January 2008 Archives

The Wine of the week is 2005 El Curato, Toro, Spain (100% Tempranillo) $11.99

This amazing value is one of many gems brought to us from Aurelio Cabestrero, who imports some of the most exciting wines of Spain. It can not be matched in its everyday value. I love Tempranillo for all its many facets. This wine is filled with delicious, pure red fruit, interesting spice and a subtleness that is outstanding. There is no over-ripe or over-extracted elements, which unfortunately has become the norm, to this wine.

Check out what Aurelio Cabestrero say:

“This wine, produced by the Aragon brothers of Cillar de Silos, aims at breaking down the stereotype of Toro wines as very hard, tannic and alcoholic. The goal is to make an intensely fruity wine, pleasant and far from the traditional concept of wines from this zone. Produced from 20-40 year old vines, hand harvested with temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel and only 4 months in a combination of American and French oak barrels.”

Wednesday Night Seminars are back and we are loving it!

It’s a six to eight thing with your hosts Ben Giacchino and Taylor Carmichael.  We will keep going with the grab bag motif  to give us game time flexibility.

Hugh’s twenty-four buck menus

every night for 5:30, 5:45 and 6:00 reservations

Jan. 24^th to Jan. 30^th

menu A

1.  garlic soup with chorizo, mirepoix, and local egg yolk

2.  grilled lamb sirloin with black olive vinaigrette, couscous with quince membrillo, and sautéed kale

3.  red wine baked pear with shaved Roncal sheep’s milk cheese

menu B

1.  Caesar salad with applesmoked bacon, romaine, garlicky croutons, real parmagiano    

2.  spaghetti with clams, mussels, squid, and shrimp… with chile flake, lemon, garlic, parsley, and crème fraiche 

3.  chocolate polenta cake with honey semifreddo

$24. dollars per person

no substitutions; no swapping between menus; no to-go

the menu options will change at least once a week

eat your vegetables or you don’t get dessert

Greetings Fellow Wine Enthusiasts,

The Wine of the Week is the 2003 Duke, Shiraz, California $9.99

It is with a great deal of skepticism that we here at Gosford approach tasting wines and doubly so when the label says Shiraz on it and the wine is from California.  Hello, It’s Syrah here in the States people.  Add to that strike the fact that the label is just downright terrible and the door is practically shut on this wine finding its way onto our shelves, but here it is the Wine of the Week.  It must be good to overcome all its labeling deficiencies and indeed it is folks.  It is a nice restrained Syrah (only 13.5% alcohol) with balance and a touch of class not readily found in the under $10 category of wines.  It is fruit forward, it is Syrah, but its not a candy coated flabby mess of a wine like many cheap Shiraz tend to be.  Even our greatest skeptic of domestic wine, Jamie was thoroughly blown away.  Even our greatest, greatest skeptic, Ben was blown away, and alas our greatest, greatest, greatest skeptic of domestic shiraz, Joe was blown away.  Actually I was first cause I bought it, but anyway, give it a go and I think you will be very pleased.  Heck, buy a case and you’ll be pleased twelve times over.

If you missed the Fontanafredda Barbera $12.99 from last week what were you thinking?  The stuff is awesome.  My feelings were reinforced over a bottle night before last.  90 Points Wine Spectator and # 74 on their top 100. 

Wednesday Night Seminars are back in Vogue

It’s a six to eight thing with your host Ben Giacchino.  Ben will be taking a look at wines of Grenache, Syrah, and Mouvedre.

Hugh’s twenty-four buck menus

every night for 5:30, 5:45 and 6:00 reservations

Jan. 17^th to Jan. 23rd

menu A

1.

Butternut squash soup with toasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin seed oil, brunoise of country ham

2.
Cuban braised pork shoulder with avocado, Red Mule grits and pickled jalapenos 

3.
banana pudding with caramelized bananas

menu B

1.
roasted local carrots with mint, feta, scallion and arugula

2.
roasted mahi mahi with caper & lemon emulsion, fried green tomatoes, and a  stewed yellow steuben bean and roasted tomato

3.
mango chess pie

$24. dollars per person

no substitutions; no swapping between menus; no to-go

the menu options will change at least once a week

eat your vegetables or you don’t get dessert