AficioNada

In keeping with the Bargains and Jargons theme I latched onto Monday, here’s another splurge that’s a steal offering from Quixote Winery for AficioNada readers. 

If you have $100 and a thirst for some gorgeous wines, then call Lew Price (or Carl Doumani) at Quixote Winery and tell them you want to buy the Friends of Meatpaper 3-Pack.

The pack includes:

1. Quixote's Stags’ Leap Petite Syrah

2. Pretense Petite Syrah

3. Quixote's Stags’ Leap Cabernet   

All for $100. (The Stags’ Leap Petite Syrah retails for $50 all by itself)

Read on to get the backstory...

Some Sundays are so strange. Last weekend, I trotted down to Acme Chophouse in the city for the launch of Meatpaper’s sixth issue. This magazine is like that small tub of lard you keep in the refrigerator: delicious and absolutely essential. Especially if you’re interested in slaughter philosophies, want to learn how globalization kills chickens for their parts or have never taken the Whole-Animal Challenge.

Since day one of living in Napa Valley, I have obsessively wanted to learn how to break down a pig. Ad Hoc's Chef Dave Cruz will confirm this. For weeks last November I pestered him about letting me come and “observe” the next time they got one of the big boys in the restaurant.

Interruption: It should be noted that I have absolutely zero knife skills. And I do girl push-ups.  A superhero lover may collect comic books; I scrub in on plastic surgeries (been to three now) and observe animal dissections. Neither of us is going to leap tall buildings, and I'm never going to be able to carve through an 800-lb slab of pork all by myself. I’ve said it before, but... Who’s to say what sings to your soul?

I was delighted to find that Chef Ryan Farr was on-site Sunday night to break down a whole pig. It was glorious. It was gory. And I had been invited to watch!  I didn’t even flinch when he stripped  Babe's bubblegum pink cheeks and threw them into the saute pan. In fact, I went back for seconds and thanked my lucky stars that San Francisco hosts such zany events.

How did I get into such a fabulous party? Through the back door, of course. I volunteered to pour wines for the thirsty mob of guests. Like a pack of rabied swine, they were. The party started at six. We ran out of wine at 8. The bar ran out of liquor about the same time.

Six paragraphs later, I’m getting to the point of this post: Petite syrah, meat's perfect partner-in-crime. 

On Sunday, in a rare social moment, Quixote Winery's Carl Doumani not only showed up to pour wine himself, he also offered the “Friends of Meatpaper” a special 3-pack celebrating the upcoming Presidential Inauguration. USING MY 'SIX DEGREES OF' PHILOSOPHY, I SOMEHOW CONVINCED DOUMANI THAT SINCE WE (YOU AND ME, READERS) ARE FRIENDS, THAT MAKES YOU FRIENDS OF MEATPAPER AS WELL.

Petite Syrah is an iconic pairing with lamb or goat chops or beef tenderloin. At least, it is when it's good.  

It's even better when it's great.

Carl Doumani’s trademark has alway been Petite Syrah (his first, for Stags’ Leap Winery years ago, developed a cult following). And his Quixote Stags' Leap Petite Syrah is erotic and silky, with brambly earth-covered blackberry flavors, and powerful tannins balanced by mouthwatering acidity which make it great for aging. 

Quixote winery has become most famous for its façade: an absurdly beautiful, curvilinear, tree-topped design from famous Viennese architect Friedesnreich Hundertwasser. It truly captures colors and redefines them. Unfortunately, people get so caught up in the building that they do not notice the most important thing: The wine is as stunningly architectured as the winery.

You can see why I was so excited, then, about this 3-pack. Quixote’s Pretense, by the way, is a Petite Syrah made from Solano County fruit. It’s the yin to the Stags’ Leap yang. It’s bright and juicy and delicious all on its own. It’s also a bargain and sells out almost every year. I’ve never had the pleasure of his Cabernet, but it’s made from famous Stags’ Leap fruit by a conscientious winemaker. I have a hard time imagining it as anything other than delicious.

Too parched to click on Quixote’s phone number? It’s 707.944.2659. Cheers!

End Note: In an attempt for full disclosure, I should note that I have done some writing work for Studio 707, an eclectic PR company that represents Quixote. I have never been hired by 707 to write for or about Quixote Winery, but it is thanks to them that I came to know, taste and love Doumani's intensely flavored wines.