Accidental Epicurean
DCJ Teaser, Caso Paco, CRUSHABLE, Assyrtiko, Etna
Le Clos Jordanne is now officially Domaine Le Clos Jordanne as it has just opened its new winery on the Beamsville Bench, on the former Angel’s Gate estate. I got a sneak peek of the winery and tasted the about-to-be-released 2021 vintage of the DCJ’s this week, and I will have proper report next week at The Hub, which will be linked to (as always) from here.
NOT A REVIEW OF CASO PACO
My wife and I have good friends who take going out to eat as a serious sport and pastime. So, when the gastronaut couple suggested we meet them for dinner at Caso Paco on Clinton at College, we of course accepted, but wondered if we were going out for Mexican. We were wrong and had one of the better meals and generally fun times out that we’ve had out on Toronto Saturday night for a while.
If I had done my homework, I would have learned that Caso Paco had just been named second best new restaurant on Jacob Richler’s Canada’s 100 Best list, and some serious gastronomy was going to go down at our table of four. I have clearly been spending too much time in wine cellars.
Caso Paco is both intimate and exciting, reminding me of the energy in the old Niagara Street Café and its superlative successor, Edulis. The cooking is precise, absolutely correct, but without pretension. There is a vaguely Spanish theme to it, but I think the correct adjective for the genre of food is “European”. Chef Rob Bragagnolo seems happy to take whatever technique works with hyper fresh seasonal local or Canadian ingredients. There is a wood grill that gets worked marvellously so that the smoke is present as a flavour without being dominant. The food is interesting without being clever, sophisticated without being overly complicated. That’s harder to pull off than it sounds.
There also seems to be some nods to my personal mothership, St. John in London. Not just the friendly but archly professional service, but the plating, the glassware, and unapologetic encouragement of having a good time. All of this is lubricated by a concise fine wine list, which pours well from the top rows, and a “Fernet” course of amaro, overseen by mixologist Tommy Conrad, to clear the way for dessert. I am confident Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver would be happy at Casa Paco.
I didn’t go Casa Paco to work, so I took no notes nor pictures. I have few specifics to report. I just had fun, and thought readers might like to know.
NEW WRITING AT THE HUB
A silver lining to the dark cloud the COVID era brought over the hospitality industry has been some innovation in the way that wine is sold and consumed in the parts of this country which are still under the control of provincial alcohol monopolies. Laura Milnes’ CRUSHABLE is a wine club, but it also is something of an attitude. I was pleased to learn more about her and her project for this feature at The Hub:
WINE RECOMMENDATIONS
Please enjoy this recommendation. Recommendations here are free for all subscribers… for now. Soon these just-in-time wine recommendations for LCBO Vintages releases, Ontario wine releases and wines on direct offer from importing agents will be reserved for paid subscribers to Malcolm Jolley Wino Journalist. That and more. Get ahead of the curve today and support my work by being a paid subscriber.
Zacharias Assyrtiko 2022
Price: $18.95
Channel: LCBO Vintages
Producer: Zacharias
Country: Greece
Region: Peloponnese, Nemea
Appellation: Peloponnese PDO
Grapes: Assyrtiko
Alcohol by Volume: 14%
Sugar Content: 2 grams per litre
The Assyrtiko grape traces its origins to the volcanic island of Santorini, where pricey and pricier bottles of it are made, but it is now grown widely around Greece to make high quality white wines, like this one. The Zacharias Assytiko is crisp, citrus noted and imbued with the mystically ambiguous characteristic of minerality. It also has a bit of weight to it, and enough fruit to balance its pronounced acidity. It refreshes in warm weather and brings water to the mouth. For $19 its an exceptional value, and it will pair with any food that does well with a squeeze of lemon.
https://www.lcbo.com/en/zacharias-assyrtiko-2018-588814
Giovanni Rosso Etna Rosso 2017
Price: $58.00
Channel: LCBO Vintages
Producer: Giovanni Rosso
Country: Italy
Region: Sicily, Etna
Appellation: Etna Rosso DOC
Grapes: Nerello Mascalese 100%
Alcohol by Volume: 13%
Sugar Content: 4 grams per litre
This year Davide Rosso was awarded the Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri award for Best Red Wine of the Year for his 2019 Giovanni Rosso Barolo Rionda Ester Canale. Since only 1,800 bottles of this were made, it’s unlikely to turn up at the LCBO any time soon. His other Barolo wines, when a limited allotment is shipped to Ontario, typically fetch $100 and more. So in context, $60 for a bottle of his Mount Etna winery red, seems like a pretty good deal.
This is a special occasion wine that delivers on its promise. Etna is both a sunny Mediterranean and a cool climate terrior, and the Nerello Mascalese based red wines, grown in new volcanic soil, like this one, show an intense depth of fruit from perfect phenolic ripening, while retaining a bright, fresh and food friendly acidity. Look for red fruit from cherry to raspberry held together in tannic silk that extends into a lengthy finish like a plum of smoke extending from the volcano over the Ionian Sea. Buy to drink now or cellar to see how it evolves over many years.
https://www.lcbo.com/en/giovanni-rosso-etna-rosso-37354
