The St. Joseph's Table: Feast and Wine

Many Chicagoans tomorrow will be celebrating  St. Joseph's Day, most of them Italians.  There will be parades and festivals, food and wine, family and gathering.  I have grown up with this day being part of my life, since I was a young boy at Santa Lucia Parish.  There is always services (mass), and some of my favorite Italian bakeries and southern Italian wines will be included.

St. Joseph's Day is a holiday celebrated in many parts of the world, but is extremely special to Italians.  Most towns and cities in Italy have days dedicated to saints.  The saints who have special meaning to the towns are their patrons, with the largest celebrations thrown in their honor.  In southern Italy, Sicily in particular, St. Joseph is held the most dear.  Each March 19th, a parade and feast are offered to St. Joseph, the father of Jesus of Nazareth.  This day is also very special for fathers and carpenters. 

During the middle ages, southern Italy was the victim of widespread famine and drought.  The people prayed to St. Joseph to bring them rain, and in return, they would offer a large feast.  The rains soon came, and everyone celebrated.  Breads and pastas, along with fish, wine, and desserts are on most traditional tables.  Meat has never been a big part of the celebration, as it not part of the regular diet of southern Italians, with the poor normally unable to afford it.  Plus, the day is always during Lent. 

Since bread and dessert is always part of the Table, a good bakery is always needed.  Here are a couple of my picks:

• Il Giardino del Dolce, 2859 N. Harlem Ave.  This family bakery has been making some of Chicago's best for over 20 years.  They make great mini pastries like canoli, baba, sfogliatelle, and zeppole, which is the St. Joseph special pastry.  Also, try their apple slices and cheesecake.


• Ferrara Bakery, 2210 W. Taylor.  Around since 1908, Ferrara has become an institution with Italian Americans, making breads, cakes, cookies, and candies.  Eating their biscotti always takes me back.

Wine can be eye opening, with many great value picks coming in from southern Italy.  My favorites include:

• Terredora di Paola Falanghina ($14):  the falanghina varietal is often compared to viognier, with floral aromatics, rich minerality, and a soft full body.  This one also brings lots of fruit and honey flavor.


• Cusumano Jalé ($20): a very rich wine, with toasty oak character, and golden fruit.  Made of 100% Chardonnay in Sicily.


• Donnafugata Anthìlia ($13): citrus fruits are a hit, as this full white will not disappoint.  A blend of Ansonica and Catarotto, indigenous Sicilian varietals.


• I Favati Aglianico "Cretarossa" ($22): this red varietal is the south's best.  It can create full bodied wines meant for aging.  This one in particular is from Irpinia, close to Napoli, and has a full body, with lush red fruit, meant to be consumed with food.

I hope this can help those of you seeking the right components for you St. Joseph's Table.  I also hope it encourages those of you who are new to the holiday to use it as an excuse to enjoy the day with family and friends, while learning something new about another culture.

WCWG Lynfred Winery Tour and Tasting

It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon, a great day for a trip to Lynfred Winery in Roselle, Illinois.  Thanks to a generous donation by Lynfred 2008 Grape Spitting Champion, Mike Miley, we were about to enjoy a free wine tasting at the oldest, continuously run, bonded winery in the state.  Our trip out was an easy one, as we took the Metra train at Union Station to Roselle, a 47 minute ride.  We were met by a big yellow school bus and were off to the winery!

Lynfred resembles many of the other Roselle homes from the front, with its large front porch and welcome appearance.  But when you walk around the side, you see just how large it really is.  It has become not just a winery, but also a Bed & Breakfast, and a bakery, making fine artisanal breads daily.  The building is gorgeous with balconies, outdoor seating, and grey stone walls covered in ivy.  It was started in 1979 by Fred and Lynn Koehler (whom it was named after).  What started as a retirement hobby became a success.

We walked inside and were greeted by a bustling tasting room, full of cheer and shopping.  Over fifty different wines are available for tasting and purchase, anything from Illinois Chardonel (a cross of Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc), to fruit wines (Peach, Apricot, Cherry, Strawberry), sparkling wines and ports, and award winning Cabernet Sauvignon.  Much of the fruit used to make the wines comes from out of state, from California to Michigan.  Our tasting began with the 2005 Viognier, which is full and applely, with a touch of spice.  We then moved to the cellar tasting room, and were surrounded by barrels of aging wines.  We ran through a tasting of nine wines total: 2006 Chenin Blanc, 2006 Unoaked Chardonnay, Sweetheart White and Red Table Wines, 2006 Barbera (my favorite), 2005 Merlot, Blackberry Wine, and a Strawberry Port.  I could tell each one of their wines was treated as something special, as they all distributed great character, and lasting good finishes.  I don't normally get involved with wines made from fruit other than grapes, but I was very impressed as each gave more than I expected.  It was apparent the winemaker, Andrés Basso, took great care with each of his products. 

We were later taken through the winery by our tour guide, Matt.  He explained the winemaking process from grape to bottle, and was very knowledgeable of each Lynfred product.  The facility was immaculate.  The meticulous nature of the wine is a part of every aspect of Lynfred, from the cellar, to the detail of the design and architecture, to the soft and delicious baked bread.  It was an unforgettable experience and I look forward to more visits in the future.

After the tour, we headed over to Pilot Pete's.  It is located right next to Schaumberg Regional Airport.  We were able to see helicopters and Cesnas take off and land just outside the window, while we enjoyed lobster nachos, calamari, and the house blend red wine, created by Lynfred.

The event was a success and I want to thank Lynfred Winery (especially Matt), Mike Miley, Barb the bus driver, Pilot Pete's, and all in attendance.  I hope to have more events just as fun in the future!

Chef's Table at Nacional 27

There is a great new event revolving in Chicago, and it is called the Chef's Table.  The events allow you to meet local Chicago chefs in a group setting, and taste their creations at an affordable price.  This month, the tasting was being held at Nacional 27, highlighted by five different cocktails (created by mixologist Adam Seger), ceviche, and tapas.

We started with a drink called "The Chadwick", a pomegranate, ginger, chile mojito.  It had nice flavor and the hint of habanero spice was nice.  The drink could use more muddling to be a true mojito as the mint and lime was mostly still intact.  Plus I believe it had too many strong flavor components: mint, ginger, habanero, lime, and pomegranate. 

Next came the "Spice and Ice" along with the ceviche/tapas.  The drink is a mango, ginger, habanero daiquiri with a seven spice rim.  It had a very nice sweet and exotic spicy combo.  The ceviche was a mix of shrimp and scallop, ahi and watermelon, mojito hamachi, and rainbow coctel.  They all had nice acidity to combine with the seafood to "cook".  The tapas were smoked chicken empanadas, which had a light flakey crust and excellent flavor, along with lightly sweet organic agave lamb tacos, and cuban sweet potato/plantain croquetas, which were very soft, but a bit bland.

We then moved onto moved onto my favorite cocktail, the "rosemary fizz".  It was a combo of Indigo Luxe spanish gin, lime, sparkling wine, and a house made rosemary, meyer lemon, sauvignon blanc syrup.  The flavor profile was complex, but meshed well, with citrus, rosemary, great aromatics, and fizz. 

The "smokey corazon" came next as we were all passed passion fruit/pomegranate margaritas with a salt and pepper rim.  The drink had nice tropical flavor, and was later topped with a single village mezcal float.  This mezcal was made from smoked agave and gave the drink a potent punch- maybe a bit too strong was the consensus.

The last drink was a house made almond, lime, and clove liqueur.  It was sticky, sweet, and delicious.  Almost all of the dishes and drinks had spice accompanied by sweet, and might have been a bit too much combined.  The company was great, as I met many of Chicago's best bloggers and techies.  It was a great experience and you can count on the Windy City Wine Guy to attend more Chef's Table events.

Israeli Wine: Pelter Winery Tasting

When most people in the US think of wine from Israel, they think of sweet, kosher wines, like Manischewitz.  While wine production by Jewish folks and in Israel has bowed to this trend for much of their long history, a recent revolution has swept across the nation.  Through French, American, and Australian influence, the wines are gaining international acclaim and success.  When the Windy City Wine Guy was invited to taste wine from Israel made by Pelter Winery, I could not pass it up!

The tasting was set up at a beautiful condo overlooking the Chicago river and sponsored by Richard Shaffer, founder of Israeli Wine Direct.  Members of the Pelter Family, Sam and Nir, were onhand to pour and inform.  Now let us get to the wines:

• 2007 Sauvignon Blanc: this light straw colored wine smells of bright citrus fruits and the palate brings crisp acidity and ripe grapefruit reminiscent of New Zealand style.


• 2007 Unoaked Chardonnay: surprisingly light Chardonnay with meyer lemon flavor, but a slight oily texture.


• 2006 Trio: 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc.  A light oak spice and blackberry smell and flavor.  Definitely an easy drinker with lighter tannins and smooth texture but slight lack of length.


• 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz: 50/50 blend of both varietals.  Another smooth drink, but with more dark fruit.  I like it, but again,looking for more depth out of the Cabernet Sauvignon.


• 2006 T-Selection Cabernet Franc: the big hit of the night!  The T-Selection is their high quality, exclusive series.  This wine brings the oak, spice, fruit, and length.  Brilliant red and black berries, nutmeg, and structured tannins highlight this Pelter gem.

They also carry a T-Selection Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon which I hope to taste another time.  For being a newer winery, the Pelter boutique product line has definite quality. 

I am looking forward to tasting future vintages and more Israeli wines.  Though Israel's soil is one of the oldest used to grow grapes for wine (Georgia is the oldest- since about 8000 BC), I would classify Israeli wine as being from the "Old World", but "New World"  in style.  Slight earthiness, but mostly ripe fruit coming through on both nose and palate.

It is an exciting time in the world for wine as we are getting a chance to sample from every nation and their people.  Wine is a passport to different lands and cultures- get out there a take a travel with your next bottle!