Springtime and Rose Return

With the continued persistence of cool weather, it feels more like the 97th day of January than the final days of April. Consequently, we are all eager (extremely eager at this point) for the arrival of spring. Thankfully, daffodils in the garden outside my apartment and a few cameo appearances of warmth and sunshine provide a glimmer of hope.

These harbingers of spring further fueled my desire for all things fresh and green as I headed to the grocery store in search of springtime such as ramps, peas and asparagus for our dinner guest last weekend.

While I always advocate the consumption of rosé all year round, there’s no denying that its freshness and lightness underscore the season and are a welcome change from the heavy reds of wintertime dinners. Plus, I really enjoy the marriage of rose and vegetables.

A beautiful option is the Sokol Blosser Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir 2017, Dundee Hills, OR ($25.00). Pale salmon/onion skin in color, this wine offers up lovely notes of peach, watermelon and candy floss on the nose, giving way to a dry, fresh pala

te with bright acidity, flavors of peach, floral, and cherry along with a hint of earthy depth on the finish, long length.

Celebrating Argentine Wines on World Malbec Day

It’s time to break out the barbecue as we anticipate the arrival of fairer weather and grilling season this weekend. Plus, it’s time to celebrate Argentina’s signature grape variety on World Malbec Day, which takes place on April 17, 2018.

Admittedly, Malbec got its start in southwest France (think Cahors and – to a lesser extent – Bordeaux), having been cultivated in the area since Roman times. But the grape has been quite successful in making a home for itself in the Mendoza region of Argentina.

In fact, Argentina’s long relationship with Malbec dates to 1853 when agronomist Michel Aimé Pouget brought the grape to the New World country, having been hired to run an agricultural school there. On April 17th of that year, a bill was submitted to the legislature to establish the new school and was passed into law by early September. In addition to the school’s influence, Argentina’s early viticulture was also shaped by Italian and French immigrants, who brought their grape growing experience and expertise with them. Moreover, Malbec quickly adapted to its new home, rising in popularity and prominence. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that World Malbec Day took place for the first time.

On its own, this variety offers up fresh fruit aromas of black and bramble fruit and violet, usually joined by oak, vanilla due to barrel aging regimens. It generally produces wines with medium-to-full body, moderate-to-firm tannins and medium-to-high alcohol levels. Malbec grapes grown at the higher elevations found in the Andes Mountains benefit from the good diurnal variation and long hang time, developing thick skins and concentrated flavors.

But, while World Malbec Day is a great excuse to open up a Malbec wine, it is also a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Argentina’s wines in all their splendor and diversity. At the 11th edition of the Argentina Wine Awards, well titled as “Breaking New Ground,” 47 wines earned a score of 95 points and 17 wines received trophies: 6 red blends, 5 Malbecs, 1 Cabernet Sauvignon, 1 Cabernet Franc, 1 Chardonnay, 1 sparkling wine, 1 white blend and 1 sweet wine, proving that Argentina can produce more than just Malbec.

Of course, like wines from elsewhere, Argentine wines can be enjoyed with nearly any cuisine. However, with its adopted home being among the steak capitals of the world, it can be the perfect pairing partner for these wines.

In gearing up for the “holiday,” Hess Family Wine Estates sent out recipes for meals featuring Grilled Tomahawk Steak with Squash And Zesty Watercress Salad (Amalaya recipe) and another for Seared Lamb with Fresh Corn & Quinoa Soup (Colomé recipe), to be enjoyed with its Colomé Malbec 2015, Salta, Argentina, $25.00 (100% Malbec)* and Amalaya Malbec 2016, Salta, Argentina, $16.00 (85% Malbec, 10% Tannat, 5% Petit Verdot) wines. I happily indulged in the recipes, tweaking them a bit to fit our tastes and our pantry.

Specifically, we decided to cook our steaks in our cast iron skillet using a spice rub (we live in a NYC apartment and don’t have access to a grill), substituted a very large sweet potato in place of butternut squash and chose to forgo the other vegetables in the “squash with vegetable chips.” For the watercress salad, we skipped the habanero peppers and used lemon juice instead of lemon zest, with salt, pepper and good quality EVOO.

We also added the corn and quinoa soup to our meal from the Colome menu since it sounded so good. If you can grill your corn, it will definitely add a layer of depth and complexity, but you can just as easily “cheat” like I did and use a bag of frozen corn (much easier than wrestling the kernels off an ear of corn). The recipe calls for white quinoa, but we only had red quinoa and you can use the general quinoa ratio (1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water) rather than try to figure out 5.3 oz of quinoa. If you are dairy-free, substitute ghee or olive oil. I also added in some Cayenne pepper to give the soup a bit of a welcome (to us) kick.

All in all, it was a delicious dinner and went quite well with the two Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

TASTING NOTES
Viña Cobos Bramare Marchiori Vineyard Chardonnay 2016, Perdriel/Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina, $42.00
This wine was barrel fermented with native yeasts and underwent malolactic fermentation while in barrel. It then spent 12 months in French oak barrels, 50% of which were new. Despite the oak treatment, the oak character was relatively integrated and balanced, along with rich apple and tropical fruit flavors.

Amalaya Malbec 2016, Salta, Argentina, $16.00
This wine brings together 85% Malbec with 10% Tannat and 5% Petit Verdot. On the nose, the wine shows an intensity of berries, bramble fruit and a hint of smoke, which persist on the dry, full-bodied palate, balanced out with medium+ acidity and  medium+ ripe tannins.

Andeluna Altitud Malbec 2014, Tupungato, Mendoza, Argentina, $20.00
Deep inky purple in color, this wine displays berries, oak, vanilla and a hint of earth on the nose. On the palate, it is dry with ripe black cherry and blackberry fruit, joined by some oak and herbal notes, with medium+ acidity, firm tannins, full body and medium+ length.

Colomé Malbec 2015, Salta, Argentina, $25.00
This wine spent 15 months aging in French oak barrels, which comes across as smoke and oak on both the nose and palate, joined by a slight floral note. It offers up good acidity with lots of blackberry and plum flavors, along with an herbal undercurrent and a long finish.

Vincentin Colosso 2014, Luyan de Cuyo and Valle de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina, $45.00
A blend of 94% Malbec, with 3% each of Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc, this wine was aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels. It has an intense woody, red fruit, berries, spice and vanilla nose, which all persist on the dry, medium+-bodied palate, culminating in long length.

Bodega Sottano Reserva de Familia Malbec 2015, Luyan de Coyo, Mendoza, Argentina, $30.00
This wine spent 15 months in new oak (70% French and 30% American) barrels. The wine’s intense nose provides notes of plum, bramble fruit, oak and a hint of perfume, all of which persist on the luscious palate. An intensity of fruit character dominates, but the wine is also very fresh, with balance and long length.

Bodegas Norton Gernot Langes 2012, Luyan de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, $100.00
This 80% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc blend has an intense nose of violets, oak, cedar, berries and vanilla. Its palate is dry with a sweet attack of ripe fruit of blackberries, black cherry, firm tannins, full body and long length. It is a powerful and concentrated wine that will improve with bottle age.

Viña Cobos Cocodrilo Corte 2015, Luyan de Cuyo and Valley de Uco, Mendoza, Argentina, $28.00*
Bringing together 77% Cabernet Sauvignon with 15% Malbec and 8% Cabernet Franc, this Bordeaux-style blend is lush with ripe fruit on the nose and palate, redolent of blackberry, black cherry and a woody undercurrent. It shows good acidity, with firm tannins and medium+ body on the powerful and rich palate.

Bodega Luigi Bosca Finca Los Nobles Field Blend Cabernet Bouchet, 2012, Mendoza, Argentina, $70.00*
Produced from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouchet grapes that have been grown together for more than 90 years, at an altitude of 1,050 meters above sea level, this wine is then aged for 24 months in new French oak barrels. This is an elegant, yet powerful wine, with classic Cabernet Sauvignon characteristics. It displays aromas and flavors of blackberry, oak, smoke, herbs and dried flowers with bright acidity, firm tannins, and full body.

Proemio Reserve Syrah Garnacha 2015, Mendoza, Argentina, $20.00
The 50-50 blend was co-fermented before being aged for 12 months in French oak. With aromas of cloves, leather and black cherry, the dry wine then offers up bright acidity, black cherry, oak, spice, firm tannins and long length on its palate. A really lovely wine, especially for the price.

*Argentina Wine Awards Trophy Winner

Tannat: The Wine Bar Where Helen Knows Your Name

With many people bemoaning the closures of well-loved, long-time establishments lately, it is nice to see new places springing up to take their place in our hearts. Like Tannat Wine & Cheese. Tannat is the hot new wine bar you’ve never heard of…until now.

Opened in December 2017, Tannat took over a former razor store (the vagaries of questionable businesses in New York) in Inwood and is breathing new life into the neighborhood.

The small storefront, situated on Broadway, just a few blocks south of Dyckman, is the brainchild of business (and life) partners, William Emery and Sarah Goler. Billed as “Natural Wine & Rustic Cuisine,” their cute and clever watering hole is described as a cross between a wine bar and a farm to table restaurant. The pair further note that their wines can be summed up as “S.N.O.B.S.” given that they are S-ustainable, N-atural, O-rganic, B-iodynamic and S-mall Lot.

Will and Sarah are anything, but snobs. Rather, they are focused on simple ideas such as sustainable ingredients, fair practices and quality food and wine. To this end, they are working toward B-corp status for the business, which is named for a French grape variety (now finding a home in Uruguay). Yet, despite the name, the duo appear to be more inclined toward palindromes than toward Tannat itself, although it does garner a spot on the wine list, as evidenced by the inclusion of
TANNAT
wine & cheese
eseehc & eniw
TANNAT
at the top of the food menu.

On our first visit, I kicked off the evening with a rosé sparkler, while hubby homed in on the Pét-Nat.* We eventually strayed into the Orange Wine # section, which offers not one, not two, but 3 or 4 orange wines! To accompany our wine choices, we tasted a variety of small dishes including a sea bass crudo with sun-dried tomato and a porridge that featured a unique, perennial (and hence, more sustainable) grain called Kernza (See: https://landinstitute.org/our-work/perennial-crops/kernza/ for more information on this great (but, sadly not gluten-free, grain.)

The menu changes daily depending upon what’s available in the market. Visiting on back to back evenings, I can attest to the variance. The selection includes local cheeses, meat boards and some interesting spreads such as a butternut squash spread we enjoyed during our date night.

While the emphasis is on fresh and seasonal ingredients, the menu does sport a few recurring dishes such as house made pickled vegetables and Pao de Queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread, touted on the menu as being addictive, but which, thankfully, is delicious, but not as dangerous as advertised ? The menu also includes a category called, “But I Shoulds,” listing several different chocolate truffles, making it hard to resist a small bite of dessert.

The sophisticated and well curated list of wines can be enjoyed by the “splash,” glass or bottle. Splashes are generally quite generous and permit customers to enjoy a wide range of wines rather than committing to a full glass of something. Moreover, with unusual wines from the Jura and Slovenia starring grapes such as Trousseau and Rkatsiteli from well-regarded producers, guests are invited to venture outside their comfort zone of Chardonnay, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. For the less vinous-inclined, Tannat also has a selection of beers.

For our second visit, we explored more food and shifted our attention to the reds, sampling a Turley Cinsault and Domaine Ouled Thaleb’s Syrocco – a Syrah from Morocco that was on special that evening due to the wine class they had taught earlier in the day. Visits three and four provided the opportunity to taste the KTW Rkatsiteli Qvevri from Georgia (the country, not the state), an orange wine fermented in a clay amphora and a sparkling Arneis from Piedmont producer, Malvira.

Tannat offers two happy hours (happy, happy!) Monday through Friday; first at 5:00-7:00 and then again from 11:00 PM to close (2:00 AM), during which customers receive a discount on full glass prices. Wine school classes are held on Saturdays from 3:00-5:00.

In addition to bar seating, couples and trios can sit along the banquette and tables that run parallel to the bar, while larger groups are more easily accommodated at the high-top tables in the front of the room.

Shuttling between the bar and tables throughout the night, Helen Pitkowsky is warm, welcoming and knowledgeable. The experienced hospitality professional was lured uptown for the role and seems to very much enjoy her new post (and presumably the shorter commute – she’s a WaHi gal).

As I sat watching her on a Friday night, Helen greeted many customers by name and even reminded two men sitting at the bar that they had met each other previously. Her sincerity and kindness greatly add to the bar’s atmosphere and instill a true neighborhood vibe. And while I hope to spend less time at the bar than Norm Peterson, I do aspire to be a regular here; Helen already knows my name. Cheers to Tannat!

*Pét-Nat (short for Pétillant-naturel) is a sparkling wine produced in a more ancient and rustic production method, with the wine bottled prior to the completion of primary fermentation, thus trapping the carbon dioxide (a by-product of alcoholic fermentation) in the bottle and producing an effervescent wine.

#Orange wines are those produced with white grapes that have had some skin contact, thereby infusing some color – an orange hue – and are often given some intentional exposure to air, thereby imparting an oxidative character to the wines.

Tannat
4736 Broadway
New York, NY 10040
Monday to Sunday: 5PM to 2AM

Prosecco Superiore: The Perfect Partner for Celebrating Your Partner

While sparkling wine is chiefly associated with New Year’s Eve, I think it is an equally lovely accompaniment to Valentine’s Day! A glass of effervescent bubbles always elevates the occasion and, while it might be a so-called “Hallmark holiday,” there’s no reason not to celebrate love in all of its many forms.

There certainly is no specific sparkler for the holiday, but Prosecco Superiore is a great place to start for several reasons (For more details on what makes Prosecco Superiore so superior, please check out this previous article.) In particular, these Italian bubbles are becoming more well known and thus, easy to find on restaurants’ wine lists and retailers’ shelves. In addition, these wines carry the higher quality designation – DOCG – which signals to your date that you care about them to invest in the good stuff.

But, even better, this isn’t a major investment. These wines are generally priced under $25.00, so your upgrade in quality doesn’t break the bank. Plus, their popularity is well deserved – they are beautifully balanced, with a lovely mousse and floral and fresh fruit flavors such as pear, peach, apple and citrus.

Their lively acidity makes them very food friendly. Hence, they marry well at the table, but are easily well suited as an aperitif to kickoff the dining experience. Or, perhaps to toast an engagement at the end of a meal!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Tasting Notes

BiancaVigna Conegliano Valdobbiadene DOCG Brut Prosecco Superiore 2015, Veneto, Italy, $23.00
This winery was established in 2004 by the brother and sister team of Elena and Enrico Moschetta. This wine is very floral on the nose with a slight note of spiced pear. It is dry and crisp on the palate, with white flowers, nectarine, pear and long length. It pairs especially well with food due to its vibrant acidity and clean finish.

 

Ruggeri Vecchie Viti Valdobbiadene DOCG Brut Prosecco Superiore NV, Veneto, Italy, $22.00
Produced from vines that average 80 to 100 years old, this wine has been given the designation “Vecchie Viti” (old vines). The nose is redolent of flowers and pears. The slightly off-dry palate displays medium to high acidity, with peach, pear and floral notes, along with long length. With its hint of sweetness, this wine would pair well with spicy foods or with rich, fatty meats.

 

 

Le Colture Fagher Valdobbiadene DOCG Brut Prosecco Superiore NV, Veneto, Italy, $16.00
The “Fagher” is the most modern in style of Le Colture’s Prosecco Superiore offerings, putting it at a
It offers up an intense nose of flowers, pear and slight citrus aromas. On the palate, it is dry with a creamy mousse, along with crisp acidity and citrus and green apple flavors, culminating in long length. Another food friendly option.

 

And the winner is… Piper-Heidsieck kicks off award season in style

Admittedly, I only saw one movie in an actual movie theater in all of 2017 and possibly only a handful of films via Netflix. Yet, there is still something magic about the movie business.

Thus, I roused myself out of bed at an ungodly hour (at least compared to my usual 8:00 AM alarm) to head downtown to the iPic Theaters in South Street Seaport to watch the presentation of the Oscar nominations for this year’s Academy Awards.

OK, it wasn’t just the glamour of Hollywood singing her siren song. A Champagne breakfast, courtesy of Piper-Heidsieck, was the more alluring bait. And, the breakfast didn’t disappoint; there are a lot of worse ways to start the day than with a fabulous glass of Champagne, smoked salmon and Eggs Benedict topped with caviar!

Piper-Heidsieck has long been associated with the movie industry, having first appeared on the scene (and screen) in Laurel and Hardy’s debut film, Sons of the Desert in 1933. In addition to serving as the official Champagne of the International Cannes Film Festival, the Champagne house continues to be the official Champagne of the Oscars, now in its fourth year of its partnership with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In keeping with its tradition, Piper-Heidsieck has designed a special, limited-edition Magnum to mark the occasion. With the first Academy Awards held in 1929, this year heralds the 90th award season and the “label” (in fact, a gold foil appliqué that required a special process to adhere the graphic to the bottle) takes its cue from this “Golden Age” of Hollywood with an Art Deco design, created by a young, French designer.

While only a handful of these limited-edition bottles have been made (such is the definition of limited), the bubbles inside are not so limited and are available in Piper-Heidsieck’s regularly bottled, signature Cuvée Brut. So, although you may not win an Oscar yourself, you can simply pretend you did or raise a glass in honor of your own achievements, even if that only includes bingeing on the Oscar nominations in the lead up to the televised award ceremony on March 4, 2018.

A Plethora of Prosecco for the Holiday Season

One of my biggest (wine) pet peeves, is when people use the word Champagne as a generic term for sparkling wine. But, while all Champagne is sparkling wine, only those bottles of bubbly that come from the Champagne region in France are entitled to that protected term.

Another well-known sparkler is Prosecco and, as my friend Dan lately noted, Prosecco has become a safe word. Admittedly, he wasn’t referring to the bedroom, but rather, to the bar, where Prosecco’s familiarity offers an easy way to order an effervescent option amidst the hustle and bustle of an overwhelming wine list.

Yet, despite its long history – mention of Prosecco dates as far back as Roman times – this Venetian sparkling wine hasn’t always been as popular as it is today. But, it is precisely this newfound fame that was almost its undoing.

In fact, given its broad name recognition, Prosecco had become a victim of its own success, with fraudulent products flooding the market and its name appropriated much like Champagne as a catch-all for a glass or bottle of bubbles. It was this proliferation of non-Prosecco Prosecco that prompted the consortium to radically revise its rules back in 2009.

Chief among these changes was the introduction of Glera as the name of the grape formerly referred to as Prosecco and the designation of a delimited area as the Prosecco territory: a swath of land that spans nine provinces within two Italian wine regions (Veneto and Friuli), formally codifying the historic and existing production zones and the production procedures themselves. Accordingly, Prosecco DOC is now a protected geographic indication (PGI) and wannabe wines are forbidden from affixing the term Prosecco to their labels. Additionally, a second designation, Prosecco Superiore DOCG was simultaneously created (See Promoting Prosecco, Parlare Prosecco Superiore and Slowing Down in Asolo). These new regulations have helped to protect Prosecco from copycats, but vigilance by the consortium is still required.

The continued growth in demand (and sales) for Prosecco has been met with a steady swell in supply from just under 1.5 million hectoliters in 2011 to just over 3.5 million hectoliters in 2016, with a current volume of over 400 million bottles annually. Three-quarters of these bottles find their way outside of Italy, namely the UK and the U.S.

As a fresh, fruit-driven sparkler, Prosecco gets its aromatic character from the Glera grape, which must make up 85% of the wine and the use of the Charmat, instead of the Traditional, Method of sparkling wine production. Charmat production relies exclusively on stainless steel and omits the lengthy ageing on the lees that Champagne and other similar wines undergo. In addition to preserving fresh and fragrant aromas, this process results in lower costs and speedier sparkles.

Not surprising, Prosecco’s pleasant fruity and floral aromas, low alcohol, lively acidity and persistent effervescence account for its wide appeal. Yet, despite its increased popularity, Prosecco should not be dismissed as merely a cheap and cheerful sparkler. Yes, these are relatively inexpensive ($15-20) compared with their costly ($40 and up) counterparts: Champagne, Franciacorta (page 17) and luxury Cava. But, they still offer complexity and balance on the nose and palate.

In fact, I was reminded of this diversity at a recent comparative tasting of ten Proseccos. While there was a common wine style of peach, pear and/or apple aromas among the selection, they differed in intensity, acidity and sweetness levels.

Admittedly, all of the wines showed well, but I did have a few favorites of the line-up which included: La Jara Prosecco di Treviso Frizzante, Perlage Sgajo Extra Dry Prosecco di Treviso, La Marca Prosecco, Bianca Vigna Brut Prosecco, Astoria Extra Dry Prosecco di Treviso, and Villa Sandi Il Fresco Prosecco di Treviso (tasting notes below).

With its crowd-pleasing characteristics, Prosecco is a perfect option for the holiday season, which can easily work as an aperitif, a food-friendly pairing at the table and as a toast to health, happiness and prosperity!

Just don’t call it Champagne.

TASTING NOTES
La Jara NV, Prosecco di Treviso DOC Frizzante, Veneto, Italy
While most Prosecco wines are fully sparkling, a small fraction is produced in a lightly fizzy (aka frizzante) style as is this one. Fresh aromas of peach and honeysuckle greet the nose. The dry palate displays bright acidity and a lighter body, with flavors of lemon curd and white flowers. This is a very fresh and pleasant wine with plenty of acidity to pair well with food. Medium+ length.

Perlage Sgajo Extra Dry NV, Prosecco di Treviso DOC, Veneto, Italy
This Vegan wine is a bit shy on the nose, but its dry palate offers up ripe citrus and floral notes, along with medium+ acidity, nice, creamy mousse and long length with a slight fruitiness lingering in the finish coupled with some minerality and salinity. Good complexity.

La Marca NV, Prosecco, Veneto, Italy
Pronounced pear aromas with some peach and floral notes on the nose give way to a dry, yet fruity palate with flavors of honey, honeysuckle and pear plus a hint of lime. There is a lovely richness on the palate, with a creamy mousse and medium+ length.

Bianca Vigna Brut NV Prosecco, Veneto, Italy
This wine is very floral on the nose with an interesting richness and complexity on the palate reminiscent of Riesling – displaying an oily/petrol character – joined by pear and apple flavors and culminating in long length.

Astoria Extra Dry NV, Prosecco di Treviso DOC, Veneto, Italy
Aromas of pear and apple dominate the nose while the dry palate features apple, citrus and slight minerality, along with medium+ acidity, a very clean finish and medium+ length.

Villa Sandi Il Fresco NV, Prosecco di Treviso DOC, Veneto, Italy
This wine shows floral and peach aromas, with a slightly off-dry palate that is round and creamy, balanced by medium+ acidity. Its ripe peach and floral flavors are joined by honey in the finish, culminating in long length.

Pairing Beyond the Ordinary

Once, at a trade event, a woman advised me that the wine I was tasting went well with food. Well, duh! Wine has always been a beverage meant to be enjoyed with a meal and is among the only ones where both are enhanced by one another. In some cultures, drinking wine without food is anathema.

More recently the trend has been to look well beyond the axiom, “What grows together goes together,” in favor of showcasing the flexibility of a given wine by pairing it with less expected culinary options. Think Alsatian Gewürztraminer with Indian curries or Prosecco with sushi.

At Atla, Michelin-starred Cosme’s younger, more casual sibling, Mexican inspired food was served alongside a selection of New Zealand wines from Kim Crawford. This NZ producer has always been one of my go-tos for Sauvignon Blanc, but it was nice to see that the range seems to have been expanded stateside, as we also had the opportunity to taste the Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Rosé and Pinot Noir. Adding a further twist to the evening, dessert was a Mexican Hot Chocolate (recipe below), featuring the Pinot Noir. This was served after I left, so I didn’t get a chance to taste it, but with the cold rain pouring down that evening, I am sure it was a welcome treat.

Image courtesy of Susannah Gold

A few blocks away, I was introduced to the wines of Lugana, a small Italian wine region, which spans both Lombardy and the Veneto. These wines, primarily produced from the Trebbiano di Soave grape variety, may be dry, sparkling or, in the case of late harvest, sweet, dessert style wines. During the dinner at La Pizza Fresca, these beautiful white wines were more traditionally matched with a traditional Italian meal of arugula salad, beets, pizzas and a selection of fish, chicken and meat.

Among the less traditional decisions was choosing to pair these white wines with short ribs, but it worked well due to the richness, depth and full-bodied nature of many of the wines. My tasting notes are a bit spotty, but I was particularly impressed with the light, freshness of the Olivini Lugana DOC 2016, the complexity and richness of the Selva Capuzza Lugana Riserva DOC Menasso 2013 and the beautiful balance of the Margona Lugana DOC Vendemmia Tardiva dessert wine.

Both the Kim Crawford and Lugana events worked well primarily due to the basic pairing principle of ensuring that the wines had sufficient acidity to go well with the various dishes. Accordingly, their crisp, clean nature meant that one’s palate was cleansed between bites and ready for more, while simultaneously they highlighted the flavors in the accompanying food; an overall reminder that simple rules can serve us well even when we think we are breaking them.

The next night found us in Williamsburg at an unusual venue for the launch of Enjoy la Vie from Bordeaux negociant, Cordier. Entering through a loading dock, we were immediately struck by the quirky, high-ceilinged, warehouse-style space of ACME Studios. The space appears to be more regularly used for photo shoots, but it was a fun place to explore these new, entry-level wines.

The focus was on decidedly on France, with the classic pairing of cheeses and charcuterie. Similarly, attendees were invited to don a beret, grab a baguette and pose for a photo, instantly transformed (and immortalized) into cute, French clichés. But, despite the expected match, the event was far from boring and not all things were classically French. Namely, the brass band with its bold and boisterous jazz music meant that this was not a typical Bordeaux tasting.

With regard to the wines themselves, I was more impressed with the Bordeaux Blanc and Bordeaux Rouge wines than the varietally-labeled Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. Regardless, I had a great time at the event. Most likely because I was paired with my wonderful husband. Which just underscores that context and company are is often just as important as the cuisine.

 

 

 

MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE
INGREDIENTS:
4 oz Kim Crawford Pinot Noir
2 oz dairy milk or non-dairy milk (almond is a good option)
3 Tbsp powdered baking cocoa
1 oz coffee liqueur
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch chili powder

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-warm an 8-10 oz coffee mug. In a saucepan, combine chocolate powder and brown sugar with milk to make into a rich syrup. Add coffee liqueur and Kim Crawford Pinot Noir. Stir until ingredients are hot. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and ground cinnamon. Pour into pre-warmed mug and garnish with whole cinnamon stick and pinch of chili powder.

Food and Wine Fit For Royalty

Tuscan wine producer Ruffino, which celebrates its 140th anniversary this year, marked the occasion with a pizza party at Emily’s. The event featured a selection of seasonally-inspired cocktails, produced with Ruffino’s Prosecco, as well as a chance to pick one’s favorite pairing among the pizzas and wines.

Emily’s pizzas are categorized by color: reds (tomato sauce), pinks (vodka sauce), greens (tomatillo sauce) and whites (no sauce) and are self-described as Detroit-Grandma style pies. In this regard, they are square-shaped with thick, crispy crusts. And, more to the point, they are delicious.

Although I am generally gluten-free, I give myself a break on vacations and, having just returned from Cancun, chose to extend my GF reprieve to indulge; it was worth every bite!

Among my preferred pies were the Emily, a sauce-free pizza with pistachio, honey, and truffle Sottocenere cheese and the Madre, topped with tomatillo sauce, mozzarella and chorizo. These two pizzas were specifically paired with the Pinot Grigio and Sparling Rose, but we happily enjoyed them with the Chianti Classico.

Beppe D’ Andrea, global brand ambassador of Ruffino Wines, shared the history of the brand as well as that of another traditional Italian product — Margherita pizza. According to D’Andrea, this (now) classic Neopolitan pizza style was created almost 130 years ago in honor of Queen Margherita, who was dining in Naples at the time. Wanting to serve something special for the Queen, the restaurateur crafted an edible Italian flag — red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella cheese) and green (basil) —  on the spot and thankfully, the Queen enjoyed it very much. Emily’s kitchen sent out a sample of this style for us to try as well.

Similarly, Ruffino got its start by being favored by royalty. When the Duke of Aosta visited the winery in 1890 and tasted its wines, he was immediately impressed and placed an order right away. The barrel-aged wine was marked as having been reserved for the Duke (Riserva Ducale) and Ruffino became the official supplier to the Italian royal family. This Chianti Classico Riserva wine was first released commercially in 1927, permitting the masses and not just the monarchy, to buy it. Today, the wine still bears the Riserva Ducale designation and is in the unique situation of having Riserva on the label twice.

I have no tasting notes to share because frankly, I was too busy having a good time, eating pizza fit for a Queen and drinking red wines made for a Duke. But, I have had the Ruffino wines previously and they never disappoint. There is a reason that the winery has been in business for 140 years!

 

Celebrating spirits: An evening of mixology, music and merriment with Brockmans Gin

While it was a week dedicated to communing with the dearly departed (Dia de los Muertos), a party promoting spirits of a different kind celebrated Brockmans Gin with mixology, music and general merriment.

Gin has a long and storied history. Initially created as an inexpensive medicinal oil, by Franciscus de la Boe (aka Doctor Sylvius), a physician at Holland’s University of Leyden, the elixir was developed to relieve bladder and kidney ailments. Dr. Sylvius referred to his medicine as “Genièvre”, the French name for the juniper berry, which was the primary ingredient for his concoction.

English soldiers developed a taste for the local spirit, gin, while fighting alongside the Dutch and brought back the production method to England with them. As taxes on imported beverages were raised, and taxes on English spirits were lowered, gin received a further push and soon became extremely popular, particularly by the poorest classes. So much so that crudely made (and often unsafe) spirits were being sold in thousands of gin shops throughout London and led to many social problems in the city, including increased drunkenness and death.

Eventually, the ills associated with gin were dramatically reduced and the emphasis shifted from a cheap, alcoholic beverage to a high-quality gin. These latter gins were no longer overly sweet and focused on the inherent flavors of the spirit, namely juniper. This new kind of gin became known as the “London Dry Style”.

While less flagrantly conspicuous in society, gin’s appeal continued when it was discovered that it paired well with quinine (used to control malaria) on voyages to the tropics, inventing the now well-known gin and tonic. In fact, during the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was gin and not vodka that was the go to for mixing into various cocktails.

Today, vodka dominates the spirits market as the most internationally traded spirit, with worldwide vodka sales reaching nearly 500 million nine-liter cases. By comparison, gin sales account for roughly only 50 million nine-liter cases. Yet, gin continues to be an important spirits staple and is gaining momentum in the marketplace, particularly at the high end.

This resurgence in the category has not gone unnoticed as new brands are entering the fray, capitalizing on craft beverages and craft cocktails. This renaissance provided inspiration for four friends to produce a super-premium gin with a trendy, night-life vibe aimed at the Millennial market. Thus, in 2008, Brockmans Gin was launched by Kevan Crosthwaite, David Crosthwaite, Bob Fowkes and Neil Everitt.

Thursday’s festivities offered up the opportunity to taste Brockmans Gin in all of its glory.
Produced at the oldest existing gin distillery in Birmingham, England (in a copper still that is over 100 year old), the gin includes the requisite juniper, but this flavor is much less dominant on the palate. As Fowkes explained, market research indicated that many people were not big fans of juniper and complained of drinking beverages reminiscent of a Christmas tree. Consequently, the botanicals in Brockmans Gin lean more heavily on the citrus and fruit components, namely lemon peel, orange peel, blueberries and blackberries. As a high-end product, is it exceptionally smooth and very enjoyable to drink neat.

There were also five different cocktails available. Of the three I tasted, my favorite was the Brockmans English Heat, which was developed especially for the event by Nomad’s mixologists. The beautifully balanced addition of heat was thanks to the inclusion of Jalapeno-infused agave, which was combined with Brockmans Gin, Chambery Dry Vermouth, Tuaca and lemon. This beat out the more citrus-centic Brockmans Nod to Nothing (Brockmans Gin, Cocchi Americano, Jasmine Pearl Green Tea, Apricot, Sale Yuzu and Lemon) by just a little bit, but both showed off the gin to its advantage.