Brad Ballinger

Wine is heartier than most people think. You're fine. Unless the wines have been compromised before you took possession of them, you won't have a problem. Just keep them far from any heat source or direct sunlight.

Mike, You will enjoy Alma very much. It's a food-lover's restaurant that shows painstaking attention to detail with the prepartion of the menu items. At the same time, though, the menu is very accessible to any type of diner. One feature of Alma is that they have light entrees in addition to "norma" entrees. The wine list is also very good. Although prices have creeped up, there are still good options available in a variety of price ranges. Restaurant Alma Web Site

New Star Tribune story by Rick Nelson on this very topic. It's really more of a sampling of opinions from Twin Cities restaurateurs and such. click

A few stand-bys for me... Bucatini all'Amatriciana Spaghetti alla Carbonara Tagliatelle with grapefruit sections in cream sauce (great in summer) Angel Hair shrimp scampi thing I sorta made up that the daughter loves Mac and cheese

Across the border, the German version of this is zwiebelkuchen. A literal translation is onion cake, but it is truly a tart. Some have bacon, some don't. It is a stable in the weinstuben of the Pfalz, and is typically served with the neuer wein (wine made from the current harvest that is still in the process of fermenting). It goes very well with fully fermented, bottled wines from the region as well. As is the case with many of these regional specialities, everyone makes them slightly different -- each, of course, thinking their way is best.

Without taking time to think, one might assume the letter “I” would prove challenging. But, waiting only one second, most would follow that up with “I” is for Italy. Forgoing the easy way out by selecting any wine from the country, there are other reasons why “I” is for Italy. There are the DOCs of Ischia and Isonzo del Friuli. There are IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) wines, including Irpinia and Isola dei Nuraghi. There’s one of my favorite Tuscan producers, Isole e Olena. And there are many producers whose names ,or whose wines’ names begin with “Il” – such as Brancaia’s Il Blu and Notaio’s Il Repertorio. I would be remiss, however, if I didn’t offer a nod to the wines of Israel since two frequent posters here (Daniel Rogov and Andre) live there and enlighten us with their knowledge and impressions of those wines. I’ve just never had any. And there is ice wine, wine poured from an Imperial (6 liters), wine chilled in an ice bucket. From California, there’s Iron Horse, Inglenook, Ravenswood’s Icon, Mondavi’s Io, and Sine Qua Non’s Imposter. Inky wines or okay, but not insipid ones. 2001 Attilio Contini ’Inu, Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva. I have no idea what ’Inu means or what the apostrophe represents. The nose of the wine changed during the 1.5 hours of drinking it. It initially started out with a bit of a stewed fruit aroma, accented with cloves, smoke, leather, and some earthy tones. With a huge inhale, I could get some mint. Midway through drinking, vanilla and oak appeared. Toward the end, the oak had retreated into the background. A bit angular on the palate, with the structure appearing to be wood-driven. Berry and spice flavors. Dusty finish.

2004 Benito Ferrara Irpinia Aglianico, Campania IGT. It was time for another pizza wine adventure. Before getting into the specifics of this particular wine, I think, overall, I preferred the Vesevo Beneventano Aglianico to this one, at about half the price. In a room full of people drinking wine and eating pizza, however, my guess is the Ferrara would win a polling contest. I picked this wine up because I've really enjoyed Benito Ferrara's Greco di Tufo wines, particularly the Vigna di Cicogna. I went into the only wine shop in town where I can get the Ferrara Greco di Tufo and was surpised to see a Fiano di Avellino and this Irpinia Aglianico from Ferrara. I was told they also now produce a Taurasi (aglianico). To my knowledge, they only made Greco di Tufo. In fact, if you go to their web site today (click here), and click on "wines," the only ones that come up are the two Greco di Tufo wines they produce. But maybe Marc de Grazia is somehow orchestrating the production of these other wines. Onto the wine. Nose of candied berries. A small amount of off-putting alcohol on the nose. In the mouth, I got the impression that every ripe ounce of juice had been extracted out of the grapes and then concentrated. The fruit profile, in fact, is quite lovely. But there really wasn't any secondary elements in terms of flavor profile, and the structure was rather simple. A good straightforward presentation. For my money, however, I'll opt for the Vesevo.

Okay, I'm going to challenge myself on not being able to recommend at least one California Viognier. Below are some notes of mine (larger thread here) when I gathered some Twin Cities locals to taste some California "Rhones" Mary Baker (aka Rebel Rose) of Dover Canyon sent to me. I think Mary was trying to get me to see the light regarding California Viognier. I saw a glimmer. 2002 Alban Vineyards Viognier, Central Coast. This wine was the consensus favorite, regardless of Steven Tanzer’s 86-point rating. This is the first wine that has shown some floral on the nose (other than the Champagne). Beautiful honeysuckle, peach, and citrus. Pretty seamless from attack to finish. Creamy texture than features oranges, peaches, flowers, and a hint of spice. As it warms, it loses some lift and becomes flatter. A tiny bit hot on the finish, but that resolves itself when paired with food. 2003 Dover Canyon Viognier, Hansen Vineyard, Paso Robles. This was my second or third favorite still wine of the evening. One or two others thought similarly. Jim didn’t like it at all. Lighter in color than the Fralich, and more muted on the nose. Thankfully, nothing veggie-like whatsoever. Light citrus and stone fruit aromas, but also a whiff of alcohol on the nose. In the mouth, this wine shows much more balance than the Fralich – focusing on fruit and spice rather than oak. There is a bigger alcohol burn on the finish, though. Eating food with the wine helps control the burn on the finish, but it never fully goes away. 2002 Dover Canyon Viognier, Fralich Vineyard, Paso Robles. Strange nose that some of us found off-putting with notes of bell pepper and squash. But aromas of orange oil and peach still came through. The attack was oily and the wine felt heavy in the mouth, as if weighed down by mouth-coating oak. The finish was all peach juice at first, giving way to an alcoholic burn. It’s a big and oaky wine. Warmth helped bring more of the fruit and less of the vegetables out on the nose, but it also showcased the oak more on the nose and in the mouth. 2002 Changala Viognier, Santa Barbara County. Lee’s first impression on the nose was canned tuna fish. I didn’t get it. I could struggle to get the can but not the tuna fish. My impression of the nose is that this is a viognier that wants to be a chardonnay. There’s a large vanilla component. According to the winery’s tech sheet, the wine was fermented 50% in stainless steel and 50% in neutral oak. All of us commented on the oak in this wine. The flavor profile was a combination of orange rind and white peaches in between the oak attack and oak finish. We all thought the wine showed some nice acidity, which helped keep the oak from dominating even more. 2002 Tablas Creek Vin de Tablas Blanc, Paso Robles. 36% viognier, 30% marsanne, 26% grenache blanc, 8% roussanne. Tarragon herb on the nose along with white pepper and melon. Thick and oily in its structure, low amount of acid play. A bit of vegetation that mars the melon, citrus, and stone fruits. 2001 Sine Qua Non Albino. California. 46% chardonnay, 40% roussanne, 14% viognier. Overwhelming oak on the nose. Even more on the palate. Can’t get past it. I take everything back I said about the oakiness in the earlier wines. This wine is the poster child for over-oaked white wine.

markk, Well, it appears as if you've done all you can. The restaurant has chosen to apply their policy without discrimination or favoritism. And it appears as if you're going to keep going back anyway. It's probably not worth showing up next time without any wine, ordering an appetizer, splitting a dessert, and drinking water just to see what kind of reaciton you get (tempting as that may be to some). But, as has been mentioned several times already, the restaurant is under no obligation to waive the corkage fee.

Before responding to this particular issue, here's a thread devoted to the topic of corkage in general. The first post in the thread also links to a six-page thread on the topic. Wine 101: BYO and Corkage My first question is what kind of relationship have you established with the restaurant staff and management? Do they know you always visit multiple time when in town? Do they know how much you like their place? Or are you just two other customers? What kind of wines are you bringing? Are they priced similarly to the ones on the list? Typically, people will receive less policy-stringent corkage treatment when they are bringing in expensive bottles, older bottles, or rare bottles. I believe you when you say you are bringing in wine not to be cheap, but because you disdain the restaurant's selection. But the staff may look at the bottles you bring and come to a different conclusion. By the way, I'm not making an accusation here. Do you call ahead and ask to bring your own or just show up with it? Do you offer to share your wine and do you send the bottle back to the kitchen with some wine remaining in it? I should quickly add this doesn't guarantee you anything. A sip is not a tip. But I do it as a way of saying thank you for letting me bring my own wine. Recently I went to dinner with my staff (six of us total) to celebrate the holidays. I stopped by in person ahead of time to inquire about BYO and corkage. I was told it was $15 a bottle. My response was "Thank you, I'm happy to pay it." I brought four bottles -- none of them close to what the restaurant had on its list. One of them was a 1995 Pichon Lalande. I was bringing them because my staff wanted to learn something about wine. We only drank half of each bottle, and I sent the remainder to the kitchen. The dining room manager came over and said, "I've waived the corkage fee. I can't justify charging you when you gave us that much wine. We will enjoy it when we close tonight." "Are you sure?" I asked. "Yes, thank you," was the reply. And then I was very grateful to him for making the exception. It's all on how you handle it, I guess. Even so, some places will stick by their policy no matter what, customer relationship and loyalty building be damned.

Well, since you mentioned Bettendorf, Red Crow Grille. Also, as mentioned above, Lincoln Cafe in Mount Vernon. There's a thread on it in this forum as well. Edited to add: My bad. I quickly misread the original post, and took Burlington for Bettendorf. Oh, well. Bettendorf is still eastern Iowa, and Red Crow Grille is still worthy of recommendation.

For Condrieu. . . From least expensive to most expensive (although these producers have several Condrieu wines each) Pierre Gaillard, Francois Villard, and Yves Cuilleron. As much as I hate to say it (and for as much grief as I may get for doing so), I cannot recommend any California Viognier I've had -- and I've had plenty.

Is lamb lighter? Perhaps a couple of chops each. The thing about Insignia is that it's a pretty bold wine.

Man, you needed to save that for when the Wine Tag gets to the letter "Q." But perhaps at that time you'll have another Loire wine -- Quarts de Chaume. Quincy wines present a very clean and pure representation of sauvignon blanc, and at a fraction of the increasing cost of Sancerre and Pouilly Fume.

Great suggestions thus far. Keep 'em coming. I will pass on Usinger's (nowhere to keep the sausage, and I'm driving to Toledo afterwards). I'll also pass on The Spice House (we have Penzey's where I live). The market is a good idea -- we have a similar set up in Minneapolis. I should also mention one "deal-killer" for me. If the place allows smoking (regardless of their promises of great ventilation, only at the bar, no one really smokes anyway, or whatever), I'll go elsewhere.

Laws in this area vary from governing jurisdiction to governing jurisdiction. Some of them are written at the state level, others at the county or municipality level. To evaluate the effectiveness of Rhode Island's law, however, seems to be a waste of effort. You do it because it's consumer friendly, and it doesn't hurt restaurants (unless those bags cost gobs of money). The article in the Providence Journal is a perfect example of a non-story. Slow news day?

This 2002 was $16, if I recall correctly. It was nowhere near appearing tired at all. Then again, Chevillon is a pretty good producer. I've not had a lot of Passetoutgrain to compare and offer any broader comments to support or refute what you've written.

I'm traveling on business in a month to two of our locations (one in Pewaukee and the other in Waukesha). I'll be staying for two nights right off 94 and Pewaukee Road. I know of Kopp's, and there is one not far away in Brookfield. Where else that isn't a national franchise? BYO-firendly would be great. I like neighborhood places, hidden gems, and food-lovers' focus over atmosphere and expense account places. I will have a car.

Had the neighbors over for roast chicken and vegetables. We started out with a fresh halibut/cream cheese spread and some cheeses. Moved to the chicken, and then had roasted oatmeal pudding for dessert. 2004 Luneau-Papin “Pierre de la Grange” Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine sur-Lie Vieilles Vignes. With the starters. A bit more golden in color than your run-of-the-mill Muscadet. This is a wine packed with stony minerality. It has an aroma of rain-washed stones with some lemon and herb accents. Explosive lemon, orange, and mineral flavors in the mouth. Crisp acidity. A finish that leaves me licking the roof of my mouth. 2002 Dom. Robert Chevillon Bourgogne Passetoutgrain. With the roast chicken. Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (sometimes written Passe-Tout-Grain) is an AC whose wines must be at least one-third pinot noir and up to two-thirds gamay. I believe this one is 65% gamay and 35% pinot noir, so damn close to two-thirds/one-third. I’ve previously had the 2003 version of this wine, which was ripe and mutated. This one isn’t as out-of-balance in that direction, and showed lovely floral and cherry components, a healthy dose of acid, a mineral undercurrent, and a fresh, lingering finish. It’s one of those wines where, when the glass has been emptied, one is prompted to remark, “Is there any of that left? Please say yes.” 1971 Bodegas Toro Albala Don P.X. Gran Reserva, Montilla-Moriles. I wasn’t planning on opening a dessert wine, but when my neighbor mentioned he tried his hand at a roasted oatmeal pudding for dessert, I ran to the cellar shouting, “I have just the wine for that!” When he took his first sip he proclaimed the wine “nectar of the gods.” Not everyone has that reaction to 35+ year-old P.X. (opting instead for terms like “pancake syrup” or “motor oil”), but my neighbor gets it. This was my first experience with the 1971. I’ve had the 1975 and 1972 – don’t ask me how this compares; and does it really matter? Take my neighbor’s word for it – it’s nectar of the gods. The less impassioned description would be it is rich with molasses-caramel-burnt sugar-coffee elements. It’s also very much alive and does anything but lay there on the tongue.

For those interested, there's a much larger thread in the Cooking Forum on the topic of making vinegar.

More on Auriga here. I created a separate thread for MSP eG-ers to post tributes. The announcement of the closing was on page A2 of today's Strib.

2004 Vesevo Beneventano Aglianico, Campania IGT. 100% aglianico. Fermented in stainless steel. Aged in barrique for six months. Vesevo is an ancient spelling of Vesuvius. When I vacationed in Ravello for one week in 2000, I puchased a couple of Beneventano Aglianico wines (don't recall the producer) at the supermarket for about $1.50 (U.S.) each. My wife and I were renting a villa, cooking many meals in, and I needed serviceable "pasta wine." Last night, I was in a pizza mood and wanted "pizza wine." I paid ten times more than $1.50 for it, but it was worth more. Nose of bright, bright brambly fruits, including the brambles. In the mouth, an initial burst of freshly picked blackberries, giving way to some earthy elements, dusty tannins, and a small (bearable) bit of oak. Had a bit of a rustic edge that was not displeasing, and put it firmly in the "pizza wine" category for me. I'd have it with pizza again.

I also am one of those who only conversed with Bux on this site, publicly and privately. When I first joined as a member, I remember seeing that stick table avatar almost everywhere here. He was truly an instrumental voice in for writing with passion, conviction, and prinicple. Although I never met him personally, I'm grateful to have interacted with him here.

Now that's some good bar food that often gets overshadowed by Matt's Bar, the 5 and 8, and the Cardinal Bar (all sort of nearby). I also like the Cedar Inn.

I would say that last sentence is probably an understatement. You've opened a not-very-cheap bottle of wine, and Josko Gravner's first Ribolla Gialla that was fermented in terracotta amphorae buried in the earth. The amber color of Gravner's wines made in this fashion should not scare anyone off (although it's understandable to think one should be scared). They are fully alive, as dinwiddie experienced. This particular wine (although a 2001 white) wasn't released until the Fall of 2005. Glad you posted about it.