California Miles

Exploring her own state is something she has not done much of so, she decided to grab her buggy and head off up the coast of California. She pointed her wheels towards the coastline until she arrived to stop in Santa Barbara and sip wine at the Harbor House as the late March fog swirled in around her.

Wandering up and down State Street in the heart of a lovely town, she wished she had a buddy with her to stop and eat at just about every wine bar and eatery there. As the fog really moved in, she decided to head out to Solvang for a little tour of the place one she had not revisited for over 25 years. Upon arrival she was truly surprised to see how much the town had changed over the years all except the Abelskievers. After a really fast tour and a jaunt through the farmer's market for a bag of fresh cherries and bucket of cookies she jumped back in the car and left for San Luis Obispo to spend the night at the Madonna Inn.

Reading some of the print material, she was fascinated to learn how Alex Madonna was such a good friend with William Randolf Hearst and how the two of them, with their dreams, created two masterpieces in their own rights. They both loved craftsmanship and quality and there seemed to be no end to their dreams. After a funky dinner in the pink restaurant, laden with photos of old Hollywood stars with the Madonna family, she headed back to explore the nuances of her funky room.

Clearly, the next day she was destined to visit Hearst's Castle and from one who has lived in Europe for over 10 years, living with, among and around villas, castles and palaces, this was enthralling, overwhelming, and humbling all at once. His vision, which he changed ad infinitum, was a mental work-out particularly when one can practically “feel” his vision, his dream and experience his efforts in every corner, in every piece of furniture, Della Robbia and gads of other antiques. Such fun it must have been for him! She almost envied that kind of power to create without limits.

OK, so onward and "upwards" in the buggy towards Big Sur. Nepenthe http://www.nepenthebigsur.com was her late lunch stop. Anyone ever been there? Spectacular vistas, architecture and a luscious Bordeaux! '99 Pichon Lalande, from Pauillac coupled with artisan cheeses of California. She was in heaven! Contrary to her habit of wanting more wine, she savored this glass over an hour, feeling it wash over her velvety in texture, reveling in the deep purple ruby color and knowing she would never be able to find a bottle of this once home. Ha, thanks to her favorite wine merchants...she found her paradise after returning hom. http://klwine.com

Off again, towards Carmel for a lightening fast "look" and then a late arrival into San Francisco for a night on the wharf. Always her favorite place to be anytime of the year! Those crab cocktails from the street vendors...! Later, in the room, she quietly planned the winery stops for the next day through Napa Valley.

The next day she flew through the wineries buying up a car load of "bottles full of grapes" and then headed out for a stop in Reno so she could spend the last night in another one of her regeneration spots, Mammoth Lakes...a small spot of tranquility this time of the year. The skiers were still there but just barely so the town was quiet and cozy. http://www.mammothlakes.com

Great Italian Bordeaux

Her mood ever since she left the Veneto region and her favorite red wine, Venegazzù! (grrrrrr...)


There exists no myth about eating and drinking well in the province of Veneto; the region oozes simplicity paired with the utmost taste and elegance but then, what is to be expected from a wealthy province laden with luscious history, art and architecture? She sits back in the chair watching the passing parade, the trams, the pretty people, the locals, (and yokels) briskly walking the sidewalks (somewhere in some city in Italy) while she ponders returning to Vicenza, to see if the city affects her the same as it did the first time.

Inviting, leisurely in spirit, rich in history and unbelievable eye candy (yes, of course you are all thinking the other kind of eye candy), but this is about architecture (as her ears pick up chuckles from her readers). She finds herself truly dreaming of another glass of that stupendous Venegazzù and an afternoon on the square with a spritz and an evening dining outside with centuries before her eyes. Lord, that Venegazzù was such a luxury on the palette; paired with super, stinky aged cheese from the region, Puzzone di Moena, sliced tart green apples and limpid honey from the mountains around Asiago, life could not get any better.

This fabulous cheese is made from cow’s milk using a semi-cooked mixture. The salting of the cheese is done in a brine solution lasting two days. Starting at 15 to 20 days of age, the forms are bathed weekly with tepid water, which creates a perfect impermeable patina allowing the forms optimal fermentation within the milk mixture protected by this patina. Aging occurs in cool environments with a high level of humidity where the cheese is placed on wooden shelves and turned twice weekly. The average aging is two months minimum with eight months the maximum. A nibble of this and a sip of that red and she is in serious heaven.

Venegazzù is a Bordeaux blend using 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 10% Merlot and 5% Malbech. The origins of this wine spring from a historic vineyard called Hundred-vines with vines that are 50 years old and also in part from the Falconera vineyard. This prestigious wine is produced in Montello on the infamous iron rich soil of the area. This high mineral and iron content determines the structure of the wine as well as, bestowing it a long life. The vines are planted in a density of about 3,000 plants/hectare yielding on the average 5,800 kilos/hectare. This stunning wine ferments for about twenty days in oak fermentation tubs, (fifteen of those twenty days are on the skins) at a temperature of 25 to 30 degrees Celsius. Once the malolactic fermentation has ceased, the wine is put to rest in barrels of French oak (of different weights) for 18 to 24 months and then refined in the bottle for one year.

Of the two versions of this lovely red liquid, is Capo di Stato I.G.T. Colli Trevigiani by Villa Spineda Loredan a Venegazzù. This supreme blend has been listed by a French publication; “100 vins de légende” or, among the hundred wines in the world for either their history and top quality can be considered legendary by all standards. This Venegazzù Capo di Stato is the first true Italian Bordeaux blend. The other one, is Venegazzù della Casa, I.G.T. Colli Trevigiani, another historic wine from Loredan Gasparini. This other important Bordeaux blend displays right out of the starting gate, true magnificence and luxury. This is made with the same grapes using the same composition as the main wine of the winery but with one big difference; the yield per hectare is higher and the aging time in the oak barrels is shorter, eighteen months or less. Nonetheless, the wine is still a perfect display of that ultra special character of the plant varieties, the rich soil where it is grown as well as combining the distinctive personality of the Bordeaux blend. This wine presents and maintains the elegance and balance of the greatest Italian wines and this creature needs to grab her car and head straight to the winery on a buying trip!

Yes, now she is smiling (once again, angel)!