Had an indulgent meal that my friend Jerry and I cooked for a couple of well-deserving women: King Salmon with a fennel and apple salad with an orange dressing. Then beef tenderloin with a nettle risotto. We boiled the nettles and saved the liquid; it was like tea. I then made the risotto with about 2/3 nettle tea and 1/3 chicken stock.

I didn’t drink this wine with the salmon, though it would have been awesome: 2004 Muller-Catoir Riesling. A fresh, fun wine that is about 8.5% alcohol; perfect pre-function wine and great seafood wine. Actually, it would probably be good with pork loin and applesauce, too.

Then I revisited an old friend: 2001 Can Feixes Red from Penedes. It was decanted for about 3 hours and had great Bordeaux-scents: cedar, pencil lead. Great fruit. This is one for the cellar as well. I believe it is Cab/Merlot, but some sources say there is a little Tempranillo in there, too.