Iconic’s lineup on the bar at Shuck.
I found my new Happy Place the other day: full of California sunshine, bright white, clean, stocked with super-chilled, zippy white wines and a mountain of raw bivalves.
Shuck, Orange County’s new oyster bar, is the kind of place that reminds me how much joy and satisfaction can be obtained from the simplest and most obvious food and wine pairings. Continue reading
We stopped by Casa Emma for a tour of the winery, and as seems to be the custom everywhere we go- they immediately welcomed us, handed us a glass of wine, and started cooking.
This winery is in San Donato in Poggio, very close to Castellina. The elevation is about 420 meters above the sea, sprawling out over a beautiful hillside that is crested with a natural preserve. The sweeping exposure to sunlight, along with the oxygen-producing trees at the top of the incline, help make this vineyard a perfect little ecosystem for the grapes.
Casa Emma cultivates mostly Sangiovese, but also has some precious indigenous varietals as well. Their first Chianti Classico is made with 90% Sangiovese, 5% Cannaiolo and 5% Malvasia Nera. The Cannaiolo is relatively standard in these blends, but the Malvasia Nera is what helps really set this wine apart from other Chianti Classico expressions. There is a black fruit, plums and dried orange peel quality that the Malvasia Nera lends to the blend that I really like. It’s juicy and toothsome- dangerously drinkable, especially with a few slices of cured meat or cheese.
You’re in Tuscany, surrounded by the most beautiful scenery, your senses assaulted by the sights and smells of the sunny hills and beautiful wines. All of this perfection can make you hungry. Go to Baffo and eat Fried Chicken. I’m not kidding. This may have been the single most important culinary discovery of my life. Especially when paired with the right wines.
For example, we all know Lambrusco goes well with anything salty and fried, but it truly sang with this perfectly olive-oil drenched, crispy-juicy chicken.
Of course, when Luca D’Attoma, enologist to the stars and producer of his own amazing wines at the Duemani comes along, he manages to somehow top the absolute perfection of this pairing.
With 1990 Sauternes. Cool, oily with sugar and just enough acidity to wake up your palate between crispy-juicy bites. The mouth-coating effect was also helpful when we ordered the spicy version of this pollo fritto- loaded with dried chili flakes and piping hot.
Thanks Luca, for introducing us to another of the world’s great food & wine pairings. Fried Chicken and Sauternes. Try it. You’ll like it.
I love having the opportunity to taste new and exciting wines being brought into the US by pioneering importers like Vinity. I happened upon LA salesguy extraordinaire Ned Teitelbaum at Terroni the other day and he let me taste this gorgeous little gem from a winery I had never heard of before: Azienda Agricola Lusenti, in the Colli Piacentini.
The wine is made from 100% Malvasia di Canida, a variety local to this part of Emilia-Romagna. The name Bianca Regina or “White Queen” is appropriate given the gorgeous and opulent aromatics of this wine- all tea leaves and jasmine, honeysuckle and lovely caramelized apricots. On the plate it is unabashedly saline, and vertical with acidity and a balanced and softly tannic structure, thanks to a 4-day maceration on the skins before pressing.
Winery owner Ludovia Lusenti writes on her website that she wishes the wines to “relay the emotion of a journey… and of life in the vineyards”. After tasting the Bianca Regina, I am thirsty to know more.
I was so excited to meet Massimo Fubelli and Chef Fabrizio Giorgi of Mosto Enoteca the other day at their lovely restaurant in Venice, California. I spent over a year living in Bologna, where one of my staple lunch or dinner items was the local iteration of Romagna’s sandwich: the piadina. Chef Fabrizio, being a local from Rimini, understands the art of this perfect little hand-held meal.
The warm, griddled flatbread was spread with a fresh, runny mozzarella- so fresh I thought it might be stracchino- then dotted with spicy arugula and draped with prosciutto. Done. Basta. The perfect example of fast, healthy, regional Italian cuisine. The key to simple dishes like the piadina is perfect balance between restraint and super high quality. Not too much of each ingredient allows every flavor and texture to shine through against that soft, warm slightly-chewy give of the piadina element itself.
Now these Mosto Enoteca just needs a real authentic glass of regional wine to go with that perfect sandwich.
Maybe the Lambrusco boys of Opera02 can help?!
Mattia Montanari with the perfect pairing to a piadina- a glass of cold Lambrusco!
Unquestionably, my favorite part about my job is meeting all kinds of people, usually people who are irrationally and irrevocably passionate about food, wine and spirits. There is a natural communion between people who like to feed each other- people who revel in the various and beautiful expressions of flavor sensations. The day I walked into Feed in Venice Beach I knew there would be no shortage of such sensitive souls- this place is a sanctuary for foodies. I felt like coming home. Continue reading
The other day I visited the ladies of Culver City’s newly-minted Bar and Garden. Recently Lauren Johnson and Marissa Mandel rehabilitated an antique liquor store, and have turned it into a beautiful, airy, sunlight-filled space. Their selection of natural wines and small-batch spirits is pretty much unparalleled, and the whole operation is overseen by a quiet and affectionate pooch named Banjo. Now that’s what I call a great neighborhood shop!
Banjo, lovable mascot of @BarAndGarden. Clearly the camera loves him.
Have you ever given somebody a camera and fanatically asked them to take a picture of you and somebody really, truly important to you?
Like, say you meet Ozzy Osbourne or Tony Iommi in an airport- you’d want to record that, right? 
Black Sabbath’s Toni Iommi and Emil Karapetian
Or maybe you bump into Mike Tyson over a cup of coffee? You definitely need an image of that moment…
Mike Tyson and Kristin Bonfiglio
I love this photo because it encapsulates what is so great about the wine industry. When wine people get together, horizontal tastings like this are inevitable. At a post-Vinitaly dinner we tasted these three wines together with the good people of Cantina Bolzano: a sure sign you’re dealing with a first-class winery when they are happy to match their wines up against some of the best in the world! Continue reading
Iconic Wine Owner (and my fellow colleague at AI Selections), Birk O’Halloran recognizes bartending heroism when he sees it.
Last night while staying at Opera 02, Mattia Montanari and Roberto Ballestrazzi took us over to nearby Le Vizzano, where we met Giorgio (The King), proprietor of a fantastic bar, L’Artista. The cocktails were fast and authentic, made with fresh ingredients and served with an enthusiastic smile.
A Good Barman is hard to find. A Great Barman can be your Hero.
