Of the many benefits working at ABC Fine Wines is certainly the travel, visiting 'Wine Country' and experiencing the culture, people, food, and of course, the wines! You really gain so much more just being there, soaking it up than you ever could simply reading about the places. One of the greatest benefits while traveling with the ABC group is Brad, whose knowledge of the wines and history add immensely to the experience. Brad is wonderful, and Brad is a meat and potatoes fella, where I will eat anything once!

 A few years back, while spending a cold and rainy week in Piedmont, one of the options on the menu one evening was a dish I had never heard of called Stinko! With a name like stinko, there was no doubt I was ordering it.

Turned out to be the slow cooked knee-joint of some animal, a cow I think, and it lived up to its name. It was delicious, full of deep, rich, earthy flavor, much like osso bucco, but served in its entirety, bone and all.

 A few years later, while traveling to Trento with Brad and a few others, stinko reared its stinky head, and I was obligated to order it again (see photo) without any prodding! It was lovely, and paired with pretty much all of the red wines of the night, although I especially liked the Barolo and Barbaresco with it.

 I will post more on some of the unique regional dishes I have (sometimes happily) tried....until then, what are some of the more, well, odd dishes you have experienced while traveling?

--Shayne Hebert, Central Florida Wine Supervisor