Wine Lover's Journal

Pizza, protests, and the Pope - One Day in Rome

2012-01-27T17:12:00.001-05:00

I arrived in Fiumincino Airport this morning with no set itinerary, no lodging, and only a vague idea of what I wanted to see. However, I pride myself on being a nimble traveler and knew there was so much to see and do in the Eternal City that I couldn't go wrong.
I immediately ran into a fellow wine blogger, Robin, and plans quickly were hatched. She had a bed booked at The Beehive, a happily located hostel a mere three blocks from Termini Station. For 40 Euros I had a cheerful private room with fresh modern styling punched up by neon orange accent pieces.
Seeing Rome with little time and less energy due to jet lag is a challenge that was easily solved by the 110 bus, a red double decker with an open air top that followed the route of the major historic sites.
Before boarding, we were treated to a spectacle of a loud parade of protestors waving red flags that was led by a tractor trailer blasting, as Robin said, Italy's most famous rapper. They were calling on Italy's new prime minister to fix the mess left by Berlusconi. After ten minutes, the parade passed and we mounted the 110.
As a bright January sun warmed me in the fresh air, I was entranced by thousands of years of history passing by: the Coliseum, with the audio guide reminding us of the captives being eaten by "wild animals;" Circus Maximus, where the Romans held their beloved horse races; and palaces, fountains, and piazzas too numerous to mention.
But it was St. Peter's Square where we disembarked. I reasoned that it was a place unique in all the world and most deserved my time. The line to enter the basilica was depressingly long, so we took a detour to lunch at a stand up Pizzeria a few blocks away. Robin told me that after the dough is made it rests for three days, giving the thick crust large pockets of air that make it light. We ordered slivers of three types of pizza: a tomato sauce pie with small slices of tomato on top - I had never tasted such sweet tomato sauce, a pie with a mashed broccoli and soft cheese, and a pie of soft roast potato slices and cheese. All were wonderful, but the tomato pie won my heart.
Returning to St. Peter's Square, the line had miraculously shrunk and after our bags and coats went through X-ray scans, we were in. I had visited Rome many years ago and was eager to see La Pieta, Michaelangelo's moving sculpture of Mary seated mourning her deceased son, who lies across her lap. The gentle humanity of the scene of a mother in mourning always moved me. Of course the grandeur of St. Peter's is so great that only the most jaded could fail to be impressed. I paid the 7 euros to enter the small museum inside the church where assorted Popes' gold embroidered vestments and an enormous jewel encrusted miter caught my eye.
The day ended at a small enoteca, drinking Langhe wine and chatting with new friends. In the end, I was incredibly grateful to return to this magnificent city, if only for a day.

International Wine Tourism Conference in Perugia

2012-01-22T22:08:00.004-05:00

I'm thrilled to be speaking next week at the International Wine Tourism Conference in Perugia, Italy, Jan 30 – Feb 2, 2012. The subject of my talk will be "The Innocents Abroad," a comparison of European and American wine tourism. Perugia is in the region of Umbria, known for world-class wines such as the powerful red, Sagrantino di Montefalco and the famous white, Orvieto. The conference will include three days with over 40 talks, presentations, panel discussions and workshops combined with opportunities to taste world class wines. Registration is still open. Look forward to lots more blog posts next week from Italy!

Italian Gladiators at Table: Sagrantino di Montefalco and Seafood Fra Diavolo

2012-01-07T09:47:00.001-05:00

"I'm making Seafood Fra Diavolo" was the text I received while cranking up My Chemical Romance as I worked up a sweat on the elliptical at my Jersey City gym. My first thought was, "Yay!" My friend Jordan is an accomplished seafood cook, and I was looking forward to his rendition of this spicy treat. "Fra Diavolo" is from the Italian "brother devil," and the dish is believed to have come from Italian immigrants in New York City in the early 20th century. The concoction of seafood - which can include a chef's choice of shrimp, calamari, lobster, and other fish - tomato sauce, and of course the element of heat, in this case from a few chopped dried Serrano chiles, is a powerful mouthful of flavor. So, my second thought was, "What wine will stand up to all that heat and flavor?"
Luckily I had a bottle of Sagrantino di Montefalco on hand, a 2005 Tabarrini. It's made from the Sagrantino grape, indigenous to Umbria, that is grown in Montefalco and several surrounding villages. I'm fascinated by small-production, unique wines, and this is one that is completely specific to its native land.
The dinner was great - our Fra Diavolo was a fun mix of interesting flavors, shapes, and textures: shrimp; small, sweet scallops; and cod. The Sagrantino did not shy away from the rich spicy flavors. It was like two Roman gladiators well-matched in the Coliseum. But these big boys weren't fighting each other. Unlike in Ancient Rome, the powers of Sagrantino & Seafood Fra Diavolo blended harmoniously, albeit with brashness.

Art on Tap at Montclair Art Museum

2011-11-06T20:27:00.005-05:00

What do you get when you combine contemporary art, artisan beers and ciders, and a heaping helping of indie music? You get Art on Tap from the Montclair Art Museum. The museum is a beacon of culture in the burbs, a beautiful neoclassical building that sits serenely on a bucolic corner in Montclair, NJ. It houses an impressive permanent collection of native American art, as well as fascinating temporary exhibits, right now Marina Zurkow: Friends, Enemies, and Others, and The Spectacular of Vernacular.
Art on Tap is a one of a series of innovative special events that brings the community together in fun ways. Previous events have included wine tastings on the beautifully landscaped front lawn. This event was presented in partnership with Amanti Vino, a local wine and spirits shop that is an oasis of cool pours in this upscale suburban community.
Driving the beat of the event were two terrific deejays from WFUV, Rita Houston and Russ Borris. They took turns spinning the radio station's unique blend of funky, indie, folky music.
And as for the beverages of the evening? A fun mix of local and international pours, many notable for being poured from cans, a phenomenon we can thank the trendy PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) revival for, among other cultural influences. The locally brewed Brooklyn Pennant Ale, which celebrates the memory of the1955 World Champion Dodgers (when they were in Brooklyn) was one of my favorites of the night - a traditional English-style pale ale.

So, what am I doing in Georgia, anyway?

2011-09-23T16:29:00.013-04:00

When I told my friends I was headed on a wine trip to Georgia, they were shocked, or, alternatively confused if they thought I meant the deep south. A fellow blogger wondered how I had been selected for this trip, where I would travel in the rarefied company of four Masters of Wine (only 300 have achieved this designation). As I looked over the illustrious participants, I began to wonder the same.
The trip was sponsored by the USAID Economic Prosperity Initiative. USAID supports economic development in struggling countries as a practical way to encourage peace and stability around the world. Georgia, which has suffered greatly at the hands of our former enemy, the Soviet Union, seemed like a good place to prop up, bordered as it is by the middle east to the south and Russia to the north.
The trip is being run by Jim Krigbaum, a cheerful, whip smart entrepreneur, who runs 2020 Development Company. Whether he's checking out mangoes in Pakistan or wine in Georgia, Jim knows all the ins and outs of getting the right products to the right markets.
So, I signed on and on Sunday, September 18th, boarded the minibus that would be our chariot to Georgian wine country (a far cry from Napa in every way). In addition to the MWs, there were two other well-known wine personages, Mr. Wine Hub, Luiz Alberto, and two polite and well-spoken Georgian men, our USAID guide George and our guide to all the wineries, and a wine marketer himself, Levan. We were the Opinion Shapers of Georgian Wine, a lofty title, and one I was determined to live up to.
On the first day, as we rode out to the bucolic countryside there was always activity on the side of the road: sturdy old men walking, dogs milling about, chickens pecking, and women selling tomatoes, garlic, and onions.
At the wineries, we discovered the unique qualities of Qvevri wines. The qvevri is a container that dates back 8000 years in Georgian wine making. It's essentially a clay container buried in the ground that receives the juice and crushed grapes and stems. Natural yeast begins fermentation, and then the solids are removed and the whole thing is sealed until spring. The qvevri wines - the running joke was the numerous mispronunciations, essentially one says "Quev-ri" - were spicy and exotic and reminiscent of fino sherry. Then we tasted the fresh modern-style wines made from varieties we would grow to know so well: Rkatsitelli, Mtsvane, and Kisi for the whites and the dark and juicy Saperavi for the reds.
As we tasted the winemakers and owners awaited our judgment, and one thing I learned is that MWs are the least shy people in the world when it comes to expressing an opinion - an excellent quality for an Opinion Shaper. If the world of wine is snobby as some say, then the MWs deserve to be more snobby than any. But, they were so welcoming to me-- a mere blogger, online writer, social media type - that soon I, too felt comfortable giving opinions. So we tasted and debated which wines we liked and which wines we felt would fare well on the American market. I was immensely gratified to find that some of my ideas about the wines - too tannic/a green note/very juicy/etc. - were sometimes shared by my esteemed co-participants. And as the week wore on, I understood why I had been selected. That my voice - of a blogger and tweeter, of a person that had traveled to the wine regions not as someone who works in the trade, but as an independent traveler - provided a different, valuable perspective.
This week I have made new friends. I have experienced the legendary hospitality of the Georgians. I have drunk wine from a polished horn (and finished the whole thing). Tomorrow, I will regret leaving this fascinating country, but I will be charged with writing much more about its charms.
So, that's what I'm doing in Georgia. In case you wondered.

Georgia (Wine) on my Mind

2011-09-14T18:53:00.010-04:00

The country of Georgia is nestled in the southeastern corner of Europe, or is it the far western side of Asia? No matter, this country, about the size of Austria, has a rugged landscape defined by the dramatic Caucasus mountains, which boast the highest peak in Europe, Mount Elbrus (ah, so that’s a vote for Europe).
Formerly enclosed behind the iron curtain, this post-communist country is not well-known nor well traveled by Americans. Which is a shame, because this land offers its own magnificent brand of hospitality, so well expressed in the lines of their famous poet Rustaveli: Spending on feasting and wine is better than hoarding our substance; That which we give makes us richer, that which is hoarded is lost. In addition, the country has a fascinating, ancient tradition of making wine.
In fact, Georgia is considered by many to be the birthplace of wine. While some may consider the Romans or Greeks to be the first to ferment grapes, it’s simply not true. There is evidence of winemaking in Georgia dating back 5000-7000 years.
Now the country is determined to bring this ancient tradition into the modern world, looking to send its wines to export markets far beyond its borders.
I am pleased to announce that I am joining a select group of wine experts organized by 2020DC on a journey of a lifetime: seven days criss-crossing Georgia, visiting wineries, feasting at the rowdy and extravagant Supras, and learning about and documenting the state of Georgian wine. While internet may be scarce in the most rural pockets of the country, I will be tweeting and blogging as I can. When I return, my notes and photos will be made into articles distributed to a number of outlets – and I’ll make sure to include links of these in future blog posts.
For now, my mind and heart are turning eastward -- farther east in Europe than I have ever gone before. To the ancient land of mountains and wine. To Georgia.

TasteCamp 2011 Reveals Winning Ontario Wines

2011-08-19T09:59:00.008-04:00

This spring a group of wine bloggers, primarily from the Northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada, descended on the Niagara on the Lake wine region for the third annual TasteCamp. TC gives wine bloggers an intense weekend of wine tasting and education in wine regions that are not usually widely promoted. This year’s group was notably multilingual, as French Canadians joined the usual crowd of native English speakers.

On to the wines. I found a number of the white wines to be of very high quality. I enjoyed many Rieslings, most notably the single vineyard offerings from Thirty Bench. These had lovely minerality and lush tropical fruit flavors, a winning combination that I wholeheartedly recommend.

My wow wines of the trips were the Chardonnays. Being grown in a cold climate, the grapes achieve higher acidity than the same grapes from California, South Africa, or Australia, for example. It was this extra shot of acidity that brightened the classic Chardonnay flavors of apples and citrus and gave the wines a welcome liveliness. I am not the biggest fan of Chard, but these were very special. The offerings of Tawse Winery were most memorable.

Pinot Noir is another go-to grape for the Ontario winemakers, but I must say that many of these wines tasted green to me – did the grapes ripen adequately? To my palate, the answer was no. And yet, there were exceptions. Flat Rock Cellars did present some very pleasing Pinots, along with an interactive tour that included quizzes, and, most sensational, a sparkling wine that was not sabered, but axed! Very Canadian.

But no discussion of Ontario wine would be complete without mentioning their most famous offering: ice wine. Grapes are hand-picked after they have frozen on the vines. The juice that is pressed from these icy berries is thick and full of sugar. Once vinified, they are some of the world’s best dessert wines – and it is traditional to serve them chilled in cordial glasses. We tried dessert wines made from Vidal grapes (a common variety up north), from Riesling, and, most intriguing of all, one ice wine from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, which was a lovely pink-amber color and tasted of strawberries.

In all, TasteCamp 2011 gave us a very good foundation in the joys of Ontario wine. In addition, the Niagara on the Lake area offers lovely rolling countryside and fine dining: our group was most impressed by the succulent lamb shanks that were the entree of our excellent dinner at Treadwell Farm to Table Cuisine. Throw in a visit to the Falls, and you have a perfect weekend wine destination from the northeast.

Summer Wine Pairing Dinner in Maplewood June 28

2011-06-02T08:41:00.004-04:00

I'll be pouring and presenting at a Summer Wine Pairing Dinner at Coda Kitchen and Bar on June 28 from 7-9 pm. The dinner is sponsored by the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School. I hope you can join me for an evening of good food and special summer wine pairings. To register for the dinner, which costs $63 plus a small registration fee, please visit the class page on the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School web site. Hope to see you there!

House of Esterhazy Launches Line of Austrian Wines in U.S.

2011-05-24T16:17:00.003-04:00

The string quartet filled the air with Mozart. The apfelstrudel was sublime. But most of all, there were the wines. Brought from the land of waltzes and Alps, from the land where Hayden is still remembered with reverence. The House of Esterhazy poured their line of wines at Austrian-themed restaurant Blaue Gans in lower Manhattan at a recent event for members of the press and wine trade.
The estate of the aristocratic Esterhazy family is a castle located just a short ride outside of Vienna. Visitors can tour the magnificent house as well as step down into the old wine cellars, which boast huge wooden casks that have beautiful carvings on their façade. The contemporary winery is a short ride away. Here, glass and steel dominate the architecture, and this is where the modern wine-making magic happens.
I visited Esterhazy during the European Wine Bloggers Conference. Now the wines of this historic estate are available in the states. At the luncheon the following wines were poured:
- NV Blanc de Noirs – with a fresh nose of peaches, white pepper, and brioche, this was a refreshing sparkler
- 2010 Estoras Gruner Veltliner – from the Weinwertel region, this showed the signature peppery nose and flavors of Gruner, a good spring and summer wine
- 2008 Blaufrankisch Follig – a single vineyard wine with dark berries, grippy tannins
- 2008 Cuvee Trockenbeerenauslese – a dessert wine blended from Welchriesling and Pinot Blanc, with exotic fresh fruit flavors
I enjoyed the wines of this luncheon, and I can recommend Esterhazy as a fascinating destination for tourists who are visiting Vienna. One final note: while you can’t judge a book by its cover – or a wine by its label – I happen to love the Esterhazy wine labels. They feature historic paintings or artwork in a fresh modern design. Very much like the winery itself, which draws upon its centuries-old winemaking tradition while incorporating the best of current technology.

Clearing the language hurdle to sell Austrian Wine

2011-05-05T07:12:00.011-04:00

Last night at Austria Uncorked, a massive trade/consumer tasting at the sprawling event space TriBeCa rooftop, I noticed something funny on some of the wine labels – words that were not German.

For example, Hillinger poured a Pinot Noir-based sparkler that was full of ripe raspberry flavors, but it was not called by the German word Sekt, as I knew it normally would. Instead, it was referred to as “Secco.” When I asked why, I was told because people would think of Prosecco. It was an interesting choice, especially because wine aficionados also think of “sec” (the word for "dry" in French) as being a level of sweetness, a la Champagne. It was also at the Hillinger table where I encountered the word “Terroir” on the label – it was the name given to one of their high-end wines. That word's thrown around a lot, but here it just seems confusing, as the label tells you nothing about what the "terroir" is actually like--it's merely used as a buzz word.

I wonder if this language tinkering is necessary, because I think Hillinger has already tackled the "German" question with their innovative silver labeling and stylistic logo, and, most importantly their wines are really good. I understand that the German language is no picnic for the English speaking world, and that wine lovers in the international market are more likely to know about the popular Prosecco than Sekt. However, as a lover of language, I'm a little let down when I see this.

One brand that seems to successfully be jumping the German hurdle is Monica Caha wines, which have a great graphic representation of Austria's signature grape, Gruner Veltliner. I met Toni Silver, a New York-based representative for the brand and the model for the shouting "Grooner" girl, who appears on their wine labels and Twitter avatar. I like the way this company has taken the hard to pronounce Gruner Veltliner and shortened it in a fun way. At least we're still in the same language.

Another Austrian brand uses the "animal on the label" to cross the language barrier -Zantho. I also like this decision, because, not only is their lizard rendered in an artistic--not cutesy--way, but also because I know that this type of animal is unique to this part of Austria and therefore representative of the (there's that word again) terroir.

As someone who loves history and language, I appreciate traditional Austrian labels, such as are found on one of my favorite wine brands: Umathum. Their labels conjure up the romance of Europe and the tradition of the old world.

Still, I acknowledge that for the most part, it is a tough challenge to get Americans and the rest of the non-German speaking world to get beyond this complicated language to appreciate these wines. However, it's definitely a worthy goal, as Austrian wines have something very special to offer wine lovers.

Ruinart Champagne Blanc de Blanc

2011-04-10T23:11:00.014-04:00

I recently attended an evening sponsored by Ruinart Champagne at David Burke's newest venture, David Burke's Kitchen. More specifically, a dozen or so bloggers and I were invited upstairs to the bar, playfully named the Treehouse.
We were greeted with full glasses of the Champagne house's Blanc de Blanc. The name has everything to do with the color of the grapes used in the wine. Champagne traditionally is blend of wines: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and to a lesser degree, Pinot Meunier. The last two grapes are red grapes, and Chardonnay, of course we know as a white-wine grape.
However, at times Champagne makers choose to produce a sparkling wine from either all white, as in the case of Blanc de Blanc, or all red (also called "black") grapes, as in the case of Blanc de Noir.
And so I sipped the lovely Champagne that was distinctly more refreshing than the usual blend of white and red grapes. After chatting with the tall and charming head of Ruinart, Jean Marc Gallot, and mingling with my fellow bloggers, I headed to a formally-set table for some fun and games with scent.
Ruinart proposed that we wine and food bloggers consider the different aromas and flavors in their blanc de blanc Champagne. So, set before each of us was a small cylinder filled with seven tiny vials filled with liquid scent. We also each had a card of about 18 aromas and a sharpened pencil. And so it began. We unscrewed the top of each vial and sniffed. Was number 2 lemon and number 3 citron, or vice versa? The floral scent of jasmine was undeniable, and Jean Marc offered us a broad hint, "think of Sushi" that led us to ginger. Clues were hidden around the table decorations, and it turned out that one of the vials was pink peppercorns - look there was a glass bowl of them in front of us! We were not subject to the public scrutiny of reading our choices aloud (I was about 50% right), but the one who self-reported the most correctly identified scents did win a prize.
The better prize, however, was an evening full of Ruinart blanc de blanc and the daring cuisine of David Burke. After playing the scent game, the buttered toast, yellow apple of the Ruinart were clearer to me, along with hints of pineapple, and a nice lemon spritz on the back end. The fruit flavors were ripe, and the toasty flavors were delicious.
On to the dinner. The chef wowed us with a deep-friend grape filled with peanut butter appetizer, and a main course of crab cake lined with pretzel sticks - the salty crunch of the pretzels was a wonderful foil to the sweet crab. Lastly a delightul lollypop tree - orbs of different flavored cheesecakes dipped in white, milk, or dark chocolate and drizzled with flavors or dipped in crunchies.
At the end, we were delighted when celebrity Chef David Burke came upstairs and greeted us all. It was a stunning evening that was over too quickly. However, the ripe, layered fruit and toasty notes of the Ruinart were available to us any time we wanted a special champagne to savor.

2010 - My year in wine

2010-12-30T23:14:00.018-05:00

2010 marked my fourth year as a wine blogger and it was filled with highlights of travel, friendships, and spectacular events.

In early 2010, I enjoyed the delicious abbondanza of Vino 2010, an elaborate Italian wine festa at the Waldorf Astoria, where I waded through rooms full of Italian wine producers and enjoyed not one, but two, talks, by Anthony Giglio and managed to waltz across to Cipriani’s for Luca Maroni’s SensofWine on the same day.

At the end of the month, I bade a fond farewell to Italy-bound, Vineyard Adventuress Robbin Gheesling, and, along with Rob Bralow and Matt Sitomer and a few others, helped her finish off about nine bottles of vinous wonderfulness from her well-filled wine refrigerator (which I later took off her hands).

With spring came wine festival season, and I made the acquaintance of George Wilson and the gang from the St. Michael’s Winefest. After numerous emails and cell phone conversations on the fly, I was standing on board the Patriot on a fine May evening, gliding onto the Chesapeake Bay as I presented five wines during a lovely wine and food pairing cruise.

Also in May, was TasteCamp 2010, the second such blogger get-together that serves as a foil to the larger North American Wine Blogger Conference. Organized by the indefatigable Lenn Thomson, this year’s Taste Camp brought a few dozen bloggers (including my dear friend Melissa Dobson) and their significant others to the lovely Finger Lakes region in upstate New York for austere Rieslings and some very good Pinot Noir. My favorite visit was our last, to the small and welcoming wine cave of Heart and Hands Winery: their Pinot Noirs offered delicate fruit and earthy flavors – a lovely treat for someone with an old-world-leaning palate such as myself.

In June, the spirit of adventure turned me towards Europe again. During an hour long phone call from Rome, Robbin and I hatched the plan that I should come visit her in Amalfi. I’ll never forget our first stroll up the promenade to her favorite bar for a Spritz, an aperitivo comprised of Aperol bitter orange liquor, club soda and white wine. Nibbling on a bowl of nuts and watching the sunset over a steel blue Mediterranean, I couldn’t have been more content.

After zipping up and down the Amalfi coast on scenic ferry rides and scary bus rides--visiting the Marisa Cuomo winery, Pompeii and Positano--I left Italia for France, where I had signed up with Vitivinitours for Le Weekend des Grands Amatuers in Bordeaux.

On my first evening, I had the pleasure of dining with Jane Anson, her husband Frank, and a few of their fellow British ex-pats. We ate fresh oysters and drank (of all things) Prosecco on a picnic bench with a view of the Garonne River. Another magical evening of wine and friendship.

The next night proved how very small the wine world is, when I ran into Gregory Dal Piaz, the editor at Snooth and a New York City friend. Proving “there are no coincidences,” he and I were booked on the same trip that evening, an enchanting jaunt to Chateau Guiraud for a multi course dinner of superb cuisine and Bordeaux wines, ending with the Chateau’s own spectacular Sauternes.

Later that month, I faced a sore disappointment when I missed my flight to the west coast for what would have been my third North American Wine Bloggers Conference. I consoled myself by drinking a cult Cabernet Sauvignon and following the action on Twitter.

The summer saw some lovely get-togethers with other wine bloggers including the talented chef, Eric Guido, and two lovely NYC-based women of wine, Sasha Smith and Susannah Gold – hope to see all of them soon. And at a swanky Sonoma in the City event, I had the pleasure of meeting Carlo Devito, a wine-loving writer, blogger, and editor. In September, I was honored to be one of the bloggers invited to cover the Saratoga Wine and Food and Fall Ferrari Festival, where I was happy to catch up with my former teacher, Kevin Zraly, a man whose wine knowledge and charisma know no bounds.

As the leaves began to turn on the East Coast, my thoughts turned to Europe again, this time for a trip to Austria for the European Wine Bloggers Conference in Vienna. My last few trips had been to Italy, France, and Spain, where the lilt of Romance languages filled my days. Now, I was bound for the eastern fringe of Western Europe's traditional boundaries, where the hard “g” and clipped, mutli-syllables of German hold sway. I had traveled solo to Austria in my 20s and was eager to return to this majestic world capital.

EWBC felt like coming home in a way, as dozens of the friends I had made in 2009 in Lisbon were on hand again, including the lovely and intensely energetic, Gabriella Opaz. I cannot begin to describe the comradery and joie de vivre we wine-loving compatriots share, especially my wickedly clever pals, Denise Medrano and Andrew Barrow. This year, I made more friends: the witty Alistair Bathgate, the enthusiastic Eamon FitzGerald, the earthy and wonderful Caroline Henry, the well-liked-by-all wine student Prateek Arora, , and the swarthy Spaniard who lent me his arm for a waltz, Esteban Cabezas. I was also happy to hang out with my favorite Portuguese winemaker Oscar Quevedo, and, naturally, to drink some of his family's delicious port.

From Austria, I took a memorable train ride with Luiz Alberto, who accompanied me on my first foray into Eastern Europe: Budapest. There I was hosted by the gracious couple Carolyn and Gabor Banfalvi, who opened their home to me and fellow EWBCers, including the always intriguing Sam Ockman and two more Budapest dwellers, the charming Molly Havorka and her dynamic husband Zoli Piroska.

After two whirlwind days in the enchanting land of Tokai, I finished my Hungarian trip with a private lesson at the Central European Wine Institute at the invitation of another new friend, Gabor Patko.

As the cold weather swept into New York City, I began my next adventure in the world of wine: enrolling in the International Wine Center, the New York City branch of the internationally-recognized Wine and Spirits Education Trust, where I am applying myself diligently to the study of wine.

Thanks to everyone who made 2010 such a wonderful year of exploring new wines, new lands, and new adventures. I raise my glass to you.

Thanksgiving Wine – Drink Something Wonderful

2010-11-24T13:05:00.004-05:00

At Thanksgiving, the wine shops are packed with people, many of whom are fretting about the endless choices and what’s the “right” pairing for turkey. There are many wine writers who will provide Thanksgiving wine advice, and, for the first time, I’ve decided to join them.

It’s been widely written that there is no single, “perfect” wine to serve at this feast. What matches with your turkey may taste dreadful with your cranberry sauce. Some people say, put out a white and red and let your guests decide. I’d say that’s a good guideline, but I’d like to provide an additional thought.

Think of thanksgiving as a fancy dinner, one that you have slaved over, one where you want to enjoy yourself to the fullest. After all, it’s a national holiday devoted to food (and family, but where I’m from the two always go together).

What is the wine you love most in the world? For me, it’s lovely red Burgundies with a little age on them. I am serving a 2006 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune premier cru La Dominode, selected with help from my new friend, Ian, from the Wine Library. I told Ian I love Gevrey Chambertin, and (since the bulk of their Gevreys were north of $70) he guided me to this wine, a few villages south of Gevrey but offering the flavors that should delight my palate at a more modest price.

I think my Burgundy will work with most of what I’m serving: turkey, pan gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes. The vegetables – they’re on their own, I am not worried about what works with them. Basically, cover your plate in brown gravy and reds work fine.

But, I would argue, if you love white wine, then serve that. Or Champagne. There are some wines that might be too heavy; big tannic reds would probably stomp all over your palate and not help you enjoy what’s on your plate. But rather than worry about what wine is “right”, think about what wine you love. It’s a special day, a rare occasion when we all can pause and take a moment to enjoy the people closest to us. Toast that with a wine worthy of the occasion.

2010 European Wine Bloggers Conference in Vienna

2010-11-02T22:08:00.008-04:00

Vienna, a grandiose city of palaces and museums, a city of music where Mozart’s legend was born. A city at the edge of the western world. Go a little further and you’re in Eastern Europe. Timeless and modern, where the Habsburgs ruled and Freud analyzed.
For food lovers, Vienna is where calorie-laden fare like wiener schnitzel, apfelstrudel and potatoes done six ways are served in beer halls and heurigens. Not to mention the coffee house culture and its Sacher Torte and other elaborate pastries. And Vienna is noteworthy for wine lovers: it’s the only European capital with wineries within city limits.
Vienna was recently the host of the 2010 European Wine Bloggers Conference. About 200 bloggers from 30 countries gathered at the Schonbrunn Palace Orangerie for two days of meetings and speakers highlighting trends in digital media, blogging, wine criticism and more.
The EWBC was presented by Catavino and The Wine Conversation and included sponsorship by Wines of Austria, who provided one of the most dynamic and entertaining speakers, Willie Klinger.
There were technical tastings and many more casual opportunities to sample wines from Austria: tangy Gruner Veltliners and Rieslings of many stripes, including a 1973 that had the heavy diesel nose that some wine lovers dream of. The reds included fruity Blaufrankisch, Zwiegelts, and the Pinot Noir progeny, St. Laurent.
For many returning participants EWBC offered the chance to catch up with old friends and meet new ones. Because the wine blogging world is serious about both wine and camaraderie. One of the most valuable aspects of the conference is the connections that are made, both personal and professional.
There will be many blogs, vlogs, and tasting notes posted online about EWBC 2010. But if you don’t have the chance to read all that, know this: EWBC was a resounding success for participants, sponsors, and for Austrian wines, which picked up a couple hundred new devoted fans.

Weekend des Grands Amateurs, Bordeaux

2010-06-06T12:20:00.006-04:00

I'm sitting in my hotel in Bordeaux, exhausted and exhilarated by the last few days of events of Le Weekend des Grands Amateurs.
It's a weekend for wine lovers, not professionals. Today as I sat next to Chateau Branaire-Ducru co-owner, Patrick Maroteaux, at a delicious four course lunch, he told me, "It's very important for the winery owner to be open to wine lovers.". It's not surprising that Mr. Maroteaux was one of the founding organizers of the weekend, now in its fifth year.
The weekend started yesterday morning with a six and a half hour grand tasting on the river walkway near Chartrons, a historic wine merchant district. I have never tasted so many wines from exceptional houses all at once: Chateau Angelus, Chateau Giscours, Chateau Beychevelle, Chateau Talbot, Chateau Lynch-Bages, Chateau Pichon-Longueville, more than 100 in all. I myself tasted 75 wines, the majority with notes. It took me four and a half hours with three breaks, and only bread & cheese to sustain me.
Of course I didn't drink all that wine. I and the vast majority of attendees made good use of the silver pedestal spitoons, which were emptied frequently. My favorites included: 04 Chateau Canon-la-Gaffeliere 04, 03 Chateau Dassault, 01 Chateau La Tour Figeac (all from St. Emillion ); 02 Chateau Beauregard, 01 Chateau Petit Village, and most of the 07s from Pomerol; 03 Chateau Brane-Catenac, 02 Chateau Dauzac (Margaux), 02 Chateau Lynch Bages & Chateau Pontet-Canet (Pauillac).
Dinner last night was at a beautiful Sauternes wine estate, Chateau Guirard. Its drive is striking, lined with tall trees. One of the owners, Xavier Planty, greeted us warmly & cordially hosted another elaborate meal that lasted four hours. Today, the last event was a wine tour. I chose the Medoc, legendary red wine region on the left bank of the Gironde River.
In addition to lovely tastings & gracious winemakers, the tour was also higly enjoyable because it offered the chance to meet & mingle with an international assortment of wine lovers. On the bus back to Bordeaux, I befriended French, Swiss & British wine lovers. And that was one of the surprise benefits of the weekend: sharing it all with my fellow amateurs.

Wine Speaker - My New Role

2010-05-04T13:15:00.004-04:00

I just finished unpacking from a great weekend at the St. Michael’s Winefest, the first annual wine festival in St. Michaels, Maryland. St. Michaels is a charming, historic town on Maryland’s eastern shore with cute boutiques, good restaurants, and very friendly locals.

I had gone to their previous wine festival for the past three years. When I saw that this year’s event had a new format, I noticed there were no speakers. I love teaching wine classes, so I offered my services. Soon I was engaged to speak at a floating wine event.

On a mild evening at the end of April, I set sail on the Patriot, a cheerful vessel owned by John Marrah. A lovely selection of wines had been chosen for the event, and I introduced each as it was poured:
- Bellinis
- White Bordeaux
- Chassagne Montrachet
- Vino Nobile de Montepulciano
- Brunello de Montalcino

The crowd mingled and sipped as the Patriot glided on smooth-as-glass water, out past million dollar waterfront homes and onto the lovely Cheasapeake Bay. A two piece band had the crowd swaying their hips on the upper deck, while on the lower deck attendees lounged in casual groups and caught up with old friends.

It was a wonderful trip, the kind you wish would last longer than it does. The next day as I poured French wines at the Kemp House Inn, I heard many people remark on what a lovely time they had on the Patriot. I was pleased to be the speaker for the event this year, and I look forward to being a wine speaker again next year in St. Michaels.

If you would like to engage my services as a speaker at a wine event, please contact me at dianeletulle(at)gmail(dot)com.

Le Du's Wines Bring French Twist to NYC Wine Scene

2010-04-26T22:49:00.003-04:00

Le Du's wines is owned by one of the world's most famous sommeliers. From 1995-2004 Jean Luc Le Du was head sommelier of the gastronomic mecca, Restaurant Daniel, owned by famed restauranteur Daniel Boulud. He was awarded the James Beard Foundation 2003 Award for "Outstanding Wine Service". But Jean Luc had dreams beyond the prestigious restaurant.

For four years the wine shop as been an airy and attractive place to buy wine, enjoy wine tastings, as well as take classes in the chilly back room, which is temperature controlled to preserve the finest wine in the store (bring a sweater or jacket).

The wine is selected with great care and the staff is passionate about their choices. One of the wonderful qualities about Le Du's is that there is great wine at all price points, and they are not ones to scoff at a fantastic $10 bottle - in fact, wines that present an excellent price to value ratio are reason to celebrate.

But if you do want to buy something really rare, perhaps a case of Romanee-Conti, Jean Luc can also help you with that.
Le Du's Wines seems to pull off the impossible balancing act between sophisticated selections and a down to earth attitude. It's a must for wine lovers traveling in the West Village neighborhood.

Le Du's Wines
600 Washington Street
New York, NY, 10014
212-924-6999

2010 New York Wine Expo

2010-04-18T22:54:00.002-04:00

The third annual New York Wine Expo was held on the last weekend in February at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. The huge event featured hundreds of wines to try. Among the regions featured at this year's show were: Cotes du Rhone, France; Portugal; Castilla-La Mancha, Spain; New Zealand; Greece; Hungary; and New York State.

This is a huge consumer wine show, and hundreds of wine lovers converged on the Expo to try new wines, sample delicious foods, and have some fun. In addition to the long rows of tasting tables, the event featured small scale seminars, which offered a deeper understanding of certain wine regions.

At the "Portugal and the rise of Touriga Nacional" seminar, Michael Weiss, wine book author and chairman of wine studies at the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, gave an informative talk on Portuguese wine today. In addition to providing an introduction to Touriga Nacional, probably the best known of Portugal's red table wine grapes, he also spoke about the country's wine regions, including the Tejo, Beiras, Douro, and Alentejo.

John Bandman, instructor and certified sommelier, presented a seminar on Cotes du Rhone to a packed room of French wine enthusiasts. He discussed differences between the Southern Rhone, which grows riper grapes and whose cuisine is more Mediterranean, and Northern Rhone, which has grapes that have more subtle flavors and whose cuisine has a greater amount of hearty dishes such as stews. One of the best things about Cotes du Rhones wines is their price: many can be had in the $12-$30 range.

The wine certainly was the focus, but there was some delicious food being sampled as well. Hudson Valley Foie Gras was grilling up slivers of goose liver on site and serving them hot. This company supplies foie gras to many local restaurants, and their products are available at better grocery stores. Wild Alaska Seafood provided samples of a delicious seafood pasta as well as copious recipe books for using sustainable seafood from the state.

In all, the New York Wine Expo provided a full weekend for wine lovers to sip, sample, and enjoy.

Dinner with Bordeaux Wine Makers in New York City

2010-03-27T12:08:00.009-04:00

Anyone who considers the French serious and stuffy had better rethink their assessment. At a Wine Families of Bordeaux Dinner at the Robert Smith Hotel, I laughed myself silly chatting with French winemakers over a lovely three course meal accompanied by some of their recently released wines. These men and women are delightful, open, and friendly. I heartily recommend drinking their wine and taking a trip to Bordeaux to visit them at their wine estates.

To my right at dinner was Didier Marcelis of Chateau Serilhan in Saint-Estephe. Smart, funny and an excellent English speaker, Didier provided an insider's view of the winemaking life in Bordeaux. At this point many of the estates in the Medoc are owned by individuals far flung around the globe. As he said, he is one of the "Last of the Mohicans," being a winemaker who still chooses to live in the area. For Didier and many others, making money is not the motivation to stay in this business. Indeed the love and pride that the winery owner feels for his or her wine are the strongest motivators. An example of this is a French expression used at Bordeaux's famous barrel sampling event, En Primeurs. When someone asks winemakers how people are judging their wines, they are asked, "How are you tasting?" not "How is your wine tasting?" According to Didier, this is not an accident of language; the identification with one's wine is very real.

I also had the pleasure of getting to know Jean-Daniel Debart of Chateau Cablanc. This animated and very amusing man has a comical Facebook page where he takes on the role of Docteur Cablanc. Judging from the winery brochure, the estate looks like a great visit for families, as there are arranged treasure hunts, games, and more.

I would be remiss if I did not also note that seated to my left was Jane Anson, Bordeaux correspondent for decanter.com, and a very accomplished wine writer and keen observer of the Bordeaux wine scene. I had met Jane in Bordeaux two years ago and was pleased that she remembered me. Since then, we've had some internet interaction through blogs and Twitter, but nothing beats catching up in person.
The other wineries represented at the event were:

Chateau Paloumey
Chateau Beau Rivage
Chateau Brethous
Chateau du Cros
Chateau Gamage
Chateau Minvielle

The dinner marked the end of a week of events for the winemakers, who had come to New York to make contacts, find distributors, and expand their consumer base. To that end, the dinner was preceded by a free wine tasting, which was publicized widely to local members of Corkd, an interactive wine site that encourages members to share reviews of wine and interact on and offline. The winemakers also learned a thing or two about social media from Corkd staff, including CEO Lindsay Rongo.

It looked like the training paid off right away. By the end of the evening, winemakers were creating Twitter accounts, discussing ideas for blogs, and talking about their Facebook pages. Look for these intrepid winemakers both online and on the shelves of your local wine shop.

Douro! Douro! Douro!

2009-11-05T13:01:00.004-05:00

Why not shout about the wines from the Douro (rhymes with Toro) Valley in northern Portugal? They are surprising, exciting, unique.

I’ve just returned from two days in the region. The landscape includes a meandering river, sweeping valleys, terraced vineyards, and winding roads that aren’t for the faint of heart (especially when driven by Portuguese bus drivers, who love to tailgate).

Port wine, a fortified beverage that is often aged for years, has been produced in the area since the 1600s. But table wines are babies – they’ve only been made for 15 years! There are some white wines produced in the Douro, but it’s the reds that play the leading role.

When young, the red wines of Douro can be too much for many palates- certainly mine. The acidity makes the side of your mouth tingle, the fruit is powerful, but rough, the tannins are sometimes out of control, and there can be bitter flavors and stalky vegetable notes that don’t work. However, when in the hands of a skilled winemaker and when given a few years to mature and a few hours to decant, the wines are delightfully approachable and always food friendly. In fact, I believe that drinking them without food does them a disservice. I found that when I was eating – whether a full meal or a few marcona almonds-- the wines uniformly tasted better. The very high acid in the wines makes them great matches with many foods.

One of the controversies in this very young wine region is what to grow and how to blend it. Touriga Nacional is a popular grape variety that produces a full bodied, inky dark red. Many Portuguese wine makers are making single variety wines with it. However this is a departure from tradition in the Douro, where field blends are commonly fermented. I was unfamiliar with this practice, but learned that older vineyards have a huge variety of grapes--as many as 50 or more--mixed together in the fields. In those vineyards, the winemaker waits until everything ripens then ferments it all together.

Many winemakers are getting away from that tradition in an attempt to serve a market that expects to see grape varieties listed on the label. They’re replanting old vineyards with five common varieties in order to make new style wines. When I met Cristiano Van Zeller from Quinta do Vale dona Maria, he said this was a mistake. His field blend wines are gorgeous, so he makes a good point. Personally, I think that the tradition of field blends is one of the aspects that makes Portuguese table wines unique.

It will be fascinating to watch and taste the development of this up-and-coming wine region. Just remember to decant!

Seven Hills, Lots of Wine, EWBC Anticipation

2009-10-26T12:25:00.003-04:00

I am packing my bags, downloading ISpeak Portuguese, and counting the hours until I fly into Lisbon this Friday morning. The object of my anticipation is the European Wine Bloggers Conference.

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting California twice for the North American Wine Bloggers Conference, and I’m really looking forward to its sister conference across the pond. I have to hand it to Gabriella and Ryan Opaz and Robert MacIntosh, conference organizers, for putting together a stellar weekend.

One of the best things about these conferences is that they give wine bloggers the opportunity to meet. The friends I’ve made in this funny little world of online wine writing have always delighted me with their intelligence, humor, and joie de vivre.

I’m thrilled that the conference site is Lisbon. I’ve never been to this European capital, and I’m glad that the conference has given me the excuse to go. From its historic monuments to its seven hills, Lisbon looks quite magical. I’ll have to squeeze in as much touring as I can during my brief stay.

When I heard about the Saturday night dinner it sealed my decision to attend. We will be dining at Restaurant 11. I recently purchased a top 10 book of Lisbon, and the number one restaurant cited was –you guessed it—Restaurant 11. At last count, 15 courses were being planned with appropriately matched wines.

After the conference, there will be three straight days of vineyard tours, including two days in the beautiful Douro Valley. I am always thrilled to visit the lands where grapes are grown, to speak to the winemakers, and to get a sense of the place that goes into a wine. This truly enriches the experience of wine for me and inspires my writing.

Not to be forgotten in all this touring, interacting, and dining, is Portuguese wine. At the North American wine bloggers conference I had the opportunity to taste a lot of wonderful, full bodied red Portuguese wines. These were rich in fruit and tannin and extremely good values for the money. I can’t wait to visit the land where they were made.

Taste New York

2009-10-06T07:39:00.003-04:00

Let’s all taste some Rieslings from the Finger Lakes. The idea spanned several states and multiple blogs, beginning with the plan’s originator Lenn Thompson of the blog Lenndevours: New York Cork Report. Here's his report of Taste NY.
And so, a shipment of Riesling was sent to New York City and sat waiting for bloggers until last Friday night. It was then that Erika Strum, Robbin Gheesling, Rob Bralow and I held court at a corner table in Lily’s restaurant in the Robert Smith Hotel and tasted through the bunch.
On the way, there was a cheese plate and some lamb lollypops and good conversation and a discussion of whether and where to have dinner (the answers were “yes” and Apiary).
As I posted recently on my Manhattan Wine Examiner Column, here are my tasting notes:
Hermann Wiemer 2007 Dry Riesling—Fresh nose with lots of ripe honeydew. Very pronounced on the attack with high acid. Tangy, tangerine flavors, but a disappointing finish.

Red Newt Cellar 2006 Riesling -- White flowers on the nose and a bit of petrol. Lots of lime on the palate, a very tangy wine that could be a good food match.

Atwater 2007 Dry Riesling – Another high acid wine, with a bit of spice and a splash of lemon on the finish.

Fox Run 2008 Riesling – Complicated nose that began with pretty floral characteristics, but gave off an odd note after a couple minutes. Tingling acid and flavors reminiscent of peach pit.

Hazlitt 2008 Homestead Reserve Riesling – Fresh nose, a lot of acid that tingled on the inner cheeks, nice pear flavor.

Billsboro 2008 Riesling– Big nose, rich flavors, especially ripe pear. The best of the night.

Anthony Road 2008 Semi dry Riesling– Winner of the 2009 Governor’s Cup, a lightly sweet wine with good acidity.

I'm looking forward to reading what other bloggers have to say about the bunch. There are still more unopened bottles of Riesling that need a taste.

Diane Letulle--Manhattan Wine Examiner

2009-08-12T09:43:00.003-04:00

I’ve had a range of jobs in my life – working in marketing, public relations, doing freelance writing, even teaching music—but I’ve rarely been so excited about taking on a new role. I’m very pleased to announce that I am now the Manhattan Wine Examiner.
That means I get to take one of my favorite activities—checking out wine in New York City—and write about it for a national web site.
I recently went downtown to visit City Winery. My first post focuses on the After-Work Backyard BBQ free music series (check out the slideshow), but follow-up articles will include an interview with the founder Michael Dorf and news about their custom crush program.
Please check in with the site often, and if you have recommendations for a Manhattan wine event, store, or program that you think I should examine, please feel free to let me know.
I’ll still be posting to this blog, but I hope you’ll visit me at the examiner. Cheers!

10 "AHA" Moments from the 2009 Wine Bloggers Conference

2009-07-27T13:24:00.003-04:00

1. Wineries love bloggers – we were spoiled rotten in Napa with beautiful meals, walks, talks, and tastings
2. Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is consistently priced out of reach of everyone I know – $100 a bottle Cabernets abound.
3. Melissa Dobson is a great date for the weekend
4. Petite Syrah is hot – although I still don’t “get” this grape
5. Rick Bakas really does eat bacon 7 days a week, but 5 of those he’s doing turkey bacon
6. Portugal’s red wines are terrific – full bodied, flavorful and well-matched to many foods
7. Despite his new found celebrity, Hardy Wallace is as nice and self-effacing as ever
8. Stag’s Leap was named for a hunted stag who jumped over a promontory to escape death
9. The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone is a breathtaking facility and, according to its director, “Hogwarts for food and wine lovers”
10. Barry Schuler has the historical perspective and contemporary insight to be able to explain just what’s happening in print and electronic communications, e-commerce, social media and more

East Coast Food & Wine Festival Offers Relaxing Taste of NJ

2009-06-30T09:34:00.016-04:00

Some wine festivals are mob scenes—hundreds of people crammed under a giant tent, all pushing their way with glass extended to the overwhelmed winery staff. But the East Coast Food & Wine Festival in Pennington, NJ, offered a bucolic alternative to those over-crowded fests.
As soon as my car bumped over the lumpy clover field to the parking, I knew I had reached the heart of New Jersey farmland, a heritage forgotten by out-of-staters who have heard too many “What Exit?” jokes.
But this is, after all, the Garden State. Pints of New Jersey blueberries were stacked high, their purple-blue hue peeking through their clear plastic containers. In the produce tent, vendors sold lettuce harvested just two hours before, as well as fresh beets, peas, and more. There I met Mikey Azzara, a friendly pioneer of the Jersey locavore scene who runs Zone 7. He drives to farms to collect just-picked produce and then delivers it to local restaurants.
But what about New Jersey wine? All in all, it was a mixed bag, and some wineries showed much better than others. Unionville Winery offered the best reds I tasted. I particularly liked their more expensive (still only $22-$26) reds, including a medium weight, fruit-forward 07 Montage, which blended 50% Chambourcin and 50% Pinot Noir. I also enjoyed The Big O, another 07 that was a big, tannic wine with lots of fruit. This is another 50/50 blend, mixing Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. I’m guessing the Cabernet Sauvignon doesn’t ripen sufficiently to make a varietal wine, but it blended nicely with the earthy Cab Franc.
Unionville is able to grow their own Merlot, while another winery I won’t name sources grapes out of state for theirs. This is one of my pet peeves. If I’m visiting a local winery, I want to taste the local wines, not ones from the West Coast or New York. I suppose it’s a money-maker for them to offer Washington State Pinot Noir, but I question how NJ can establish itself as a quality wine-producing state if its wineries sell out-of-state products? I believe that more NJ wineries need to embrace lesser-known varieties that grow well in their soil and climate, rather than trying to offer the standard Pinot Noir & Cabernet Sauvignon.
For example, Hopewell Valley Vineyard, the festival host, offers a flavorful Chambourcin. Originating in the 1950s in the Loire Valley, Chambourcin grows very well in NJ and I'd feel safe buying it at most NJ wineries. It produces a medium weight red wine with rich ruby color, good fruit, and light tannins, and it pairs well with lots of dishes.
One thing that a lot of wineries got dead wrong was their Chardonnay. I tasted more than a couple that were over-oaked. One of my tasting notes said, “I feel like I’m sucking on a 2 x 4.” I asked Gary Pavlis, a festival speaker who judges NJ wine competitions, “Why do so many NJ wineries over-oak their wine?” His answer was that they didn’t get enough flavor from their fruit. I thought about the European wineries that wouldn’t produce any wine during a bad harvest in order to preserve the quality of their brand, and wished the NJ wineries would make the necessary changes in what they grow or how they grow it to eliminate the need for such masking techniques.
I found one quality Chardonnay that was not available for the general tasting. This buttery Chard from Unionville retails for $45…which made me question how many people would pay that much money for a NJ wine, even if it is quite good. My choice for the best priced, high quality white wine was at Cape May Winery’s booth: Victorian White. This blend of white grapes produces a pleasing, medium-weight wine, light gold in color with a punched-up, fruit flavor.
When I asked several winemakers and local experts, the consensus was that New Jersey wine is improving, but it has a long way to go.
But as far as wine festivals go, the East Coast Food & Wine Festival got it right: multiple tents that were leisurely spaced-out, a great-sounding country band, food vendors offering delicious gourmet fare, and terrific speakers including TV Chef Michael Colameco, Judgment of Paris author and journalist George Taber, and the charming chef and wine expert Maureen Petrosky. On a sunny, blue-sky weekend, the East Coast Food & Wine Festival was the place to be.

The Many Moods of Beaujolais

2009-06-12T14:46:00.003-04:00

Beaujolais has a reputation as a simple wine, but maybe it’s got more going on than meets the eye.
I never thought of the grape as very age-worthy, but last night at a tasting at Snooth headquarters on Madison Avenue organized by Gregory DalPiaz, I heard tell of 10 year and older Beaujolais showing very well, comparing favorably with younger Burgundies. Well, I haven’t tasted old Beaujolais, and I’m not in a big rush to do so, because, frankly, I like Beaujolais very much for its youthful, fresh taste.
When it comes to Beaujolais, I subscribe to the Kevin Zraly school of thought. In his Windows on the World Wine School, he talks about it as a great choice for a bottle when out to dinner with friends. It’s the red that can work well enough with both fish and red meat. He also likes to drink it at the end of a long day, when he doesn’t want to analyze his wine.
But analyze we did, at least enough to figure out that there are some substantial differences in the Cru Villages. While wine marked Beaujolais Village is a blend of grapes from across the region, Cru Village Beaujolais (it will have the name of the village on the label) comes from one of the ten small towns that have earned this designation.
The wine that stopped me in my tracks was the 2007 Thenevet Grain & Granite from the village of Régnié. This was a darker, fuller bodied Beaujolais with greater tannins than any I had ever tried. I enjoyed the wine, but felt like it wouldn’t be my first choice if I wanted to reach for a typical Beaujolais. The Domaine des Terres Dorrees Jean-Paul Brun Cotes de Brouilly was also a bigger version of the wine.
More in line with my expectations were the wines from Fleurie, Chenas, St. Amour & Julienas. This were lighter in color & flavor and offered the fresh, strawberry goodness that I love in Gamay.
My personal preferences: when I want a typical Beaujolais that still has a bit of character, I’ll go for Fleurie or Julienas, two of my favorites, and serve them chilled, as they do in France. However, I won’t turn down a glass of the bigger Beaujolais if I’m in the mood for a heavier red wine.
No matter what the style, one thing to love about Beaujolais is the price. You can buy the best ones for under $25. Now how many wine regions can you say that about? I think of Beaujolais as a spring wine—when temperatures rise it’s often nice to have a lighter red. I recommend sampling wines from several of the cru villages in order to find the mood of Beaujolais that suits you.

If music be the food of love, play on -- WBW #58

2009-06-11T00:14:00.006-04:00

O.K., so Shakespeare was talking about love, not wine, but if you reach in far enough, there’s an appropriate metaphor about music enhancing one’s experiences, whether they be falling in love or wine-tasting.

For this eye-opening experiment I tasted two wines with each track:

Channing Daughters
Rosata / Cabernet Sauvignon
Mudd Vineyard
2008

And

Monchiero
Rocche
Barolo
2001

1) Artist: Moby CD: Hotel/Ambient Disk Track: 1

For my first tasting, I felt that the pulsing bass line and throbbing synth overwhelmed this gentle pink wine.

With the Barolo, I noticed the smokey nose and meaty flavor distinctly. The Barolo was a better match for Moby’s intellectual reaching on this Phillip Glass-like track. But, the pulsing rhythm outran the mellow appeal of the wine.

Result: Double Fail

2) Artist: Belle and Sebastian CD: Boy with the Arab Strap Track: Sleep the Clock Around

I really like the high energy and light harmonizing on vocals. Belle & Sebastian is a Scottish band that provides bouncy pop music with a twist. The song was a great match to the Rosato’s strawberry punch. This wine is fun and so is this tune.

Drinking the Barolo while listening to the same song, I’m less aware of the high-pitched vocals and more clued into the deeper acoustic guitar strum and bass line that run under the happy sounding voices. I’m compelled to grab the lyric sheet to find the dark words that lie hidden like the Loch Ness in their bubble-gum pop sound…”And could this be the time when somebody will come/To say ‘Look at yourself, you’re not much use to anyone.’” The Barolo was not a natural match, but somehow the music lightened the wine’s serious palate, and the wine brought out the gravity in the song.
Result: Good pairing with Rosato, Qualified success with Barolo

3) Artist: Taking Back Sunday CD: Louder Now Track: Liar, Liar

This is a fast-paced song with drilling bass lines. The young band offers tight musicality, but this close-but-not-quite-headbanging (head nodding?) tune is best played loud. The rollicking guitars on the break overwhelm my poor rosé, although the tart fruit nose is definitely sharper when smelled against the backdrop of this song.

When I replay the song for my Barolo, I notice the length on the wine much more. Its heavy tannic structure is blunting Taking Back Sunday’s best attempt to capture my sensory perception…the finish on the wine coincides with an awesome guitar neck slide, which is a cool moment in the tasting/listening. But this match is too competitive: my ears and mouth are fighting for my brain’s attention. Love these, but separately.

Result: Double Fail

4) Artist: Kate Bush CD: The Whole Story Track: Wuthering Heights

Kate’s eerie high voice sings about the moors of England and the ghostly romance of Wuthering Heights. This pairing is a triumph. The berry flavors of the wine put me in mind of the fresh-mown English lawns and gardens in spring bloom, rosebushes which Cathy’s gowns may have swept by. This song is based on my favorite novel, a Gothic romance, and it lends a depth to the Rosato. With its deep salmon color, the wine even appears to be a romantic choice. Its sweet fruit structure is heightened by the ghostly Cathy’s soulful howling at the end of the track. Beautiful.

“Oh it gets dark, it gets lonely,” sings Kate Bush, channeling the ghost of Cathy. The Gothic drama of this dark tale of star-crossed lovers is underscored by this big, complicated Italian wine, which reminds me of the broad-shouldered, heavy browed hero Heathcliff to whom she sings. The finish lingers and Kate plaintively sings while a rich guitar riff extends the melodic vocal line. This pairing is the clear winner of the night.

Result: The Rosato is Cathy, the Barolo is Heathcliff, both pairings enrich each other.

The Big and Little Bs of the Piedmont

2009-06-09T11:14:00.004-04:00

Italian wine is a vast subject that many of us don’t know a great deal about. But there is much to explore beyond the familiar straw-wrapped Chianti bottles. The country offers many styles of wine from everyday sippers to glorious age-worthy bottles.
One of the most challenging things about Italian wine is all the different varieties. Take Piedmont, for example. This storied wine region is in northwest Italy. On a clear day, you can see the Alps from its sloping vineyards. In Piedmont alone, three significant wines all start with the letter B.
Barolo – The grape of Barolo wine is Nebbiolo. Barolo itself is a charming hilltop town. As you drive up the winding road, you immediately see Barolo Castle, which now houses a stylish enoteca where you can sample fleets of local wine and get an overview of the area’s wines from a multi-lingual guide. During my time in the region, I learned that Barolo is the wine of kings & the king of wines. This red is a big, tannic beast that often requires at least a decade to settle down and become a dry, complex red whose tannins have been tamed. The problem with loving Barolo is its price: I haven’t seen one below $50 this side of the Atlantic. However, in Italy, I found some relative bargains, so I snatched up some 2004s & 2005s, which I plan on aging at least a few years. It’s nice to have some wines to look forward to in the future.
Barbaresco—Here is another wine based on Nebbiolo grapes, but it’s grown in different regions than Barolo. I visited a fine Barbaresco winemaker at Paitin, a family winery that boasts an amazing 15th century wine cellar. Silvano Pasquero-Elia took me out on a balcony and showed me the sweep of tongue-shaped hills that comprise the Langhe mountain range. The white-tinged soil in his town of Bricco de Neive is perfect for cultivating grapes for Barbaresco, which is still a big, age-worthy wine, but with a fresher nose and slightly less firm tannins. Silvano was gracious enough to take me through a tasting of his wonderful Barbarescos, and made a present of an old vines 2004, which I look forward to opening in the future.
Barbera – One resident told me is that Barbera is the heart of Piedmont. Although some may argue that Dolcetto, a jammy, simple red wine, is the daily wine of the area, my guide at Rocche Costamagna, confirmed that Barbera is their everyday wine, while Barolo is the weekend wine. During the months before my trip, I sampled Italian wines of the regions I would visit and developed a real fondness for this wine. Barbera has that dusty, potpourri-scented, dry Italian wine thing going on, and it has high acidity, making it an easy match for lots of foods, including red-sauce meals. Unlike Barbarescos and Barolos, Barbera is delightful when young. In the US, it often is sold in the low 20 dollar range—not the cheapest, but certainly not the most expensive foreign wine and well within my own threshold of wine spending.
Now if you’re thinking “Haven’t I heard of another famous B wine from Italy?” you’re right. That would be Brunello de Montalcino, but this isn’t produced anywhere near Piedmont. Those vineyards are hundreds of kilometers south in Tuscany and made from Sangiovese grapes, which is also the dominant grape of the blend of our old friend, Chianti.
Check out some Italian wine soon. Confusion never tasted so good.

Travel Channel Academy Shoot-- Pairing Wine with Film

2009-05-19T17:19:00.007-04:00

This weekend I expanded my communication skills considerably by attending the Travel Channel Academy in NYC. This four day workshop is intense and expensive ($2,000 not including MAC laptop or camcorder rental), so you really need to be serious to consider doing this. However, for those of us for whom time is more valuable than dollars, this course provides the perfect quick and dirty intro to shooting and editing.
Heavy-hitter TV production team Michael Rosenblum and Lisa Lambden led the long days, which took place in a third floor conference room at CUNY’s School of Journalism. Part of the value for dollar was making contact with top level Travel Channel execs like Lori Rothschild Ansaldi. When she dangled freelance video projects in front of us, it was like watching lions circle for the kill: we salivated over the thought of being paid $1000 to sell off exclusive rights to our two minute travel pieces.
Our first projects were harried: we were quickly taught video basics and thrown onto the streets of Manhattan to shoot about 20 minutes of tape, which we later edited down to a one minute clip. In the screening, our feelings were not spared as we were subjected to, as Michael called it, Public Humiliation and Public Praise. I felt slightly terrified of the prospect, but, in the end all of the criticism was tempered with humor, and our work was the better for it.
For the second shoot, we were required to find a character. Where in NYC would I find someone who came across well on camera (their requirements) and was involved in wine (my requirements)? Thinking about the wine shops, restaurants, and bars I’ve been to, I remembered meeting Jean Luc Le Dû, proprietor of Le Dû’s Wines in the West Village.
I made quick contact with him Saturday morning, and, even though Jean Luc was moving his apartment that day, he made time to meet me at his store. While I waited, I met his associate Yannick, an enthusiastic wine lover who is currently in the process of pursing his Master of Wine from the Court of Grand Sommeliers.
When Jean Luc arrived, he was all quick movements and fast talk in his melodious French accent. Following him around the store was a bit of a challenge, but, in the end, I got some great footage of him tasting wine that was poured for their Saturday wine tastings, talking about wine with his associates and customers, and telling stories about Romanée Conti for the camera.
It was a lovely visit and made a great subject for my two minute video. If the Travel Channel doesn’t buy this clip, you’ll see it posted here within a few weeks.

I Earned My Long Island Wine Tasting Badge at TasteCamp East

2009-05-05T20:36:00.006-04:00

If I were a scout, I’d be sewing a patch embroidered with a glass of red wine and a map of Long Island on my green-sleeved uniform today. Because at TasteCamp, I had earned bragging rights to knowing more than a little about wines from both the North and South Forks.
TasteCamp East was organized by the energetic Lenn Thomson. He matched up 30 bloggers with more than a dozen Long Island wine producers and the result was a glorious weekend of discovery.

Friday
Our entrée to Long Island wine began Friday evening in the grand tasting room at Raphael Winery, where members of the Merlot Alliance poured their wines. Merlot is Long Island’s signature grape. In many bottlings of Long Island Merlot, winemakers feel free to stir in Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, or Petit Verdot. The Aussie-born Pellegrini winemaker took us through a flight of Merlot that began in 1993. I was impressed that the older wines stood up and offered a nice amount of fruit and color despite being 16 years old. Favorite wines from that evening included the 2004 Clovis Point Merlot blended with Cabernet Franc and the 1998 and 2000 Wölffer Merlots.
After enjoying passed appetizers and a good share of wine tasting, we settled at formally set tables complete with candelabras. Dinner was ever-so-good after a dreary day driving out to the edge of Long Island. The foie gras and poached pear appetizer and short rib ravioli in particular were stunners.

Saturday
Saturday morning started early as we corralled into a back room at Roanoke. The set-up was professional: spit buckets, water bottles, and information sheets about the wine. We sat at long tables and went to work on our tasting, learning that they like their wines unfined and unfiltered—an approach we would see again out here. Our next stop was Paumanok, where the smiling welcome of Charles Massood eased our way into their terrific line-up, including a super crisp Chenin Blanc and their elegant Assemblage, a Bordeaux-type blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot. I was thrilled that his son, winemaker Kareem, took us into the cellar for 2007 barrel samples that left our tongues bright purple.
Our lunch was at Shinn Estate. We eagerly attacked a buffet of duck breast, mushroom salad, penne and asparagus, green salad, and calamari. The lunch wine that was my favorite of the weekend was the barrel sample of the 2007 Shinn Cabernet Franc. Long Island Cabernet Franc was a revelation to me. I had tasted quite a few Cab Francs on my trip to the Loire Valley last summer. In France, this wine can be pale in the glass and in the nose it often takes on vegetal components. Here, it is a riper, meatier red--darker in color and more intensely flavored. Then again, I’m told that 2007 is an exceptional vintage.
Lunch was followed by lengthy chats by North Fork winemakers who conveyed their passion for farming sustainably, despite the challenges of their maritime climate. Before entering the winery, I had admired the sunny dandelions and brilliant green ground covers that grew between the vines, which had just gone through bud break (every blogger took the same close-up photo). Barbara Shinn explained that they intentionally created a meadow to bring in good bugs and assist their vineyard’s ability to thrive organically. This attractive and incredibly down-to-earth winemaker said the funniest line of the weekend: “They say that good wine is made in the vineyard, but good wine comes from a horse’s ass.” These words to live by were uttered as the group passed around a flower pot of aged manure that’s used as fertilizer—I kid you not.
The after-lunch tasting in the garage of Shinn was overwhelming—too many wines in too little time. We had all slowed down by that point, tired by the food and the pace of the day. (I never did get that double espresso I needed!) It was more of a social time for us to catch up with old friends and get to know new ones better. As Finger Lakes publicist Melissa Dobson and I exchanged girly hugs, it occurred to me that I was enjoying the company of my fellow bloggers as much as the wine. These are vibrant, funny folks who share my passion, and I was delighted to spend the weekend with them.
On the huge porch at Bedell, we shivered in a cool spring breeze as we ran through their line up, which included some yummy but expensive selections, including an oaked Chardonnay which I might have bought if it had been $30 instead of $48. After our tasting, we soaked up thin rays of sunshine and admired the flat, wide vineyard behind the open-air deck. Some of our party dropped off, but the boldest ones soldiered on to a final tasting at Lenz—and I’m so glad I did. The winemaker was a character: bearded, hippy-like and precise in his opinions. Maturity ebbed away as we laughed at each other spitting into a grate in his drive, giving each other points for distance and style. We drank frothy barrel samples poured from a plastic pitcher and were pressed to guess the variety—the white pinot noir stumped all but the most astute.

Sunday
Sunday morning, our numbers had dwindled further, and my group got a bit lost as we ambled over two ferries and across lovely Shelter Island. When we reached the regal Wölffer Estates, we found our companions in a beautiful tasting room, its high ceilings crossed by thick wooden beams, a beautiful iron chandelier hanging over a grand dining room table. Our red wines were served in bell-shaped Reidel glasses. We swirled our Merlot and watched it spin, like Flamenco dancers careening in long skirts. Roman Roth, the German-born winemaker, grinned as he discussed 2006, a challenging year that still produced a wonderful fruity wine. We ended that tasting with a golden dessert wine from grapes that had been attacked by Botrytis—a very good thing! This is the same noble rot that creates exquisitely sweet and complex Sauternes in France. It seemed sinful to pour the rest of our glasses down the spittoons—but we had one more winery before we were done.
Our weekend finished at Channing Daughters. Their fast-talking winemaker Christopher Tracy was lively, fun, down-to-earth, knowledgeable—I can’t say enough about how I enjoyed his hospitality. Luckily, his wines reflected his boundless enthusiasm. In terms of winemaking, he took a distinctly different view than other Long Islanders, looking to grape varieties from Northeast Italy and the Adriatic-influenced Veneto rather than Bordeaux. One sip of his Tokai Friulano and we were convinced that he was right. As we petted his fuzzy, brown Labroodle and enjoyed the sound of rain pinging on the porch roof above, we felt a comfortable pleasantness steal over us. We had learned so much, tasted to exhaustion, taken pages of notes, and sent out dozens of tweets. At last, we could relax. On the porch at Channing Daughters, drinking fine wines on a rainy Sunday afternoon, we knew how pleasant a trip to Long Island wine country could truly be and we enjoyed the moment….not as bloggers, but simply as lovers of the good life.

Taste Camp Anticipation

2009-05-01T10:26:00.001-04:00

I’m pleased as punch to be part of Taste Camp East, a by-invitation-only wine bloggers event on Long Island’s North Fork. The event was organized by Lenn Thomson, author of the highly-regarded New York State wine blog , Lenndevours.
I’m especially looking forward to spending time with some of the great folks I met at the California Wine Bloggers Conference, such as Rémy Charest, Robbin Gheesling, and Melissa Dobson, all great wine bloggers and very cool peeps.
Lenn did an amazing job organizing a full weekend of Long Island wine tastings. Tonight, we’re being treated to dinner by Raphael Winery and the Long Island Merlot Alliance. Saturday we’ll be spitting a lot—woe to those who don’t because we begin at 10:00 am -- tasting through the day at these vineyards: Roanoke, Paumanok, Shinn (who’s treating us to lunch!), Bedell, and Lenz. Our Saturday dinner is being put on by Grand Cru Classes and it’ll be BYOB. Can’t wait to see what these wine lovers bring to dinner—it’s always fun when the bloggers start pulling out their favorite bottles. Sunday there’s an outing to the southern side of the island for tastings at Wolffer Estate and Channing Daughters.
I expect to come home with red-stained teeth and a high appreciation of Long Island wine. Cheers to all the sponsors and organizers of Taste Camp East!

St. Michael’s Food and Wine Festival Sizzles on the Chesapeake

2009-04-27T08:37:00.001-04:00

Record-setting April temps struck during this year’s St. Michael’s Food and Wine Festival, which made the nice folks at the D’Marie booth very happy. They sell a mix that you stir into red or white wine, pop in the freezer, and a little while later you get an icy slush made with wine. Their little cups of red and white wine slush tasted great on such a scorcher, and as did crisp whites like Pinot Grigios—although I steered clear of anything red for the first couple hours.
Although the event officially began at 11:00, the local liquor laws required everyone to wait until 12:00 to pour. Someone shouted “ 11:59” the minute before and then it was “12:00, You can pour wine!”
My schedule only allowed me one day at the festival, but it was well worth the drive down Maryland’s rural eastern shore. The folks who run the fest have Southern hospitality down pat and welcome you with big smiles. The location of the event, right on the water at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, was scenic and fascinating. Our tickets to the festival also included entry to the museum’s exhibits. I climbed up a furnished 19th century lighthouse and got a fantastic view of the water and the festival.
Two large tents are set up where the wineries pour. There is also cheese sampling from a quality local producer Firefly Farms. My husband and I always take some of their fresh goat’s milk cheese home with us.
This festival has terrific speakers, but the supply of public tickets is unfortunately very limited. I arrived half an hour early for the first speaker, the Wine Coach, and was already too late. As the day wore on, I began to think that I could only get into one seminar due to the long wait. I choose to hear Danielle Cyrot, winemaker at Napa Valley’s St. Clement Winery, voted Best Boutique Winery two years in a row. She was a delight—young, upbeat, and informative. Her seminar focused on tasting the four Cabernet Sauvignons that comprise the blend of their signature wine, Orropas. As Danielle described the topography of each of the different vineyards, I imagined myself in California hiking in the vineyards again. I later introduced myself to Danielle, who was quite gracious. Hope I have the opportunity to visit her winery one day.
After the seminar, my husband and I strolled the tents and took time to chat with both the exhibitors and attendees. At the Lockwood booth, we drank Syrah and debated with another wine lover just who sang Que Sera, Sera….one I-Phone search later and we had the answer: Doris Day in an Alfred Hitchcock Film.
At the festival’s end, my husband and I scampered down the shore to soak our tired feet in the cool water of the Chesapeake. It had been a hot, fun time at the St. Michael’s Food and Wine Festival on Maryland’s scenic Eastern Shore.

Bordeaux Prices Show Signs of Dropping

2009-04-14T08:54:00.001-04:00

During the spring, wine buyers flock to Bordeaux to taste the vintage of the previous fall. So in March, the 2008 wine from the great Chateau was being tasted. There is a tradition here when it comes to pricing the wine: the famous wine critic Robert Parker will release his reviews (on a 100 point system) and then the chateau owners will put a price to bottle, most often in June.
But the rarified world of Bordeaux wine cannot escape the world financial crisis. In addition, many observers believe that the pricing structure in Bordeaux became out of whack after the spectacular 2005 vintage. It seems that the prices for 2006 and 2007 Bordeaux did not drop much, even though the wines from these years did not compare to the 05. That was in the days when investment bankers with bulging wads of cash snapped up Bordeaux, pushing the prices out of the reach of the average wine collector. But those days are done. In light of the world financial crisis, many are concerned about the world’s most prestigious wines languishing without buyers.
Already, one Chateau owner has taken measures to deal with that. Chateau Angelus is offering their 2008 at a 40% price drop from their 2007. We’ll see if other chateaux follow suit. If they do, this could mark the year that sky-high Bordeaux prices fueled by flush investors finally float down to earth. While these are never going to be inexpensive wines, they could at least be a little more within reach, especially in the wines classified further down the traditional Bordeaux ranking.

World Wine Guys Visit Windows on the World Wine School

2009-04-08T10:10:00.006-04:00

Monday night I a met a dynamic duo of food, wine, and travel writing, Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen, the world wine guys. While I'm always excited to talk to other wine & travel lovers, I was especially pleased to speak with them because I had recently read their article on visiting Rioja in Wine Spectator. The Windows on the World Wine class that I visited on Monday night was focused on Italy and Spain, and Kevin Zraly had invited the guys to tell us a little bit about what’s happening in Rioja – basically a construction boom that is attracting the world’s most innovative architects including Frank Gehry and Philippe Mazieres. After the class wrapped up, I chatted at length with them about their time traveling around Spain and other European wine destinations, including their recent trip to Hungary to visit the land of the delicious dessert wine, Tokai. When I later checked out their fun website, I discovered some yummy international recipes including fried calamari, Beef Bourguignon, and Sultan’s Chicken. Keep a look out for more of their journeys in upcoming issues of Wine Spectator or take a look at their site for their travel recommendations.

Valrhona Chocolates, Van Leeuwen IceCream & Mr. Cupcakes

2009-04-03T12:52:00.004-04:00

O.K., I admit it. In addition to loving liquid refreshments, I have a sweet tooth. I can go days without eating dessert, but if I am going to indulge, I want something wonderful—no waxy chocolate bars or cookies filled with artificial ingredients. For whatever reason, it’s been an awfully sweet week. Here are the sinfully good sweets that were worth the indulgence:
Valrhona Chocolates – My dear friend James came home from a weekend in Amsterdam with a box of these decadent and beautifully crafted “bon bons” for me. Every day, we each have one. I am a true chocolate lover, and these may be the best box chocolates I have ever had. I understand that there is a Valrhona Boutique in the Trump Place Food Emporium—much closer than Europe!
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream – At a recent writer’s meetup, I started talking about the sample ice cream that I tried recently and a fellow writer cried, “The ice cream truck!” It seems that Pete Van Leeuwen has an honest-to-goodness truck that treks around NYC. But, we can eat his cool treats without running down the street to catch him—it’s sold at Whole Foods. To give you an idea of how good this is: my husband brings home several half-gallons of ice cream every week and I never eat it. Unless it’s scorching hot, I find ice cream pretty easy to resist. But this ice cream is so high quality, it might as well be in a different food group: there are only about four ingredients per container, including fresh cream, hazelnuts from Italy’s Piedmont (in chocolate hazelnut, my favorite flavor), and actually less sugar than the bigger brands.
Mr. Cupcakes – Well, you have to drive to Jersey for this one! Let’s face it: cupcakes are having a moment. I know New York has its share of bakeries like Magnolia that offer the darling little treats, but I’ve heard tell of a NJ spot that is worth the trip. This past Tuesday the whole family headed to Clifton and we were not disappointed. With flavors like Peanut Butter & Jelly, Chocolate Strawberry, Smores, Red Velvet, and more, this is a fun spot to pick up a box. And, at $1.50 a piece, it’s a super economical indulgence. We ate ours at Brookdale Park , a sprawling green space designed by the Olmsted Brothers of Central Park fame.
Back to the wine anon. Hope readers will excuse a girl for sharing a little dessert love.

One Night in France

2009-03-25T14:56:00.005-04:00

Last night I taught French Wine: An Evening of Tasting & Discovery for the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School. 24 wine lovers came to drink, eat & learn about the pleasures of French wine.
Our host was Papillon 25, where chef Yanick Ramieri whipped up chicken dumplings, fried calamari, and spicy skewered chicken to accompany the drinks. Our night began with a modestly-priced ($28) Champagne from the house of Duval-Leroy . This light-flavored Champagne was satisfying, but, to me didn’t compare to some of the more expensive ones, including Moёt Chandon or Veuve Clicquot. One piece of trivia I learned recently: it’s good to dry your champagne glasses with a cotton bar towel. The reason? The bubble trains that shoot up from the glass are formed around tiny pieces of lint. This is one time when it doesn’t pay to have pristine glasses. Sure enough, our flutes were just out of the dishwasher and the bubbles were a little disappointing.
We next moved on to Sancerre Delaporte Loire Valley 2006 Chavignol. This was a softer version of the classic Sauvignon Blanc with citrus on the nose and less acid than usual. Reactions were mixed to this pour. Another trivia: the town of Chavignol, where this wine is made, is also the namesake of spectacular Loire goat cheese that’s comes in thick discs. Chavignol cheese is a fantastic pairing with Sancerre.
We moved southwest to explore Bordeaux next. Papillon had supplied us with their house Bordeaux, which was Baron de Rothschild Lafite Reserve Special 2007, a jammy wine, deep garnet, that was 70% Merlot, 30% Cabernet. This wine was palatable but quite simple and young: I showed my class the shine on the wine’s surface which indicated its youth. I would have wished to serve something older and more complex: maybe next time.
We moved east across the country to end my lecture in Burgundy. From this region, we enjoyed the hit of the night: Domaine A.F. Gros Hautes Cotes de Nuits 2002. Earthy on the nose and palate, but balanced with rich fruit that’s mellowed nicely with age, this wine was a steal at $20 from the Wine Library.
By this time, the group had grown quite convivial. I turned off my powerpoint and poured our last wine, a bonus, Fleur Des Pins Graves 2006, made of Semillon 70%, Sauvignon Blanc 30%. With aromas of marmalade and an appealing golden-orange hue, this was a sweet and delicious way to end a wonderful evening. As my happy students left, they thanked me and asked when the next class would be. We’ll see. For now, I’m pleased that my first foray into the world of conducting wine classes—with wine--went so well.

Irish Loving Wine Drinkers Can Fill their Cup with Mead

2009-03-17T14:49:00.003-04:00

It’s the day when everyone’s Irish! So, what’s a wine lover to do if she doesn’t feel up to a Guinness, and the thought of green beer turns her, well, green?
How about enjoying an ancient Irish wine-based beverage--mead? Many experienced Renaissance Fair visitors are familiar with the sweet beverage, as it is often sold at these events. But there’s a lot more to mead than men in tights and corseted ladies.
Mead is a mix of white wine, honey, and herbs. This sweet elixir is said to have wondrous properties. I love the old Irish tradition that after couples were married, they were sequestered for a full moon cycle (a month) with a supply of mead and a comfy bed. If a baby was born nine months later, it was attributed to the fertility powers in the drink. This was the beginning of our honeymoon tradition, which unfortunately has been downsized to a much shorter time, although the addition of traveling to luxury accommodations is a welcome one.
Bunratty Meade is a traditional Irish one that’s available in the U.S. But, whatever you’re drinking today, enjoy a safe and fun St. Patrick’s Day.

Bargain Airfares, Strong Dollar Make Now the Time for European Wine Trips

2009-03-13T14:01:00.002-04:00

While terrible economic news dominates the airwaves, there are still a lot of folks who have their jobs and, while their 401ks have taken a big hit, still have disposable income. If they happen to be wine lovers who want to plan a getaway abroad, this is a great time to book a trip.
Airfares to Italy are under $500 – a remarkable fare. A sluggish travel season and decreased fuel prices have made the airlines willing to drop prices in order to fill planes. I just booked round trip tickets from Newark to Milan for only $478. I’m still working out the details, but my trip will focus on wine regions near Venice, Florence, and Alba.
Feeling like sampling some Claret in Bordeaux or bubbly in Champagne? British Airways has a roundtrip New York to Paris fare for only $449. Or maybe it’s Tempranillo in Rioja you’re after. British Airways will take you to Madrid from JFK for only $422.
Those fares are even more tempting when you consider that the one euro now costs 1.28 dollars. That’s a lot more value for the greenback when compared with recent years. Another plus is that these fares are for travel in late spring, when all of Europe is blooming and the weather is ideal for excursions.
I have found the best airfare aggregator to be Kayak. Check out the prices—it might be the motivation you need to book the wine trip of a lifetime.

Wine Lovers x 22 in South Orange

2009-03-10T14:10:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday, March 24, I will meet 22 wine lovers at the elegant Papillon 25 for my South Orange-Maplewood Adult School class, French Wine: An Evening of Tasting and Discovery. I am excited to have such a robust registration for this class, in which I will discuss the wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire Valley. This is the first class I’ve taught in which we will have wine tasting, and I’m selecting at least four representative wines from the regions, so it should be lots of fun. Attendees will be able to learn about what grapes grow where, how the winemaking techniques differ in the regions, and view photos from my recent trips to France. Can’t wait to bring a little bit of la belle France to South Orange, N.J.

123 A-Z Grape Guide at Decanter

2009-03-06T11:48:00.003-05:00

The other day I went into my local wine shop and asked if they had any Vermentino. I discovered this fragrant white wine recently at an Italian wine tasting and wanted to explore it further. Not only did they not have the variety, but their resident Italian wine expert had never even heard of it.

Today, I discovered a terrific online resource which would have helped my wine shop friend. Decanter.com has an incredibly useful list of 123 wines listed from A-Z, from Aghiorghitiko (a Greek red) to Zinfandel. This list is helpful for anyone who tries something new and wants to learn more—it even includes grapes that have different names in different countries. I learned that the Italian Vermentino I enjoyed is known in southern France as Rolle—hey, I had a glass of that at a Women for Winesense dinner!

Is the list definitive? Not even close. For example, the Zs stop at Zinfandel, not listing Austria’s Zweigelt grape which Eric Asimov introduced me to at a seminar. Still, it’s a very convenient resource. Some grapes have write-ups that are concise and to-the-point. Others have long paragraphs that offer insights not only about their taste, but also about their trendiness. For example: “Viognier…has become the darling of Californians, and, latterly Argentina, Australia and the South of France too.”

I can see this as also being a great resource for those trying to join the Wine Century Club. These ambitious imbibers are on a mission to try wines from 100 different grape varieties.

There are many wine resources online, but this is one that I’m sure I’ll return to time and again.

Snooth Open (Those Bottles) Night

2009-03-02T11:30:00.004-05:00

If opening one special bottle of wine is event-worthy (see Open That Bottle Night below), what about opening 31 special bottles? That was how many wines were poured during the marathon wine–tasting and dinner I attended at the cozy art deco room of the North Square Restaurant in the Washington Square Hotel in the heart of Greenwich Village.
This Open That Bottle Night event was organized by Snooth, an all-around online wine destination where you can log your favorite wines, access other folks’ tasting notes, join groups, make friends and search their huge wine database. The event was also loosely tied to Twitter Taste Live, an online event so geeky that it’s hard to begin to describe, but, in brief, a lot of us had iPhones in hand and were whipping out micro-tasting notes, and, when the ability to quickly summarize wines failed us, snarky comments and photos.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the evening was dining with such a witty and charming group, including Robbin from Vineyard Adventures and her wine-loving friends, Catherine and Scott, as well as Snooth staff Mark and Gregory, music biz guy by day and chef by night Erik, wine educator Ben, and assorted other great peeps.
The wine ranged from very good to outstanding. In a night of truly wonderful reds, old Barolos in particular stood out, the wine that made the biggest impression on me was white, a 1991 Eyrie Vineyards chardonnay from the Oregon's Willamette Valley. The same climate that produces wonderful Pinot Noirs, just like Burgundy, can apparently produce spectacular age-worth Chardonnays, just like Burgundy. With a hard candy butterscotch flavor, deep gold color and intense buttery aromas, this was a chard that aged beautifully.
Our dinner was delicious, too. My lambchops were juicy and perfectly medium-rare, and our assortment of appetizers included a chopped tuna tartare served with creamy guacamole and crunchy sprouts—a really well-executed dish.
So, cheers to Snooth for organizing a great event and to all the attendees for sharing such wonderful wine.

Dig Into Your Cellar – Open That Bottle Night is Saturday

2009-02-27T08:28:00.000-05:00

Exactly what have you been waiting for? Your anniversary? Your wife’s birthday? Your son’s graduation from nursery school? So many people have that special bottle of wine tucked away….waiting for an event so wonderful that it cries out for a special pour. The problem is, we start accumulating a lot of those “special” bottles and when that grand event finally does come, we end up going out for dinner.
Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) was created by Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Take a look at their recent WSJ article on the subject. The event has picked up steam and become a national celebration among wine enthusiasts. This year marks the 10th anniversary of OTBN.
Some people are concerned that they’re opening an age-worthy wine too young. Others may feel that no night could possibly justify opening up the most valuable wine in their cellar. But life is fleeting and so is wine—neither it nor we will live forever. So grab that bottle you’ve been saving. Invite over some friends and ask them to do the same. When you’re all gathered, say a few words about why your own wine is special—was it bought on your honeymoon to France? With your first paycheck from the new job? Part of the fun of these wines is the stories behind them. Then drink. And celebrate the wine, the memories, and each other.

Luca Maroni’s SensofWine Exudes Italian Warmth

2009-02-25T09:27:00.005-05:00

Ever since I laid eyes on the magnificent space that is Cipriani’s 42nd Street,I’ve longed for a reason to attend an event there. Last Friday I got the chance. My friend Kevin Heald tipped me that Alta Cucina was giving away tickets to an Italian wine tasting there.
SensofWine is presented by Italian wine expert, author, and creator of his own wine-tasting method, Luca Maroni. Maroni cut an elegant figure in his trim, dark suit, and his sharp features were lively as he addressed the crowd. I attended the portion of the day dedicated to the trade, and, as such, came home with his thick and informative book, Top Italian Wine Producers 2009, a terrific reference.
Thirty-nine Italian wine producers representing 14 different regions were in attendance. The event was overwhelmingly grand, housed as it was in that cavernous space. Cipriani 42nd Street is a landmark building, previously the headquarters for the Bowery Savings Bank. Walking the perimeter of the huge room, I could see wine being poured through the old teller windows.
In such a large tasting, it’s tough to get to every table, so I zeroed in on the regions where I planned to travel later in the spring. In the Tuscany area, I liked Serraiolo’s 100% Sangiovese and their white made from Vermintino, which was bright, bursting with fruit, with a lovely finish. The Sada Carpoli 2005 Toscana was a big wine made in the Bordeaux style, combining Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. It’s aged for 18 months in small oak barrels known as barriques. This wine was full and rich with layered flavors and a long finish. This was one that could age.
One of the pleasures of the evening was discovering that Riondo now offers pink Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine from the northeast. Cotton-candy colored, it was a beautiful, bubbly treat. I finished up tasting the extensive line of wines from Negretti, whose Bricco Ambrogio was the best wine I had tried at the tasting.
All of this wonderful wine was complemented by the authentic Italian treats: freshly carved Prosciutto, tangy chunks of Parmesan, olives, and beautiful hors d’oeuvres such as tiny cones of fried calamari and grape tomatoes filled with Pesto.
The wine was delicious, the food was great, but it was the Italian producers who stood out in my mind as most impressive. Their welcoming ways and warm smiles were the best PR for their products. When I told them I planned to travel to Italy later, many of the winery representatives—who varied from hired staff to the owners and winemakers themselves--insisted that I stop by to see them. “Come, visit, it’s beautiful, we’re right by the Mediterranean.” I can’t wait to take them up on their lovely invitations.

Wine Blogging Wednesday 54 – Piedmont, Albeisa Barbaresco

2009-02-18T23:47:00.008-05:00

I hurried over to the Wine Library after work to pick up an appropriate Piedmont wine for Wine Blogging Wednesday. I’m very glad I did—because I came home with a delicious 2005 Albeisa Barbaresco from Produttori del Barbaresco, a cooperative of winegrowers founded in 1958.
I was thrilled to participate in this month’s WBW because I’m planning a trip to Italy later in the spring, and I’m on a mission to taste and learn as much as possible about Italian wine before I go.
The distinctive Albeisa bottle, which originated in the 1700s, is brown glass with deeply sloped shoulders. Albeisa is rendered in raised letters on the bottle itself—an attractive touch. The label shows an old castle with a rectangular tower—very medieval looking--and a raised copper seal with a beautiful bearded Roman on it. Also, Vendemmia 2005 is listed. I love the use of Italian language on the label; it makes me pine for my trip. On the back label, a nice paragraph of description is given in Italian and English which lets us know that the wine was made entirely from Nebbiola grapes. The vintage clocks in at 14% alcohol.
On to the wine—I let it breath for about an hour, and when I came back to it detected a nice sweet nose with floral characteristics such as violet, which is typical of the variety, and perhaps rose as well. An attractive medium ruby color that pales to salmon near the edge and ends a bit watery at the very outer rim. There is a roundness to the mouthfeel; the tannins are really evident and I feel them strongly on the attack. But after that, the wine shows real grace. It’s medium-bodied, with really satisfying fruit. There’s the slightest bit of fizz when poured.
I bought this bottle about $26, and thought it was a very good value. I drank this with a raw cow’s milk aged fontina and really enjoyed this match. I’m looking forward to drinking more of this lively Barbaresco. Cheers!

To blog, to comment, to friend, to tweet

2009-02-12T14:56:00.008-05:00

Ever notice how one’s to do list has gotten a lot longer these days? In addition to the usual (go to work, pay bills, hit the gym) there is a whole new list of stuff to keep up with regarding one’s internet identity.

Blogging
My first internet love and still my strongest interest is right here at Wine Lover’s Journal. Through this blog, I’ve developed my writing style and expressed my views about wine, travel, dining, classes and events. I’ve advertised the classes I’ve taught and cross-marketed my travel writing on the web. For a long time, this was all that existed of me online.

Social Networks
Then last spring I joined Open Wine Consortium, which has been a terrifically beneficial social networking group. Through this forum, I’ve made friends around the world, from Bordeaux to Barcelona to Santa Barbara. In the beginning it was a wee little group and we all knew each other, but it quickly mushroomed. Now it takes more work than I’m able to put into it to be a real presence. That was my only network for the past year, but lately I’ve joined LinkedIn and Facebook, too. While LinkedIn has been more static, Facebook has been an entertaining, but slightly demanding addition to my life. What am I doing that is post-worthy? Since I view my profile as a professional networking opportunity, watching Seinfeld re-runs does not qualify!

To Friend or Not to Friend?
Once sucked into Facebook, I quickly added my blog posts and started collecting friends. But which friends—my college pals, family members, and all the assorted people in my life? Or just professional contacts? Well, I have a bit of both now, so my “wall” is covered with wine professionals discussing business and friends talking nonsense. A strange mix for sure.

Comments?
Part of the mechanics of the blogosphere is that when you comment on other people’s blogs, they’ll come and comment on yours. That’s fine until your realize how many, many blogs there are to read that relate to you. Keeping up with the top 20 wine blogs alone would suck away a couple of hours a day that I just don’t have! Yet I try to read and respond when I can—still feeling like it’s never enough.

To Tweet
I had two intense conversations about Twitter last week. Then on Saturday at the NY Times Travel Show, I heard a panel of travel writers espouse its virtues. Enough! I got with the program and am starting to follow some writers, editors, and wine bloggers. This begs the what-to-post question once again. If it’s hard to think of a few Facebook-worthy posts a week, the pressure to be interesting at least once a day that I feel on Twitter is worse.

The Upside
Here’s the good part. Once I joined Facebook, I saw all the interaction I’ve been missing. Having only a blog was way too one-dimensional and I love the updates I’m seeing and posting. Now that I’m on Twitter, I feel like developing relationships with important contacts all around the world will be much, much easier. I’ll use it to promote my blog and just become part of the always-on conversation of the Twitterstream. I’m enjoying it all—but have to acknowledge that my virtual to do list just got a lot longer.

If you want to follow me on Twitter I’m at Diane_Letulle.

Tishbi at the Travel Show

2009-02-09T08:51:00.003-05:00

I attended the sprawling Travel Show at the Javits Center this past Saturday, more as a travel writer than a wine lover. Last year, I was fortunate enough to meet New York Times wine columnist Eric Asimov at the show, but this year, there were no major seminars on wine. I did, however, happen upon a little talk and tasting by Israeli winemaker Jonathan Tishbi.
I have been hearing buzz about wines from Israel for the past year, both on the internet and through a writing buddy who insists I should visit the vineyards there. Historically, winemaking originated in the middle east, yet many of us westerners have rarely given a thought to wines from that part of the world.
So, with my curiousity piqued and my throat parched, I plunked down in one of the folding chairs and listened to Tishbi, a dignified older man in a conservative dark suit, describe his winery in halting English. A Shiraz was passed around, which tasted like its alcohol was very high. Tishbi described the growing conditions for his grapes: they receive little rainfall and his vines therefore produce less fruit and smaller grapes with more concentrated flavor. Next a blend of cabernet, merlot and cabernet franc was distributed in plastic Dixie-cups. It’s aged about five years, the fruit is well-balanced, and it has a nice amount of tannin, although a little too oaky for my taste. We ended with a sticky: an Israeli desert wine that is reminiscent of ruby port. At this point, Jonathan raised his own plastic cup in “L’Haim” and we toasted him back. I’m glad to have had this brief introduction to wines of Israel and I expect to see and taste more of them in the coming years.

Vino-Versity Majors in Fun

2009-02-04T12:33:00.002-05:00

Vino-Versity—I came to this wine “class” expecting an education. But the only resemblance to my own undergraduate years was at the campus parties where you’d stand on tip toes behind a wall of imbibers trying to get a drink. In fact, if this was supposed to be college, it had more of the 20th reunion feel: a bunch of 30 and 40 somethings mingling, drinking, and catching up with friends.

It all happens smack dab in the middle of midtown at the spacious Divine Bar on West 54th Street between 8th and Broadway. The two hour wine event (I won’t call it a class) has a lot going for it. Starting with the venue: classy and atmospheric with low lighting, four wine stations, two areas where snacks are served on tiered serving platters, and a few low couches to relax with your drink. I have to commend the friendly staff who do a remarkable job of simultaneously pouring drinks for a half dozen thirsty folks and carrying on substantive discussions about wine with more inquisitive drinkers. And speaking of the wine: it was terrific. This was Northern Italian night, and there were 26 wines poured! Beautifully layered whites from Friuli, richly tannic Barbarescos, huge Barolos, plus varieties I had not heard of before such as the violet-scented Lagrein from the Alto Adige region of Italy near the Austrian border. At station D, Divine Bar owner Shari took the time to explain every wine she poured: “This wine is a Ripasso” she would begin and then discuss the method in which wine is re-passed over crushed grapes, intensifying the flavor. After her explanation, I had a better appreciation for the Amarone, which was densely concentrated and smelled and tasted of raisins.

There is a small attempt at educating participants, mainly on handouts of grape varieties and regions represented. We also had lists of the wines poured on which to make notes. However, this was the type of crowd that was more concerned with tasting and talking than writing.

I found the Vino-Versity crowd both upscale and friendly. I met the dynamic duo of lovely Xan and hilarious Jonathan, corporate attorneys who know how to let loose after billable hours. I also reconnected with fun-loving teacher Miriam (I knew her at a former job), who is a big fan of the wine series here.

Friendly crowd and good wine aside, Vino-Versity is most notable for its price--only $38! As my pal Miriam (do not call her Mimi) emphasized, “This series is a real bargain.” I heartily agree. Vino-Versity continues with events on Australian and Spanish wines coming up soon. I may need to return for extra credit.

Of Wine and Snowmen

2009-02-03T14:10:00.004-05:00

It’s been a very white winter here in the northeast. My house sits on the side of a hill which has been covered with a very pretty blanket of snow for at least six weeks. This comes to mind because last night I met Bob Eckstein, author of the funny and surprisingly educational book, The History of the Snowman. Today I visited Bob’s website and started thinking of what the perfect drink would be to warm up after carousing in the cold. And then, it hit me: mulled wine. This old drink was popular in the middle ages and is still enjoyed in places like Germany, where it is referred to as Glühwein. It’s pretty simple: red wine is warmed, then spices are added, and sometimes sweetening agents such as juice or sugar. I have used packets of mulled wine mix that come with a little metal strainer. You simply dip the spice-filled strainer into a pot of red wine and simmer away. There are also many easy recipes online, such as this one from Cooks.com:
1 1/2 c. boiling water
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 lemon, sliced
3 sticks cinnamon
3 whole cloves
1 lg. bottle red wine
Nutmeg
Combine boiling water, sugar, lemon, cinnamon and cloves; stir until sugar dissolves. Add wine; simmer 20 minutes. (DO NOT BOIL!) Strain. Serve hot with a sprinkling of nutmeg. Makes 12 servings, 3 ounce size

In addition to being a unique cold weather treat, mulled wine has the added benefit of being terrific with cheap wine that you might not otherwise wish to drink. So, go ahead, build a snowman, catch snowflakes on your tongue, whip out some snowangels, and nail a loved one with a well-aimed snowball. Snow brings out the child in all of us, but once you come in, warm up with an adults-only treat--and leave the cocoa to the kids.

PARTY! Celebrate the Inauguration Tonight

2009-01-20T13:16:00.002-05:00

It’s 1:05 p.m. I’m in the office of my rather conservative day job where I just joined my colleagues in an emotional viewing of the swearing in of our 44th president. There’s a bit of the work day left, but tonight I want to PARTY! And, since this is a wine blog, I will go on the record as saying that I plan on purchasing on a nice California sparkler after work to celebrate this amazing day—plus maybe some red, white, and blue cupcakes. I’m not usually seized with patriotic fervor, but today I want to run American flag streamers around my house.
I think you have to experience darkness to appreciate light, and while the new president himself would be the first to urge us not to get too excited in light of the crisis we and the world face, this is a day to forget the pain, toss our caps in the air, forego political acrimony, and toast America!

Are You a Big Lover of Bordeaux?

2009-01-19T11:00:00.002-05:00

My friend Cornelia Blume of the Bordeaux-based tour company Vitivinitours has alerted me to a special getaway her company is organizing May 15-17 on Le Weekend des Grands Amateurs—or the Weekend of Big Lovers, as I translate it. If you’re passionate about Bordeaux wine and you’ve yearned to visit the vineyards where the world’s finest wine is made, this trip is hard to resist.
While my time at the Bordeaux Fete le Vin, a biannual event, was tremendous fun, the wine offered there came from the lesser producers. Le Weekend des Grands Amateurs is for connoisseurs who appreciate the difference between Malesan (a sturdy, supermarket Bordeaux) and Margot. Participants will start Friday night with a dinner in the city, then wake up to a tasting of over 100 Grand Cru wines--the good stuff. Saturday evening promises a gala dinner at a Grand Cru estate. The weekend finishes up on Sunday with a tour of a great growth winery and lunch. Naturally, all the meals will feature carefully chosen Bordeaux.
All this glorious touring, dining, and drinking does not come cheap: the tour begins at 580 euros, which includes accommodations (double occupancy) in a two star hotel. But, when you consider the quality of the wine offered, the price seems reasonable. My own travel plans will take me further south (to Italy) this spring, but I hope one year to join the other Big Lovers at this amazing wine weekend in Bordeaux.

Out and About--Images from Spain

2009-01-17T12:29:00.013-05:00

I'm spending time this weekend revisiting the notes and pictures I took while traveling to the wine regions of Spain for 10 days in early December. I've (finally!) downloaded pix from my Iphone, so here are some images captured "on the fly" as I traveled.
Madrid trio
In Madrid, I first began speaking with Carlos (center), who turned out to be a sommelier. I wasn't sure if it was fate or luck that the first Spaniard I met was also an expert on their wine. He wrote out his list of the best Spanish wines: Vega Sicilia (this winery is legendary), Vina Tondonia, Fontal, Arzuaga, Beronia, and Rivola from Abadia Retuerta. Soon we were joined by his old friends Sylvia and David (the dark-haired guy) and we enjoyed a fun evening of wine, tapas and conversation. Thanks so much guys for picking up the tab--and I owe you a night out in NYC!
My Dinner with Americans
In Aranda de Duero I met Tom & Melanie--a couple of political science professors who were each teaching a semester abroad in Spain, albeit at different universities. It was fun to hang out with some English speaking folks because in this town, hearing any English spoken was a real rarity. I was lucky that they invited me to join them for dinner, not only because we had a great time together, but also because if I had dined solo, I would have been unable to order the signature lamb dish of the region, which is served family style. The lamb, by the way, was out of this world tender and flavorful and matched the house Tempranillo beautifully.
Awesome Ex-pats
Unfortunately, I didn't get a photo of the lovely British couple, Howard and Linda, whom I shared some wine with the following evening at the Hotel Aranda bar. They are a charming and refined couple who have traveled around the world. Now retired, they've settled in what sounds like a heavenly seaside community not far from Grenada. I was so exhausted after a day of touring that I didn't realize until later that Howard had picked up my tab. Cheers to both of you & I would be happy if our paths crossed again on my continent or yours!
Tasty Tapas
Logrono is the capital of the Rioja wine region and a busy, dynamic city. On Calle Laurel, you can hit about a dozen of the best tapas places in town.
Luxurious Lounging
Here's a shot of the bed in my first class room at the Marques de Riscal resort, designed by renowned Canadian architect Frank Gehry.
Marveling at Miro
During my brief time in Barcelona, my favorite tourist destination was the Fundacion Joan Miro, where I reveled in the inventive artist's dreamy work.
Consuming Cava
Gabriella Opaz of Catavino took me out on the town in Barcelona, including stopping in a hot spot where she introduced me to a cava (Spanish sparkling wine) that I really enjoyed: Mestres. We ate far-out tapas like these deep fried baby eels.
Well, that's all the blogging for now. Today I have to settle down and organize writing a chapter for my book about wine travel. Salut!

Ya Still Gotta Eat: New York City Restaurant Week 2009

2009-01-06T10:27:00.004-05:00

The economy is in a tailspin. No one knows where bottom is. It’s a grim time.
But--ya still gotta eat.
Luckily New York Restaurant Week is coming! Very soon! So we can stroll with our slim wallets into restaurants we would never dream of setting a toe into (even in good times.) And the better news is that it’s actually two weeks—January 18-23 and 25-30 (Saturday nights are excluded from the special offers.)
For $24.07 lunch and $35 dinner, you can get all dolled up (in the clothes you already own – we are, after all in a recession), and go out on the town to enjoy a three-course meal from a special prix fix menu. With the food bill so modest, there’s even money left over for a couple glasses of wine—although you may have to search hard on these lists for a modestly-priced bottle.
Indulge in old-money places like Delmonico’s, which bills itself as America’s first fine dining restaurant (opened in 1837). Delmonico’s is a grande dame of American cuisine: in its famous kitchens the first Delmonico Steak, Eggs Benedict, Lobster Newburg, and Baked Alaska were created. Or swing by that former speakeasy and forever NYC icon, the 21 Club. Duck under the lawn jockeys that top the doorway, and guys—dig that jacket out of the back of your closet.
Feeling like something a little fresher? How about either of French chef Daniel Boulud’s more casual Manhattan eateries: Bar Boulud or db Modern Bistro? (Sorry, his elegant Café Boulud is not on the list).
There are dozens more to choose from, including romantic spots like One if By Land, Two if by Sea and Water’s Edge, which offers a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline from Long Island City (a ferry service is available from Manhattan—which kicks off the romance and view before you even get to dinner).
The full list of New York Restaurant Week participating restaurants is posted here. So book your table and forget the economy for a night of indulgence.

400 Bloggers Celebrate Quebec City’s 400th Anniversary

2008-12-31T08:25:00.004-05:00

Or at least it’s hoped that 400 bloggers will toast & post, as it were. So I’ll join the celebration, and a worthy one at that. I hope that readers of this blog have already viewed my video from the Bordeaux Wine Festival, in which 400 French cowboys & girls performed line dancing in a salute to Quebec’s anniversary.
But getting more personal, I have fond memories of a trip to Quebec about nine years ago. For anyone whose world is rocked by history, architecture, fine dining, and all-out charm, Quebec City fits the bill. It’s as close as you can get to a trip to Europe without crossing the Atlantic. A place to practice your French, enjoy delicious cuisine, and amble around winding cobblestone streets of the old city.
My husband and I were there in the depths of winter, a time when hotel prices had dropped and the cafes and restaurants welcomed us warmly. A frigid hike around the spectacular Montmorcey Falls was a memorable outing. But mostly, we just soaked up the atmosphere. This was one of our first trips sans kids, and we treated ourselves to the luxury of the iconic Chateau Frontenac, a magnificent French-style edifice positioned high on a hillside overlooking the city.
I’m sure I’ll visit Quebec City again in the future, and when I do, I’ll also look into the emerging wine region there.
Happy New Year to all my friends, fellow bloggers and readers! Et bon anniversaire à Quebec City!

Perfect Pairing: Monastrell & Treats from Despaña

2008-12-30T09:00:00.002-05:00

For Christmas, my husband gifted me three Spanish wines that I had never tried before. The first was a Juan Gil Monastrell -- a wine with lots of oomph. The grapes grow on 40 year old vines in the Jumilla region of southeastern Spain. This deep purple-red wine has lots of character: there is a great deal of ripe black fruit flavor, coupled with ample spice. It really opened up in the second glass, when I detected intriguing aromas, including a sweet caramel note—perhaps from being aged 12 months in French oak. The wine stood up to pizza I was eating just fine, and I’m sure it would work with other spicy fare. I’ve since learned that the monastrell grape is the same as mouvedere, which is used in France and elsewhere. I’m not very conversant with this variety, but I likened it to a big Zinfandel—high in alcohol (14.5), rich, and robust.
Planning a small tapas party for later in the week, I’ve been on a mission to hunt down recipes and gather provisions. This led me on a search for authentic Spanish ham—not an easy task! Luckily, I work mere minutes from Manhattan, where Despaña (literally “from Spain”) stocks all manner of Spanish goodies. They import products from one of the only producers of Jamon Iberico who is allowed to sell products in the U.S., because he has converted his farm to comply with U.S. Agricultural standards. That’s good for us, but bad for our wallets—the treasured sweet, salty, tender ham, made from black-hooved pigs who feed only on fallen acorns—sells for…steady now…$159 a pound!! Luckily, they slice the ham very thin, and will sell you just a couple slices if you like. I went with my entire clan into the city yesterday and we were charmed by the store on Broome Street (close to the tourist wonderland of Little Italy).
There were olive oils and vinegars and pates and olives to sample, but, best of all, they have a little take out counter and a small seating area in the back that serves authentic chocolate and churros. For about $16.00, four of us enjoyed small cups of the richest hot chocolate and a plate of 8 churros, plain except for a sprinkling of sugar. Then I introduced my children to the sweet joy of dipping churros into the piping hot chocolate.
I bought winding strings of bright orange chorizo, which I’ll slice into individual servings and only garnish with a toothpick, and a fat log of a deep purple sausage that I’ll serve sliced on country bread. Later in the week, a Manhattanite friend will pop into Despaña and pick up some of the wonderful jamon for the gathering.
I can’t wait to try more of my Spanish wine with authentic Iberian treats. Salut!

Stateside, Choose Xunta for Tapas

2008-12-15T09:30:00.004-05:00

It’s been exactly one week since I left Spain and my appetite for its food, wine, and spirit has not diminished. So it was with great enthusiasm that I agreed with fellow writing group member and actor Gregory Waller when he suggested Xunta for tapas last night.
After an evening of critiquing each other’s work and reviewing the progress we made in 2008, my writer’s group descended from our cozy upstairs enclave at Solas and headed east on 9th Street. New York was buzzing on this mild Sunday night, but, Xunta was empty. Was it closed?
No need to worry! We poked our heads in and were warmly welcomed. The place was ours, and we choose a rustic wooden hightop and stools near a huge map of Espagne. I proceeded to trace my recent travel route with my index finger for my fellow writers.
Xunta is pronounced Shunta. This is from Galego--a language spoke in Galicia, a remote region in the far northwest of Spain above Portugal. There’s a map of Galicia on the wall, too, so clearly the restaurant has a Galician connection.
We turned our attention to the long, laminated menu crammed with dozens of tapas—not Americanized versions, but true Spanish treats like pulpo and croquettes. We ordered a good assortment: white asparagus in vinegar adorned with a pretty slice of roasted red pepper (a little bland), manchego with quince paste (the sweet quince balanced the salty cheese nicely), green olives stuffed with anchoivy paste (I never saw the stuffing, but these were tasty nonetheless), and sweet and savory Iberian ham slices, all served with slices of dense country bread that we rubbed in pools of olive oil on our plates.
We washed down the tapas with a bottle of Crianza. This one was a 2004 Diez Caballero, a Tempranillo from El Ciego in the Rioja Alavesa, in the northwest of the Rioja region. As a Crianza, this wine has, by law, seen at least 12 months in an oak barrel, as well as additional bottle aging. It’s released three years after harvest. I detected French oak on the nose and suspected there might be American oak as well. Checking their website today I found that this is in fact the case. The wine had good fruit and substantial tannins for a Tempranillo—this one really dried the mouth on the finish. During my time in Ribera del Duero and Rioja, I found that the barrel chosen for aging was one of the factors, in addition to age, that changed the nature of the fruity Tempranillo grape substantially. There were some winemakers devoted to French oak, some swore by American, and then there were those who mixed.
As my friends and I lingered over the food and wine, we talked about life, travel, books and more. Then we raised our simple juice glasses filled with rich red wine and toasted each other, the end of a year of writing, and the holidays.

Five Things I learned in Spain

2008-12-11T10:02:00.000-05:00

The landscape is incredibly rugged. I saw mountains—jagged ones, softly curving ones, ones piled with lumpy rocks, and, most spectacularly, snow-covered majestic peaks.
The boots are to die for. On the Madrid metro, I couldn’t stop lusting after all the beautiful boots on every woman—and even some girls—I saw. Buttery brown leather, sleek black with high heels, pointy-toed, frilled, buckled, tasseled and tied.
Tapas rule. I’ve been to many a party where the hors d’oeuvres were amazing and the main course a snoozer. The tapas life means never having to be bored by the main course food. I enjoyed making a meal on tapas crawls throughout Spanish cities.
The Priorat is an amazing region. This landscape of painted hills, plunging valleys and twisting mountain roads is truly breathtaking. And the wine-making is exciting here. I stopped in Buil y Gine and, after having a breezy tour of their multi-level winery, tasted three red wines that couldn’t have been more different—a young tarty one, a purple-hued, jammy red with an intriguing whiff of cloves on the finish (this one from Montsant, a different but nearby region), and an earthy red that was tinged brown and had that characteristic earthiness and minerality from the stones that characterize this region.
Barcelona feels like home. During my weekend in Barcelona, I felt like I was in a Spanish-flavored New York City. This most international of Spanish destinations has streets teaming with both tourists and locals and has a racing heartbeat that rivals the Big Apple.

Live from Logrono, Spain

2008-12-03T03:48:00.004-05:00

This is day 6 for me in Spain, and it´s been an incredible journey so far. There will be photos to post later of the great folks I´ve met and things I´ve seen. First impressions: Loved Madrid, it´s a grand capital with wide avenues and graceful architecture. The Prado is beautiful and I loved exploring the galleries, like my college art history class come to life. So far the advice I have gotten from Ryan and Gabriella of Catavino has been spot on. Ryan told me to head to a specific street in the city for tapas and sure enough, they were great and the scene was lively. I met three fun Madridlenas and enjoyed a debate with one about French vs. American oak. I still prefer French, but like when it is not too heavily applied, i.e., not all new oak, and sure mix in some American too.
Driving up from Madrid I was stunned to see snow-covered mountains. My next stop was Aranda de Duero in the Ribera del Duero wine region. This is a small town that has seen way better days. Even the historic archtitecture is crumbling. However, it has lots of bars and restaurants, especially ones that serve the speciality of the area, roast baby lamb, a juicy, super tender dish that pairs so well with the Ribera del Dueros. While in the area, I had the good fortune to have a personal tour of Abadia Retuerta, a sensational modern winery where the wine is truly treated like gold. Nothing every shakes up the wine, no pumping here, every process is acheived through ingenious operations that allow gravity to remove the wine from the tanks and barrels.
I spent the afternoon in Valladolid a lovely city with so many interesting styles of architecture represented that it should be on every aspiring architect´s list of places to visit-I saw a baroque university, a Spanish gothic church, a palace with a platteresque window and more.
Driving out of the area, I was advised to avoid the shorter route as the snow was bad there. Snow? Oh, yeah, 3 hours of driving in it to get to Rioja. And in the mountains. Mountains with jagged black rocks looking down menancingly at me in my little car. Then, when the driving should have gotten better, I got thoroughly lost in Logrono. Thanks to my Iphone´s GPS, I finally made it to my hotel. I´ve grown to like this town very much, which is a stop on the Pilgrim´s route to Compostala. Well, apologies for the typos, etc., it´s rough blogging from the road.

Talking Turkey

2008-11-25T16:55:00.002-05:00

It’s that time again. The time of year when the wine stores are all abuzz with people who have no idea what to wash down 20 pounds of turkey with. Once in Bordeaux, I met a former sommelier and I asked what he would serve with our American Thanksgiving feast. He told me you match to the sauce, not the meat. I’d say a lighter style red such as a Beaujolais (not Nouveau) works beautifully with turkey pan gravy. However red wines make me sleepier than whites, and I need my wits about me for later in the evening, when I am leaving for my 10 day Spain vacation.
So this year, I’m feeling something white. A couple of years ago, I picked up a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay for Thanksgiving. I loved this wine’s flavor, but its buttery oak notes did overwhelm the bird, so, alas, it was not a good marriage. Thinking about it again today, Riesling popped into my head, and suddenly I thought it was the perfect solution. Crisp, light, and with a slightly lower alcohol content. Checking on the web, I found an article in which Bill Daley of the Chicago Tribune reached the same conclusion. Happy Thanksgiving one and all. Enjoy the wine-- and the time with your loved ones.

What pairs well with art?

2008-11-24T15:28:00.001-05:00

I am departing from the wine talk for a moment to tell you about James Horner, a fascinating upcoming artist whose work can be viewed at www.Jameshornerart.com .
I suggest pouring yourself a good red--maybe the Muirwood Pinot Noir I enjoyed this weekend (a well structured Californian heavy on the French oak, but then, that’s how I like it)—and clicking through his wonderful new website.
James’ fluid style is very evocative. The emotions that one finds in watercolors like Anxiety and Turnaround are stirring. He captures faces in an entirely unique way, as his beautiful piece Landing shows (the painting on the home page). His originality is expressed in a number of evolving styles, from the moody self-portrait to the wildly colored Olympia Going Strong.
So, go ahead, have a little “cultcha” with your wine. It’s a pairing that’s hard to beat.

Bordeaux Fête le Vin Video

2008-11-02T16:24:00.004-05:00

Hope you enjoy this video from the 2008 Bordeaux Wine Festival.

WBC -- Russian River Valley Hike

2008-10-30T08:12:00.007-04:00

One of the highlights of the WBC was the hike in Saralee’s vineyards in the Russian River Valley. The vines were kissed with gold and the sky was brilliant blue. Local winemaker Rod Berglund was an enthusiastic guide who not only could walk backwards uphill and talk at the same time, but had all the dirt, on, well, the dirt. From the powdery, tan soil beneath our feet, to the earth filled with cobbles (large river rocks) up yonder. I love hearing about geology, a topic I know little about but enjoy, especially as it relates to grape growing.
Our hike was arranged by Zephyr Adventures, a pretty cool outfit that arranges tours in some of the world’s most exciting locales, including Sonoma County as well as Europe and Asia. Speaking to Zephyr founder Allan Wright later at dinner at Sebastiani winery I was interested to hear that, despite the adventurous nature of his tours, he wants to accommodate everyone’s abilities. Our hike, which was slated as the second easiest of four, did include some quite steep inclines in vineyards with names like Rollercoaster! I’d expect Zephyr tours to neither take it completely easy on you physically, but also to be not too much—a pretty good combination, especially for us desk jockeys who need to stretch our legs and expand our horizons once in a while.
The reward for the hike well worth it—a stunning panorama of Sonoma County, with Mount St. Helena rising up, lavender and majestic, in the distance. At the top of the hill, a charming picnic lunch featuring peak-of-ripeness local produce. I fell hard for the fresh figs, which were juicy, lightly sweet, and incredibly delicious. We washed it down with the local wine—never a bad thing in California—including a crisp Joseph Swan Pinot Gris that was a refreshing treat on this warm October afternoon.

Benefits Galore from Wine Bloggers Conference: Part I --Professional

2008-10-27T15:27:00.004-04:00

I had an amazing time at the first ever North American Wine Bloggers Conference. The benefits were numerous—both professionally and personally.
I learned so much about what I should and shouldn’t be doing as a blogger to increase readership—and thanks to Alder Yarrow of Vinography--why that maybe doesn’t matter so much because we won’t make enough money to leave our day jobs so we should be doing it for love. Also, props to Tom Wark of Wark Communications and the blog Fermentation for giving us a great top ten list of driving traffic, which included really easy, yet overwhelmingly overlooked, techniques, such as sending an old-fashioned press release to our local paper. This idea crossed my mind in the past, but I never put it into action. Thanks to Tom’s prompting I will. His proactive philosophy also includes asking to be put on top blog’s blogrolls—a more assertive tactic than I’ve used, but perhaps I’ll get some gumption and give it a try.
We learned what to do to make Google like us, and heard different opinions about what it means to be an ethical blogger. Are bad reviews a no-no? Personally, I don’t see why we should be different than any other media with regard to voicing fair but informed opinions. I suppose the onus is on us to make sure we present a balanced view any time we delve into negative territory.
On the money side—there was a wide diversity of opinions here. I found our Friday night keynote Gary Vaynerchuk (JERSEY REPRESENT!) to be boyishly charming as well as charismatic. He exhorted us to go out and make $100,000 on our blogs! As previously noted, Alder and Tom were far more conservative with their assessments of a wine blog’s potential for generating revenue. However, Joel Vincent, our fearless OWC founder, presented the middle ground: starting with a blog and using it to launch a successful consulting business. Snooth founder Philip James showed us a detailed graph of ways to make money and juxtaposed the scale of readership with the complexity of the money-making ventures. Bascially as we get more readers we can make more ad money – o.k., I knew that, but I wasn’t aware of the really piddling CPM rate that Google ads pay, only $1 per thousand hits—yeesh, I’ll leave my blog uncluttered right now. However, Philip echoed Joel’s sentiments by discussing how we can parlay our blogs into other consulting-type ventures as well.
Even the most widely-read bloggers are only making the monetary equivalent of a really poorly paying part-time job strictly from their blogs—which begs the question, “Why do we do it?” Why do we blog and why do we shell out airfare, hotel, and conference expenses (admittedly these were quite low) to attend a bloggers conference? First of all, there is a passion among us which is palpable. Secondly, this feels like we are on the verge of something that is going to be big. I don’t know where my blogging will lead me. All I know is that it’s someplace I want to go. And at the Wine Blogger’s Conference in beautiful Sonoma County, CA, I was surrounded by 160 other people who, I’d venture to guess, feel exactly the same.

WBC Live Blogging: Reds are beating whites three to one

2008-10-24T19:44:00.006-04:00

Our table's final wine of the live blogging session at WBC:
Estate Cab Sauv. - Clos LaChance
Hummingbirds there help with pollination and scares away the bigger birds that are vineyard pests. Biggggg tannins. Maybe it would mellow in a couple years. Lots of yummy black fruit. Really nice, I just think it could age a couple more.

WBC Live Blogging: Jerseyites stick together

2008-10-24T19:40:00.004-04:00

Sitting next to me is one of only other people from NJ - Gabe at Gabesview

WBC Live Blogging: CRAzy pace continues

2008-10-24T19:33:00.008-04:00

Don't spill on my laptop! Business cards, promotional CDs,and wine clutter our table tops. Next up on live blogging:
Bonterra Winery
The McNab
60 Merlot
26 Cab
14 Petite Sirah (old vine)original rootstock - it has phylloxera but it stays healthy - wow.
Mendocino
Hoke Harden describes his wine with a great booming voice
This is really terrific. My favorite so far. Second swig unloads the tannin. Rich, yummy, 2004. They have lavendar fields, lavendar honey, great place to visit

WBC Live Blogging--More live blogging

2008-10-24T19:28:00.005-04:00

Green packaging on a Yellow +Blue = Green in a box
2007 Malbec from Argentina--Full, rich tannic Malbec
ybwines.com/bloggers - announcement
We get the 30 second warning - ROTATE!

WBC Live Blogging--Holy Overwhelmed Connection Batman

2008-10-24T19:20:00.006-04:00

Santa, Rosa, CA...Wine Bloggers Conference...Live Blogging Session...4:16 Pacific time. 45 mins into the "live blogging" I'm on.
Lionheart Roussane -- a white crisp wine. Pale straw. Pleasing amount of fruit, Well balanced, nothing overwhelms. Sells for about $30. Clean fresh tart fruit on the nose. I would enjoy this, esp. in warm weather,
FourBears--85 Cab. A little merlot & petite verdot. Under $20. I'm getting some of that fuzzy feeling in my mouth. Gotta find out what that is. It's a nice, easy drinking Cab., there is something about the mouthfeel, though, I wonder if anyone else gets that? Something about the work of the tannins is funky. Good flavor, though, a reasonable price point.

WBW #50: The Great Outdoors

2008-10-15T09:42:00.001-04:00

I am late to post, but couldn’t resist participating in this theme, which is near and dear to my heart. From the very first time I went hiking and camping with the man in my life, we’ve always packed a couple of bottles of wine along with the tent. It’s got to be big, tannic, and red to ward off those chilly nights on the trail. We have even given the wines a name. They’re our “Camping Wines.”
Nothing beats sitting around a campfire, enjoying rustic red wine in plastic cups. It’s a pleasure I’ve enjoyed many times and it brings back great memories of relaxing weekends in the Connecticut wilderness. If I had the chance to go this fall, I’d probably reach for a Ravenswood Old Vines Zinfandel and see what Cotes du Rhone strikes my fancy. Sadly, a weekend away is not in the offing, but we can always make do in our own back sitting by firepit we dug, surround by our maples, which are turning golden this month. A toast -- to all things autumnal!

Wine for Your Oktoberfest?

2008-10-14T08:22:00.001-04:00

Even though I never saw anything but beer when I was in Munich (20 years ago to the month!) for Oktoberfest, since we are celebrating, why not pour some wine, too? The question posed to me from my girlfriend, Lori, was what German wine should she serve at her Oktoberfest party. Great question, and it got me thinking about the German and German-style wines I enjoy.
Here's a wine that is German-like even though it's made in Alsace, France. Trimbach is a reliable producer of Rieslings, and they are dry ones which I like. It's also fun to have Gewurtraminer, a really different white wine that is packed with rich, spicy flavor. I’d try either a French or German producer for the Gewurtz. If you do try to buy a German wine for a Riesling, look for the word Kabinett along with the word Trocken, which would mean it's a little dryer. Unless you're going for a sweet Riesling, in which case Halbtrocken. The sweetest Riesling dessert wines are pricey: Auslese, Spatlese, and Beerenauslese. If you check the alcohol content that will also clue you into the sweetness: around 12 shouldn't be very sweet, lower is sweeter. Prost!

Luscious Cocktails for the Well-Heeled

2008-10-07T13:51:00.004-04:00

My very good friend James recently brought me to Olives, the ground-floor bar at the W Hotel near Union Square. Ws are hot stuff--chi-chi boutique hotels that have been springing up all over the world (23 at last count). They refer to themselves as a “global lifestyle brand.” At $500 a night for a double room, this certainly isn’t my lifestyle, but that doesn’t mean I can’t stop in for a drink!
The slender cocktail menu has pages of delicious choices. I opt for the exotic Lychee Martini: Skyy Vodka, lychee nectar, and Domaine Chandon Etoile Brut Rosé. The drink is white and cloudy. Its flavor is rich; its texture pulpy. It’s like a pina colada that went to finishing school.
James has wisely chosen a Pomegranate Sour: Skyy Vodka, pomegranate molasses (!), and sour mix. I enjoy my drink, but after one sip of his tangy and sweet elixir I’m jealous.
The place is a scene. It’s barely 6 p.m on a Friday and already every chocolate leather banquet and pouf is taken. My mission is finding us seats—his is getting the drinks. After we both accomplish our goals, we are happily seated back-to-back with other imbibers on the stretch of banquet that runs the length of the floor to ceiling windows. We watch amused as the pedestrians tug on their umbrellas and get splashed by oncoming traffic. It’s good to be inside on this miserable night, drinking expensive cocktails.
We are sitting opposite two women who could be twins. Each one has perfectly highlighted blonde hair, black pants and sweaters, and—this is the kicker—identical square cut diamond rings that appear to be at least three carats each.
Women dripping logos like Chanel and Prada, men in beautifully cut suits, young business people checking their Ipones, it’s a well-off after work crowd mixed with hotel guests, all enjoying their drinks and the beautiful bar.
As I drain my drink, a lovely surprise: a glossy white lychee had been lying at the bottom of my glass. I pluck it out and bite into its succulent flesh. For a moment, I am transported back to the rainforest of Australia, where I ate a lychee straight from the tree.
Then I shake off the revelry and grab my coat. At $14 a pop, one round is all we will have tonight at Olives.

Women for Winesense at Passione

2008-10-01T13:02:00.002-04:00

I just joined Women for Winesense and attended my first event last week, a four-course wine dinner at Passione in Montclair, NJ. I heard about this group previously but had a bit of trouble locating them until Manoavino posted their event. I was pleased (and a little surprised) to discover that this was a snob-free gathering of gregarious bon vivants. The dinner was held in a private room and we had several tables pushed together so we made a big rectangle of 17 wine lovers—lots of lovely ladies (and a few gents) of various ages and levels of wine knowledge.
The group is all about education, and that night we had full paragraph descriptions of all of the five wines we tried, as well as a little oral presentation on all of them. I appreciated that one wine was from a variety I’d never tried, the rolle grape.
Dinner was very nice, although I’d say the start--a rich squash bisque with pancetta--and the finish-- apple torte with praline ice cream--were the highlights. Best wine of the night? I really enjoyed the Bordeaux poured with our main course, Chateau Tour Marcillanet Haut-Medoc Cru Bourgeois. However, we also sipped a lovely Trimbach Gewurtraminer from Alsace, and the memory of its tangy, full bodied flavor remained with me the next day.
WWS gets together about once a month except for a summer break. You don’t have to be a member to attend. I’m looking forward to more lovely evenings in the company of fellow wine lovers. Salut!

Drink (and eat) French at Brasserie Les Halles

2008-09-23T08:46:00.004-04:00

I first learned about Brasserie Les Halles when I read Anthony Bourdain’s riveting memoir, Kitchen Confidential. While Bourdain has moved on to bigger things (his TV show No Reservations), the Brasserie where he got his groove on, cooking-wise, is still a staple of the New York restaurant scene.
I dined at the Park Avenue location (there’s also one downtown) on a recent Friday night and was immensely pleased. The large wine list is printed on laminated, broadsheet-sized paper: whites and by-the-glass menu on one side, reds on the other. The bar is beautiful white marble and, trés français, there is a silver punchbowl filled with icy water chilling bottles of champagne on it. Their menu includes some wonderful wines that aren’t usually featured in single pours. I choose the 2003 Louis Latour Puligny Montrachet at $17.50 a glass. This goes on record as the most I’ve ever paid for a glass of wine. However, compared with buying an entire bottle (an extravagance I couldn’t justify at the restaurant-markup price), getting a glass for under $20 was a relative bargain. They’ll also pour you a glass of Taittinger Brut or Prestige Rosé Brut for $16.50 or $19.50 respectively. Other treats include a Pessac-Léognan Chateau Larrivet-Haut-Brion, a red Bordeaux, for $19.50, and branching out beyond the French stuff, Californian Cabernet from Provenance for $17.50 and a Chardonnay from Hanzell for $19.50. Yes, there are much cheaper pours, but I was tickled to see such exciting by-the-glass options.
But, back to my wine. I remember well that 2003 was the year of France’s deadly heatwave. When I was in Burgundy in 2007, I tried a lot of red 2003s, which were richer than normal due to the tremendous ripeness of the fruit that year. But when I tasted the Puligny Montrachet (a white Burgundy) there was no overabundance of fruit. It was very well balanced: the fruit was there, but restrained, and the influence of the oak enhanced it beautifully. It had the fragrance of candied walnuts. Two of my friends who joined me that night were dyed-in-the-wool red wine drinkers, and even they were wowed by this expressive white wine.
Our dinners were wonderful—steaks are heavily featured on the menu, and my friends and I all ordered different cuts. My hanger steak with shallot sauce was delicious, and the Bernaise sauce that my friends enjoyed with their steak was perfect. We naturally had a bottle of red wine with our meals, and I choose a 2003 St. Emillion “Les Halles”, bottled for the restaurant from Chateau Toinet Fombrauge (a reasonable $38). This was a big wine (once again the heatwave vintage) dark in color (although difficult to judge in the dimly lit restaurant) with lots of tannin and fruit. A delicious accompaniment to the juicy steaks.
The red wine section reads like a wine map of France: Alsace, Bourgogne, Beaujolais, Provence, Languedoc-Roussilon, Sud-Ouest, Vallée de la Loire, Vallée du Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and Bordeaux are all represented. A few other countries have wines listed, too, but honestly, with so much delicious French wine to choose from, and while eating all the classic French food from the menu, I don’t know why you’d bother. This restaurant has all the French brasserie specialities: steak and moules frites, cassoulet, a house paté, and much, much more. If you long to eat and drink French, and are in the mood for brasserie fare (rather than break-the-bank gourmet cooking), Brasserie Les Halles fits the bill.

If a Vodka Tonic Were a Wine…

2008-09-15T21:16:00.002-04:00

Summer’s not done yet, as evidenced by a weekend of hell-like humidity hovering around 72% and heat around 90 degrees here in NJ. The furnace blast upon leaving our air-cooled home wilted our clan as we cheered son Dylan’s first outing in the WOHS Marching Band during an afternoon home game (West Orange creamed Bayonne 47-6).
Stopping by Home Liquors later, I blew some of my NJ Homestead Rebate check on an assortment of wines.
I picked up a Spanish white that was not only unfamiliar, but also unpronounceable: Txomin Etxaniz Getaria 2007. Reading up on it online, I discovered that it’s similar to Portugal’s Vinho Verde. It comes from a tiny region in northeast Spain, close to San Sebastian in Basque country.
I chilled it well and served it over ice, just to add to the refreshment. I was tickled to see that it has a little spritz and bubbled slightly as I poured. It even looked refreshing: near-transparent with the faintest hint of yellow. It has a fresh, crisp scent and the flavor really wakes up your mouth—zesty, full-on lime. This wine is a wonderful, cooling palate pleaser on a sticky night. Its alcohol is on the low side, at 11 %.
I’m not much for mixed drinks anymore, but it’s hard to argue with the hot weather appeal of a nice vodka tonic. Now I have a wine that refreshes equally well, with a mouth puckering lime flavor to boot.

Horsing Around at the Saratoga Wine Festival

2008-09-09T20:42:00.016-04:00

This year my indefatigable friend Lori joined me in New York State for the annual Saratoga Wine and Food Festival. This well attended fest in the heart of race country was fun, fun, fun.
First of all, the food was divine--and plentiful. Local restaurants served up osso bucco, pulled pork, sushi, squash bisque, blueberry cobbler, and more, all adorably arranged on tiny plexi-glass plates. The crowd was upscale—tickets were, after all, $80—but quite friendly, a nice combination for our day’s drinking partners.
We really enjoyed the lecture by Burt Wolf, pictured above with me, and Kevin Zraly, my old Windows on the World Wine School teacher.
We also enjoyed meeting the guys (and tasting the mouthwatering samples) from Brooklyn’s own Wine Cellar Sorbets and mixing with the other gregarious attendees. I give this wine festival two thumbs way up. The fest was well-managed, the crowd was great, and the wine and food lasted until the end. Next September, I recommend to all Northeast wine lovers to check out Saratoga. But for now, enjoy the photos from this year’s event.

Register Today for Discover the Wine Regions of France

2008-09-09T10:49:00.000-04:00

There’s still time to register for my class at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School for just $18! Follow this link and scroll down to see all the details. I hope some of you can join me for a fun night discussing the prestigious wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire Valley. Come see a slide presentation and you’ll be sure to learn something new about these beautiful wine-producing regions. The early-bird price ends tomorrow, so sign up today!

A Toast to Back to School

2008-09-04T08:12:00.001-04:00

It finally came—the end of the summer. Now, don’t get me wrong, I loved the season in New Jersey. We enjoyed sunshiney, blue sky days that stretched for weeks at a time. But for our family, late August meant camp was over, day care was sketchy, and Sponge Bob and Guitar Hero were constantly on the tube, often at the same time on different floors.
So, this week I’m raising a glass to school starting again. And speaking of the end of summer, as I put away my Capri pants and sandals, I’ll also be taking my last sips of the luscious pink Tavels and racy Sauvignon Blancs I’ve been drinking. Because when the sweaters coming out of the closets, the big reds return to my wine rack. In the warm months, I sipped a few Beaujolais, but unless I was grilling steak, I steered clear of the heavier stuff. But by the time October rolls around, I’ll be well into the Cabernets, Zinfandels, and Shiraz again.
So here’s to school in session! The kids are well-occupied and properly stimulated. And I’ve got one last bottle of Sancerre in the fridge waiting for the perfect Indian summer evening.

Wine Geeks Will Love Bottle Shock

2008-08-26T14:32:00.002-04:00

My friend Joli and I hopped in her trusty Subaru Outback and headed down to Maplewood to catch the Saturday night screening of Bottle Shock. Was this a great movie? No. It was light as a Muscadet sur Lie, a little frizzante, and perhaps lacking structure.
Alan Rickman (J’s fave) is the centerpiece of the film. He plays Steven Spurrier, the stuffy proprietor of a Parisian wine shop who decides to organize a blind tasting of the best French and California wines. To even compare the two country’s wine was heresy in wine circles, truly dramatic stuff. But instead of delving too deeply into the wine world, the film focuses on the motley crew of California wine makers, including Bill Pullman playing the patriarch of Chateau Montelena, his prodigal son played by the shaggy-haired and denim-clad hunk Chris Pine, and the other hippies/farmers/Mexicans who populated the rolling brown hills of Napa Valley. Wine geeks will love the oenological references, like the time when the Chardonnay turned brown and the wine workers drove their beat up pickup truck in the direction of Davis – nudge, nudge, wink, wink: UC Davis, home to one of the world’s most esteemed wine programs!
One of the most memorable scenes takes place in Joe’s, the local bar. A young Mexican-American is about to hustle the patrons in a blind tasting. But one of the local yokels shouts, “Any a**hole can tell a Zinfandel from a Cabernet!” Love that line! Then the young man correctly identifies not only the grapes, but the vintage and producer of three masked wines. Now, I don’t live in California, but this type of down-market bar doesn’t seem like it would have a bottle of 1947 Cheval Blanc in the back, but it does.
I’m not sure that a better movie couldn’t have been made about this historic event which put California wines on the map and changed the wine world forever. For a more complete telling of the story, I’d read George Taber’s book, Judgment of Paris (Taber was the only journalist who witnessed the actual event.) But like a Tuesday night, poolside wine, this movie satisfied a craving for something enjoyable and not too heavy.

Snazzy New Store Simplifies Wine

2008-08-22T20:37:00.004-04:00

Best Cellars, a chain of wine stores that originated in Manhattan, has come to West Orange on Pleasant Valley Way in the old Blockbuster video space. This weekend is their opening celebration, and tonight they poured an interesting selection from their well-priced wines. Starting with a sparkling white from New Mexico, of all places, which is actually made in the methode champenoise. Who knew? This fizzy treat was light and fruity. And speaking of fizzy, that’s one of the “I get it” wine descriptors that are the hallmark of the chain.
Josh Wesson originally founded the stores before selling them to A&P. He’s kept an active role as Senior Director of Wine, Beer, and Spirits. Josh was on hand tonight and I had the chance to speak with him about the store. He created the easy-to-relate-to labels for the wines, and it’s what makes his store perfect for those who are intimidated by traditional wine shops.
If you like one "fresh" white, like Sauvignon Blanc, and you’re looking to try something new, well, hey, there’s Pinot Grigio on the same shelf. Wines are grouped by color and style, not country or, even necessarily grape. As one helpful associate explained, Merlot could sit in three different areas: with juicy, soft, or big reds depending on the style of the wine, whether it was oaked, where was it grown, etc. Popular wines are well represented (there’s a section of top ten wines in a variety of styles), but also you’ll see some lesser known but delicious choices.
The Best Cellars staff pride themselves on tasting all the selections themselves, and, as Josh explained, the store offers a guarantee of satisfaction. If you don’t like the wine, bring it back. Since buying an unknown wine is always a risk, that’s a nice way to encourage people to try something new.
I should also mention that the store itself has a fun atmosphere, with punchy colors and a fashionable feel. It’s not so big that it would overwhelm you, but, like Noah’s Ark, there seem to be at least a couple of everything you’d need.
The other hallmark of the store is price. The major focus of the store is a wall of bottles arranged by style, all priced $15.00 and below. As one sales person said, “Many of them taste well above the price.”
For traditionalists and those who want to spend more, there is a smaller section of wine that is divvied up by country. These you could spend as much as $30 or so on. I saw a Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc I thought I’d try, and I was pleased to see they carried Veuve Clicquot and Grgich Hills.
This weekend is a great time to stop by as the festivities continue tomorrow with WCBS-FM visiting and more free tasting and give-aways. Given the value, convenience, and intriguing selection, I’m sure I’ll be spending a lot more time here.

Jacks! For Drinks

2008-08-21T10:34:00.001-04:00

The Jersey City Hyatt opened in 2002, but it still looks brand-spanking new. The 350-room hotel faces the Hudson River and exudes both comfort and elegance. The secret that’s hidden from street-view is a breezy terrace projecting from the rear of the building.
One day, my pal James and I strolled over, wondering if there was an outdoor bar. We spoke to an attractive desk clerk who told us there wasn’t a bar, per se, but there was Jacks. Jacks is a summer-only happy hour every Wednesday night out back on the patio. Marking our calendars in eager anticipation, we looked forward to hump day.
Last night, we made it over to the Hyatt and were not disappointed. A limited amount of drinks were served—bottles of bud light, taps of Stella Artois and Hoeegarten, and a fun assortment of pre-mixed drinks ready to pour: red Sangria, Mojitos, and Margaritas. James and I can never turn down Sangria, and their version was heavy on the wine. It hit the spot. The view of lower Manhattan was spectacular. The air last night was crystal clear. It looked like we could touch the glass windows of the skyscrapers across the river, which shone beautifully, reflecting the sky’s pink sunset glow.
A thick crowd of business people mixed at high tops and relaxed in patio chairs at lower tables. The imbibers reflected the international crowd that is Jersey City: Indian, European, Latin, and mixed-heritage Americans like us. Pinstripes were a popular fashion statement, and the business crowd looked happy to postpone their commute home in favor of drinks al fresco.
Mixed nuts and snacks were plentiful in silver globes that were heavy enough to resist the winds that scattered our cocktail napkins. The breeze got heavier, the air got cooler, our last glass of Sangria was drained, and the beer taps were oozing foam. James and I joined the rest of the business people trailing off to the Path Train, Light Rail, and cars. We faced the remaining work week a little happier, thanks to a Wednesday night boost from Jacks.

Meet Me at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School

2008-08-18T13:47:00.000-04:00

Attention North Jersey wine lovers! I am extending an invitation to you to attend a class I’m teaching at the South Orange-Maplewood Adult School: DISCOVER THE WINE REGIONS OF FRANCE. This one night class-- on October 22 from 7-9 p.m.-- highlights my recent trips to Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the Loire and Champagne regions. I’ll narrate a slide presentation and provide lots of information about what’s grown where, how to get around, tips for getting into Chateaux and much more! Click here and scroll down to see class information or to register. I hope you can join me in South Orange for a fun night talking about French wine and travel. If you register by September 10, the cost is only $18. Feel free to email me at dianeswines@verizon.net for more information. Cheers!

A Sip in Time

2008-08-12T16:23:00.003-04:00

This month’s Wine Blogging Wednesday asked us to go back to a wine we drank back in the day. So, I’m thinking early 1990s, on a trip to visit my dear friend Bernadette out in San José. I saw her a few times when she lived there, and we always fit in a trip to Napa or Sonoma. Living in California, she got into wine before I did, and I was impressed when she and her husband would talk about the Chardonnay they were pouring with dinner in their little house with the lime trees in the back.
Gallo was still one of the biggest names in wine, and our excursions often included visiting their tasting room, which was large, impressive, and ready to welcome busloads of tourists. In those early days, learning about wine was new and exciting, and to my young mind, it reeked of a sophistication I was yearning to have.
So for this month, I picked up a Gallo Chardonnay. This one was the 2005 Sonoma Reserve. The front of the bottle includes four little gold medal seals, and the back label talks about the fact that Gallo has won Winery of the Year multiple times.
Gallo is a name I avoid in wine stores, not because I don’t think they can’t make decent wines now, but because of bad associations with the large jug of Hearty Burgundy that I often saw poured at my Italian family dinners. The jug packaging, the false use of a French appellation, it all adds up to bad memories of American wine making.
But I keep an open mind as I pour this wine, which has a pleasing light gold color. I get full-on fruit at the nose, mostly yellow apples and over-ripe cantaloupe. The taste continues with lots of fruit, but there’s a fair share of oak—although not nearly as heavy- handed as I was expecting. The oak somewhat flattens the fruit flavors without really enhancing them. The bottom line was this was a very fruity chard, 13.9% alcohol (what did they do to get it below 14, I wonder?), which, according to the label, was aged partially in French and American oak. I prefer a dry Chard—give me a Chablis or Macon--or, if oak is involved, yes, I’ll take a Burgundy style, thank you very much. So, the style was not my preference. It is a pleasing wine, though, nothing really offensive (except perhaps the over-ripe quality), and, when all is said and done, I’m sure that many people would like it very much. So, thanks to Lenn for suggesting a trip back in time. The wine was o.k., but the memories were much better.

Swilling at the Sirloin Saloon

2008-08-10T08:26:00.007-04:00

Having a New England getaway for a few days, starting with a big family reunion in Manchester, VT. Last night our party of 16 gathered at a hopping restaurant where steak is king--the Sirloin Saloon.
Since I dine so much in New York City, it's always interesting to check out the food scene in other parts of the country. This restaurant is carnivore heaven. My husband ordered a Fred Flintstone size prime rib; the huge rare cut was pooling blood. Yabba Dabba Doo!! I enjoyed rib eye, which was delicious despite being cooked more than the medium rare I ordred.
So, with all this meat, naturally our eyes gravitated to the red section of the wine list. The Cabernet selection was small but serviceable: four Californians. My husband's cousin is a true Californian down to her love of wine, so I asked her which one she would choose. We settled on Sterling Vintner 2005. It was deep red, so full-bodied it was almost heavy, alcohol 13.5%, firm tannins, and maybe a smidgen of sediment. This big wine was great with the juicy steaks.
As the meal progressed and the alcohol flowed, a flurry of limerick writing broke out at the table. Suddenly various in-laws -- father, brother, and sister--were putting pen to napkin in a hilarious bout of literary one-upmanship.
Laughing at the ridiculous rhymes that followed, the family enjoyed the entertainment, although it was certainly not our best work. But there were no critics at the table. No, we were having a raucous good time, enjoying the pleasure of each other's company and the All-American food and wine. The evening ended with more wine quaffed out of plastic cups in the hotel parking lot while our kids lit sparklers. A fine end to a beautiful summer evening.

Nosing in on wine tasting

2008-08-06T12:10:00.000-04:00

The humble nose is a part of the body that never gets much attention (unless we’re talking Extreme Makeover) , but is absolutely critical to our appreciation of wine, not to mention food in general. I’ve heard this point made before, but it was brought to mind by an article in yesterday’s New York Times. Natalie Angier talked about an experiment that Dr. Rachel Herz of Brown University has people try: eat a handful of Jelly Bellies, one at a time, and concentrate on the vividly distinct flavors. Then she asks them to hold their nose as they chew…the candies are still sweet, but it’s impossible to tell if that yellow bean is lemon or buttered popcorn. When the nostrils are released, the flavors come flooding back. That’s because our tongue is poorly equipped for tasting, only perceiving sweet, salty, sour, and bitter flavors. The rest of what we consider our sense of taste actually happens because of our sense of smell.
Distinguishing the scents in wine can be a challenge, but it helps if your sense of smell is functioning correctly. I never even bother drinking wine when I’m stuffed up—the flavor and smell are far too diminished to enjoy it.
It seems to me that the finer the wine, the more I love to smell it. The best way to take advantage of that pleasure is to pour a shallow amount in a large wine glass. Give it a good swirl to agitate the molecules—more aromas will be released. Then stick your nose all the way in and inhale deeply. For a fine Burgundy, you may smell leather, crushed leaves, and, one of my favorites, barnyard odors. The more smells I can distinguish, the more pleasurable the wine drinking experience often is. I have learned to appreciate the smelling of wine, to the point where I sometimes put off even having a sip, as I leisurely enjoy swirling and sniffing.
Exploring our much neglected sense of smell is one of the chief pleasures of drinking fine wine. I liken it to looking at a beautiful oil painting. At first, the image is a whole, but then we begin to notice individual colors, brush strokes, pleasing composition. While paintings can be viewed again, drinking a good bottle is a transient pleasure. So breathe in, and make the most of it.

Speed Over to Bar Veloce for Vino

2008-07-30T11:23:00.002-04:00

Having rhapsodized recently about Bordeaux’s CIVB wine bar, I decided I needed to spend more time checking out the New York wine scene. Which brought me to Bar Veloce, a dimly lit, highly stylized wine bar on Seventh Avenue (there are also Soho and East Village locations) serving a wide variety of interesting Italian wines.
The narrow space is sparely decorated with natural wood and black metal. An exposed brick wall is lined with 2x4s that have been inventively modified as wine storage. Stripes of dark and light bottles are artistically lit from behind. The light gently penetrates the white wines bottles, giving off golden spotlights.
Last night the bar was completely packed, but my friend and I squeezed into a couple seats in the back. From there, we faced a flatscreen showing old Italian films subtitled in English. Our bar tender, an engaging young man nattily dressed in a dark suit and tie, knew his selections well. We were also assisted by the menu’s helpful tasting notes.
I’m no expert when it comes to Italian wine, and I was unfamiliar with most of the choices—a good thing! I appreciate being introduced to different varietals. Now I’ll contradict myself by saying I choose the only red I knew: a Montepulciano. This 2006 had rich fruit, nice acid, and light tannins--yum.
My dear friend Lauren amplified my tastings by trying an assortment of the other reds—and being willing to share. The most interesting wine of the night was a Poggio l’Aiole 2003. It was aged five years in cement barriques. The tasting notes mentioned cloves and this wine was SPICY! Very distinctive stuff. I had a few sips, but I really need to sit down with a glass or two of my own to analyze it further.
I enjoyed the comfortable, upscale atmosphere. We had come for an after-dinner drink and this bar fit the bill perfectly. The bar does offer small plates of food—a good and bad thing, in my opinion. The food looked tasty, but the smell of it cooking (there seems to be no kitchen in the back and I believe we were seated directly by the Panini press) was a distraction from the wine tasting.
I’ve read that Italy has more miles of vineyards than anywhere in the world and that it has scores of varietals planted. Bar Veloce goes beyond the straw Chianti bottle and introduces adventurous imbibers to intriguing and unknown Italian wines.

Chalk one up for the Romans

2008-07-21T14:05:00.004-04:00

Reims, FR—This busy city, 90 miles east of Paris, has a deep sense of history. Its much-acclaimed gothic cathedral was the coronation site for French kings. But this town’s history reaches even further back to antiquity. It was the Romans who dug out the chalky limestone to build a city on this site. The French word for chalk is craie, and in Reims you won’t hear talk about wine caves, but you will be directed to the crayères if you want to see where the city’s coveted Champagne is aged.
On a wonderful tour at Veuve Clicquot, we viewed a tiny portion of their crayères, warren-like tunnels that extend 24 kilometers! Unlike the moldy, low-ceiling cellars we found in Epernay, the tunnels here are airy because the Romans included vents that reach open air, keeping the walls clean. It’s fascinating that the conditions in these chalk tunnels are perfect for wine storage, possessing both the correct temperature (about 55 degrees F) and the right humidity. Pushing my finger to a wall, I discovered that it released small beads of water and it gave a little--you can scrape a bit of Reims off if you like. My souvenir, however, was far more delectable: a bottle of 1991 vintage Veuve Clicquot. That bottle safely made it to my thoroughly modern NJ home, where it awaits a suitably spectacular occasion for opening.

Bacchus and the Goddess of Wine Carved in the Wall at the Veuve Clicquot Crayères

Yankee Couple Charmed By French Manners

2008-07-18T10:27:00.001-04:00

Wine travel is fascinating way to meet local people and absorb the culture. In my recent trip to France, my husband and I discovered the exceptionally gracious manners of the people of the Loire Valley. On each day of our visit, we were delighted by the extremely polite, albeit completely down-to-earth, people we encountered. Every time we entered a shop or a restaurant, it never failed that we were greeted with a cheerful Bonjour. Whenever we purchased something, it was a grateful smile accompanied by an “Au revoir, Merci”. Leaving a bakery with our lunch of quiche lorraine and fruit tartlettes, we were sent on our way with a pleasant “Bonne journee.” While bonjour is used in greeting, this phrase is used in parting--it’s the equivalent of telling someone to enjoy the rest of your day. We were most struck by the gentile exchange that is so natural for these français while dining at an outdoor café in the medieval town of Chinon. As we leisurely ate our salads and croque monsieurs and indulged in a pichet of local rosé wine, a pleasant-looking old woman pushed a walker in front of our table. She paused and said “Bon Appetit.” What a generous spirit she showed—to observe us at table and feel moved to wish us to enjoy our food. We did enjoy a perfectly wonderful lunch even more, thanks to this dear’s lady’s wishes for our good appetite.

2008 Golden Wagon Film Festival Wine Tasting—Saturday!

2008-07-17T14:59:00.002-04:00

It’s one of my favorite wine events of the summer, and I think I’m going to miss it. But that’s no reason for anyone reading within an hour of so of Long Island not to go. Of course I’m talking about the Wine Tasting event that’s part of the Golden Wagon Film Festival on Fire Island. While the island has been given the moniker “land of no” because of all its bizarre regulations (don’t try drinking the lemonade you just bought from those kids on the corner—it’s illegal to eat as you walk), it really is a summertime “land of fun.” And for my money--$25 to be exact—nothing is as fun as attending this low-key wine fest on the dock overlooking Long Island Sound. Apparently movie star and all-round local community guy Steve Guttenberg will make an appearance. Never mind the celebs, it’s the wine and cheese that will star. So, check the Saturday ferry schedule, and go, please. Have a glass of Paumanok for me.

Best Lil’ Wine Bar in the World

2008-07-08T21:02:00.003-04:00

O.K., maybe there is a better wine bar, somewhere, somehow, but in all my years of drinking fermented grape juice, nothing, but nothing compares to the CIVB Wine Bar. What, you ask, is the CIVB? In French, le Conseil Interprofessionnel du Vin de Bordeaux, basically The Bordeaux Wine Council.
This organization, which is based in the heart of this historic city, is dedicated to promoting Bordeaux Wines. They run a very nice wine school, where anyone can take extremely informative two-hour wine tasting classes. For all but the hardcore, morning classes mandate spitting, and this place has the coolest chrome spit sinks built into the long white tables. Last fall, I was lucky enough to attend a class taught by the charming and articulate British wine writer, Jane Anson.
I didn’t know the Council ran a wine bar until my pal, Connie choose it as the place where we could reconnect. The bar has several posh seating areas with amorphous shaped cushions and comfortable crescent banquettes. There is also sidewalk seating outside. But it was a hot day in this southern city, and I was happy to cool down in the beautiful bar. A wall-sized stained glass picture of Bacchus brought an exceptionally upscale feel to the space.
When I looked at the menu, I was blown away. I never saw so many fine Bordeaux appellations on a by-the-glass menu. There were at least six different white Bordeaux, a handful of rosé, and a good dozen reds to choose from. More than the titillating selection, the CIVB wine bar has extremely knowledgeable, yet down-to-earth, staff who really know wine. Our waiter was a thin Brit with a brush of sandy hair and a cockney accent who told us about subtle differences among the offerings. He had the gift of being able to describe the wines in a way that made them very clear without resorting to any incomprehensible wine speak—no small feat.
Connie and I savored the crisp and fruity white Bordeaux, while my husband had a lip-smacking rosé that was redolent of strawberries.
As if all this wasn’t enough, Connie told me that the menu changes every few weeks, so there are always new producers to try. She felt it was a wonderful place to have a drink because they have so many fine bottles of Bordeaux available by the glass. I am in complete happy agreement—and only wish they’d open up a location in NYC. But for now, when ever I’m in Bordeaux again, I’m sure to stop in my favorite wine bar in all the world.

Bound for Bordeaux

2008-06-25T08:14:00.009-04:00

I am besides myself with excitement as I pack up for 10 days in France. My itinerary criss-crosses the country to some of the top wine regions.
I’ll start in Bordeaux, where I’ll meet up with Cornelia Blume, a friend from Vitivinitour Then I’ll meet Randolph Resnick, a new online acquaintance from Open Wine Consortium, for an international meet up on the banks of the Garonne River.
Although it’s been only 9 months since I was there, Bordeaux is on my agenda again because it’s the biennial wine festival—too good of an opportunity to miss. There will be massive tastings, parades, fireworks, barrel-rolling, and wine, wine, wine. But not just any wine. The best of the best. After all, this is Bordeaux, the wine region chosen by Napoleon III to represent France at the 1855 World’s Fair. Stay tuned for more trip details, and if an internet café is in the offing, a little blogging from the road.

So Close and Yet So Far

2008-06-18T09:59:00.001-04:00

As a preparation for my upcoming trip to France, I’ve been drinking some of the local wines. This past weekend I did a side by side comparison of two Loire Valley wines—one Sancerre and one Pouilly-Fumé. I have enjoyed both of these wines before, especially Pouilly-Fumé, which is one of my all-time favorite wines.
Before I get to the tasting, consider the facts. Both wines are 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Both are grown in the far eastern Loire Valley. The towns are only 20 minute drive from each other (I checked). So, we know the grapes are being exposed to the same amount of sunshine & rain, experiencing the same daily temperature. Sancerre is a little to the north and on the left bank of the Loire. The town of Pouilly-sur-Loire (one of a handful of villages that produces Pouilly-Fumé) is a little further south and on the right bank.
All things considered, you would think that these two wines taste pretty similar. Well, think again. It really amazed me to taste each of them side by side. The Pouilly-Fumé is a bigger wine—more fruit, more intensity, more of the interesting characteristics of Sauvignon Blanc, the fresh cut grass, the zest of grapefruit, although it was far more restrained than the way these flavors show up in a New Zealand SB. In contrast, the Sancerre had more of a perfumed, floral nose. It was all elegance on the palate: crisp acidity and lighter fruit. The Pouilly-Fumé is still my favorite, but I thoroughly enjoyed the Sancerre as well, and I can see instances in which the more restrained Sancerre might be easier to match with food.
My side by side tasting demonstrated to me, as nothing else could, that terroir is more than just a fancy French word that wine geeks like to throw around. The soil in which these grapes are grown and the microclimate of the vineyards produced very different wines, despite all the other similarities.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #46 -- Rhone Whites

2008-06-12T10:46:00.001-04:00

Wine Blogging Wednesday is here and the electricity isn’t, thanks to a fire at the transformer station and a nasty thunderstorm. In fact, my county declared a state of emergency today. So I’m out on the grass of my front yard (it’s getting dark in the house), draining my laptop’s battery as well as my wine glass. The posting will wait until Thursday, because the blackout knocked out my WiFi.
I actually visited the Rhone River, and really tied one on with some red CDR (talk about rustic!) at a youth hostel in Avignon (but that’s another story). However, I never tried a white, so I turned to a really helpful employee at the Wine Library (Gary Vee’s domain), who pointed me towards the Domaine Philippe Plantevin 2005 Côtes de Rhone for $19.00. In a departure from the usual French labeling, the back label provided detailed information about the blend: 40% Viognier, 30% Grenache, and 30% Marsanne.
I opened the bottle two nights ago and was knocked out by the high acidity. Tonight, I wondered if it would have softened a day after opening. It did, barely. I can enjoy many wines on their own, but to me, this is definitely a food wine. I took out some creamy goat cheese and the acids were tamed by its richness.
On the nose, there are a lot of interesting things going on. I get a little bit of lemon, a hint of peach, the barest amount of floral. It’s a pleasing aroma and quite full. The color is mid-range for a white wine, not quite golden but darker than straw. For a wine that’s three years old, the Domaine Phillipe had a tremendous amount of fruit. The acid was so high that it really left things a bit unbalanced, although I did enjoy the wine’s fresh fruit. The finish was scant. This wine isn’t my style, but I’m curious about trying other white Rhones now to see how they compare.

LI Arrest Prompts Manhattan Galleries to Serve—Gasp—Seltzer!

2008-06-06T16:41:00.009-04:00

I went to an art opening in Manhattan last night on 25th Street, which is a veritable Gallery Row in Chelsea. The street was hopping with art lovers taking in a number of openings.
Now you can’t always count on the art being good, or even understandable, at these opening night parties, but one thing you can always count on is wine being served. But the rules have changed in NYC. The Memorial Day weekend arrest of Long Island gallery owner Ruth Vered (see related story) has some of the Chelsea galleries shaken up. Vered, an art scene veteran who owns a gallery in East Hampton, refused to stop serving alcohol after the police showed up. She was carted off to headquarters in handcuffs.
An assistant at Lohin Geduld Gallery said Vered’s arrest caused them to serve only seltzer that night. “And it’s not even like we serve anything expensive. It’s, like, $7.00 for a double bottle.” So now we know that even when the galleries pour wine, they’re doing it as cheaply as possible. O.K., that really wasn’t a surprise.
At CUE Art Foundation gallery a few doors down, wine was being served at a book signing party. I asked a gallery worker about the LI arrest and their decision: “Yeah, we heard about it, but we’re pouring wine anyway. Let them come arrest us.” He told me they would probably starting buying permits in the fall.
A one day permit to pour wine at this type of event costs $31. But according to the gallery people I spoke to, it’s more the inconvenience than the cost. “The permit is for only one day. You have to buy a permit every day you want to pour wine.” As one attendee said, “You’d think the police would have better things to do.”

Pouilly Travels--Part Deux

2008-06-04T10:12:00.007-04:00

Last spring I traveled to the land of Pouilly-Fuissé. The wine is grown in the southern reaches of Burgundy, where the unoaked chardonnays are dry as a bone. I even stayed in the village at the Bergerie Fuissé, a bucolic B& B that faces a hillside of chardonnay vines and has beautiful white hens prancing in the yard.
In a few weeks, I’ll be in the land of the other Pouilly—-Pouilly Fumé, the world-famous Sauvignon Blanc grown in the Loire Valley west of Paris. Long before wine lovers ever heard of Marlborough, NZ, Pouilly Fumé was the measure of a Sauvignon Blanc--fresh with a bracing minerality. It was the first SB I had ever tried and I immediately fell in love with it. I do enjoy those new world SBs, too, with all that grapefruit and fresh cut grass, but they can sometimes seem disorganized and all over the place in their flavor profile. A little too herbaceous, a little too over-the-top citrus. That’s never a concern with Pouilly Fumé—it’s always an elegant expression of this very expressive grape.

Dîner Sur L’Herb

2008-06-01T14:40:00.007-04:00

Late spring is bringing gorgeous weather here in the northeast. The sky is periwinkle blue. The young maples along our hill are rustling. The local blue jays are calling. I’m enjoying it all from my screened porch, a perfect spot for warm-weather blogging.
Now that June has arrived, squeezing in time outside is a priority—even on busy weeknights, we take short strolls to see whose azaleas are blooming. Friday night the family packed up a picnic dinner—casual fare of hamburgers wrapped in foil, fruit salad, wine for the grown-ups, and birch beer for the kids. We had an urgent need to visit the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens while they were still at their peak.
These gardens in Montclair, NJ are remarkable. The word iris comes from the Greek goddess of the rainbow, and irises have the widest range of colors of any flower. Hundreds of varieties are represented here, and the colors are spectacular: deepest purple, pale white with yellow beards, orange, ruby red, soft blues. Some have lovely color combinations. Petals may be pale orange at the outer edges and their color gradually deepens to a rich garnet closer to the flower’s core. For 80 years this garden has been a tourist destination as well as a harbinger of summer.
Our picnic was set above the gardens under a sassafras tree. We spread our blanket and ate our modest dinner while viewing the colorful gardens spread out below us. My husband and I enjoyed more of the 1998 Ferrari Carano Chardonnay. Its flavor showed even more complex fruit flavors that night—citrus notes, a little bitter orange peel, mixed with tart apple. It glowed golden in our wine glasses (no plastic cups for us). I thought of the famous painting by Manet, Dejeuner Sur L’Herb. The pleasures represented in the painting and in our evening are timeless: nature at its peak, good food, good wine, and gathering with friends.

A Flurry of Festivals

2008-05-28T10:34:00.004-04:00

If you’re making travel plans for the summer--or the rest of the year--take a look at The Big List of Festivals on localwineevents.com. It seems that no matter which direction you’re headed, there’s a wine festival on the calendar. Starting this weekend, Taste of Pennsylvania Wine and Music Festival, a small event in close by York, PA features six bands and ten wineries—wish I could bring the kids along, but it’s over 18 only. Venturing farther afield this weekend, Vintage Virginia is a larger party down in Centreville, VA. Planning your vacation around a wine festival will land you in some pretty beautiful spots. How about a spring break at the Aspen Food and Wine Classic? A summer weekend in Santa Barbara at the California Wine Festival? Or spending a winter weekend basking in sunshine and drinking wine at the Cabo San Lucas International Wine Festival January 16-19, 2009? More than 200 festivals are listed all around the world. Start packing!

Can I get that Jeroboam to go?

2008-05-26T18:37:00.006-04:00

The wine tasting class I took through the Caldwell Adult School culminated in a festive wine dinner at Luce. Our teacher, Dan Kifner, brought out many special wines for the occasion, including this large bottle of 1998 Ferrari-Carano Alexander Valley Chardonnay. About 40 folks sampled this bottle, and it was only half drunk by the end of the night (as opposed to the wine dinner attendees, who were wholly drunk by the end of the night).
I was always intrigued by the names of larger bottles of wine. They start with a Magnum, which is 1.5 liters. Then you move on to a 4.5 liter bottle, known as a Jeroboam. It holds six standard-size bottles of wine. The name comes from a rather naughty Israelite king who brought back golden calves among other sinful moves. Then there’s Methuselah, the longest living man in Genesis, weighing in at six liters. The largest bottles are Salmanazar, an Assyrian king (9 liters), Balthazar, a Babylonian king and big partier (12 liters), and they top out at Nebuchadnezzar, another Babylonian king who is remembered for destroying the Temple of Solomon and having a really fun name (15 liters).
At the end of our dinner Dan told me I could take the half-full Jeroboam. The still- heavy bottle stood upright in my trunk for the short ride. Once home, I transferred the contents to three empty wine bottles and put rubber stoppers into them.
I am still working my way through the remains of the Jeroboam. As for the wine itself, this California Chardonnay is a decade old, and it has aged beautifully. The color is of burnished gold. It tastes like granny smith apples and bosch pears drizzled with honey. One bottle of the 1998 sells for about $35, so I came home with over $90 worth of chard--the best leftovers I've ever had.

My Violet Quest

2008-05-22T08:26:00.007-04:00

At one point in my wine education, I learned that Italian wines can smell like violets. Here’s the frustrating thing. When was the last time you smelled a violet? Here in NJ, U.S.A., they’re not exactly sprouting out of every garden bed…unlike, honeysuckles and lilacs--gorgeous fragrances that I can identify blindfolded.
So, I was on a mission this spring: smell a violet. My eyes were always scanning the ground for purple blooms. This was not going to be easy. When I found little purple flowers, they often had no discernable fragrance.
Even when traveling, I tended to my quest. Strolling in Blowing Rock, I spied a patch of purple. I quickly picked a flower and stuck it up to my nostrils. Smells like…nothing. Then I looked more closely and realized I just picked Vinca, a common groundcover. The tattered petals fell to the ground along with my hope.
Finally, along the cracks of my own driveway (score one for letting things go), I finally found a few stray blossoms…small, deep purple, real violets. I picked them eagerly and smelled. Then I sniffed more deeply. Did I catch a whiff of anything? I shred the little petals to release more fragrance. There, at last, a faint, but distinctive smell. At this point I was afraid if I inhaled any more deeply I’d be snorting violets.
All this dedication came to fruition at a recent wine dinner. Among the very interesting wines being poured that night was a 1999 Bava Barolo Contrabasso di Castiglione Falletto. I love the label on this wine, a lively sketch of a bass violin. The beautifully aged red wine was silky smooth, rich with cherries, really spectacular. The 100% Nebbiolo is one of Bava’s Collezione Quintetto. Each wine is named for a musical instrument. In addition to the base violin, there is Stradivario, Violincello, Cor de Chase (a hunter’s horn), and Bass Tuba. I love that on Bava’s web site, there are musical suggestions for each of the wines.
I stuck my nose far into the glass and sniffed as deeply as I could. At last! Violets! The aroma was clear as day. I grabbed my husband and stuck his nose in. “What do you smell?” Silence. Since he had not dedicated his spring to picking purple flowers, I had another idea. “It’s violets, you know, like those little purple candies?” Yes, he smelled them too. So, in the end I found my violets. I drank a gorgeous Nebbiola that smelled like violets. And I put another notch in my belt of wine knowledge.

Sangria-In-A-Pinch

2008-05-15T11:23:00.005-04:00

Parties are always a fun time to try new wines. My husband’s surprise birthday bash was no exception. I enjoyed a full bodied Simi Cabernet Sauvignon that my girlfriend Lori brought over. Our friend Bob introduced us to Red Guitar, a yummy fruit-forward red from the Navarra region of Spain.

Several party-goers were horrified by the poor quality of a 2006 Frey Organic Pinot Noir (“I paid $16 dollars for that!” my friend Lauren gasped). The pale color was evident even in the bottle. In the glass, the sickly cast of the wine indicated a lack of ripeness when these delicate grapes were picked. Finicky Pinot Noir is now grown in many regions it shouldn’t be, thanks to the burgeoning demand after the film Sideways. This one had a sour taste that everyone hated. It might have tasted better when fresh: the wine lacked the preservative of sulfites and could have spoiled along the way.

At the end of the night, things got interesting. Our Spanish friend Antonio is known for his wonderful Sangrias and his facility in the kitchen. This night he showed his flare for improvisation. He mixed 2/3 Mike’s Hard Lemonade (like alcoholic Cool-Aid) with 1/3 Conha y Tora Cabernet, unearthed some oranges that he quickly cut into wedges, and voilá—Sangria. I was amazed at Antonio’s MacGyver-like ability to invent something out of the materials at hand. O.K., so he wasn’t dismantling a bomb with bubble gum and paper clips. But Sangria-In-A-Pinch is a little more useful, don’t you think?

The Fine Appeal of an Unfined Wine

2008-05-14T10:40:00.001-04:00

I tried a California cult wine last week at dinner. My friend Jay brought a bottle of 2005 Kistler Chardonnay to Antonella’s in South Orange. This hard-to-get wine is only available by mail order. To stay on the mailing list, you have to purchase an entire case at $80/bottle and up. Clever Jay split a case with a friend—still a lot of dough, but this wine is truly special.
I examined the bottle and noticed that the limited production wine had a number on the label (like a lithograph). Inside the bottle, the golden wine showed a wisp of cloudiness wafting up the center. Reading the back label, I learned that the wine is unfined and unfiltered. Fining is a process that gives wine clarity and filtering removes further sediments. Most winemakers choose to do both, but some forego one or both processes, believing that they sacrifice some flavor. These renegades want to create a wine that is as unprocessed as possible. I think it’s possible to make good or bad wine either way.
While some drinkers would panic to see a ghostly presence in their wine. I thought it looked ethereal and was more intrigued.
The aromas were complex with honey and floral notes. The mouthfeel was very dense. Loads of fruit with a delicious amount of tannin. The finish went on forever. This is a spectacular Chardonnay that says “Burgundy” far more than “California.” In fact, it reminded me of the Bobby Kacher white Burgundies from 2005 I had drunk two weeks before.
The wine paired beautifully with a mouthwatering appetizer—mussels and clams in a Prosecco cream sauce.
So cheers to Jay for introducing me to an outstanding wine. Given its scarcity, difficulty in ordering, and price point, the wine is a rare pleasure best savored with wonderful food and old friends.

Wine Blogging Wednesday #45--Old World Riesling

2008-05-06T21:41:00.004-04:00

Straw colored, with lemons and a touch of honeysuckle on the nose, the Hugel Riesling 2004 I tried was fresh, fruit-forward, and highly acidic. In fact, it cried out for food to soften the acids. I was having one of those, I’m not eating dinner nights (who says cooking has to happen 7 nights a week?) and I buttered some water crackers and happily munched. The acid from the wine was softened by the butterfat, which would translate easily to a more civilized evening enjoying sole with buerre blanc. I’m partial to bone-dry Riesling, and I am more familiar with the Alsatian ones than German. Hugel is Appellation Alsace Contrôlleé and very reasonably priced at $15.99. The winemaking tradition in this region is centuries old: the Hugel family has made wine there since 1639--talk about the family business! Michael Franz said in France Magazine that Alsatian Riseling is “the most lamentably under-appreciated of France’s greatest wines.” I am discovering more about Alsatian wines all the time, having blogged recently about a complex grand cru Gewurtztraminer and a fascinating Sylvaner. I’m loving learning about this wine region, and the Hugel & Fils Riesling is one more winner from eastern France.