Vineyards Manager Raúl Torres and owner Mauricio Collada, Jr.

Collada poses with soul mate Debra Franzen, "an integral part of the vineyards," says Collada.

Collada completed his medical residency with another doctor who happened to come from a winemaking family. The associate was happy to share his knowledge of wine, and an initial interest in fine wines turned into Collada's passion. Soon the Salem, Oregon-based surgeon was learning everything he could about winemaking.

In 1991, he purchased a 21-acre farm in the Willamette Valley where he built a beautiful home and planted the first vines that would become the basis for his Cubanisimo label.

Collada works side-by-side at the vineyards with his soul mate Debra Franzen and daughter Christina Collada. The day-to-day vineyard operations are managed by Raúl Torres. The team has quickly made a name for itself in an area that is now home to more than 200 wineries.

In 2003, Cubanisimo started producing estate wines and now produces approximately 1000 cases per year. Especially notable are the Cubanisimo's vintage Pinot Noir and Pinot Noir Reserve.

The Cubanisimo 2005 Pinot Noir features fruity aroma notes of black cherry and spice, with sweet cherry and red raspberry flavors. The 2006 Pinot Noir is also a standout with commanding fruit flavors, including black & Bing cherry, black current, and a hint of caramel. In addition, a 2006 Rosado de Pinot Noir makes a wonderful picnic wine with bright apricot and raspberry flavors.

Collada has also brought a taste of Havana to the area: he regularly hosts a salsa night that features Cuban style salsa lessons and wine tastings.

If you are traveling to Oregon, the tasting room at the Cubanisimo Vineyards is open April through Thanksgiving weekend, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

If you are in Miami, several of the better restaurants serve Cubanisimo Wine including Las Culebrinas, Texas de Brazil, Cielo Garden and Super Club, Vino Tecla Club, Alfaro's on 8th St, and the Oceanaire Seafood Room. You can also purchase the wines at Navarro Discount, Sun Liquor, Cork and Bottle Fine Wines, Red Road Liquors, and West Kendall Liquors.

Residents in about a dozen states (including Florida) can order Cubanisimo wines online. Click the website link for more information.

Cubanisimo Vineyards

1754 Best Rd NW
Salem, OR 97304
503-588-1763

cubanisimovineyards.com

The Willamette Valley, Northwest Oregon. Looking out at this rain-soaked, lushly green valley, it's easy to forget that this area of Oregon – located between two mountain ranges just miles from the coast – was once rife with active volcanoes. Today the volcanoes are (relatively) dormant, but centuries old eruptions flooded the valley with an iron-rich volcanic soil that is ideal for growing grapes, particularly the challenging Pinot Noir grape.

The Valley surrounding the Willamette River as it runs from Eugene northward to Portland makes an ideal spot for day tripping and visiting area wineries. Drive down the long asphalt road lined with young evergreen trees and enter the gates of one of the region's newest vineyards: The Cubanisimo Vineyards, the brainchild of Mauricio, Collada Jr.

Born in Havana, Collada is a skilled neurosurgeon by profession and a lover of all things Cuban, except as he is quick to point out, Fidel Castro.

Pairing Food and Wine

Pairing wine with food is more art than science. There used to be a simple rule, white wines with seafood and fish and red wines with just about everything else.

Throw out the white wine/red wine rule and start thinking about “body.” Pair light bodied wines with milder flavored foods and medium to full bodied wines with heavier, more highly spiced foods.

As you become familiar with your favorite wines, you'll begin to refine your pairings. For example, you might identify a Cabernet Sauvignon that goes great with your favorite Cuban dish.

Pinot Noir is one of the noblest of the red wine grapes – difficult to grow, rarely blended, and without roughness. We like to pair the Cubanisimo Pinots with the following recipes from our cookbooks:

• Bistec de Palomilla – Palomilla Steak
• Churrasco Estilo Cubano – Cuban-Style Skirt Steak
• Cordero en Salsa de Vino Rojo – Lamb Shanks in Red Wine Sauce
• Filete Bistec Salteado – Cuban Beef Stir Fry
• Fricasé de Pollo – Chicken Fricassee
• Pescado de Habana – Grilled Fish Havana Style
• Rabo Encendido – Oxtail Stew
• Salmón de Raúl a la Parilla – Raúl's Salmon Grilled in Foil

The lighter Rosado de Pinot Noir pairs great with:

• Camarones En Crema Con Cilantro – Shrimp in Cilantro Cream Sauce
• Camarones Para una Boda Cubana – Cuban Wedding Shrimp
• Camarones y Arroz Amarillo – Shrimp and Yellow Rice
• Enchilado de Mariscos – Seafood Creole
• Pargo Entero Frito con Salsa de Mango – Snapper with Mango Salsa
• Pollo al Chilindrón – Chicken with Tomatoes and Peppers

Orlando Coffee Company

Serves Up a New Tradition

If everyone in Hialeah would just buy a pound of Kaña Cuban Coffee Roasters' “Hialeah Blend,” owner Troy Lee would be one very happy guy. The beautiful painting on the package is pure Cuban nostalgia – a piece of art that would look great in any kitchen, even if you never drank the coffee. But that would be a tragic mistake.

Lee and company have created some bold new coffee blends that are Cuban to their core. Lee is a second generation Cuban-American lawyer who was born in Hialeah. His grandmother taught him how to roast coffee in the old Cuban style and he believes that he is currently the only person in the country that roasts coffee this way.

The signature Hialeah blend is versatile enough to be enjoyed in a drip coffee maker, but the true flavor is best experienced via the traditional Cuban brew.

Although its Cuban pedigree is unrivaled, the blends also appeal to a wide audience. “Although our family has been roasting Cuban-style coffee for generations, we roast our coffee to achieve flavor profiles that will be familiar to all Hispanic cultures,” Lee explains. “We want to appeal to all coffee lovers no matter their ethnicity.”

The Orlando-based Kaña imports coffee beans from around the globe with a special emphasis on coffee from Latin American countries. The company is trying to carve out a niche from a market now dominated by brands such as Bustelo and Pilon. To make a splash in the big pond, Kaña has to work that much harder to deliver a high quality product that people will go out of their way to purchase.

In Kaña's world, even Hialeah looks sexy!

If you really like your café “fuerte,” you'll want to sample the company's Cuban Reserva Limitado. This heavy bodied blend is a real eye opener and the perfect accompaniment to a morning pastelito or a hot buttered slice of Cuban bread.

Both coffees and a handful of other blends – including a decaf option for the overly excited – can be ordered from the company's website: kanacubancoffee.com.

<MORE>

“Three Guys From Miami Celebrate Cuban” is our latest book. Here you'll find many classic Miami Cuban recipes, this time with an emphasis on dishes that are great for parties.

“Three Guys From Miami Cook Cuban” is our first book. It contains many classic Miami Cuban recipes and favorite dishes.

How can you describe the ultimate pleasure of biting into a warm flaky pastelito, stuffed with sticky sweet guava and cream cheese filling? If you haven't tried these succulent Cuban pastries, you are missing out on one of the great culinary experiences of Miami.

For many, a pastelito or two and a Cuban coffee is considered the breakfast of Cuban champions! Pastelitos typically come in these flavors, and these flavors ALONE: guava (guayaba), guava and cream cheese (guayaba y queso), cream cheese (queso), coconut (coco), ham (jamon) and meat (carne).

If you want the best pastelitos, you have to go to a bakery. Like Cuban bread, you're just not going to get the freshest pastelitos in a supermarket. And if you came all the way to Miami to enjoy Cuban food, why not spend a little more time searching out the best?

Did we mention Cuban bread? With a crisp crust on the outside and a lightly textured inside, a warm, fresh-baked loaf of Cuban bread is the next best thing to heaven. The best Cuban bread is made in South Florida. In fact, the "Cuban Bread Line" (the Mason Dixon line of Cuban pastry) stretches across the state just north of Tampa.

On any Miami morning, a trip to the bakery is a delight for all of your senses. There are many great bakeries located all over Miami, and to be honest, we've never found a really bad one. However, we do have our favorites...

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Pastelitos and Fresh Cuban Bread

NOTE: Cubanisimo Vineyards photos used on the page are courtesy of Mauricio Collada, Jr.

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