Sides Hardware and Shoes

When you find yourself in Los Olivos next do yourself a big favor and have dinner at Sides Hardware and Shoes. It is a Brothers Restaurant, as in Mattei Brothers Tavern. They recently sold their original location and opened a different concept in this space. It is a modern menu using incredible ingredients.

Here is the link to their website: Sides Hardware and Shoes

And here are some photos of the food. A great dinner!

 

Shinjuku, Japan Punk Rock and Wine

Yes, there is a connection. 

In my previous life as a rock 'n' roll and punk rock drummer I was able to travel the world. In my twenties getting outside of the U.S. was my top priority. I wanted to see and feel what the some of the rest of the world was doing. And it was in those travels that something took hold, this idea of local food and local wine. Of course now it is a trend but in the early 90's when I was traveling, it was just "what people did" elsewhere. 

I can still remember a pre-soundcheck meal in Cesenatico, Italy where I had my first revelation of "tagliolini in brodo." It was a family meal at a local restaurant and it was the band, the crew and the local promoter, all sitting at a communal table. Fantastic. Simple. And emblazoned in my memory. They ordered for us. And at first, I thought the soup looked boring but I was soon proved wrong by the intense flavor that screamed through (and so did most of the table after many beers and carafes of local wine). The bite of the perfectly formed pasta. The clear but perfectly luscious broth. The freshly grated Romano grated on top to add that hint of salty. There were many examples of great food and wine like this throughout various cities in all of Europe. 

And when we toured in Shijuku, Tokyo, in some ways, it was an even greater experience, as the culture was further out of my comfort zone. Little sushi bars with the freshest fish I have tried, being able to buy Asahi on the street out of a vending machine, all good. The food was super and everywhere we went we could feel the love. The promoter cared. The people were engaging and again, Tokyo itself was a fantastic experience.

And that leads us to a special birthday wish to Mr Bruce Duff (Dec 6th). We were the rhythm section (bass and drums) of the Jeff Dahl Band for a few of these tours. Here are a couple of photos from those days. 

Happy Birthday my longtime friend. 

The Ten (10) Year Marker

Most people that know me know that I talk about a ten year marker for wines. If you would like to try a wine with some bottle age to see what all of the fuss is about, a 10 year old bottle is a nice place to start.

I usually tell a story about a Barbaresco experience I had many years ago that opened my eyes to this idea of 10 years of bottle age. In my early wine-buying days I was not able to spend much, so when I came across a slightly aged Barbaresco for under $25 I jumped at the chance to buy a couple. It was a big deal for me to buy multiples without tasting them first but it was a reputable producer in a good vintage so I went for it.

A few months went by and I got an itchy trigger finger so I opened one of the bottles, at about 7-8 years of age. Well, it was good. But I felt a little let down. Yes, it had all of the characteristic qualities of Barbaresco but it just didn't hit the mark for me. So I decided to be patient. Back then I didn't have too much experience with older wines so I was still suspect of this concept of aged wine.

Fast forward to two years after that first bottle Barbaresco experience and I got to the 10 year mark of said wine so I decided it was time to re-visit with the second bottle. And the result... same wine, same producer, same vintage, but now over the 10 year mark, and this was a fantastic wine. It was starting to sing. Aromatic. Impeccable texture. Great fruit but in a different and less vigorous way.

It really was a new experience for me and one that proved pivotal. I just couldn't fathom a 10 year period would make that much of a difference. Of course every wine is different but this moment cemented the 10 year marker for me.

Nowadays it is hard to find a worthy 10 year old wine for a reasonable price but we have one.

Enter the 2002 Calabretta Etna Rosso from Sicily. Priced at $27.99, it is fantastic wine. Try one.

Don't believe us?

***3 Stars: Eric Asimov, NY Times
"Lively, energetic and pure, with deep, rich fruit and mineral flavors, mellowed by age and underscored by a touch of funk."

93 Points: John Gilman's View from the Cellar
"Calabretta is clearly one of the superstars on the island of Sicily and this superb Etna Rosso is comprised of a blend of sixty to eighty year-old vines of Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio, all planted on ungrafted rootstocks. The 2002 is a stunning wine, offering up a deep, complex and still fairly youthful nose of cherries, orange peel, roasted game, coffee, fresh herb tones, a stony base of soil nuances and a nice topnote of exotic spices. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very well-balanced, with a rock solid core of fruit, modest tannins, superb focus and grip and a very long, complex and classy finish. This is a broad-shouldered and truly superb bottle of Etna Rosso. An excellent wine. 2012-2030."

Small Business Saturday - November 24th

Save the Date: Saturday, November 24th.

You can sign up starting November 18th. Just use your AmEx at any local Small Business (Rosso Wine Shop, hint, hint) and receive a $25 credit back to your account. 

Plus we will be doing an ALL DAY Sale in addition to the AmEx program! 

Win-Win.

Visit the American Express website: Small Business Saturday 2012 for more details

The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis at Rosso

For this edition of the Tasting Room with Tom Leykis we taped at Rosso Wine Shop. Gary and Tom came by and we dialed up some good vino to go along with the SaltButterPork Snax (that we offer along with our weekend wine flights).

We talked about the wines, pairing with food, the wine business and the benefits of patronizing local shops like ours.

You can listen here: Tasting With Tom Leykis 

There is also a Podcast through iTunes. Look for the Tasting Room with Tom Leykis and the 10-20-2012 air date.

Food: salami assortment (sopresatta, saucisson sec, chorizo, finocchiona)

NV Barbolini Lambrusco $14.99 Italy
Not your parent's Riunite! This is an excellent dry sparkler from the Castelvetro region, in Emilia-Romagna. Produced traditionally and with minimal intervention, this is a seriously good drink. Rich and lush, a light fizz (frizzante) and low in alcohol, it's a perfect wine for salumi or your finest prosciutto.

2009 Foradori Teroldego Rotaliano $23.99 Italy
(90 Points: Wine Adovcate) "The 2009 Teroldego Rotaliano is a big wine with huge fruit that largely masks much of the wildness that is typically present in this indigenous red grape. There is no shortage of intensity and sheer personality here." (limited supply)

Food: pork n beans/maple/molasses/sage/ancho

2009 Dominique Mugneret Nuits-St-Georges Les Fleurieres $64.99 France
An impressive vineyard (just down the slope from premier cru "Pruliers") that blends sand and gravel for a Burgundy of lush structure and racy flavor. Background notes of wood spice, earth and a subtle sauvage note add nuance to the dark berry fruit aromas that introduce delicious, supple and mouth coating flavors that possess a bit more acid spine on the racy and mineral finish. (highly allocated)

2010 Testarossa Pinot Noir Doctor's Vineyard $59.99 California
(95 Points: Wine Advocate) "Another highlight is the 2010 Pinot Noir Doctor's Vineyard, which simply explodes from the glass with huge, dark red fruit. This is one of the richer wines in the lineup, but everything is in the right place. Spices, menthol, pine and dark red cherries flesh out in this radiant Pinot. This is easily one of the most distinctive Pinots being made in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The Pinot was grafted onto existing Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot vines, which may explain some of the wine's uniqueness." (highly allocated)

Food: lamb merguez sausage/harissa/tomato marmalade/frites (Parisian street food style)

2009 Domaine Alary Cairanne Vieilles Vignes $20.99 France
(90 Points: Wine Advocate) "This blend of 65% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 10% Carignan was cropped at a low 36 hectoliters per hectare and aged in tank until it was bottled without filtration. Copious notes of damp earth, truffles, garrigue, licorice, black cherries and black currants jump from the glass. 50-year old vines."

2007 Terrebrune Bandol Rouge $33.99 France
Organically farmed fruit. Hand harvested. 100% de-stemmed. Indigenous yeasts. Fermented in underground, temperature-controlled, gravity-fed cuves. Unfined and unfiltered. A pure wine. Meaty aromas, with chiseled flavors of dark plum, mineral and dried raspberry. The supple finish lingers with white pepper and truffle. Distinctive, balanced and full of character. Mourvèdre at its best.

Rosé In L.A.

Why the Summer Pink Has Made Such a Splash in the Southland 
-- A retailer perspective --

In my previous life of musician where I also worked at an independent record company, one of my many duties was to handle international sales. And the best perk of that particular job function was to attend Midem, a once-a-year convention in Cannes. This is where you met all of your potential and current distributors to discuss promotion, new releases and getting paid on time. It was a valuable and often times much-needed journey to meet face-to-face. It is in the south of France, in the early 90’s, at this event, that I developed my taste for “the pink stuff.”

In the south of France (and most of France for that matter) the joys of drinking rosé wine come as no big surprise. The French appreciate wines of all types. But especially in the summer months, one can always find rosé on the table. In Cannes, and all over the coastal areas of France, they are famous for their raw seafood platters. What a perfect way to wash down the fresh oysters, lobster and scampi--with a cold crisp rosé!

I soon discovered that this rosé wine went perfectly with many other dishes. I watched as locals ordered steak tartar, roast chicken and various egg dishes, and then a bottle of pale orange-ish rosé showed up. How versatile. I started ordering like a local and found that they were right. The fresh quality and intensity of the dry, crisp fruit went with just about everything. And more than that, I found that the “ease-of-use” is what the locals enjoyed. You can really count on the lively quality of the rosé to complement seamlessly most warm weather food. In fact, very little effort is needed to find a perfect match. Order your dish + pick a rosé = have a great meal.

We move now to southern California, where you would think rosé would be an ideal match for our warm climate and fresh seasonal cuisine. However, six years ago when I opened Rosso Wine Shop, I found considerable apprehension among consumers. What I heard consistently was “no, we are not interested in rosé,” or “is it sweet?” referring most always to the white Zinfandel that was made popular decades ago. The easy and likable quality of the rosé that so dominates the old world was being met with skepticism here. Mais pourquoi?

Priority number one then became to introduce people to the joys of dry rosé. So that meant talking about the wine throughout the hot months every chance I could get. But what really made the difference was pouring the wines at our wine bar as often as possible. In addition to that I decided to source the best quality I could find but keep the focus on value. Often times value can push through apprehension. So I looked at the Bobby Kacher book, as an example, and I found I could price most all of his rosé selections under $15. This sort of three-pronged strategy, coupled with a general growing fascination with rosé wine, has slowly but surely opened the floodgates.

I am now happy to report from the retail trenches that from our modest start of selling a decent amount of rosé wine in 2006 (because of our fondness for it), we have now literally increased our rosé sales’ ten-fold. In fact, for the first time in our 6 years in business, I have elected to carry some type of rosé all the way through until the end of the year! The previous rosé strategy for most retail was to “sell out of everything by Labor Day,” as if the wine you were stuck with would turn into a “pumpkin” after September. But now the very fact that I am confident we will have demand for the next few months means that southern California has finally embraced “the pink.”

Find a local wine shop, buy some rosé and enjoy what the Europeans have for decades: a fresh, vibrant dinner companion.

Snax Made Easy

Our new Snax food program started on September 21st. It is a lot of fun and provides a great compliment to our current weekend wine flights. It also stands very well on it's own. Here are just some of the great ways you can take advantage of Snax at Rosso Wine Shop. 

First, come in on a Friday or Saturday night. 

Then, pick and choose, combining from both the Snax menu and the Rosso Wine Shop experience.

Order our regular wine flight of three wines for $10 and order some Snax; pistachios/paprika/cherry smoke $4 and olives/laurel/tangerine $4

--or--

Order deviled eggs/anchovies $7 and tuna conserva/piquillo/olive/crispy caper $9 and pair it with a glass pour off of the Snax list of 2009 Kuentz-Bas Alsace Blanc France $9

--or--

Order merguez/harissa marmalade/frites $12 and pair it with a bottle of beer off the Snax list of Unibroue La Fin Du Monde Tripel Canada 12oz $6

--or--

Buy a nice red Burgundy off the Rosso Wine Shop shelf, pay a $5 corkage and order some Snax; cheese/beet jam/bacon croutons $12 and poached salmon/beets/fennel/mushroom $14 

The options are many. Make your own combo. Have fun with it. 

Email the chef here: info@saltbutterpork.com 

Check out some snaps.