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Wine and Food

Alexander van Dülmen

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Hisa Franko, Restaurant, Staro Selo (2nd report)

Hisa Franko, Restaurant, Staro Selo, Kobarid, Slovenia

8 points

Returning a year later to Hisa Franko, the home of Ana Ros, I’ve just had another extraordinary culinary experience.

You can find more information about Hisa Franko at https://avdwineandfood.net/2015/04/27/hisa-franko-restaurant-hotel-staro-selo/ and https://avdwineandfood.net/2015/05/03/hisa-franko-restaurant-staro-selo-kobarid-2-report/

Her cooking is among the best in the world. Almost all ingredients are from Slovenia, many coming straight from their own garden; meat and selected fruits and vegetables are sourced from the surrounding area. Continue reading “Hisa Franko, Restaurant, Staro Selo (2nd report)” →

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Clos Saint Joseph, Blanc de Blancs, 2014, Villars-sur-Var

Clos Saint Joseph, Blanc de Blancs, 2014, Villars-sur-Var, white wine from France

6 points

Another really special wine from Roch Zassi of vinery Clos Saint Joseph is a classical Blanc de Blancs. Please find more about the winery at https://avdwineandfood.net/2016/05/29/clos-saint-joseph-syrah-2013-villars-sur-var/#more-3729

This white blend has a very rare taste – it is pretty ambitious, considering its amazing array of flavors and aromas. It reminds one a bit of a Sancerre, with its slightly salty ground. In contrast to this, the wine is more acidic than any Chardonnay or comparable French blend. Aside from the saltiness, the wine is fresh and carries a very enjoyable minerality. There are all flavors of summer grass as chrysanthemum, chamomile and even dandelion. Elderberry, gooseberry and kiwi – a very exciting mixture: almost exotic but still grounded due to the stony tone of the soil. You would think this wine would need some time in the barrel, but this one didn’t mature in barrique – it’s only steel.

Continue reading “Clos Saint Joseph, Blanc de Blancs, 2014, Villars-sur-Var” →

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Clos Saint-Joseph, Syrah, 2013, Villars sur Var

Clos Saint-Joseph, Syrah, 2013, Villars sur Var, Red wine from France

7 points

Perhaps the first thing I should say about this wine: it is too young! It could be better to let this wine age one more year before selling it. Since Roch Sassi produces only a few hundred bottles per year of this remarkable red wine, it’s not terribly easy to buy wines from him. Because the wine is of great quality and has a very special character,  you would expect that his wines are pre-sold anyhow, although they aren’t.

WP_20160406_013 Continue reading “Clos Saint-Joseph, Syrah, 2013, Villars sur Var” →

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La Bastide Saint Antoine, Restaurant, Grasse

La Bastide Saint Antoine, Restaurant, Grasse, France

6,5 points

This isn’t only a restaurant but a very beautiful residence, comprising a few buildings which are used as hotel, spa and relaxation zones. Surrounded by a park of olive trees, sculptures and a botanic garden, you feel yourself calming down from the first moment, and you really feel a kind of spirit of Provence – although it is on the Cote de Azur.

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Continue reading “La Bastide Saint Antoine, Restaurant, Grasse” →

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Trattoria Da Dante Alle Piazza, Padua

Trattoria Da Dante Alle Piazza, Padua, Italy

4 points

This very classical Trattoria was recommended to me by the receptionist of Padua’s probably only design hotel, called Le Camp (http://www.lecampspa.it/). She is an attractive young woman from Padua, with some Romanian roots, and she told me that Trattoria Da Dante Alle Piazza wouldn’t be her place as it is rather conservative and doesn’t offer “light” food. Actually this was what I wanted to hear, since I was in the mood for a classic Italian pasta.

Continue reading “Trattoria Da Dante Alle Piazza, Padua” →

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Tetou, Restaurant, Golfe Juan

Tetou, Restaurant, Golfe Juan, France

3 points

What is the right description: brazenness, presumptuousness and / or hubris? Or is it: exclusiveness, exceptional quality and / or “superbe”? Certainly it is “genial” – brilliant – a place you hate or you love. I cannot believe that there is lot space between.

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Continue reading “Tetou, Restaurant, Golfe Juan” →

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1479 Nelles, Riesling, Alte Reben, 2007

Riesling Alte Reben, Nelles, 2007, White wine from Germany

5 points

Please find my previous reviews of wines from the Nelles winery here: https://avdwineandfood.net/2015/05/02/1-ahr-spatburgunder-nelles-2010/ and https://avdwineandfood.net/2015/06/07/b-52-spatburgunder-nelles-2006/. Since you will find a lot of  information about Nelles there, here I will concentrate only on the wine.

Although the lovely valley of the small river Ahr is further north than Mosel, this wine region stands for the best red wines. White ones are rather rare.  Soil almost in the entire valley is mostly schist.

Continue reading “1479 Nelles, Riesling, Alte Reben, 2007” →

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Foradori, Fuoripista, Pinot Grigio, 2014

Foradori, Fuoripista, Pinot Grigio, 2014, White wine from Italy

6,5 points

I don’t actually know  anyone (!) who wouldn’t praise Elisabetta Foradori as one of the most innovative, inspiring but also dogmatic winemakers in Europe – if not to say in the world. All of her wines are organic and biodynamic. She has a very strong focus on grapes which have their home where her home is: in the southern Dolomites – Trentino. Trentino is in rorthern Italy and is part of the southern Alps. The soil of this region is always influenced by the mountain area. Like wines from Alto Adige, Valais or Brda, regional wines from Trentino are wines of the Alps.

Continue reading “Foradori, Fuoripista, Pinot Grigio, 2014” →

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Fontanabianca, Barbaresco, Sorì Burdin, 2005

Fontanabianca, Barbaresco, Sorì Burdin, 2005, Red wine from Italy

4,5 points

The label of this wine makes people want to buy it! It has a beautiful and very memorable graphic or symbol within a golden ring in the center of the label. As I’ve said a few times already, I would never underestimate the value of the bottle’s design. Many of us may not remember a wine without this visual bracket. If the wine is good enough to keep it in mind, someone has created a valuable symbiosis.

Continue reading “Fontanabianca, Barbaresco, Sorì Burdin, 2005” →

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Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Restaurant, Berlin (2. report)

Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Restaurant, Berlin, Germany

7,5 points

It’s actually not so long since I wrote about Nobelhart & Schmutzig – please see my last review here: https://avdwineandfood.net/2015/09/18/nobelhart-schmutzig-restaurant-berlin/! The concept of this restaurant is the most radical conceptualization of real regional cuisine; Micha Schäfer and Billy Wagner call it “brutal regional”.

Continue reading “Nobelhart & Schmutzig, Restaurant, Berlin (2. report)” →

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Bieberbau, Restaurant, Berlin

Bieberbau, Restaurant, Berlin, Germany

6 points

The variety of restaurants in Berlin is really impressive. 19 Michelin Star restaurants (13 with one star, 6 with two stars) among 4650 (!) restaurants in general. The number comes from the municipality of Berlin and it’s not stated clearly whether or not McDonald’s is included in this data. In any case, it’s easy to imagine that there is a lot of competition. Owners and managers of restaurants need to generate special publicity. One may have a great location or a niche cuisine. At Michelin star restaurants certainly, chefs are in the foreground, though according to my observations, flair and atmosphere also count, in particular if you have such strong competition even among top cooks. Yes, you can find any kind of food and cuisine in Berlin. Considering that Berlin between 1945 and 1990 (East and West) was known for poor and rather bad cooking, the development in the past 25 years is impressive.

Continue reading “Bieberbau, Restaurant, Berlin” →

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Chateau La Lagune, Grand Cru Classe, Haut-Medoc, 2010

Chateau La Lagune, Grand Cru Classe, Haut-Medoc, Bordeaux, 2010, Red-wine from France

6,5 points

At Cave Croisette (https://avdwineandfood.net/2015/03/06/bistro-and-winebar-cave-croisette-cannes-2/) – one of the only places you can visit in Cannes – I recently have been advised to try a Chateau La Lagune. Since I haven’t been at the vinery (yet) I cannot report first hand – but drinking the wine is something special.

Continue reading “Chateau La Lagune, Grand Cru Classe, Haut-Medoc, 2010” →

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