City Winery

Posted on July 18, 2010 by admin

This summer I had the opportunity to attend two wine and cheese pairing classes at City Winery in NYC.  Located at 155 Varick Street, City Winery is the first fully functioning winery in Manhattan and was founded by Michael Dorf.  His vision was to create a  space in the city where you can go and enjoy amazing wines paired with great food and live music.  Along with the many concerts they have scheduled they also offer special event dinners with winemakers, a private dining room, as well as a barrel making program for individuals or corporations.   One of the coolest things I love about City Winery is that when you order one of their wines by the glass it comes straight from a barrel in the cellar through the tap and into your glass, skipping the bottle altogether.  You simply can’t get any fresher than that!

The wine classes that I attended were in partnership with Murray’s Cheese, Manhattan’s oldest and most renowned cheese shop.  My favorite was in honor of the World Cup and the teams competing were France vs Italy.  It featured 2 Italian wines and 3 cheeses against 2 French wines and 3  cheeses.  While I loved all the cheeses we tried no matter what country they were from, in the end France won out for me.  No  surprise there.  I absolutely loved the French red Chateau d’Or et de Geulules Costieres-de-Nimes Les Cimels 2007.  This wine was dark ruby in color, had aromas of cherry and blackberry, and had tons of spice and dark fruit flavor.  I do have to give Italy an honorable mention for the white wine we sampled- Fruilano Bastianich 2007.  This wine was pale gold in color with a sweet honey aroma, and was drier with lemon and pear flavors.  It paired beautifully with the Petit Billy goat cheese from France.  Other cheeses that were standouts were the Pyranees Brebis, a sheeps milk cheese from France and the Taleggio from Italy.  This Taleggio from Murray’s wasn’t as ripe and soft as the ones I have bought but the flavor was still excellent especially when paired with the French red wine.

I loved this concept of having 2 wine regions face off and having everyone pick their favorite.  It would make for a great do it yourself wine tasting party and the options would be endless:  Australia vs New Zealand,  Washington vs California, Chile vs Spain, I could go on and on.  Thanks to City Winery for offering these educational and fun classes.  I can’t wait to see what the next classes are on the schedule!

Posted in France, Italy, Wine bars/Restaurants, Wine tastings/events | Leave a comment

Banfi Rosa Regale

Posted on July 15, 2010 by admin

This past Fourth of July weekend I wanted to be a little more festive with my beverage choices but what do you pack for a boating trip in a heat wave?  My answer just happened to be chilling in my fridge at home.  A few weeks prior I found my favorite sparkling red wine Banfi Rosa Regale in a friend’s local wine shop.  I first tried this wine in Chelsea Market and it made a big impression on me then and it continues to do so now.  Rosa Regale 2009 is a Brachetto d’Acqui produced in Strevi, Italy from the Brachetto grape.  The color of this wine in the glass is a brilliant dark pink hue and it tastes just as good as it looks.  There are raspberry and strawberry flavors accompanied by those lovely sparkling bubbles on your tongue.  There is just enough acid to make the perfect blend of sweetness without being overly dry.  I love my red wine but in temperatures over 90 degrees I need something more refreshing,  making a sparkling red a wiser choice.  At 7% alcohol it is on the lighter side and as a plus it can be paired with almost anything from spicy food, poultry, and cheese, as well as desserts-especially those of the chocolate variety.  We enjoyed a few glasses on it’s own before dinner and then paired it with grilled chicken and asparagus.  I recommend this wine not only on hot summer nights but also when entertaining as a lower priced alternative to champagne.  Rosa Regale is reasonably priced at under $20 per bottle.

Posted in Italy, Sparkling/Bubbly | 2 Comments

Le Petit Pauvre Chardonnay 2007

Posted on June 23, 2010 by admin

I may have been on a temporary break from writing about wine but I was certainly drinking my share since my last post!  For my birthday my boyfriend purchased me a membership to the Zagat Wine Club.  My first case has arrived and I am already diving in and tasting the offerings.  Le Petit Pauvre Chardonnay 2007 is one of their white wine picks.  Produced in Monteray County, CA this dry and full bodied white is created from 100% chardonnay grapes sourced from several wineries in the state.  In the glass it was a very pale straw color.  It had a minerality to the aroma as well as hints of lemon and pear.  The flavors in this Chardonnay were very different from the Chardonnays I have been drinking lately.  I don’t think this wine has undergone malolactic fermentation since there wasn’t a strong buttery flavor that I have come to love.  It was however refreshing and crisp with very tropical fruit flavor and great acid.  This wine is aged in French oak and is on the stronger side with the alcohol at 13.9%.  I enjoyed Le Petit Pauvre Chardonnay with citrus halibut and an orange and red pepper couscous.  Paired with poultry, fish, or cheese it is a great choice and is very reasonably priced at under $20 per bottle.

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Chateau Pailhas Bordeaux

Posted on April 17, 2010 by admin

Lately I have been trying to learn more about French wines and the regions that produce them.  When most people think of Bordeaux wines they have a tendency to assume that they are very expensive.  While these wines do sell at auctions for big bucks there are great quality Bordeaux that sell for extremely reasonable prices.  After perusing the aisles of my favorite local wine store I came across Chateau Pailhas Bordeaux 2005 from France.  My first impression of this wine was that it hits you with a big and bold flavor.  It is very dark brick red in the glass and has a spicy aroma.  Upon tasting,  this red wine has very pronounced blackberry and dark cherry flavors and has a nice long dry finish with the spiciness on the back end and lingers nicely on the tongue.  This Bordeaux is 13.5% alcohol and is a blend of 70% merlot, 15% cabernet sauvignon, and 15% cabernet franc.  Chateaux Pailhas is an excellent value at under $12 and was the perfect companion to our steak with gorgonzola sauce, sweet potato fries, and rocket salad with parmesan.

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Paul Jaboulet Parallele 45 Cote du Rhone

Posted on April 5, 2010 by admin

On a recent trip to my local discount wine emporium I found a very good Cote du Rhone that may rival the Perrin & Fils that is currently listed in my favorites box.  Seeing that the price was right and knowing I have had great success with lighter style French red wines, I decided that I probably couldn’t go wrong in purchasing this bottle.  Paul Jaboulet Aine Parallele 45 Cote du Rhone 2007 from France is medium bodied and slightly dry.  A blend of 60% grenache and 40% syrah, it had a pretty deep red color with a sweet, caramel and berry nose.  The wine is fruit forward at first with notes of blackberry and cherry and had a great spicy finish that I love in my red wines.  I think it had nice depth given the 14% alcohol and I experienced some mild tannins.  Paul Jaboulet produces this wine from 25 year old vines and ages it in stainless steel tanks.  I find Cote du Rhone to pair well with just about any dish from meat and fish to Indian and Thai cuisines.  This wine was rated 88 points from Wine Spectator and retails for under $12.

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