9/3/2007

Vedi, veni, vino

Had a chance to combine two passionate pursuits at two different events which had a common thread:  wine and coffee.  I took an espresso machine to two wine events last weekend.  The first was an open house at California Grapes Company on Fort Street in Detroit across from the produce terminal.  There, Guiseppe Pracilio imports grapes from California and Italy and sells all the paraphernalia to make wine at home.  I knew it would be a primarily Italian crowd so I developed an espresso blend that would appeal to their particular palate.  Italians like the body and crema produced by robusta coffee beans and so I created a blend using a coffee we have recently discovered from India called Mysore Nuggets which has the same characteristics as robusta.  It has low acidity, body and produces a meringue-like crema that can only be called astounding.  One old-timer at the event said to me after trying an espresso: "your a-coffee, she has-a the cream."  He wanted to stock up right away for home.  Knowing how Italians drink coffee, I don't even bring milk to this event.  I think I served about 300 espressos in a row.  More than once I heard the comment from people who have gotten accustom to our coffee, that we have the best espresso outside of Italy.  No small praise to be sure.  There was a little band with singers and food like cheese, figs, cured meats and Guiseppe's home made wine which he sells by the gallon.  One of the ladies in the band told me how she used to drink at least six or seven espressos a day when she was a little girl in Italy.  The culture informs how people drink coffee and this was a joy to behold.  I didn't need to do any educating with this crowd. 

The second event was Vin Voyage at the Oakland County airport.  The three master sommeliers in Michigan were there.  Greg joined me for this one.  The setting was incredible.  All the wines were accompanied by foods from their respective regions.  The food and wine were set up along the walls of the hangar.  Communal tables were in the middle and a bandstand towards the hangar door which opened to the elements and several jets parked just outside.  We started out with wines from the south of France, almost a vertical village tasting from the Cotes du Rhone going from Cairanne to Vacqueyras to Gigondas to Chateauneuf-du-Pape.  Chateauneuf is a blenders dream combining the Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre of the first three village wines with another ten grape varietals for good measure.  I was almost embarrassed to only have five different beans in my espresso blend.    What I like about these events is that I don't have to be like Illy and tell everyone that I have one perfect blend for all events but can understand the event, the cuisine and develop a blend to that end.  The French wines were very good moving towards more complexity and age-worthiness as we traveled from Cairanne to Chateauneuf.  Cairanne is an everyday drinker while Chateauneuf can be savored with a Roquefort or a filet.  We tried a Stellenbosch Rustenberg South African wine which showed some potential although it lacked the depth of the French wines.  It is a Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot.  Many of the newer wine growing regions and off the beaten path Euro countries like Spain and Portugal make wines that are internationally approachable but not very interesting overall.  That usually means lots of fruit up front and little interest on the finish.  However, all these places are making great strides towards more quality oriented wines.  The South African table had an egg/beef curry with sweet onions that was a favorite of Nelson Mandela.  I preferred the prawns.  The Spanish tapas table was perfect for the grenache-based wines.  The maracona almonds and olives were a sensational sensory experience.  I love eating with my hands since returning from India.  You add another dimension to your eating experience by eating with your hands.  Just make sure not to use your left hand.  Probably the best wine we had was a barolo from 2001, the end of a string of incredible vintages stretching from 1996-2001 in Piemonte, Italy, the same place we import Lavazza from.  Nebbiolo is the grape that grows there and is a fickle grape for growing elsewhere.  It requires moisture from the morning fog or nebbia of the Langhe hills in order to properly ripen.  It ripens very slowly due to its thin skin, sort of like me.  The wine was decanted to breathe because it is a huge wine.  It has depth, body, plum and licorice flavors, spiciness and tannins which are an indication of the age-worthiness of a wine.  It finishes like a good espresso to be contemplated sip after sip.  The only way to finish off an evening like this was with a good espresso and we served just that in the dessert area.  Unlike the earlier event, the culutre of this event called mainly for cappuccinos.  Espresso culture has been translated on its transatlantic trip into a milk-based latte/cappuccino culture.  Thank you USDA food pyramid.  The sun was setting as we began to serve.  The hangar door was like a picture frame.  Jazz flowed from the band as the ladies hit the dance floor outside between the bandstand and the planes.  Wine, women and song and cappuccinos, it was a long day and time to rest Mysore Nuggets.

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