Rosie’s Italian Grille
606 N. McCord Rd.
419-866-5007
www.rosiesitaliangrille.com
Philip Barone on … toasts for children, the Sicilian way
"For me, wine is an everyday thing. It's a food group. I'm a firm believer in two glasses of wine a day. It's good for your heart and good for your digestive system. And being in the business, I enjoy drinking wine. At the end of the day I have a glass with my wife and we talk about our day. It's always been a social thing for me. My parents are Sicilian, and as kids, we were allowed to have a little wine at dinner. When we were really, really young and Dad was doing a toast, he would dip his finger into his wine glass and take a little drop and put it into our glass of water, to include us. It was a good luck type of thing. It's a tradition I still emulate, because I did respect it so much. When you're a kid it made you feel like you were part of the whole thing. I cherished my childhood because it was so innocent and so beautiful."
Bravo!
The perfect pair
Darcie Kent
Cabernet Sauvignon
$7.95 per glass/
$28 per bottle
“This California Cabernet Sauvignon has ripe cherries, blackberries and black pepper. It’s full bodied and it provides a long, lingering finish with hints of toasted french oak. I think this Cabernet is a good starting point for someone who isn’t too familiar with wines, but it’s also a classic that avid wine drinkers appreciate. It’s at a wonderful price, too. I think the magic rule with wine pairings is pair like wines with like food — lighter wines with lighter foods, heavier wines with heavier foods. For a very robust steak or a heavy cream sauce, white wine isn’t going to enhance the flavors. But a full-bodied wine like this one goes perfectly with those hearty dishes.”
—Stephanie McGee, bar manager
Bravo!
5001 Monroe St.
419-472-1200
www.bravoitalian.com
Middle grounds Market
Drink-down Bordeaux
2010 Franc Beausejour Bordeaux
$10 Per Bottle
“There are two different grapes so there’s 90 percent Merlot, 10 percent Cabernet Franc — it’s 100 percent delicious. It’s a very approachable, great value-oriented Bordeaux. A lot of people will buy a Bordeaux and store it in the cellar. This is at such a great price that you never have to hide it or wait to enjoy it. I like that you can drink it by itself, and at the same time it would complement a burger off the grill, or cheese, or chocolate.”
—Matthew Snyder, retail sales manager
Middle Grounds Market at the Oliver House
27 Broadway St.
(through the Petit Fours entrance)
419-241-1253
Facebook page Middle Grounds Market at the Oliver House
Joyce Franzblau on … (breaking) the tasting rules
"Tastings are the best way to learn more about wine. But I think the ceremony around the tastings can deter and intimidate people. Some are very serious about the rituals and I don't meant to discredit them. That's great. But in my opinion, the enjoyment comes when people are relaxed; they'll find things they like because they're not so tense. The rule with tasting wine is that you're supposed to swirl it in your mouth and then spit it out so that you just have the flavors in your mouth. I never taste wine that way. I want the entire experience — I want to feel it slide down my throat. Why follow the rules of spitting and palate cleansing? A cracker or sip of water in between does help with appreciating the uniqueness of each wine as you go through the tasting. But the spitting? Personally, I'm willing to break the rules so I don't waste the wine."
Zinful
7541 Dutch Rd., Waterville
419-878-9463
www.zinfulwine.com
—Moussa Salloukh, restaurateur and chef La Scola Italian Grill
Moussa Salloukh on … rock star Italian winemakers
“I hand sell the Podere Sapaio Volpolo Super-Tuscan wine at tables at La Scola all the time. I have a personal attachment to it, because I spent two days with the winemaker about two years ago. His winery, Bolgheri, is in the Tuscan region of Italy. It was like hanging out with a rock star. He took me to a restaurant on the Mediterranean — he walks in and everybody just kind of goes crazy. His name’s Massimo. He’s just a very animated person. The Italian winemakers, these guys are pretty cool guys. They take a lot of pride in their wine. And I think the passion of enjoying life so much goes into the wine that they make. That visit was the trip of a lifetime. Massimo comes to La Scola probably two or three times a year now, and we host wine dinners with him. So I got really connected to his wines from that experience.”
La Scola Italian grill
5375 Airport Hwy.
419-381-2100
www.lascolaitaliangrill.com
Through the drinking glass
While beer drinkers may settle for mere plastic, vino lovers enjoy elegance in form and function.
Libbey Glass Factory Outlet manager Tom Lower guides us through the options.
Vina — Stemless White
$9.99 set of four/$2.49 per glass
“This is perfect for Chardonnays, Pinot grigios, Rieslings — all kinds of white wine. The circumference around the rim is smaller on white wine glasses to maintain that crisp flavor they have.”
Vina — Stemless Red
$9.99 set of four/$2.49 per glass
“Stemless has come back. Some people might think it never went away, but it's been really popular the past year, so popular the company added two new stemless shapes to the line.”
Vina — Stemless Flute
$9.99 set of four/$2.49 per glass
“This glass is tall, so there's plenty of room for champagne to bubble up. It's popular for mimosas in the morning, too. They're fun and different.”
Vineyard Reserve
Collection — Cabernet Sauvignon
$14.99 for four piece set, $19.99 for six piece variety collection
“A larger bowl and a taller, thinner stem is a trendy thing the last couple years. And with red wine glasses, the bowl is often rounder and larger because it helps expose the wine to air and smooth out those complex flavors.”
Chardonnay Chablis Glass
$14.99 for four piece set, $19.99 for six piece variety collection
“This glass is really elegant. The stem is important because holding the wine glass by the bowl can affect the temperature of the wine.”
Just Tasting — Mini Wine Tasting Glass
$19.99 for set of 12
“One of the hottest trends in home entertainment right now is tastings, where you serve mini portions in small containers so your guests can try a little bit of everything. With this glass you can host your own wine tasting.”
Bar 145
It’s all about balance
Horse Heaven Hills Columbia
Crest les Chevaux 2010
$9 per glass/$35 per bottle
“I think the pairing is all important. If you have the wrong food with the wrong wine, it destroys it on both levels. You don’t get the subtle nuances; if you’re eating a fish dish and you’re drinking a heavy Italian red, as soon as you take a drink of that wine it’s going to wash out all the flavor of that dish you’re eating. The balance is very important. It sounds very hard to do, but it’s actually very easy. Just turn the wine bottle around and look at the tasting notes on the back of it. Most decent bottles of wine will have the winemakers’ interpretation of the wine. Base your dinner around that and it’s usually a homerun.”
— Robby Lucas, executive chef
Bar 145
5305 Monroe St.
419-593-0073
www.bar145toledo.com
Manhattan's
A note on tastings
Darioush Cabernet
Sauvignon 2007
$96 per bottle
“The Darioush is my favorite. It’s the most expensive for a reason. The way it’s able to pair with foods is unmatched. I do a wine tasting once a month, and I notice a lot of people are afraid of voicing what they’re tasting. Everybody has their own palate, and what you enjoy could be completely opposite of what the person sitting across from you is enjoying. You shouldn’t be afraid to say ‘I smell cut grass in that’ — or a baby diaper. They’re really strange descriptions but they’re accurate if that’s what you’re tasting. When it comes down to it, if it’s a wine you enjoy, you should buy it. Unless you’re paying too much for it, of course.”
— Zach Lahey, co-owner and general manager
Manhattan’s
1516 Adams St
419-243-6675
www.manhattanstoledo.com
Mancy’s Steakhouse
Gus Mancy on … ushering in a new kind of wine list
“Technology is giving the wine industry a whole new kind of exposure — and it’s making a huge impact on how wines are sold. We use iPads — I call them wine pads — for our wine lists. They’re great because you can have the name of the wine and where it’s from, like a traditional wine list, but then you touch the screen and a whole world of information opens up — about the winery, the winemaker, information about varietals, ratings and reviews in publications like Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast. Before, people resorted to wines they already knew. With touchscreen menus, all that information inspires them to go off the beaten path and try different wines. And it’s happening every night. It used to be that moving wine on and off your list took time and was expensive. Now I can add a new wine to my list in two to three minutes. Technology helped me build a better wine list for my guests, saved me money and leveled the playing field for smaller wineries.”
Mancy’s Steakhouse
953 Phillips Ave.
419-476-4154
www.mancys.com
Stella’s Restaurant and Bar
Beautiful bottle, beautiful wine
Meeker Merlot 2008
$60 per bottle
"The California winemaker who produces this Merlot is a really talented guy, and this particular wine is sort of their baby. Of all the things they produce, this is the stand out. Someone from their winery brought it by a couple months ago, and after we tried it we put it on the menu immediately — it was that good. And I think what's great about the design of the bottle is that it catches people's attention and they ask about it. It’s made by hand — the designer dips his hands in paint and wraps them around every bottle. It makes for a great talking point. "
—Eli Ewing, manager
Stella’s Restaurant and Bar
104 Louisiana Ave.,
Perrysburg
419-873-8360
www.stellasrestaurantandbar.com
— Matthew Snyder, retail sales manager, Middle Grounds Market
Mancy’s Italian
George Mancy on … the hard-to-find masterpieces
“What I’ve learned in the wine business is you have to trust what you like, but you also have to try new things. A lot of people come in looking for commercial wines, but I have some great Italians that rival any from California. 80 percent of the wines on my list come from small vineyard wineries that aren’t really on the retail market. Italian wines, obviously they’ve been around a very long time, and I think the small vineyards take a little more pride in making their wine. So when guests come to Mancy’s Italian they’re going to get great food and wine, but it’s also a wine they’re not going to see everyday. They’d have to hunt for it. It’s just taking what guests normally like, and getting them to branch out a little bit.”
Mancy’s Italian
5453 Monroe St. 419-882-9229
www.mancys.com
Burger Bar 419
Versatility rules
Hobnob Pinot Noir
$7 per glass/$28 per bottle
”The reason I chose to feature this Hobnob is because of the simple fact that Pinot Noir is such a versatile wine. If you put it up against a Cabernet or Merlot, it’s just so much lighter, so you can go up and down the menu and it’ll go with everything — chicken, salmon, red meat. It’s the perfect thing to pour in your glass when you’re having any kind of burger.” —Moussa Salloukh, restaurateur and chef
Burger Bar 419
4400 Heatherdowns Blvd.
419-724-5844
www.burgerbar419.com
Degage Jazz Cafe
Go bold or go home
Le Clos Millesime 2011
$6.50 a glass/$24 a bottle
“The Le Clos is a red blend from France. It’s about 45 percent Merlot, 20 percent Grenache, and 20 percent Carignon. There are flavors of red and black fruits, and subtle notes of toasted vanilla and roasted coffee beans. Personally, I like bold flavors, so I pair with our hickory filet — it’s house-butchered, wet-aged up to 30 days and then seared on a hickory plank. They finish it off with smoked barbecue bacon and fried buttermilk onions on top. Blended wines hit your palate in a couple different ways, so the flavor experience is more multi-dimensional, which is why the Le Clos is so great.”
—Steve MacMillan, bar manager
Degage Jazz Cafe
301 River Rd., Maumee
419-794-8456
www.historiccommercialbuilding.com
Barr's Public House Air time
Barista Pinotage 2010
$9 per glass/$34 per bottle
“Red wine benefits from getting oxygen, because when it’s aged in the barrel it takes on some of the characteristics of the wood. As the red wine starts to breathe, then you can taste more of the characteristics of the barrel and the grapes. That’s why we pour our wines through an aerator. It just speeds up the process. It has an opening that you pour the wine into at the top, and it has two holes at the side that create a vacuum and make kind of a sucking noise. Kind of like a funnel. The one we like is Vinturi Aerator. It’s really well made. There are opposing theories — some people don’t believe it works. But I have tried wine before and after aeration, and I can really tell the difference; if somebody’s into wine, they would really benefit from having one.”
— Stephanie Soldner, general manager
Barr’s Public House
3355 Briarfield Blvd., Maumee
419-866-8466
Facebook.com/BarrsPublicHouse
Registry Bistro
Erika Rapp on … the importance of craftsmanship
“All my wines are from boutique wineries, and are really limited release. We didn’t make the menu with Chardonnays that everybody knows the name of. I think it’s done more as a craft at boutique wineries. They have a passion for making wine. It’s a business, but they see it as a craft first and foremost. They only specialize in one thing, as opposed to somewhere like Beringer Vineyards, which makes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, the whole gamut — which is fine, but they’re not specializing in a style of wine or production of wine, they’re selling wine. I love the passion the smaller wineries have behind the product they make. They’re not a grocery store wine or a big box wine. They have some weight in the wine community.”
Registry Bistro
144 North Superior St. 419-725-0444
registrybistro.com
Middle Grounds Market at the Oliver House
Matthew Snyder on … (not) saving it
“People wait to drink their best wines — ‘Oh, this is my favorite bottle, I’ll open it on New Year’s Eve.’ What are you drinking the rest of the year? Crap? I think that’s completely sad. It’s like having a beautiful piece of art wrapped up in your closet just so you can boast that you have it. What good is it if you can’t enjoy it? You get excited and enlivened about what you can see, taste, feel. Wine is art in a bottle. I’m six feet above ground right now. That’s pretty darn good. There’s no better reason than that to pop open my best bottles. If you’re waiting for a ceremony to enjoy them, buy two. Because if it’s good I’m not going to wait until a special occasion to enjoy it! Life is short — we should all celebrate more.”
Middle Grounds Market at the Oliver House
27 Broadway St. (through the Petit Fours entrance)
419-241-1253
Facebook page Middle Grounds Market at the Oliver House
—Zach Lahey, co-owner and
general manager, Manhattan's
Georgio's
The cabs of Cali
Freemark Abbey Cabernet
Sauvignon Napa Valley 2009
$63 per bottle
“This is a very well-rounded wine. It’s a Bordeaux style Cabernet, but the interesting part is the region it’s from: California. That’s where some of the best red grapes come from, the Oakville Valley in Napa. It’s full-bodied. It has cherry, cranberry and even dark chocolate tastes in it. People in the United States are more likely now to drink the American wines, the California wines, more than the European wines. Because all the European Old World wines have a lot more oaky flavors than the American wines. American wines are clear and crisp. I love European wines, of course — but it’s getting to that point that American wines are as good as European wines, and some even better.”
—Chris Kamilaris, co-owner
Georgio’s
426 North Superior St.
419-242-2424
www.georgiostoledo.com
Maumee Wines
The masters of the old world
Baron De Ley Reserva 2004
$24.99 per bottle“I’m a huge fan of this wine, reason being is because it has an Old World kind of styling to it that I find appealing. And the fact that it’s an ‘04 means it has some bottle aging on it, so as it ages it retains that earthiness. There are a lot of wines that don’t pass the muster for us — we taste 30 or 40 a week. You get palate fatigue. But when you find that one that has that little spark of interest to it the way this one does, that grabs you — it’s exciting.”
— Richard Fortney, store manager and bistro sommelier at Maumee Wines
Maumee Wines
2556 Parkway Plz., Maumee
419-893-2525
www.maumeewines.com
TRES BELLE
Napa stand-out
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars fay Cabernet Sauvignon 2009
$95 per bottle
“Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is an amazing winery out of Napa Valley in California. They’ve been around since 1970, and they produce some really highly respected wines. Their 2009 Fay Cabernet Sauvignon is a stand-out to me because of the uniqueness of its flavor — your hit with the aroma of violets, blackberry, nutmeg and black licorice, and the fruit flavors in the wine mingle with hints of chocolate and vanilla. And for the quality it’s a great price.”
—Erica Wojtylko, manager of Tres Belle
Très Belle
3145 Hollister Ln., Perrysburg
419-874-4555
www.tresbellelounge.com
Mancy’s Bluewater grille
John Mancy on … reds versus whites
“The red/white wars are kind of like the back of the house versus the front of the house battles in restaurants. People drink red wines more than they drink white wines for a host of reasons. Whites are kind of the underdog in the wine world. I’m into white wines myself, and I’ve been trying to get other people to see the possibilities of whites. And the region that’s putting out some of the best is Spain. The country stopped making wines for a while, but they’re making a huge comeback, producing a lot of Old World wines with a lot of New World technologies. They’re not overpriced. They have the Atlantic on one side of them and the Mediterranean on the other, so they understand seafood so the wines they make allow for incredible parings with fish. Forget the red white wars. I love white wines.”
Mancy’s Bluewater Grille
461 W. Dussel Dr., Maumee
419-724-2583
www.mancys.com
