Interview with Terence Carter of Grantourismo--Food and Wine Tourism Around the Globe

It’s a pandemic! It seems everyone is interviewing Lara Dunston of Grantourismo. So just to be contrary, I thought I’d interview the other part of the dynamic duo, the dark side of the equation—Mr. Terence Carter. But first, the back story...

I first met Lara and Terence at the Pousada Freixo Palace Hotel in Porto, Portugal at the end of their yearlong grand tour around the world sponsored by HomeAwayUK. We were both in Porto to speak at the Wine Pleasures wine tourism conference and tour the Minho and Douro wine regions.

I came into the lobby to inquire when we were leaving for the Minho, and Lara, to whom I had not yet been introduced--gave me the full itinerary, told me where to stow my luggage, and suggested I have a drink in the bar as I waited-- all without ever looking up from her laptop as she typed madly on the keyboard writing one of her last reports for the Grantourismo project. At the same time Terence was busy re-organizing their luggage while simultaneously up-loading and tagging photographs. Lara and Terence’s ability to multitask and work wherever they are, never wasting a moment, is mind-boggling to say the least. One might think their multiple commitments and deadlines would make them less than social travel companions, but I discovered their party ethic was equal to their gargantuan work ethic.

Q&A with Terence Carter of Grantourismo

Terence Carter--Dog Whisperer 

Terence Carter is very much the modern renaissance man of the road. In addition to his talents as photographer, designer and writer – Terence is an accomplished musician, composer, cook, filmmaker, and I’ve heard very gifted with puppets too.

Q: If you could add a talent to your repertoire what would it be?

I can’t draw or paint. Which is one reason I became a photographer and used to design and typeset books. 

Q: What's the one thing you notice that amateur photographers do that makes you cringe? What one thing could they do to most improve their pictures?

Amateur photographers always ask me about gear. That makes me cringe. Get over gear lust and focus on making good photographs is my usual advice.

Q: You make a point to learn about the local cuisines in your travels, meet local chefs, and take advantage of the market culture. If you only could use three ingredients to make Lara her favorite meal what would they be?

Too easy. Fresh oysters (from Brittany of course), champagne and sunshine.

Q. Of all the places you traveled on your grand tour, which had the most accessible wine culture? Meaning lots of wine bars or wineries in close proximity to where you were staying. Which had the least?  

Probably Jerez, Spain. Everyone in town is constantly sipping sherry. But the Tio Pepe tasting tour was rubbish. So we bought a bunch of miniatures and recreated our own sherry tasting when we arrived in Barcelona from Jerez. That upset a few people, because obviously miniatures from the Tio Pepe gift shop are not going to offer the best expression of the sherry.

Bali had the least-accessible wine culture. We did check out the local wines, but it turned out they were made from Australian grapes, that probably weren’t good enough for ‘box wines’ back in Australia. There is a reason visitors to Bali just drink Bintang beer!

Q. I think the "wine comes to you" home wine tasting you did in Budapest is a fantastic idea. Were you familiar with any of the wines of Hungary before that tasting? Were you inspired to cook any particular dishes to pair with the wines you tasted?

Lara and I were familiar with both the Bull’s Blood red and the Tokaj dessert wines – we first tasted them many years ago when we did our first wine course, which I think was called ‘wines of the world’. The big reds inspired me to make ‘Hungarian goulash’, which I found out was actually called pörkölt.

Terence with Countess Enrica Rocca - at her cooking class in Venice

Q: Everyone has a comfort food, something they turn to in times of stress or homesickness. What’s yours?

For me it’s not just the food, it’s the act of making it that helps soothes the soul. And the dish I’d be making is ragù Bolognese. The ragù is rich and homely and fills the air with delicious aromas at the different stages of cooking. The first night I’ll serve it with tagliatelli (hopefully fresh if I have a pasta machine) and the next day I’ll make lasagne with it. I did it three times on the Grantourismo trip. Sometimes making it feels like an excuse to get to snack on Parmigiano Reggiano, quaff big glasses of red wine and listen to my favourite music, but who needs an excuse? Also, if I have time to make ragù, this means that I’m not under some serious pressure to meet deadlines. This is a good thing.

Q: What's your comfort music?

My comfort music while cooking is definitely jazz. The Complete Town Hall Concert by Charles Mingus is a favourite because it’s just so chaotic, but any Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, or early Miles Davis is fine by me. If I need something more soothing, I’ll listen to Erik Satie. I’m more than a little obsessed with Trios Gnossiennes, not the more familiar suite of Gymnopédies. I love the Oriental touches of the pieces.

Q: If you had a theme song from the road what would it be? Kodachrome by Paul Simon?

Wow, I had to actually look that song up on YouTube, I’m not much of a Paul Simon fan. We actually have a theme song from the road, but not from the Grantourismo tour. It’s the opening track from the album Forever Changes by The Love called Alone Again Or. A few years ago, Lara and I were setting off on a road trip around mainland Greece from Thessaloniki and we desperately needed some music for the rental car. I picked up a whole bunch of CDs from the discount bin of a record store. We put this CD in just as we hit the highway and now when we hear the opening with the Spanish guitar and the Tijuana brass kicking in, it’s like an instant road trip.

I did actually write a piece of music on the lovely upright piano in the house we stayed at in Cape Town. I guess that will have to serve as the theme for our Grantourismo year!

Q: Who will play you and Lara in the film version of your Grantourismo adventures?

One of George Clooney’s illegitimate sons would play my role. I’m sure he has one and George is too old to play me. Lara would have to be played by an extraordinarily beautiful Russian model. (I don’t like sleeping on the couch.)

Q: In the film Goodbye Lenin! there is a scene where they are airlifting a statue of Lenin over the city by helicopter that is straight out of Fellini's La Dolce Vita and it's so spot on iconic. What iconic scene from a film illustrates or punctuates your life of travel?

The scene in Betty Blue where Betty stabs a restaurant patron with a fork. I have no idea why. I think it’s because there is something so off-kilter about our lives.


Q: You are a fairly dapper guy...If you were fashion king: What one article clothing/footwear would you forbid men to wear?

‘Wife-beaters’ (the Aussie name for singlets) with beer logos on them – particularly Asian beers. I do also have a deep dislike of flip flops and sandals.

Terence complating his tree of life

Q: And now for the poignant Barbara Walters tear jerker--If you were a tree what kind if tree would you be? But let’s change tree to a spice - If you were a spice what spice would you be. No fair answering Sporty or Posh or Scary. OR If you were a wine what wine would you be? Try not to cry as you answer.

Star anise. It changes the flavour of everything it goes into and it’s the prettiest spice of all. If I was a wine I’d be a big Aussie Shiraz and because I’m currently in Bendigo, Australia it would be a good bottle of Turners Crossing 2005 The Cut Shiraz.

TERENCE CARTER

Terence is a professional photographer who has shot photos for travel guides for DK, Lonely Planet, Footprint and Thomas Cook (including Top Ten Dubai and Abu Dhabi guide, Dubai Encounter, Buenos Aires Encounter, Dubai city guide, Best of Brussels Bruges Antwerp & Ghent, Milan and the Lakes, Calabria and Northern Italy) and had his photography published in an array of travel magazines including National Geographic Traveler, Lifestyle+Travel, Paperplane, and Get Lost. You can look at his photography at www.terencecarterphotography.com

Cupcakes, Meatballs & Pinot

Any weekend that includes cupcakes, meatballs or pinot noir, is bound to be great in my opinion, but a weekend that includes all three is outstanding. I got to experience such a trifecta with cupcakes courtesy of Sift Cupcake Bakery in Santa Rosa. Meatballs from Serena Lourie and Alan Baker in Healdsburg at Pastapalooza! And Pinot at The Pinot Noir Summit produced by Barbara Drady and held in San Rafael. Albeit the last one was experienced vicariously via tweets because I was detained at a prior event and did not make it to the Summit in time for the grand tasting, but that’s the beauty of Twitter, it’s almost like the real thing.

On Friday, I attended the Grand Opening of Sift (@Sifted) in their new Santa Rosa location. We got a tour of the new facility from Shana Ray @sharayray and of course got to sample the cupcakes. There was a special sprinkle application zone and a custom frosting area where one could custom blend frosting with wine. The event was catered with small plates of food including some mighty tasty mini curry corn dogs!

I think I had a little too much fun with the photo booth that was brought in for the occasion and the props that were provided to enhance the photo booth experience. Who know feather boas could be so flattering?

Unfortunately we had to leave the party before the fortune teller began reading palms so that was a drag, but I’m sure the only thing she would have seen in my future was more cupcakes.

Next stop, Healdsburg for Pastapalooza at the home of Alan Baker @cellarrat and Serena @slourie. Alan and Serena hosted a pasta fest of epic proportions. Three kinds of sauces and 200 homemade meatballs! Serena claims she has no Italian ancestors but her meatballs say otherwise. At the party I finally met Deborah Kravitz (@whatdebpours) in real life and got to meet many other new folks as well.

In the meantime, I can't wait for Alan’s next wine release under the new label Cartograph. You can follow on twitter at @cartographwines , but you'll have to get in line behind me to buy some when it's ready.

On Saturday Barbara Dradys (@wineevangelist) annual Pinot Noir Summit took place. As I mentioned above I was unable to make it, but I almost felt as if I were there via all the great tweets that attendees were sending out. I'm marking my calendar early so I will not miss out again next year.

All in the Family at Seghesio

Imagine this: A sweeping saga of four generations of Italian winemakers as they struggle against the odds and triumph over adversity for the sake of land, love and wine. Sounds like a Hallmark movie of the week or an Oprah book club selection, right? But it's not--not yet at least. It's the real story of the Seghesio family, winemakers in Healdsburg, California. And I got to learn all about it first hand this past Sunday.

Shana Ray (@sharayray) the Sonoma county social media maven arranged for a wine blogger private tasting lunch at Seghesio and graciously invited me. Also in attendance was Thea Dwelle (@winebratsf), Paul Mabray of Vintank (@pmabray), David Horowitz (@dmhoro) marketing professor at Sonoma State,   Hardy Wallace (@goodetobefirst) visiting from Atlanta and heir to the Murphy-Goode throne in attendance with his lovely maiden, plus Valerie Crowell (@WineDog), and Jim Morris (@sonomawineguy).

It was quite a mixed group and I must admit before I got to know some of these folks personally I was a bit wary. Judging from their tweets alone I had the feeling that any type of event with them might be a cross between Sideways and SuperBad a sort of ad hoc Harold and Kumar Go Wine Tasting  kind of affair. But to the contrary, these people are pros with great knowledge, passion and respect for wine and all aspects of the business. They have been incredibly genial and accommodating to me, an outsider, looking to learn more about the local wine scene and add the moniker of wine blogger to my writing bag of tricks.

Dan, our host at Seghesio, started us off with a light and zesty Pinot Grigio on the terrace before leading us inside to Angela's Table, a private tasting room for the food and wine paring. 

It's all about la famiglia at Seghesio and it’s apparent in every detail. From the black and white photos that line the hallways to the favorite family recipes paired with the wines. Even the redwood in the redwood room had a family history. Seghesio is a living legacy of one family's love of land and wine. It shows in the decor and it shows in the wine.

The wines presented at Angela's table included: 2008 Fiano, a white grape from Campania, the 2005 Rockpile Zinfandel, 2003 Omaggio -a blend of 60% Cabernet and 40% Sangiovese, 2002 Petite Sirah, and the Dionigia Port. You can read more details about the wines here.

The food pairings, all created from recipes passed along generation to generation included; Uncle Ed's Eggplant parmigiana that resembled a tiny pizettea with sausage and cheese melted over a round of eggplant. (Uncle Ed is not to be confused with Mr. Ed of course. But who would do that besides me?) Peter’s spaghetti alio olio with wild prawns, Rachel Ann’s stuffed zucchini, and the spicy traditional family recipe sausage served on brioche with grilled onions. I detected a bit of stone ground mustard on the brioche which seemed rather un-Italian to me, but that could just be a regional thing.

Between the wines, I kept gravitating back to the Omaggio as it paired so well with the sausage and the eggplant parmigiana. It was my kind of wine. A wine that supports and encourages the through enjoyment of something fatty. The Sirah also matched well to the fennel and clove flavors of the sausage. In fact the Italians beloved lardo would be a very nice accompaniment to this wine as well. The more fat the better.

But the surprise for me was the Dionigia port, named after Angela Dionigia Seghesio and made from equal parts Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Cabernet. Maybe I’m biased because my middle name is Angela, but I thought this port was wonderful. Paired with chocolate covered almonds, the Dionigia port was soft and full without the high alcoholicky kick I've found in other ports.

After the lunch we adjourned to the patio once again and sampled the 2006 Zinfandel. It reminded me of the type of the wine found in Italy. Younger and brighter with fuller fruityness. (go ahead and add fruityness the to the new wine lexicon along with alcoholicky.)

If you are in the area, stop by and visit Seghesio-- hang out, play some bocce -- and even if you are not of Italian heritage you can adopt the Seghesio sensibility for a day and find your own sense of family in a glass of their storied wine.

Salute and grazie la famiglia Seghesio

A Wet Day in Dry Creek

My big sister is in town, so today we did Home School Tuesday tasting (see April 28th post below) on Monday and spent a wet day in Dry Creek rambling about. After learning a Visa Signature card gets you complimentary tastings at certain wineries, (see list here) I built the day accordingly. 

Today's Itinerary:

Quivera 

Rosso & Bianca (Francis Ford Coppola Presents)

Trentadue

Hanna - Hwy 128 (visited Occidental tasting room last week)

I just love, love, love Quivera. From the gardens, to the chickens, to the design of the structures on the property and even the collateral materials. Everything seems in harmony here, just like their wines. Today I made my love affair with Quivera official and joined their Queue wine club. I guess you could say we're going steady now. 

From Quivera we went to Diavola for lunch and had panini's and pizza. I must be on a pig/boar jag since the logos at Quivera and Diavola both feature swine. Or maybe it's a subconscious reaction to the Swine flu (media flu, really). Whatever--swine, I fear you not. I embrace thee!

After lunch we drove over to Rosso & Bianco which was just around the corner. I think it took us longer to drive to the tasting room on the winery property than it did to get to the winery gates from Diavola. If you go, just keep following the red signs past all the construction. You'll find it eventually. 

The tasting room at Rosso & Bianco (soon to be re-named/branded Francis Ford Copppola Presents) is long and narrow with a dark slate poured concrete counter top and low key lighting. It's all about the visuals here. The hosts wear red and white Guayabera style shirts that resemble bowling league attire from the 50's. The shirts gave the place a theme restaurant feel, but it was also kinda cool. 

We tasted the Sonoma County flight of wines and also a new release, the Sofia Riesling. 

Behind the tasting bar was a display of Coppolas' Oscars, Golden Globe, Donatello (an Italian version of an Oscar), Palme d'Or and other awards of merit. Plus storyboards of scenes from The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Apocalypse Now is one of my all time favorite movies if not the favorite. I saw it about 30 times when it was first released and I was working part-time at a movie theater. I was riveted by it from the get go. I had just written a college paper on Joseph Conrad and The Heart of Darkness so it was beyond intriguing to me. I've since seen it another 20 times or so, I never tire of it. 

Off to the side of the bar at Rosso & Bianco was a rack of All-Story issues, the lit mag that Coppola publishes. I highly recommend All -Story to you readers out there. The design alone is worth the subscription price. Each issue is designed by a guest artist like Tom Waits, Wayne Thiebaud, Wim Wenders, Chip Kidd & most recently Guillermo del Toro.

I am always attracted to clever, well designed labels. The Coppola labels are very unique. The FC Reserve bottle feature the letters of the Coppola name scattered across the bottle. Apparently the letters were tossed in the air and then photographed as they landed.  The Directors Cut labels feature whimsical block cut figures that spiral around the bottle. The Votre Sante label is cut like a delicate piece of hand crocheted lace. Something anyone with an Italian grandmother is well acquainted with. 

From Coppola we drove back under the freeway over to Trentadue where we were greeted by a very happy wine dog that was part sharpei and boxer. I've had Trentadue Port, but this was the first time tasting their other offerings. There were many selections that stood out on the tasting menu, but my favorite was the Sangiovese. 

On the way home we stopped off at Hanna on Hwy 128. Originally Hanna was not on the list but we enjoyed their wines so much last week that we could not resist another taste.

Living La Vida Locavore

For many people, trying to eat locavore is not as hard as trying to drink locavore. In most regions of the country locally grown produce can be found within 50 to 100 miles of your home. But sourcing locavore wine is a bit more challenging. 

Luckily I live smack dab in the middle of a locavores' wet dream. Farms, dairy's, orchards and vineyards as far as the eye can see and beyond. Sonoma county is practically ground zero for year round availability of locally grown and produced products. I can hear chickens in my neighborhood and see vineyards from my living room. 

A few weeks ago I decided to find out exactly what vineyard I was gazing upon in the distance.  I fired up Google Maps and discovered it was Balletto. So off I went to check out my locavore vineyard. When the pourer asked where we were from I pointed out the tasting room window and said "Up there. I can see your vineyard from my house."

We tasted the 2006 Chardonnay, the 2007 Burnside and Estate Pinot Noirs, and the 2005 Zinfandel. But the wine that came home with me was the 2006 Gewurztraminer.  I was shocked by how much I liked this wine. It was so crisp and citrusy and thoroughly delightful. Not the treacly Gewurztraminwer of old that I remember from Stammtisch, the Friday night German Club drink fest held in the language department basement in college. I think Professor Marshall made the stuff himself.

Tonight we drank it with corn tortillas filled with sauteed rainbow chard, grilled onions and asiago cheese topped with green tomatillo salsa. It was a great combination. The savory and piquant with the crisp and light.  

I guess it's time to revisit other wines of the past that I have left in the dust and see what else out there will change my mind. -- Bis Gleich (german for see you later)

Reinventing the Past

Are we hard-wired to remember tragic events over the good? It seems that way. Maybe it's just me. Sure, I’ve had peak high days of utter joy but they don’t have the same razor sharp clarity as the bad events. It’s as if the emotional muscle memory can't let go. Those moments in time that just hang there like fossils preserved in Lucite. The words etched in your memory: Dad died.  Your brother is dead.  Mom is gone. There is no turning back certain days, or pressing delete on the calls that defined them. 

So today, in honor of my brother, I'm starting a new tradition to change the energy around this tragic milestone. I’ve decided to turn it into a mini celebration and try to access the joy division of his life. 

Lucky for me Traverso’s  the Italian Deli in Santa Rosa is having a moving sale so I was able to get all the “ode to a good life” supplies at 25% off. 

Since my family background is Italian I thought it fitting to do this with an Italian theme. I love Traverso’s; the array of Italian products, the special cheeses and meats remind me of my childhood, but without all the angst and screaming. (Hey, Italians can be a bit overwrought you know.) But food and wine makes it all better. 

I filled my cart with items to create a classic Italian antipasti spread. Along with some cheese from the Dolomites and salami, I got Filetti di Acciughe--Anchovies with capers, Flott Tuna (the worlds' greatest tuna IMO), and a few different types of Sicilian Caponata.  Caponota is a Sicilian dish made of eggplant and olives and capers, tomatoes, celery, peppers and vinegar and it’s just the most fantastic thing in the world. It’s my go to de-stress food. The food I find most comfort in. It’s like Italian Valium to me. My Mother and Grandmother were master caponata makers. Once we spent the whole day making enormous vats of it for me to take back to school and in the process burned out the element on my mom’s electric stove. I went back to school with three huge jars and hid them from my roommates. It's not that I'm not into sharing, but this stuff was like high grade smack and equally addictive. I did not want to be responsible for creating any new caponota addicts with my antipasto gateway drug.  

In the wine department I found two of my favorite wines from Sardegna the Argiolas Costamolino Vermentino and the Argiolas Costera made of Cannonau grapes which I recently discovered is the same grape as Grenache. These wines are easy drinkers and a great value at under $20. I’ve been drinking these wines for years but I noticed they have been sort of discovered lately and I even saw the Vermentino was mentioned in Wine Spectator, so the price has been creeping up. I also grabbed bottle of Cinque Terre Vendemmia a very delicate dry white wine that I have never seen outside of the Cinque Terre. Probably with good reason as I don’t think this wine travels all that well. But what the heck, it's most excellent paired with something like Acchugie with capers. So I got a bottle of that too. 

Tonight I as I lay out this Traverso repast, I'll raise a glass to my brother and try to hold on to the better memories now and in the future. –Ciao ciao