Brad Ballinger

Yes, and the amount used is negligible. But my wife didn't know that's what was being done. The first wine was white. With the small amount in there, and with the glasses ariving after the food, she assumed that it was just water in the bottom of the glass and dumped it out. A comment here, the wine used for priming remains in the glass, so even if it's used as a rinse, whatever it is "rinsing" is not rinsed out of the glass I've been to Babbo and it was done there. I thought it, again, was more for show than anything else. Do the glasses really need it? Again, I don't care if they want to prime or not (especially if they check the empty glass for odors beforehand), but in this case the priming interrupted the flow of service, and I will make it a point to ask that it not be done in the future if it means getting my wine well after my food.

This past weekend I had dinner at a pretty nice Italian newcomer in the Twin Cities. (The review is posted on the Heartland board.) Everything was very nice -- escept the wine service. Both savory courses (antipasta and secondi) arrived before the wine. In fact, there was a 3-5 minute interval between the arrival of the food and the arrival of the wine. And I had even had them decant the Cepparello early on. The only cause I could find for this delay was that the glasses were primed prior to bringing them to the table. for those who don't know about this practice, it consists of pouring a small amount of wine in the glass to "prepare" it to receive the rest of the wine. Often, the stem is twirled to transfer the wine to the entire bowl. A number of reactions here... 1. Don't prime my glass. Priming can often overcome flaws that may be present in the way a glass was washed or dried prior. I like to smell the empty glass first. I remember one time at a restaurant in Boston where I smelled mildew in the empty glass and asked for a replacement. I would think priming might mask that flaw. 2. If it's going to screw up the timing of delivering wine to the table with respect to food, don't do it. Get your service timing down first. Then you can attempt to impress me with your priming thing. I want the doorknob to open the door before you take the time to gold plate it. 3. What's the BFD? I know that this practice is gaining in populatiry, but does it really make a difference, or is it part of the "show"?

Friday - We had another couple over of a casual dinner of grilled NY strips, baked potatoes, spinach. Started with Laurel Chanel goat cheese, followed by seared scallops in a lemon/mustard glaze. Then the steak. Then grilled pound cake with lemon curd and blackberries. 1995 Champagne Jacquesson Blanc de Blancs, Avize Grand Cru. Nothing like getting the WOTN out of the way. This was quintessential BdB. There was a bright citrus aroma enveloped in biscuit and rocks on the nose. Flavors of lemons, almonds, some mineral, some dough nicely playing off each other in a delicate mousse. There was just enough mousse to complement the flavor without being apologetic for seeming to get in the way. The finish was very clean, almost like rain water. The wine was virtually seamless from smell to finish. 2002 Dr. Wehrheim Weisser Burgender Kabinett Trocken, Pfalz QbA. This wine was given to me gratis at the weingut by the owner's daughter because I had traveled all the way from Minnesota. It was a very nice gesture. The wine showed a fair amount of bell pepper, which I seem to have no trouble picking up in many Pfalz wines, and particularly Pfalz wines from the 2002 vintage. If one can get past that there's some bright green apple fruit and citrus. The acidity didn't jump out, but you couldn't say it wasn't there either. It was a pleasant enough wine, but nothing special. Still, the price was right. 1998 Dom. Font de Michele Cuvee Etienne Gonnet Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Our guests brought this wine. Not my first choice with grilled steak, but I'm not going to turn away this wine. It was decanted for 1.5 hours. It's not ready yet. Everything was there that one might want -- black olives, black dirt, black spices, black frutis -- in a very muted state. I would think of many 98 CdP wines, this one might be ready early (but confess to not knowing how much say Bobby Kacher has with this winemaker), but just not this early. It certainly won't have the power of the 98 VT drunk the night before, but it will reward about five more years of patience. 1996 Phillip Delesveaux Coteaux du Layon, Selection des Grains Nobles. This was also provided by the other couple, and was also opened too early. But our guests love their stickies, and have trouble leaving them alone. I'll still drink it now, but told them to try and keep their hands off the other ones they have -- drink more moscato passito instead. The acids are quite present and in complete control, regulating exactly how much honeyed quince, apple, pear, and almond the taster will get in each precious sip. Nicely balanced and full of the brashness of youth. Simply needs plenty of time. Saturday -- a night out with the neighbors at Osteria i Nonni, fast making a splash on the fine dining scene with its cuisine from Rome and Latium. The wine list here is all Italian, and very nicely priced. The wines are rumored to be only $10 (or is it 10%?) higher than the retail sticker price in the enoteca adjacent. But sometimes those price can be higher than one would expect. 2002 Dorigo Ribolla Gialla, Colli Orientali del Friuli. I've posted on this wine quite recently. I needed to have it again. It was still as lemony, crisp/oily at the same time, and full of sunshine. Nothing more to add. 1999 Isole e Olena Cepparello, Toscana IGT. $59 on the list. I asked to have it decanted as soon as I saw it and the price on the list. It was probably in decanter 1-1.5 hours. It could've been in there two to three times as long. I just love it when oak is the fourth thing (or later) that I notice in a wine's bouquet -- especially knowing that this wine uses barrique esclusively. And here it took a back seat to graphite, cherries, and spice (in that order). The oak was more vanilla than wood. In the mouth the wine was all minerals and tart fruit. It had a terrific acid level that made it pair well with the food (Icelandic rack o' lamb in my case -- didn't know that was a Roman dish). The wine remained bright throught the entire dinner. And it was the last bottle in the bin. Some days you're living right.

I’ve been to Osteria i Nonni a few times before, but only for antipasti. Those dishes had always impressed me, so it was time to test out the rest of the menu. Overall, I would recommend i Nonni. They are obviously gunning to become not only a premiere restaurant for Italian cuisine, but a destination/special occasion restaurant as well – perhaps taking away from St. Paul Grill, Pazzaluna, etc. I’m not sure they’re close enough to downtown Minneapolis to threaten some of those places. The food was on a level that will help the restaurant succeed. There may be some sticker shock when looking at the price of the entrees (most are in the upper $20s), but the portion sizes are quite large. The wine list is long and attractively priced. The ambience is very nice for what the restaurant is trying to achieve. On this visit, it was primarily the service that was a disappointment. The restaurant was very busy (be careful of what you wish for, I guess), and the staff is still trying to figure out all (and I mean all) of its timing. I had called for 7:30 reservations and asked for a table far from the bar. Smoking is permitted in the bar, and some tables in the restaurant are close enough to the bar that coming into contact with the smoke cannot be avoided. I was promised a table in the bay window area of the dining room, very far away from the bar. We arrived five minutes early for our reservation, and were told out table would be ready in five minutes. We were then shown to a table “two tables in” from the bar. I mentioned to the hostess that when my reservation was taken, I’d be given a different table. She had obviously heard this before and was quick to reply, “We can’t guarantee certain tables, and the person who took your reservation should’ve told you that.” Well, he didn’t. “You can take this table or wait for another, but that wait might be 20 minutes.” Had it just been my wife and I, I would’ve waited and hovered around the host stand the entire time. But we were with another couple, and we decided to be accommodating and “tough it out” at the table we were given. to the restaurant’s credit, about ten minutes later a table opened up where I had requested to be seated and we were asked if we would like to move to that one. We did. Ahhhh, much better. On some evenings there are enough specials to warrant printing an addendum to the menu. On this night, however, there were just a few – all of which, by the way, sounding incredibly tempting. And the server was certain to mention that there were limited quantities of each, so if we wanted one we should place an order quickly. Good to know. We looked over the menu. On previous visits, I had enjoyed the calamari fritti antipasta (incredibly tender and nowhere close to being overcooked and rubbery), the beef carpaccio, and the salumi spread. Tonight, however, we all opted to start with salads – two golden beet and watercress with creamy ricotta, a hearts of romaine, and an arugula wrapped in speck. They were all at or just under $10. They were also very fresh and very good. But we waited to enjoy them. We had ordered a wine to go with the salad. I was surprised at how quickly the salads came out after ordering (did they need to turn over our table quickly because someone else wanted to sit in the window area?). The salads arrived before the wine. The wine didn’t come until nearly five minutes afterwards. I was about to say “forget it,” until I noticed that the bottle had already been opened and the wine glasses primed. A short aside here – there are no wine glasses on the table. The prime them by pouring in a little wine before going through the tableside wine service routine. Many restaurants are starting to do this, although I’m not sure it makes that much of a difference or impression. I’d rather they get the timing of the service down first before trying to impress me with priming the glasses. Give me a doorknob that opens the door before you worry about gold-plating it. At least the wait staff wasn’t hovering to take away our plates and rush out the entrées. We went through the salads at a relaxing pace. Then came the entrees – rack of Icelandic lamb, a seared tuna special, bredetto (think bouillabaisse), and one opted for the tiger prawn pasta in an entrée serving. The lamb was done perfectly and very flavorful, served with roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts. The tuna was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The bredetto was aromatic and fresh. The pasta dish had some crispy pancetta added for texture, which was a nice touch, but there’s no way in hell those shrimp were tiger prawns. Here, too, we were served the food before the wine. I found this a bit odd, because I had ordered the wine quite early and asked that it be decanted. The empty bottle was brought to our table shortly after the white wine we had with our salads was served. But the primed glasses and decanter didn’t make their appearance until 3-4 minutes after the food arrived. We did save room for dessert. Two of us ordered the bread pudding with bananas, and one ordered a roasted pear. The fourth asked for a spoon. The bread pudding portions were monstrous, and had we known we would’ve ordered only one – which was still bigger than three of us. The other portion remained untouched and was taken home by the other couple for breakfast the following morning. The person who had the roasted pear commented that it was uninspired, and wouldn’t order it again. On the bright side, our coffee and dessert wines arrived about a minute or two BEFORE the food. Hallelujah. The restaurant advertises a focus on cuisine from Rome and the surrounding area. The menu is divided into antipasti (including salads), primi (primarily pasta), and secondi. Of the secondi options, the current menu is meat-instensive – plenty of veal, some beef, lamb, and pork. There are two seafood options – the bredetto and a diver scallop dish. There is only one veggie option – a vegetarian lasagne. But they are supposed to be coming out with a new menu in the next couple of weeks. The wine list is all Italian (except for some port) from all over Italy, with bottles ranging from the $20s to over $300. The prices are very reasonable. I had heard or read that the bottle prices were supposedly only $10 (or maybe 10% in some cases) higher than the sticker price in the wine shop next door. There are many great deals on the list, and Marc is usually on hand to help one navigate through the list. The room is warm in its color and temperature. Even by the windows on a cold January night, we were comfortable. There are baseboard heaters along the floor below the windows that look tacky and out of place, but they do the job. The lighting is a warm yellow, if a little dim. To read some of the menu and wine list, we had to take turns holding the candle on the table next to what we were trying to read. The bar is dimmer, yet. I’ve already talked about the service. And I can even forgive some lapses – if the staff will at least acknowledge them. No apology for the table mix up (but good recovery). No acknowledgement (let alone apology) for the timing of serving food and wine. No caution about the bread pudding being the size of my head. This is one of the drawbacks of living in the Twin Cities – you just don’t come across the professional wait staff that you will find in other cosmopolitan cities, and certainly in many European ones. It is certainly worth a return trip, especially to try the new menu. Living no more than 10 minutes away is also a plus.

Count me a another braiser. I also like making chilis and stews. Tonight, though, in Minnesota, I'll be grilling steaks. Something about grilling in the snow that has appeal from time to time.

Sammy, In the U.S., some producers use the term Pinot Gris and other Pinot Grigio.

Several of us in the Twin Cities found occasion for a BYO night out. The crew at Bakery on Grand were as accommodating as always. The food was first-rate, although they were holding onto our entrees while we took forever to finish our starters. When the starters were brought to the table, the aroma of truffles filled the entire room, and it may have been difficult to discern the finer, more secondary aromas in the wines. Two of us ordered langoustines and chanterelles in a truffle mornay sauce and two more ordered the black truffle sandwich. And, we, with no Piemontese wines. Oh, well. What we did have… 1996 L. Jadot Batard-Montrachet. We passed it around and poured. We swirled, sniffed, and inhaled deeply. Some of us started to look at each other, trying to catch another’s eye and communicate non-verbally what no one wanted to utter aloud – yet. We swirled again. We sniffed again. We deeply inhaled again. We cast furtive glances again. Finally, I said something like, “Oh, I hope this isn’t what I think it is. Maybe it’s blowing off.” Someone quickly jumped in, “It’s not blowing off of my glass.” With extremely ferocious swirling, I could get the volatiles in the wine to overcome the TCA that was present. And even in the mouth, the pedigree of the vineyard did its damnedest and showed some strong lemony character. Valiant attempt on the part of the wine, but it was a losing battle. Slowly, the TCA took over, and we dumped. A damn shame; a crying shame. 1996 Chateau Rayas Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc Reserve. This wine was opened five years too early, and seemed to be the foreshadowing of the night’s uber-theme. If you’re a rock-licker (and I am), you will love this wine. Lots of mineral, earth, and diesel on the nose. Texturally, the wine had a balance between chalk and wax. After an extended time in the stem, some stone fruit and even tropical notes began to emerge, but they were firmly encased in a mineral package. An impressive wine whose better days are yet to come. Alas, if I only had more. We then poured a couple of Burgundy Grand Cru wines, one of which was far more ready to drink than the other. Those in the know will figure it out on name of the wine alone. 1996 Dom. Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin, Cuvee Unique. A North Berkeley wine. Yes, it’s fruit and oak intensive, but I am pleasantly surprised by the amount of funk I first get on the nose. While it is somewhat approachable now, I would think this wine still has a bit of development ahead of it that will add some complexity to the flavor profile. There is tart cherry fruit here with a little bit of smoke and spice. Texturally, the wine is soft initially, but starts to reveal more acid as it is exposed to air. What it also shows, though, is a faint medicinal quality on the nose and on the finish. Again, although approachable now, it may be best to revisit in a couple of years. 1996 Dom. Thomas-Moillard Corton Clos du Roi. It would’ve been great if there was something left in this bottle because it might actually be starting to open up in a couple days. I had two stems with me, and left this wine in one of them from the initial pour until the end of the evening. It started to come out of its shell, but only started to. My notes, written in dim light, read “earthy, funky, tannic, monstrous, fierce.” Toward the very end of the night, some black cherry fruit emerged. The grip the tannins had on the wine showed no sign of abating. It is a truly terrific wine that has everything kept under wraps at the moment. Revisit in ten years (or more). 2001 Fontodi Pinot Nero Case Via. This was brought just for the hell of it. And hell is right – as in why in the hell are they growing Pinot in Tuscany? Both on the nose and on the palate I’m overcome by dill, no doubt from the oak. I’m told it improved by the end of the night, but I never went back. We then went to Rhone. 1978 Rostaing Cote-Rotie. No first name shown on the label, but we mused that it must be Rene’s father? A likely candidate for WOTN by most of the crowd (although I may have it share honors with the Corton on that wine’s potential alone). Color was lighter than any of the Pinots. The nose showed the ideal maturity of the wine – meaty, peaty, smoky, earthy, spicy, fungal. Yet, the fruit is not absent. The berries are bright and lively, and there is plenty of acid to give the wine lift and vibrancy. It did start to fade after about 30 minutes, but I was finished with my leg o’ lamb by then so who cares. 1990 Dom. de Fauterie (Sylvian Bernard) Cornas. I believe this was the first vintage for this label. It’s in the same ballpark as the Rostaing, but it’s on the other team. I confess to not enjoying this wine as much as the others at the table. The aromas were pleasant enough – there was a nice olive element – as was the fruit. But I found a texturally soft/flabby interval where the wine sort of laid there until some acid emerged. The oak also seemed to be its own element, and not wholly integrated into the wine. 1998 Dom. Vieux Telegraphe “La Crau” Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Tight, it also needs a couple of days to open up. I’m going to have to defer to the others that night since my experience with VT is that it has disappointed me since three terrific bottles from 1993, 1994, and 1995. I find the alcohol to have been amped up, and it is noticeable tonight with some heat in the rear-palate. There seems to be a hollowness here, but that could be that the wine dearly needs time to develop. 1997 Banfi Excelsus. Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend. This was brought as a backup wine, but looked so alone with it's cork still in the bottle, so the cork was extracted. And that’s not all that was extracted. For such a ripe vintage in Tuscany, I’m befuddled as to why there was a need to oak this wine to the degree it has been oaked. It would be a pleasant enough choice on a steakhouse wine list, and in a blind tasting I’m not sure I could pick it out as Italian. This, too, finishes on the hot side. Lastly, dessert. 1997 Chateau Pierre Bise Coteaux du Layon Beaulieu. Light amber color. Initially, the wine was a little cloying. There was a viscosity to the texture, but one that seemed to weigh the wine down rather than facilitate it to all corners of the mouth. With some air time, it started to open up and become brighter. There is some botrytis on the nose along with caramelized pears, quince, and golden delicious apples. It seems to me that this wine, too, needs more time in bottle to develop. It’s lip-smacking good now, but still has a bit much baby fat for me.

Two no-brainer solutions here. 1. Put the list in a neutal spot on the table, or 2. Ask who would like the wine list.

I guess it really depends on the restaurant's clientele, philosophy and business model. My mother (a woman with a not very evolved food and wine palate, although she would probably like to develop in that area) called me to ask me for a wine-by-the-glass recommendation for the following evening when she was going out to dinner with her girl friends. "Where are you eating?" "Cattle Company" "Will you be ordering steak?" "Probably, but maybe salmon." "If you get steak, ask the server for a glass of cabernet. If you get salmon, ask for chardonnay." (I was guessing CC didn't have glass pours of Pinot, and mom needs to take baby steps anyway.) "Cabernet or chardonnay, got it." A couple days later... "How was your dinner?" "Fine. I had steak." "What did you have for wine." "Well, we had white zinfandel at Millie's house, and I got flustered at the restaurant so I just had another white zinfandel." A point I'm making here (and Mark also makes it with respect to Jermann Pinot Grigio) is that we have leaps and bounds to go to become a wine savvy, or even wine drinking culture. That doesn't mean we use that as an excuse to give up, or, worse, pander. But a restaurant has to make a business decision as to how much wine education it wants to take on and how much it wants to offer"safe" choices for the average patron. I think those decisions apply to both the restaurant's food and wine, by the way.

By all means, pursue the development of a taste for it. The tobacco notes you detected can sometimes be a characteristic of wines made from tempranillo. The recommendations of Pesquera (Ribera del Duero) and Muga (Rioja) are good ones. But, as Craig mentioned, they do come from different DOs (growing regions). Some others to look for include Remelluri (Rioja), Finca Valpiedra (Rioja) and Alion (Ribera del Duero).

It's certainly a tough way to go about starting to collect Burgundy. Completely sane people have been known to go off the deep end trying to understand, let alone find several good go-to, Burgundy wines. The best advice with wine in general, but particularly with Burgundy, is to taste it first. Then decide to purchase. Burgundy ain't cheap. I agree that the prices you are seeing are on the high side, but probably not out of line for what we can expect with the hyped up 2002 vintage. Many wines will be hard to find, period -- even at inflated prices. If you can find a good deal, though, it's certainly a good vintage to start with. Burgundy has historically been about terroir. You will have trouble finding that with North Berkeley wines.

I've started a resonse to this post a number of time, but seem to be handcuffed by the $25 price tag. Well, that, and my general "nose-in-the-air" attitude toward CA Pinot. But I'll make an attempt anyway. California - I'd do one from Rusian River and one from somewhere in the broad central coast. Saintsbury is in Carneros, and that's a good suggestion. If you opt for that, then I'd move south and do Sanford or David Bruce. If you go to Russian River, Iron Horse (technically Green Valley, but close enough) or Kenwood's Russian River bottling. Oregon - A HUGE second to Evesham Wood. You may find St. Innocent on the border of your price range, and I'd look at that as well. Adelsheim will certainly be in range. Burgundy - You'll find more wines in your price range from the Cotes du Beaune. Look for wines from the villages named Santenay, Volnay, Pommard, Savigny-les-Beaune. You will most certainly find wines in your price range if you move south to the Cote Chalonnaise (villages named Mercurey or Rully). Stick with the major negoicants to stay in your price range. Lee's suggestion of the basic Bourgogne bottlings from top producers will also work for this tasting.

Of course, I like the idea of Fiano di Avellino with the starters. I also like the idea of Roero Arneis. And you can't go wrong with a Blanc de Blancs Champagne. For the beet with horseradish cream, I agree with some sweetness, and you can't go wrong with a riesling spatlese. But I'd favor a vouvray sec tendre (demi-sec) here. Both would work fine. for the pork, two different directions. One is a not overly sweet riesling VT from Alsace (some are vinified on the dry side). The other is a lighter Burgundy, perhaps from the 1998 vintage. The fondue is a toughie. Part of me says Amarone. Another part says a Passito di Pantelleria from Sicily, like Donnafugata's Ben Rye or de Bartoli's Bukkuram.

One source I came across (not totally authoritative, however) indicaties that the blend is cab sauv, cab franc, and corvina. FWIW.

?Panebianco out of NYC. Phone is 212-685-7560. And Dorigo is a top notch producer of the region. Their refosco is also wonderful.

1997 Quintarelli "Primofiore" Rosso Veronese, Vino di Tavola. There's corvina in here, I'm pretty sure. But there is also most definitely cabernet sauvignon. I'm not sure of the proportions or what else is in the blend. Initially, this wine had a lower acid level and concentration than the Valpollicelli and Ca' del Merlo wines I've had from Quintarelli. And those have been from older vintages. But this wine is forward and seems to be made for drinking now. The fruit was bright, spicy, and had a good hunk o' earth in it. With some aeration, it lost a little initial flabbiness, and took on that "snap," that I've found in other Q wines. It doesn't have the complexity to match with every dish, but it paired nicely with pizza. Still, for only an additional third of the cost, I probably prefer Valpolicella.

2002 Dorigo Ribolla Gialla, Colli Orientali dei Friuli. What a terrific wine! There was a festival going on in my mouth with every sip. Active, playful acid. Ripe fruit. Both of these elements played off each other beautifully and continually. At one moment the wine is a spritzy flash of tart citrus. At the next it's a lush mouthful of tropics and pears. Both elements are consistently present. Underscoring all of this is a yeasty/leesy dimensionthat adds a bit of wieght to the mouthfeel and complexity to the flavor profile. This wine is an entertainer in addition to a sman good glass of juice. After posting I see I transposed letters in the title. It should be Friuli, not Firuli.

I'm not aware of other houses using these ancient varieties, but that doesn't mean that it isn't happening elsewhere. Other producers may simply not have the international distribution of Aubry and Moutard. Aubry has been bottling Le Nombre d'Or since at least 1995. They have made vintage bottlings of this wine in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998. I've not had it, but I've talked with people who've either loved it or hated it. Figures. You can currently order the 1997 at K&L's web site.

It must have been nice finding this cache. Germay - Most should be pretty good. Odd as it may seem, I'd drink the 1992 first. 1983 was a terrific year, and your eiswein should be a great bottle. Australia - Maybe as cooking wine. Maybe. California - These should all be enjoyed now, with the exception of the Diamond Creek. That can be left alone for 5+ years yet. The Rodney Strong may show signs of age. And the White Oak might be tired as well. Oregon - I wouldn't rule it out. But I wouldn't hold out a lot of hope. Spain - Could be very good. Italy - See note on Australia re: the Bolla. The CC can be enjoyed now, but it, too, will be showing some age. France - Drink the Combebell now. The rest should be holding up fine. Your "winner" - Enjoy that tonight as a reward for having come into possession of this collection.

I'll underscore the Cincinnati recommendation above for Daveed's at 934 Hatch in the Mt. Adams neighborhood. Carefully prepared cuisine with plenty of attention to detail, both on the plate and in the service.

Ratings primarily help sell subscriptions (and increase newsstand purchases for rating publications that appear there). Period. Ratings create dependence upon the rater. This is not intended as anything against the raters and their employers. God love 'em that they've found a way to make a buck.

Does it have to be Rhone? 1964 was a terrific year in Piedmont, and I think those wines would prove to be more rewarding. Just my $.02.

I have not tried that particular wine. But I have had a few of the wines from Cavelleri, and their upper tier ones are better than many run of the mill NV Champagne wines -- and loads better than Bellavista. Outside of the Franciacorta DOC, I also like Bruno Giacosa's vintage spumanti (Piemonte), Giulio Ferrari's vintage spumatni (Trentino), and I recently had a stunning spumante from Valentino (Piemonte).

This past Saturday night, my wife and I hosted one of those “How to Host a Murder Mystery” parties. This is about the eighth one I’ve done. My character was an abbot with an Italian-ish name (Costello – Abbot Costello, get it?) so I opted to serve Italian juice. 1996 Valentino Brut Zero Spumante Riserva. Valentino is a separate brand name of Rocche dei Manzoni. This Piemonte sparkler is a blend of chardonnay and pinot nero. There were two bottles, and the cork (which is longer than other bubbly corks) got stuck halfway out. I had to break it off and coax the remainder out with an ah-so. Definitely worth the effort. This wine’s aroma showed bright citrus, biscuit, a little wet stone. The mousse was very active in the glass and in the mouth, and seemed to go on for quite a while in the mouth, gradually tapering off. There was more fruit than mineral showing on the palate – lots of lemon, apple, strawberry. Being a brut zero, the amount of fruit remained in balance with the other flavor components and the texture. I think a dosage would’ve weighed the wine down. Very nice bubbly. Served with explorateur, boucheron, and olives. 2001 Matteo Correggia Roero Arneis. This was served with a salad of greens, feta, pomegranate kernels and a pomegranate vinaigrette. The wine is more suited to seafood IMO, but the pairing turned out to be all right. Correggia has consistently been a favorite when it comes to arneis. This wine is floral, oily, showing golden delicious apples and white stone fruits. Although I have used the word oily, there is still plenty of acid in this wine, and a vinaigrette doesn’t render it flat. This wine goes down so easily. Finishes on the floral side. 1995 Brancaia. This is a Toscana IGT made from predominantly sangiovese and merlot, with a teeny bit of cabernet sauvignon. The wine may have come from Italy, but it wasn’t “Italian.” But it was pretty tasty. This wine was all about the fruit. Nose of black cherries, chocolate, traces of herb and graphite. Structurally, the tannins were velvety soft. The fruit still seemed bright, and not yet to the point of fatigue. Although the wine is in barrique for 18 months, the oak never becomes a point of distraction. As I’ve said, it was yummy. A bit more personality would’ve been nice, but it was a table pleaser that paired quite well with a New York strip loin roast. 2002 Elio Perrone Moscato d’Asti Sourgal. I don’t know if I’ve ever used the phrase “in your face” to describe a moscato, but that seems appropriate here. Less “sugary” and more “pure fruit” than other moscato d’asti wines I’ve had in recent memory. While there is something to be said for floral finesse of some moscato fizzies, I found the aggressiveness of this wine appealing in its own right. And at the end of a meal, it could still show my palate a thing or two. Floral, fruity, and fierce. It was paired with a lemon curd roll with raspberries.

I've never seen any rose cava or cremant wines, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. The Cava DO in Spain likely has regulations on grapes to be included. I know Pinot Noir is allowed, but I don't know if they make any rose wines. Prosecco is a white grape. There are even still wines labeled prosecco. My favorite rose Champagnes are Billecart-Salmon, Vilmart Cuvee Rubis, Laurent-Perrier, Jacquesson Signature Rose, Egly-Ouriet, and Fleury.