Rossi Teranino: A Fine Istrian Liqueur

As I previously mentioned, while I was in Zagreb, during my two week tour of Croatia, I stopped at L'Erotic Fruit & Spices Shop, and purchased a couple Istrian liqueurs. One of those was the Rossi Teranino (about $20), which was produced by the Rossi Winery & Distillery, located in the village of Vižinada in Istria, a short distance west of Motovun.

The history of Rossi extends back to 1885, when Federico Rossi, who was born in Friuli, bought some land, planting Teran and Malvazija. His son, Marco, continued to plant vineyards, as well as other fruits and vegetables. In addition to making wine, Federico also produced brandy. When Italy took control of Istria after World War I, they prohibited the production of brandy and other strong alcoholic beverages, but that didn't stop Federico, who continued to make it covertly. Today, the family continues to make wine and liqueurs, although now it is all legal. 

Teranino is a traditional liqueur made in Istria, usually produced from pomace or fruit brandy, as well as red wine made from the indigenous Teran grape. Teranino is also usually sweetened and flavored with various botanicals, each producer using their own unique blend. With a 18-22% ABV, it is commonly served chilled, as either an aperitif or digestive, although it may also go well with chocolate or berry desserts. 

The Rossi Teranino is made with an unknown combination of botanicals, although you might be able to identify some of them from the taste. On the nose, there are elements of blueberry and black cherry, with a hint of spice notes. On the palate, it is smooth and sweet, although well balanced with good acidity, with a complex blend of flavors, including blueberry, black cherry, vanilla, cinnamon, and a touch of clove. There is a mild earthiness as well, especially on the finish. Quite delicious, it would pair well with a variety of desserts, or make for a nice after-dinner drink. 

Don't just explore Croatian wines, but also check out their liqueurs and spirits.

Rant: No More Hard Butter!

During this past weekend, I was irritated by a restaurant where I ate breakfast on several days. The restaurant set off one of my pet peeves, and although it may be a relatively minor issue, it still adversely affected the enjoyment of my breakfast.

With my eggs and sausage, I had some toast, and I generally butter my bread rather than spread jelly or jam. The restaurant had the small, foil-like wrapped butter pats kept in a refrigerated case. However, the butter was extremely hard, overly chilled, and it triggered my pet peeve.

When the butter is that hard, you can't easily spread it on your toast, or whatever other item you want to apply such butter, from muffins to pancakes. If you try, you'll usually tear up the toast, and you don't want that to happen. If you place some hard butter on the toast, and hope the warm toast will melt the butter, it can take some time, and you probably don't want to wait that long. You can try to slice the butter real thin so it is more easily spread but that takes time, while the rest of your breakfast gets colder.

It aggravates me and it's unnecessary. Plenty of other restaurants find a way to keep their butter cool but not rock hard. Others present soft, spreadable butter which is even better. Although it may seem a minor matter, it is those small things which can adversely affect how a restaurant is viewed. It may be the tipping point which causes someone to eat elsewhere, where the butter doesn't seem frozen.

During these times, restaurants still have economic difficulties, so they need to please as many customers as possible. Tending toward even these small problems can make a significant difference, so restaurants should pay attention. The fix should be relatively easy, and can help your bottom line.

What are your thoughts on hard butter?

Kontozisis A-Grafo Roditis Amber Wine: Another Greek Winner

I'm an ardent fan of Greek wines, and previously wrote an article, Ten Reasons To Drink Greek Wine. We are fortunate in the Boston area to have Greek restaurants with excellent Greek wine lists, such as Krasi, which actually has the largest Greek wine list in the country. We also have a number of wine stores which sell a good variety of interesting and tasty Greek wines.

Recently, I was impressed with the 2020 Kontozisis A-Grafo Roditis Amber Wine ($25). The Kontozisis Organic Vineyards, founded in 1991, is located in the town of Karditsa, in the region of Thessaly, at the foothills of the Agrafa ("Uncharted") Mountain range. Their 11 hectares of vineyards are certified organic and wine production is very low intervention, using only free run juice,  natural yeasts and without any added sulfur. Winemaker Andreas Kontozisis and his partner Aphrodite Tousia are truly dedicated to organics, sustainability, and more natural winemaking. 

The 2020 Kontozisis A-Grafo Roditis Amber Wine, with a 13.5% ABV, is made from 100% Roditis, a pink-skinned berry, which is also the most widely planted white grape in Greece and may be about 2000 years old. It is made in a Ramato style, an old Italian tradition in the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region which made such wines from Pinot Grigio, which also has a pink (sometimes called grey) skin. Ramato wines are made with lengthy skin contact, essentially similar to amber/orange wines. 

For the A-Grafo, about 70% of the wine spent 3 months with skin contact, and another 30% spent 6 months. It also spent about 7-8 months on the lees in stainless steel tanks. The wine possessed an alluring and complex nose, a blend of fruit and savory notes, and on the palate, that complexity also came through. Citrus, dried fruit and savory notes, with a hint of earthiness. Excellent acidity, smooth and clean, with a lingering and pleasing finish. Each sip brought something new to the palate. It could easily be enjoyed on its own, but would pair well with food as well, such as spicy chorizo and four-cheese ravioli. A very good value and highly recommended!

Imada Shuzo Fukucho "Forgotten Fortune" Junmai

While enjoying a wonderful dinner at Yakitori Totto, at Assembly Row in Somerville, we ordered a bottle of Sake, the Imada Shuzo Fukucho "Forgotten Fortune" Junmai ($75/restaurant, $35-$40/retail) to pair with our appetizers and grilled skewers. And the Sake was so delicious, we eventually ordered a second bottle as well. 

The Imada Shuzo, which was founded in 1868, is located in the port town of Akitsu in the Hiroshima Prefecture. Akitsu once had seven Sake breweries, but now there are currently only about three. The current brewery owner and Toji, master brewer, is Miho Imada, whose great-grandfather started the brewery. Interestingly, Miura Sanzaburo, a legend in the Sake brewing industry in that region, provided the brand name, Fukucho ("Forever fortune") for the brewery. 

It is rare for a brewery owner to also be the toji, and it is even rarer for a woman to not only own a Sake brewery, but also to act as its toji. Her brewery is small, producing only a relatively tiny amount each year. They specialize in Ginjo Sake, in small batches, and very traditionally and naturally made. It was also unique to see her photo on the back label of the Sake bottle. I don't recall ever having seen any other brewery owner or toji on such a label. 

The Imada Shuzo Fukucho "Forgotten Fortune" Junmai is produced from Hattanso sake rice, an heirloom breed which was nearly extinct before Miho Imada chose to help resurrect it. About a hundred or so years ago, Hattanso was popular, especially as it absorbed water well. However, its long stalks made it more vulnerable to adverse weather and other issues and its grains broke too often during the brewing process. Thus, it fell out of favor, although its seeds were fortunately preserved by an Agricultural Research Station. 

Sometime during the early 2000s, the seed bank had a surplus of Hattanso seeds, and asked the Sake brewers in Hiroshima if anyone wanted to try to grow the rice for their Sake. Imada was willing, and spent over ten years dedicated to growing and working with this heirloom rice. Currently, they are the only sake brewery that uses this rice. It's not the easiest rice to grow, but Imada has embraced its unique character, producing excellent Sake from it. 

The rice in this "Forgotten Fortune" Junmai has been polished down to 70%, which is less than some other Junmai Sake as Imada believes this is best for this Sake, providing more complexity and a better expression of the flavor of the rice. It also has a 15% ABV, a SMV +3, and the label states it is best served slightly chilled. It is said to pair very well with oysters, as the Hiroshima Prefecture has the most amount of oyster beds in Japan. In addition, it is supposed to pair very well with wild green vegetables. 

I found this Sake to be complex and pure delicious, with tasty flavors of melon and pear, a dominant earthiness and good acidity. Silky smooth, with a fuller body, and a lengthy, satisfying finish. It paired very well with a variety of foods, from raw octopus to grilled chicken skin. I've had other amazing Sake from this brewery and this one is just as amazing. Highly recommended!

Thursday Sips & Nibbles

I'm back again with a new edition of Sips & Nibbles, my regular column where I highlight some interesting, upcoming food and drink events. I hope everyone dines out safely, tips well and are nice to their servers.
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1) For Mardi Gras fun next week, check out these specials.

Inspired by the spirit of "N'Awlins," Chef Jason Santos' Buttermilk & Bourbon is a go-to-spot for some Big Easy-style fun. On Tuesday, February 21st, Buttermilk & Bourbon's Back Bay and Arsenal Yards. locations will celebrate Fat Tuesday with Mardi Gras decor; beads and masquerade masks for guests; food specials; and specialty cocktails including The King Cake Shot (Grey Goose, vanilla, cinnamon, cream soda, simple, chantilly cream) and Masquerade Mojito (Bacardi, lime, mint, butterfly tea, spritz ). Additionally, The Black Eagle Jazz Band will be entertaining guests with its fun, jazzy tunes from 6 to 9 p.m. at Buttermilk & Bourbon, Arsenal Yards. 

Chef Nick Deutmeyer and the Harvest team will be celebrating Mardi Gras with brunch specials the weekend of February 18 to 19. New Orleans-inspired specials will include a brown paper bag of powdered sugar-dusted beignets and individual King’s Cakes. Additionally, whoever finds a plastic baby in their cake will receive a free Harvest hat and blanket! 

Boston's first country bar, Loretta's Last Call will bring the Southern country fun of New Orleans to life on Fat Tuesday with free-to-attend, Mardi Gras-themed line dancing from 8 to 11 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21. Cocktail specials, like Hurricanes, will also be available for guests to quench their thirsts after working up a sweat on the dance floor.

2) Want to experience Croatian wines paired with a multi-course dinner? Then come join us on Saturday, March 4, from 6pm-9pm, at Fin Point Oyster Bar & Grille. I'll be joining the good people at Croatian Premium Wine Imports to discuss Croatian wines, and the Komarna appellation (a region I've previously visited). The Chef at Fin Point has created a Six-Course Menu to pair with the Croatian wines, and will introduce each new dish.

The Menu includes:
RAW BAR
Paired with 2021 Terra Madre Pošip 
WINTER CITRUS SALAD
Paired with 2021 Volarević Rose 
BEEF CARPACCIO
Paired with 2016 Terra Madre Plavac Mali Premium
SCALLOPS
Paired with 2015 Rizman Plavac Mali 
WAGYU BOLOGNESE
Paired with 2016 Rizman Tribidrag 
CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
Paired with 2016 Volarević Plavac Mali Gold Edition 

Tickets cost $120 per person and you can purchase tickets HERE: