I Don’t Drink Tequila….Because every time I do…I wake up in Mexico.
This was one of my college roommate’s classic lines from our University days. Back in the day, we drank a lot. While we did not drink much tequila, we did drink more than our fair share of cheap beer. Ironically, we have both developed a taste for finer wines. Getting together these days is a chance to explore our wine collections and test out new recipes.
My buddy Ron Iles and his wife Amy live in Manhattan and have been working on a business opportunity nearby us in Memphis. A few weeks ago they spent the night with us. I got to try out a new menu and an old bottle of wine.
Menu
- Roasted Beets With Buratta
- Grill Roasted Rosemary Chicken
- Acorn Squash Ravioli with a Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- Roasted Broccoli with Garlic
- Sorbet with Gran Marnier Infused Berries
Wine
- Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Col d’Orcia 2002
There more than a few big hits in the menu:
The Acorn Squash Ravioli with a Brown Butter Sage Sauce was really good. I have been on a kick of making ravioli. My son says I am obsessed. The lightness of the homemade pasta sets the stage for a multi sensorial treat. The combination of the squash with the brown butter/sage sauce was special. Both the pasta and the sauce were light. The combination had everyone fighting over the last ravioli.
The Grill Roasted Rosemary Chicken is an old standby for us that is simple and a real crowd pleaser. I preheat the grill, and then cook the butterflied chicken on a bed of fresh rosemary. The combination of the char grill and roasted rosemary develops a wonderful flavor.
The bottle of Brunello di Montalcino DOCG Col d’Orcia 2002 was special. We bought it at this Tuscan vineyard back in 2016. I had forgotten about it and when I saw it, I remembered the vineyard being so proud of their organic wine and thinking:
Organic = No preservative = Questionable shelf life
It turns out that my fears were unfounded as this 17 year old bottle of wine was fantastic. Ron has graduated from our days of drinking Genesee Cream Ale and Baby Labatt’s in the North Country to having one of the best wine collections of anyone I know. He lives in Manhattan and keeps a few bottles there, but has a wonderful wine cellar at their weekend place in the Berkshires. He has been traveling the world and buying cases for years. He is trying to get their kids to buy shares in his collection. I want to get adopted.
Note: Ron & Amy’s wine cellar in the Berkshires
This Impromptu Friday Night turned into a wonderful combination of Old Friends, Great Food and Fine Wine…and nobody woke up in Mexico.
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