Year: 2009

Maine Coastal Vineyards

| Posted in General News, Wine

Today’s Portland Daily Sun includes an interview with Steve Melchiskey from Maine Coastal Vineyards in Falmouth.

Whether or not global warming turns Maine into a wine center, as a 2006 National Science Foundation report suggested, the short season and mild summers make for a climate that is inhospitable to classic wine grapes. St. Pepin, St. Croix, LaCrescent, Leon Millot, Marechal Foch, Ravat 51, Sabrevois and Aurore are the cold-adapted grapes that Melchiskey has found success with. Hundreds of gallons of test blends have been dumped over the years but there has been enough bottled success that their grape harvest festival attracts 125 volunteers.

and an article on the Wayside Soup Kitchen and Food Rescue.

A decade into its mission to feed the hungry and distributing more than a million pounds of food annually, Portland’s Wayside Food Rescue is reaching beyond the traditional food kitchen format by cultivating garden plots and establishing new neighborhood outlets.

No Children Allowed

| Posted in Wine

Chow Maine has a report on Maine’s new wine tasting law and the impact of the provision that tastings “be conducted in a manner that precludes the possibility of children viewing the tasting” is having on wine shops.

Now that the law is in effect, it’s clear that the shop owners’ concerns were justified. Tastings have been canceled, shop owners remain confused about what they have to do to comply with the new law, and getting approval for tastings from the liquor enforcement bureau has frequently proven to be difficult.

Rachels L'Osteria Profile

| Posted in People

Maine Home + Design has posted the profile of Bob and Laura Butler, owners of Rachels L’Osteria, that appeared in the September issue of the magazine.

While the lovingly selected menu is based on Laura’s passion for food, the carefully considered wine list remains Bob’s forte. The trips to Italy have helped fine-tune his growing love for Italian wine, and for the last five years Wine Spectator has recognized Rachel’s 250-label list. While the emphasis is on Italian wines and some older vintages of California Cabernets, small boutique wines also have their place on the list. Whether it’s the $130 bottle or the $23 bottle, Bob has a photographic recall when it comes to wine. “I can’t remember what Laura said five minutes ago, and yet I can remember a bottle of wine people came in and ordered six months ago,” he says.

This Week's Events

| Posted in Events, Uncategorized

The Grand Opening for Binga’s Stadium is scheduled for this Thursday; the venue is holding soft openings on both Tuesday and Wednesday to ramp up the operation. I’ve heard that Veranda Noodle Bar is also planning to open this week but there’s no word yet on specifically what day of the week.
On Monday, Five Fifty-Five is holding an event to relaunch their Point Five Lounge. Both the weekly Piatto per Tutti cooking class and the Foodie Trivia Contest are also taking place Monday evening. The next Wine Flight 5k Training Run is scheduled for Tuesday night. On Wednesday The Salt Exchange is running their weekly wine and canapes event, and on Thursday Rob Todd will be at The Great Lost Bear for an Allagash Beer Showcase. A class on raising rabbits for meat is scheduled for Saturday. Portland’s weekly Farmers’ Markets are being held in Monument Square on Wednesday and at Deering Oaks Park on Saturday. Sunday is Maine Open Creamery Day.

Cold River Vodka

| Posted in General News

There’s a feature story about Cold River Vodka on the front page of today’s Maine Sunday Telegram.

When Chris Dowe looks at the three one-ton bags of potatoes in the distillery, he sees vodka in the raw. The characteristics of the potatoes remain key as they are cooked into a soup that is fermented into wine and triple-distilled. Even after the alcohol is mixed with water, Dowe can trace the vodka’s origins back to the potatoes.

Harpoon Beer Dinner Report

| Posted in Beer

About Town has published a report on last week’s Harpoon beer dinner at David’s.

local blue cheese bisque “shooter” with cayenne and celery salt popcorn: This was the least-familiar of the concepts: a chicken-stock reduction with blue cheese liquefied and served in a shot glass, with a small chunk of blue cheese and the aforementioned popcorn. You nibble the cheese, do the “shot” (which was far creamier than I had expected, and was the texture – though not at all the flavor – of an incredibly dense, thick New England clam chowder), and then munch on the popcorn, which cut through the thickness and richness with a little spice and crunch. I wanted a straw to suck up the last of the shot.

20-Mile Meal

| Posted in Events

The Forecaster has published an article about this weekend’s 20-Mile Meal. Chefs will be sourcing “more than 80 percent of the meal…from within a 20-mile radius” of Portland.

Some of the local chefs include Lisa Kostopolous of the Good Table in Cape Elizabeth, James Tranchemontagne of the Frog & Turtle in Westbrook, Cheryl Lewis of El Rayo Taqueria in Portland, Guy Hernandez of Bar Lola in Portland and Timothy Cole, a guest chef from the Southern Maine Community College culinary arts program in South Portland. In addition, there will be culinary creations by chefs from the Back Bay Grill, Bresca, Flat Bread, Blue Spoon, Cinque Terre, Rosemont Market & Bakery, Evangeline and Aurura Provisions, as well as farm tours, cider making, live music and family activities.