WINE

The 2011 hottest new restaurant in LA still holds the title one year from the date of opening.  Picca, which means “to nibble,” is home to Chef Ricardo Zarate's modern Peruvian cuisine with a Japanese flair.  Picca is about the food and the flavors; it is traditional Peruvian street food elevated to fine dining.  With the menu written on the walls, the restaurant is modern, vibrant and casual.  From the chefs working at the ceviche bar to the bartenders mixing fresh cocktails at the bar to the full room of diners, the energy is electric and a great dining experience.

               

Let's start with the cocktails, created by award winning mixologist Julian Cox who oversees the bar programs at Picca, Sotto, Playa and Rivera.  The bar is filled only with spirits from South and Latin Americas, such as Rum, Tequila and Pisco (the national spirit of Peru).  The cocktail menu includes a description of the ingredients in each cocktail so that you know how they are made.
25 June, 2012
After a visit from Chef Thomas Hishon to Mountford Estate during my stay in New Zealand, I decided that a visit to Clooney Restaurant in Auckland was not to be missed. Considered one of the best restaurants in Auckland, Clooney has been a Restaurant Finalist in the Cuisine Restaurant of the Year Awards and the Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards for 5 years running. Clooney is a partnership between restaurateur Tony Stewart and Chef Des Harris, one of New Zealand's most prolific chefs. Chef Thomas Hishon, who had cooked for us at Mountford Estate, joined Clooney as Sous Chef  1-1/2 years ago, after training in the UK and Canada and today at the age of 25 oversees a staff of 12.
10 May, 2012
A short ferry ride from Auckland is the island of Waiheke, an island of 30 growers and 535 planted acres. The second winery on the island, beginning in 1981-82, is Stonyridge. With 6 hectares of vineyard planted to the five grapes of Bordeaux (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec) and organically farmed, Stonyridge is known as a world-renowned Cabernet-blend winegrower, thanks in part to the signature Stonyridge Larose.
03 May, 2012
A 35 minute ferry ride from Auckland to Waiheke Island, we spent the morning at Destiny Bay, a small, single vineyard, family-owned winery that began in 2005. They specialize in estate grown and bottled blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, producing fewer than 2,500 cases per year of their three distinct blends: Magna Praemia, Mystae and Destinae. We toured through the vineyards which are planted in a natural amphitheather. The beauty is beyond compare as the vines slope down toward the water.  But, I was relieved that I didn't have to help pick grapes that day. Destiny Bay is 100% hand harvested and with the steep slopes of the vineyard, that means that the pickers are walking up and down the hill carrying bins of grapes all day. It really is hard work!
01 May, 2012
The dinner of dinners at Mountford Estate was for Winston's Birthday.  Winston, Mountford Estate Winemaker CP Lin's seeing eye dog, turned 5. Each year on his birthday, CP organizes a large dinner party filled with great wines and food and this evening was no exception, from the guest chef to the food to the wines!
17 April, 2012
After a rainy day on Wednesday in which we spent it in the winery stomping grapes, Thursday and Friday have been beautiful and progressively warmer. Now to keep us busy, there are two areas that we cover - the vineyards and the winery.  
13 April, 2012
Today was a rainy day.  Not ideal for this time of year but we got all the grapes off the Gradient and Rise vineyards before the rain and the other grapes still need a little more time to ripen.  Of course, the rain isn't helping but the forecast for tomorrow is sun again. Despite the rain, we had plenty to do today.  Now that we had grapes in from the vineyard, it was time to start the winemaking process.  
11 April, 2012
It was another beautiful day in Waipara.  With the unusally seasonal Nor'wester winds blowing, there was a warm, dry wind all day while we worked.  The Nor'wester winds are the result of warm air movement off the Tasman Sea that comes over the Southern Alps, dropping the water over the Alps and leaving dry air that blows over the Canterbury plains.
10 April, 2012

Harvest 2012 began today, Monday, April 9th, at Mountford Estate.  We began picking the Pinot Noir from the Gradient Vineyard, which is where one of the single vineyard Pinot Noirs produced by Mountford comes from.

The Gradient Vineyard was planted in 2001 and is on a hill facing North/Northwest. Due to its location, it gets great sun exposure, which is why these are the first vines we will pick during harvest.

We began the morning with our morning tea and meeting of all the pickers.  There were 10 of us picking on this first day and we reviewed the picking process.

09 April, 2012
I have always wanted to work harvest and learn about the winemaking process hands-on.  I finally got the chance when my friend and winemaker CP Lin of Mountford Estate invited me to come to Waipara, New Zealand for the 2012 harvest. Mountford Estate is owned by Kathryn Ryan and Kees Zeestraten, a wonderful couple who bought the property in 2007.  With 10 planted hectares (approximately 25 acres), Mountford Estate grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Muscat.  Producing 4500 cases of wine, they produce 5 Pinot Noirs (3 single vineyard), 1 Chardonnay, 1 Riesling and a single vineyard Alsatian blend of Riesling, Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Muscat).
08 April, 2012
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