Vacation Quest - Try and Live Like a Bit Like a Local for the Full Experience

Have you ever thought about someone visiting the town you live in from another City, State or Country? Would they get the real feel of what it's like to live in your neck of the woods by staying in the local hotel, dining at the local Yelp approved restaurants, and hitting all the tourist handbook spots?  As my wife and I have travelled throughout the years, one of our common quests regardless of where we were headed was to be more of a traveller than a tourist.  Don't get me wrong - we still hit the touristy spots to see the best sites a place has to offer, but we also try and find ways to experience our destination a bit more like a local might. For me, that mostly translates into shopping at local food markets, and doing a little home cooking on the road.

Great Words of Wisdom from a Guy Who Has Been All Over the World

In planning this year's vacation, I focused on finding accommodations at most of our stopping points that were some type of Apartments, so we could shop for groceries locally and I could try my hand at cooking just as a local would.

Paris, France
Our first stop on this year's vacation was Paris.  To date we had only travelled through Paris on our way to Spain, but for nearly no difference in our Air France airfare, we were able to add a few days of a "stopover" before continuing on to Spain.  

After doing some research about local areas near cool places like the Louvre and Notre Dame that still offered access to street markets of local vendors, I had booked a studio apartment at the Residence Villa Daubenton in the Latin Quarter of Paris. 

Unfortunately our studio Apartment was nothing like the photos they featured on TripAdvisor, Hotel.com etc which looked spacious, well equipped and complete:

Hmmm... This Must Have Been the Upstairs Apartment!

Our kitchenette looked nothing like this - it was tiny, tucked in a corner, and most of the equipment provided was damaged or outright broken. The worst was a coffee maker where the handle was not connected at the top of the pot, so when I picked up our first pot of fresh hot coffee, I almost ended up wearing it!  On the upside, our room had a fabulous private courtyard, and was only a couple of blocks from Rue Mouffetard, a wonderful pedestrian only street with fantastic restaurants, bars, and local vendors.

Rue Mouffetard, Paris

We quickly found a favorite local wine shop, right next to a great cheese and sausage shop.  Many of our evening meals were quite simple, some great wine, some fantastic locally made cheese and sausage - we enjoyed the incredible quality goods, while we chatted about the great sights we had seen during the day at the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, or just walking the streets of Paris.

One of My Favorites from a Strange and Creepy Exhibit at the Musee d'Orsay

A definite benefit to wine shopping in Paris was a selection of fairly reasonably priced Burgundy wines.  This 2009 Domaine Arnoux Savigny Premier Cru was less than $30, and paired nicely with a set of cheese that my wife and her high school French scored us at the local shop.  

Mmmm... Burgundy!

We enjoyed an incredible Roquefort blue cheese, and an equally scrumptious Brillat Savarin. Brillat Savarin is a nicely acidic triple creme cheese that I've bought at Whole Foods at home in Chandler, AZ before. The one Whole Foods had was great, but was nothing in comparison to this one.  Round out our veggie-free dinner with a hard sausage and it was an incredible end to a great day in Paris.

Shop Local and Enjoy!

Oh, and I did figure out a way to get the coffee out of a half-handled coffee pot, so our mornings were typically the classic, if a bit cliché,  coffee and croissants!

Barcelona, Spain
One of the most anticipated of our vacation stops for me to live a bit like a local was Barcelona.  Barcelona is home to a magnificent market that I visited once before - but at that time was not able to buy or enjoy any of the incredible products - I was just able to look and dream. This market is the Mercat Boqueria on the La Rambla. I loved my first opportunity to work through the market years ago - but ever since I've craved going back and actually shopping and preparing some of the most beautiful seafood and produce I've ever seen.

Some of the Incredible Sites at the Mercat Boqueria in Spain

In Barcelona, I picked an Apartment on one end of the La Rambla area next to the popular Plaza Catalunya.  The Amister Apartments are associated with the Amister Hotel in Barcelona and there was absolutely none of the disappointment we experienced in Paris. Great location, and fantastic Apartment, with a well stocked kitchen - perfect!!! 

Amister Apartments in Barcelona - Score!

Now off to the market! The market has a great selection of meats, but the freshness of the seafood was completely irresistible.  We purchased mussels, clams, chorizo, some type of crabs that resembled rock crabs.  A quick stop at a wine shop on La Rambla to get a nice bottle of $15 Albariño to have with our haul, and a bit cheaper bottle to use for cooking. Remember - always use wine good enough to drink for your cooking or it will ruin your food!  I used the chorizo to flavor some olive oil along with an onion, threw in the clams first, then the mussels for a bit - then added the less expensive Albariño and let it cook until the shellfish opened up.  Finish the dish with a bit of parsley for color - and boom!  Awesome if I do say so myself.  The crabs were also fresh and good - but a lot of work to cook, clean, and get at the delicious crab meat!

Mmmmm!!!

Delish - but a Lot of Work!

We had only two short nights in Barcelona - one devoted to cooking and one devoted to trying a great local restaurant - Paco Meralgo (those of you Spanish speakers may get the joke with the name - hint, say the name slowly).   Our next trip to Spain will definitely include more nights in Barcelona to try more goodies from the Mercat Boqueria, plus time to try more of Barcelona's restaurant scene. I can't wait!!!

San Juan de Parres, Asturias, Spain
The bulk of this year's vacation was spent in a small town in the Asturias region of Spain. Asturias is in northern Spain, and is definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen - and I have been lucky enough to visit here several times. Lots of great hiking, breathtaking sights, and lots of great local food.  This is my wife's native land, and I can see why she loves to return as often as possible. We picked a new place to stay for this year's visit - San Juan de Parres which is a small small town just up the hill from Cangas de Onis.  I had picked out what looked to be a new tourist Apartment - Apartmentos La Senda.  Upon our arrival we found brand new Apartments - maybe stayed in once or twice before - absolutely gorgeous.  Oh - and the view out the front picture window was not bad either, check it out:

View from Apartmentos La Senda

One of the great features of these Apartments is that each unit has it's own charcoal grill in the backyard. Asturias is milk country - which also makes it beef country. Shopping at the butcher counter in Spain in different than grabbing something at CostCo or Safeway at home. In Spain, it really is a butcher counter with large slabs of different types of meat - you just need to say what you want and how thick, and they will cut it for you on the spot.  To try out our backyard grill, we went for a couple of gigantic "chuletas" or chops on the bone.  In Spain the meat tends to get cut thin, so we had to specifically asked for a bit thicker cut, so we could get a good sear on the meat, and still have it come out mid rare.

A Couple of Chuletas Ready for the Grill

The Finished Product

The best steaks I've ever made I do believe - and matched with one of my favorite wines - a 2009 Alto Moncayo Garnacha (Grenache) - we were stylin' while living like the locals!

I typically do most of the cooking at home, but in her native land my wife gets inspired to cook up some the local specialties of her homeland.  She started off with a Spanish Tortilla - nothing like a Mexican tortilla, this is a hearty combination of potatoes, onion, chorizo, and eggs - great with a Rioja!

Spanish Tortilla

Next up was an excellent pot of Fabada - an Asturian bean stew made with Chorizo, Morcilla (blood sausage) and a nice chunk of Spanish bacon.  Delicious - plus add some wine and it definitely gets you all ready for the afternoon's siesta!!! Just a quick two or three hour nap, and I'm ready to go for the night!

Find Your Own Way

For me, cooking is a great way to experience a key part of other cultures - food!  Even if cooking on vacation doesn't sound relaxing to you, do try and find ways to experience the local culture of your chosen destinations in the spirit of a traveller, not a tourist - you will not regret it!!!

Wine Tip of the Week: Uggh!!!! My Wine Cork Broke!!!

If you open enough wine bottles it will happen to you at some point. A wine bottle with a natural cork may break off during opening.  I have opened quite a few bottles in my day, and even with tons of practice occasionally some expletives will be uttered (they don't help the problem - but they do make me feel better!) as some amount of cork is on the corkscrew, and some amount still in the bottle. 

If the cork is in good shape - try again with the corkscrew - screw it in as far as possible, even past the cork - and try again to remove the remaining piece. If the cork appears dry and crumbly, or there is only a very small piece of the cork left in the bottle - trying to use the corkscrew further may just grind cork into tiny bits.  Your best bet in this case is to push the remaining cork into the bottle (the handle of a fork or spoon works for this), and then filter out any cork bits as you pour the wine into another container such as your trusty decanter.  If your decanter came with a filter for wine sediment - this works great, otherwise cheesecloth is your best choice.  I have heard coffee filters recommended, but those could potentially impact the flavor of the wine.  If coffee filters are all you have on hand - at least make sure they are unbleached.

Properly stored wine should leave wine in constant contact with the cork - so your wine will not be harmed by the presence of the cork pieces, they are just not very attractive to see floating in the glass. If the cork was very dry it could be a sign that the wine may have issues if exposed to too much air - so make sure and sniff and taste before serving to make sure it is OK.

Weekly Wine Review - Spanish White - 2011 Pagos Del Ray Analivia Rueda

I am a huge huge (huge) fan of many Spanish red wines and Spanish Cavas (Spain's answer to Champagne) and have been for many years. Recently I have been becoming more and more a fan of Spanish whites.  If you are looking for a white that will go really well with lighter dishes, Albariño from Galacia in Spain is a great choice. Today I am going to try a white wine from a region I've never tried before - Rueda.

Rueda Wine Region - Nearish to Galacia

Wine: Spanish White - 2011 Pagos Del Ray Analivia Rueda

Region: Rueda, Castilla y León, Spain

Grape Varieties: Verdejo

Obtained from: Purchased at Total Wine & More

Price: $13.00

Wino4Life Category: Everyday Wine

Aeration before tasting: Just a swirl or two, no special aeration.

Cork Condition: Artificial Cork - no defects or issues.

Appearance: Wine is clear - light yellow with a greenish tint and a water white rim..

Aroma: Very nice with citrus, flowers, and a bit of mineral.

Taste: Very fresh and fruity - and nicely acidic.  A good length of finish, with the fruit flavors slowly giving way to the minerals.

The Grade: I give this one an A. A great wine for a hot day, or a great match for a nice fish or other seafood dish. An excellent wine for the price.

Aeration - Getting Your Proper Swirl On (Reprise)

This post combines a two part post I made late last year - but I wanted to repost as it is a very important topic - one of the most important in my mind - for getting the most out of your wine. So - one good swirl deserves another!

One of my main goals is to help you to get the most out of the wine you buy. Whether you’ve decided to throw down $50 or even $100 on a nice Cabernet Sauvignon to serve along with a nice steak or are just enjoying a bottle of your favorite $10 everyday wine, you want to make sure you can get the most of your wine purchase.  Many times I have opened a new wine I’ve been anxious to try with great expectations only to take a sniff and.... nothing or at least not much aroma at all.

I chose aeration as the topic for my first couple of posts, as I believe it is one of the most important factors in getting the most out of your wine. Getting a wine aerated is more involved with red wine and can be aided by some wine gadgets out there, but most whites, rosés, and dessert wines can also benefit from some amount of aeration.

Aeration is simply the introduction of air, specifically oxygen to help release the aroma of the wine which is critical for your to experience the actual flavor or the wine.  

We are only able to distinguish five “tastes”:

• Sweet
• Salty
• Sour
• Bitter
• Umami (pronouced like a child announcing to their mother they don’t like Brussels Sprouts - “ew-mommy”) or savory. Think of the taste of Miso soup or Soy Sauce minus the saltiness.

If all we were able to perceive in a wine were these five tastes, wine (or any other food or drink for that matter) would not be very interesting.  Where things get interesting is the addition of our perception of aroma and texture (texture refers to how light or heavy the wine feels - think skim milk vs whole milk).  The human nose has about 1,000 different type of receptors to detect aromas, and has the capability of detecting about 10,000 different aromas (Read More). 

Catching Some Air

For most all white wines and rosés, all you really need to do to aerate is to swirl the glass as you drink. Some red wines will benefit from a little extra aeration action as we’ll discuss later, but once the red is in the glass, the same swirling advice applies.

Swirling really does help, so don’t be afraid - and just do it!. Here is a video that shows some swirl technique

I recommend keeping the glass on the table as much as possible, I have had many fewer accidents that way.  The choice is yours, just keep some Oxy-Clean handy!

When you get that glass of wine in your hand, take a whiff and see what type of aroma you can detect. It is not important that you identify every aroma (like the “Flutter of a nutty Edam Cheese” from the movie Sideways), just get a sense of what the wine is showing you. Then give that glass a good swirl and take another whiff. Notice any changes?  I typically continue to swirl and sniff throughout the glass (or bottle) to see if the aromas change over time.  Don’t forget - the aromas will impact what you experience as the flavor of the wine, so all this swirling business can help how you enjoy the important part - actually drinking the stuff!

Not only does swirl help you maximize the flavor of the wine, but it can also be a conversation starter.  “Hey I’m getting some green grass and cat pee aroma from this New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. What about the rest of you?” (Read More). It might be best to leave off the Cat Pee part if you are a guest enjoying someone else’s wine!  

Cue the UB40 - Red, Red Wine can benefit from some special attention for aeration. For your everyday bottle, just getting your swirl on will probably suffice, and who wants to turn enjoying an everyday wine into a big event with gadgets to find, use, and clean afterwards?? For other wines, say a nice Cabernet Sauvignon you just bought for some nice steaks (red wine pairs nicely with the protein in the steak, medium rare is the best meat temperature to enjoy with your wine) how do you know if you need to do more that just swirl?  The good news is that most red wines, except very old and delicate ones (10 - 20 years old) will benefit from additional aeration. 

Here is a good spot to give a quick mention differences between wines made in the U.S. and those made in most other places in the world. The guidelines that country’s like Spain must follow require the winery to age the wine until it should be ready to drink, before  they are allowed to release it to the public. U.S. wines on the other hand often get released to the public before they are ready to drink, needing some number of years of aging in the bottle to be at their peak. This is another benefit of good aeration, it will take the place of bottle aging allowing you to enjoy your wine now, so you don’t have to buy a bottle now for that steak dinner you will be having one, two, or even five years from now. So, for those Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles, Washington etc red wines you buy - I recommend a bit of aeration beyond just the swirl.

Below are links to some gadgets out there all designed to provide wine aeration. I have seen a recommendation to throw the wine into a blender for a while (I haven’t tried this as my wine may end up tasting like margarita’s or pesto). The choice of what to use is yours, as long as it aerates, there really isn’t a wrong choice.

The Aeration Gadgets - It’s All About the Accessories

Gadget #1 - The Decanter. The use of a decanter is something that wine geeks like to argue, and some geeks would disagree with my opinion that aeration is vitally important. The process of decanting a wine, or pouring it into another vessel, gives you an opportunity to pour the wine through a stainer to remove any sediment that may have formed in the wine as it aged in the bottle. It is perfectly normal to have some sediment, especially if the wine label identifies it as an “unfiltered” wine.  Your wine may or may not need to be poured through a strainer, but another benefit of decanting is that it helps aerate the wine.  In fact, many decanters like the one pictured below are designed with a super-wide bottom to expose your wine to the maximum of air. The wine will get some aeration from being poured into the decanter, and some additional aeration if your decanter is shaped like the one below, but I also like to give the decanter a swirl every 10 or so minutes to help promote even more aeration (this may take some practice, but don't be afraid to give it a good swirl). I use and recommend the flat bottom model (wasn't that a Queen song?) - like the one pictured on the left below:

Gadget #2 Wine Aerator. With a name like this how can you go wrong - this thing Aerates!!!. With these gadgets, you pour the wine through the aerator, either as you pour into the glass, or even as you pour from the bottle into a decanter, thus achieving multi-gadget status. There are different brands, the one I use and really like is the Vinturi. If pouring into a bottle, you just hold the aerator above the glass. For a decanter, the aerator will fit in the neck of most wine decanters so you don’t have to hold it. It take a little work to pour wine quickly enough so that it doesn’t come out of the aeration holes, but slowly enough that it doesn’t overflow out the top. Practice a bit with water until you get the hang of it. I see on Vinturi website they now offer a separate aerator for white wines and one for spirits. I’m not sure about spirits, but using the same aerator for both red and white is absolutely fine. 

There are aerators that fit in the neck of the wine bottle. I have not tried this type, and while I am sure they are easer to use, the amount of aeration will likely be less. I would classify these as better than not using an aerator, but would suggest something like the Vinturi.

Gadget #3 Breathers.  I have seen these gadgets being promoted at some wine events, but have never tried one. The idea is to add air bubbles to the wine either by a hand pump, or through a battery powered pump like the one pictured below. I have not personally used one of these, but I don't believe they would be effective, as very little of the wine would be impacted by the bubbles.  I may be wrong - so let me know if you've had a good (or bad) experience with one of these gadgets!

Gadget #4 The Wine Whisk. I do not have one of these, but I really do need to get one and at our next restaurant outing, surprise my wife by whipping this bad boy out and giving my wine a good whisking!!! If you want a whisk - you can get one here. 

Right Wine Glasses Can Help

Good wine glasses do actually make a difference in helping to achieve aeration. Lead Crystal glasses have a microscopic texture (wow - didn’t I say I would go easy on the wine geek stuff and I’m already talking about the microscopic textures of wine glasses - oops!!!) that help to aerate the wine as you swirl. Wine glasses that are truly made out of glass do not have this feature. In future posts I will talk more about wine glasses and other benefits of crystal, but for now I’ll just say that crystal is better for enjoying your wine, but you definitely don’t have to buy the most expensive glasses to realize the benefits.

Temperature Matters

In an upcoming post I plan to talk more about temperature’s impact on wine (drinking and storage), but since we are trying to open up our wine and get the aromas released, it is important to note that temperature does matter.  The colder a wine is the more muted the aromas will be. Wine that you keep in your regular food refrigerator will be too cold to release much in the way of aromas.  If you have a glass of wine that feels very cold, the good news is that you possess an effective wine warming gadget already - your hands. Just hold the glass in your hands, and your 98.6 degrees will start helping your wine show all it has to show - aroma-wise anyway!

Bottom Line

Aeration will help most all types of wines, however you achieve it - by getting your swirl on or by using one of the myriad of aeration gadgets. If your are ordering a red in a restaurant (especially something “big” like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah or a Red Zinfandel), don’t be afraid to ask your server to decant it - just remember this is one of the ways you get the most out of your wine purchase. Also, most restaurants that have wine decanters will bring them to your table. You can watch the technique of the person serving you wine to pick up some pointers for decanting at home.

Just remember - Enjoy that wine and keep swirling.

- Wino4 Life

Wine Tip: Wine and Eggs - Has this Pairing Thing Gone Too Far???

Enjoying brunch doesn’t mean you are trapped in the land of sparkling wine and mimosas.  The fattiness of an egg based dish means you need to stay away from any high alcohol wines (the fat will accentuate the alcohol and make the wine seem out of balance - referred to as “hot”). As long as you follow this advice - even a lower alcohol red wine can be your choice.

Often you can look to what else is in the egg dish to figure out what to drink alongside. One of my favorite ways to eat eggs is to add some good Spanish chorizo and onions.  With these additional ingredients, a Spanish Rioja is a great partner. 

Rioja, made from the Tempranillo grape has enough acidity to handle the eggs, while the Chorizo and onion are greatly enhanced by the wine.  Look for “Crianza” on the wine label which denotes it is a fairly young Spanish wine which has not spent too much time aging. Reserva and Gran Reserva Riojas are great (some really great!) wines, but not for our brunching purposes. 

Add some Iberico ham which also pairs nicely with Rioja, and you will be one happy, happy, happy bruncher!