Sexy Santorini & its Sensual Wines

      All of the surrounding islands used to be part of Santorini until the cataclysmic volcanic eruption

Santorini arouses all of one's senses...even for this jet-lagged traveler who arrived yesterday.  If you’ve seen a travel poster or magazine cover with a dazzling photo of a Greek island, there’s a very good chance it's from Santorini.  This jet-setting, jaw-dropping, pleasure-bomb-of-an-island is unparalleled for its seductive beauty---think dramatic cliff-scaling white-washed villages, a profusion of bougainvillea in a rainbow of colors, all against a backdrop of crystal clear sapphire seas. 

Santorini, however, isn’t just an erotic paradise.  The island offers one of the most unusual archaeological ruins in the Aegean Sea.  Akrotiri, a perfectly preserved city from 4000 BC, is frozen in time due to a catastrophic volcanic disruption that annihilated the island’s civilization and buried the settlement in volcanic ash for nearly 400 centuries.   Greece’s version of Pompeii, Akrotiri wasn’t discovered until 1860 when earth and ash from Santorini started to be mined for use in building and insulation of the Suez Canal.

The cataclysmic volcanic explosion that obliterated Akrotiri and reshaped the entire island of Santorini (and all of the surrounding islands), left behind wonderfully rich volcanic soil responsible for producing Santorini’s voluptuous white wines.   Santorini has one of the most unique terroirs in the Mediterranean.  Growing conditions are brutal as the island’s arid climate, high mountains, and strong winds are inhospitable to all agriculture.   Vines that are able to survive, produce powerful, fleshy wines.

Vines are grown in forms that conserve water & protect from treacherous winds

The island’s signature grape is a white variety, Assyrtiko (a SEER tee ko).   While grown in a few other parts of Greece, the grape is indigenous to Santorini.  And, it’s in its birthplace that the grape is its most sensual due to Santorini’s mineral-rich, well-drained volcanic soil.   Assyrtiko is often referred to as a white wine with a red wine’s character.  Its solid acid framework means this pleasure-giving wine can also age beautifully.

 

Look no further than Santorini for an unforgettable experience that will titillate all of your senses.

Two Perfect Scoring 1982 Bordeaux

          Chateau Haut-Brion & Chateau Latour---don't wait too long to open your special bottles 

Recently we hosted a Bordeaux dinner in our home with some significant wines.  There were two piece de resistance Grand Crus from the 1982 vintage:  Chateau Latour & Chateau Haut-Brion.  Both of these wines were given 100 point scores by Robert Parker.  If you can find them, the Latour sells for >$2,600 a bottle, the Haut-Brion north of $1,500.  Accompanying these First Growth wines was a Ployez-Jacquemart Champagne and a Chateau Suduiraut 2000.   It was a hedonistic evening.

 Haut-Brion, one of Bordeaux's 5 Premier Grand Cru wineries, is a usual stop on Wine-Knows trips

The Haut-Brion had been brought by dear friends (merci, Carrol & Steve).  Their bottle had been purchased on futures in the late 1970’s.   After bottling, it had carefully been stored in a cool, dark area for the first twenty years, and in a wine refrigerator for the last twenty.  Our Latour had been stored in a refrigerated wine case for over 20 years, and in a temperature-controlled/humidified wine cellar for nearly fifteen years.   We weren’t anticipating any storage problems with either.

               Wine-Knows visits Chateau Latour, another of Bordeaux's 5 Premier Grand Cru 

There was a great deal of thought given by both parties regarding preparing the wine for its ceremonious uncorking.  Typically, a ten or twenty year old powerful Cabernet requires an hour or two of contact with the air to soften its bold tannins.  As tannins and fruit both dissipate with age, however, there was concern of how long these forty year old Cabernet-centric wines should be opened in advance:  too early could mean loss of fruit flavors which were already on a downward trajectory.   Online sleuthing yielded a mixed bag for when the wine should be opened.  Expert suggestions for length of time to open the wines were very outdated (nothing had been written since the early 2000’s).   We were on our own to trust our best guess based on the evolution of both tannins and fruit.

                 Chateau Latour's tasting for Wine-Knows featured 5 wines from 3 different vintages

My husband and I finally agreed to open our Latour ninety minutes prior to serving and then decanted it.   Our initial taste and smell, thankfully, showed that the wine had no flaws.  Our friends opened their Haut Brion two hours prior to dinner, decanted it, and then placed it back in the bottle to bring to our home where it remained corked until shortly before serving.  Thankfully, their Haut Brion had also weathered the forty year storm with no flaws. 

                              Chateau Haut-Brion is surprisingly owned by an American family

Each wine was served in identical large Bordeaux glasses by Riedel, side by side.  Beef short ribs cooked in a Cabernet sauce was paired with the wines.  The structure of both the Latour & Haut Brion was intact, although the two wines were beginning to head on a downward course for both tannins and acids.  Experts had predicted that both wines would be drinkable through 2030, however, both bottles should have probably been consumed five to ten years earlier for a maximum tasting experiences.   The two wines’ flavor profiles were all earth-centric---very little fruit, if any, remained in either wine.  While pleasant, both wines lacked a certain je ne sai quoi for complexity. 

The experience of these two 1982 Grand Cru Bordeaux reinforced the following lessons:

         1.  Keep your wines well cellared.

         2.  Consult the experts, but trust your gut based upon knowledge of a wine’s 

                    structural components & evolution.

                             3.  Before opening an older wine consider both structure (tannins & acids), as well

                  as fruit in determining the optimal open date. 

Croatia’s Venetian Gem

                Tiny Trogir island will be the starting point for Wine-Knows' yacht week in Croatia

Did you know that Croatia’s coastline was controlled by the powerful Venetian Empire for 350 years?   One of the most enchanting of all Venetian settlements along Croatia’s 1,000 mile coastline is the small island of Trogir (“Tro  gear”).  In fact, it oozes so much Venetian charm that Orson Welles chose the island to film his movie the Merchant of Venice in the 1960’s.   While many movies have been utilized Trogir as a backdrop, it has recently skyrocketed to fame for the island's use in the Game of Thrones.

                       These stunning buildings in Trogir could easily line Venice's Grand Canal       

Located just off the coast near the city of Split, Trogir is joined to the mainland by two bridges.   In 1997 the United Nations' cultural arm decided that the entire island was of such historical significance that it was granted special protection as a World Heritage Site (UNESCO).  This basically means that it now takes an act of God to change anything on the island.

                Trogir's main square is the antithesis of Venice's St Mark's in a good way

Trogir is a treasure trove of Venetian architecture from the 13^th - 18^th centuries.   Wander its tiny backstreets and you’ll swear you’re in an authentic Venetian neighborhood (today, that’s an oxymoron as few Venetians can afford to live in Venice).   You’ll know you’re not in Venice by the absence of endless souvenir shops, designer boutiques, and hordes of tourists jockeying for a table on its main square where small orchestras entice visitors to stop for a $20 coke or cappuccino.  Trogir’s far more simplistic main square has rustic charm for a fraction of the cost (and minus the pigeons) of St Mark's in Venice.

                 This scene is < 50 meters from Trogir's central square...not a single tourist in sight

The island of Trogir was purposely chosen by Wine-Knows as the boarding location for our private yacht.   For travelers arriving early a walking tour with a local guide is recommended as the best way to experience charming Trogir.   (Guides can be hired in advance via the web, or once you arrive on the island the concierge at the Brown Beach Hotel can assist with booking).

See you in Trogir!

Prosecco, Pear Vodka & St Germain

                                               
                                    This quickly assembled cocktail is perfect for a summer's eve

This is the final article in a trio on enticing summer cocktails.   I serve this one typically in a Champagne flute, however, the drink could be served in a chilled martini glass.  On the other hand, if the weather is really warm you may want to consider serving it in a highball glass with ice and perhaps a splash of sparkling water (imbibing any high alcohol drink too quickly is not a good idea so serving it with ice & water is a prudent idea on a hot summer’s day).

                               St Germain boasts floral flavors laced with tropical fruits

No doubt everyone knows the first two ingredients listed in the title of this article.  For those who don’t know St. Germain liqueur, you should know it.  An uber fragrant floral liqueur made from the tiny elderflowers, St. Germain’s Art-Deco bottle alone is worth the price of admission.   (St. Germain is not a one-trick-pony as it can also be used to add a very special je ne sais quoi flavor to desserts.)

 

The drink is super easy to make (we’re talking 4 ingredients).  It’s all about ratio’s.  Here’s the recipe I use for the Champagne flute/martini glass version.  

 

2 oz chilled Prosecco (or any other dry sparkling wine)

1 oz chilled Pear Vodka

1/2 oz chilled St Germain

Artful twist of lemon (or thinly sliced piece of a pear)

 

Poor, stir gently, top with twist of lemon and voila!

 

Happy summer….

Limoncello Spitz

                           Thyme & blueberries add the perfect note to this summer spritz

This is the second article in July on summer cocktails.   Summer is here and with it comes a profusion of lemons & blueberries, as well as a garden full of thyme in our San Diego area home.  My thought is when life serves you up a bounty of lemons, why not make limoncello?   So, that’s exactly what I did.   If you don’t wish to make the ever-so-easy limoncello (recipes online), buy a bottle and make yourself a cooling summer spritz as follows.

 

Serves 5-6

Add the following to a glass pitcher and stir:

    ~ 1 bottle cold Prosecco

    ~ 1 cup limoncello (from the freezer)

    ~ ½ - 1 cup cold sparkling water (start with ½ cup & taste)

 

Fill clear glasses with ice (so that guests can see the beautiful colors), then pour in the contents of the above mixture.  Garnish with blueberries, sprigs of thyme (or basil), and thin slices of lemon.   If you really want to have a show-stopper and you own a dehydrator, add a dehydrated slice of lemon (dehydrating really intensifies the lemon flavor).

Cheers!

A Devilish Cocktail for Red Hot July

                                      El Diablo (the devil), is the perfect libation for the 4th 

The month of July this blog is being devoted to hot weather cocktails.  Speak of the Devil, I’ve got a great summer libation to lower your temperature.  Trader Vic, once famous for his elite chain of upmarket Polynesian-themed restaurants ( no relation to Trader Joe), was known as the inventor of the legendary Mai Tai.  Trader Vic is also said to have concocted the recipe for the deadly Scorpion and more genteel Fog Cutter.   “El Diablo,” however, may be one of his best drinks.   El Diablo, devil in Spanish, could be described as the love-child between a margarita and a tropical ginger-based drink.

El Diablo is refreshing, but like all cocktails, shouldn’t be imbibed too quickly as there are three sources of liquor in this devil.   In addition to Tequila, there’s also a liqueur (while the original recipe calls for Crème de Cassis, I use Chambord), and  ginger beer.   If it’s really hot outside, one can bag the ginger beer and substitute ginger ale, however, you’ll need to adjust the lime juice as many ginger ales are sweet.

Here’s the original recipe for this more-heaven-than-hell summer drink.  I serve it in a tall glass packed with ice, and then top it with a thin slice of ginger and wedges of lime.

Per Serving:

      2 oz Tequila

      1/2 oz Lime juice  (3/4 oz if using ginger ale)

      1/2 oz Creme de Cassis (can substitute Chambord for a more elegant rendition)

      3-4 oz Ginger beer (or ginger ale)

Have a develish summer!

Split: the Hottest Chill City in Croatia

                   Wine-Knows will end its private yacht trip this September in Split 

Split is loved by travelers of all ages from a plethora of countries around the globe.  The city exudes a relax vibe.  Some might think it’s because of its drop-dead location on an exquisite palm tree-lined bay.  Others may attribute the calm to its pedestrian only historic town center filled with beautiful outdoor restaurants on enchanting small squares that make for perfect chill-spots.  And the weather?  Even on warm days, the ancient part of the city remains cool, shaded by a labyrinth of tall stone buildings and narrow passageways.  Split represents the best of slow-living.

                                   Diocletian's palace is even more special after dark

The chill vibe of Split may not be by accident.  Although the Greeks founded the city about 300 BC, the Roman Emperor Diocletian 700 years later chose Split to retire.  Diocletian built a massive palace and his final retirement residence occupies today roughly half of Split’s ancient city.  The huge palace (really a fortress) featured expansive areas for personal use and entertaining the masses, but also served as quarters for his large military troops.

                Portofino not only serves terrific seafood, but has a good wine list & sublime service

Diocletian’s Palace is a popular stop for travelers on a day trip from Dubrovnik, however, to best soak up the city’s “relax” atmosphere an overnight stay in mandatory.  Experiencing the old town after all the day trippers depart is part of the city’s magic.  Don’t think of staying anywhere but in the heart of the old town.  Also, do consider eating at the Zinfandel Wine Bar or Portofino (reserve at both, and request an outdoor table at Portofino or a coveted window-front seat at Zinfandel.)

                             Split's upmarket restaurants offer a dazzling area of fish & seafood
 

Split will be the final stop of Wine-Knows' private yacht extravaganza.  Travelers are encouraged to spend at least two nights soaking up its chill-vibe prior to boarding their international flights home.   

BTW:  There is one cabin remaining on Wine-Knows’ luxurious private chartered yacht.   www.WineKnowsTravel.com