Spanish Bistro Shakewell

JC brought home a nice wine: AA Badenhorst.
Chenin Blanc-base white blend wine from South Africa, with vibrant fruit and flower, and richness and freshness at the same time.

The wine was good by itself but would be even better with food, so we went out for dinner with this wine.

Shakewell is a Spanish Bistro in Oakland.
Both restaurant and neighbourhood have casual, cozy feel.
It is a Tapas restaurant so I expected each plate would be small, but the size was actually generous.

Patatas Bravas
Fried potatoes with spicy tomato sauce and Aioli.
Crispy outside, soft and steamy inside.
Sauce wasn't too spicy and gave good accent.

Tempura Morels
Mushroom was meaty and had good texture and flavor.
Both fried dishes were not greasy at all. They must be using good oil to fry.

Other appetizers looked delicious too, but we needed to save room for the main dish.

Wood Oven Paella
Classic paella with Manila clams and Chorizo, finished in the wood-fired oven.
Rice was perfectly cooked. Not too hard, not too mushy.
Combination of flavors which was rich but not heavy.
The wood oven finish made the top of rice crispy, and it kept the dish hot for long time.

All dishes had subtle spiciness which was not overwhelming and supported the flavor of dishes.
The white wine went really good with the spice.

Somebody told JC that if a Spanish restaurant made good Patatas Bravas, other dishes would be good too. The theory seems to be true.

Tre Bicchieri 2019

Tre Bicchieri is once a year event of Italian wine tasting.

Tre Bicchieri literally means three glasses. This is a highest ranking in wine ratings given by  Gambero Rosso, a renown Italian food and wine magazine.

This event offers tasting of the wines which won Tre Bicchieri, meaning that this is a great opportunity to taste Italian wines among the best.


It is hard to choose favorite, but there are some bottles which are especially memorable to me.

Ottella Molceo Lugana Riserva 2016

Trebbiano di Lugana wine from Lugana.

Wine with clean minerality, citrus, apple and long, refreshing aftertaste. 

Podere Sapaio Bolgheri Rosso Superiore Sapaio 2016

Bordeaux blend from Tuscany.

Beautiful aromas of red and black cherry, plum and currant. 

Decent wine with fine-grained tannin. Full body and radiant.

Colle Massari Montecucco Sangiovese Poggio Lombrone Riserva 2014

Colle Massari Brunello di Montalcino Poggio di Sotto 2013
Ripe red fruit, herbs and coffee, balanced with firm tannin.

Colle Massari Bolgheri Superiore Grattamacco 2015
Super Tuscan made with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Merlot. 
Although it might not be as famous as Sassicaia or Ornellaia, this Super Tustan is great!
Chocolate covered cherry. Subtle sweetness of ripe fruit.
Tannin is firm but ripe and texture is round. Very approachable. 

Carlo Giacosa Barbaresco Montefico 2015
Well made, well balanced wine with acid of red fruit.
No room for excess decorations. Simple beauty.

Brandini Barolo del Comune di La Morra 2014
Elegant aromas of flower and incense.
Gentle wine with powdery tannin.


And, probably the most memorable wine of the day:

Angoris Albertina Pinot Nero Friuli Isonzo 2016
Gorgeous Pinot Noir from Friuli Isonzo, northern Italy!
Friuli Isonzo is a small DOC in south-eastern part of Friuli Venezia Giulia. The moderating effect from the Adriatic Sea and cool wind from mountains provide the large diurnal range for this region, which is essential for fine wine production.
Elegant aromas of floral, red cherry, red berries with spice and savoriness.
Decent wine with fine tannin and round body. 

Unfortunately this wine is under Not Imported category. Hope someone would import! 

Aligoté from Burgundy

There is a concept of Old World and New World in wine.
Old world is, basically Europe, where wine has been produced and consumed for long time.
New world is everywhere else, like US, Australia, or Chile.

In practical point of view, one of the big differences of new and old world is whether there is a strict regulation about permitted grape. These grapes grown on the terroir of old world for long time have become like a synonym to the region such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux, or Sangiovese and Chianti.

Burgundy has its famous synonymous grapes: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. But there are other grapes which are permitted in Burgundy.
White grape Aligoté is used for the regional wine of Burgundy.
Wine from Aligoté has fresh aromas of flower and fruit, and is meant to be drunk young. 
Aligoté is not particularly picky about the growing condition, and grown on lesser vineyards (best sites are saved for Chardonnay). This and less recognition can mean Aligoté wine is much more affordable.

There was an event to taste this white Burgundy wine, potentially a good alternative to Chardonnay.

Domaine Catherine et Claude Marechal Bourgogne Aligoté 2017
The wine with concentrated fruit aromas is made from 40 or more year old vines.
Honeysuckle, acacia, fresh melon, peach, green apple and citrus aromas. Soft acid.
It's fresh, clean wine.

Caves Bailly-Lapierre Bourgogne Aligoté 2016
Nectar-like fruit of apple and peach.
Lean, light bodied wine with smooth texture.

Domaine Manuel Oliver Bourgogne Aligoté 2016
Acacia, jasmine, ripe citrus and peach.
High minerality, almost saline.

Domaine Pierre-Louis et Jean-Francois Bersan Bourgogne Aligoté 2015
Aromas of green apple and pear.
Delicate wine with soft texture.

Maison Louis Jadot Bouzeron 2015
Aligote aged in new oak.
Fresh Asian pear, hazelnut, smoke and cedar. Refreshing acid.

Domaine Les Champs de Themis Les Corcelles Bouzeron 2016
White flower, pear, peach and apple.
Round texture with long finish.

Bouzeron is a village in Cote Chalonnaise, only village appellation made from Aligoté.

There is a reason that Chardonnay is the principal grape of white Burgundy. It's harder to find good Aligoté than good Chardonnay. 
My first positive encounter with Aligoté was when it was recommended at Kermit Lynch (importer/retailer) some years ago. It was strikingly lovable. I immediately went back to the store to get more but it was already sold out. The wine was that good.
So, the best way to find good Aligoté is to ask wine shops. Or, find one of the bottles I tasted this day. These are all good, aromatic wine with body and soft acid, and good food wine, especially with seafood and vegetables.

Bordeaux 2016 Vintage

There are many things which can define the character of wine: grape variety, soil, climate, timing of harvest, or of course wine making techniques.

Vintage is also a big factor. According to wine journalist Jacky Rigaux, terroir determines the wine's originality and the vintage determines the quality of wine.
However, it is hard for me to grasp the sense of vintage, probably because it changes every year or a relation of a cause and effect involved in vintage is too complicated. Or probably because I'm not good with numbers.

There was a tasting of Bordeaux Grand Cru Classe 2016 vintage in San Francisco. Perfect opportunity to taste wines from the same vintage. It was wet at the beginning of the year and summer was very hot in 2016 Bordeaux. Hopefully I can grasp at least a tiny bit of the idea of vintage.

There were classified wines from all over Bordeaux, and these are the wines memorable to me.

Chateau Giscours Margaux 2016
Cherry, raspberry, chocolate, hints of pyrazine.
Wine is powerful yet decent and approachable.

Chateau Prieure-Lichine Margaux 2016
A chateau founded by monks in 12th century.
Red plum, raspberry, herb and soft tannin.
Pretty wine, makes me feel like dancing!

Chateau Gruaud Larose Saint-Julien 2016
A second growth in 1855 Bordeaux Classification.
Red fruit, coffee candy and spice.
Tannin is smooth and the texture is soft.
The label design might not be modern but gives a sense of old days' elegance, and the wine tastes like its label.

Chateau Talbot Saint-Julien 2016
Pleasant aromas of red fruit, flower and herbs.
The wine is with fine-grained tannin and very approachable.
It is hard not to like this wine!

Chateau de Pez Saint-Estephe 2016
The beautiful chateau was originally a hunting lodge then expanded to produce wine. Now it is owned by the champagne house Louis Roederer.
Fresh aromas of red fruit and flower are backed by notes of coffee.
It is firm wine with strong but fine tannin. Very enjoyable.

Chateau Phelan Segur Saint-Estephe 2016
Aromatic wine with fresh and dried floral, cherry, cranberry characters.
Strong tannin presence, which is more reliable than aggressive.

Chateau Clarke Listrac-Medoc 2016
Listrac is a commune in Medoc, lesser known than other big names like Margaux or St-Julien. High water table in the area and shallow root system as its result work as disadvantage, but this wine proves that great wine can be made under such a condition.

A little unusual for Medoc, majority of the grape in this blend is Merlot.
Notes of ripe red fruit, spice, coffee.
Clean, full-bodied wine with gripping tannin.

Chateau La Lagune Haut-Medoc 2016
A third growth in 1855 Bordeaux Classification.
Beautiful aromas of fresh cherry, plum and purple flower.
Bitter sweet coffee-like after taste.

There were also beautiful white wines.

Chateau Carbonnieux Pessac-Leognan 2016
A chateau of long history with the Benedictine monks as the first owner.
Refreshing citrus and tropical fruit notes with savory characters of lees.
Long, clean finish.

Chateau Olivier Pessac-Leognan 2016
Candied citrus, melon and peach.
Delicate wine with strong finish.

The characteristics of vintage is still vague for me, but I felt a difference.
Overall impression, St-Julian was most memorable for 2016. At the last years tasting, which was the tasting of 2015, I found Margaux most attractive.
Even though I don't understand how, but I must have had detected the difference between vintages.

Wine Bag reform

There are many kinds of events held in San Francisco.
At some tasting events, they give away bags.
This is one of them, from Loire Valley Wine Tasting.

I like the design so I want to use this as a main bag, not a sub bag, but it has a little novelty feel.
To use daily, I want a little more durability since I tend to carry a lot of stuff.
I need to do something to promote this bag to everyday-use main bag.

From my bag making experience, I think the bag handle is one of the critical factors of the quality of the bag, so I decided to remove the fabric handle and change it to leather.

Cut out two leather handles.
Smooth the rough edge with water and sandpaper (do not make water stain!), and polish both front and back of the handles.

Use rivets to attach the handles to the bag.
This hand press is, by the way, one of the best investments I made in my craft life.

I also planned to add a lining for durability and convenience.
Make a pocket and fix magnet to the lining.

Make it into bag shape.
Attach the lining to the bag, baste and machine sew.

Finished!

It's cute, cuter than I expected! 

It possesses some cool, French-feel (I believe!).

Thank you Loire Valley Wines!

Honey Wine

I'm a conservative shopper. When I buy something, I tend to stick to what I already know such as books from my favorite authors, shirts with my favorite color, or wines from my favorite producers.
On the other hand, JC enjoys unexpected encounter.
He is curious, especially when it comes to food & drink.

The other day we happened to find a tasting booth at Whole Foods (organic super market).
I usually just pass by these events, but JC wanted to try, especially when he saw it was a little unexpected drink. It was mead.

Mead is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey. It is not a very popular drink now, but has very long history.
I didn't expected a lot from this ancient honey wine, but it was surprisingly good!
It was dry but had the flavour of honey without stickiness.

Meadery Forest Flower
Honey, caramel, dried fruit, herb and rancio-like quality, which reminds me of the oxidized wine from south France, or even Koshu (aged sake).
It feels rich but smooth,

Another good thing is that it would last for a month in a fridge after opening the bottle, in case if you want to enjoy this slowly.

Slow Roasted Chicken

Ever since he came back from a trip to northern Italy, JC's been into slow roasted meat.

He stayed at the Meroi Estate in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The restaurant adjacent to the winery offers great local food, even chefs from Michelin Star restaurant come dine at the restaurant to get inspired.
He can't forget the food he had there, especially the simple yet flavourful slow roasted meat.

This is JC's recreation.
No sauce, no brine. Simply roast chicken with low heat for one hour.
Tender, juicy and delicious!

Wine is Starlite Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 (Meroi wine is sleeping in the cellar).
Ripe fruit, dried fruit, smokiness of oak and freshness of herb.
Kept its pleasant quality even several days after we opened it. Great wine.