Bon Vivant: (n) a person having cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes especially with respect to food and drink.
Wishing all of you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!
The pineapple is a sign of Southern hospitality- perfect for Thanksgiving!
I’m thankful for all of people who have supported me in this new business venture and blog over the last 6 months.
And wine, of course;)
A small sampling of the vino at our Thanksgiving table!
1. Wine Snobs
I love learning about (and especially drinking!) good wine. But nothing is more annoying than people who turn their nose up at a bottle, or- worse- a beverage director treating a patron disparagingly. Wine is meant to be enjoyed, and in my experience if someone is being a snob about it, they’re either a jerk, or they’re over-compensating (often, both!).
2. Calling all sparkling wine “Champagne”
Unless it’s from the Champagne region of France, please, call it something else. Bubbly. Sparkling wine. If it’s from Spain, call it cava. Italy, Prosecco. I love bubbly (and Champagne!) as much as the next wino, but it’s really and truly not all the same!
3. Close minded wine drinkers
When I was in sales and distribution, I would pour samples of wine at free tastings at retail stores around town. It always completely shocked me when people would decline. It’s free wine! If you hate it, spit it out! When people make blanket statements like, “I don’t drink rosé“, or “I hate [insert varietal] or wine from [insert wherever]”, it drives me insane! The look on someone’s face when they realize they’ve been missing out on something they actually do enjoy is priceless.
4. Wine served at the improper temperature
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to a nice restaurant, ordered a bottle of wine, only to have it served too warm. This may sound (gasp!) snobby, but it really does make a difference when you’re shelling out big bucks on a nice night out. Attention to proper storage and service can really make or break the wine experience for me. I like most of my reds slightly chilled- 55-60°F is generally about right for me.
5. Winemakers in the Advertising Business
If you’ve been to one of my classes, you’ve probably heard my adage, “you want a winemaker who puts their money where YOUR mouth is!” Nothing drives me crazier than seeing people purchase wine whose proceeds go to funding commercials, umbrellas or red carpet events. They’re not necessarily all bad wines, but if you’ve seen an ad for the wine just remember, it’s your hard earned bucks that are paying for it!
What are your wine pet peeves? Sound off in the comments section!
I was delighted to try Aaron Silverman’s new restaurant Rose’s Luxury last week. This is one new restaurant that’s worth the hype!
Diners enjoying a front row view of the open kitchen action!
Everything from the design, to service, and especially the food, are all top notch- without an ounce of pretension. Diners can get a front row view of the action in the kitchen at one of the bar seats, although I loved our cozy table under the lights. The staff is friendly and informed; a welcome departure from surly greeters and uninformed servers.
As a party of four, we were delighted by each new course as it arrived, and got a chance to sample a good portion of the menu. Not one plate left the table with anything remaining, and both pescatarians and meat-lovers alike left satiated.
Even the controversial popcorn soup had its champions; although I enjoyed the novelty and craftsmanship, it was a touch too rich for more than a spoonful or two for me. Some of my dining companions heartily disagreed!
Stand out dishes were the pork sausage, habanero and lychee salad (trust me, just get it!), the crispy octopus, fried eggplant, and vietnamese pâté. And the bread. It’s worth suspending any low carb diet for an entire loaf of the house made complimentary potato bread and whipped butter.
One thing that can be complicated about ordering wine at a small plates restaurant is the sheer volume of flavors you’re pairing with. I like to pick a wine that “plays well with others”, and one that is generally fairly high in acidity. I start light and increase the body to match the progression of small plates.
We started with individual cocktails; I ordered the sparkling chenin blanc, which was delightful, aromatic and crisp.
Our table then moved on to the Höpler Grüner Veltliner for the salad and seafood small plates. Hard for a table of Grüner lovers to turn down, the Höpler was perfect on the palette- restrained and acidic, with a good dose of minerality and pear fruit.
For the heartier courses I selected a medium bodied Spanish blend of Garnacha, Mazuelo and Tempranillo called Remelluri 2008. The Garnacha and Mazuelo kept things smooth, while the Tempranillo spiced things up with lively red fruit, peppery notes, and a hint of smokiness. It was served at the proper temperature, slightly below room temperature, which I always appreciate. We all liked this wine so much we ordered a second bottle!
For dessert, we enjoyed the Eden Ice Cider served in elegant dessert glasses- a sweet cider made from apples picked after the first frost, much like Ice Wine. I would love to see an expansion of the dessert drinks. A tawny port or sherry selection would round out the beverage menu nicely.
I can’t wait to go back and am so glad to experience a small plates restaurant that really works!
Have you been to Rose’s Luxury yet? What are some of your favorite new restaurants around town?
UPDATE:
I went back to Rose’s Luxury this week and was pleased to see an expanded beverage program, especially on the dessert list. I was particularly impressed by the Ben Rye- not a Rye whiskey at all, but a sweet, viscous wine from Sicily made from indigenous grapes. I’ll be ordering this one again!
Chef Silverman’s White Truffle Pasta- a seasonal special- was aromatic and delicious. A generous portion of the aromatic delicacy was shaved over simply prepared pasta letting the truffles take center stage. Bravo!
We can’t wait to snag a seat at the bar facing the kitchen next time to see the kitchen staff in their element!
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I’m excited to announce an expansion of services Bon Vivant will be offering to DC area clients! We’re in close proximity to a number of Virginia wineries and vineyards, and I look forward to offering wine country concierge services.
With so many options to choose from, I’ve spent quite a bit of time recently touring Virginia wine country- sussing out the good, the bad and the ugly for myself!
One of the things that’s become increasingly apparent is that not all Virginia wine (and wineries) are created equal! There are a number of quality vineyards that offer guests varying experiences.
The good news is, there is a vineyard out there to meet almost anything you’re looking for in an excursion- whether it’s scenery, world class wines, large group tours, behind the scenes experiences, exclusive wine pairing dinners in elegant settings, bachelorette excursions, as well as intimate and serene getaways (see my recent post on Linden Vineyards!).
With so many options to choose from, I aim to offer my clients highly tailored wine concierge services, custom designed for each client to show you some of the very best of what Virgina Wine Country has to offer- no matter what it is you’re looking for in your excursion!
Checking out the Cab Franc at Breaux Vineyards during Harvest! 2013 is looking like a promising vintage!
What do you look for when visiting vineyards?
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I often get asked what my favorite wine is. To which I invariably respond: “What’s the weather? What am I eating? Who am I with? What is the occasion? Am I inside? Outside? On a boat? What is my mood?”
I have a different favorite for each of these occasions and combinations!
On one recent day I was asked- somewhat jokingly- by three separate people what wines to pair with an emotion or life circumstance. There’s a wine out there to complement virtually any emotion or occasion!
1. From a dear friend nearing the culmination of her PhD:
Q: I need some consultation on what red pairs best with abject hysteria upon approaching an impending 5-year deadline? A: I’m feeling like you need an Italian. They just do abject hysteria better than most! A Barbaresco or Brunello is the way to go!
She agreed that she did, indeed, “need an Italian”!
2. From a sister who was recently given the brush off by a guy she was dating:
Q: What wine pairs best with being dumped? A: Easy. A cava. It’s light and celebratory! You clearly dodged a dating bullet, plus those bubbles say, “Who cares, I’m fabulous!”Bohigas cava is a family favorite!
3. From a neighbor whose wife was in the hospital, seeking a wine with which to unwind:
Q. I know you’re not supposed to drink heavy, dark reds when it’s this warm out, but that’s what I generally enjoy. A. Nonsense! Drink what you like! A heavy, brooding red fits perfectly with your current situation.I brought him a bottle of Trim Cabernet Sauvignon. For medicinal purposes, naturally.
When was the last time you paired a beverage to your mood?
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