You Can Take the Girl Outta Indiana, But Not the Hoosier Outta the Girl

One of the MANY things @ScottNations and I mock @EnjoyJourney for is her voracious coupon clipping.

Save $1.00 off five Lean Cuisines? Score!

When we spend the weekend at the Messner/Caruso estate, Karen always dives for the “circular” section of the Chicago Tribune so that no one can ruffle the pristine pages of of her coupon friends, Smart Source and Sunday Saver. You’ll likely lose a limb if you get anywhere near them before she does!!

A Secret…Until Now.

But, my mocking is more than somewhat hypocritical.  Not only do I still “clip coupons”, as grandma would say, but for years I went online Dominick’s For You (may they rest in peace) once a week to load up deals on my Dominick’s Card.

I bought the Executive Costco membership because it provides lots of great benefits like money back and also, gleefully, coupons at check-out without the clipping.  Heaven!

Enjoying Executive membership since 2005.

And I regularly cruise the websites like http://www.coupons.com and http://www.shopathome.com, always hunting for the big game…save $2.00 or more.

Thrill of the Chase?

Why do I do it?  Do I really need to save $.25 on Progresso Panko Crispy Bread Crumbs?  I’ll leave the “shrinking” to Dr. Karen Caruso (maybe she can figure out her own self, too.  Ha!).

Scott argues that the time I spend isn’t worth the money saved, but I say why not save $.25 on an item I already have on the grocery list.  It’s 25 cents we can put toward that Caribbean vacation we’re taking in February (that can’t get here soon enough!).

Hey, if you find a coupon for Hendrick’s gin, please let me know.  🙂

Cooking and Tasting in Santorini

Santorini is a beautiful island. Everything that you have likely heard about Santorini is true. It is amazing and it is touristy! Santorini is in the southern Aegean Sea and is part of the southern Cyclades group of islands.

View from Thira

The island is home to a flourishing wine industry primarily driven by the indigenous grape varietal of Assyrtiko, along with 2 other Aegean varietals Athiri and Aidani. The grapes grow in well-drained, volcanic soil and you taste that in the wines of Santorini.

If you are stopping in Santorini while on a cruise, I would highly recommend that you schedule a tour with Santorini Wine Tours. The tour will take up part of your day, giving you time to stroll the streets, eat some street food, and admire the gorgeous views. One piece of advice – stay away from the donkeys.

We had previously taken the Wine Roads tour offered by Santorini Wine Tours and it was fabulous so we signed on for the Cooking and Tasting tour during our recent trip. A newly wed couple joined us on our excursion.

The trip started at the island’s wine museum. Wine Museum Koutsoyannopoulos features a self-guided tour complete with headphones and recording devices like in any museum, a nice shop and tasting room, and beautiful grounds that can be rented for events. The self-guided tour can take up to an hour if you stop at every exhibit but we opted for the ‘short’ version. Some of the exhibits included mechanical scenes, paper mache figures that were triggered by motion sensors, that were a bit scary but meant to provide a history of wine making in Santorini.

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At the end of our ‘quick’ tour we enjoyed a tasting of local wines. The first wine that we tasted was a young and fruity Assyrtiko. This wine was very aromatic, easy drinking, and not meant to be aged. Next, we tasted a red wine called Ampelones, 2009. The wine is made from three local grape varietals: Mantilaria, Mavrathiro and Mavrotragano. Finally, we tasted one of their sweet wines, a limited production Kamaritis. This dessert wine is made from 6 indigenous grapes and aged in oak for 10 years before bottling. While I was not a fan, a bottle did end up coming back home with Doug.

After wine tasting we strolled through the village of Vothanos to a taverna in nearby Megalochori where we would participate in a hands-on cooking class.  The class took place outdoors on the covered patio of Raki Restaurant. It was a very warm day so I think they tried to keep us cool by offering an endless pitcher of local white wine.

We made 4 dishes in the cooking class:

1. Santorinian Fava – cooked and seasoned yellow lentils served as a dip.
2. Horiatiki Salad – traditional Greek salad with fresh tomatoes, onions, olives, peppers, herbs, cucumber and feta.
3. Tomato Keftedes – fried tomato balls or fritters
4. Pork with Wine and Feta Sauce

All 4 were fresh and delicious but we especially enjoyed the tomato keftedes as they took advantage of the ripe tomatoes and were fried! After chopping, stirring and frying we sat down to lunch with our new friends and enjoyed the shade of the patio. Lunch ended with a platter of local desserts, including Greek yogurt with honey and a variety of cakes (thankfully, not prepared by us).

The tour took up a good part of our day but allowed us time for a nap before heading back out for a sunset dinner.  I would say this is a ‘must do’ if you have a day in Santorini! Vaios Panagiotoulas, the proprietor, also offers a variety of food and wine tours across Greece.  Check them out at Grand Reserve Travel.

 

A Bacchanal of Prosecco

Enjoy the Journey’s 2013 “Patio Wine” winner!

It’s become a tradition…a “patio wine” tasting in the Western suburbs with @EnjoyJourney, @DougMessner, @ScottNations and, yours truly, @WendionWine.

Yesterday, our merry band of wine lovers savored Prosecco as our patio wine pick for the 2013 season.

What’s Prosecco?

Prosecco is an Italian sparkling wine made from Glera grapes. It’s produced  in the regions of Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia in Italy, and traditionally mainly in the areas near Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, in the hills north of Treviso.

Although it’s considered by aficionados to be a worthy alternative to the better known and more expensive French champagnes and California sparkling wines, Prosecco is still not widely considered by the mass market purchaser.  In fact, the good folks at Binny’s always look puzzled and slightly amused when we ask for a Prosecco by name.

The good, the really good, and the really not good

Rustica Nino Franco.  This Prosecco is a solid hot weather choice.  I don’t think it would pair well with dinner, but it’s a wonderful pairing with a fruit salad or cheese and fruit appetizers.  It’s not as sweet as some other Proseccos, but it IS light and refreshing.  At approximately $17, this one is a crowd pleaser. – First Base

Bisol Crede Valdobbiadene.  The BEST.  Straw colored, light, refreshing, not too sweet, with a slightly creamy finish.  Has a little bit of citrus intensity which makes it more complex and interesting than the Rustica Nino Franco.  Two bottles were not enough!  About $24 at Binny’s. – More, Please

Santa Margherita Valdobbiadene.  I wanted to like this Prosecco.  It gets good online reviews on amazon.com and wine.com.  But none of us were feeling the love.  It has slightly more taste and fizz than Perrier.  That’s really all I can say in review except that in a group that ALWAYS finishes the bottle, this one went down the sink. About $20. – Take A Pass

Discovering Cinque Terre

On our recent Mediterranean Island journey, my husband and I spent a day visiting the Cinque Terre, on the Ligurian Coast of Italy. Cinque Terre refers to 5 lands and is made up of 5 seaside villages just north of the Gulf of Spezia. We visited 4 of the 5 villages during our day long trip (which was not near enough time) – not making it to Corniglia as it is the most difficult to reach – and apparently perched above a beach that is primarily visited by nudists….

Upon our arrival, I was completely mesmerized by the beauty of the cliffs and the sea. One immediately becomes aware of the unique lifestyle of those who live in this hard to reach little piece of heaven. The villages are perched on sheer cliffs primarily accessible via boat or train, although you can certainly walk between them. Residents typically get around on foot and car owners park their cars in community car parks – only retrieving them when leaving the area.

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The views and vibe of the villages is complemented by the food and local wine. Dining is casual and dominated by seafood prepared in every way from crudo to fried. Acciughe (anchovies) is the local specialty – sold fried on the street in paper cones with tiny little forks. Handmade pasta featured pesto made from Ligurian olive oil and is to die for…

Cinque Terre is a DOC white wine region. The DOC was granted in 1973 and production is limited to the specific region. Traveling within and between villages, we were surrounded by vineyards and the scent of the sea. Vines are planted on steep terraces carved into the hillsides and are lightly sprayed by the mist of the sea below. Most vineyard work is done manually. At harvest time, recently installed monorails are used to bring down baskets of grapes.

The vineyards of Cinque Terre produce two types of wine…and that is basically what is available (other than grappa) to drink in the local establishments. I love it – this is what we produce here so this is what we drink. They produce a white ‘table wine’ that is simply called Cinque Terre. It is a dry wine that smells a bit salty and pairs well with the local foods. The wine is produced primarily from Bosco (minimum of 40% according to DOC standards), Albarola and Vermentino.

Sciacchetra is a dessert wine (similar to Vinsanto) that is made from the same grapes. Winemakers select the best grapes from the harvest and put them out to dry on mats. The result is a unique, amber colored, viscous, high alcohol (typically 18%) wine that is only available in the region. As a result, prices are high and it is considered a treat – even for the locals.

Should you search out the wine? No – you must visit and experience it.

Have you visited Cinque Terre? If so, please share your thoughts and recommendations.