by Julian Schultz
julian@oxfordwineroom.com

                     

Jim Nicas, Castle's maitre d'/master sommelier, laughed as he related this incident: "This person, an underpaid impecunious teacher by his own admission, comes here three times a week in mid-afternoon and orders off the short menu in the tap room, always with a glass of wine of my selection.

"He ordered chicken Santorini made with peppers, shallots, mushrooms in a lemon chicken sauce -- $10.95. It tastes great with a white wine, so I poured Regaleali Tasca D'Almerita 2002, a blend of Inzolia, Sauvignon Tasca and Cataratto. He sniffed and sipped and exclaimed, 'Bravo, James!' and described the wine:

" 'Perfume nose, assertive, weighty alcohol, clean, crisp, apples, pears, smooth, lingering. I'll wager it is a Loire, a Sancerre perhaps.'

"When I told him the name was Regaleali and was from Sicily, he frowned and looked questioningly at me. He said he would immediately 'check it out' on his laptop computer in his car. He returned 15 minutes later and 'enlightened' me:

" 'Perhaps my congratulatory affirmation of your selection was too hasty. Most Sicilian wines, due to Sicily's hot climate, are coarse and heavy although its reds are not entirely lacking a modicum of pleasure and their prices are ingratiating to us impecunious oenophiles.'

"We were friendly enough," Jim said, "so I knew I wouldn't affront him by vigorously disagreeing with him: with his 'checking it out', with his not having the conviction of his palate, with his relying on the advice of someone else's palate - as though that someone else's palate had been ordained by God.

"And, to paraphrase Shakespeare, I must watch, while I must weep. So runs the world away for tasters lacking confidence in their wine evaluations."

"He smiled, nodded and admitted that I made sense and ordered another glass to 'check himself out'."

Jim explained his reason for telling me the story: He had planned April's Sunday afternoon wine tasting with 19 wines of Sicily - 8 whites and 11 reds - and wondered how many tasters might be turned off by "these less than popular wines, an understatement."

I observed no defections from the usual number of monthly tasters; some new replaced some absent. Jim nudged me and directed my attention to the lean, longhaired, bearded, hollow-faced taster at the hors d'oeuvres table.

"That's Forrest Greene, the teacher I told you about. It's his first time here for a Sunday afternoon tasting. I notice he seems to be enjoying the hors d'oeuvres of tortilla rollups with sun dried tomatoes; feta cheese and spinach; Moroccan chicken and rice rollups; Mediterranean chicken and artichoke rollups; Caribbean lime shrimp roll; Asian chicken dumpling; Cuban style pork spring roll; and the usual varieties of cheese and fruit, crackers and bread rounds, and, as usual, our famous hot baguettes. I am really pleased that he is getting his money's worth with plenty to eat, 19 wines to taste and refills, too, all for $37."

I must confess that I, too, had reservations about attending the all-Sicilian wine tasting. Some 30 years ago I was host to some 200 Sweet Life Foods supermarket owners and wives at an ancient monastery converted to hotel and restaurant in Sicily. We had already been to Piedmont and Tuscany and enjoyed their wines with our dinners; they were far superior to the Corvo, Alcamo, Etna, Faro, Velledolmo and Regealiali at the monastery.

But all's well that ends well: The Castle's Sicilian wines tasting was an exciting and delightful adventure with wines that are almost always disregarded, if not denigrated. They were far, far superior to the wines that accompanied our dinner 30 years ago at the monastery.

Jim introduced me to Forrest. He knew of me, he said wryly: "the inventor of nonsensical characters, some boring, some grating, some informative, some acceptable, some witty -or dare I say, half-witty?"

I answered: "I use my folly - my folly, your demeaning 'nonsensical characters' -- as a stalking-horse and under the presentation of that I shoot my wit." He smiled and acknowledged my paraphrase of Shakespeare's "As You Like It." In the course of chitchat conversation I told him that I had been a high school teacher prior to World War II, as had been my late and beloved Lillian.

Rapport established, we agreed to taste together. He said he had undertaken an "exhaustive exploration into wines of this volcanic island" and was anxious to confirm his "discoveries."

He handed me his glass and asked that I have Jim pour for him while he visited the hors d'oeuvres to fill plates for both of us. He set down heaping plates of food at a small table, occupied one chair and tipped another chair to signify it was reserved. I joined him with the wines. We sipped, ate and exchanged perceptions.

We agreed that the Regaleali 2002, $15, was the best of the white wines, citing the pleasing vinous perfumed nose, the assertive crisp clean fruit, the soft pleasant dryness, the favorable balance and the zesty swallow.

He didn't dispute my enthusiasm - nodded a quizzical lukewarm support -- for the Colosi 2003, $12, a blend of 90-percent Inzolia, 10 Contratto; Inzolia Barbazzale 2003, $19; or Anthiiia Donnafugata 2003, $18, a blend of 50-percent each of Inzolia and Cataratto.

We disagreed sharply about the Corvo Casa Fondata Nel 2003, $12 (Inzolia and Cantaratto). I said I had expected more from it than the sharp dry, mineral acidity that degraded the fruit.

Forrest: "Yes, it is rather dry but nonetheless very palatable with its fruit of apples and green grapes. My research indicates Corvo's popularity is increasing among the white Sicilians, and among the reds, also, I might add. Incidentally - Oh-oh, look who's here? Dikki Doo Tedium, professor of chemistry, physics, rain and sands whom I had in my history class. I'll introduce you."

"No-no! No way!" I said, protesting. "In high school and college, I avoided those sciences like the black plague. There is only one professor, at Assumption College, who teaches those subjects, with whom I am comfortable. He is well versed in the humanities, quotes poetry, appreciates Shakespeare, is a devotee of classical music, and never speaks in the occult verbiage of physics and chemistry or illustrates his contentions or convictions with them. So, please, Forrest, no Dikki Doo."

"Too late, Julian, he sees us and is coming over."

Introduced, Dikki Doo immediately informed us that his expertise lay in Sicilian red wines and that he was disappointed we weren't to taste Etna and Faro, two of the better reds; he admitted, however, that among the 11 reds on the menu, he noted some wines with which he was unfamiliar.

He brought a chair to our little table, crowding it; joined us with a full plate of hors d'oeuvres, crowding the table more; worse, he dominated the exchange of our perceptions of the wines.

Beginning with the Corvo and seemingly enraptured by his rhetoric, he rambled in cadence with professorial arrogance and finality, "full-bodied, velvety, and high in tannin and alcoholic content. Nose and palate of cherries; acidity and tannin for longevity; a blend of three grapes whose names I disdain to recite so as not to bore you."

I'm already bored, I thought, and he had just begun.

He continued: "Corvo, Italian for crow, comes from a complicated legend involving a hermit, a noisy raven, a stick given the hermit by a sympathetic populace to drive the bird away; the raven fled in fright never to return, and a vine sprang from the stick. So the vine and wine were named Corvo. This wine has a history that goes back over one hundred years, nearer to two hundred years. Most affordable at about $13, There, have I not enlightened you?

"The Regaleali, a big, robust, full-bodied wine of raspberries and blueberries; formerly, it was too robust and alcoholic, but now we taste it in its more temperate modification. Since 1830, Count Tasca d'Almerita and his family and his family's families have imposed strict supervision over the production of the wines. The Rosé --- "

My eyes glazed over, I interrupted, fearing a long dissertation of inconsequentials and sleep-inducing boredom.

"Too much acidity and tannin for me," I said in disagreement. I turned to the Colosi 2002, $13: "It has a great perfume of cherries in the nose and flavor on the palate. It's a persistent mouthful of wine."

Dikki Doo interjected something about cherry colored and a thrilling history -

I cut him off at the pass as I continued: "The Arcancio 2002, $12, is the bargain of the tasting with its pronounced fruit of cherries and raspberries and its perfect balance of fruit, acidity and tannin; lively swallow and retained aftertaste result in an excellent price value."

Before I could describe the Merlot, Dikki Doo interrupted: "I must protest that Jim Nicas has not included the Faro in this tasting. It is one of the best red Sicilian wines; I will brook no argument about that! This three-grapes blend is grown on the hills above the Messina Straits. This ruby-colored gem has a delicate fruit nose and a zesty dry fruit flavor on the palate; its light body suggests femininity - elegance, if you will. It is aged two years in wood."

Smiling with smug satisfaction, Dikki Doo sat back in his chair as if he awaited applause, and then bent over his once re-filled plate of food.

"The Merlot 2000, $18," I said, "from Principi di Butera Feudo, 100-percent Merlot, has a big berries nose, soft berry fruit on the palate and some complexity; it is very smooth, has superb balance, and develops surprising Cabernet Sauvignon flavors as it airs in the glass. It is the surprise of the afternoon, my being unfamiliar with Italian Merlots."

I got a, "Hear! Hear!" of approbation from Dikki Doo. He bade us farewell, hastily shook hands, and hurried to my familiar friend, Bouncing Betty of bountiful bodice.

Forrest who had been silent explained his reluctance to participate in a "no-win, ulcer-generating," discussion involving Dikki Doo:

"He becomes more argumentative the more other people speak. In the classroom he was difficult to control. When I remonstrated with him one time, he said, 'I enjoy nothing in life so much as listening to the dulcet tones of my voice, and I resent others who deprive me of that pleasure.' That, Julian, is why refrained from joining the 'fray' between you and Dikki Doo.

"Incidentally, Julian, who is that curvaceous cutie that tore Dikki Doo away from us? Look at him; he is sawing the air with both hands and is spouting verbosity like a geyser spews water."

"Forget it!" I said, "she is too young for you - has too much verve and vigor for your old loins. And if you were to try to fortify yourself with Viagra - well, you might die in ecstasy, but I'd hate to have to attend your funeral."

Forrest grimaced and said wistfully, sadly, "It is not pleasant to become old, my friend. Youth much too soon discovers old age. How did Shakespeare say it? 'First, we ripe and ripe and ripe; then we rot and rot and rot.' Oh, well, so goes the world around and we helplessly spin with it."

I think Shakespeare meant, I said, "Youth's lease hath all too short a date."

I asked him, please, to refrain from morbid philosophizing that would spoil my pleasure with the evening. He apologized.

Pointing to the hors d'oeuvres table, he said, "I will make a temporary curtailment of my tasting; there are sliced pippins and varied cheeses over there…and coming now from the kitchen are hot baguettes."

Later, when he made ready to leave, he said he would see me in a few days for his usual late lunch. He expressed his gratitude for my forbearance with him and for my willingness to spend the afternoon of tasting with him.

Big news: Note the date, Tuesday, May 17; call Chris Liazos at the Webster House, 508-757-7208, to reserve a place for the Burgundian Wine Dinner. All wines are Burgundies from Louis Jadot!

Local members of the Chevaliers du Tastevin will wear their colorful neck ribbons and silver tasting cups; the latter are never used, but I will pour wine into mine in honor of the occasion. Dr. Bob Ouellette will wear his red robe and flat square cap of his former Grand Seneschal and Delegué General rank.

Wine menu will include Kir: blend of cassis and white Burgundy wine; Meursault, Savigny Les Beaune, Choret Les Beaune, Cote des Beaune Villages, Beaujolais Moulin-a-Vent and Pommard, the latter with the dinner ending cheese course variety.

Dinner menu, Burgundy motif: surprise reception food, baked oysters, sole André, chicken Nuits, and the to-die-for Beef Bourguignon, cheese varieties with crackers and bread rounds.

Please reserve NOW. I predict a sellout. A bargain at $70.

Wine Pick: Victor Hugo Estate Syrah 2000, $19.99. Nose: blueberries and roses, some nuances of spicy oak and rosemary; these transfer to the palate and join layers of supple tannins and toasty oak; swallow and aftertaste are rich and extended. A fine wine that is aging beautifully.



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