upstairs to the guest rooms. Since carrying luggage up that way would be a bitch, the outside stairs leading to a balcony and second story entrance were what we used. In warmer weather, guests can opt for breakfast (maybe dinner, I’m not sure) on the balcony. Our room had a wrought iron queen-sized bed, table and chairs, reading chair, and a bathroom with a very deep, very heavy, clawfoot tub. The tub uses hot forced air (not a motorized pump) to create a Jacuzzi effect. And two can fit, but that’s all I’ll say about that. We headed downstairs after unpacking, were offered a glass of wine, and asked Stephen and Lisa their stories. He was raised in rural Minnesota (I can’t recall where) and she is from the Rochester area. Stephen is classically trained as a shef and has worked at Alfredo’s (when it was in business), Primavera (ditto), and D’Amico Cucina. He met Lisa (for those who’ve noticed her last name, yes she is the sister of Auriga’s Doug Flicker) when she was working in one of the restaurants, and they’ve been together ever since. Together, they had dreamed of opening a B&B, preferably in a more rural setting. But finding any property, let alone a suitable – and affordable – one, proved to be a larger challenge then they though. On the path to attaining that, Stephen put in a stint at Mrs. B’s Inn in Lanesboro, one of the more well-known establishments in southern Minnesota. But it seemed like they simply had to wait for someone to die in order to get a chance at a property. By pure chance, they were in a bar and overheard someone saying how he wasn’t going to buy a property after all. They surreptitiously grabbed some bar napkins, eavesdropped some more, and scribbled down the necessary information. That’s how they came upon the property they are in today. Of course, there was the renovation, and all the hard equity and sweat equity that go into that. But they wanted to not only operate a B&B, but to do dinners and offer cooking classes on top of that. The kitchen is nicely done. There is an island with six ultra high-tech burners (26,000 BTUs each). The rest of the island space is one massive cutting board, although there are raised cutting boards on certain parts of it. Stephen stands facing the dining room, and there are stools on the other side for those who arrive for a cooking class. While we were chit-chatting, Stephen and Lisa was doing the prep work for dinner. She is the baker and pastry chef, and he does the rest (or most of it, I gather). They run a working farm. There is a cow. There are hobby horses. There are Pekin ducks, which provide the eggs. They used to have chickens when they first opened, but found that ducks were cleaner, less maintenance, and produced more flavorful eggs. They actually did a large amount of chicken v. duck egg testing in various preparations, and found the chicken eggs tasting more “chickeny” and the duck eggs just more “eggy.” The duck eggs have a higher yolk to white ratio, too, which yielded a “that’s just bonus” comment from Stephen. There are also eight cats (at present), which are always outside. For Friday night’s dinner, it was just Marcia and I. The other couple, as it ended up, were not able to come down until Saturday. I had emailed Stephen the list of wines ahead of time. When I surrendered them upon arrival, he removed them to the climate controlled cellar and cooling unit. Here’s Friday’s dinner… Amuse bouche – Crouton topped with caramelized onion, rhubarb compote and French brie cheese. I believe it also had a drizzling of red wine reduction. This was a one-bite, pop-in-your-mouth piece of ambrosia. With it and the next three courses, we paired a 1996 L. Aubry “Cuvée Aubry de Humbert” Brut Champagne. Hors d’oeuvre – Deviled duck egg with warm bacon and reserva Sherry vinegar dressing on a chiffonade of French sorrel. I’m not a huge fan of deviled eggs, but I watched him make these while we were visiting, and he kept the mustard quotient low. This was one of my favorite courses of the evening. Appetizer – Warm oven-poached black tiger shrimp mousse with avocado and lime cream. It was more custard-like than mousse-like, but still packed with flavor. Marcia particularly liked this one. First course – Garden asparagus risotto with shaved Grana Padano parmesan, black truffle oil, and Italian prosciutto ham. They had offered to pour us one of their wines with this (just a glass each, not the bottle), but we still had some Champagne left, and my wife isn’t a boozer. This course was very nice. The rice was al dente, and the texture of the risotto was as creamy as it should be. Entrée – Seared beef ribeye fillet on a crisp potato galette with brandy and dried plum sauce. The beef was cooked rare (which is bonus for me), and the sauce was plate-licking tasty. The course probably could’ve used some color, but there’s no arguing with the flavor. For this course and the salad, we enjoyed a 1987 Lafite Rothschild. Salad – Mixed spring greens tossed with raspberry vinegar, honey, and grain mustard dressing, topped with local Amish bleu cheese and candied walnuts. The sugar coating on the walnuts was onionskin thin. I love ending a meal with salad. They wanted to pour a separate salad wine for us, but we were fine with the Lafite. Dessert – Saffron-infused panna cotta with an oatmeal tuile. I brought a dessert wine for this, but we still had some Lafite left, so we finished off this velvety delight and went back to the wine. I love panna cotta (I actually prefer it to crème brulée and flan – it could be the use of gelatin over eggs, I don’t know), and I put this up there with the best I’ve ever had. Breakfast the following morning. Needless to say, lunch would not be needed during the day… Coffee and tea (in room) Fresh orange juice Fresh herb and aged white cheddar cheese duck egg omelet Garlic and extra virgin olive oil roasted tomato with toasted bread crumbs Thick-cut hickory smoked bacon Dried cranberry and candied ginger scones Ruby grapefruit segments in honey-mint syrup House-made low-fat organic oat granola with dates and almonds The omelet was more like a rolled frittata (not a complaint) than a folded omelet. The grapefruit in syrup was heavenly. Our friends arrived. We bought some of Friday dinner’s bleu cheese at the Amish factory across the Iowa border. We golfed nine holes. In the late afternoon, before dinner, we sat on the porch playing euchre and Stephen and Lisa opened a bottle of wine for us. Then came Saturday dinner and the continuation of the food orgy. On Friday, Marcia and I ate in the enclosed porch. On Saturday, the four of us ate at the dining room table because there were eight additional guests for dinner only, and they fit better on the porch… Amuse Bouche – Chilled roasted portabella mushroom, red bell pepper, and goat cheese torte. The serving portion was more than an amuse (oh, darn), and had to be eaten in several bites. With this and the next course, we had a 1998 Iron Horse Vineyards Brut Rosé. I think there was also a port syrup served over this torte, but my memory may be foggy. Hors d’oeuvre – Grilled prosciutto-wrapped black tiger prawns on mixed spring greens with extra virgin olive oil, thyme, and reserva Sherry vinegar. These prawns were huge – and tasty. Soup – Cream of garden asparagus, spinach, and potato soup with a chiffonade of French sorrel. The soup was served in a teacup, and was silky smooth. A highlight of the evening for me. With this we opened a 1995 Olivier Leflaive Meursault, Les Perriers Premier Cru. Appetizer – Carpaccio of beef New York strip steak topped with radicchio, oil cured black olives, and celery with tomato-basil vinaigrette. Dan (husband in the other couple), who doesn’t like his beef cooked rare, was all over this. His wife, Nita, and I rubbed in the fact that he has been missing out all these years. This was an interesting take on the typical topping of EVOO, lemon, parmesan, and black pepper. And it worked very well. For this course, Stephen and Lisa poured us a glass of Banfi Col di Sasso from their stock. First course – Fresh hand-rolled pappardelle pasta tossed with red wine braised rabbit ragu, and topped with shaved Grana Padano parmesan. The ragu was fantastic, and pappardelle is in the top three of my pasta preferences. I was digging this course. We had a 1995 Joseph Phelps Insignia with this one. Entrée – Lamb shank slow roasted with fresh morels, rosemary, and black-eyed peas. Just earlier that morning we were talking about morel hunting, and how it had probably been too cold for them to sprout yet. While we were out golfing, through pure serendipity, someone dropped off fresh morels at the house. Lucky us. The black-eyed peas were a bit out of place with this dish, going better with the mushrooms than with the lamb, but I wolfed it all down. With this course, we drank a 1992 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley. Cheese/Dessert – Tasting platter of: local Amish bleu, aged white cheddar, and French brie cheeses; whole milk ricotta cheesecake; and ginger poached pears filled with sweet mascarpone. Loved those pears. Two dessert wines – 1998 Niedermayr Aureus and 1998 Forteto della Luja Loazzolo. As if that wasn’t enough, Sunday’s breakfast on the porch… Coffee and tea (in room) Fresh orange juice Individual baked duck egg casserole Florentine with Grana Padano parmesan cream sauce American fried white potatoes with peppers and Vidalia onions Pan-grilled peppered ham steak Irish oatmeal pancakes with “Bananas Foster” sauce Honeydew melon drizzled with mesquite honey Organic yogurt sundae Then we headed home where we fasted for three days. GGB&B will likely see the Ballingers again. For those who like to be pampered with food, this is the retreat for you. For those parties that reserve both rooms, an option in place of dinner is to have your own private cooking class. That may be an option we invoke for one of the two nights next visit. Edited to correct the BTU info (quite an increase from my original post of 200 -- what was I thinking?)

These are wines my wife and I had over our anniversary weekend. We stayed at a bed and breakfast that also prepares gourmet dinners. We were able to bring our own wine. 1996 Champagne L. Aubry, Cuvée Aubry de Humbert Brut, Jouy-les-Reims Premier Cru. Okay, the label says 1997. But the guy at the retailer told me that there was a mislabeling or shortage of 1996 labels or something screwy and it is really a 1996. I have no reason to doubt this person, and he is very reliable. The wine was stellar. It had a toasty, nutty aroma that also showed some earthy minerals and red fruit. Very active mousse in the mouth that did not go away quickly or quietly. Flavors of pears, tart apples, plums, in a toasty and nutty package. Minerals are strong on the finish. 1987 Lafite Rothschild, Pauillac. This was a bottle given as a gift, and I have no idea about provenance. But the cork was a son of a bitch to get out. The tools we had at our disposal at the B&B were a Leverpull and a waiter’s service. I don’t believe the former was used, and the latter did nothing more than crumble the top portion of the cork. I had planned to pack my ah-so just for this bottle, but I spaced. I assisted the owner of the B&B and took over the duties of trying to extract the cork. Using the waiter’s service, I was able, after crumbling more cork. to get out the last half-inch or so intact and avoided and cork getting into the wine. We poured the wine into a decanter through a cheesecloth, and were on our way. A word about this decanter. It was an Orrefors brand, and has a great design. It just looks cool, and I have to get one. The wine was wonderfully leathery, floral, meaty, and earthy. It was still holding onto its fruit, but like good Bordeaux was about so much more. Structurally, the tannins were just about resolved, and there was still more acid associated with the fruit than not. The wine likely wasn’t stored the best, but overcame that to provide a pleasant enough experience. As it aerated in glass and decanter, it added to its complexity for a short time, but was fading by the final pour. We had those two wines on one night, then were joined by another couple on the second night. Usually too much wine gets opened when the four of us get together. 1998 Iron Horse Brut Rosé, Green Valley. The color on this wine is a deep pink. IIRC, the still pinot noir added to this wine is about 8%, at any rate enough to deepen the hue to this level. This is a sparkler that has a strong spice profile that is balanced with a floral sweetness. The texture wasn’t as refined as I prefer, but the flavor was fun. 1995 Olivier Leflaive Meursault, Les Perrieres Premier Cru. Now this is a white wine that a rockhead like me can get lost in. While this wine certainly shows some of the power of Meursault, it’s not as “in your face” as others I’ve had. It has matured well, and makes a case for maturing white Burgundy. The balance here is exquisite, and there are floral, earthy, and nutty tones. I haven’t mentioned any fruit yet. It is here in the form of apple and pear peels and a touch of lemon oil, but those are only players in this wine where no one is taking the stage away from the mineral complexity. And it just kept getting better with air. 1995 Joseph Phelps Insignia, Napa Valley. Jolted back into fruitland with this wine. At this time, the wine is a mouthful of blackcurrant fruit, and is just starting to develop some secondary character in terms of spice and herb. The oak is there, but doesn’t get in the way of my enjoying the wine. Smooth tannins, so-so acidity. I think it will hit its stride in a year or two. 1992 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley. My stash of 1992 California Cabernet is depleting. Since 1992 was our marriage year, I bought up some of the vintage. When those are gone, all that I will have left in the cellar from 1992 are one bottle each of Taylor Fladgate and Fonseca (but those will need to be opened on “landmark” anniversaries, and not something as nondescript as this year’s twelfth). Anyway, back to the wine. There is some bricking at the rim. The aromas show mature cabernet fruit. There is some berry quality, some earth, some tobacco, some coffee. The first sip had me thinking it was faded, but some additional air woke the fruit from its sleep. The wine didn’t have the up front power of the Insignia. It was much more mellow with its tannins just above resolved, and with a bit more balance. Still left from the vintage in California are Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Fay and SLV, Oakford, and two bottles of Diamond Creek Red Rock Terrace. 1998 Forteto della Luja Loazzolo Vendemmia Tardiva. I’ve become a huge fan of moscato passito of late, and this wine has shown me a new dimension. Where as the others I’ve enjoyed have showcased flowers, stone fruits, and oranges, this one was more refined and showed me more in the way of spice and almond in addition to its Muscat-like fruit. It also seemed to hold the sugar in check. There’s also a creaminess to the texture. The Loazzolo DOC labels it as vendemmia tardiva and maybe it isn’t a passito wine. I’ve seen it marketed as both, but I confess to not knowing if the terms are interchangeable or if some VT wines are also given passito treatment and others not. Whatever the case, I derive more enjoyment and can think of more versatility for this wine than other moscato passito wines I’ve enjoyed in the past (not that there’s anything wrong with those wines). 1998 Josef Niedermayr Aureus, Alto Adige IGT. This is a sauvignon blanc passito wine that I’ve had on one previous occasion. It’s probably twice as dark as the Forteto della Luja and shows more caramelized fruit character and a healthy dose of spice, particularly ginger and some molasses/licorice. Good acidity level as well, and went very nicely with ginger poached pears stuffed with mascarpone.

I've been to Weingut Leiningerhof in Kirchheim. I left there with two bottles of a 2002 kabinett trocken QmP (but Idon't recall the vineyard). The Dornfelder I liked quite a bit was just down the street at Weingut Kolb.

Not many labels contain this information. Some wineries have it available on their web sites, but that's still only a small number (I seem to find that information provided more frequently on European wine producer web sites than on U.S. ones for some reason). I would guess much of it is provided to distributors, but I'm not sure how much they really use it with retailers or with the public (at industry tastings). As far as the trend, it's been happening for some time. I've found more than a few CA Cabs and other reds "drop fruit" much more quickly than one would've originally thought or expected, or even wanted. We need to keep in mind that most of the wine purchased at retail is still purchased by people who are going to drink it within the week. And those who cellar wine are such a miniscule part of the wine buying public. And even those probably have more who are into short-term cellaring. And, of course, the low acid, high oak, lush wine get the high ratings.

2003 Beaujolais Nouveau??? You were being kind merely callng it spineless. It's already over the hill and why would there be nouveaus at this thing anyway?

Yet another... Willowcroft

I saw the movie a while ago. I thought it would be better, but it was entertaining enough. The one to see now (on DVD) is Mostly Martha.

Just across the Minnesota/Iowa border (on the Iowa side), south of Harmony, MN, there is a bleu cheese producer called Schwartz and Weiss (black and white). They sell a natural rind and washed rind. I was just there last Saturday. The natural rind cheese is some of the best and creamiest bleu I've had. Very nice, if on the milder side of bleu.

It's sort of a broad, general question (what to look for), but I'll offer what help I can. I was in the Pfalz in October, 2003. Dale is right about some of the top producers -- Muller-Catoir, Basserman-Jordan, Burklin-Wolf (and the third of the "three B's, vonBuhl). But there are many others as well. Koehler-Rupprecht is a well-regarded producer of very expensive wines. Their Kallstadter Saumagen Rieslings are some of the best wines of the region and all of Germany - particularly those with an "R" designation. A. Christmann also makes some sumptuous wines. For the 2002 vintage, look for some of the trocken wines. When I was there tasting, I found these to be better than the ones with residual sugar. I've not had any 2003 wines, so I can't comment on those. Another producer that is well regarded is Egon Mueller (from Forst). The vineyards of Forst, in general, produce terrific riesling grapes. But you should also try the Weissburgunders (pinot blanc), if any are available. There are certainly many available in the region. Hopefully, you will also have the opportunity to taste some Spatburgunder (pinot noir). Depending on how big this event is, you may be exposed to some German white wines aged in barrique (even Riesling). If you see wines from Knipser, for example, know that they will have received oak treatment. If you have more specific questions, I'd be glad to offer any help I can.

This quotation from the filmmaker is where I have problems with cowtowing to the scores of Parker and others... Later on the article mentions the term Everywine (I've used the term McWine). 2:38 is a helluva long time for a documentary on Parker, but it will be purchased on DVD and proudly displayed next to a 1985 Margaux in many a cellar.

Traviglini makes a consistently good Gattinara. I've never heard a consensus theory behind the bottle shape. One of the more plausible ones has to do with the design fitting well in the grip of one's hand.

Bruce, My favorite places out that way are Biella in Excelsior and Ravello in Long Lake. I believe Jean Brislance has posted about Biella in this forum. I've posted about Mojito, which I was fairly non-plussed with. I happy for you that you've landed the gig. But I don't envy you for the places you'll have to suffer through to write a review.

I've heard that about muscat -- that it's one of the best vinifera grapes for eating out of hand. I've only had cabernet sauvignon grapes (at a winery at harvest time), and those didn't do much for me. I have no idea where they can be purchased for out of hand consumption.

In the same vein, I would also add Bonnezeaux wines. Rene Renou makes some very nice ones.