We can all use some additional knowledge about wine and wine enjoyment. This week, I came across three very good articles from the wine media community that help us do just that.
First, Why Does Wine Taste Different on an Airplane? (LINK TO ARTICLE) a very good article from Business Insider – Australia about the effects of cabin pressure on wine and on you, the drinker. An excerpt (in the original Australian), read the article at the link above:
“Much like having a cold, the pressurised cabin and its dry air numbs your taste buds, and compromises your sense of smell by drying out your nose. Since flavour is a combination of both (in fact, almost 80% of taste is based on smell) things taste different on a plane. Apparently, our sense of salty and sweet can drop as much as 30% on a plane.”
Something to think about before you order that expensive Burgundy in first class.
Second, from Andrew Jefford in Decanter: Tasting notes – the shame of the wine world? (LINK TO ARTICLE) is not exactly what you might expect on this topic. Here is an excerpt, read the article at the link above:
“The issue, it seems to me, is as follows. The writing of descriptive (as opposed to academic) wine notes is a specialized form of wine entertainment, and is quickly seen as such by users. No one takes them literally; they are liberally sprinkled with salt by the experienced reader, and soon leach more water than an aubergine. The tongue is always somewhere in the writer’s cheek (or should be). They are drafted with a smile, in a spirit of levity (or should be). That’s how the genre works.”
Third, again from Decanter, How to Understand Wine (LINK TO ARTICLE) is a very good primer on the qualities that create the experiences that you have when you drink wine. Here is an excerpt, read the article at the link above:
“Try tasting one glass of plain water, then a second with some lemon juice added: you’ll notice the effect of the acidity in your mouth. Any fruit needs some acidity to be enjoyable, and wine – the juice of the grape, at heart – is no exception.
“Too little acidity, and the wine will taste flabby and over-sweet. Too much, and it will be tart, astringent and sour.”
Spending time with articles like these increases your wine knowledge and increased knowledge allows for increased wine enjoyment. The more you know, the more you can find what you like and avoid what you don’t like.
You may also want to review these sites more thoroughly and subscribe if you think it will be of value to you.
There are any number of aspects of wine enjoyment that can get confusing. The number of varietals, the thousands of producers in hundreds of regions, the right temperature and stemware to use, just to name a few. But one area that seems to stump just about everyone at one time or another is traveling with wine, especially internationally.
The article at the link is from the Lazenne.com blog site. Lazenne is a manufacturer of wine travel gear, everything from padded sleeves to keep your wine from breaking open in your suitcase to, well, wine suitcases. Here is the link to their retail site: (LINK).
“You’ll be pleasantly surprised that there are no TSA-regulated quantity limits for wine or alcohol in your checked (hold) baggage as long as it contains less than 24% alcohol. Those wanting to add a little spirits to the mix need to know that alcohol that contains over 24% alcohol is limited to 170 oz or 5 litres per person. Beverages that contain more than 70% alcohol are prohibited.
Individual airline baggage weight limits still apply, but you can use up your entire weight allotment for wine or alcohol if you choose as long as the above mentioned rules are respected. One bottle of wine weighs on average 3 lbs or 1.4 kg so you can do the math. Typical international baggage weight limits are 50 lbs or 23 kg.”
And when you get to U.S. Customs:
“In the United States there are no limits to how much alcohol you can bring as long as it is intended for personal consumption and not resale. Many mistake the duty-free limit of 34 oz or 1 liter as the total limit. If you are over the duty-free limit, you simply have to declare the alcohol you are transporting on your customs form and pay the appropriate duty to the customs officer, typically around $1 to $2 for wine and beer, while the amount for spirits is slightly higher and varies by type, as of publication. From our experience however, more typically than not, you will be waived through without paying any duty due to the amount being so negligible.”
There is more there, so check it out if you are thinking about traveling with wine soon.
As a wine blogger, I really like to explore the wine regions I visit. We are in the Avignon area for six weeks, and I had been itching to get to Châteauneuf-du-Pape to taste some of their fantastic wines on-site and to learn more about the culture and process of this renowned region. At the recommendation of Lauren, proprietor of the wonderful Art, Wine, and Design Shop in Villeneuve-les-Avignon, I called Valentina of MistralTour.fr and set up an all-day tour this past Friday. Dorianne and our daughter, Grace, joined us. Most of the photographs in this post were taken by Grace – here is a (LINK) to her website.
Valentina is a delight – an Italian who lives in France and speaks perfect English; she is very vivacious and professional. She is an excellent guide.
Our tour took us to the Village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where we went up to the ruins of the original chateau and surveyed the beautiful countryside laced with vineyards in all directions. Along the way, Valentina talks about all things wine – she really has a good degree of knowledge and makes everything clear. Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a storied wine region centered around the town of the same name. The AOC (LINK) allows for 18 varietals (not 13 as is commonly believed). From Wikipedia.com:“Both red and white varieties are allowed in both red and white Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There are no restrictions as to the proportion of grape varieties to be used, and unlike the case with other appellations, the allowed grape varieties are not differentiated into principal varieties and accessory varieties. Thus, it is theoretically possible to produce varietal Châteauneuf-du-Pape from any of the eighteen allowed varieties. In reality, most Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are blends dominated by Grenache. Only one of every 16 bottles produced in the region is white wine.”
I was unfamiliar with whites and rosés from this region, but let me tell you, there are some amazing wines here. U.S. retailers and restaurants should be getting on the bandwagon for the whites and rosés of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Gigondas.
Chateau de Vaudieu. Side entrance.La Cave at Chateau de Vaudieu.
Then we drove just down the road to Chateau de Vaudieu (LINK) for a tour and a private tasting with the winemaker, Christophe. Chateau de Vaudieu dates from 1767. They have 70 hectares (173 acres) of grapes under cultivation, all around the chateau.
Winemaker Christophe and his wines.A White Chateauneuf-du-Pape – whites make up 15% of Chateau de Vaudieu’s production. Grenache 75% – Roussanne 25%.Another White Chateauneuf-du-Pape – whites make up 15% of Chateau de Vaudieu’s production. 100% Grenache Blanc.
Lirac is an AOC just across theRhône Riverfrom Châteauneuf-du-Pape. It has similar varietals and soils, and the wines are a bargain. Quite a few Châteauneuf-du-Pape growers bottle Lirac Wines.
is 2012 Plateau des Red Oak , Lirac. Grenache/Syrah blend.2012 Chateau de Vaudieu Red. AOC CHATEAUNEUF DU PAPE. Grapes : Grenache 74% – Syrah 26%
Next, we went into the village to the wine shop of Domaine Durieu, where the winemaker was also present for part of our stay, then we tasted four of their wines. I should add that Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are among the best in France. No photos here.
Then a long drive through he region to La Verrière, in Crestet up on a mountain, where we had a wonderful lunch, a conversation with the owner (Nicole Rolet who co-owns with her husband, Xavier) and the winemaker, and tasted the award winning Chene Bleu Rhône wines (LINK); then we had a complete tour of the facilities. This is one of the most beautiful wine estates I have ever seen in France, and after speaking with the principals, I can see why.
This team produces some excellent wines and they have created an atmosphere of success at their beautiful property. The wines were smooth, well-crafted, beautifully balanced and simply delicious. They are available in the U.S. and elsewhere, so check their website (LINK) for more information, or Google the wine names.
Note that the Chene Bleu wines are made outside of the French AOC system – Nicole and Xavier felt too bound by the rules of the local AOC, so they deviated, and it has been a battle for acceptance. Of course, the wines speak for themselves and have received numerous awards and recognitions.
Owner Nicole Rolet, our guide, Valentina, and the wines of Chêne Bleu at Domaine de la Verrière.The Chêne Bleu (Blue Oak) at Domaine de la Verrière – painted with copper paint.The wines of Domaine de la Verrière, labeled Chêne Bleu.
Me and the Winemaker, Jean-Luis Gallucci.
Then we were off to Gigondas, another storied region, for a tasting at Domaine des Bosquets (LINK), owned by the same family as Chateau de Veudieu. We tasted several wines with the owner/winemaker at this location as well. Winemaker Julien Bréchet hosted our tasting. The Gigondas is very similar to Châteauneuf-du-Pape, with a focus on Grenache and Syrah as the primary varietals. The main difference is the type of soil – less gravely and with more limestone and sand than Châteauneuf-du-Pape, plus a higher elevation with more verticality to the vineyards. The wines at Domaine des Bosquets were similar in style to those from Chateau de Veudieu– smooth, well-structured and elegant. The Gigondas is a great wine region.
2014 Domaine des Bosquets Blanc – 80% Grenache – 20% Roussane – This white is made on the high elevation plot called “Cheval Long”. Handpicked, and vinified in oak barrels, only several cases are released.2013 Domaine des Bosquets Rouge cuvée « Le Lieu dit… » – The laying down wine from the estate’s celebrated plot, vinified and matured pure. This is a Grenache in all its splendor, in turn opulent, soft, elegant and blessed with beautiful length on the palate.2013 Domaine des Bosquets Rouge cuvée « La Colline… » – This parcel was planted into the rocks by our ancestors. It overlooks the estate and stretches as far as the edge of the Dentelles de Montmirail.2009 Domaine des Bosquets Rouge cuvée « Le Lieu dit… »Grace (our official photographer for the trip), Me, and Dorianne in the vineyard at Domaine des Bosquets
Then we explored the nearby hilltop town of Gigondas a bit before heading back to our apartment.
It was an amazing day that filled my need to explore somewhat more n depth the areas we visited and to learn more about the wines. We made purchases at every stop! This is a very rich region, part of the overall Rhône Valley Region, so there is much, much more to explore. So we will have to do some more exploring on this trip, and we will have to come back.
And again, I cannot give enough praise to Valentina of MistralTour.fr (LINK) – she is a professional and makes your time together very enjoyable, while giving you as much, or as little inside information as you would like. And her prices really are a bargain.
Noma, the Copenhagen restaurant that has been voted “The Best Restaurant in the World” (LINK) over and over, was the site of a recent visit by Dorianne, two friends, and me recently. Here are the links to the first three installments of the series: (LINK TO PART 1)(LINK TO PART 2)(LINK TO PART 3).
This post, the final installment in the series, covers the post-meal tour of the facilities at Noma (LINK)and contains some commentary.
After our meal (see parts 2 & 3 of this series), it was good to stand up. We had been sitting for about two and one-half hours in a very intensive activity – eating new things, drinking new wines, talking about the meal and doing our own internal processing without stopping. When I stood up, I realized two things – I had been sitting quite a while and I had a lot to drink. Wine with 20 courses . . . you do the math.
So I went to the restroom and then joined our party in the preparation kitchen, which is adjacent to and visible from the dining room. The tour, being guided by a young woman who is a chef at Noma (she said that she started as an intern a few years back. She is in her early 20’s, and YES, she knows – or says she knows – what an advantage that is for her). I did not get this young woman’s name, but I am sure that I will be seeing her face in a future foodie magazine as a star chef someplace.
Assembling the Forest Flavors and Chocolate Desserts.North Sea Lobsters all in a Row.Presentation Kitchen Activity.Getting the Egg Liqueur Ready.
This first kitchen is where things are prepared to be served at the table and where some of the cooking is done.
Our Young Chef Tour Guide Showing us Around.
Then we went out back of the restaurant to the Laboratory.
That’s right. The LABORATORY.
The Laboratory Facility.Various Plants, Molds, etc., Being Tested for Various Qualities. All Very Mysterious.Testing How Certain Berries Age.
Here they try things out – there are all kinds of experiments going on to test various ingredients and what happens to them over time in various marinades, and under various conditions, etc. A very interesting part of the operation.
Upstairs, a private dining room that seats up to twenty. You can rent the room for a lot of money (like thousands of Euros) and then PAY FULL PRICE for your Noma meal!
The Private Dining Room on the Second Floor.
The Book Shelves of Noma.
Action in the hallway: Ironing uniforms.
The Prep Kitchen – where the action is.
Cutting Frozen Bones for the Bone Marrow Dish.
Reindeer Moss.The Prep Kitchen Staff – Keep in Mind that Noma Seats 45 or so.
The Staff Room – where cooking, exploring recipe ideas, relaxing, changing clothes, etc. happens. There is a smaller kitchen, an herb garden, and lots of things stored – mushrooms, etc. Here you really get a sense of the Noma Culture, which is think is the glue that makes Noma what it is – one of the best restaurants in the world. You can see that the people who work here have accepted an ethos that they have had a hand in co-creating. René Redzepi, Owner and Founder and Chef de Cuisine is Daniel Giusti were not on the premises that day. They have brought a powerful culture of creativity, innovation, sustainability and success that seems to permeate the staff in a very good way. To work at Noma is to believe in this ethos, even if your intention is to get some experience and move on. While you are there, you are a true believer. Here is a link a partial list of Noma Alumni(LINK).
The Kitchen in the Staff Room.The Kitchen Garden in the Staff Room.Our Group has Lots of Questions for our Guide.
The lounge – near the entry, where you can have a drink before or after, or, I imagine, in lieu of, dinner.
The Lounge at Noma.The Wine Storage in the Lounge.
So ends our tour of Noma. On to some commentary.
Overall, this wonderful experience. While I did not like everything that I was served (probably not possible), I will say that the experience of the food was overall very enjoyable, both in tasting the dishes and in experiencing the creativity.
We were served 20 courses. My main negative about Noma is that the courses came out too quickly.
We had 20 in that time and it was too much too quickly. This is food that you want to savor – to talk about the amazing combinations of ingredients with your table mates, to take some photos (but of course!), and to taste the wine served and to experience the pairing of food and wine; then to reflect privately for a moment or two and then to share with your fellow diners your impressions and experience.
This takes time. But the next course is here!
I don’t think that this is a minor quibble. I like to savor. I don’t like to feel like they need to move me out to get the next seating in (which was not the case, as the next seating was for dinner). So please, Noma, a bit more time. I am not in a hurry when I am spending this kind of money for this kind of experience. I am sure that all of this has been figured out over time, but for me, it was not optimal in regard to truly enjoying the meal at leisure.
I read the other day of a restaurant opening in Barcelona that will serve 50 courses in two and one-half hours. I doubt I’ll be going there.
The wines at Noma were, let me say, unique (LINK TO LIST AS PDF). I have written about each and posted photos of the labels, but you probably won’t be able to find most of them – maybe one or two. I spoke with Sommelier Yukiyasu Kaneko about his choices. He said that he preferred to use only European wines, and that included a wine from Georgia in the former Soviet Union. He also clearly has a preference for young wines to accompany the fauna heavy Noma menu. All of the wines were whites. I found that the pairings worked well with one or two exceptions, and in those cases the wines were either sour or so very young as to have only rough edges, which I guess was intentional, but I did not agree with those choices.
Note that there is a lounge at Noma, where you can come for a drink or some wine before or after dinner, although you get quite a bit of wine with the paring meals – I recommend a taxi or a designated driver. We walked, and got a bit lost on the way back to our apartment.
How much did it cost? The wine pairing meal was 3100 DKK or about $450 per person. the juice pairing was 2500 DKK or about $367. Expensive, I know. It was Dorianne and my 10th Wedding Anniversary gift to one another, so a very special occasion.
Will I go again? Not sure that I need to, but if the opportunity presents itself – I will strongly consider it. I’d like to see what they do next. Have you been to Noma? Your comments are appreciated.
The food at Noma changes, sometimes daily. It is based on the seasons, on what has been foraged that morning, on what the chefs are trying to do, and, I am sure, on other factors that I know nothing about. Everything that we had was unique and clearly well thought out. I did not like everything, but I did not hate anything served. There was quite a bit of “sour” taste on the menu, and some on the wine list. There were some dishes that were interesting but not memorable. And there were some that soared. Those experiences were different for each of us at our table for four – Dorianne, me, and friends Ginger and Patricia. Three of us opted for the wine paring, Ginger opted for the juice pairing – a different juice blend comes at the same time that new wines are introduced. She raved about the juices, and we all tasted some and they were very, very good.
The presentations were unique, generally attractive and appealing, and mostly, delicious. There were lots of flowers, some rocks, mushrooms, moss, leaves, dough, lobster, bone marrow, berries, and many things that I had never seen on a plate before.
The restaurant is very nicely appointed, but not flashy at all. Rough-hewn wood, lots of gray colored fabrics and surfaces; you might say that the dining room is understated, as you might expect in Denmark.
The Dining Room with the Wine and Juice Cooler.
The tables are simply set. There is a clear effort to have guests feel welcome and to make the experience as unpretentious as possible. Staff are friendly, direct, and relatively informal. They do what they do very well, are always in motion, but have time for any query or request.
THE MEAL
Turnip and Unripe Strawberry Marinated in Aquavit with chamomile and other berries. Served on Ice.The First Wine – Not on the Menu – A Champagne.The Bread Bowl.
The first three courses are not considered a part of the pairing dinner. We were served a Champagne for all of these courses, a dufour par charles champagne “les instantanes”, which I could not find in an internet search (found the producer, but not this wine). Suffice to say that it was very well made, light and crisp, and you likely will only get it at Noma. The first item served to us was a small bowl of ice topped with turnip and unripe strawberry marinated in Aquavit. There are obviously other things sitting on top of the slice of turnip and the strawberry, berries, flowers and such – there are always other things on the dishes that are not described on the menu, but are described by the server. The server, by the way, will be either one of the wait staff or someone from the kitchen who worked on the dish being served.
This dish, eaten with the fingers, was very tart (Aquavit and unripe things) and the Champagne was a wonderful match, giving a sense of ripeness, but not too much. I was thinking that they know what they are doing. Smiles, oohs and aahs, and photo taking all around the table (I stopped the server to photograph each wine bottle as it was served – they were wonderfully patient). A very good start.
The bread, served in a felt basket, made from native Oland wheat and accompanied by both butter and rapeseed oil was delicious. The basket was refilled at least twice during the meal.
Summer Cabbage Leaves and White Currants.The sauce being added to the Summer Cabbage for Patricia.
Next came summer cabbage with white currants and a white currant broth that was added at the table. This continued the tendency toward sour, unripened flavors. It could be classified as a soup, I suppose. Again, the Champagne was right there to extend and ripen the experience of the food.
The First Shoots of the Season with Scallop Marinade.Dorianne Looks On as the Dish is Explained.
Next, course #3, the first shoots of the season with a scallop marinade, again with the Champagne. The plants were tiny and tender, some of them toasted, and after enjoying the presentation, you mix them all together in the thin layer of marinade and eat them in a few bites with your fingers. The rush of various flavors and the marinade tasting of the sea was delicious. After doing yeoman’s duty, it was time to part with the Champagne. Note: they do refill your glasses as often as you like.
Now, the actual wine pairing begins! With Sake! A 2014 Daigo No Shizuku Terada Honke (LINK), to be exact, which would take us through the next three courses. Full-bodied with a soft and approachable taste; hints of citrus and a long finish.
Sweet Peas and Sliced Kelp.Sweet Peas and Sliced Kelp – Close Up.
The first course of the pairing was sweet peas with sliced kelp. There was a cheese under the kelp – like a ricotta but not a ricotta; and nasturtiums in with the peas (we will see more nasturtiums), all in a sauce. Very tasty with a mixture of textures and flavors. The sake went well with this.
Flower Tart.
One of the most picturesque dishes, the flower tart. Various petals over a vegetable spread and placed on something like a cracker. We ate it like a small slice of pizza. The sake was less successful here, as it was far more tart than the “tart,” so to speak. This experience reminded me of my childhood, sampling most of the flora in the neighborhood. This dish prompted a nice discussion of all of the things that we ate as children that were not from the home larder. A delicious and fun dish.
New Danish Potato and Lavage.New Danish Potato and Lavage – Opened.
Next came new Danish potatoes wrapped in a lavageleaf, residing on a bed of two kinds of salt (it was recommended that we not eat the salt). This dish was intriguing. The potatoes, once revealed by opening the leaf, were to be eaten with a sharpened Elm twig (very Paleo). They were warm, soft, and, when touched to the salt, delicious! The leaf was also edible, but had absorbed too much salt to be enjoyable. The sake added a fullness to the experience and was a good pairing for this dish, and it completed its duty with this serving.
Sweet Shrimps Wrapped in Nasturtium Leaves.2013 Strohmeier Weiss #6 – Tromen Liebe and Zeit, 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc. Austria.
The next course was sweet shrimps wrapped in nasturtium leaves with a seafood broth. Very tasty – the shrimp and the leaves were a good mix of textures and flavor. The next wine was 2013 Strohmeier Weiss #6 – Tromen Liebe and Zeit, 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc from Austria (LINK). This is really a nice white wine. I have loved the whites (weiss) of Austria since visiting there in 2009. I am a particular fan of Grüner Veltliner, the wonderful white grape so popular there and now being grown in California. But I digress – the Strohmeier has the nice acidity that one expects from Austrian whites, plus, the Chardonnay gives it a fuller mouth feel. It was a great accompaniment to the shrimps in nasturtium. Of course, this could be my appreciation for a more familiar wine after the sake.
Cabbage and Roses.Cabbage and Roses Uncovered.
Next came cabbage and roses; dried and candied cabbage leafs sandwiched around samphire (sea asparagus) and rose petals. The leaves were crunchy and the middle was soft and creamy. Eaten with your hands. The 2013 Strohmeier Weiss #6 accompanied this dish very well, giving a smoothness to the experience.
So that is the first half of the Noma dinner, nine courses with nine more to go; and five more wines (by the way, no red wines)! Those will be depicted and described in the next installment, Part 3.
How does one blog about a visit to Copenhagen’sNoma, the “best restaurant in the world”? Do you focus on the food, the changing menu of everyday and very unusual ingredients put together in ways that, well, us regular people never would think to do? Do you focus on the wine, paired with the many courses from some of the most obscure and unusual wineries in Europe (only European wines!). Do you focus on the culture of Noma, which can be observed from the friendly greeting from EVERYONE as you enter, through the service of the exceptional and long meal, and via the tour of the premises that is offered after you finish eating? Do you focus on the price – not crazy expensive these days, but an investment nonetheless?
I will attempt to do a bit of everything in this series of four posts, for my visit to Noma with Dorianne and two friends was, if nothing else, an event. It was more than the food, more than the wine, more than the service, more than the culture, more than the location. It was more in just about every sense of the word. It is over 24 hours after we left and I am still not feeling normal, physically, mentally or emotionally. How does a visit to a restaurant do that to someone?
We began to plan our visit to Noma over six months ago. Imagine a 45 seat restaurant with a staff of 45 or more! With a food lab on the premises! That serves 18 or so courses of totally creative dishes! Much of which is foraged! With wine! We decided to go, but getting there was not without its complications and moments of fear.
I researched several websites that were about Noma or about visits to Noma (LINK)(LINK) (LINK). I looked at Noma’s unassuming website (LINK) to find out how to get reservations. They put a month’s worth up at a time, about 3 months in advance. Since we wanted to come in July around the date of our tenth wedding anniversary, I discovered that we needed to be online on April 6th at 10:00 am Copenhagen time.
We were in Spain at the time. I got online a bit late, about 10:10 am, and was informed that I was number 2499 and that there were 2278 people ahead of me waiting to be served. My waiting time would be about 90 minutes. I did not do the math of about 2 seatings a say of 45 people for 31 days, as some of those ahead of me would not be getting the dates they wanted, etc.
About 70 minutes later, I was in. We had booked an apartment in Copenhagen for July 21-24, so I requested a table for four (another couple was going to join us on the trip) on the 23rd through the website (all automated). The response was that I was booked for lunch. Great! That was comparatively easy.
A few days later as expected, I got an email from Noma requesting a credit card number (they have a policy that charges you if you change your reservation), and saying that they were looking forward to seeing us on APRIL 23RD!!!
NO!
I called Noma to try to get this changed and eventually connected with the reservations director. She told me that I made the reservation for April 23rd via the website. I told her that I thought that only July reservations were available on that day. She told me that there were also cancellations available via the website (you heard that here first!). I told her that we would not be in Copenhagen until July, so was there a way to change the reservation?
She checked and said that July 23rd was fully booked. I asked about July 22nd. She said that there was a spot for lunch for four. I said we would take it. Then I hung up and had a glass of wine.
Then, in May, the couple who was going to go to Copenhagen and to Noma with us, cancelled. This put us in the position of either changing our reservation and paying the fine(!!) or finding someone else to go with us. We were in Barcelona when we go the news. What to do?
The next evening in Barcelona, where we were attending and presenting at the Spirituality and Creativity in Management Congress 2015, at the Esade Graduate School, we went to dinner with some of the other attendees and presenters. There we met Ginger Grant, who just happened to be teaching at a graduate program in Copenhagen in July. Match made in heaven! Ginger agreed to come and bring someone to make a party of four.
The Big Day came. We arrived in Copenhagen in the evening on July 21st, had a quiet dinner on the Nyhavn canal, and turned in at our 5th floor walk-up AirBnB.
Nyhavn Canal area in Copenhagen.
At the appointed hour on July 22nd, we walked the kilometer or so to Noma, met our dining companions outside. A Noma staff member came out and invited us to come in. About 25 staff were gathered inside the front entrance to greet us. It was as international a group as you can imagine, mostly young. We were shown to a table in the rustic, rough-hewn dining room. And the show began.
The meal and (very unusual) wine pairings will be described in the next two posts, followed by the tour of the restaurant, kitchen, the lab, and the staff room in the final installment over the next few days.
Forgive the foodie flavor of this series of posts, but we are in Amsterdam and Copenhagen this week and sampling some truly amazing restaurants, which will include the legendary Noma in Copenhagen in my next post.
Yesterday, before departing Amsterdam, we strolled down by the Amsterdam Zuid (South) station and a rising complex of very modern buildings, both office and residential towers. Here are a few examples.
Our target was a restaurant that we had read about, BOLENIUS (LINK), that emphasized wine, local ingredients – especially vegetables, an open kitchen, and beautiful design. we were there for lunch before an early evening flight to Copenhagen.
First, let me say that our meal was splendid. Co-owner Xavier Giesen greeted us, told us a bit about the restaurant and their nearby organic garden, and oversaw (and participated in) our service through the meal. BOLENIUS has a mostly prix-fix menu with a variety of choices of complete dinners (up to 99 euros), one two-course lunch that varies day to day (34.50 euros), and a few à la carte items. The separate wine list is on an iPad and is very nicely put together with broad rather than deep range of wines from various areas of Europe.
We opted for the two-course lunch menu, which consisted of a first course based upon vegetables from the organic garden near the restaurant and a second course of cod with mashed potatoes and vegetables. But first, a “tray” of complimentary appetizers on a “sail” that matched their outdoor awnings, then an amuse-bouche, a tiny ice cream cone – the ice cream made from sweet Netherlands onions was sitting atop a piece of warm beef sausage in a tiny waffle cone. Odd-sounding, but delicious. Then, a bowl was brought out which contained four small objects. A very small first course, I thought. But no, this was a palate cleanser – a bit of beet sitting atop a small dollop of aioli, two halves of a sliced blueberry, and a baby beet covered with grated hazelnut.
The wine came at this point – we ordered a 2013 Albariño d Fefiñanes from Palacio de Fefiñanes in Rias Baixas, Spain (LINK). The wine was smooth and well balanced, with nice round mouth feel and hints of green fruit. It was a perfect compliment to the meal, and one of the best Albariño’s I have had.
The fish course was beautifully prepared and presented:
Afterward, espresso, chocolates, and a very special tray of assorted treats for us to enjoy.
After our meal, Xavier took us to the kitchen and the wine storage area, where we talked about wine, his love of Spain, and his desire to have a wine list that represents the best of Europe. The care, pride, and professionalism of the owners and staffof this excellent restaurant was evident in every aspect of the experience, and Xavier was very generous with his time to share much of it with us. It was truly a very special experience. We will definitely be returning to Amsterdam!
The Open Kitchen.The Wine RoomThe Cheese Table in the Wine RoomThe Wine–By-The-Glass Area
The wine scene is Lucerne, Switzerland (LINK)is varied, diverse, and generally speaking, fairly expensive. We recently spent a few days visiting this postcard-worthy city and visited a number of restaurants and wine shops.
Let’s begin with Opus (LINK), a wine-themed restaurant along the riverfront next to the huge Jesuit Church. We sat outdoors, where there were seats for a couple of hundred guests. The menu is Swiss and Italian with a fairly extensive wine list that is international in scope. We opted for a bottle of Swiss Rosé to go with our dinner selection, the antipasto bar, which had a nice selection of salads, meats, and vegetables. The wines here are priced for on and off-site consumption, and there were some good bargains on the list, like an Amarone for under 30 Swiss Francs (about par with the US dollar when we visited). Opus was very enjoyable and we sent some friends there on ensuing evenings.
Another end of the spectrum is The Old Swiss House Restaurant (LINK), a revered tourist restaurant near the famous Lion Sculpture in Lucerne (LINK), just a couple of blocks off of the lake. Six of us tried to get a table one evening after visiting the sculpture and were told that they were full and referred to another very nice restaurant. So we made a reservation for the next night on the spot. So don’t go here for dinner without a reservation.
The building is historic and very picturesque, inside and out. The service is formal and competent. Eating here is like going back in time to a more formal era. There is a specials menu and a regular menu. Entrees run 40 to 55 Swiss Francs; appetizers from 14 to 25 Swiss francs – $$$$ level.
The wine list is deep, rich, and amazingly varied (and a bit disorganized). Along with the local wines of Switzerland, they have a wonderful selection of the finest French Burgundies and Bordeauxs (with about 15 Chateau Mouton-Rothchild First Growths on the list), plus some great Italians and even an Australian Penfold’s Grange (1996). These high-end wines are very reasonably priced, mostly at or below what I have seen them at retail, but still hundreds or thousands of Swiss francs per bottle. We opted for a Swiss Chardonnay that complimented my lobster over pasta dish perfectly – light, high in acidity, with notes of pear and grass on the nose, and almost no oak.
Restaurant Lapin (LINK) is a French/Swiss place with excellent service and a warm atmosphere. It is family run (the same family that runs the small hotel of which the restaurant is a part). The wine list is Swiss and French, with some nice selections, but not very adventurous. We opted for an old friend, a 2010La Haute-Smith Burgundy Red Blend (LINK). We visited the chateau in Pessac-Leognan (LINK) in 2013 and enjoyed their wines very much. This one did not disappoint – the Merlot/Cabernet blend was rich, lively, and laced with dark fruit. Very nice.
The Globus Department Store’s basement is a gourmet food and wine market that is simply amazing. The wine department has a very good selection of wines and spirits, with an emphasis on Swiss and Italian wines, but with selections from all over Europe. There were wines for tasting as well, and Dorianne and I tasted nice wines from Portugal and Spain, and bought a bottle of the excellent Spanish tinto from Ribero del Duoro for our upcoming Rhine River cruise.
I am sure that we just scratched the surface of the wine scene in beautiful Lucerne during our three-night visit. As a wine lover, it is a good place to visit.
The folks at Lazenne, who make and sell wine travel products, posted this helpful article on what you can and cannot do in terms of transporting wine and spirits internationally. A good article to bookmark for future use. And you can check out their products from the article page.
We just finished a 3-day layover in Reykjavik, Iceland, a no-cost option from Iceland Air. We were returning to the states from Europe, and Iceland Air had great fares and the stay-over option, so we opted for that.
Iceland is an amazingly beautiful and desolate place – a volcanic island with very few trees and most of the vegetation is moss on the black lava rock that is just about everywhere. That said, there are some amazing sights to see – here are a few photos.
In Reykjavik, the capital, there is an amazing food scene with great restaurants featuring inventive culinary dishes using local fare (fish and some game) and imported goodies, too. Unfortunately, the wine scene is not so good. This shouldn’t come as a surprise – remote island, small population, EU tariffs and regulations, etc. Many restaurants have wine list, and some of them are even decent in terms of quality and variety, but the prices are astronomical. A U.S. Dollar = 130Icelandic Krona, so below, a bottle of Piccini Brunello costs $125.00; a bottle of Berringer Zinfandel costs $60.00. Not terrible, but very high. Icelandic Beer, which is excellent, is a much better value.
So, I highly recommend Iceland for a short stay-over (not the ideal place for a long vacation unless you love isolation and have a lot of $$ for food and beverages), but plan on drinking the wonderful Icelandic Beers most or all of the time.
Jim Lockard On Wine 
