Prime Cuts

With the coming of winter and cold weather, nothing is better than a hearty, full-bodied red wine.  Fortunately for you, we feature an amazing selection of full bodied Argentinean red wines at Caminito, and I am intimately familiar with all of them.  Argentina is one of the top, up and coming wine countries of the world, specializing in an amazing assortment of hearty, earthy reds that pair nicely with Argentina’s most famous food – beef.  One of the greatest things about Argentine reds is that they are easy to come across and for the most part very affordable.

One of my personal favorite wines that we serve at Caminito is Terra Rosa, which is a Malbec, Argentina’s famous bold red grape.  When you think of hearty red wines Malbec is generally at the top of the list, and Terra Rosa is no exception.  When I tasted this wine for the first time the first flavor and aroma I noticed was something that I can only describe as a smokey, woody, hickory type flavor.  This was immediately followed by some spicy, yet well rounded tannins, and a finish of crisp red fruits.  There really is a lot going on, but the overall balance works perfectly, in a deliciously complex, romantic harmony.

I suggest this wine to customers who are looking for a dry red wine to compliment their steak, hopefully wood –fired, if possible.  However, I also suggest it to customers who know little about wine and are looking for an overall good, drinkable, affordable wine that is representative of what Argentina has to offer. This wine can stand on its own, and also pairs nicely with many foods which speaks to the versatility of Terra Rosa!

Due to its bold and smoky flavors Terra Rosa pairs incredibly well with basically all grilled foods, in particular steaks, chops, game, even hearty fish and shrimp dishes.  Terra Rosa also has the complexity to compliment foods like rich tomato based pastas, strong cheeses, and rich chocolate desserts.  In my opinion, the smoky flavor of this wine matches up best with food form the grill (I know I am a bit of a grill fanatic, but this is just down right true!).

One interesting fact about Terra Rosa is that it is an old vine Malbec.  This, as one would assume, refers to the fact that the original root stock for the grapes is over 50 years old.  The genetics involved in these grapes have been meticulously maintained and cared for which, in turn, produces a very consistent yield and taste.  Factors from vintage to vintage such as variations in rain, sun or temperature can result in slightly different taste profiles for wine, but in my experience I have never found a bottle of Terra Rosa that did not taste exactly as I expected it to.

So, on one of these cool fall/winter evenings when you are thinking about what to do for dinner and drinks, I suggest you think like a Gaucho and fire up the grill (if you haven’t put it away yet, but why would you, its still football season after all) and open a bottle of Terra Rosa Malbec.  It is a great wine year round, but is really something special in the cooler months, and is especially magnificent when paired with a smoky, grilled T-Bone, or a nice ribeye (my top two favorite cuts of beef).  For me, that is simply one of my favorite meals: a steak cut considerably larger than most would care to tangle with, cooked just the way I like it, and a bottle of full-bodied red wine.

One of the best things about Terra Rosa is that if your steak is too big for just one bottle, it is inexpensive enough that a second won’t break the bank at all.  Terra Rosa and a steak, you honestly don’t need anything else, simplicity… delicious, simplicity!

Have you had Terra Rosa before?  If so, what did you think of it?

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Photo by: Sifu Renka

Nicolás Catena is the man responsible for Argentinean wine as we know it today.  I was recently invited to attend a ceremony honoring Nicolás Catena, for being named Decanter Magazine’s man of the year in wine.  This honor is especially significant for Nicolás, as he is the first Argentinean to receive this award.  For those who do not know, Catena is more or less responsible for putting Argentina on the wine map, and furthermore proving that Argentine wines can stand up alongside some of the great French, and in particular Bordeaux wines in terms of overall quality.  For Nicolás Catena this achievement came from many years toiling with the specifics of wine production in Argentina’s Uco Valley, and with a the right combination of patience, timing, and a little help from family and friends, many years of trial and error eventually became, trial and success.

Catena wines have had a lengthy relationship with the Boston area, and the state of Massachusetts (there is a scene in The Departed when Leonardo DiCaprio is sitting on a case of Catena Malbec).  Catena’s daughter, Laura attended Harvard University, and played then, as she still does now a very active role in both winemaking and distribution for Catena vineyards.  For this reason Nicolás and Laura Catena were honored additionally, in Massachusetts after the European Decanter Ceremony.  This event was coordinated by M.S. Walker, the Massachusetts wine distributing company that is responsible for retailing Catena’s fine wines, and with whom Catena has long standing ties.  Attendees to this event were selected based on the amount of Catena wines sold over the last five years, as well as their respective relevance to the winemaker.

So, when I was asked to attend as the representative of Caminito, my small Argentinean Steakhouse, I considered it quite a personal milestone, as well as extremely fortunate that the ceremony was held not only within driving distance, but on my day off!  I have featured Catena’s fine wines as well as his table wines on my restaurant wine list since the day I opened, and although I may not have sold as many cases as some of the large retail companies that were in attendance, the fact that I do so in an Argentine themed Steakhouse made my presence all the more relevant.  As my wine list has matured over the years so has my palate, and I can honestly say that I have had the opportunity to notice the changes from vintage to vintage and taste firsthand how Catena’s fine wines have come to be recognized as some of the best in not only Argentina, but the world!

At the Boston event not only did the wine flow freely, but the really, really, good wine flowed freely!  It was amazing being able to try wines that are at the top end of some of Argentina’s best restaurants’ wine lists, as well as some that rarely make it onto U.S. soil.  There were speeches by Catena, and his daughter Laura, as well as the President of M.S. Walker, and some of Catena’s colleagues.  Most of the subject matter pertained to the fact that Nicolás Catena has long been unofficially credited with perfecting Malbec (Argentina’s now famous red grape). The majority of the speeches concluded with how proud everyone is that Catena is now officially credited for Argentinean Malbec’s rise to fame.

It was Catena’s attention to detail that led him to find that in order to produce world class Malbec, soil composition was far less important than he originally thought.  It was the mountain side territory, and in particular latitude, that translated to the most important growing factors of temperature and sunlight intensity. These are the key ingredients if you will, which are necessary to produce Malbec that has the greatest complexity and elegance.   Precise blending of specific vineyards, and the selection of old aged vines are secondary factors that Catena has been perfecting in his life’s work of putting Malbec on the world wine map.

So for me it was a proud moment when, with a glass of Catena’s rarely exported Malbec Argentino in my hand, I was able to introduce myself to the godfather of Argentine wine, and say “Thank you, I have been proudly pouring your wines at Caminito Argentinean  Steakhouse since opening day, and I will continue to do so for as long as they are made”.  Catena spoke with the quiet confidence that only comes from years of experience and success, when he simply replied “you are very welcome, happy to do it”.

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Today on Prime Cuts TV we wanted to talk about properly decanting wine.  Not too many people seem to do it but it can do so much for a bottle of wine.  While there are many different types of decanters out there, today we focus on explaining the reasons behind decanting and demonstrate how to properly do it.

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Do you decant your wine?  If you do decant, do you notice a difference in taste? Thoughts?

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Being my first week and with the summer and warm weather right around the corner, I thought I would begin my initiation to Prime Cuts with a drink that I learned to make while working at Caminito with Joe and Justin. This Perfect Summer Sangria is easy to make and especially perfect to enjoy in these upcoming months.

Ashley’s Summer Sangria Recipe

Ingredients

1 Bottle chilled red wine (Choose a wine that isn’t too sweet because sugar is going to be added later. Blends such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot are great to use because they don’t overpower the other ingredients.)
1/4-1/2 cup confectioners sugar (use to your desired sweetness)
1/4 cup Orangina
1/4 cup Sparkling water

Mix all ingredients to dissolve sugar then add:
1 cup fresh fruit, diced (some great fruits that I use are apples, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe, pineapple and kiwi)
1/2 of an orange, cut into small chunks

Preparation

Stir all the ingredients and let sit for a hour so the fruit can absorb the wine! Serve in red wine glasses and Enjoy!  It’s as simple as that!

Check back next week for a new drink recipe!

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Photo by: CRLS

As I came back from vacation and started looking through all of my “food and drink” feeds in Google Reader I got to one of my favorite sites: Wine Library TV.  Not only is Gary Vaynerchuk a friend but the show rocks for anyone who wants to learn more about wine.  As I scrolled through I came to episode #647 and fell in love when I saw the title was: “What wine goes with bacon?”  So, I just had to share it here because my guilty pleasure is all things bacon (especially the concept of chocolate-dipped bacon).

Enjoy!

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After a successful wine dinner last week where we received rave reviews for a center-cut peppercorn filet mignon, Joe now shares his peppercorn rub recipe with you.

Something I have been doing for a while now is a peppercorn crust on my grilled steaks.  Peppercorn crust on a steak is delicious when done properly, but can easily be messed up and overdone.   Most people who have ever bitten down on a large unexpected peppercorn, remember the taste, and wouldn’t ever think of eating a peppercorn crusted steak.  However when applied correctly, a peppercorn crust or rub will mellow during cooking and not overpower the meat, but instead enhance the flavor.

The following recipe is for a basic peppercorn rub which is not overly peppery, or spicy, and is a good starting point for those people who are a little timid about completely covering their steak with spices.

Note: When I make this recipe I grind the peppercorns in an electric spice grinder until they are just a little bit bigger than the holes in a table pepper shaker, about 2x the size of table pepper.  More importantly, I grind the pepper a day or two in advance of when I will be using it to allow it to mellow, as same day fresh pepper tends to be very strong.

Joe’s Peppercorn Rub

Will thoroughly coat 4-6 medium steaks

Ingredients
3 tbsp ground pepper (see Note above)
2 tsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp onion powder

Preparation

• Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

• Place spice mix on a plate or flat surface and spread out to the size of the steaks you will be coating.

• Coat steaks by pressing only the sides which will be in contact with the cooking medium firmly into the spice mix.  There is no need to coat the edges that will not be in contact with the heat.

• Cook steaks to desired temperature.  The cooking process will mellow the pepper flavor and gently infuse it into the steaks.

• If you desire a more powerful peppercorn flavor, use freshly ground peppercorns that are not ground as fine.

• If you desire less peppery flavor, spread the spice mix more thinly on the seasoning plate and do not press the steaks as firmly into the seasoning.

You can make extra ahead of time and store in a tightly sealed jar but only take out as much as you need per cooking, and never return seasoning that has been used on the seasoning plate with raw meat back into the storage jar.

For steaks seasoned with this spice mix I suggest pairing with a bold and boisterous red wine such as Malbec or Cabernet Sauvignon.  During our most recent wine dinner, peppercorn crusted filet mignon was paired with Luigi Bosca Single Vineyard D.O.C. Malbec.

Enjoy!

You can download a PDF version of this Peppercorn Rub Recipe.

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Photo by: shadowfall

We will be breaking this concept out into several posts including information on both red and white wines.  We are still debating on how we will share this information and we think that it might be fun to present it to you as a world tour.  Sound good?  Ok, glad you agree!

Malbec – Currently the most famous Argentine grape.  The Malbec grape was originally grown in France but has developed its best characteristics in Argentina.  Loaded with spicy, smokey, robust flavors, Malbec can be an extremely bold wine.  But in some of the more fruit forward bottles this boldness is subdued by the jammy cherry and berry flavors which are more evident than the spicier ones.

Cabernet Sauvignon – Cabernet is one of the most commonly grown red grapes, and for good reason – it displays terrific smoothness, sweetness, and concentration of a wide range of flavors.  The Cabernet grape also has a tremendous capacity for aging.  Common flavors present in Cabernets include cherry, plum, berry, spice, vanilla, tobacco, mocha, chocolate, and coffee.

Bonarda -The most widely planted Argentine grape, the origins of which are Italian.  Known for a distinct ruby red to purple color.  This wine has tremendous sweetness and smoothness, and can often include flavors of raspberries, flowers, licorice, vanilla, anise, white pepper, dark chocolate, smoked wood, and tobacco.   The natural sweetness of this grape can also lend itself to a dessert or fortified Bonarda.

Pinot Noir -Recently Pinot Noir has had a great increase in popularity, and for good reason, these wines display an incredible amount of flavor while being at the same time very smooth in a way that would not be common for such bold flavors.  Piinot Noir can gain different flavor profiles from the time it is aged in wood barrels.  Typically, the less oak aged types have more upfront flavors of red fruits, vanilla, and caramel while the longer oaked varietals will display more upfront flavors of wood, earth, flowers, and spice.

Tempranillo -This grape is originally from Spain and due to the similar growing and climate conditions, this grape grows well in Argentine soil.  Tempranillo can offer intense character and deep flavors of cherries, black raspberries, cardamom and allspice.

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Photo by IanL