I've been traveling, and am now very happy to be back at home. I was in Haiti, where the drink of choice was Rum or beer.

So now, at home, I grilled a small steak, cooked some potatoes and sauteed - very briefly - some Brussel sprout tops. I looked at the wines I had and went for a 2006 Napa Merlot, Annabella, from Oakville, 14.5% This isn't a wine I would normally drink, usually favoring Italian wines. And truthfully, I would have opened a Chilean Cab if I had one in front of me. But this was a very nice, well balanced wine.

Merlot got a bad rap for becoming too popular, but it is a wonderful flavorful wine. It goes to show you - revisit soem of those old wines we used to drink. (Well, maybe not the gallo hearty burgundy....)

Fuel Restaurant

Last night we ate at Fuel, a restaurant in Lewiston, Maine. Our first visit won't be our last! We chose a sampler, where the chef chooses four courses. We were asked if we had any strong preferences or particular needs. To accompany this meal we choose a wine sampler - 4 wines chosen to go with the dishes we were eating. Both the meals and the wines were well matched and delicious.

We started with a glass of NZ Sauvignon Blanc, which came on with a pronounced grapefruit and straw taste. It preceded the first course, a pumpkin risotto with fois gras and a veal reduction sauce. The risotto was delicious, soft, creamy, slightly nutty, and accentuated by toasted pumpkin seeds. The Sauvignon Blanc went well with it, but our only complaint was that we received the wine before the food and as a result the wine was finished before the food.

The second course was a tuna carpacio with a "watermelon radish", something I had never seen before. A french Pinot Noir accompanied this course, a little too fruity at first but magically perfect with the tuna. This was almost a Japanese presentation, on narrow rectangular plates and artfully arranged. Possibly my favorite dish of the evening.

Next the wine steward arrived with a choice of either a Cline blend or a BV California Cabernet. We chose the Cline and were not at all disappointed. The rich, spicy, full bodied wine was great with the next course, a combination of pork ribs, pig tongue, and pork belly, all cooked perfectly, extremely flavorful and rich. Very Rich.

Slowing down, we were served a chocolate torte that was incredible, accompanied by a glass of "Port" from the Paso Robles region in California. I an a big fan of real port from Portugal, but I must admit this was quite well done and a great foil for the rich chocolate.

The service was first rate, both the chef Justin and the wine steward stopped by the table to chat and see how we were doing. Our server was attentive but not obsequious, always appearing just as we were ready for the next thing.

We had one very minor quibble with our dining experience: it is a loud space! Although there were a few empty tables, most seats were filled and it was loud. The tables are spacious, meaning that we found ourselves having to speak up (and add to the din) just to hear each other.

Nero d"Avola - Nov 21

The next wine tasting is Nov 21, and the wine is Nero d'Avola.

We've been drinking this wonderful wine for several years now. It's often a great value, with extremely drinkable wines available for between $7 and $12. Recently prices have been going up, and I think the market is catching on to what a good value this wine represents.

This is a dark red wine from Sicily, moderate tannins, excellent with food or by itself. Some wine sites compare it to Syrah, with big fruit flavors and cherry, plum, raspberry, and spice notes.

We're planning to have an Italian meal to accompany this wine, because, really, why not?

Taste some and let me know what you think.

Birthday wines

Dory bought some wines recently and included a couple of bottles of Amarone, a 2006 and a 2005. Unfortunately, both bottles are gone to the recycling station, but it's fair to say that both were good, the 2005 much better. These wines didn't have that strong raisin flavor that some of them have, but they were both complex, long lived wines. We had them with grilled steak.

Then, the NEXT night, we had a Brunello di Montalcino 2003 that I received as a birthday gift. Wow! I don't normally drink many Brunellos, because of the price and because at that price I like Barolo or Amarone. Wow. It was awesome. Complex, not strong tannins (which we like, but this wine was extremely well balanced), long finish... just a wonderful experience. We had it with roast chicken and roast vegetables.