2006 Massarosa Frascati Superiore

She said, hey, Massarosa, baby
Keep on a workin child
This aint no time to quit
She said, go, Massarosa, baby
Keep on dancin
I'm about to have myself a fit
Massarosa, Massarosa



Thank you very much.

It's hard to pass up the ol' stab and grab when a $12 bottle is marked down to $3. I'll fly my private plane to Colorado for a Fool's Gold Loaf but I like deals on wine. There's not a whole lot of info out there about this wine other than it's a blend of two minor varietals Malvasia and Trebbiano.

A light nose that seems to mostly have a Golden Delicious apple thing going on.

This has some grassy qualities - not quite unlike a Sauvignon Blanc - as well as a bunch of minerality and some limey qualities. It's a bit bigger in body and lighter in acid than a Sauv Blanc, but it's still a rather pleasant wine. As it opens a bit, some pineapple and various tropical fruit qualities come through.

Some pear notes linger on the finish as well as a lingering buttery feel.

Respectable and for three bucks I am happy with it - perhaps a good wine to drink when you're having a little Fun in Acapulco? Perhaps working as a lifeguard? Jumping off cliffs? Pissing off a rival gangster or some sort of nonsense? You know what's a great movie? Charro.

Wine: 6
Value: Sure

N/V Barboursville Vineyards Virginia Brut

In the wine world it's important to try new things - take a risk or gamble even though it may not pan out. I present you with a sparkling wine from Virginia. The winery charges $18, but I paid a little bit more at a local shop.

No nose.

A slightly, ever so slightly, oily mouthfeel here and sadly the wine goes flat fairly quickly. That being said, we're also getting slightly unripe apple dominating plus a bit of apricot as the bottle opens a bit. There's nothing unpleasant here - no weird metallic qualities or any other major flaws that show up in cheaper sparklers.

More of that apricot quality lingers on the finish.

For $18 if you want a wine as a souvenir or gift from your trip to Virginia, I can't say it's a bad deal. That being said, at this pricepoint you're looking at very basic entry level Champagne which is a far better deal. Apologies around - I respect this wine and it's certainly better than the Korbels of the world, but it's just, to me, not worth the asking price.

Wine: 6
Value: Nah

N/V Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee

Alright, in my post on bargain I mentioned snagging a $65 bottle of Champagne for $35 at an "end of bin" sale. Here we are.

Like a piece of toast slathered with some sort of pear preserves.

Big toast - loads of pear, tart green apple - plus a ton of acid, almost in a lactic acid sorta way. There's a distinct lemon thing and even, dare I say, a tad of sugar. It all leaves the mouth watering big time - alone I'm not convinced but give me a dozen oysters and I'd probably be in heaven.

Almost a dash of cinnamon seems to come through on the finish with pear notes lingering for a while.

There's nothing to complain about here - as a sparkling wine it's excellent, but there's plenty of entry level Champagnes for less than even the discounted price that are worth your while. This is very good to be sure, but I'm not punched in the face and at $35 (and especially at $65) I want my nose to be bleeding.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Nah

Picking a wine shop

Interested in wine? Looking for a regular shop? Here's a few tests.

First, observe the following:
1) Enter the shop dressed in your most casual clothes.
2) Walk around and don't speak unless spoken to.

Shop elsewhere if:
a) No one says anything for more than sixty seconds.
b) You get looked at with anything other than a welcoming smile or nod.
c) Everything in the shop is dusty and many many bottles and shelved standing up.

You may have a winner if:
a) Someone comes over, introduces him/herself and shakes your hand.
b) Someone says "how may I help you?" within sixty seconds.
c) Someone says "welcome, have you shopped here before?" within sixty seconds.

They do okay? Alright

-

Second, observe the following:
1) Enter the shop dressed in your most casual clothes.
2) Ask for a good red wine for $15 or less.
3) Await response.

Shop elsewhere if the person says:
a) "I can give you a great wine if you're willing to spend just a tad more."
b) "How about this wine?"
c) "I don't know."

You have a winner if the person says:
a) "Is this wine for you or is it a gift?"
b) "What will you be eating with this wine?"
c) "What wines have you had that liked?"
d) "If you're going to be having fish, you may want to try...."
e) "A food friendly wine that goes with anything is...."

Did they pass? Here's hoping they're swell.

-

Wait a couple days, return at a different time of day and observe the following:
1) Enter the shop in your most casual clothes.
2) Ask for something light but with a bit of sugar.
3) Await response.

Run away if you hear:
a) How much do you want to spend?
b) White Zinfandel is in aisle three.
c) (deep sigh) I guess you may like....

You have a winner if you hear:
a) Late harvest or German Riesling may be your thing, let me walk you over and give you some info because the labeling is tricky.
b) What are you going to be eating with this?

If they passed, you're doing alright.



Here's what you need to take away:
One cannot give an accurate wine recommendation (at a store) if they don't know in what context the wine will be consumed and/or the general tastes of who is drinking it. If a vague question is asked and a wine is recommended, why in the world should you trust them?

White Zinfandel should never be recommended. I'm not saying White Zin is bad, I am saying that if someone at a wine shop recommends it to you, they are mocking you. Sad but true.

If a budget is stated, ANY suggestion or push to get you to go over it should not be tolerated. If a recommendation for more the five dollars under what you stated is offered, that's a good sign.

Bottles of wine should be stored on their side. Inventory should be dusted frequently. Dust doesn't hurt a wine, of course, but if the shop doesn't care about that, what makes you think they care about things like storage temperature?

Wine is a luxury item that you can easily live without or buy elsewhere - if anyone at a shop gives you shit, shop elsewhere.

Since wine is a luxury item, one should not be put off (but shouldn't necessarily expect) a little bit of over the top courtesy or explanation.

The Bayless empire

The new restaurant by the man referred to as the hottest (as in most popular, not sexiest, though maybe he is that too) chef, Rick Bayless, opened yesterday.

Xoco - located right next door to Frontera and Topolobampo is a counter service restaurant with food inspired by street carts in Mexico. You basically got sandwiches, salads, and after 3 pm, soups.

Apologies are in order for the crappy photo, but this is the Pepito.



The menu says: Braised Tallgrass shortribs, caramelized onion, artisan Jack cheese, black beans, pickled jalapenos.

I went in expecting it to be okay, but nothing revelatory - and I'd say it was somewhere in the middle of the two. The point of the restaurant is simpler faire with high quality ingredients and for that it succeeds.

Also consumed were guacamole (excellent but without some of the pizzazz you see in Frontera itself), a Milanesa sandwich (fried chicken with a crazy amount of delicious jack cheese), and hot chocolate - there is a whole menu of chocolates which are made in house. Dinner was $32 - not cheap, but also not as expensive as the sit down places. If you're drinking alcohol one can easily hit $50 on dinner for two.

We arrived on a whim at 4 pm and had no wait. Chef Bayless was present overseeing the kitchen and even working on plating some food. The waits are going to be crazy in the coming weeks - it's worth a visit I think, but I would say you should stay away in the typical busy hours.

2007 Fayette Estates (Mackinaw Trail) Pinot Noir

I grabbed this bottle from the wine rack and had no idea what it was until the fine print said "Produced and bottled by Mackinaw Trail Winery." An attempt to get more info didn't pan out and sadly I don't recall what I paid for this - it must've been less than $20.

Quite interesting notes on the nose - funk, earth, barnyard, maybe some strawberry.

Truly dumbfounding. Serve this to me blind and I'd tell you it's from Burgundy. Hell, I'm still not convinced I'm not hallucinating. Very light in body, with a funky, barnyard, spicy quality up front - basil, thyme, oregano show themselves. This is a predominantly earthy wine with only light fruit, strawberry for the most part.

A basil thing comes through on the finish as well as lingering strawberry.

This very well may be the most Burgundy like domestic Pinot Noir I have ever encountered. I'm not saying it's comparable to a top producer, but it's absurdly good (and not at all on par with my notes from the tasting room, which shows how subjective all this is).

Wine: 8
Value: Yes'm

2006 Frei Brothers Russian River Valley Reserve Pinot Noir

This goes for roughly $25, but I found it in an end of bin sale for half that. I debated buying more than one bottle, but didn't want to risk it.

Cherry on the nose, but also a fair amount of barnyard.

Light bodied with an excellent balance of fruit and earth. Cherry and strawberry mostly with a big dash of white pepper and a touch of cola....in fact, it's more than a touch, this is a wine with fairly big cola flavor, and if I may say so, that is a damn good thing.

More cherry and spice on the finish which is admittedly short.

Though this isn't the best PN we've had, it's clearly the best for what I paid and a worthy entry even at retail. I may have to hit up the shop again and see if there are more on clearance. An easy recommendation.

Wine: 8
Value: Yep

2006 Castano Monastrell Yecla

Castaño for those of you who are particular about their tildas. This is a monastrell - you may be familiar with it by its more common name, mourvedre. I don't recall what I paid for this or why, but online prices vary between six and ten dollars, so it's a cheap offering.

I get some cola components on the nose as well as some tart cherry.

Not unlike a light bodied California Pinot Noir - the peculiar blend of strong dark fruit combined with a strong dollop of funk and earth. Like dropping a blackberry in fertilizer and not washing it off before eating it. I am digging the fact that this is so light, many CA PNs don't work for me because the ones we've had tend to get a bit heavy, this is just about right.

I get just a bit of Twizzler on the finish.

This isn't a terribly complex wine, but it's very tasty, easy drinking, and a perfect summer red - chill it a bit and eat it with burgers or brats and you're good to go.

Wine: 7
Value: Definitely

2008 Mulderbosch South Africa Rose

The weather's a bear and rose is a surefire way to beat the heat. I'm perusing the shop and grab a French rose, our default, and as I walk around I stumble upon the South African wine section. It's been a while since we've had a South African wine (as far as I can tell it's been three years), so this is the first in several wines we'll be having in the near future to reacquaint ourselves with the region.

Some minerality on the nose, which isn't all that common in roses.

The slightest bit of sugar - barely noticeable, but it's there - and a good punch of acid. Strawberry mostly dominates here with some nice spicy notes. There's an interesting lemon/lime sorta thing - almost like it has a dash of 7-Up or something mixed in.

Some interesting spicy things come through on the finish - white pepper perhaps, something more exotic that I can't quite place my finger on - almost a lavender quality.

For ten bucks, I have no complaints here.

Wine: 7
Value: Yep

2008 Lacheteau Loire Valley Vouvray

This was seven bucks at Trader Joe's. We grabbed this and the Josefina rose reviewed below - this was the second wine opened after tossing half that bottle - part of me feels this review is somewhat biased because it was consumed right after an atrocious offering. I dug this enough that it does warrant a revisit - we'll see what happens then.

The nose brings crisp pineapple notes.

Very nice - light spice, somewhat sweet, light in body, plenty of crisp acid. Green apple, tropical fruit, and pineapple in a crisp sorta way.

Tart apple and some tropical notes linger.

A phenomenal summer wine and one of the better bargains I've found in some time - highly recommended.

Wine: 7
Value: Yes

2007 Josefina Syrah Rose

This one goes for five bucks or so at Trader Joe's.

A nondescript grapey quality on the nose.

Just blah - grapey but with some spice and tannin. Sweet and spicy overall and and ultimately unpleasant. It's not cloyingly sweet or anything, but the whole combination of flavors and mouthfeel is pretty bad.

The finish is little more than a spicy/sugary mess - more sugar comes through right on the finish.

Among the worst, as in foulest tasting, roses I recall consuming.

Wine: 3
Value: No

2007 Triebaumerg Muscato Gunter Triebaumber

An Austrian Muscato? Hmm. I don't recall the exact details on what I paid, but I do recall it being under $15.

A bit of honey and orange - sort of like an orange jam.

There's just a bit of fizz in this one despite the sparkling wine packaging. Sweet to be sure, but not cloying, mostly peach, but some apple - varying between golden and the lighter red varieties, all with a bit of some mild citrus qualities. You know, with just a bit of air this is really coming alive - almost a fruit salad - there's nectarine and pear, even a bit of honeydew melon.

I'd say mostly apple notes on the finish.

I would consider this a dessert wine and would not recommend as a table wine unless you are really into sweet stuff. That being said, it's a damn good dessert wine and easily on the list of the best muscato we've had.

Wine: 8
Value: Yes

2005 L'X de Larrivaux Haut Medoc

This goes for around ten bucks at Costco and I believe has some sort shelf talker about 90+ points but the details of that I am sketchy on. I gave it about 90 minutes to open (it wasn't tight, but it was sorta dumb).

Sort of a pencil lead quality on the nose of this one along with a dash of eucalyptus and even a minty/cherry thing - sorta like a cherry flavored toothpaste.

Black fruit - plum, super dark red cherry - with a whole bunch of that earthy/spicy thing you expect. Very light oak, the lightest touch of vanilla, and a nice bit of tannin, all with a bit of eucalyptus and more of that pencil lead that I don't see often (to be fair, I don't drink all that much Bordeaux, at least decent Bordeaux). It's like sucking on a pencil in a way, a good way mind you.

Some nice tannic tea like qualities come through as well as some dark cherry.

You know, for a Bordeaux that's less than ten bucks, I gotta go right on ahead and say this is damn fine. I'm not sure how much more time in the bottle I'd give it - I couldn't imagine more than another year or so, but it's definitely worth a look.

Wine: 7
Value: Hell yeah

2008 Two Lads Pinot Grigio

Alright, Two Lads - Pinot Grigio. Retail this goes for about $16.

A big ol' Pinot Grigioy nose, which is an obnoxious descriptor, but good PG smells like PG. It's mostly a green apple thing with some vanilla.

Michigan Pinot Grigio is, in my humblest opinion, some of the best on the planet. You can get some cheaper bottles from Italy, but for this price - $18 which is right around Santa Margherita territory - places like Two Lads and Left Foot Charley annihilate the pasta makers. Excellent blend of acid and sugar, mostly green, or maybe golden, apple notes. There's some nice spicy qualities, more vanilla, just the slightest touches of green grape, pear, and even banana (usually a quality I'd consider a flaw, but it works well here). Way on the back palate bring lychee. Something was lingering here that totally stumped me - I recognized something distinct, but could not place it. After about 90 minutes, it hit me - Juicyfruit gum

I keep getting vanilla in this one - even on the finish as well as more pear and lychee.

2007 Left Foot Charley was the best PG I've ever encountered. Two Lads owns 2008. If a more interesting Pinot Grigio exists at this pricepoint I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a bottle today.

Wine: 9.5
Value: Hell to the yeah

2006 Pierre Sparr Extrem Riesling Alsace

This was on super ultra mega discount - kicking it down to three bucks from I think ten. Not only is it an EXTREM Riesling, it's also an EXTREM value! Remember kids, listen to Poochie and always recycle - TO THE EXTREM.

Enough joking, wine is serious business....TO THE EXTREM!

A somewhat gasoline fueled nose with a punch of lime....key lime, maybe....key lime pie, in fact.

Very light in body, somewhat light in acid, quite light on sugar, and somewhat light on taste - unripe nectarine dominates (sorta like if you absentmindedly take a bite out of a nectarine with the consistency of an apple) with a dash of lime rind. There's even a sort of cherry skin quality here - imagine peeling a Rainier cherry and just eating the skin - sorta like that. There's even a sort of good vodka like quality here - clean, smooth, not exactly burn, but certainly a spirit quality. Interesting.

Really more of the same on the finish - unripe nectarine, lime peel, and cherry skins.

This is the sort of wine that as it opens, I become more convinced of its quality - the first hour I wasn't quite convinced but after a couple hours, I feel this really began to shine. I am a stupid stupid human for only buying one bottle at three dollars. Stupid.

Wine: 7
Value: Yep, even at full price

2004 Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva

It's kind of a shame that the, apparently, unrelated Monsanto corporation is so evil....it's like buying a wine called Mussolini. It just feels wrong.

The nose here strikes me of mostly barnyard - funky to be sure, even some rotten banana comes through.

Smooth and somewhat heavy - not terribly acidic - loads of dark chocolate, cherry, (bordering on rotten) strawberry, tobacco, leather, cedar - pretty much everything you'd expect from a quality Chianti.

Chocolatey and tobacco notes on the finish.

This strikes me as a very well crafted bottle in a true Chianti Classico style. For $20 there's absolutely nothing to dispute here - drinking fine now but I'll bet in a few years it would be even better.

Wine: 8
Value Sure enough

2007 Forty-Five North Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose

As soon as we left this winery and got on the road I began to doubt myself with buying this one - that is, only one - but we had other places to hit and the budget was being pushed as is. Sparkling Pinot Noir Rose - twenty bucks - regular ol' twist cap - the way you know it's sparkling is by the little bubbles. I wonder if they ever regret making it so subtle. I quite like it, myself, but people do tend to be, you know...dumb.

I found a review - a negative review - that I can only assume was discussing this bottle, but the person clearly did not realize this was a sparkler. Loosley quoted: "strong bubbles and fizz...not a good thing." That sorta is a good thing in this case.....and if it wasn't - that would be what we call a flawed bottle and an e-mail to the winery would be in order. I mean, really, do they just let any idiot publish wine reviews on the internets?

(and a chill filled the room.....)


Many wines we've consumed lately have been bringing stone fruit, which I fear is a 'palate rut' for me, but I'll be damned if this doesn't bring mostly nectarine on the nose.

Fairly heavy in body and somewhat light on bubbles. Cranberry, strawberry, and tart cherries on the palate with a touch of sweetness. There's some tannic structure here that's quite interesting, but I can see the whole heaviness here turning some people off - neither light nor crisp, though I do not consider that a flaw - this is, perhaps, the definitive sparkler for fall or winter.

More of that cranberry quality with even some interesting oaky notes (though I assume this hasn't actually seen oak) on the finish...almost a pinch of clove seems to come through.

A nice offering - well played - and somewhat unique. I dig it.

Wine: 7.5
Value: Yep

2007 Circa Estate Winery Cabernet Franc Leelanau Peninsula

On our visit to Traverse City, Chris from Two Lads Winery told me about this guy, Terry Stingley, who is planning on a "taste off" of Cab Francs. He feels that Cab Franc may be Michigan's "identity" grape. That is, when you think Argentina - what grape do you think? Probably Malbec. Germany? Riesling. Read up here if you want.

No one is really "known" for their Cab Franc, so this is an interesting idea. (Michigan's most popular grape seems to be Rielsing, but many - hell, most - are lackluster compared to their Alsatian and German bretheren.) I have made some subtle jabs at Cab Franc as a single varietal wine, but on our most recent trip we sampled a few that were impressive without qualification - including a forthcoming that's probably going to blow minds.

So here's a Cab Franc from Circa Winery - a wine that may be in the "Michigan Cab Franc Challenge" - that goes for about thirty big ones.


First - check out this cork - I'm glad we opened this sooner rather than later. It's a good idea to check bottles you're sitting on a few times a year anyway, but I definitely would keep an eye on this. My impression is this wine is well crafted and would benefit from aging.
Second - this is perhaps obvious by the last comment, but this wine needs a few hours to open.

The nose has cherry liqueur with cedar and tobacco - burning tobacco, sorta like a pipe - notes all with some stewed green peppers (not in a bad way).

Earth, oak, cherry, spices - clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, a bit of dried mint - all with firm tannins and blueberry coming through on the back palate (and more so up front as the bottle opens), plus just the slightest hint of "natural" cola (the Whole Foods stuff, not Coke). Excellent balance all around.

No vegetal qualities at all - a lot of people avoid Cab Franc because they're afraid of that funky cabbage or strong bell pepper quality quality, but very few, if any of the Michigan wines (at least at the higher pricepoint) show any of those notes. There may be some bell pepper (as here) but they are typically subtle and well integrated.

The exceptionally long finish brings more of that quirky natural cola quality, as well as some nice puckering tannins, good lingering acidic punch, and some ever so slightly unripe raspberry. Way back on the end, as it fades, a distinct cigar quality comes through.

Thirty bucks is nothing to sneeze at, but there's nothing to argue with here. Well crafted, interesting, and a fantastic wine all around - among the best Cab Francs we've had.

Wine: 8.5
Value: Go for it

N/V Cooper's Hawk Winery Cooper's Hawk Red

Cooper's Hawk is a local chain of restaurants/wineries. After a few visits and some serious thought, I've decided it's a very good restaurant and the wines are more than acceptable when consumed at the restaurant. To take home? They strike me as a tad pricey (retail and wine list prices give different expectations). This is, I believe, their cheapest red - a blend - which goes for somewhere around $14 in the shop.

Almost a fruit bomb Australian Shiraz quality on the nose - powerful, potent, black fruit, all with, dare I say, a green bean thing going on.

On the light side of medium bodied, with mild tannins, solid acid, good spice - various dried Italian, anise, and black pepper - not to mention a good punch of plum and cherry, and yes - some of the green beans on the nose comes through here on the palate. It's curious, not bad, if you're eating when you consume this you may not notice, but it's there, somewhat on the back palate. .

Some minty notes come through on the finish as well as lingering anise and cherry, but it does fade quickly.

I've gone through a number of their reds, and oddly enough I think this is one of the better ones, even when price isn't an issue. For a take home souvenir, gift, accompaniment to a gift certificate, or just for something to take home and pop open with pizza, this is probably Cooper's Hawk best bet. If you're at the restaurant - snag a flight. To take home - this is it.

Wine: 7
Value: Yep

2007 Albero Bobal Rose

This was six bones at Trader Joe's - how bad can a $6 Spanish Rose be?

A very nice nose, strong with strawberry, cherry, and even cinnamon notes.

Cherry mostly with some minty things going on, as well as some light spices, along with some apple notes.

I'm getting a watermelon rind thing on the finish, as well as some somewhat unripe strawberries.

Decent, cheap rose rocks and this is certainly one of them. There are more complex and better rounded ones out there to be sure, but I doubt you'll snag one for under $10 that's better than this.

Wine: 7
Value: Yes

2006 French Rabbit Pinot Noir

This was in the clearance bin for $5, I think it retails for around $10.

A cherry jam quality on the nose, maybe even cherry liqueur.

While there is some cherry present, this is potent with blackberry. There's a bit of white pepper here, some very very mild woody notes, not quite oak not quite cedar, and a nice bit of dirt. The tannins are present and well integrated. Quite good, especially from a box.

Ever so slightly tart blackberry lingers on the finish.

Easy drinking and simple? To be sure. Tasty and nicely balanced? I do believe so.

Wine: 6.5
Value: Yes

2005 Croix Du Mayne Cahors

It's a good idea to give all of your red wines (and you know, even your whites to a lesser extent) some time to aerate - if you don't want to mess around with a decanter, at least pour a glass or two and let them sit for an hour before you start drinking.

When I first popped open this $10 bottle, I took a sip and thought it was disgustingly sour - so much I wasn't sure I could drink it. Realizing I was getting ahead of myself, I waited two hours and lo and behold all that blew off leaving us with a groingabblingly good deal..

Basically a raspberry thing is going on here on the nose with all sorts of crazy earth/mud and even some barnyard.

Very nice - potent acid, definitely with a big enough punch that you may want some food with it. Light and tart cherries, with a punch of blackberry, black pepper, anise, and nice cigar box notes. The second day a big punch of eucalyptus came through with cherry and anise and the rest more or less blowing off.

Cedar and cherry stick around for a while on the finish.

I just looked this one up and it's 85% Malbec - how about that? Damn fine - unfortunately I have no clue where I bought this otherwise this is an obvious recommendation.

Wine: 8
Value: Yes.

2007 Funf Riesling

We're back from Michigan, our palates have recovered and I decided, on a blazing hot day, to pop open a German Riesling that went for around seven bucks.

An odd grapey nose with little else.

This is a Riesling? From Germany? Come on man! I feel like Andy Millman! No, I don't buy it. Seriously. This is white grape juice spiked with a shot of vodka. This is either the lamest Manischewitz white wine ever made or it's a joke. Come on! Really? The Germans can make this ridiculous of a Riesling?

Where's Dom DeLuise and the Candid Camera crew? He's pulling pranks on me from beyond the grave! Always a kidder, that Dom. Did you ever see that movie Fatso? Hilarious. Just thinking about that move makes me hungry. Speaking of works of art with Dom that make me hungry - he was the voice of Pizza the Hut in Spaceballs. That's easily one of my top five favorite movies....

Grape juice on the finish.

Maybe if this come out of a box or something I would've been prepared, but I'm dumbfounded. I've never had a wine so bad that it amused me - that alone made it worth the seven bucks.

Worst. Wine. Ever.

Wine: Ha!
Value: Ho!

There ya go

This marker was right off the highway in Wisconsin. I saw a couple signs in the TC area, but none were of the photo op variety like this one.



So our full notes from the Lake Michigan Circle Tour are up....if you're reading this in the distant future, just click the "July 2009" link to your right and you'll see them all on a page or two.

I do encourage you all to comment or drop us an e-mail if you have any questions, comments, or observations.

Parallel 44 - Kewaunee, WI - 7/4/09

Parallel 44 is located around 30 minutes southeast of Green Bay in a somewhat tucked away area - it's not right off the highway and you do have to be looking for it.

The notes:

Seyval Blanc - Floral nose, a tad sweet, with floral/herbal tea qualities on the palate.

Riesling - Sweet, a bit of acid, pink apples, with peach and various stone fruit lingering around.

Rosso - Cherry nose, semisweet, decent acid and mildly tannic, with cherry flavors but still a bit sweet for our liking.



Baco Noir - A goofy grape varietal that I was happy to see. Cherry, chocolate, and blueberry, still sweet and lacking tannin or oak, but interesting enough that it's worth a try.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - A funky nose, light in body with spice and a bit of funk and mild sweet oak with strawberry notes hanging around in the background.

Meditation - A sweet, heavy dessert wine with cherry notes - full notes at some point in the future.


A nice place with some unusual wines, perhaps worth a stop if you're in the area. I'm not glowing about it, but just for a chance to try some Baco and go for a country drive I'd say it's worth the trip.

Captain's Walk Winery - Green Bay, WI - 7/4/09

On the way to this winery, I needed gas only to be met by the WORST GAS ATTENDANT EVER.



This is what liberal America is doing...making small businesses - like Shell - hire employees who don't even have opposable thumbs. Did we lose a war? That's not America...that's not even Mexico.

I digress.

We've been to many wineries in our day, but the staff at Captain's Hawk wins the prize of the friendliest, most outgoing, easiest going staff we have ever encountered. Seriously. Even if the wines here sucked, which they don't, I'd still recommend visiting because everyone rocks.

This place is apparently tied to von Stiehl Winery, also in Wisconsin, which he haven't been to yet, but plan to sooner rather than later.

The notes:

2006 Riesling - Just a tad flabby for my tastes with peach being the strongest flavor.

Sangiovese - Menthol on the nose, light in body, some bell pepper, cherry, spice, and a tad of plum.



Merlot - Smooth, low tannins, cherry, a bit of tannin and cinnamon come through on the finish, but I can't help but call this one a bit blah.

Cabernet Sauvignon - Cedar and black cherry on the nose and palate with dark black fruit, medium tannins, clove, and nice structure.

Captain's Red - Grapey all around, we were told this is their top selling red which is just sad.



Gewurz - Sweet and slightly flabby, but fine - peach, apricot, a bit of spice.

Maiden Voyage - This wine comes in an awesome ship shaped bottle that I would've bought if it wasn't thirty bones. Strawberry nose with a big fat artificial watermelon thing going on on the palate, good acid, sweet but not cloying - if this was ten bucks I'd probably buy it. This is the perfect wine to drink while listening to Alestorm:




The wines here are sampled in Riedel glasses, which should really be the standard, but almost no one does it. There's a sign that says something along the lines of "Does the glass matter? Ask for a demonstration." I should've, just to see what they do. The staff here clearly know their stuff and I gotta tell ya, I'm beyond down.

My favorite Wisconsin winery? I think so.

Threefold Vine Winery - Garden, MI - 7/3/09

So we're driving along the dirt road to get to the winery and I absentmindedly passed it up. Suddenly, I heard "Hey man, you missed it." Fran and I looked around wondering who said it only to find....


Larry the llama pointed the way back to the winery. Thanks Larry!


Anyway, as an anti-theist of the Dawkins school I was a bit taken about when we walked into a place which had Bible quotes on the wall. The tension of a guy with a goat skull tattoo on his wrist walking in was broken by the friendly house dog coming up to say hello. The woman working was friendly enough, but we were clearly not terribly welcome outsiders in a place where we didn't belong, so we didn't linger.



Here's our notes:

Valiant - Grapey, every so slight tannins and even a bit dry, but basically this sort of tasted like a dry wine of the Concord variety.

906 - Tasting almost exactly the same as the Valiant, a cherry quality comes through but that's about it.

Glory Bee - A wine made of peaches, honey, and ginger that's actually extremely tasty.

Confection - Almost like a cherry port, fairly strong, and fine for a powerful cherry wine.



Basically, the products here are aimed more for the fruit wine drinker. They're not "bad" at all, but it's just operating as a different type of place than most of the places we hit on this trip. We won't be back, but we wish Larry well!

Mackinaw Trail Winery - Manistique, MI - 7/3/09

Ah, the Upper Peninsula - home of pasties (the food, not the garment - though whose to say the garment isn't featured there as well), smoked fish, and wild animals who dart out in front of your car.

There really is a wikipedia entry for everything, isn't there?

This winery tasting room is located on US-2 in the Upper Peninsula, we visited because we saw a faded sign at the side of the road that said fifteen miles to the MACK TRAIL. MACK TRAIL YEAH!



You get two samples for free and five for $5 - so technically seven samples for five bones. I didn't even ask where the actual vineyards and winery are....seriously a deer had just jumped in front of my car, and I drive a tiny one made of plastic, I'd lose that fight.....I can't be expected to remember basic questions.


The notes:

2006 Shiraz - A funky/garbagey nose with earthy, peppery, and cherry notes on the palate.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot - Light in body with cedar and raspberry notes.

2006 Pinot Noir - Cinnamon, clove, all sorts of spices all around really, with some blueberry notes as well.

2007 Cabernet Franc - A bit of sugar, with a bit of a cherry cough syrup thing going on.

2007 Cabernet Sauvignon - Blackberry notes along with cedar and spice.

2007 Merlot - all my notes say is "cherry."

2008 Vidal Ice Wine - Peachy nose with honey, orange, and peach on the palate.

This may not sound like a ringing endorsement, but it really is - everything here was at a minimum good (maybe not the Cab Franc). Did anything jump up to the level of transcendence? Perhaps not, but few places do. If you're anywhere near the area (there's another tasting room in Mackinaw City), hit this place up.

Ciccone Vineyards - Suttons Bay, MI - 7/2/09

Ciccone's website will be your destination if you click that.

This winery is owned by Madonna's dad. Yeah, that Madonna...besides a few bottles of "Madonna wine" that is close to being sold out and not available for tasting, you'd never know it. Seriously - if you want glitz and tackiness, you'll be disappointed.

I was going to put in a bunch of lame puns about Madonna, referencing how if an older gentleman was working the room I'd insist he 'not preach' and making sure to tell everyone we were on 'holiday' - but I'm not going to do that. That would be tacky. I was hoping for something light so I could say something like "there's no evidence of body" - but really, this is a classy blog. So, instead, I present you my notes:

2007 Chardonnay - Enough butter and oak to turn me off, but not enough that I couldn't respect this as a well crafted wine.

2007 Pinot Grigio - Dry with muskmelon and honeydew notes - well played.

2007 Pinot Noir - Cherry and eucalyptus on the nose with plum, cherry, and even some chocolatey notes on the palate.

2007 Cabernet Franc - Smoke with green pepper, cherry, and soft tannins over all.

Lee La Tage - A Bordeaux blend with cedar, cigar, and cherry.

Marechal Foch/DeChaunac - Cinnamon and plum, not doing much for me.

You know, the notes here may not reflect it, but I really dug this place. The wines are mostly Old World in style, subtle, refined, and well crafted - not to mention cheap, I don't think anything we tried was over $16. I bought a bottle and we'll see how it holds up to concentration, but based on the samples, I'm down. Well played! Five for five on Leelanau!

L Mawby – Suttons Bay - 7/2/09

This was an obvious, must revisit - one of our favorite wineries in the country, L Mawby rocks my face. You get two free samples (Sandpiper is mandatory, I think, and the other is up to you) and then for five bones you get two addition 2oz pours with some crackers and spread.

We've reviewed a lot of L Mawby here, so do a search for more....these are what I jotted down in the room.


Talismon - Apples, light in body, though some interesting toasty notes come through.

Cremant Classic - This wine sickens me, I hate it, I can't stand it, I drink it and want to throw it out....yet I cannot put it down. Funky and weird, rye toast comes through as does some blueberry essence, with a strange gasoline component. Complex, frustrating, and not at all to my liking, yet I felt compelled to buy a case. I didn't though. I hope to never taste it again, but if I see it at a store I'll buy them out.

Sex - Strawberry and cranberry, slightly off dry, certainly tasty.

US - Fruity with bubble gum qualities even though it's not all that sweet.

Jadore - Treat this as a dessert wine and you're set - sweet with honey and apricot notes. No toast or whatever and no apologies, just layers of fruit and sugar - it works nicely.


Gil's Pier, L Mawby, Circa, and 45 North - four damn fine places all within a few miles - you can't beat it.

45 North Winery - Lake Leelanau, MI - 7/2/09

Here is 45 North's webpage.

With vineyards situated more or less on the 45th parallel - the halfway point between the North Pole of the Equator - this winery is right down the road from Circa and only opened a couple years back.

It was busy enough that I didn't feel comfortable taking up too much of the young woman's time, but buildings seem to be under construction, so I'm not sure we tasted in the permanent tasting room or not.

A group of people made a comment about seeing us the day before at some other winery, which made me extremely self conscious as I was wearing the same shirt....like you've never done that....whatever.

Anyway....the notes:

2008 Riesling - Light bodied with mostly apple notes, low acid and low sugar so still balanced but more in the quaffable range. The finish brought out some nice acidic notes for what it's worth.

2007 Sparkling Pinot Noir - Basically a bad ass sparkling rose. Dry and crisp with strawberry notes. Detailed notes coming soon, but I gotta tell you I'm already pissed at myself for only buying one.

2008 Pinot Noir Noveau - An earthy nose on this blush style wine - strawberry, cherry, nice acid, but a dash of sugar. Rather nice, even though I prefer dryer roses (they had a dry rose, but we inadvertently skipped it).

2007 Pinot Noir - I snagged a bottle of this one because it was so damn intriguing. I couldn't place it, but I was getting strange notes of whiskey or maybe brandy on top of odd petrol and stone fruit notes along with some berry like things - I am stoked to pop it open at some point.

2007 Cabernet Franc - Light body, cherry, cedar, and cigar notes. Not bad.

Peach Cremant - Like a bellini without the work - peachy but light in body and even nicely acidic, and oddly enough I was getting some sort of (extremely mild) tea like tannin, though that may have been residual Cab Franc swirling around the cavities. Either way, well played.

If Circa gets my top recommendation, this winery - right down the road - gets an easy second, if not tie. I think I'm going to have to start saving for next year's trip now as we've found some winners.

Circa Winery - Lake Leelanau, MI - 7/2/09

Check out Circa's by clicking that underlined word.

The guy working at Gil's Pier suggested that if we hit any other winery, we should hit this place as it was recently renovated. I'm game, let's try it.

The outside of this winery was, I believe, designed to look like an old Tuscan winery. The inside was dimly lit and had a rather swanky feel - I admit feeling impressed and underdressed, but quickly got over it. The two young women working - one who looked so much like a cousin of mine that I no doubt acted strangely as we first walked in - were friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Right on.

Pinot Grigio - Floral notes on the nose. A light, easy drinking wine with pear notes.

Chardonnay - Very light in body, so light one may not even think it was the satan of grapes, crisp and with apple notes, this was quite enjoyable.



Requisite - This wine is made with a grape known as Blaufrankisch - if you've never had a Blaufrankisch, they tend to be from Hungary and are frequently disgustingly sweet. This? Fruity, but basically dry, with cherry and a nice amount of spice - cinnamon and clove dominating. Well done!

Cabernet Franc - Blueberry and light cherry with mild cedar and clove, all with great tannic structure - full bottle review coming soon enough.


At least one wine was about to be released, so there will be more in their portfolio soon. Few places hit four for four, so I'm very much down - as far as the Leelanau Peninsula goes, this winery gets my strongest recommendation.

Gill's Pier - Northport, MI - 7/2/09

Gill's Pier is fairly high up there on the Leelanau Peninsula....in fact, I'm not sure there are any wineries further north so you probably won't just drive by it - is it worth seeking out?

Here's our notes:

2007 Royce - spice on the nose. Golden apple on the palate with a bit of pear and honey. The best part of this wine is it contains Auxerrois which is a grape varietal we haven't had yet, inching us ever closer to the Wine Century Club.

2007 Riesling - Peachy nose with peachy notes on the palate.

2006 Cab Franc/Merlot - Oak and black cherry notes, nicely done.



N/V Just Unleashed - an easy drinking, light bodied wine with cherry notes - full notes to come eventually.

N/V Cherrio Cherry - light in body and a nice combination of fruit and tartness. Not a bad offering at all - so many cherry wines we try are cough syrupy, it's always pleasant to find one that's not.


The young guy working the bar was friendly and very helpful, he gave us plenty of info on the wine and the area itself. The woman we encountered was positively hilarious - pray these people are working when you visit....it was almost a Groucho Marx/Margaret Dumont pairing (with genders reversed).

Is Gill's Pier - in an area with so many wineries - worth driving the slight extra distance? I'm gonna have to say yes - in fact, I think if you're hitting Leelanau, this should be your first visit and then you can work your way south back towards the cities.

Left Foot Charley - Traverse City, MI - 7/1/09

Last year we hit up Left Foot Charley at the end of a ridiculous day of visiting something like eight wineries (this photo is from that day - there was no sun or blue sky in the first days of July 2009), we got lost finding it, and had a crappy attitude all around - I remember my tongue hurting.

The wines, though, still shined through even though we weren't having it...the irony, of course, is the bottle we bought wound up getting one of the most enthusiastic reviews we've done. I was very happy to be able to revisit when we were more enthusiastic.

2008 Pinot Grigio - Melon, pear, and green apple on the nose, more of the same on the palate with a punch of acid. Bottle review coming eventualy.

2008 Pinot Blanc Island View Vineyard - Light, quaffable, slightly sweet, not a lot of acid, but still strikes me as balanced.

2008 Rose - Light bodied with strawberry and a tad of banana - not working for me.

2008 7th Hill Riesling - Light in body with apple and peach dominating.


You know, I'll admit something. I'm the kind of guy who gets weirded out when there's no 'limits' placed. Put down "You can try six wines!" and I'll try six and think the employee is being rude if they cut me off at five. Put down nothing and I start feeling awkward - even though the staff gives no reason to. Maybe it's because the staff seems so accommodating I feel like I'm taking advantage.

I don't know what it is, residual Catholic guilt?

This is also the reason I strongly prefer visiting tasting rooms with a fee - a few bucks and I'm fine working my way down a menu.

Where was I?

They also have a small food menu as well as hard cider - which was quite tasty.

Left Foot Charley - good stuff, when I work out my issues I'll head back. Hell, maybe I'll head back to help work out my issues.

Peninsula Cellars - Traverse City, MI - 7/1/09

Last year we hit up Peninsula and were met by the most unfriendly winery staff we've yet encountered - I badmouthed them on this blog and received an apology from the owner and an invitation back since the two people we encountered were, according to him, terminated. I was hesitant, but we returned anonymously.

I left this second visit feeling like a real dick. The owner is clearly a decent guy, and most of his staff are probably awesome.

It's highly likely we hit them up (the first time) when the two ladies working were having a bad day and I talked smack. Maybe they jerk I dealt with at Brys just left and they were sick of it and a guy with a notebook was the last thing they wanted to deal with.

But the point of writing a blog is to give an honest assessment, and in that spirit, the staff here was great and any bad voodoo sent their way is hereby ceased.

This tasting room lets you try six wines for free. The notes:


2006 Manigold Gewurztraminer - Nice spice and acid with peachy notes dominating.

2006 Pinot Noir - Cherry, funk, and earth with a mediumish body - sorta like a slightly lighter bodied California Pinot Noir. Well played, if that's your style.

2005 Cab Franc - Quite a bit of an acidic punch, so much so that I'd say this one begs for food, black cherry is the dominant force along with some strawberry and spice - perfect for Italian faire.

2006 Merlot - On first sip, there's not much going on but it develops on the mid palate with some interesting cherry, stone fruit, and minty notes. Nicely done.

2005 Cabernet Franc Reserve - Big charcoal notes on the nose. Chocolate, cherry, with a nice punch of acid, some anise, and even a brandy like thing going on. Nice!

Melange - A slight alcohol burn with vaguely grapey notes, but then BAM - a burst of cherry explodes on the finish with a dash of cinnamon. Very nice.


There you have it. Peninsula Cellars makes some damn fine reds and if service is a priority, they nailed it, so good on you PC in the TC.

Next time - and there will be a next time I reckon - I'll give their whites a spin.

Brys Estate - Traverse City, MI - 7/1/09

Brys Estate website can be found here.

Brys lets you try six wines for five bones and with that you get a coupon for $3 off a bottle, some oyster crackers, and a square of a "reduced fat cheese product."


The notes:

2008 Pinot Grigio - Apples and pears on the palate, little nose.

2008 Pinot Blanc - Dryer and simpler than the PG with no nose.

2007 Pinot Noir Rose - A decent, typical rose with some funky woody/earthy notes - so right on.

2008 Gewurz - Dry and fruity with stone fruit notes.

2007 Dry Riesling - Not what I'd call dry, miscellaneous stone fruit and decent acid.

2007 Off Dry Riesling - Pink apple dominate this rather flabby wine.

2006 Signature Red - A soft and light bodied offering which I took few notes on.

2006 Merlot - Very light in body, soft, cherry, light tannins, I'd almost guess this was a Pinot Noir.

2007 Riesling/Pinot Gris - Sweet and gulpable but another flabby one.

2008 Pinot Noir/Riesling - Not unlike a damn good White Zin - in fact, if White Zin was like this I don't think it would have such a bad reputation.

2007 Later Harvest Riesling - Perhaps the best this place has, nice balance of sugar and acid.



The problem with situations like this - especially as someone who works in the service industry - is crappy customers can ruin my good time, because I know the pain of dealing with jerks. We were surrounded by pompous fools who harshed our mellows. This is no fault of the winery, but we worked this room more quickly than we normally would to get away.

One guy even kept bashing their wine saying "oh, (that other) winery up the road makes this wine far better."

(The worst part is I agreed with two of his assessments, but I'd never say something like that, because it's ultimately irrelevant - no matter what wine you drink, someone probably makes a better one, but really now, who does that? Talk your shit on the Internet, dude.)

That being said, nothing jumped out at us, but as you can see - nothing was "bad" either. Different strokes for different folks.

Two Lads Winery - Traverse City, MI - 7/1/09

Two Lads is the northern most winery on the Old Mission Peninsula.

The tasting room deal changes, but for now the first sample is free and then for eight bones you get three more pours and a small food plate with some smoked gouda and two baked goods from Morsels - a cheddar/olive savory morsel, and a sweet chocolate/black pepper. When the new reds are released, this will change a bit.

When we got home from our first Traverse City visit, Two Lads was easily our favorite in the area, after our second visit to the area, even after finding some other good places, I gotta say it still us.

This time around we met the owners and got a tour which was very informative. We don't often do tours - in fact, it's been a few years since we've done one because they're frequently uninteresting or led by people who only know a script. When talking to the winemakers directly, so much information is available that it's at times overwhelming.

If either Chris or Cornel are working the tasting room, it's very much in your interests to chat them up.

The winery itself is somewhat different than many in Traverse City - it's modern, it's sleek, and it's dare I say, serious, all while totally lacking pretension. It can be an intimidating place to the new wine drinker perhaps, but it also can be the most informative if you allow it to be.

More wines are forthcoming from the Two Lads, including a sparkler, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, and Cab Franc Reserve. We were able to try the last three in progress and all were excellent.

No wine notes from the tasting room, but here's write ups of the Rose, Riesling, and Cab Franc (a revisit is coming soon on the Cab Franc, we've had two bottles since and both were noticeably better).

There you have it - our warmest recommendation overall in terms of wine, tasting menu, and venue. The sort of place to get excited about - well worth your time.

Chateau Grand Traverse – Traverse City 7/1/09

Check out their site here.

(Please note: I am really bad at taking photos, and I distinctly recall thinking: "meh, there are photos on the blog already" - guess what, there aren't of this place. Their site has some though).

This was the first place we hit up in Traverse City because we had time to kill and because - and I apologize for the slightly backhanded praise - but they sell this incredible mustard:



They don't make it, but they sell it, and man, is it worth it - seriously. I have never felt even an inkling of what I'd describe as "passion" for a condiment before, but this mustard is...well, if you smear it on a penguin, I'm taking a bite out of him, even if he's frozen through and through. Put it on a crocodile along the river Nile, I'll tell you I will take a bite and then I'll surely smile.

I digress.

CGT lets you taste six wines for free and the winery seems to lean heavily on whites - their site features eight Rieslings. Here's the notes:


2007 Ship of Fools - fairly dry, apricot notes with orange or maybe grapefruit zest, all with a nice hint of spice.

2008 Pinot Grigio Festival Time - Cantaloupe/melon nose. A typical PG, fruity, balanced, with miscellaneous Italian melon notes dominating.

2007 Gamay Noir Limited - I nearly flipped over how much I dug the 2006, so I was dismayed to find that I found this to be a less than stellar offerng, mostly dominated by cherry and strawberry with enough of the dreaded banana coming through to really bum me out. Not terrible, but not up to expectations.

2006 Pinot Noir - Candied cherry on the nose with cherry and cola coming through on the palate - light in body and an easy drinking wine to be sure.

2006 Gamay Reserve - Black pepper, cherry, cola, sassafras - many of the qualities I loved about the regular 2006 Gamay - I guess I just prefer this vintage. Full bottle review will be coming eventually.

2006 Edelzwicker - A sweeter white - honey dew nose, with a nice balance of fruit - pear, peach, apple - and a touch of spice.


So there you have it - go for the mustard, stay for the wine.

Lake Michigan Circle Tour 7/1 - 7/4/09

We just got in from the Lake Michigan Circle Tour and, boy, are my arms tired.

(I'm being told that joke doesn't work in this context.)

Anyway, Fran and I decided a fun little trip would be to do the Lake Michigan Circle Tour, stopping occasionally to take in the scenery and hit up some wineries along the way along with some goofy spots which we haven't visited before.

I guess I expected most of the roads to be like driving on Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, but the only stretch of road really like that was up in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Most of the time we may have been close to the lake, but there was no view. Fine by me - many stretches were in forested areas with hills which is a big enough change to be interesting - but if you want all lakefront driving, you may find it disappointing.

The 1000 mile or so trip does take roughly 20 hours, so audiobooks are a must - our play list included: The Bro Code by Barney Stinson (annoying), Why We Suck by Denis Leary (the best read audiobook ever - it sounded like Leary was just ranting off the top of his head), Born Standing Up by Steve Martin (fantastic), a few Ricky Gervais Guides to Life (dangerously funny to listen to while driving), plus an unsuccessful attempt to get through God Is Not Great by Christopher Hitchens (you thought I mumble? Listen to this guy).

Anyway -

We visited thirteen wineries on the trip, three of which were revisits from our last visit. I'll be putting my notes up slowly but surely over the coming days.

When visiting wineries, we tend to be our typical socially awkward selves - I take notes, but no mention of this blog is mentioned (unless noted).

I don't mention the blog for two main reasons:

1) I don't want special treatment - especially on a first visit. I'd hate to be treated very well by someone who tends to be a total prick because they're afraid of bad press.

2) I'm too emotionally fragile to risk hearing things like: "Oh, you write that crappy blog?" or "Oh, you think you're so big, Mr. Blogger, well get the hell out of my winery, you prick!" Seriously - I fear such things. I have getaway music cued on my car stereo just in case such an incident occurs.

The notes I take are scribbled in a book using a shorthand and writing style only legible to me. I remember feeling guilty when I jotted down "flabby" about a wine and the person working clearly saw (no doubt thinking "look who's talking") so I've created a shorthand that works well.

Many of these tastings are based on a shot glass worth of wine and frequently served in terrible stemware - so of course the notes aren't perfect, but based on the circumstances, I think we do alright.

This was our second trip to Traverse City, and I'm betting that this will be an annual pilgrimage for us. It's true there is a disproportionate number of lame, sweet Rieslings (with exceptions mind you) and there's also an odd push of cherry wine. That being said, there is little that is outright bad, and many places are pretty damn solid.

I do find it interesting that the newer places all seem to be operating at a higher level than the old standbys - will TC, as a whole, win over the wine snob today? I'm not sure....but many of the new guys (2 Lads, Circa, and 45 North) are kicking some serious ass.

Dobber's Pasties - Escanaba, MI - 7/4/09

Pasties....drive through the Upper Peninsula and you'll see tons of signs that look a little something like this:



We tried a couple different places, but Dobbers was the best by far, located in Escanaba, MI.




A pasty is basically a savory turnover - you frequently see them in beef, chicken, or vegetable (the vegetable seem to have chicken broth, so they are probably not vegetarian friendly). Basically you get diced potatoes, meat, maybe some carrots - it's hearty, perfect for a cold winter night, but as you may guess it's not exactly subtle, delicate faire. Most places offer ketchup, though I did see some steak sauce at one place which I think would work nicely.