Time for Bubbly-Casas del Mar Blanc de Blancs Cava Brut

Posted on December 31, 2012 by admin

Happy New Year everyone!  In anticipation of tonight’s festivities I think it is only appropriate that my last blog of 2012 be about bubbly.  We always hear so much about Champagne and even Prosecco but Cava from Spain needs more recognition.  This particular gem was featured in an Iberian Peninsula tasting I attended featuring wines from distributor Vino Cava.   To be called a Cava the wine must be made using the same traditional methods as French Champagne.  Blanc de Blancs from Casas del Mar is made with these same methods and therefore is extremely similar in style and taste to it’s pricier counterparts. This makes it an excellent value especially when you are celebrating on a budget.  This Cava is a blend of Macabeo, Parellada, and Xarello grapes and is the product of very old vines.  It is very refreshing with crisp bubbles and a green apple flavor that is more prevalent in Cava than in Champagne.  If you don’t like extremely dry bubbly then I would recommend giving this a whirl.  The quality is excellent and you can’t beat the price-less than $13 a bottle online.

Fun fact: There is a 4 point star on all Cava corks!

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Col Di Sasso from Banfi

Posted on November 22, 2012 by admin

On this Thanksgiving I have a lot to be thankful for.  We made it home from Italy right before Hurricane Sandy and even though we are currently displaced we were able to secure our belongings and we have a home to return to once the necessary repairs are made.  Since my trip to Rome, Sorrento,  and the Amalfi Coast was a dream come true we wanted to relive the experience through the delicious food and wine we enjoyed.   I was recently sent some wine from Banfi  to sample and  it was perfect for recreating our trip.  Every day in Italy we had the most amazing tomatoes I have ever tasted accompanied by fresh mozzarella and prosciutto.  This was what I found waiting for me last night after work  and I decided to try the bottle of Col Di Sasso Cabernet Sauvignon & Sangiovese blend 2010 from Tuscany.

I was already familiar with some of the wines imported by Banfi Vinters as I have previously written about their Rosa Regale which is my all time favorite sparkling red wine.  We even purchased two bottles of it while we were in Sorrento to drink on the rooftop of our hotel.  We also ordered a bottle of their Brunello di Montalcino 2007 on the last night of our trip which was excellent! The Col Di Sasso which is produced in Tuscany is extremely similar in body to the wines we had on our trip.  It was very dark ruby in the glass awith an almost purple cast at the center.  We found the nose to have touches of black currant and blackberries.  There was a pleasant, soft cherry flavor with a slight earthiness to it.  Col Di Sasso is not very tannic at all and is 13% alcohol.  It is very smooth and it didn’t compete with the acid in the tomatoes.  Even though I received this bottle for free it in no way influences  my review.  Everyone who tried it last night really enjoyed the wine and agreed how well it went with our food.  Even better is the value for the price.  Col Di Sasso can be found online for under $12 per bottle.  You can’t beat that!

Banfi Vintners was founded in 1919 and is the oldest wine importer in the United States.  It is still run by the Mariani family out of their headquarters on the North Shore of Long Island.  They have a large portfolio of wines and they export to over 85 countries.  To learn more check out www.banfivintners.com

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Murray’s Cheese Bar & Abando Rioja

Posted on August 28, 2012 by admin

I can’t help it-I am obsessed with cheese.  It is by far my favorite food.  If I suddenly became lactose intolerant this would be a problem.  I could exist solely on cheese and would be happy to do so (provided I had plenty of wine to pair with it of course)!  In New York City there is the best cheese shop you could ever hope to find.  Murray’s is an absolute cheese mecca.  Whenever possible I trek to their shop in Greenwich Village or their outpost in Grand Central Terminal to check out their latest and greatest offerings.  They have the most knowledgeable staff and will give you samples to help make your decisions.  With 300 varieties of cheese on hand these decisions aren’t so easily made!   Could the  Murray’s experience get any better?  The answer to that is a resounding YES!  To my delight they have recently opened Murray’s Cheese Bar.  Located just down the block from their location on Bleecker Street, this cheese bar makes it possible to sit down and enjoy a cheese filled meal along with wine or beer.  I am impressed with the overall selection of wines available by the bottle.  There is a great variety of wine types and many top regions are represented.  There is also a decent list of wines to enjoy by the glass.

Since we love our Spanish wines we chose a bottle of Abando Rioja 2005 from producer Bodegas Santalba.  We love the fullness and intense flavors of many Riojas and Abando proved to be a perfect choice.  It is comprised of 100% tempranillo grapes and is very dark ruby in color.  Flavors of dark cherry mix with a hint of caramel and give way to that spiciness that I love in my reds.  Abando Rioja exhibits a really nice acidity and presence of tannins.  We ordered two bottles of this wine while we were there and we don’t normally drink more than one bottle per evening.  At 13.5% alcohol we were feeling pretty good when we walked out!  The price was less than $50 which made it economical and we enjoyed it so much we just had to keep on drinking it.

Now back to the cheesy goodness Murray’s Cheese Bar has to offer.  You can choose your cheese plate a la carte or you can try a cheese flight of varying size but the selections are chosen by the cheese monger.  They will ask you what your preferences are and work around what you like and dislike.  I also think they took into account the wine we were drinking as we had several cheeses from Spain on both of our flights.  We started with a flight of 5 cheeses and later ordered another with 3 cheeses and 2 meats.   There are entrees like a cheddar cheeseburger and mac & cheese as well as griddles which are certain cheeses that are served warm on a griddle and then spread onto bread.  We tried the Champlain Valley triple creme served with mushrooms.  It was excellent!  There is also a farmer’s market section of the menu where you can get salads and veggies.  All of these ingredients are local and very fresh.  We tried the grilled artichokes with buttermilk ranch dressing which was another delicious choice and at least I felt like I had something green and healthy to go with all of the cheese we were consuming.  Next time we visit we are planning on trying the cheeseburger as well as the grilled cheese with smoked tomato soup.  With fall upon us and cooler weather around the corner what sounds better for dinner than that?  I see many more trips to Murray’s Cheese Bar in my future along with many more trips to the gym!

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Lincoln Peak Vineyard

Posted on July 29, 2012 by admin

My brother and his wife live in Burlington, Vermont and each time they come down to visit they bring us several bottles of wine from Lincoln Peak Vineyard that they feel we would like.  Last weekend I was finally able to visit the winery myself and I have to say I was very impressed.  Lincoln Peak Vineyard is located in the Champlain Valley in New Haven, Vermont and is owned by Chris and Michaela Granstrom.  The grapes are grown using sustainable farming techniques on 12 acres and the tasting room has an outdoor deck where you can relax and drink a glass or two of wine.  On the weekends you can enjoy live music as you sip.   If you just want to sample they offer a complimentary tasting of your choice of five wines.  They also offer a separate tasting of two dessert wines for a small fee.   Out of the current offerings my favorites were La Crescent ’11, Starlight ’11 a dry rosé,  and Marquette ’10 a dry red.  La Crescent is a slightly sweet white made of 100% La Crescent grapes.  I found this wine to be very refreshing and perfect for summer with notes of citrus and green apple.  My love affair with rosé continues all summer long and Starlight doesn’t disappoint.  It has a beautiful dark pink color with notes of ripe red berries.  It’s not too sweet and would pair nicely with many cuisines.  The Marquette is my top pick of them all.  It’s made of of 100% Marquette grapes and has many components I love in a good, full bodied red : dark fruit, notes of black pepper, and soft tannins.  If you can’t get to Lincoln Peak yourself you can purchase their wines online through their website and the best part is that most retail for under $20!

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The Waxed Bat

Posted on June 29, 2012 by admin

It has been a little over two years now that I received membership to the Zagat Wine Club for my birthday.  I am really enjoying their selections and have featured a few on this site.  We received The Waxed Bat 2010 a few shipments back and what struck me first about it was the cool label and the unique name.  When I saw the components of the blend I knew it would be a winner.  This red is comprised of 80% shiraz, 10% petit verdot, and 10% malbec.  All grape varietals that I love to drink!  Once poured it has an extremely dark ruby color.  It is almost purple in the center and fades to crimson at the edges.  It is full bodied with a smoky, berry aroma.  Each sip brings forward flavors of plum and blackberry and then moves to a nice bit of spice on the finish.  There are very smooth tannins present and the alcohol content is 14%.

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This particular wine was created by Rodolfo Opi Sadler who has earned the nicknames “the magician” and “master of Malbec” for producing award winning wines in Argentina.  The Waxed Bat is produced and bottled by Andean Vineyards located in Mendoza, Argentina’s largest wine region.  What I am loving about South American wines is that you can almost always get a great tasting, high quality bottle whether it be red or white and the values are phenomenal. I served The Waxed Bat with penne alla vodka and it worked pretty well but the ultimate pairings would be steak, barbecued meats, and hard or soft cheese.

 

 

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