Cleveland's Lola's A Fabulous Restaurant

There is no better way to enjoy great wine than with great food. Wine and food are such an important part of life in Old World countries like France and Italy. The concept is what Robert Mondavi talked about all of his life.

I had to be in Cleveland this weekend for work and made my second-ever visit to Lola's in downtown. If that sounds vaguely familiar to you foodies that's because Lola's is owned by Food Network Iron Chef Michael Symon.

My dinner started with a potato/leek soup. It featured bits of braised pork belly with a silky smooth puree poured into the bowl at the table of the pork and some herbs.

I had the potato-crusted sturgeon for dinner that was just tremendous. The sturgeon sat on a bed of carrot, mushroom, onion and bacon in an incredible veal/cabernet sauvignon reduction.

For dessert, and who goes to a restaurant like this and NOT have dessert, I enjoyed the Coconut Caramel Bavarian. It was a very thin layer of chocolate cake with a lightly-flavored coconut cream layer, then a thin dark chocolate wafer on top. The dessert was garnished with big blackberries and toasted pecans.

I really was in the mood for red wine but had never had sturgeon so was unsure. Our delightful waitress assured me the reduction and sturgeon would pair well with a Cotes du Rhone.

We decided on a Jean Louis Chave Mon Coeur 2007 Cotes du Rhone. It was a grenache based wine that was silky smooth with very light tannins. It had a hint of oak that kept it balanced but was really rich and enjoyable.

Now the only bad news is that in restaurants at this price point they really run up the wine prices, as most of you probably know. We paid just over $50 for this wine. When I got back to the hotel room I looked it up to find the normal retail is about $22.

If you're going to have a nice bottle of wine in a fabulous restaurant, you just have to acknowledge you're going to substantially over-pay for a bottle of wine.

Lola's has a fabulous wine list with a wide range in prices. Friday night was my second visit. It's the kind of place you think about returning again as soon as you walk away.

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Pomelo Sauv Blanc is a Fruity California Wine

A nice Sauvignon Blanc is great in the heat of summer and good year-round with seafood. I opened a bottle of Pomelo Sauvignon Blanc last night with a shrimp dish.

The Pomelo is made by Mason Cellars in Napa Valley. They get the fruit from Lake County which is just north of Napa. This is a value bottling that is very very drinkable Sauv Blanc.

Some people shy away from Sauv Blanc because it is often acidic or very acidic. If you're one of those people, this is the white wine for you.

I opened the bottle to a nose of strong citrus, primarily grapefruit. That's a typical Sauv Blanc. But on the palate there is a strong taste of peach with a very mild mid-palate and easy to enjoy finish.

The texture is very smooth for a wine normally known for minerality and acid. In one review the word "creamy" was used to describe the Pomelo.

By the way, a pomelo is a member of the citrus family often compared to a grapefruit. It's grown mostly in south eastern Asia. None of that in hear but plenty of peach and citrus with a smooth finish.

I found this wine online at $9-$13. The suggested retail price is $10. Disclaimer: this wine was provided for review.

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Balbo's Crios 2008 Malbec A Best Buy

I haven't been singing the praises, nor drinking, Malbec much lately so I've picked a couple up.

I had previously enjoyed Susana Balbo's Crios Rose and was well aware of her reputation in the wine world as one of Argentina's real leaders in value wine.

The 2008 Crios Malbec is a really great representation of Malbec, in a lighter but balanced style, under $15.

The Malbec has the dark purple colors of all other Malbecs but this one is done with a freshness and light hand. You will find some spice on the finish and luscious cherries on the front of your palate.

But there is nothing big and scary about this wine at all while still delivering big flavor. You could enjoy this wine with a steak or drink it alone. Balbo is known for making great young wine to be enjoyed immediately. She really knocks it out of the park with the Crios Malbec. Simply put, it's very well made wine. (Balbo in photo at left.)

She is also a darling with the critics who tend to gush over most of her wines. Previous vintages of this same wine consistently scored around 90 points with most major publications.

You can find Crios wines in most wine shops in Indiana. They are a great buy and great wine!

When I have the time (and I'm a couple days late writing this post), I like to check YouTube to see if there is anything on the wine or winery. I found an interesting video under 'leylaswinningwines.' Leyla speaks with a thick accent but offered information about Balbo I had not known before! Unfortunately, I couldn't find much about Leyla but her take on Balbo was good stuff.

You can easily find more of her wine videos on YouTube. Here is Leyla on Susan Balbo:



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Tempranillo Focus of Latest Newspaper Column

My latest newspaper column focused on Spain's great tempranillo grape. I have comment in that column from Donna Lattzanio, who operates the Village Bottle Shop in West Lafayette on the bypass.

Donna has been to Spain, visited the wine regions, and even dined with Spanish wine icon Miguel Torres Sr. Miguel Torres would be to Spain what the Rothchild name is to France or Mondavi to the United States.

You can see the latest column here.

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