Category Archives: Wine

Dining Outside at Mago

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A hearty wheat berry porridge finished with mustard greens and bottarga at Mago.
A hearty wheat berry porridge finished with mustard greens and bottarga at Mago.

If you’re on the hunt for a relatively reasonably priced tasting menu full of soulful flavors, where you don’t have to get dressed up fancy, and can sit comfortably at a heated outdoor patio, look no further than Oakland’s Mago.

Its name is Spanish for magician, and Chef-Owner Mark Liberman and his staff of just five certainly perform wizardry with such a small crew.

Opened in 2019, it’s Liberman’s first solo project, following his stint in San Francisco at the shuttered AQ restaurant.

Last week, I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant for dinner. There’s only one tasting menu offered each night, though vegetarian and vegan versions are always available on request.

It’s $75 per person for about eight courses, which are moderate in size, but all together will definitely leave you sated at the end. Because Liberman takes a vegetable-focused approach to his rustic, Colombian-meets-California dishes, you’ll leave plenty full yet still feeling buoyant.

Chef Mark Liberman manning the live-fire grill.
Chef Mark Liberman manning the live-fire grill.

With the tasting menu lasting about two hours, I was pleasantly surprised at how many diners were indulging in it on a school night (Wednesday). Ease-dropping, I could tell quite a few were regulars, too, which is always a good sign.

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What I’ve Been Drinking of Late, Part 16

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A Pinot Noir worth rolling the dice for.
A Pinot Noir worth rolling the dice for.

2019 Barra Pinot Noir Mendocino

Silky on the palate, and redolent of cassis, black cherries, lavender and a hint of graphite, the 2019 Barra Pinot Noir ($24) from Mendocino is food-friendly yet delightful enough to sip all on its own to unwind after a long day.

Aged 14 months in 20 percent new French oak, it has a subtle vanilla note and an elegant, smooth finish, as evidenced in the sample bottle I received.

The late Charlie Barra founded his namesake winery, planting his first vineyards in Mendocino in 1955. He is considered the godfather of Mendocino grape-growing for his leadership in pioneering more efficient and sustainable methods, and for promoting organic practices.

The legacy of his 350-acre estate continues under the management of his widow Martha Barra, who just celebrated her 80th birthday last year.

Pick up a bottle from the winery’s online store or Wine.com.

Cheers: Celebrating the Year of the Tiger with Peking duck with hoisin sauce? This wine will ensure it’s a harmonious one.

2020 Biltmore Estate Albarino

A visit to Asheville, NC isn’t complete without touring the historic Biltmore Estate, a sprawling 250-room French renaissance chateau built by the Vanderbilt family in 1889. Its 8,000-acre grounds and gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, considered the father of landscape architecture who designed New York City’s Central Park.

This storied estate is also home to a winery, built on the site of what was once a dairy. It’s where visitors can now enjoy tastings, as well as behind-the-scenes tours.

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What I’ve Been Drinking of Late, Part 15

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Deep, dark ruby and slightly fizzy in the glass, this Lambrusco is made for celebrations.
Deep, dark ruby and slightly fizzy in the glass, this Lambrusco is made for celebrations.

Lot 841 Cameron Hughes Reggio Emilia Lambrusco

A red wine that you drink chilled? Yes, indeed, that’s the case with Lot 841 Cameron Hughes Reggio Emilia Lambrusco ($15).

Lambrusco is an ancient Northern Italian grape dating back to the time of the Etruscans. It can be cloying, but thankfully this sample bottle leans drier yet with still ripe jammy fruitiness. Deep, dark ruby in the glass with a touch of viscosity on the palate, the wine is mildly fizzy, too.

It sports notes of candied raspberries, cranberries, black tea, and almost grape lollipop. It is an easy-drinking red wine with mild tannins that would be ideal for folks who normally shy away from reds. It’s almost like a more rugged, heftier Beaujolais Nouveau.

Find it on the Cameron Hughes site.

Cheers: Serving Cornish game hens, pheasant or porchetta for the holidays? This would pair well and please many palates.

Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc

For fun, delicious and affordable alternative to Champagne for New Year’s Eve, look to South Africa’s zippy Steenberg Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc ($16).

A lively tasting way to usher in a new year.
A lively tasting way to usher in a new year.

With the fragrance of melon and citrus, this is like summer in a bottle.

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More Scrumptious Gifts

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Stash Tea's holiday "Christmas in Paris'' is elegant and evocative.
Stash Tea’s holiday “Christmas in Paris” is elegant and evocative.

Stash Tea’s 2021 Limited-Edition Holiday Flavors

When the weather turns blustery, a hot cup of tea really hits the spot, especially when it’s a brew with a special holiday flavor.

Oregon’s Stash Tea has got you covered, whether you want to treat yourself or gift friends or family. Choose from half a dozen flavors made especially for this festive season: Christmas in Paris, Licorice Spice, Holiday Chai, Christmas Eve, Christmas Morning, and White Christmas.

Choose from black, white, and herbal tea blends, either in convenient tea bags or loose leaf. I had a chance to try samples recently.

“Christmas in Paris”is an herbal blend with big hits of cocoa, lavender and peppermint, that makes you imagine sitting at a cafe on the Champs-Elysees enjoying this elegant tea. The “Holiday Chai” black tea will warm you up thoroughly with its cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and Jamaican rum flavor. And the “Christmas Eve” herbal tea with orange, cinnamon and clove is just the ticket for sipping in pajamas as you slide the last presents under the tree in anticipation of the next morning.

Six flavors of holiday Stash Teas to celebrate the season.
Six flavors of holiday Stash Teas to celebrate the season.

A box of 18 tea bags is $3.95. A Holiday Sampler Trio of three boxes of different teas is $12.95, while a Six-Flavor Seasonal Teas Gift Box is $24.95. The loose leaf starts at $8.75 (depending on the variety) for 100 grams.

Oryx Desert Salts From South Africa

You can now find a taste of the remote Kalahari Desert in South Africa at Whole Foods stores near you.

Oryx Desert Salts are harvested from underground streams running through ancient rock formations 280 million years old, then sun-dried. The salt is organic and unprocessed, with naturally occurring minerals including magnesium, zinc and potassium.

Oryx Desert Salts, regular (right) and smoked (left).
Oryx Desert Salts, regular (right) and smoked (left).

I had a chance to try samples of the regular salt and the smoked version. The crystals are more compact and crunchy than, say, lighter, fluffier, moist Maldon Sea Salt. They’re also larger in size than Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt.

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What I’ve Been Drinking of Late, Part 14

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The 2019 Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon has power and finesse.
The 2019 Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon has power and finesse.

2019 Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon

What do you get when you source grapes from the storied Napa Valley vineyards of Beckstoffer Dr. Crane, Beckstoffer Las Piedras, Oakville Ranch, Vine Hill Ranch and Weitz Vineyard, and blend them into one singular wine?

The flagship 2019 Memento Mori Cabernet Sauvignon ($250).

You know you have something special — and spendy — on your hands when the bottle arrives, as my sample did, in its own custom-designed, cushioned box like fine art.

Winemaker Sam Kaplan has created an inky garnet wine that is velvety smooth. Big Cabs sometimes exhibit aggressive tannins early on, needing to be set aside to age to give them time to settle down. Not Memento Mori. This is a powerful wine that surprises with impeccable balance already. There are aromas of dark berries and dark wooded forests. The palate gets caressed with cassis, purple plum, mocha, cranberry and pomegranate, plus a touch of anise and toast.

Outfitted with its own custom box like fine jewelry.
Outfitted with its own custom box like fine jewelry.

Consider this the Dwyane “The Rock” Johnson of Cabs — imposing, with weight and solid structure, yet also surprising with a soft, gentle side.

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