Recently in Wine Category

It has been announced that Pol Roger is the official Champagne of the Royal Wedding!  It will be served before the sit-down meal prepared by Anton Mosimann and hosted by Prince Charles. It seems the Brits favor Pol Roger, since it was Winston Churchill's favorite. And the Champagne house even has a special cuvee named after him (Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill).

If you care to celebrate the Royal Wedding in the same style, pop open a bottle of the Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV, it typically sells for between $35 and $43 a bottle.  "A beautifully gold straw yellow hue, fine bubbles, a bouquet of floral and fruity aromas, ripe and thirst-quenching on the palate, with a superb taste of brioche."

 
New York's Sherry-Lehmann in midtown Manhattan has it for $39.95.

It is interesting to note that traditionally, Pol Roger has not been served at royal weddings. Queen Victoria issued a royal warrant to Bollinger in 1884, and Prince Charles chose it both for his stag party and for his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.

Sherry-Lehmann has released their Unsung Heroes of Bordeaux Spring Sampler. For decades they have sought out the smaller lesser-known properties of Bordeaux that consistently excel in their quality-to-price ratio... these are the Unsung Heroes and they release a new sampler each season!  I love trying these wines because they are tasty and affordable!  Many are Merlot forward so they're quite approachable and easy drinking with nice medium body and fruit.

It includes:
* Chateau Beynat 2006
* Chateau Jouanin Cuvee Prestige 2006
* Chateau Labatut-Bouchard 2008
* Chateau Lascaux 2005
* Chateau Maison Neuve 2006
* Chateau Mayne Vieil 2006
* Chateau Peyraud 2005
* Chateau Puynard 2007
* Chateau Roland La Garde 2006
* Chateau Roquefort 2005
* Chateau Thebot 2005
* Chateau Vieux Dominique 2006

The case of 12 is $159.95.

Sherry Lehmann is one of my favorite wine shops in the city. It's a beautiful store and everyone who works there actually knows about wine. Also, it's in a super convenient location (505 Park Ave. at the corner of 59th Street) near Bloomingdale's, Williams Sonoma and Pottery Barn.

Here are their wine picks for April:

Wine Spectator's complete list of Top 100 Wines of 2009 will be revealed on Friday!

They have already released part of the list, #s 10 - 6 today, #s 5 - 2 tomorrow; and then on Friday the complete list.

I've found some great wines from this list in past years. For example, one of my house favorites, Frescobaldi's Chianti Rufina Nipozzano Riserva 2005 vintage (90 points) was #76 on last year's list.

The #10 -6 wines that were revealed today are:

10  Brancaia Toscana Tre IGT 2007 - 93 points - $20

9    Merry Edwards Sauvignon Blanc Russian River Valley 2007 - 96 points - $29

8    Fontodi Colli della Toscana Centrale Flaccianello 2006 - 99 points - $110

7    Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco 2005 - 96 points - $44

6    Chappellet Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Signature 2006 - 94 points - $42

I think it's great that part of the consideration for the top 100 wines is value.  Only 1 of these 5 wines is over $50.  That's great because most people don't buy wines over $50 for drinking very often. (collectors who cellar is a different matter of course)

Yes, it's that time again, the Beaujolais Nouveau is arriving soon for delivery the 3rd Thursday in November...  Most serious wine people think the nouveau is a joke, but you have to admit that they've done some pretty clever marketing.

This year it sounds worth tasting at least.  Sherry Lehmann is calling it "one of the best Beaujolais vintages in the last 50 years". Here is Georges Duboeuf's commentary:  "We have had perfect weather with 50,000 grape pickers hard at work across the 3,000 vineyards of Beaujolais since September 4th," proclaimed Georges Duboeuf in his most recent harvest report, dated September 18th. "The grape bunches are small with a fine purplish black color, and are exceptionally rich in sugar. The berries are thick, and the seeds are a gorgeous amber color, a sign of perfect phenolic maturity. Their brightness, intensity, and above all, their perfect health are something to behold. We have not seen anything like this for a long time."

This year the label was designed by American artist Wayne Ensrud.

It is selling for $9.99 a bottle, presale.  On Thursday Nov. 19th, Franck Duboeuf and Wayne Ensrud will both be at Sherry Lehmann from 4 - 6 pm pouring the 2009 Nouveau at a free tasting.

 

Wow, can you believe it's 4th quarter already?  This year is going by so quickly...

The end of the year is a big gift-giving season, from the holidays to hostess gifts, I think it's good to have some extra gifts on hand for "emergency gifts".

Here are some sets available at Sherry Lehmann that are great gifts.

Veuve Clicquot Traveller's Gift Case (Yellow Label Brut 750 ml with 2 glasses) $59.95

The travel case with handles can be used  for wine, or you can remove the inner lining and use it as a bag for other things.

They also make this adorable rose version with a half bottle (no glasses) $39.95.

And this one by Pommery, Brut Royal Gift with two glasses, $32.95.

(picture with flutes not available)

Cheers!

The other day I wrote about tasting the Argiano 2004 Brunello... Well here's another great wine from Argiano: Non Confunditur 2007 IGT.  The blend is cabernet, merlot, syrah and sangiovese.  Here is a link to the pdf tasting profile at the Argiano website.

It rated 91 points from Wine Spectator.  Here is their review: "Offers an interesting combination of currant, raspberry and meat on the nose. Full-bodied, with chewy tannins and a spicy dried fruit aftertaste. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese and Syrah. Best after 2011. 9,200 cases made."

Saturday I was running around getting errands out of the way, you know the annoying things like getting watch batteries replaced and finding special lightbulbs at Home Depot... it was 6 pm and I was finally on my way home walking up Third Avenue and I realized I was STARVING, having had nothing but a grande skim latte all day...

So I stopped in at Accademia di Vino (Third & 64th) for a quick bite at the bar.  I have walked by this spot a thousand times and thought it was certainly time to give it a try.

The bar was surprisingly full and loud (music) for the early time.  The bar area in the front is the only part of the restaurant that is upstairs, the dining room is downstairs which is why I think this space has been challenging for restaurants in the past. The bar is a bit small but nice, it has bar stool seats and several high tables with seats which are good for eating with a small group. The bar has hooks for you to hang your bag on, which I think is a great thing. It's amazing how many bars forget this small (and inexpensive to provide) detail.

I got a seat at the bar and ordered a glass of wine.  I think the wines by the glass were a bit overpriced, but they had a fairly nice selection.  I got the carpaccio di manzo, which was delicious except that I hadn't read the menu carefully enough and it had raw red onions on it which I don't like.  Otherwise the preparation with very lean beef, shaved fennel, a tiny bit of fresh mint, parmigiano and black truffle vinaigrette was wonderful.  I just pulled the onions off. 

The menu is very nice. They offer 3 different carpaccios, all $15, the others are salmon and tuna. They also have salumi and cheese boards, each 3 choices for $15. They have some nice salads, among them: escarole with hazelnuts, mint and pecorino and a classic endive salad with gorgonzola, walnuts and apple.

They also have grilled pizzas ($16-19), pastas ($19-25), and entrees like herb crusted salmon with lentils ($29) and rack of lamb with roasted tomato and black olive conserva ($38). Other entrees are between $26 and $64 for a prime aged ribeye for two. You can looks at the full menu here.

PJ Wines now has the Frescobaldi 2005 Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva for $16.99!  That's a great price, especially because it is eligible for their case discount.  (wines whose price end in a 7 are not discounted, but do count towards filling up a case!)  So with the case discount price it's only $15.29!  That's fabulous.  Most places sell it for $19.99 or $21.99, some don't even offer a case discount..

This wine was one of Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2008.  It was number 76 and rated 90 points.  Here is their review: 

Offers plummy fruit, with hints of flowers, citrus and light chocolate. Medium-bodied, with a balanced and tasty palate, fine tannins and a clean finish. Structured. Best after 2009. 83,000 cases made. -JS

Here are the tasting notes from Frescobaldi:

Nipozzano leads with a medium-saturated ruby red, then quickly releases a lovely florality on the nose, showing violets and sweetbriar, which soon yield to fruitier impressions of morello and sour cherr. Last to emerge are spicy notes of clove and tobacco leaf. It enters warmly alcoholic and pleasantly dry in the mouth, impressively full-bodied but not heavy, and with well-focused tannins that are in judicious balance with the other components. The finish is appealingly crisp and long lingering. 

It's one of my favorites! I wrote about it previously in my post Top 5 Mid Priced ($20-30) Italian Red Wines.

Yesterday my boyfriend and I went down to SoHo to walk around and get lunch... We checked at Balthazar just for the heck of it, to see how long the wait with no reservations would be - - 1 hour!  Okay, so we kept walking West on Spring St and ended up at an old favorite: Mezzogiorno (Spring St. between Thompson and Sullivan).  They had outside tables and just above those, tables inside that were open to the outdoors.  We sat at one of those inside tables, it's perfect - just as good as being outside and elevated for a good view of the street and outside area (good for people watching)

We had the most fabulous lunch! To start we shared the CARCIOFI SALTATI IN PADELLA CON PISTACCHI E PARMIGIANO, which is baby artichokes sauteed with bits of pistachio nuts and served with parmigiano reggiano and lemon.  Oh my goodness, this was fabulous. They were cooked perfectly and utterly delicious.  Then we had the TAGLIOLINI ALLO ZAFFERANO CON SUGO PICCANTE DI GRANCHIO, homemade pasta with crab meat in a spicy light tomato sauce. Again, amazing!!!  The pasta was the perfect level of al dente and the sauce had just the right amount of spice not to overpower the taste of the crab. 

We also discovered a new wine from their wines by glass selection: MarcheRosso Fontezoppa 2007, a sangiovese/cab/merlot blend.

It was medium to full bodied with a nice round mouthfeel. Very tasty, we wrote the name down so we could look it up.  It's not a very popular wine in wine stores apparently, only 2 results came up in Wine-Searcher.  The best one being Shop Rite wines in Mercerville, NJ at a very reasonable price of $12.99/bottle.  A good find for sure!

I'm looking forward to going back to Mezzogiorno soon.  I would definitely order both dishes again!

Last night I had the Argiano 2004.  I thought at first it was a little weak, although super smooth.  After it had time to open up it was really quite superb!  I have had Argiano's Brunello in the past and consider it one of my go-to Brunellos... but I am always bad at remembering the way past vintages tasted (exactly) so when James Suckling says it's the best ever from Argiano it's hard for me to say I agree.  I guess I should start a wine journal...

Here is the short review from Wine Spectator:

Delivers raisins, blackberries and roses on the nose. Full-bodied, with a soft and silky tannin structure and a long and delicious finish. This is the best Brunello ever from here. Best from 2010 through 2016.

94 POINTS

--James Suckling, Wine Spectator

It's price in the market is between $40 and $50 depending where you buy it. Morrell's in NYC and Zachy's in Westchester have the worst prices...at $49.95 and $49.99 respectively.  Sherry Lehman is already sold out.

Harvest in the Square at Union Square Park is next Thursday, Sept. 24th from 7:30 - 9 PM (6 pm for VIP entrance).

It features tastings from participating restaurants, NY microbreweries and wineries (both NY state and non-NY).  This year a ton of great restaurants are participating including: BLT Fish, BLT Prime, Blue Smoke, Blue Water Grill, City Crab, Gramercy Tavern, Olives, Union Square Cafe... (and many more).  North Fork wineries include: Bedell, Corey Creek, Paumanok..

Tickets are $115 in advance and $125 at the event (if available), purchase online here.  The VIP admission is $400, purchase here.   The event is put on by the Union Square Partnership and proceeds will go towards the ongoing beautification of the park.

 

The Wall Street Journal Magazine has a good article about the "changed state of luxury" and how that has impacted Champagne over the last year or so, 'Bubbles Take A Bath'.

Image: Wall Street Journal, Toby Mcfarlan Pond, Styling by Noemi Bonazzi

The recession has affected all types of luxury goods and Champagne has not fared any better than the rest.  Just two years ago the problem was lack of supply, now there is a build-up of inventory in the marketplace and prices have come down.  This is great news, at least, for those of us who drink Champage all the time.

 

A while back we heard some rumbling about some investigations in Montalcino of the brunello producers. The accusation was that some were using grapes other than sangiovese which is the only DOC approved grape for Brunello di Montalcino.

5 producers have been found to have used unauthorized grapes:  Antinori, Argiano, Banfi, Casanova di Neri and Marchesi de' Frescobaldi.

What a scandal!  According to the NY Times, Banfi and Argiano are protesting the findings.

Here is a great perspective from a winemaker in Montalcino about the matter on the blog Do Bianchi.

Unfortunately one of my favorite wines is now sold out at Sherry Lehman, the 2007 Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto d' Alba.  It had been available for $21.95.

The 2008 is now available at Canal's Pensauken and several other retailers for around $17.50.  I assume the '08 vintage wasn't as good, or else because of the recession they decided to price it lower.

I am looking forward to tasting the new vintage and will report back!

 

I was taking a look at Crate & Barrel's "best buys" catalog and noticed they have some really fabulous, made in Europe wine glasses for only $3.95 each, amazing!  They're really attractive and look much more expensive.

Don't get me wrong, I love pulling out my $50/stem Christofle wine glasses often, but certain occasions call for less special glasses.  These are a great compromise because they still look great... and no one needs to feel bad if one gets broken.

Viv Stemware: 9 oz flute, 8 oz martini glass, 20 oz wine and 13 oz wine

Cheers!

Lapostolle is proud to announce that it has just achieved CarbonNeutral(R) status as part of its wider efforts to be sustainable and positively affect climate change. The CarbonNeutral Company is the world's pre-eminent company in providing solutions for tackling climate change, to reduce CO2 in a way that has inspired personal, commercial, and environmental benefit. Since Lapostolle's inception in 1994, its founder, Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle (whose great grand father founded Grand Marnier), has been committed to the goal of crafting world-class wines using sustainable practices. Today, all of Lapostolle's vineyards are organically managed and biodynamic, meaning they use no pesticides and work in tandem with the land's inhabitants to fertilize and cultivate crops.

Lapostolle's commitment to sustainable practices has led the winery to target their product exports for carbon emission reduction as these emissions are third party and non-reducible. This means that with CarbonNeutral(R) certification, Lapostolle is now able to offset some of the CO2 emissions produced from storing and shipping. Lapostolle wines have been measured and balanced to reach net zero through high quality Energy Saving and Green House Emission reduction projects. To offset their carbon emissions, Lapostolle is contributing to the Guizhou Hydro Power Project, helping to displace fossil fueled electricity by introducing renewable energy and to help develop a system of roads and infrastructure in this remote, mountainous region of China.

The philosophy behind the winery emphasizes the complicity between man and nature, reflecting Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle's belief in respecting the environment and having a reciprocal creative relationship with the land. Lapostolle has always been interested in sustainable winemaking, from building a five-floor gravity fed winery (three of which are based deep underground in the granite of the Chilean coastal Cordillera foothills) to never using pesticides. Additionally, grape harvesting is done almost entirely at night eliminating the need for cooling tanks. The grapes are also 100% de-stemmed by hand to conserve energy and ensure that only the best fruit is selected. The bottles use 60%-70% recycled glass and each case of wine is made from wood cut from sustainable Chilean forests.

In its short history Lapostolle has ranked in Wine Spectator's top 10 wines three times. In 2008, the brand received two of the industry's highest awards as its top cuvee Clos Apalta 2005 was recognized as the #1 wine in the world by Wine Spectator in a blind tasting of over 20,000 wines, and Wine Enthusiast named Lapostolle the New World Winery of the Year.

Source: Lapostolle

Sherry Lehmann's Unsung Heroes of Bordeaux are always tasty and inexpensive wines.  Each season they offer a sampler with 12 different unsung hero bottles.  The 2009 Summer Sampler features bottles all from the highly rated 2005 vintage.

The wines included are:

Château Beynat "Cuvee Leonard" 2005

Château Haut du Peyrat 2005

Château Jouanin 2005

Château Labatut Bouchard 2005

Château Lascaux 2005

Château Mayne Vieil 2005

Château Maison Neuve 2005

Château Peyraud 2005

Château Roquefort 2005

Château Thebot 2005

Château Thieuley 2005

Château Vieux Dominique 2005

 

The case is $159.95.  And if you're in New York, you get free shipping too.

Dom Perignon OEnotheque Vintage 1995 Wins Best in Show, and Dom Perignon Vintage 2000 Wins Double Gold at 2009 San Francisco International Wine Competition.

Dom Perignon received top accolades at the 29th annual San Francisco International Wine Competition, one of the most important and comprehensive wine and spirits competitions in the world. Dom Perignon OEnotheque 1995 was chosen Best in Show of all sparkling wines after the panel of judges agreed that it was the finest example of champagne or sparkling wine presented in the competition. Dom Perignon Vintage 2000 was awarded the Double Gold medal for unanimously pleasing the judges. Double gold is the second highest ranking a wine can achieve in competition, after Best in Show.

Of these honors, Chef de Cave Richard Geoffroy commented, "It is particularly gratifying to have the OEnotheque 1995 chosen as Best in Show. This wine is very personal to me, because my skills and creativity are tested and it is my task as chef de cave to know when the time has come to pronounce the wine ready. Vintage 2000 represents the essence of Dom Perignon, fresh yet mature, sparkling and seductive."

Since 1668, the goal of Dom Perignon has been to create the best wine in the world. Every step taken, from the selection of the best vines and the blending of the finest grapes to the declaration of the vintage is done with a single goal in mind: to reveal the promise of excellence inherent in each Dom Perignon vintage, and culminating in the fulfillment of the Dom Perignon style after a period of seven years.

Dom Perignon Vintage 2000

Dom Perignon Vintage 2000 is mysterious yet present, enigmatic and luminous, austere and opulent, elegant and sensual. This vintage could not possibly be a better expression of Dom Perignon's timeless style, nor more reflective of the 21st century which it opens. Dom Perignon Vintage 2000 has two faces. It is a paradoxical vintage: fresh yet mature, sparkling and serene, precise and caressing, austere and seductive. The paradoxes create aromatic, gustatory and tactile tensions that offer exceptional taste sensations.

Dom Perignon OEnotheque

Although every vintage of Dom Perignon evolves over a minimum of seven years in the cellar on the lees before being disgorged and released, a limited number of bottles are sometimes set aside to begin a second period of aging in order to join Dom Perignon OEnotheque. The secret of the OEnotheque lies in the additional duration of the wine's aging on the lees. This extra time allows each Dom Perignon vintage to surpass itself and metamorphose, becoming something that is not quite the same and not quite different. Dom Perignon OEnotheque is the ultimate expression of a wine whose style defies time.

Dom Perignon OEnotheque 1995 was aged for thirteen years in the Dom Perignon OEnotheque cellars, until the vintage acquired its maximum intensity and complexity.

Dom Perignon OEnotheque 1995 retains the imprint of the original Vintage 1995 which was released in 2002. Today, Dom Perignon OEnotheque 1995 has achieved a new peak of excellence, a second life, characterized by its intensity and exceptional complexity.

SOURCE Dom Perignon

I'm usually a red wine drinker, except for Champagne of course... and a nice white in the Summer.  I love a nice Sancerre, Muscadet, Gavi di Gavi, Greco di Tufo.... etc. etc.

But here's a relatively new discovery: Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis 2007. (pronounced: roh-EHR-oh ahr-NAYZ)  If you're in the NYC area, PJ Wines has it for a great price of $25.99. (vs. Wine.com for $35.99!)

I was never very familiar with this DOCG region, since Piedmont is known mostly for its reds.  The region is in the Roero hills to the north and east of Alba in southeastern Piedmont. It was granted its own DOC designation in 1985. The Roero Arneis white is made with 100% Arneis grapes.

The nose displays pear, peach and papaya scents with a hints of jasmine, minerals, honey and a dash of fresh hay. The palate features pear, orange zest and minerals that merge into white peach and finishes with delicate spice and florals. It's elegant and refreshing and pairs well with summery dishes like poached or grilled fish, crab cakes and chicken paillard.

Robert Parker has called the wine "One of the most glorious dry white wines made in Italy". Of this vintage, the Wine Advocate calls it a "knockout" with "gorgeous inner sweetness in its ripe apricots, peaches and flowers".

I have a few wines that I continually go back to, they're a little more special than an everyday wine but certainly don't break the bank. (listed in no particular order)  These wines are good year in, year out.  I've never had a bad year from any of them. In parenthesis is the current vintage available now in most wine shops, the Wine Spectator score and the aprox. price. 

1. Frescobaldi Nipozzano Chianti Rufina Riserva (Tuscany) (current: 2005 - WS 90, $20)

2. Bruno Giacosa Dolcetto d' Alba (Piedmont) (current: 2007 - WS 87, $24)

3. Travaglini Gattinara (Piedmont) (current: 2003 - WS 91, $30)

4. Antinori Chianti Classico Peppoli (Tuscany) (current: 2006 - WS 90, $26)

5. Bruno Giacosa Barbera d' Alba (Piedmont) (current: 2005 - WS 86, $30)

These are all wines that are pretty easy to find.  In New York, you can get them at Sherry Lehmann. Cheers.

 

Mark Your Calendars for Thursday, October 8th - Sunday, October 11th

Festival Founder and Director Lee Brian Schrager, in collaboration with Southern Wine & Spirits of New York, is pleased to announce tickets will go on sale June 15th, 2009 for the second annual Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival presented by Food & Wine and Travel+Leisure magazines.

Taking place this Columbus Day weekend, all the proceeds from the Festival will again benefit the hunger-relief organizations Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength. "After a record-breaking year at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, we are excited to return to New York City with a one-of-a-kind program," says Schrager. "In these hard times, hunger-relief organizations need our help even more and these two valuable organizations excel at putting these proceeds to good use. We are honored to be working with them to bring awareness to this issue and help families in need."

Guests will be delighted to savor the selection of exciting new events that have been added for the 2009 Festival. The fresh program begins on Thursday, October 8th with Bacon, Bourbon and the Blues hosted by Thrillist with the following innovative programming continuing throughout the weekend:

• Beloved and controversial New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni will hold a culinary discussion to share insights from the field and discuss the highly anticipated release of his book "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater" (Penguin, 2009)
• An unprecedented dinner series in conjunction with the James Beard House will include:
  • The intersection between food and fashion will be examined at the highly anticipated dinner hosted by fashion designer Zac Posen with Giada De Laurentiis (Giada at Home) and Marcus Samuelsson
  • 2009 James Beard Award "Best Chef New York City" Gabriel Kreuther of The Modern hosting an Oktoberfest Dinner
  • An unprecedented dinner with Alain Ducasse and his chefs who will cook in the Beard House kitchen for the first time
  • A decadent Jacques Torres & Friends Chocolate Brunch
• TimesTalks presented by New York Times will feature a new line-up of discussions with Ina Garten, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Anthony Bourdain
• The Festival's interactive wine and spirits seminars and cocktail clinics will return, taking place at Festival headquarters, The Standard, New York with new headliners like Kevin Zraly, Tony Abou-Ganim, Andrea Robinson, Anthony Giglio and Josh Wesson
• Not-to-be-missed wine seminars at the Astor Center, featuring in-depth discussions with brand aficionados including Boisset, Perrier-Jouet Fleur led by Agnes Laplanche, and Chateau de Beaucastel led by fifth generation owner and winemaker Marc Perrin
• Delta presents Dim Sum & Disco Brunch hosted by Ming Tsai, featuring talent such as Shang's Susur Lee and Chinatown Brasserie's Joe Ng at China Grill
• An all-day affair Flavors of the Farm: A Day with Stone Barns Center and Blue Hill at Stone Barns
• Hill Country will play host to the queen of Southern cuisine and her friends as Paula Deen hosts Down South Up North with boys Bobby and Jamie Deen; featuring the latest creations from the Lee Bros., along with Art Smith, Chris Lily and Katie Lee Joel
• Closing out the weekend is an unprecedented tribute to Little Italy's most iconic dish the "meatball", with Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis at la venue at the Waterfront

Returning Festival favorites include the kick-off event Chelsea Market After Dark presented by Food Network and hosted by Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) and Sandra Lee (Sandra's Money Saving Meals); the Blue Moon Burger Bash presented by Allen Brothers hosted by Rachael Ray held under the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO; the chic neighborhood-wide tasting Meatpacking Uncorked; RED hosted by Tom Colicchio with Paul Bartolotta; the celebration of sugary delicacies known as Godiva Chocolatier presents SWEET sponsored by Perrier-Jouet, hosted by Duff Goldman (Ace of Cakes); and the unparalleled tasting of food, wine and spirits found in the Grand Tasting presented by ShopRite at Pier 54 in Hudson River Park.

SOURCE Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival

This is quite unusual, but PJ Wine actually sells the half bottles of Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label for less than half price of the normal bottle!  I've never seen that before.... not to mention their price on a full bottle is one of the best in the market... so it's really a killer deal.

750 ml bottle = $36.97

375 ml bottle = $17.27

At regular places on the Upper East Side it is about $22, if you can find it at all!

Half bottles are great to have around for when you want to start dinner (or pre-dinner) with a little bit of Champagne... and then you're moving on to a red to go with dinner.  I hate to open a whole bottle because even with the stoppers they sell to preserve it, they don't work that well.  And with real Champagne, it's a shame to waste any.

 

Wine prices have been creeping up over the last year or so... it seems all of my favorite wines are at least a few dollars more than they used to be.  But happily, there are still plenty of good wines under $15.  Here are my top 10:

1. Carpineto Dogajolo, $9.49

2. Villadoria Dolcetto d' Alba 2007, $9.99

3. Di Majo Norante Sangiovese 2007, $11.79 

4. Luccarelli Primitivo 2006, $10.99

5. Sierra Cantabria Rioja 2006, $9.97

6. Dom Martinho Quinta do Carmo 2005, $10.95

7. Chandon Blanc de Noirs NV, $13.97

8. Terre Primitivo 2007, $8.95

9. Banfi Col di Sasso 2006, $7.39

10. Vina Mayor Ribera del Duero 2006, $9.95

 

I was down at the NJ Shore over the long holiday weekend, and out at a pretty nice Italian spot (Stella Marina) in the spiffed up town of Asbury Park.  Being at the beach and all, I was feeling like a lighter bodied red and ran across a Valpolicella on the wine list.  Even knowing that these are usually cheaper, quaffable light wines I felt like giving it a try since I hadn't had one in ages.  Our waiter, however, (who claimed to be in sommelier training) steered us away from it.  He said that it was a "Ripasso", explaining that this meant that the wine is made with grapes from only the second pressing and it would be a very light, thin wine.  Honestly, I didn't really believe this... I've never heard of any wine using only second press juice. 

Anyway, as chance would have it, the New York Times has a great article today in the dining section: Wine of the Times: Valpolicella: An Italian Mystery, Explained by Eric Asimov.  Among other things it cleared up my doubts about what Ripasso really means in this context. "Ripasso" does indeed mean "passed through again" but the article explains that in looking for bigger, richer Valpolicella wines the producers would add semi-dried grapes that could have been used for making Amarone or would ferment their wine with the skins and sediment of the semi-dried grapes used for Amarone.  And these methods refer to the Ripasso or Ripassa style.

Anyway, check out the article.  It's a good read and they rank their top 10 from a group tasting.  The #1 is the 2007 Vaona Valpolicella Classico ($16), and #2 which was also the "best value" the 2006 Tommasi Valpolicella Classico Superiore ($12).

DiningInfo, the restaurant survey company, recently reported robust growth in the number of restaurants that permit patrons to bring their own wine. This is good news for both budget-conscious diners and wine aficionados.

After surveying 1,286 restaurants in the New York area in the month of April, DiningInfo added 172 BYO-friendly restaurants, 156 of which previously did not permit BYO. Now, there are a total of 3,003 restaurants in the New York area that permit BYO, 574 of which have no charge for corkage.

During the same period, 84 other restaurants surveyed were found to have closed down, suggesting that the survivors discovered BYO as a viable way to attract more business in these difficult economic times.

Complete details about all 3,003 restaurants in the New York area that currently permit BYO, including their corkage fees, can be found at www.GoBYO.com.