The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

I should never be caught dead in a vegetarian joint. Hard to fathom for a Russian Jew that a meal is a meal if it doesn't have meat or poultry or fish or sausage. One place on Earth so far (and apologies to all my vegetarian friends from India) where I will go gladly every time and forget all about meat is Ubuntu restaurant in Napa . They call it a "vegetable" restaurant rather than "vegetarian" to try to fool the prejudiced carnivores like myself. Their daily garden menu are dishes inspired by the bounty of biodynamics, seasonality, and creativity. Just several years in existence, and already granted a Michelin star, this two-story establishment is strange - folks literally walk out of the second floor's yoga studio in their sweats, while the trendy first floor is filled with well-dressed gourmands. The founder / owner apparently is passionate about yoga and food, and managed to combine those two into one amazing experience in historic downtown Napa. The ra

Gambero Rosso - Italy's most famous food-and-wine guide since 1987 comes out with their annual Tre Bicchieri wine ratings. Fort Mason Center in San Francisco is filled with what feels like a thousand people. So many familiar faces, some new. Is everyone speaking Italian? I even think I can understand some of it. After all, I lived 3 months in Italy when I was 16, as a Jewish immigrant from Ukraine on the way to America. Or maybe it's from all the Italian wine I've been drinking lately. The terroir finally manifested itself? Buono! Questo ragazzo idiota! Vabbene! Tre Bicchieri! If you like Italian wine, then Tre Bicchieri is your guide. To my palate, it's more reliable and authoritative than anything from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate. For the 2011 edition, more than 70 Gambero Rosso tasters blind-tasted nearly 25,000 wines from 2,350 producers all over Italy. The editors then awarded 402 "tre bicchieri" (three glasses - their top designation) and 32 "

What did I do with the left-over 1986 Dunn? (See my previous post to find out where I got it). I sucked the air out, put it in the fridge, and a few days of hibernation did it no harm, even despite the seemingly fragile age. These babies can last! Without the distraction of other Dunns , I had no need to over-analyze or draw comparisons. Mano-a-mano against the smoked Russian cold cuts, this Dunn was killer, with its own cured meat, leather, and eucalyptus notes. The meats? Cured pork loin, cured beef tongue, and Estonska sausage - Russian store all-time favorites. Over the past week, I paired the '93 and '86 Dunns with arugula salad with dried berries and balsamic vinegar, beef bourguignon, angel hair pasta with meatballs in red sauce, and now the smoked cold cut meats. These Howell Mountain Cabs of yesteryear performed great in all those pairings. I think it's the cool earthiness and the great acidity that make them work. Hat's off to Randy Dunn for making such great

My last memory of 2010 was my first visit to Dunn Vineyards, on January 31. Mike Dunn made time to taste through a royal array of his Howell Mountain cabs: 1989, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006. Out of appreciation of the wines, and sub-consciously maybe the appreciation of his hospitality, I did extol the winery. Value-wise, Dunns appear to be priced incredibly competitively for California, and arguably more in-line with 3rd, 4th, and 5th Growth Grand Cru Bordeaux of similar quality. Not inexpensive (new releases selling for $80+), but certainly nowhere near the prices of the top wines of the other Napa brand names that I have visited in the past year. The account of my first meeting with Mike Dunn, along with the introduction to the winery and the Howell Mountain sub-appellation is here . The follow-up visit this weekend was to dive deeper into the Dunn cellar, and to hopefully re-examine the initial impressions. Mike pulled a 1985, 1986, 1987, 1991, 1992, and 1993 Howell Moun

For those who never heard of WSET , it's an official certification of Wine & Spirits Education Trust, widely recognized in the world as a credential of wine expertise, akin to a Sommelier certification minus the service portion (i.e how to properly pour Champagne). WSET has multiple levels, and the highest and hardest one, called Diploma, takes at least two years of study, with multiple day-long exams at the end of various portions of the curriculum. One of them is blind tasting that tests one's deductive reasoning as much as his/her palate. Securing a WSET Diploma qualifies one for a study for Master of Wine degree, which is the highest honor in all of wine profession, sort of a Ph.D. title, but far more exclusive and prestigious than that, since there are fewer than three hundred in the entire world. Being a master of wine gives one almost a Yoda-like status, a position that doesn't come without super-human talent and commitment. On the way, even getting a WSET Diplo

Anyone in the mood for a magical pairing with Barolo? I always am! Donato Enoteca continues to shine, almost two years after opening. I just come in and ask the chef (Donato or sous-chef Pedro, whoever happens to be at the helm that day) "What do you have today?" Last Friday night, Pedro said "I got pork shank on a bone, off the menu". "Osso-buco?", I asked. "No, it's pork shank. Osso-buco is veal." Oh, porko-buco it is then! I didn't need any urging. Melting pork, falling off the bone, with a bottle of Barolo that I'd been curious to try for a while - Fontanafredda 2000 Barolo "La Villa" from a sub-plot of Paiagallo vineyard in Barolo. Absolutely awesome pairing - the pork was smoky charred on the outside and moist and gelatinous on the inside. The Barolo - pure milk-chocolate meets truffles and tarry berries, luscious texture, reflecting the warmth and seduction of the 2000 vintage. Delicious wine, although probably a to

For Chinese New Year, Rona and I headed to our favorite Sichuan restaurant in the South Bay - South Legend on the border of Milpitas and Fremont in an Asian shopping plaza (where else?!). The food is amazing, and very inexpensive. In fact, in this economy, they've actually been lowering their prices. As my gastronomic preferences have evolved over the years, I've oscillated between a few different types of Chinese cuisine. First, it was the americanized P.F. Chang and Asian-fusion style food. Don't like it anymore. Then I got into more authentic - first Shanghainese - with their delicious soup-filled dumplings, and otherwise heavier meat dishes with lots of brown sauce that pairs well with heavier new-world Pinot Noir and even Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Then I preferred Cantonese - with their dim-sum, fantastic seafood dishes and pan-fried noodles (amongst other things) that pair well with more elegant new and old world Pinots. Eventually, I graduated to Sichuan. There is just s