Recipes and Reviews

The thing about Grapevine Cottage that I'm proudest of is something I really can't take credit for ... the wine knowledge of our incredible staff. Since we first opened, this store has attracted wine lovers like a magnet. Over the years our staff has grown to 10, all part-time, and all wine lovers, with a wide range of wine related experience and expertise.

Tom Landshof, our self proclaimed "Wine Geezer" has been with us since almost the beginning....

Tom Landshof How old are you? The Wine Geezer is 68 and proud of it.

What was your last job in the real world ?
I was President and CEO when I retired from Hitox Corporation which has since changed its name to Tor Minerals Inc. We were a public company that manufactured titanium dioxide, barium sulfate, and aluminum trihydrate pigments.

How long have you been with The Grapevine Cottage? You got to enjoy my company beginning in May 2001.

When and how did your love of wine begin? I was brought up in a household that enjoyed wine. My father would always let us children have a taste. Suzanne, my current wife, and I (soon to be celebrating 48 years of marriage) have always enjoyed a glass of wine with dinner. We started out drinking Mateus, then Lancers when we could afford it, and some Rieslings and progressed from there. We got a little more serious about it in 1968 when we lived in Baltimore. I took a correspondence course from UC Davis in oenology. For an extra buck they sent you a certificate of completion. Since then I've been able to claim to be a certified oenologist from UC Davis, as long as no questions are asked.

How would you classify your tastes in wine… Old World or New World?

I suppose that if I was forced to answer this question, I would say Old World. I like wines with character and nuance. Wines that reflect the varietals they are made from and not tricked up by the winemaker. I prefer not to be hit over the head with gobs of fruit and alcohol. A little subtlety is sexy.

All of us have our favorites…what varietals or regions do you feel are your strongest areas of expertise? I would classify myself as a generalist. I like and drink both whites and reds. In whites, my cellar has Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viogner, Muscadet and Riesling, as well as a few oddballs. I probably drink and have more Cabernet or Bordeaux in my racks, but have a good selection of various Italian wines as well as Zinfandel and Pinot Noir.

What is your favorite food and wine pairing? A thick juicy grilled steak with a bottle of Cabernet of Bordeaux. Pasta with red sauce and a Sangiovese or Amarone. Linguini with white clam sauce and a bottle of Muscadet or crisp Viognier.

What is your current favorite bottle? For reds the Marquis Philips S2 Cabernet 2005 or the 2002 Sebastiani Secolo Bordeaux style blend. For whites The Pines Satin 2006, the Sineann 2006 Unwooded Chardonnay or Pinot Gris.

What was your most memorable bottle? Probably the 1982 Petrus we drank to celebrate the birth of my last granddaughter who is now seven years old.

Your favorite restaurant? My current favorite in Indiana is Joseph Decuis in Roanoke, Indiana. In Baltimore, Maryland, the home of one of my sons, it would probably be Charleston's.

Your favorite guilty pleasure? Spending an afternoon with a glass of wine and a good book on the porch.

Funniest moment working here? Can't come up with anything other than the mental picture of Doug crawling in the sunroof of his SUV after locking himself out.

Best and worst thing about working here? I really enjoy the interaction with our customers. We also have a great group of people to work with. There is no competition or office politics to cope with. Everyone helps each other out. The worst thing about working at GVC is the temptation to bring home another great wine. We have so many and it is hard not to just leave your paycheck there.

Carlene Clark can show you where all the big California wines are!

How old are you? Old enough to know better but still too young to care. Carlene

What do you do in the real world? My husband and I are Century 21 real estate agents and have worked together for four years. However, I've been in wine sales for 15 years. I began by working in a retail environment as assistant liquor buyer to an accounts manager representing Monarch Beverage for 10 major chain stores at headquarter level and most recently, represented about 15 wine brands in three states.

How long have you been with The Grapevine Cottage? I began my illustrious career at GVC on September 22, 2005 so that makes it one year and nine months minus about three months for back surgery last year.

When and how did your love of wine begin? This is difficult to determine because in my early years of wine drinking, I appreciated a fine box wine properly chilled – ice cold, and preferred the spigot with a twist versus the push button type. Working in the buying office, I received several samples of wine, many of them very good bottles but with a beginner's palate, dumped many wonderful, full bodied, tannic wines down the drain. In retrospect, I would say that this is where my journey and obsession began. Hey, you've got to start somewhere.

How would you classify your tastes in wine, Old World or New World? I am a sixth generation Californian, with my heritage dating back to the early 1800s when Spanish was the language and they didn't know that there was gold in them thar hills. But to answer your question, I'm partial to California wine and have to say that NEW WORLD WINE ROCKS!!

All of us have our favorites…what varietals or regions do you feel are your strongest areas of expertise? Anything except Old World and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc

What is your favorite food and wine pairing? Is food necessary?

What is your current favorite bottle? Marquis Phillips S2 or Rubicon Cask Cabernets. They are fantastic, especially for the price.

What was your most memorable bottle? My most memorable bottle was an Elyse Zinfandel that my husband and I shared on the last night of our honeymoon at the Walloon Lake Inn, Michigan. We had a fabulous meal with a glorious view of the lake. I have a bottle of Elyse Zin at home waiting for us to share on our fifth wedding anniversary in August.

Your favorite restaurant? Hands down, my favorite restaurant (if you could call a shack a restaurant) of all time is La Super Rica in Santa Barbara, California. This ain't no Taco Bell!! In fact, you wait in line to place your order then wait in line to get a table…in that order. The menu, which never changes, is hand written on a chalk board and placed in the window. Tortillas are made by hand and you can see a woman behind the order-taker rolling masa into balls, smashing them with the tortilla press then tossing them onto the grill. I always order the #6 (pasilias & onions), guacamole and extra tortillas. The food is beyond fabulous and always worth the wait. Wine isn't sold there, but a cold beer always tastes good with Mexican food.

Your favorite guilty pleasure? Lying on the couch watching movies and Food Network. I almost look forward to getting sick so I have the chance to do this.

Funniest moment working here? Seeing the look on driver's faces as they passed by all of the cases of wine that were stacked and sitting on Main Street when we were preparing to move the store.

Best and worst thing about working here? The best thing about working here is the opportunity to work with a bunch of great people whom share my love of wine. The worst thing is living at Geist and being so far away from the store.

Looking for a big, oaky Chardonnay? Adele Huffman is the one to see!

How old are you? A “Diva” never reveals her age :>) Adele

What is your current job in the real world? I have been a Travel Agent for 33 years. (Now you know why I started drinking wine.)

How long have you been with The Grapevine Cottage? One year and three months.

When and how did your love of wine begin? Definitely in college and of course it was Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill. Oh, but then I graduated on to Lambrusco and thought I was a real wine connoisseur.

All of us have our favorites…what varietals or regions do you feel are your strongest areas of expertise? Chardonnays, of course! But learning more and more about other whites. More homework….

What is your favorite food and wine pairing? Anything I am eating goes with some type of wine. I have been known to eat a McDonalds cheeseburger with some mighty fine wines.

What is your current favorite bottle? My current favorite, Hmmm…. A wonderful bottle of buttery, cold Chardonnay…you pick the vineyard… (maybe something from Russian River).

What was your most memorable bottle? Wow! That is a tough question. I remember some wonderful Rieslings on a trip to Amsterdam or interesting Bordeauxs in France and most recently a bottle of Ramey Chardonnay…outstanding! It just depends on where you are and who you are with that help make a wine memorable.

Your favorite restaurant? Jeff Ruby's in Cincinnati or Ruth's Chris in Indianapolis.

Funniest moment working here? Well, the incident didn't really happen in the store but it happened because of the store. I wore a “novelty” t-shirt that said “Wine Diva” one Saturday. The next week I was at Trader Joe's checking out their selection of wines, as I do most anyplace I go. A lady came up to me and whispered, “Are you comparing prices”? Startled, I said, “well, no, just checking their wines”. She said, well, I know you ARE the “Wine Diva”. Guess she had been in the store the previous Saturday and saw my shirt and thought maybe I had some serious knowledge.

Best and worst thing about working here? Hands down, the people I work with make this the best place to work. I enjoy everyone! Each person has his or her own little quirks and/or habits. It is so much fun to do my “homework”! Before I taste a wine one of my cohorts will say, “we all know you will not like this one or you will love this” etc… How soon we learn our friend's likes and dislikes!

It also helps that everyone loves to cook. It is always fun for me to ask, “so, what's for dinner tonight?” hoping to get some ideas myself. If not, refer to Doug's cookbook. (What page is that, Mark – 111?)

The worst thing about the job…so many wines and not enough time to drink all of them.

As I complete this I am drinking, Beringer Knights Valley, Alluvium Blanc. Thank you Doug and Carlene for suggesting that I would enjoy this…you were right!

Interested in French wine? Talk to Paul Johnson — you can even ask him in French!
Paul
How old are you? 55.

What do you do in the real world? Most recently real estate, but most of my working life revolved around foodservice management, along with a couple years at Trader Joe's.

How long have you been with The Grapevine Cottage? Since October 2004.

When and how did your love of wine begin? As both a student and instructor on Dartmouth's foreign language programs in France, I lived with local families where wine was served daily. This was not high-end stuff, mind you, probably selling at the time (the early 70s) for around 40 cents a liter. While we generally drank beer when out in the cafés, any evening meal at “home” or in restaurants was accompanied by wine. Back on campus in the US, if wine made an appearance, it was still usually in the form of Iago Sangria, Cold Duck, or Mateus rosé.

In 1976 I returned to France to teach English under an I.U. exchange program and it occurred to me that I really ought to try to learn more about French wine and cuisine on this trip. My girlfriend (and present wife) had brought along a paperback, Guide du Vin by Raymond Dumay, and in the month of down time I had before classes began, I read and re-read it until I practically had it memorized. Soon I was splurging our meager bankroll on Medocs and Beaujolais that cost over a dollar a bottle! I bought a case of Burgundy at an auction for $28. The hook was set. For two years our travels took us to places with exotic names like Bordeaux, Gigondas, Beaune, and Riquewihr. We look forward to doing it all again soon.

How would you classify your tastes in wine…Old World or New World? I love what's going on in all of the “new” outposts of the wine world and wouldn't argue with the quality and value of the wines being produced, but I'm always drawn back to the elegance and finesse of the better-quality French and Italian wines.

All of us have our favorites…what varietals or regions do you feel are your strongest areas of expertise? Because of my experiences in France, it's easier for me to decipher labels and to recall which varietals and regions go together, so that may pass for expertise when it's really more like being able to remember how to drive home. One type of wine I always find it easy to enjoy is a nice Côtes-du-Rhône from France or the Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre equivalent from elsewhere.

Do you have a favorite memory of a winery visit? Several contenders, but the standout is Chateau Lafite-Rothschild in 1977. As a wine novice, I considered it hallowed ground and hardly dared to get out of my car. But as luck would have it, the busload of Japanese tourists was just pulling away and the maitre-de-chai (the actual head-honcho cellar master) said he had some time on his hands. We spent a good hour touring the grounds, the winemaking areas, and the private cellar beneath the chateau, all the while getting an education from one of the top winemakers on the planet. And no, even though we watched as they splashed Lafite all over the floor as they topped up the barriques, not one drop passed our lips. Dommage… but a great memory just the same.

What is your favorite food and wine pairing? It hardly gets any better than this from last week: Trader Joe's Tarte Alsacienne with a little extra gruyère, a spinach salad, and a bottle of Schlumberger Pinot Gris

What is your current favorite bottle? For day-to-day, the Pegovino Grenache/Syrah blend. Most astonishingly delicious bottle this year: Chateau Mont-Redon Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

What was your most memorable bottle? For Christmas 1977, Donna gave me a bottle of 1973 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild. '73 was a pretty lame vintage, but Picasso had been commissioned to do the label art and it was the year Mouton was promoted from Second Growth to First. It was pricey at 53 francs ($10), but I was worth it! We brought the bottle back, dragged it all over the country through heat, cold, and every imaginable abuse, and finally settled it on a rack here in Indy. By 1993 or so, I was convinced it had to be utterly dead, so we decided to open it for Christmas dinner. For an hour we sat and took in tiny sips, completely in awe of the depth and powerful complexity, stunned that it had not only survived, but become transcendent.

Your favorite restaurant? Kona Jack's/Daddy Jack's, after many years in their trenches. Salvatore's on 86th.

Your favorite guilty pleasure? Armagnac, but it doesn't make me feel guilty.

Funniest moment working here? Seeing the look on driver's faces as they passed by all of the cases of wine that were stacked and sitting on Main Street when we were preparing to move the store.

Best and worst thing about working here? Short answer: the amount of money I save on wine — and the amount of money I spend on wine.

The other best thing is the fact that people are rarely in a bad mood when they walk into our store and we are almost always to make them happier by answering questions, providing knowledge, and anticipating their needs. I consider the act of buying wine an investment in a pleasant experience to come in the near, or even distant, future. It's fun to be part of helping people look forward to that enjoyment.

Looking for a big, California Cabernet? Silver Oak, Caymus, Quintessa … Bob Woolson's the guy who has tried them all!
Bob
How old are you? 61 years.

What is your last job in the real world? General Manager Central region Kawneer / Alcoa. I was with them for 37 years and retired in November 2003.

How long have you been with The Grapevine Cottage? Three years, I started in March 2004. (Hmmm, it only took Bob four months to get bored with retirement...)

When and how did your love of wine begin? Started to enjoy wine in the mid 1980s. I picked up a Chateau St. Michelle Cabernet for Thanksgiving and that was the start of our love affair with wine.

How would you classify your tastes in wine… Old World or New World? Without question, new world wines

All of us have our favorites…what varietals or regions do you feel are your strongest areas of expertise? California and Washington, Cabernet and Merlot.

What is your favorite food and wine pairing? A big new York strip steak with a bottle of Silver Oak Cabernet or Marquis Philips S2 Cabernet.

What is your current favorite bottle? Joseph Phelps 2003 Cabernet

What was your most memorable bottle? It's a tie between a 1998 Insignia, a perfect bottle of wine — it was like drinking velvet — or the 1997 Merryvale Profile, which had outstanding balance and depth.

Your favorite restaurant? Local Favorite — Ruth's Chris, downtown location. Out of Area — Don's Pomeroy House, Strongsville, Ohio - The perfect meal: Fish Market Salad (Iceberg, Romaine, Spinach, Red Cabbage, Chopped egg, Blue Cheese, Baby Shrimp with Italian Vinaigrette dressing), New Zealand Rack of Lamb Herb rubbed, Cranberry Cornbread Stuffing, Mushrooms, Truffle Oil, Demi Glaze, and for dessert a Grande Eclair.

Your favorite guilty pleasure? When I started at GVC I was strictly a red wine drinker. I hate to admit it but I now enjoy a good bottle of white wine on occasion.

Best and worst thing about working here? Best thing about working at GVC is the ability to interact with the customers who all have a love of wine. Worst thing is that it costs me money to work at GVC because of all the great wines that I take home on a regular basis.

Mark Finch can show you where all the bargains are — he writes our weekly Mark Finch Under $10 Report! Mark is our resident Macintosh Guru... he's the guy responsible for everything from getting our cookbook ready to print to managing all the point-of-sale materials here in the store.

How old are you? 55. Mark

What do you do in the real world? Printing, publishing and public relations. Owned a printing company for 17 years; did PR and lobbying for the Indiana highway industry for eight years; still do publication and Web design and freelance writing.

How long have you been with The Grapevine Cottage? Since March of 2002, after a brief stint as production manager of a newspaper in Grand Cayman.

When and how did your love of wine begin? My parents had Almaden wines with dinner when I was growing up, and each wine had cartoon pictures of the types of meat they were supposed to be paired with. Later, when I was a high school senior, my friends and I found that we could go into liquor stores and discuss wines for half an hour or so with the clerks and not get carded when we bought some. I ran through a lot of Black Tower and other crockery-bottle Rieslings then, and still have an empty fish-shaped bottle of Antinori white Tuscany wine for fish, vintage 1967. After that came a Boone's Farm phase. My first purchase of a case of “real” wine was Sebastiani Barbera, vintage 1976. (I still have the wooden box.)

How would you classify your tastes in wine…Old World or New World? I try to appreciate every wine for what it is, and appreciate both the Old World and New World styles. For the most part, I lean toward New World, but am more and more drawn to Spanish wines. Having said all that, if I were banished to a tropical island with only one type of wine I would prefer that it be a Bordeaux-style blend from Napa Valley.

All of us have our favorites…what varietals or regions do you feel are your strongest areas of expertise? Spanish, red blends, rosés and Zinfandels. I try to keep up with Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs too, but Doug buys them faster than I can drink them. I'm not a good person to ask for a Beaujolais recommendation, though.

What is your favorite food and wine pairing? What, just one? Prosecco and Eggs Benedict. Beef and Cabernet Sauvignon. Grilled scallops and Muscadet. Lobster and a buttery Chard. Smoked ribs and Zinfandel. Tawny Port and vanilla ice cream.

What is your current favorite bottle? Today it's the Nugan Durif, but tomorrow it may be something different. Generally speaking, my favorite wines are whatever Ray Coursen sells under the Elyse label.

What was your most memorable bottle? Two bottles here: The 1993 Barolo that my wife, Katz, and I drank on our 10th anniversary in 2003 was absolutely fabulous. Equally memorable was a split of a 1963 Meursault that her grandfather gave us — improperly stored upright on the top shelf of kitchen cabinet for 35 or so years, amber-colored with little floaties, and stunningly — and unexpectedly — delicious with rich flavors of vanilla and caramel.

Your favorite restaurant? The Lobster Pound Restaurant in Lincolnville Beach, Maine. For Sunday brunch, Portofino Restaurant in Gun Bay, Grand Cayman.

Your favorite guilty pleasure? These days, I prefer that my pleasures be of the “not guilty” variety. I'm pretty sure that all my unindicted co-conspirators feel the same way.

Funniest moment working here? That may have been just recently when Tom sought me out when he needed a “tall guy” and out of the four people working that was me. I can possibly stretch out to 5'7.5” on a good morning.

Best and worst thing about working here? The best thing is all the great people I've met here, on both sides of the counter. I'd say my least favorite task is churning out the Wine of the Month boxes, but one tedious day out of 30 is tolerable — and I do get to sample any of the treats that happen to be, ahem, damaged.

You might call Jim Bandy a student of wine! I think he may have the most well rounded palate of any of us. Ask him about Argentina..-.
Jim
How old are you? Years only matter when you're aging wine.

What is your current job in the real world? Corporate sales for Western Union Payment Services.

How long have you been with The Grapevine Cottage? Almost two years, now. I joined the team just before the big move!

When and how did your love of wine begin? My early years in advertising introduced me to wine with lunch (ah, those were the days — especially since no one carded me). Then the Wine Club in Santa Ana expanded my palate beyond rose and Chablis to other white wines. The white wine relationship continued uninterrupted until I moved to Indianapolis. Here began the red wine love affair that continues to this day. (p.s. - white wine and I do still get together. I just don't let my bottles of red know about it!)

How would you classify your tastes in wine…Old World or New World? At the risk of sounding paranormal, I'm experiencing a transition between these two worlds. My first pick is still New World but more Old World style wine is creeping into my cellar.

All of us have our favorites…what varietals or regions do you feel are your strongest areas of expertise? New World reds and Old World Rieslings are my strongest suits.

What is your favorite food and wine pairing? I'm torn between Cedar roasted salmon with corn and scallion soufflé and a Russian River Pinot Noir or a grilled Ahi tuna sandwich with havarti and Conundrum.

What is your current favorite bottle? It changes daily. As of this printing, though, it's a Cabernet-Malbec blend from Tempus Alba that we found in Mendoza, Argentina.

What was your most memorable bottle? 2002 Hendry Pinot Noir.

Your favorite restaurant? Oakley's Bistro on the NW corner of 86th and Ditch.

Funniest moment working here? What goes on behind the scenes stays behind the scenes.

Best and worst thing about working here? The worst thing about working here is my increased awareness of our mixed-up state laws. I tried to put together a million-bottle protest march on the Capitol but the only slogan I could think of was 'Hoosier Boozers want more wine!' (So much for my advertising background.) Without a doubt the best thing is the incredible team of colleagues who are knowledgeable, supportive, and just darn fun!

After publishing profiles of all our staff members over the last four weeks, I was getting a lot of comments like "OK, now we know your staff... how about you?" Here are Linda's and my answers to the same questions....

I'm Doug Pendleton, a/k/a The Wine Guy, a self-proclaimed title. Actually, I'm just a guy who has enjoyed wine most of his adult life. And having to make a career change at 50 gave me the rare opportunity to choose to work with something I enjoyed. That's when I decided to open the kind of wine shop I always wanted to shop in.

How old are you? 59.