Ok. So my main plan was to blog on a wine from Maine. I know that Maine has some extreme temperatures, but I googled it and found that there are several wineries in Maine. So, I was hopeful I would find a local wine at a local restaurant. But.....no. Instead, I found something exponentially better. A wonderful little restaurant called "Street and Company".
It was wonderful on a variety of different levels. First, the atmosphere is lovely. Hardwood floors, lots of brick and a very attentive staff.
Second, the sommelier is fantastic. His is more ADD than I, but in a very good way. He knows wine like the back of his hand. I could never hope to be as knowledgable a resource as he is. He told us, over a glass of Amarone (64.00 a bottle), that he is pursing his WST. I'm not sure what that stands for, but I will google it tomorrow when I'm of sound mind. But in a nutshell, it's a Master's Degree in "All that is Wine".
He stole my heart because he not only knows his wine, but he knows what to pair it with. He recommended a Lobster Bread Pudding. My first thought, was "yeah, about that..." But OMG! It was PHENOMENAL!! If you've seen the movie "Ratatouille" There is a scene where the food critic takes a bite of the rattatouille and suddenly he is a young child at home, eating a homemade meal from his Mom. It conjures of images of home and warm fuzzies. I sort of felt that when I took a bite. It was magnificent and perfectly complimented by the Amarone.
Let me take a moment to describe the Amarone. It's an Italian wine. I wanted to take the bottle with us as I knew I would not remember all the details. But, my hubby said Noooo, we will get the wine menu and that has everything you need. Well, it does not. it only states that it is from Venice, it's a 2008 Amarone produced by Villalata. I will definitely try to find it at Total Wine. It is an absolutely wonderful wine. I don't care who ya are, or where you're from. You would enjoy this wine. When I smelled the bouquet, I commented to my hubby that it is very fragrant, almost "meaty". When I tasted it, it presented with a very strong burst of flavor, notes of dark cherry, tobacco, but very smooth. To quote the sommelier "smooth, velvety finish". And that is was.
Then, we had the special..Bluefish with gazpacho. EXCELLENT.!!! The tomato base was a perfect compliment to the wine.
Finally, we had the chocolate hazelnut torte with cream sauce with the Recioto Della Valpolicella Bertani. AHHHH!! It went together like bread and butta...like Thelma and Louise...like Fall and football for you NFL fans. It was so wonderful, I could've continued eating and drinking...I felt like I could go on forever...
But I did not. There is this thing, we big girls like to call "self control". I decided at that point, I have to stop this utter self indulgence and hydrate... which I did. Lots and lots of water.
To finalize, Maine is not the place for premier wines. We knew that before we came, but I was just hopeful. I fancy myself to be the Eternal Optimist.
But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. After the spectacular dinner at Street and Company, we went to the Wine Bar. Luckily for us the sister of the owner was there and was just a plethora of information. She told us of the challenges of a very shortened growing season and offered that the Maine wines I had read about was most likely native Blueberry/Strawberry wines, not a grape product. But she told us of a distinctly Maine product, something called "Mead". I've read about it in novels, but have never partaken of the drink. It is made from honey and fermented for a similar time period like wine, but at a much higher alcohol volume. She informed us of a local Mead producer here in Portland that offers tastings. She was highly complementary of the Lavender Mead.
I CANT WAIT!! We are going tomorrow.
Stay tuned...
It was wonderful on a variety of different levels. First, the atmosphere is lovely. Hardwood floors, lots of brick and a very attentive staff.
Second, the sommelier is fantastic. His is more ADD than I, but in a very good way. He knows wine like the back of his hand. I could never hope to be as knowledgable a resource as he is. He told us, over a glass of Amarone (64.00 a bottle), that he is pursing his WST. I'm not sure what that stands for, but I will google it tomorrow when I'm of sound mind. But in a nutshell, it's a Master's Degree in "All that is Wine".
He stole my heart because he not only knows his wine, but he knows what to pair it with. He recommended a Lobster Bread Pudding. My first thought, was "yeah, about that..." But OMG! It was PHENOMENAL!! If you've seen the movie "Ratatouille" There is a scene where the food critic takes a bite of the rattatouille and suddenly he is a young child at home, eating a homemade meal from his Mom. It conjures of images of home and warm fuzzies. I sort of felt that when I took a bite. It was magnificent and perfectly complimented by the Amarone.
Let me take a moment to describe the Amarone. It's an Italian wine. I wanted to take the bottle with us as I knew I would not remember all the details. But, my hubby said Noooo, we will get the wine menu and that has everything you need. Well, it does not. it only states that it is from Venice, it's a 2008 Amarone produced by Villalata. I will definitely try to find it at Total Wine. It is an absolutely wonderful wine. I don't care who ya are, or where you're from. You would enjoy this wine. When I smelled the bouquet, I commented to my hubby that it is very fragrant, almost "meaty". When I tasted it, it presented with a very strong burst of flavor, notes of dark cherry, tobacco, but very smooth. To quote the sommelier "smooth, velvety finish". And that is was.
Then, we had the special..Bluefish with gazpacho. EXCELLENT.!!! The tomato base was a perfect compliment to the wine.
Finally, we had the chocolate hazelnut torte with cream sauce with the Recioto Della Valpolicella Bertani. AHHHH!! It went together like bread and butta...like Thelma and Louise...like Fall and football for you NFL fans. It was so wonderful, I could've continued eating and drinking...I felt like I could go on forever...
But I did not. There is this thing, we big girls like to call "self control". I decided at that point, I have to stop this utter self indulgence and hydrate... which I did. Lots and lots of water.
To finalize, Maine is not the place for premier wines. We knew that before we came, but I was just hopeful. I fancy myself to be the Eternal Optimist.
But, there is light at the end of the tunnel. After the spectacular dinner at Street and Company, we went to the Wine Bar. Luckily for us the sister of the owner was there and was just a plethora of information. She told us of the challenges of a very shortened growing season and offered that the Maine wines I had read about was most likely native Blueberry/Strawberry wines, not a grape product. But she told us of a distinctly Maine product, something called "Mead". I've read about it in novels, but have never partaken of the drink. It is made from honey and fermented for a similar time period like wine, but at a much higher alcohol volume. She informed us of a local Mead producer here in Portland that offers tastings. She was highly complementary of the Lavender Mead.
I CANT WAIT!! We are going tomorrow.
Stay tuned...
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