InezSays.com — Inez Ribustello's Wine Blog

First Growth

by Inie on April 10, 2013

On Sunday evening, Stephen and I were graciously invited to a dear friend’s home for a casual supper. Excited about getting out of our house for the evening, the invitation was especially generous because our children were included in the invite.

You can imagine my excitement and my shock when I walked into their kitchen to see a freshly opened bottle of 2003 Chateau Lafite Rothschild standing upright next to a decanter.

Trying not to squeal, my voice did go up an octave when I said, “Oh no you didn’t!”

Chateau Lafite Rothschild on a Sunday night in Tarboro. Who said my life would change drastically when I left New York for small town U.S.A?

We enjoyed the first two sips as a foursome without any food, and the aromas coming out of the glass were breathtaking, to say the least. Dried cranberries, cigar wrapper, pencil shavings, rich earth, blackcurrants, there were too many smells to keep up with them all.

I continued to enjoy this magnificent red as a preamble to dinner as well as an accompaniment to delicious burgers.

In case I am writing Greek to some of you, Chateau Lafite Rothschild is one of the five first growths of Bordeaux. The 1855 classification designated the top estates of the left bank of Bordeaux based on the price of the wine it produced some 150 years ago. In the classification, it gave the top wine estates a designation of first, second, third, fourth or fifth growths. In 1855, it deemed only four estates worthy of the prestigious title of first growth. These four were and still are Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut Brion, Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Latour. In 1973, it added Chateau Mouton Rothschild to the mix, making a total of five first growths.

As you can imagine, these wines are extremely allocated and sought after, and collectors pride themselves in procuring small (or large) amounts of each vintage.

I have two in my cellar, and they were given to Stephen and me when we got married in 2003 by our New York friend Ed Lauber.

Our dear hosts who so generously invited us over for dinner and graciously opened this amazing bottle of vin rouge knew how special of a deal this was for us. A 10-year-old first growth being poured in our glasses so we could ponder and reminisce about the time when these grapes were harvested.

For our friend, 2003 marked the year she and her husband took their children to France with her mom and dad.

For Stephen and me, 2003 marked the year we were married.

Ten years later, my friends both mourn the loss of a parent.

Ten years later, my husband and I celebrate a decade-long marriage ripe with two healthy children.

First growths.

They can be magnificent and celebratory. They can be painful and memorable.

Regardless of the emotions they evoke, we all need them.

A first growth doesn’t necessarily have to be the wine. It can also be the moment in your life when you feel like you have really grown. On Sunday, I felt that way. I felt very grown up, and I felt older with more life behind me.

We need a night with good friends and a special wine to show us how far we have come, and we need a ten-year anniversary to remind us of the amazing journey it has been.

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Hedonism in the form of Wine & Food.

by Inie on March 16, 2013

I’ll be completely honest. If I don’t get to travel to New York City at least once during the year, I am completely depressed.

Tarboro is my favorite town on the planet, but Manhattan is my favorite city.

Tarboro is my loving husband (where I want to be forever and always) and New York is my wonderful dream (the place where I go to be super happy but can always leave at the blink of an eye).

This past weekend I traveled north for La Paulee, an event dedicated to the great wines of Burgundy and all of the lovers it has collected over the years.

Hedonistic doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Rare wine from exquisite vintages that cost more than my house paired with food from the greatest chefs of New York and France, the weekend is truly unbelievable.

This year’s La Paulee was especially special because this was the first time I was given the amazing opportunity to work the Rare Wine Dinner hosted on the Friday evening before the Paulee.

Just in case you’re wondering how rare, the price per person is $4750.00 + tax. A mere drop in the bucket, my nerves were pretty torn up just thinking about being there as a sommeleir.

Held at Restaurant Daniel on the upper East side, the dinner was prepared by not only Daniel Boulud and his incredible crew but also Michel Troisgros and his amazing chefs.

Not to bore you with words, I thought it would be much more entertaining to see photographs of some of the most beautiful food I have ever seen.

In case you are wondering was it worth it, I am assuming it is if you have it.

Cheers to Tarboro where our wine dinners are only $85 ++.

Panna Fritta a la Truffe

Beet Cured Hamachi with Horseradish & Shiso Cream

Meyer Lemon Pomponette with Ossettra & Caviar Lime ala DB

Foie Gras Mousse in Port Gelee & Brioche ala DB

Some type of Chestnut puree dusted with Black Truffles that made my heart stop via MT

Cream of Parsley Stuffed Chicken Wing, Cray Fish & Cockscomb ala DB--Cream of Parsley had not yet been poured tableside--when guests are paying that kind of money, I cannot take a photograph of the dish over their shoulder--may fly at OTS but not at DB

Monkfish Barberry ala MT

Lobster Civet with Red Berries ala MT

Shoulder of Veal Stuffed with Mushrooms, Root Gratin with Reblochon ala DB

Smoked Pigeon Mid-Salmi, Toast with Foie Gras, Mushrooms & Black Truffle ala DB

Raspberry-Cream Cheese Vacherin, Gel Berry, Yogurt Meringue

Wines of Domaine Leflaive

Sommeliers at the DRC Table

Happy Days!

What I Had for Dinner and Dessert!

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Napa & Sonoma

by Inie on February 23, 2013

Oh, Wine Country, it’s so hard not to love you.

Just this week I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Sonoma and Napa to be introduced to some new vineyards as well as say hello to some very dear ones that have been a huge part of my sommelier career.

The first time I went to Napa as a wine buyer was in August of 2000, and I had flown out of New York to go take the Introductory Course for the Court of Master Sommeliers.

My dear friend Chris Goodhart had lined up tours and tastings as well as accommodations at Cuvaison, Trefethen and Silver Oak. It was a week of studying intertwined with unbelievable visits to beautiful vineyards. I soaked it all in with the sun, and by the time I got back to New York, all I could breathe was the magnificent juice of Napa Valley.

As wine would have it, while I sat in the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, I made a new friend in the person sitting beside me. Her name was Ellen Hunt, and she was working for Rudd Winery, a relatively new venture in Oakville that was just getting ready to release their Chardonnays in New York City.

After several days in class together, Ellen invited me to Rudd for a tour with Damon Ornowski, an assistant winemaker at the property. The winery was in its initial stages, and it was very cool to be able to say I had been to a facility that was just now getting started. Ellen extended an invitation to come to Jean Georges for lunch three weeks later to taste the current release of its Chardonnays. I couldn’t have gotten any higher if a hot air balloon had physically taken me to the moon. Wine was bliss, and I was loving every single moment.

Fast forward to 13 years later, and here I am going back to Rudd for a 2:00 appointment on a Thursday, exactly the same day and time of the one over a decade ago.

A fabulous tour by Cheryl (who worked with Ellen back in the day), I saw a completely different facility than the one I saw in 2000. Big cellar caves and extensive landscaping with a Bellagio-inspired fountain, the winery has grown into a mature adult, transitioning to Sauvignon Blanc from Mount Veeder for its main white with two Cabernet-based reds.

The wines are as beautiful as ever, and completely age-worthy with ripe fruit and silky texture. Hard to believe something has grown up so quickly. I guess that’s a sign I need to do the same.

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2013 Begins with Beer

by Inie on January 14, 2013

For Christmas, my husband surprised me with a kegerator.

Many of you know my love for beer, and it has only grown as I have constantly tried to keep up with the endless supply of microbrews from all over the world.

Yes, wine is regal and delicious and perfect and completely beautiful, but I have to say, sometimes, I just need a beer.

In fact, as much as I love to try a new wine, I just as much love trying new beers.

In my new kegerator is a keg of Carolina Brewery’s Copperline Amber Ale. It is special because the beer is absolutely phenomenal, but of course, it is more special because of the relationship we have with the brewery.

My fun reign at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill began in the Fall of 1994. It was right around this time that Carolina Brewery opened its doors.

My best friend Emily and I could not be more excited because the gentleman opening the brewery was Robert Poitras, a Tarboro born-and-bred, and we just knew he would be happy to contribute to our illegal drinking habits.

Boy, were we mistaken.

Before we even got out of the Carolina Blue gate, Robert told Emily to make no mistake about it; if we ever dared trying to come in there to buy a beer underage, we would get our fannies tossed out on to Franklin Street faster than we could say ALE officer.

It scared us enough to stay away except when our parents were in town, and when we ate dinner at the brewery with them, we drank our fountain cokes while they enjoyed the pleasures of craft beer.

But time flies when you’re in the best college town on the planet, and on my 21st birthday, Mary Ann took me to the brewery for lunch where I drank my first legal draught beer. I also bought my first growler before leaving to go back to my apartment.

The beers are incredible, and for Chapel Hill and east, it is the benchmark of brewerys.

My husband knows how I feel about beer and how I feel about people so at Christmastime, he had the perfect idea to get me a gift with meaning that I would use and love.

It’s relaxing and fun to sit back and enjoy a cold one. Sometimes wine just isn’t what you’re feeling. Dwight D. Eisenhower said it best: ”Some people wanted Champagne and Caviar when they should have had beer and hotdogs.”

Here’s the thing: I want beer and hot dogs.

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Nana Says

by Inie on December 15, 2012

My grandmother is 93 years old, and she is not only my namesake, but I give her much credit for the person I am today.

As of now, she lives in a rehabilitation clinic using her mornings and afternoons to try to walk again in a successful manner.

Nana knew about Sauvignon Blanc way before I even started thinking about wine. She could also use the terms Sancerre and Pouilly Fume correctly in 1998, when most people in Edgecombe County didn’t know Chardonnay was a grape.

A native of Rexburg, Idaho, she met my grandfather in World War II in North Africa. One look at her, and he fell madly in love, ultimately bringing her back to his hometown to be his bride and lifelong mate.

She never looked back, and has lived in Tarboro since the young age of 25.

I didn’t get to meet her parents, but knowing her, I cannot even think about how much they must have missed her when she permanently moved all the way across the country.

The other day when I was sitting in her room at Golden Living, she started talking to me about all of the people who were in pain in our community that were much younger than her.

Nana told me she wakes up in the morning getting ready to ask for God’s blessings upon her, but then she thinks of someone who needs it a lot more than she does.

She said this pattern continues until she goes to bed at night, realizing she has spent the entire day blessing others because she kept thinking of more and more people who needed God’s grace and mercy.

This random thought touched me so much, and I have been thinking about it ever since she said it.

Today, of course, most people’s hearts cracked as they read or watched the horrific news about the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in New Town, Connecticut.

It reminded me of Nana’s wise blessing: Waking up getting ready to ask for herself, but then acknowledging there are so many others who need it ahead of her.

I pray I will always remember these words, and that I will continue to ask for peace, comfort and love to these grieving families and to all those who mourn senseless pain.

At 36 years old, I find one of my life’s greatest joys is having my grandmother share her wisdom with me as I blindly walk down this path called life. She has seen all kinds of hurt and heartbreak, and even today, she cries tears of grief from the hospital bed where a television is her constant companion.

Nana doesn’t say it isn’t fair at her age to still have to watch all of this awful pain and suffering.

Instead, she wakes up in the morning, asking God to heal those who she claims are in a lot worse shape than she is.

“If that’s possible,” Nana says with a gentle smile.

Nana at Christmas Eve 2011

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Let’s Have a Kiki.

by Inie on November 30, 2012

So I haven’t really felt like writing much lately. Not because I haven’t had anything to write, but more because what I had to say wasn’t light and airy.

So here it is in its simplest form:

Let’s have a kiki.

Everything I need to function in life I learned from Glee.

Let’s have a kiki.

You may not know or even like the song, but the jest is this:

A kiki is a party for calming all your nerves.

Is that possible?

Life is grand. I sit here writing on my computer less than 26 hours away from December 1st, and I think to myself what a beautiful world.

For the past few months, that is not exactly how I have felt.

Instead I have been focused on the hurt and the pain and the cruelness of life and those who have been or are hurting.

It may be deep to think about those things, but it doesn’t inspire me to share them with others.

Guess that means I’m getting old?

For sure it does. Just to prove it, I found a gray hair today that my husband refused to pull.

So I have sat on my computer for the past few weeks refusing to write because what I wanted to write wasn’t bubbly and festive.

And then, I open a bottle of juice that disagrees with my attitude.

I open a bottle of Iron Horse “Ocean Reserve” Bubbly from Green Valley of Russian River Valley in Sonoma. A joint project between Iron Horse Winery and National Geographic Magazine, proceeds from every bottle sale go to ocean life preservation and to the protection of over fishing.

There is so much good in the world. We can find it if we look for it.

We can find it in wine, in education, in workplaces, in anything if we search deep enough.

Go tell it on the mountain. Go tell your friends to find a wine with a story. A wine that is made by someone who cares. A wine that will restore or renew your faith in the human race.

Let’s have a kiki, and let’s do it with a glass of vino that celebrates people who want to help our world.

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Long Live Terra Vita

by Inie on November 5, 2012

We interrupt this program to bring to you a special announcement….

Today I will blog on the best weekend I enjoyed in Chapel Hill thanks to a brilliant mind and beautiful soul named Colleen Minton, organizer extraordinaire of Terra Vita. If you don’t know about Terra Vita, read about it in all of its glory at www.terravitaevent.com.

Stephen and I ventured up to the Hill (the only place I would live in North Carolina besides Tarboro) to take part in one component of the event known as the Sustainable Classroom.

I partnered up with the extremely knowledgeable Alexander Kast, the fromagier at Southern Seasons and the extremely beautiful and knowledgeable Breana Lai, cooking class director at Southern Seasons, to facilitate a session on wine paired with cheese in its pure form and wine paired with cheese once incorporated in a dish.

The hour and fifteen minute class took place in the Greenbridge Development Building on Rosemary Street with a magnificent view of my most favorite university town.

The three of us enjoyed a fun crowd, and the basic rundown of the class was the following:

Rag Apple Lassie Viognier from the Yadkin Valley paired with Goat Lady Dairy Smoky Mountain Round Ravioli
Ravines Riesling from the Fingerlakes of New York with Meadow Creek Dairy “Grayson”
Le Tel Quel from the Loire Valley of France with a Montgomery Cheddar Grilled Cheese & Butternut Squash Soup
Saddle Rock Old Vines Tawny Port paired with Rogue River Blue

It was an educational adventure for me, and I fell even more deeply in love with cheese by the end of the class.

No time to dilly dally, however, because our next stop was to attend the Carolina Table: East Meets West Dinner featuring Adam Rose of Il Palio in Chapel Hill, Vivian Howard of Chef and the Farmer in Kinston and Cassie Parsons of Harvest Moon Grille in Charlotte.

What an amazing dinner! Not only did we get to sit beside Sean Lilley from Full Steam Brewery as well as his wife and beautiful daughter, but we enjoyed unbelievably delicious dishes ranging from Collard Risotto to Spinach Canneloni with local mushrooms.

The dinner was an absolute blast, and Stephen and I were completely pumped up for the following day when the Grand Tasting on the Green would take place.

Saturday morning came quickly, and we trucked our wares to Southern Village where the event was held. Because Terra Vita supports local, sustainable food, Stephen decided to make a rendition of the Classic PB&J with bacon. He made boiled peanut butter using peanuts from Dew’s and Scuppernong Jam, adding Bacon sourced from Heritage Farms in Goldsboro. Because we buy eggs from Jensen Farms and Bee Blessed Bee Honey, he made Truffled Egg Salad Crostini as well.

It was great hearing people’s reactions and tasting all of the other amazing restaurants’ dishes filled we talent and flavor. Of course, my heart sang when I saw my sister Kate and her husband Tommy in the crowd. They had made the trip to support On the Square, and when you have family with you by your side, it is a truly wonderful thing.

I should also go on record as saying two different couples who frequent On the Square came to support our restaurant as well. What a beautiful and special treat to have them with us away from Tarboro.

The day ended with a special dinner among friend’s at Mateo’s in Durham. Ten of us gathered around a long table and enjoyed family style Spanish food with plenty of Cava and cocktails. All of us had spent a wonderful day serving others food we believed to be indicative of the area where we live. The night ended with us getting served some of the best food I have ever eaten with so much laughter, my sides hurt.

My longtime friend Hailey, a fellow southerner who worked with me at Windows on the World, sat across from me as we stuffed our faces and talked incessantly. She said, and I agree, “This is the most fun I’ve had since 2001.”

Cheers to a wonderful life!

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So Far Behind

by Inie on October 27, 2012

Yes, On the Square’s birthday came and went, and I was by no where even close to finishing the story of how we came to be.

Did something happen?

No, not really, unless you count life. Life keeps happening to me, and as it does, I forget to blog.

On the Square is still serving food and wine in its normal capacity, but my time to myself is a great deal more crowded than it has ever been. I guess a five-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl will do that.

Going back to September 2004, the month and year our first child was born.

I had left Borgata in July, and Burton, the same sister who had driven me up for the interview, came back to chauffeur me back down a year and a half later.

Who would have thought Stephen could handle Tarboro all my himself, with no native wife to help?

I make joke, but the truth is, while Stephen was in my hometown running our restaurant in its best state, he was making many friends along the way. My parents still believe it was a wonderful thing to have him in our town where our friends could get to know him without his overbearing wife beside him to hog the conversation.

So, here I come back to T-town, eight months pregnant and larger than life. Our hours of operation for dinner had changed to Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, and the four young girls working in the front with me were all new employees, Stephen’s excellent hires. With the exception of Burton, my sister, who so dutifully worked when we were short staffed.

Another new and exciting revelation: Stephen had invested in a Point of Sale, so that was another phenomenon beginning as I made my way home.

It didn’t take long to feel like I could contribute to our venture. There was plenty to do, and Frances and Stephen genuinely wanted me around, a nice feeling for the large pregnant lady.

I worked until Saturday, September 11th, and at fifteen minutes until midnight, Stephen and I drove to Heritage Hospital so that I could be induced.

Our beautiful daughter was born, and three weeks later, I started full time at On the Square, ready to get the ball rolling on business and how to make On the Square a raging success.

With the help of a stellar staff and tons of heartfelt love, we bonded together to move forward on all four cylinders.

Enter 2005: the most logical next step for our dinner service would be a fully stocked liquor bar. Wine and beer were great for Stephen and me, but there were many would-be customers who needed their Gin and Tonics. Not to mention, the elderly ladies who were coming in with my Nana were bootlegging airplane bottles of Vodka and pouring them into their water underneath the table.

Yes, liquor was more expensive with permits and actual inventory, not to mention we would have to employ a real bartender, but it was a move we needed to make, and so, in May of 2005, On the Square became a place where not only could you have a class of wine or a cold beer, but you could now also, as they say in the south, have a drink.

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