The TRIFECTA – A Great Memory, A Really Good Wine At A Great Price

One of the major philosophies behind Impromptu Friday Nights is that our favorite foods and wines are linked to experiences we have had. So, when you can:

Link a favorite memory to a
Good wine at a
Really good price,

YOU HAVE HIT THE TRIFECTA – GO FOR IT.

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO GO TO WINEACCESS.COM

We had a bottle of a Petra Super Tuscan in Positano Italy in 2015. It was so good that Susan and I ordered a second bottle and saved a few glasses for lunch the next day. (See Cover photo) After returning to the states, we tried to buy the wine on-line but the prices were always in the range of $50 to a $100 a bottle.

(Susan In Positano)

I have been searching wine lists and on-line offerings for years, and then this week I saw the write-up on wineaccess.com for a Petra Super Tuscan for $15 to $17 a bottle I felt like I hit the Trifecta. Yes I got a really good wine at a great price because it linked to a really great memory. And, a really cool story.

Back in 2015 we were going to Positano, when my buddy Tom, my roommate from business school, told me about his wife Mary’s connection to the Palazzo Murat in Positano. The Palazzo is an 18^th century villa that was the summer home of the King of Naples who was also Napoleon’s brother-in-law. Mary’s mother’s family owned it for years and in the 1970’s when her great uncle died, Mary’s father sold the Palazzo to a hotel magnate who restored it into one of the finest and most expensive hotels in Positano. Mary tells a wonderful story about how she was given the royal treatment when visiting there as a college student back-packing through Europe on a budget. Unfortunately, our budget in 2015 prevented us from staying at the Palazzo, but it did cover a memorable meal and a more than memorable bottle of wine (That turned into 2 bottles).

As a side note, I have asked Mary what was her family’s business that funded the ownership of the Palazzo. My hopes for a great story have been lost in time and distance. And, knowing that Tom’s family is from Sicily, I had better not press the question.

In Tuscany they talk about the Sangiovese grape like it is religion. It is the cornerstone of the Chiantis, Brunello’s and most great Italian wines. Somehow the Super Tuscans, which are blends of other grapes, are looked down upon by the wine intelligentsia in Italy. I have always been a fan of blends, so Super Tuscans have become a favorite and Petra Super Tuscans are at the top of the list.

While I am not in the business of selling wine, but when a wine hits the TRIFECTA you might want to pick a bottle or even a case or two of this one.

If you enjoyed this blog and similar other stories/wine group/supper club lessons follow me on Facebook and Twitter and subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and check out my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs. Published by Morgan James Publishing and available through most channels where books are sold.

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THE WINE ACCESS WRITE UP ON THE PETRA SUPER TUSCAN FOLLOWS

(Click On This Link To Access)

A Favorite Tuscan Bargain Shoulders into Top 100 Territory

An all-time Wine Access customer favorite has returned: a juicy, spice-tinged Maremma classic with gobs of mass appeal—this time accompanied by unprecedented critical praise, even as our under-$20 price tag remains essentially unchanged.

When you find a rich, polished, high-scoring Super Tuscan-style blend selling for just $17 or $15 on cases, you pounce. We’ve moved previous vintages of Petra Zingari Toscana Rosso by the pallet, selling out of 3,000-bottle allocations in a single day!

When we tried to square that level of demand with the fact that the 2017 vintage took the #29 spot on Wine Spectator’s Top 100—the highest-ranked value red on the list with 93 points—we reached out to Petra Zingari to cut a special deal. Heck, we needed to make sure there’d be enough for our team to take some bottles home.

We have another small allocation of this fabulous release, called “sumptuous and inviting” by Wine Spectator, and “delicious” and “delightful” by James Suckling in a matching 93-point endorsement. That’s serious praise for a $17 red, the kind that should make even the most discerning drinkers sit up and listen.

As the critics have now acknowledged, Petra Zingari’s 2017 Rosso is assuredly one of Tuscany’s most tantalizing bargains, seamlessly combining luscious red fruit with savory herbal depth and cleansing minerality. We don’t expect our allocation will last more than 72 hours, especially considering the praise Wine Access members have already lavished on this exact wine:

“Unbelievable at this price, better than many wines that cost $10 or $20 more!”

“A wine group favorite every time served.”

At $15 to $17 a bottle, you need to check this one out.

Your Favorite Wine

A great theme for a wine group event is: Bring A Bottle Of Your Favorite Wine. Then ask the participants to talk a little about the wine and why it is their favorite. I also like to ask gusts to bring an appetizer that links to why the wine is a favorite.

Joseph Phelps wines has always been some of our favorites. Our history with Joseph Phelps goes back to the 1980’s when we lived in California. In one of our first trips to the Napa Valley we visited the Phelps vineyard in Helena. The vineyard is situated in a little sub-valley off of the mainstream of the Napa Valley. The winery is situated up on a hill overlooking an idyllic setting. In that first visit we tasted some very nice wines on a tour and then enjoyed a bottle of cabernet with a picnic lunch. From that moment on, we have been fans for life.

In connection with that first visit and picnic lunch I like to serve some mini sandwiches on a crusty baguette. For me, the bread is the key to great sandwiches. I grew up in Westchester County just north of New York City. In a Westchester deli you don’t order a hero, a sub or a hoagie. You order a wedge. It is called a wedge because it is served on wedge of crusty Italian bread.

With the pandemic, I have used some of our time at home to start making my own baguettes. While working with yeast and baking in general can be daunting, I have found that with some precision and a little science, we can make some pretty tasty breads. And even if your bread is failure, there is the wonderful aroma of bread baking that makes it all worthwhile. With 4 simple ingredients and using a scale you can get a pretty good start.

Ingredients

684 grams Bread Flour
502 grams water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt

SEE THE RECIPE

The sandwiches don’t have to be complicated. A simple:

Ham, Cheese and Tomato with Mustard
Ham, Salami and Tomato with Pesto

When I am making sandwiches for appetizers I like to slip in a little trick from France. Use a little butter on your sandwich. In Paris if you order a sandwich de jambon avec fromage, you will get a little butter without asking for it. Somehow the sandwich will be memorable and you probably wouldn’t know why. A little butter really works. A favorite wine a favorite sandwich, if it takes a little butter, that a good thing

Vincent

We live in crazy times. As we are coming out of self quarantine (Covid Test Results came back negative – yeah!), I was thinking about one of my favorite blogs. Not because it was about a crazy person, (Vincent Van Gogh) but because it reminded me of a beautiful place and a great trip with Susan. Besides, I love the slide show set to the Don McLean song Vincent. (Click on it below)

Send me a comment if it reminds you of a fun trip or travel

Nothing inspires a menu more than great ingredients. There is no place to find better ingredients that a great farmers market. Vincent Van Gogh lived in St Remy de Provence. We went to St Remy to see the setting that inspired so many of our favorite paintings. While there, we happened on a farmer’s market that was truly inspirational.

Walking through the countryside where Vincent found inspiration for so many of his paintings, you can still see the same settings. The tour does a good job of setting the backgrounds of today, to the paintings of the late 19^thcentury. You can see the field that Vincent painted and the cafe that inspired Cafe Terrace at Night.

Move into the village of St Remy on the farmer’s market day and you can see all kinds beauty. I once got into trouble with my friend, chef Lucien Vendome, by saying he was an artist. We were waiting on our flight in Sao Paulo Brazil. He argued that calling him an artist was a misnomer. Van Gogh painted paintings that would be enjoyed for centuries. Chefs cook food. The food may be pretty to look at, but people eat it and it is gone. Our discussion went on for a while as our flight got delayed. The compromise was that great chefs are somewhere between artisans and artists. All I can say is that the beauty of the ingredients being sold that day in St Remy could make any cook look good.

The irony of this story is that Van Gogh was not a food person. He suffered from stomach troubles and was quoted as saying: “Perhaps you will not understand, but it is true that when I receive the money, my greatest appetite is not for food …” but the appetite for painting is even stronger.” So here he was in St Remy surrounded by fabulous ingredients, which he did not enjoy. This may also explain the reason he lived in St. Remy was as a patient at the local insane asylum. Fortunately, his doctors encouraged him to paint as therapy for his troubles