Where the hell do I begin writing about our visit with ArPePe in Valtellina Superiore.
These guys have it ALL. The vineyards, the winemaking, the vision, the tenacity. The list goes on. I’ve never experienced wines so comprehensive that after the visit I had to sit by myself and digest everything we saw. Isabella and her brothers have the magic. And that’s really putting it lightly.
My dad and uncle kept commenting on how these vineyards reminded them of Côte-Rôtie in the northern Rhône. Seeing the different crus, all basically contiguous, and tasting how wildly different the wines are from one another reminded me of the Rhône too. Each wine has its own personality and feels like it’s trying to say something completely different.
ArPePe is absolutely in the upper echelon of quality. The wines are pure and detailed and grand, but still alive with energy and reverence. The kind of wines I’ll remember forever. Must try. Must buy. Must stash.
Another terrific collab dinner at Lāna’i City Grill with Chef Christian Page and his team. For this month, I chose the Daniel Chotard Sancerre Rosé—a dry, wondrously light, mesmerizingly minerally, completely enjoyable & uplifting Pinot Noir rosé. On this night, it acted like the cranberry does—keeping the palate fresh & alive between bites—at the Thanksgiving feast. Thank you team LCG!!!!
We do a special dinner every third Thursday (except in May, it will be the 4th Thursday)…..at Lāna’i City Grill. I select one wine each time…….and Chef Christian Page (& team) have to come up with three dishes that pair with the one. The only real stipulation is you can’t have cooked that dish before). Yup, it fosters thinking out of the box and nurtures understanding the distinct properties of the pairing wine & of the foods. It’s a very long process to do it well……open minds…..tasting and continually tweaking….& learning different facets on this journey every month. Truly remarkable after 3 1/2 years how much we have learned………pairing with wines from all over the world and done in so many styles. This was only the 5th time we showcased a California wine. (The dessert is always a bonus to end the meal.). Thank you very much Chef Christian & Team LCG!!!!! Inspiring. Can’t wait for April’s challenge!!!!!
What a terrific, collaborative dinner at Sera Restaurant…….featuring two immensely talented chefs!!!! Epic! Thank you very much Steve for the pictures!!!!
Opening Night at Lāna’i Bowl…….the unveiling of a gathering spot for the neighborhood to have fun and eat terrific, reimagined, retro based food—smash burgers, homemade pizza, oxtail soup, beef stew…..milk shakes, soft serve, shave ice………What an unreal kick off night!!!!!!! Go team LB!
Coming up this Wednesday is our LAST Tableside Wine Tasting of the year with Chuck Furuya. We’re featuring three of our standout New World wine finds of the year.
2021 The Hilt Pinot Noir “Estate”
2017 Sucette Grenache “Old & Own-rooted Vines”
2021 Ojai Syrah “Bien Nacido Vineyard”
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In addition, Thursday we will be hosting a Food & Wine Pairing with a tasty, rustic and savory red from Sicily. Produced from the native Nero d’Avola grape variety, this is the style of wine served at Local countryside Cafes and Trattorias. Chef Christian Page and the LCG team will be serving exquisite and inventive food that pair with the selected wine.
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Live music will be provided by Lanai’s own Dale Kapua on Wednesday and Na’Hoaloha on Thursday from 5:30-8:30 pm.
Click the Link in bio for reservations!
Swipe for some humerous pictures 😃
#fyp #wine #winetasting #hawaii #winelover #winepairing #foodandwine #lanai #foodie #winewinewine
SERA Restaurant wine tasting
“Very Different Perspectives on what Champagne can be”
Not all Champagnes are grown or created equal.
’Tis the Season for bubbly. We have found a quartet of truly artisan, OUTSTANDING Champagne for this tasting—créme de la créme in quality. We hope you are as excited in anticipation as we are.
J. LASSALLE Brut “Preference” Premier Cru
One of our all-time favorite Champagne producers, proudly run by three generations of women. These Premier Cru based wines (60% Pinot Meunier, 20% each of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) are incredibly sheer, lacy, and delicately nuanced—with tiny, titillating bubbles that make them the perfect starter, thirst-quencher, or mood-setter. Uplifting, refined, and truly elegant.
GONET-MEDEVILLE Brut Blanc de Noirs, Premier Cru
100% Pinot Noir—this estate draws from the Médeville family’s extensive Premier Cru—Bisseuil, and Grand Cru—Ambonnay, vineyard holdings, delivering a Champagne that is complex, brimming with pedigree, poised, and full of finesse.
PIERRE PAILLARD Brut “Les Parcelles” Grand Cru
What a discovery! typically 70% Pinot Noir & 30% Chardonnay, barrel fermented, aged in oak & full of Grand Cru grandeur & pedigree
NICOLAS MAILLART Brut “Jolivettes” Grand Cru
Extraordinary! One of the hottest tickets out of Champagne. 100% Bouzy Grand Cru Pinot Noir, raised in & framed with oak first. A real standout!
DATE: Sunday, December 14th
TIME: promptly at 4:30pm
Please sign up on Open Table—Sera Restaurant
The ala carte menu will be available after the tasting.
Sunday, November 23rd……4:30pm …..at SERA restaurant (by reservation only). We continue our wine journey at Sera by tasting 4 wines from Etna—a still-active, high-elevation volcano located on the eastern/ northern side of Sicily. This storied, once-elusive wine appellation has very recently captured the interest and curiosity of the professional wine community. The wines are truly like no other.
Etna rises to just over 11,000 feet in elevation (and is still growing due to periodic eruptions).
The sweet spot for growing top-quality wines lies in a band roughly between 2,000 and 3,500 feet on three main sides of the volcano (though the western slopes—once thought to be relatively “quiet”—are now emerging as well).
The wines are primarily centered around two indigenous grape varieties: Carricante for the whites and Nerello Mascalese for the reds.
I was genuinely surprised by how many old-vine parcels, planted in pockets of volcanic soils, are still actively farmed.
The bottom line is this: the white wines can be absolutely mesmerizing and formidable, while the reds are often surprisingly light-hued, hauntingly perfumed, and ethereally stone-driven at their core.
Once again—the wines are truly like no other.
Gotta take friends to eat at Helena’s Hawaiian Foods & enjoy a taste of Hawaii. (In this case visiting star winemaker Paul Lato and Leslie Lee). Thank you Craig for such a wonderful time!
This Napa trip was filled with all-star winemakers and vineyards but maybe no one more significant or legendary and deservedly so than Andy Erickson, winemaker consultant for iconic projects such as: Screaming Eagle, Dalla Valle and Mayacamas.
His wife Anne Favia is a standout viticulturist and together they form Team Favia. A duo that perfectly bridges art, science and soul.
I’ve always loved their La Magdalena bottling. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc that’s lavish, deep and full of resounding character. The production is small and the accolades are HUGE so if you can find some it’s a must buy and stash.
The fruit comes from the revered Oakvill Ranch in the eastern hills of Napa Valley sitting on the lower slopes of the Vaca Mountains between 800 to 1,400 feet in elevation, with red volcanic soils extending just above neighbors like Dallas Valle.
What a team, what a vineyard and my god what a wine.
