The 5 Lands! - Cinque Terre (Part 1)

Personally I don't enjoy white wines nearly as much as a do a good red like a Cabernet Sauvignon, Australia Syrah or Zinfandel but on a 16 day trip to Italy last September/October with my family, I learned of some very good white wines grown on steep cliffs in Cinque Terre located in the Liguria region of Italy. Not only are the white wines beautiful and affordable, the people, food and scenery (think cliffs, vineyards, ocean, villages) are some of the greatest in the world.

Driving from our 3 hour stop in Pisa (yes 3 hours was long enough) to the small village of Monterosso Al Mare in the dark was quite an adventure. The area is accessible only by 1.62 lane roads that rise, twist and fall and fall for several miles after leaving the A12 (the main highway). We actually got to go up and down the hill in the dark twice as Monterosso Al Mare is separated into two different villages Old and New and unless you have a local traffic pass allowing you to travel through a 1.35 lane tunnel, you must take the 'overland' route. The excitement of driving narrow, steep roads at night was further enhanced by the moderate layer of coastal fog that had settled in a couple hours early. Dad did a great job traversing the curves, avoiding bushes, dogs, a couple of signs and most importantly, the cliffs.

Arriving at the long drive at our Hotel the Villa Accini in the Old part of Monterosso, we noticed a man walking towards us slowly with his head lowered. He didn't look happy and a mere 37 minutes later after trying to communicate in broken Italian (ours), broken English (his) and finally perfect Spanish (his and my girlfriend's) we found out there was a clerical error and our hotel rooms we had reserved online for 4 nights were no longer available. The 'good news' was accommodations had been made at Hotel Margherita in of course the New part of Monterosso. My girlfriend did a great job of keeping her composure and thanked the manager for the information, they even got into a short discussion as to how he knew Spanish so well. He explained that he had spend 17 years in Argentina and now was back in Italy were he was born. My dad, 'The Driver' was eagerly awaiting a translation from my girlfriend as to our hotel accommodations status. She let him know the details and even a little bit of the Manager's Argentina 1/4 life story. Dad then asked "how do we get to New Monterosso?", with a hand gesture, the manager motioned 'back over the hill'. We all smiled faintly and trudged back to the rented Opel to drive the 7 miles overland to New Monterosso...My dad actually seemed alright with the whole thing and almost seemed to relish more fog, curve, dog, cliff driving...Italy will do that to you and your state of mind.

Next Week...Cinque Terre Lobster Spaghetti w/ local white wine.

What kind of wine should we have...with enchiladas?

One of my favorite restaurants for any type of food is Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen in Old Town Orange. They have some of the best mole chicken enchiladas, fresh salsas, homemade churros and of course margaritas to be found anywhere. So on a recent trip there with my girlfriend, we decided to ask a question seldom heard in Mexican Restaurants around Southern California..."What kind of wine would you recommend with the mole enchiladas?". Knowing that Gabbi's has a pretty decent wine list from previous visits but not knowing if some of the wait staff were actually oenophiles, our server immediately offered two choices.

"With the richness and spiciness of the mole sauce, I would go with a Spanish Jumilla or we have a very nice and well priced Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon.", he quickly replied with what seemed like first hand tasting knowledge. "Tell me more about the Chilean Cab you are thinking of", I responded. He then went on to describe a medium bodied Chilean Cabernet called Casillero del Diablo that sounded like it would pair nicely with the mole enchiladas and the flat-iron steak w/ mushrooms, peppers and cheese enchiladas that I was ordering.

Once the wine arrived, we liked the aroma and felt the taste was good and bold enough to stand up to both my girlfriend's enchiladas Mole and my spicy, tasty flat-iron and once the food arrived we were not disappointed with our servers suggestion. The Casillero del Diablo cabernet was nice with the tender and rich steak and did not taste too sweet against the tangy green tomatillo mole cheese enchiladas served on the same plate.

I would not recommend asking for wine pairings at all Mexican restaurants but those that offer true Mexican dishes by skilled and trained chefs such as Gabbi's, it is always good to ask!

Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen is located in Old Towne Orange and is open for Lunch and Dinner; reservations are not accepted. Be sure to ask for the daily fish, dessert and other specials.

Address:
Gabbi's Mexican Kitchen 141 S Glassell St Orange, CA 92866

Web:

http://www.gabbimex.com/index.php/kitchen_about/