Joe Canal’s has long been a "must-visit" location for winemakers and other industry VIPs. The latest visitor to meet and greet the customers in Lawrenceville was Martina Molino, the charming young winemaker from Mauro Molino.The Mauro Molino winery is located in northwestern Italy’s Piedmont region. Joe Canal’s carries Molino’s Barbera, Langhe Nebbiolo, and Barolo, all of which were available for tasting with Martina. The 2010 Barbera D’Alba (available exclusively at Joe Canal’s in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge) is a fresh, fruit-driven wine that is aged in stainless steel tanks. This red wine is light enough for summer sipping, or pairing with casual food. The Langhe Nebbiolo is a richer wine, spending time aging first in stainless, then in oak. The traditional 2007 Barolo is young, but enjoyable, and capable of aging for 20 more years.
Martina spent two hours at the Lawrenceville store, signing bottles and talking about her wines. The occasional summer thunderstorm didn’t dampen anyone’s appreciation of the wines, which showed amazingly well. And although she’s only been studying English for about eight years, her stories of the wines and vineyard life captivated every store visitor.
With the Barbera priced at only $12.96 (BottleClub), the Mauro Molino wines are as affordable as they are enjoyable. Please remember to visit the Events page on jcanals.com to get the latest updates on special guests and activities in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge.
Colle di Val d'Elsa lies between Siena and Florence. Over the years this location was key because of the constant fighting between the two cities. Colle Alta was clearly a fortified village and is stilled walled in. We got there in late morning and began walking around.
Not wanting to turn a fantastic meal into a study in food, I did take pictures but tried to keep the note taking to a minimum. My lovely and patient wife appreciated this immensely. I looked over the wine list deep with older vintages of fantastic Tuscan wines and did what I usually do, took the road less traveled. Since I would be eating through a tasting menu that was mostly meat and game I selected a Syrah from Cortona for myself. 
Stacey was not up to a full degustation menu. We substituted one of my courses with a lobster risotto that we would share and then she order a sea bass preparation. To match the fish and other lighter courses I selected a Gewurztraminer from Hofstatter, a well respected producer from the Tyrol region of Italy.
Seven courses, and three and a half hours later we finished. The Gewurztraminer was gone and there was half of the Syrah left, which we took with us. Once again, our senses were shaken in a most delightful way. Gaetano was at the top of his game in the kitchen as was his brother in the dining room and my only question was "Why did they have two stars from the Guide Michelin and not three?"
He strode over to the shelf and pulled a bottle down. Another Cortonese Syrah made by Antinori called... Bramsole, the name of Francis Mayes property. We bought that bottle and several others and after multiple thank yous and good byes we headed back to Montecastelli.
This was our day to take in the culture and sights of Madrid. So much to do and so little time. We traveled as a group and decided to check out some of the sites around our hotel. After visiting a few churches to look at the architecture we made our way to the Mercado de San Miguel. This local market is surrounded by numerous restaurants and by this point we were starving so we chose a random one and just relaxed at the outside tables. The best part of Madrid is the endless supply of tapas, mmmmmmmmmm! We chose some great dishes and sat back and watched the world pass by (what a life!). 
MY DAY: We left our hotel early Sunday morning and made our way to Rueda to visit Castelo de Medina. It had been pretty warm all week but the temperature dropped into the fifties and the wind gusts were extraordinarily strong here in Rueda. We made our way to our hotel to drop off our luggage before we started to the winery. One of the owners of the winery met us at the hotel and we all had a quick drink then it was off to the winery. At the winery we were greeted by the technical director (who, like the owner, spoke little to no English) and he ended up being one of the funniest gentleman I have ever met. Throughout the day, he just kept making funny observations and always had a quick joke to tell (all translated for me of course).
We were welcomed by Daniel Martin Cestero, the technical director for the winery (basically, he runs the show). Daniel was passionate and knowledgeable and as he led us on our tour we realized that he is involved in every aspect of the winery. From field to finished bottle, Daniel is monitoring every little detail. Most importantly he loved sharing the information with us! This was his life and he loved the sharing it with us. 
After the tour we returned to the main house (which is attached to the winery) for our meal. There is nothing like home cooking and the meal involved several local dishes. By the time I left the table I didn't think I could eat another morsel for the remainder of the trip. BUT the meal wasn't completely about the food. We tasted the wineries offerings and were very impressed by the value they represent. The Casa del Valle Cabernet Sauvignon is heady and bold and steal for the price. The Syrah was unique and I can't wait to try it again. The higher end offering is the Finca Valdelagua which is an impressive blend of Cab Sauv, Syrah and about 20% Merlot. 
Joe Canal's is excited to announce the arrival of country music star Toby Keith's new Mezcal, Wild Shot! Toby Keith’s Wild Shot Mezcal, a handcrafted 100% green agave spirit, is authentic in its Mexican heritage right down to the worm at the bottom of the bottle.
"I have always been fascinated with Mexico and the drink Mezcal," Keith says. "It is a part of my life. Mexico is a theme that runs through many of my songs, including my recent single 'Bullets In The Gun.' The tradition and history of Mezcal is magical to me, and dates back to 16th century warriors celebrating the defeat of their enemies."
We parked the car and walked into the city. The plan of the moment was to get our bearings, eat (of course!), and visit the Duomo there. This was a must for me as I had been there before. After having seen the Duomo in Florence the day before, I could attest that although Florence may have a bigger cathedral, the details of the Duomo in Siena are nothing less than breathtaking. We quickly located the Osteria where we wanted to eat and a shop where one woman made beautiful hand loomed scarves and garments. We spoke to her in our mangled Italian and promised we would return later that afternoon to purchase some of her work as gifts for relatives at home. Hunger pangs could not be ignored at this point so we made our way back to the Osteria Chiacchera or Chatterbox, for lunch. I ordered a green salad, gnocchi with pork sausage in tomato sauce, and grilled lamb chops to split between the two of us. A light lunch as it were, and of course a bottle of Rosso di Montepulciano to wash it all back.
We were constantly marveling at the simplicity of the cooking and how it worked so well. Lamb grilled to perfect medium, seasoned with just salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon over arrugula. Nothing else could have made this better. 
As we approached the Duomo the difference between this structure and the one in Florence was clear. The details were amazing.
We must have spent an hour and a half inside and I know I snapped close to one hundred photos. I keep coming back to the comparison of what we consider to be “wonders of the world” today and to understand that this was built in a period from the early 12th century to the 14th century, simply boggles the mind. A portion of the structure remains incomplete as it was halted by the Black Plague in the mid 14th century.
It was getting late in the afternoon and we decided to slowly start making our way back to base camp. We did return to the shop where we saw the woman weaving scarves. She was surprised to see us. My guess is that she hears it all the time from window shoppers that they will return. In a sort of parallel to what we'd just seen, we were taken by the the artisanal garments she produced and the the timeless method of hand looming that she used. A small lesson that hand skills aren't always improved upon by technology.
MY DAY: I was uber-excited to visit this winery when I found out about this trip. I love the Reserva and the Graciano is fantastic but now I could put a face (or view) with a name. We arrived at the winery and were greeted by Javier Martinez de Salinas y Manso de Zuniga, technical director for the Bodegas Olarra Group. The winery isn't very large despite the amount of wine it produces but everything is state of the art and every aspect is micro-managed so nothing escapes notice. We visited the winemaking facilities and roamed around the stainless steel tanks and fermenting tanks and then went deeper into the winery to see the barrels and barrel storage areas. This winery was definitely impressive and its unbelievable how much wine that they have on hand at any given time. At one point we came to the room of the Orden de Ondarre. This is a special room dedicated to barrels personally owned by private consumers. For a certain fee, you can choose the wine you want bottled and have it aged for three years here at the winery. If you are interested in this, please let me know and I can provide you with a longer explanation of how it works. Following this part of the tour we went to the bottling line and watched the workers ply their craft. After a brief discussion we made our way back to the vehicles: it was time to see the vineyards. 
A brief walk through the vineyard led us to an ancient church from the twelfth century. The newly restored church was simple in its design but the sheer age of the monument was breathtaking. The winery set up a small tour for us and we found out that we were the first official tour of the church by the group that helped renovate it. A wonderful experience!
MY DAY: I saw pictures of this winery before the trip and I couldn't wait to see the design and architecture. From the outside the winery looks like a simple modern structure but there is much more to this impressive building. I wish I could add more photos to this story because choosing only a few doesn't do it justice but if you ask I can share more of the photos with you.
We tasted around twenty wines and all but two wines were keepers to me. I can't guarantee we will bring all of the wines in but we will have a few more offerings in the near future. The highlight of the tasting was trying some of the new vintages versus the current releases. I love the classic styling of the 2004 vintage in Rioja but 2005 offers more dark fruit flavors and more concentration. If you like the 2004 Ondarre Reserva, the 2005 offers more power and intensity. But I digress... the importance of this tasting was learning about the number of wines Olarra produces while keeping in mind that each bottling and label is distinct in its own right. It's hard to fathom that one operation can create so many different styles while still maintaining a high standard of quality for each.
After a leisurely paced tour we made our way to the adjoining building that would be the site of our next great meal. Two of the winery employees were here readying our meal. Again, simple homemade cooking at its best. We went to the second floor and look down upon a great stove fired by cuttings from the vineyards. Once this stove reach the right temperature and full cage of lamb chops would be cooked upon the embers. The smells rose throughout the hall and stomachs grumbled in anticipation of whats to come. Needless to say, we had eaten a fair share of lamb on this day and there were no complaints from any of us. The entire meal was delicious but our day was at an end. We said our thanks and made our way to the vehicles to start our trek back to the hotel. We needed to relax after this dinner.
We arrived in Logrono and immediately went to the hotel to freshen up. A quick change, a little stretching and I was ready to tackle the world. We met with the International director for the Bodegas Olarra Group and he helped kick our trip in to high gear. We roamed the town and made our way to a secret hot spot: Meson Egues. This is where I had some of the most delicious beef I have ever eaten. The small establishment doesn't open till about 10pm (along with every other restaurant in Spain it seems) but the wait is well worth it. We went to a private back room and as we passed the kitchen I couldn't help but notice the simplicity. Simple grilling over charcoals: no microwaves, no ovens. If I describe the food too much I will leave this writing and leave for Spain on the next flight so I will keep it simple; Fresh cuts of beef from the market, cooked to perfection with a sprinkling of sea salt with plates of white asparagus that was so tender it melted in your mouth and peas so fresh that they literally popped in your mouth when you bit into them. 
Unfortunately this was not to be one of those times. Driving for about 45 minutes we both had to concede that we had not seen any recognizable landmarks for a while and we both had that uneasy feeling that we had no idea where we were. We pulled over into a service station to ask for directions. A couple of truck drivers were all too eager to help so long as we could translate their "Eyetalian" and our "Engleesh." Language barrier aside, they did actually get us oriented, and we continued on our way until we hit the most recognizable boundary of the city, the Arno River.
Hewn out of Carrara marble, the work had been started by another sculptor in the mid 15th century and then stalled before Michaelangelo picked it up and finished it in the period from 1501 to 1504. Standing in front of the amazing statue, again I was compelled to realize that much of what we take for granted today whether it be artistic, technological, or otherwise, simply pales by comparison.
It is a delicious wine made from primarily Sangiovese, and as far as I can tell, not exported to the U.S.. For my primi (appetizer) I choose Octopus stewed in red wine and tomatoes.
Many large cities in Italy have cathedrals, Catholicism being the predominant religion in the country. Many of these cathedrals have large domes as part of their structure and are referred to simply as duomos. The Duomo in Florence is huge and re-inforced the idea that the Italians like to spend money on culture and especially big churches. 
We walked into Trattoria Garga just as they were opening. Typically the natives eat out much later, but seeing that we had about an hour to drive to return to the villa, and still weren't 100% certain about directions, we opted to eat early. Garga is named for its owner, Giuliano Gargani. He and his wife opened the restaurant over 15 years ago in a smaller space before moving it to its current location. They both have since retired from active duty, but their son was running the kitchen. The signature dishes such as Insalata Garga, a salad of greens and a most un Italian ingredient, avocado, and veal scallopine with avocado and truffle cream, (he is very fond of avocadoes), were spot on.
It is the Monday of a full week in Tuscany. We are in the third full day of our honeymoon getaway. This is the first day we have any commitments and the first is an appointment to tour the Montalcino Estate of La Rasina. It is a small property driven by the energy of one man, Marco Mantengoli. He is the third generation of his family running this small estate, which now produces high quality Brunello di Montalcino, Rosso di Montalcino, and an IGT Tuscan Rosso (a proprietary blended red wine). We set off mid morning on Monday and arrived at the vineyard at about 11:30am. Marco met us outside the winery. Broken english and twisted Italian mingled to help us communicate. We toured vineyards. We stuck our heads in giant fermentation tanks, and we talked wine. 
It was my second time visiting his property, but the first time my wife Stacey had even been this close up inside a working winery. She absorbed it all like a sponge. Marco talked about his seasonal struggles against weather, Mother Nature, and the wine journalists, dispelling the idea of the glamorous life of a winemaker.
La Rasina Brunello di Montalcino 2006
Again we couldn't help notice the fortifications of the hilltop town that indicated the real age of the place.
As we talked and ate, Roberto acknowledged Joe Canal's support of his product by sending us two glasses of a Rosso di Montalcino that he had ordered for their table. It was a 2009 Rosso from his neighbor Siro Pacenti. The young intense wine went very well with our lunch of pasta and cured pork belly. We talked on about wine, the wine trade, and life in Tuscany.