2009 Martin Codax Albarino: Thoughts of Summer

Like many in the Northeast region, I am tired of all the snow that has fallen this winter.  I despise shoveling more than any other household chore.  So, anything which reminds me of summer is especially pleasing at this time of year.  And though I drink it year round, Albariño still brings to mind a warm summer day. 

Albariño is an indigenous grape in Spain, and grows primarily in the Galicia region, in the northwest of Spain. It is the signature grape in the Denomination de Origin (D.O.) of Rías Baixas, which is also the only exclusively white wine D.O. in Spain.  Though 12 grape varieties are permitted in Rias Baixas, Albariño remains king, representing 90% of all plantings.  The key to Albariño wines in this region is the terroir, the cool Atlantic climate and the more than 2,200 hours of sunshine each year.  The flavor profile of this grape varies dependent on the terroir.  For example, different terroirs might yield a more mineral-driven and structured wine or a softer, rounder wine.

Albariño is popular in the U.S., which imports more than half of the total exports of Rias Baixas. The grape is now grown in many other parts of the world, including the U.S., where the first plantings were actually in Virginia. The grape commonly produces crisp and aromatic wines, with flavors including honeysuckle, citrus, melon, peach, pear, apricot, mango, and other exotic fruits.  The wine is an excellent pairing with many types of seafood, as well as other light fare.  I love an Albarino with steamed clams, mussels, shrimp, or grilled white fish. 

The 2009 Martin Codax Albarino (about $15) is made from 100% Albariño, which was fermented in stainless steel tanks and about 40% of the wine underwent malolactic fermentation.  Following fermentation, the wine was aged sur lie for four months.  It has an alcohol content of 12.82%.

The winemaker is Katia Alvarez, who started her career in wine at age 19 as an intern at a Galician winery. She eventually earned a degree in viticulture, worked in a Rioja winery, and spent a couple years in Chile before joining Martin Codax.  Interestingly, over half of the nearly 200 wineries in Rias Baixas have female winemakers. This has been a very recent change as back in 1990, there were few female winemakers in this D.O.  The surge of female winemakers has led to higher quality and more complex Albariño wines.  They have continued experimentation and I bet their wines will only continue to improve. 

The wine has a light golden color and an alluring nose of bright fruits, reminding me of a summer farmer's market. It is a full-bodied and crisp wine, with clean and delicious flavors of apple, peach, lemon and touches of pineapple. It has character and complexity, and the finish is fairly long, smooth and pleasing.  It is refreshing, and one sip easily leads to another and then another.  I could drink this on its own, slowly sipping it on a lawn chair beneath the summer sun, or paired with food. An excellent wine at this price point and a good example of the delights of  Albariño.     

Buca di Beppo: Bring a Hearty Appetite

Buca di Beppo is an Italian restaurant where all but the most ravenous diners will have doggie bags to take home. They serve family-style food in two sizes: Small, which feeds up to three people, and Large, which feeds up to six people. The only exception is that at lunch they offer single-serving dishes.  But, in general, you are going to have lots of food on your table.

Buca di Beppo is a chain, the first restaurant having opened in 1993 in Minneapolis, and there are now approximately 87 locations across the country, including four in Massachusetts: Lexington, Dedham, Shrewsbury, and Seekonk. In 2008, the company was purchased by Planet Hollywood International Inc. Its Massachusetts' locations are relatively new and I was recently invited to check out their Lexington restaurant.

Though it is a chain, I don't dismiss a restaurant simply because of that fact.  Not all chains are the same, and some actually produce tasty food.  Each chain needs to be evaluated on its own merits, though also considering the intent of the restaurant. Buca Di Beppo wants to appeal to families and groups, providing lots of food at reasonable prices. It is not seeking to produce gourmet cuisine, and is trying create the type of food that is familiar to most consumers.

Their menu is fairly extensive, with Antipasti, Insalate, Pizza, Pasta, Baked Pasta, Entrees and Side Dishes. Plus, they have a number of limited-time specials. You'll find lots of the usual red-sauce Italian dishes, from chicken parmigiana to meatballs, from lasagna to fruitti di mare. Prices seem reasonable considering the amount of food you receive, such as small entrees, enough for three people, ranging from $17-$26.

I did have an initial issue with my menu being dirty and sticky, and my companion's menu was also dirty, though not to the extent of mine. That left a bad first impression and Buca needs to address that issue.  Their menus have that plastic-like coating and it should be easy to keep them clean, though they need to regularly check the menus.

The wine list has many mass produced, commercial choices, not much to excite a wine lover, but most are reasonably priced.  I tried their House Chianti though and was pleasantly surprised, as it was an easy-drinking, fruit driven wine with more character than I would have expected at its low price point.  I also tasted the Italian Margarita, which was ok but too sweet for my tastes.  But, I can see how many others would enjoy it.  They make homemade sodas, so I had to try one and decided on the Purple Pear.  I really enjoyed it, especially as it was not overly sweet and had nice tastes of pear and strawberry. 

We began our meal with a basket of Mozzarella Garlic Bread ($9.45/small), and it was tasty with fresh bread, lots of cheese, and big pieces of garlic.  It is something you can enjoy on its own, or use later in your meal to sop up sauce.  It was a promising start to the meal. 

We then moved onto an Antipasti, the Buca Trio Platter ($19.95), a sampling of Fried Calamari, Fried Mozzarella and Stuffed Mushrooms served with marinara, a spicy marinara and a pesto cream sauce. The calamari were crisp and tender, while the mushrooms were flavorful, filled with prosciutto, cheese and spices.  The fried mozzarella was crisp on the outside, with lots of creamy cheese within. A good fried appetizer. 

The Chopped Antipasto Salad ($12.45/small) includes diced pepperoni, red onions, pepperoncini peppers, cucumbers, provolone, feta and Gorgonzola cheeses, tossed with a lettuce blend in an Italian vinaigrette.  This is not quite what I expect from an Italian Antipasto, and is more just a regular garden salad with a few additions.  As a regular salad, it was good, the veggies seemed fresh and I liked the dressing. The different cheeses were a nice addition, adding more flavor and texture to the salad.

For our first entree, we tried the Chicken Saltimbocca ($20.95/small), sautéed chicken breasts layered with fresh sage and prosciutto, topped with artichoke hearts, lemon butter sauce and capers.  The chicken was moist and tender, and the sauce was light and buttery with only mild hints of lemon. 

My favorite dish of the evening was the Lobster Ravioli ($22.95/small), home-style ravioli stuffed with North Atlantic lobster, topped with shrimp and in a scampi sauce.  The ravioli were excellent, apparently home-made, and filled with plenty of sweet lobster.  The scampi sauce was very good, a bit creamy with lots of flavor.  A perfect sauce for dipping your bread.  This is a dish I would highly recommend, though note that it is one of their limited-time specials.

As the server made a mistake, we ended up with a plate of Cheese Ravioli and the ravioli were as good as the lobster ones.  The inside of the ravioli had plenty of cheese and the red sauce was good.

Though you might have a huge dinner, you should try to save some room for dessert.  The Tiramisu ($10.45) has homemade ladyfingers soaked in dark rum and espresso, layered with sweetened mascarpone cheese and topped with cocoa and crumbled hazelnut biscotti.  This huge bowl of dessert has powerful flavors and a light and creamy texture. An absolutely delicious dish, I enjoyed some the next day too as I certainly could not finish it all at the restaurant.

As Buca di Beppo is new, I give it some leeway so they have sufficient time to work out the initial kinks. But, the food in general is good, with a couple dishes that are excellent. Plus note that I only tried a small sampling of their menu so I can't speak for the rest of the food.  It would be a great place for families and large groups to dine. It is not a fine-dining establishment but does not pretend to be either.  It is a place for hearty fare, to sate almost any appetite. 

Altos Las Hormigas: Malbec Is Unimportant?

The winemaker from Altos las Hormigas, which specializes in wines made from Malbec, told me that the grape was unimportant.  Why would he say that?  Isn't he denigrating the very grape that his winery relies upon?

Malbec, which is also known as Auxerrois, Côt Noir and Pressac, was first introduced into Argentina in the mid-19th century.  But, in 1995, few wineries were doing anything with Malbec, except using it as a blending grape, as they were concentrating on international varieties. It was at this time that two pioneering Italians chose to explore the potential of Argentina and believed they had found an excellent place to produce wine.  Others followed in their wake so that, presently, Malbec is the most planted red grape in Argentina and many wineries are making Malbec wines.

Back in 1995, Alberto Antonini, a Tuscan winemaker and former head winemaker at Antinori, and Antonio Morescalchi, a young entrepreneur, bought 216 hectares of land, and primarily planted it with Malbec. For the last 15 years, they have produced Malbec and Bonarda wines, generally inexpensive wines.  But now they feel they are ready to take it to the next level, which includes the belief that the grape is no longer important.

Last month, I was invited to a luncheon at Abe & Louie's, to meet Alberto and Antonio, as well as to taste their new wines.  I also had the opportunity later that evening to speak with Alberto and Antonio again at a small reception at the Elephant Walk.  It was a very informative day, and I was impressed with their ideas and wines.  Both Alberto and Antonio were clearly passionate individuals, devoted to producing the best wines possible and Alberto was clearly a lover of Malbec. As the U.S. accounts for about 50% of their market, it was important to Alberto and Antonio to present their wines to members of the Boston area wine industry.

We did not start with Malbec though.  Our first wine at lunch, with a Boca Chopped Salad topped by a Dijon Vinaigrette, was the 2009 Colonia Las Liebres Bonarda (about $10).  I have long been a fan of Bonarda, feeling it is an underappreciated grape which often produces good value wines around $10.  Hormigas started producing Bonarda in 2003, and is still learning and experimenting with it.  Bonarda requires a long growing season and needs sufficient sun to ripen properly so Mendoza has a very good climate for the grape. But due to its climate, it is much tougher to grow Bonarda in Italy.  I do know that I have much preferred the Bonards I have tasted from Argentina over those from Italy.  The Italian ones seemed much more rustic, with less fruit flavors, and just didn't impress.

This Bonarda wine sees no oak and has an alcohol content of 13.9%.  I enjoyed this wine, finding that it had excellent red fruit flavors, low tannins, some underlying spice and plenty of character for this price point.  It was easy drinking and would pair well with many different casual dishes, from burgers to pasta.  A great every day wine, this will appeal to most wine lovers. 

For the rest of the lunch, we would have three different Malbec wines, tasting the results of the winery's new endeavors. They see the winery as a laboratory and after fifteen years of experimentation, the winery has decided that Malbec is no longer important.  What they mean is that they will no longer focus on the grape, Malbec, but instead will now concentrate on terroir, a sense of place.  This is a more European attitude, and it is not surprising based on the fact the two founders are Italian.  They felt they needed the last fifteen years to understand the terroir of Mendoza, to most appreciate where Malbec grows best.

They consulted with Pedro Parra, a Chilean scientist who is the only terroir and soil specialist in South America, and discovered that soil profile and microzoning were the most important elements in producing excellent Malbec wines.  Altitude, vine age, canopy management and such were found to be of far lesser importance. So, the winery has been seeking out the best soils and microzones which can impart terroir and produce top notch, age-worthy wines.  Most of these areas have been found in ancient river beds, known as alluvial terraces.   

The winery sees Malbec as an indigenous Argentina grape as its expression is very different in France, due to their different soils, climates, etc. In addition to their concern about terroir, Hormigas is also moving towards organic farming as they feel it is better farming.  All of their grapes are hand-picked and they produce wines which are intended to be paired with food, especially their higher-end wines. Thus their wines need tannins and acids, though in balance.  

With my entree of a tender New York Sirloin and a side of Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes, we had two of their new terroir driven Malbecs, including the 2009 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Valle de Uco Terroir (about $15) and 2006 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Vistaflores (about $80).  The sirloin was quite good, and a perfect accompaniement to the Malbecs. These Malbecs definitely benefit from being paired with food, especially a hearty steak. I also loved the taste of the potatoes, with that prominent sharp flavor of blue cheese which also accented well the sirloin. 

The Terroir, with a dark purple color, had an appealing spicy and floral, violets, nose.  On the palate there were flavors of black cherry, raspberry and spice, including hints of vanilla.  It had some complexity, moderate tannins, and a lengthy and satisfying finish. This is a very good value wine, as you get plenty of complexity and character for the price point.  It is a couple steps above the usual Malbecs you find from Argentina.

The king of the tasting was the single-vineyard Vistaflores, from a 2 hectare site, which spent 36 months in the barrel.  The winemaker feels that it could have easily remained longer in the barrel, and will keep the next vintage of Vistaflores in the barrel for 48 months. 2006 is considered the best vintage in the last ten years, and they won't make the Vistaflores every year.  In some respects, the Vistaflores had a similar flavor profile to the Terroir but ramped up several degrees.  There was more complexity in the wine, with more blackfruit flavors, additional spice notes and even a touch of minerality.  Great structure, well balanced, and with a very lengthy finish.

A very impressive wine, and this may be the best high-end Malbec I have ever had.  It is worth the high price and Hormigas is working on producing other single vineyard wines.  If this is the result of all of their experimentation, then I consider it a big success and look forward to seeing more top notch wines from this winery. 

We ended the meal with a Selection of Cheeses, paired with the 2008 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Valle de Uco Reserva (about $22). It was aged in small French barrels for 15-18 months, and can age for ten years or more. It too was similar to the Terroir, but its quality was even better.  It also had a touch more earthiness to the taste, which appealed to me. Another wine I would recommend.

I deeply respect the concept of Altos Las Hormigas, their desire to concentrate on terroir rather than the grape.  They have taken the time and effort to discover what best produces Malbec, and their studies and experimentation continue. They were pioneers fifteen years ago, producing Malbec wines, and are pioneers once again, introducing more terroir driven wines to the region.  Malbec from Argentina has long been seen as a relatively simple and inexpensive wine, yet it is clear it can also produce complex, high-end wines too.

As Altos Las Hormigas says, forget the Malbec grape and instead, concentrate on the terroir.

Rant: X-Rated Menus?

X-rated menus really irritate me.

One of the first impressions a customer has of a restaurant is the menu. It is like the gateway into a restaurant, presenting a list of their offerings, both food and drink.  Not all menus are the same, and there are some potential pitfalls.  A menu might be too large, confusing the consumer with its multitude of choices.  A menu might be too vague or puzzling, requiring the customer to ask numerous questions of the server.  But, there is one problem which may the most significant, the "x-rated" menu.

By "x-rated" I simply mean a "dirty" menu, something unclean.  A menu that is stained, sticky, or crusted with unidentifiable bits of food is a major turnoff.  It speaks poorly of the restaurant and makes you question all of their sanitary ways. It starts off the entire meal in a very bad light.  It is usually obvious that these menus have been that way for some time, and not that it is a temporary aberration. Especially when the menu is stained in multiple places.  It seems that some of the more plastic coated menus are the worst offenders, the ones which get the most sticky.

Restaurants need to have a system in place to check their menus, to ensure they remain relatively clean.  That system needs to check the menus frequently because of the importance of having clean menus. First impressions are very important, and a dirty menu can color a customer's entire experience.  Even if everything else is good, the memory of that dirty menu will remain.  And no restaurant wants to leave their customers with any bad impressions.

It is strange as this seems like such an easy thing, maintaining clean menus.  And the plastic menus, which are the easiest to clean, seem to be the worst offenders.  So why don't all restaurants pay attention to this potential problem?  Do they think it is a minor issue, something relatively unimportant?  Do they think their customers will ignore the crusty food and sticky liquids?  Wake up and pay attention!  This is not a problem that a restaurant can afford to ignore. 

I want my food to be in my plate, not on the menu.

Sake News: Sake Class, Kasu & Tell A Story

1) Want to learn more about Sake?  Then you can do so at my upcoming "Chilling With Sake" class at the Boston Wine School on Wednesday, March 16, at 6:30pm.  This will be an interesting and fun introduction to the realm of sake, covering diverse topics such as sake history, the brewing process, sake types, rituals & customs, terminology and much more.  We will taste through a number of sakes, as well as enjoy sushi.  Don't be intimidated by sake any longer.  Instead, arm yourself with the knowledge you need to safely navigate a restaurant's sake menu or a wine store's sake selection.  Hope to see you there!

2) "With Sake Rice, Nothing Goes To Waste."

The above article is in the Japan Times and was written by Makiko Itoh. "Makiko Itoh is the author of "The Just Bento Cookbook" (Kodansha International). She writes about bento lunches at justbento.com and about Japanese cooking and more at justhungry.com."

It is a article worth reading which discusses the many uses of kasu, the sake lees, in cooking. Using it to make a marinade is the most common use, and the article offers advice in how to create your own marinade.  The article even takes a detour, discussing the use of sake and mirin in Japanese cooking, looking into the science behind their use and how these alcohols affect food. You'll learn how they can counteract the gamy tastes of meat and seafood, as well as use their umami to enhance the flavors of other foods.  There is plenty of good info in this article so check it out.

3) The New York Times has a lengthy article about sake, and its theme mirrors what I have written about before, that if you want to sell more sake, tell a story.  The article, In Las Vegas, a Good Story Helps Sell Expensive Sakes by Jeff Gordinier, discusses how restaurants and retailers are selling some very expensive sake, using the stories behind the brew as a sales pitch.

Henry Sidel, president of Joto Sake, stated: “There are no brands if there aren’t stories. With our portfolio, I’ve focused on brands that have stories.”  As sake can be so intimidating, consumers need some way to identify with it.  Stories can be a fun and intriguing way to get consumers interested in sake.  That is not so different from wine, where a fascinating story can lead to more people buying and trying a wine. 

The article then ends with a list of New York restaurants with good sake lists.