Bigi Est! Est!! Est!!! Di Montefiascone Secco

This is a wine that holds a special place in my heart. In the middle of Umbria in the heart of Italy lies a little town called Orvieto. Orvieto has many stories of great and miraculous things that have happened in it. St. Thomas Aquinas preached many of his sermons in its Duomo, A Eucharistic miracle even took place here. Another one of its notable characteristics is its wine. This region and this town are known wide and far for having (arguably) the best white wine in the world. So upon my trip to Italy last year, and a brief day stop in Orvieto, I purchased one of the most famous and longest lived wines of the Umbrian region. Truly, it was a magnificent wine, and since drinking that bottle with some friends in Florence, I have been dying to try some again.

I had that pleasure just a few days ago. A friend had just returned from Italy, and she brought some Est! Est!! Est!!! with her.

Est! Est!! Est!!! has a wonderful story behind it. This particular version is courtesy of The Wine Buyer.

Around 1100 A.D., Bishop Fugger was traveling from Germany to Rome for the coronation of Henry V. The Bishop sent his quartermaster ahead to scout out inns that had good food and wine. He would write “Est!” (Latin for "This is it!") on the walls of the best inns. He was so impressed with Montefiascone that he wrote Est!Est!!Est!!! on the wall of an inn there. Needless to say, the Bishop agreed and never made it to the coronation. He spent the rest of his life in Montefiascone. Local inhabitants, on the anniversary of the Bishop's death, pour a cask of Est! Est!! Est!!! on his grave in celebration of the notoriety he brought to their wine.

The company, Bigi, is based in Orvieto, but their vines for this particular wine are from Montefiascone. Est! Est!! Est!!! Secco is a Malvasia Trebbiano varietal mix with perfect balance. The color is reminiscent of a honeyed wine, something one would expect of a sweet desert wine, but a sugary wine this is not. The nose is a mix of ripe berries and spring flowers, with overarching notes of jam and oak.

The body is something on which to linger. Expressive grapes mixed with medium amounts of oak make for a truly unique experience. The nose does not belie the body, the jam and flowery notes make themselves present toward the back of the tongue. Another interesting feature is that the wine has a slight bubbliness about it, biting slightly but very pleasantly. A carbonated wine this is not, rather the mixture of flavors coming together create this wonderful effect from a still wine. The wine finishes subtly, quickly, and rather than a disappointment at its departure, it leaves one with a desire for more. A desire in my case, that has lasted over a year.

In all, I am in love with this wine, and at 7.99 a bottle, I challenge you to find a better white wine for under $100.

I leave you with an image I took while visiting Orvieto in January 2007.Ah Italia, que bella.

Fabulous Fern's Bar & Grill

My companion and I had just left Mass at The Cathedral of St. Paul, a truly beautiful church if you haven't been, and were looking for somewhere to have brunch. We drove along Selby Ave. for about a half mile from the Cathedral to see a sign that said "Brunch now being served" We stopped in, and I am very glad we did. The establishment is reminiscent of early 1900's France, with a modern, Minnesota neighborhood feel. We were seated promptly, even at 11:45AM, after the 10:00 AM High Mass.

The food at Fern's is, simply put, wonderful. We both ordered their tomato basil omelette, and agreed that never before had we had a better egg dish. The eggs were cooked to perfection, with a perfect combination of tomato and basil, and topped with feta cheese. Along side the omelette were cheese hash browns, a generous piece of banana bread, and a cup of fresh fruit. All of this for a pleasant 8.95! I was blown away when they served us our meal, I was expecting something along the lines of Perkins, which for 8.95 serves a lonely omelette on a plate with toast. Not at Fern's, they delivered a true treat, lots of food, and all of it was delicious.

Despite the amazing food, the serving staff was largely inadequate. They took our order quickly, and our food arrived quickly, but they were slow with everything else. The server came by once after the beginning of our meal, and once after we had largely finished. We had both ordered coffee (which was quite good), and had no chance to ask for refills before we had finished, leaving us with cold coffee, and worse still, cold coffee that cost an insane $2.25.

Other than a slow waiting staff (which may not have been their fault) and a ridiculously high price for one and a half cups of coffee, I recommend Fern's wholeheartedly.

http://www.fabulousferns.com

Brine's Bar and Grill

Brine's Bar and Grill located in Stillwater Minnesota is one of my very favorite places to eat. While its menu is very German-American and quite simple, The food they serve is very good and very reasonable, wallet-wise.

Stillwater is an old city, the first city in Minnesota actually, they celebrate their sesquicentennial next year. Brine's is located in a 137 year old building, giving it a quaint yet distinguished look. The restaurant itself is also old, as far as restaurants in the area go, at 58 years. It began as a butcher shop, (and continues today at a location on the south hill of Stillwater) and the history of good cuts of meat has propelled this restaurant to make fine burgers and sandwiches.

My usual fare at Brines is the Mushroom-Swiss burger, a signature item they make to perfection. The burger itself costs around $4.00, with a choice of fries, salad or soup for a nominal extra fee. The normal cost of an entire meal is just under $8.00. They serve a variety of beers, both local and imports, have an all day salad bar, and make some very good soups. (I tried their beer-cheese the other day, and I could really smell the lager coming off of it.)

If you're looking for cheap, but really good American fare, Brine's is the place to be. There are some fancier restaurants in downtown Stillwater, which shall be written up soon I am sure, (among which are La Luna Rosa and the Dock Cafe) but Brine's is an establishment not to be missed on your day trip to Stillwater.

Here is their website for your convenience

Torre Oria, Reserva 1999

Background:
From the Utiel-Requena region of Spain comes a Tempranillo which leaves something to be desired. I bought it on recommendation from the manager at Winestyles, they had it categorized under the "mellow" section. It came in a bottle nostalgic of the old Spanish bottling process of wrapping bottles in burlap, though instead of burlap it was wrapped with golden fabric mesh. Speaking with a coworker about this wine, he complained he did not like it, though he could not exactly say why. He is primarily a Syrah drinker, my guess it was too mellow for him. And mellow it was.

Tasting:
The Reserva is a deep maroon/purple, with a nose of sweet cherries, tobacco, pepper and brown sugar. The nose however was quite misleading. With at least 4 distinct scents, I expected the body to be a lot fuller. Instead, I tasted some hints of a great wine, but was very disapointed overall. The body was complex, but quite underwhelming. Fruit-forward, it presented subtle cherry, and very subdued White Cavendish. Very low acidity, it had an extremely short finish, which seemed appropriate, as the body had little to offer. The only surprise this Tempranillo offered was a slight taste of mint leaves once decanted.

Summary:
Region - Utiel-Requena, Valencia Community
Grape - 100% Tempranillo
Mellow, body of cherries, Cavendish and mint

Paring Recomendations:
Cheese: Swiss
Meats: Seasoned steak, black or spicy jerky,
Dishes: Chicken cordon bleu, escargot
Contrast: Spicy foods
Compliment: Mellow foods, mild hors d'oeuvres
Open 15-20 minutes before drinking or decant.