Speaking the Local Vinacular

Quick Review: Fox Run Blanc de Blanc

2013-05-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

US, Fingers Lakes, Fox Run Vineyards, Blanc de Blanc
++ // Crisp // Lemon // Lemon // Light bodied
Made from 100% Chardonnay, which spent 12 months on the lees (skins)

Pacifier

2013-05-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

Quick Review: V. Sattui Prestige Cuvee Brut 2009

2013-05-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

US, CA, St. Helena, V. Sattui Prestige Cuvee Brut 2009
++ // Sparkling // Apple, Lemon, Butter // Sweet Green Apple, Lemon, Vanilla // Medium

Special Days, Special Wine

2013-05-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

A special day calls for a special wine. This year we finally had a reason to celebrate Mother's Day at home, instead of with a mailed gift and phone call. Looking over our options, we pulled out a bottle of Prestige Cuvee Brut from California's V. Sattui winery. We've enjoyed a few other bottles from them, so it seemed like the perfect option for the big day.

Big, dry and creamy, the wine was a mouthful all on its own, but I made our new momma a special meal to go along with the wine. When we go out for dinner, we may well order complicated dishes, but at home, we often stick to classic American comfort food, and Tina's favorite is Mac & Cheese. Rich and sweet, with the earthiness of the cheese augmented with the addition of some mushrooms, it might have been a bit too powerful of a dish for the wine, but the wine had its own sweet creaminess that brought those aspects of the meal to the forefront.

It might not have been a traditional pairing, but sometimes its nice to break all the rules and just go with what you want for a special celebration. The wine got a bit lost with dinner, but it certainly didn't ruin the meal, and that just meant we had an excuse to enjoy another glass afterwards, to truly savor the wine.

How-To: Tell if a Wine Needs to "Open"

2013-05-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Oxygen is the bane and boon of wine. Oxidation or aeration increases flavors, but also allows volatile flavors to escape the wine. Among some wine drinkers, there is discussion on letting a wine "breathe". It will allow layers of complex flavors to meld, creating a better balance, but there is no exact science to the perfect amount of time it will need to open. The basic guideline is if you have a red wine with strong tannins, decant the wine and let it stand for a while, testing frequently. Once the wine seems like its an ideal flavor, either serve it our stopper it for serving soon.

Quick Review: Ravenswood "Teldeschi" Zinfandel 2008

2013-05-16T12:00:00.000-04:00

US, CA, Ravenswood Zinfandel "Teldeschi" 2008

++ // Fruity // Cherry, Berry, Pepper // Medium-Full

Quick Review: Decoy Zinfandel 2010

2013-05-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

US, CA, Sonoma, Decoy Zinfandel 2010
+ // Fruity // Strawberry, Caramel // Cherry, Cola, White pepper // Med

Paired with a mushroom, spinach and strawberry salad, it was a nice fruity complement to the meal. In this case, knowing what wine we planned to drink, I looked for a recipe with mushroom as an earthy counterpoint, and strawberry to complement the wine.

Back To The Wine

2013-05-13T12:00:00.000-04:00

Finally, Tina can get back to exploring wine. Nine short months ago, she had to stop drinking wine. The surgeon general says pregnant women should not drink any alcohol. The research shows "moderate" consumption does not impact on a fetus, but the exact line isn't clear, and she wasn't about to experiment with our baby. So other than a few sips from some some of my better glasses, our exploration of wine has been pretty one-sided for a while.

Unfortuntely, Baby Vinacular did not get the correct time table, and was trying to hold out for an extra couple of weeks. So, following the sage advice of the internet, I offered to bring home a bottle so Tina could have a glass and hopefully induce labor. Directed by her to bring home a Zinfandel, I stumbled across something familiar: a California Zinfandel with a duck on the label, going by the name of "Decoy." Sure enough, it was the table wine label from Duckhorn. More pocketbook friendly than their high-end wines, its being a Duckhorn still gave me confidence in the quality of the product.

We were pleased with the choice. The wine was a little tight when first opened, but blossomed quickly with some ripe red fruit flavors, giving us a vibrant, juicy wine to enjoy. We finished our glasses then set the bottle aside. Little did we know that the next night would see us in the hospital, and we wouldn't be able to get back to it for several days. Imagine our suprise when we returned home with our new baby, and decided that we'd give the remainder of the bottle a go. The ripe fruit had grown even further, into a deep, almost jammy flavor. It isn't really ecommended to let a wine sit for that long, but we are glad it turned out like it did. It held up much better than expected to the aging process after 6 days.

With the new addition to our family safe and sound at home, we are looking forward to getting back to tryig new wines together. And for our first bottle, it was nice to be reminded of the fun learning experiences we can share.

What Do We Mean By "Barnyard" Smells in Wine?

2013-05-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

When we talk about smells and flavors in wine, most make sense. We all know what strawberries or lemons taste like. On the other hand, when we talk about the less pleasant flavors of wine, we tend to use euphemisms or shocking phrases. "Cat's Pee" really gets the point across. When we talk about a "barnyard" flavor, we are looking at strange organic smells; mold, old hay, wet straw, maybe even some mud or manure. These are smells close to some of our favorites; mushrooms, fresh hay, earth, but with an off flavor that makes them upsetting to the palatte. It comes from spoiled yeast creating that strange fermented smell. While some wine drinkers enjoy it at low levels, it is technically a spoiled wine.

Quick Review: Chateau Haut Lavigne

2013-05-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

FR, Chateau Haut Lavigne, Cotes-de-Duras, 2007

/ // Smooth // Barnyard // Tart, cranberry // light

Some off flavors in this Merlot blend from the southwest of France left us with an uninspiring glass of wine.

Quick Review: Francois Villard L'Appel des Sereines Syrah

2013-05-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

FR, Vin de Pays, Francois Villard L'Appel des Sereines Syrah
++ // Smooth // Cola, Truffle, Earth // Blackberry, Currant, Plum, Earth // Med

Something Local at Apiary

2013-05-06T12:00:00.001-04:00

Wine lists at nice restaurants can be intimidating. Even with everything we have learned in the last few years, there a still grapes and wines we don't recognize, and there are only a handful of wine makers we know. With a wine list of 300 bottles, Apiary in Manhattan left us stumbling to find the perfect wine, but thankfully that was the most difficult part of our meal.

A tiny space in the Lower East Side, Apiary was surprisingly busy for an early dinner on a Friday night. The menu was impressive, and the wine menu was almost overwhelming. Luckily for us, we were there to take advantage of their Restaurant Week menu, so with a limited dinner menu, it was easier to narrow down our wine choices. Picking duck leg confit, it was only a matter of finding a glass of red wine with a balance of fruit to complement the flavor of the duck with a bit of acidity to cut through the fattiness of the bird. It turned out that the duck had a crispy, heavily seasoned skin, which brought some spice to the dish, giving the fairly simple dish some complex layers of flavor.

While we focus on local wine, we are proponents of local produce in general, so we were pleasantly surprised when and glass of after-dinner tea was accompanied by a selection of honey from a bee farm (or apiary) in Upstate NY. Such a simple thing added yet another layer to a simple but elegant meal.

Quick Review: Heart and Hands Pinot Noir

2013-05-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

US, New York, Finger Lakes, Heart & Hands, Pinot Noir, 2010
++ // Earthy // Earth, fruit (raspberry) // Pepper, cherry, wood // Medium bodied

Produced from hand-sorted, 100% whole cluster grapes.

Did You Know?... About Monastrell

2013-05-01T12:00:00.000-04:00

Monastrell is a red grape from Spain, also known as Mourvedre in France. It shows up in the New World infrequently, often in blends. It tends to produce earthy wines, with hints of red fruit, high in alcohol and tanins. Given the strong backbone and deep flavors, it can age well. In France, it makes up part of Rhone blends.

Quick Review: Juan Gil Monastrell

2013-04-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Spain, Jumilla, Juan Gil, Monastrell 2010
+ // Earthy // Chocolate, Tobacco, Cherry // Earth, Raspberry, Cola // Medium

With Ethiopian food, the earthiness matched the meat, while the fruit notes balanced with the spiciness.

Culture and Ethiopian Food

2013-04-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

Unless you plan ahead, dinner and a show can be tough. All theaters are on the same schedule, and people generally want something to eat and drink before or after the show. Because of this, there may be great restaurants near the theaters, but if you don't have reservations you'll have to fight for a seat--no matter how many options there are. After an evening show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, we knew we faced this challenge ourselves.

As soon as the curtain dropped, we darted from the theater, nearly knocking elderly patrons out of the way, in our effort to be first out the door. We didn't have any clear idea on where we wanted to eat, but we headed into the Fort Greene neighborhood, knowing we could find some good options there. Keeping one eye over out shoulder for the approaching hordes, we marched quickly, looking for an interesting option. Normally, we might wander from restaurant to restaurant looking at menus, but one of our first stops was at Bati, an Ethiopian restaurant, a cuisine we hadn't eaten in a long time, so we took it as a good sign and darted in, just ahead of the wave.

It worked out in our favor, definitely. Ethiopian cuisine can make for a fun evening; a big family style platter of sauced foods served on top of a thin, gooey bread, eaten with your hands. Maybe not the best meal for a first date, but easy to nibble on over the course of a casual evening with someone close. The dishes tend to be rich in flavor, so I selected a Monstrell from the small but interesting wine menu, looking for some deep flavors to match. The restaurant was small and busy, but despite the waves of people who followed us in looking for a seat, we never felt rushed.

One of the reasons we love Brooklyn is because it is so easy to improvise a fun evening. Last minute tickets to a show, and a frantic search for some place to eat makes for just as much fun as a carefully planned adventure into Manhattan.

Quick Review: Oreana Winery Project Happiness Syrah 2006

2013-04-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

US, California, Oreana Winery, Project Happiness Syrah, 2006

+ // Fruity // Cherry, Leather // Chocolate, Cherry // Medium bodied

A gift from friends who thought the bottle looked a little cheesy, we found we enjoyed the smiley face and the wine wasn't so bad, either.

Did You Know?...About Cotes du Rhone Villages

2013-04-24T12:00:00.000-04:00

Cotes du Rhone-Villages is a sub-region of the Cotes du Rhone AOC in France, near Avignon. Comprised of a handful of villages, the vineyards here are considered to produce higher quality wine than the general region.The wines must contain mostly Grenache grape.

Quick Review: Domaine Grosset

2013-04-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

France, Cotes du Rhone, Domaine Grosset Villages Cairanne
++ // Fruity// Raspberry, Cedar // Chocolate, Raspberry, Cedar // Full

Paired with a rabbit dish at Mesa Grill, this wine was well balanced with the spicy southern sauce.

Twenty Hours in Las Vegas

2013-04-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

Its been said before, and said often, but Las Vegas is a city of excess. On a recent trip for business, I had a chance to give a bit of it a try.

I was already late in the day when he plane landed, so my coworker and I headed straight to the hotel at Ceaser's Palace. We dropped off our gear, re-gathered ourselves from the flight, then wandered about the casino looking for bit of food to reset our clocks. We were tempted by the Pub, but decided that the club-like music was a bit too much. Instead we decided that the expense account could cover a bit of meat from Mesa Grill. Some rabbit and wine for me, pork loins and beer for my coworker, with some roasted brussel sprouts to round out the meal, we dug with abandon to combat the jet lag. It was a great meal, but extra special for my coworker, who doesn't get as many opportunities to enjoy a nice meal out. It's good to be reminded from time to time how lucky I am, to experience so many amazing meals.

After dinner, we wandered the mall, marveling at the high end retailers gathered in one place. Interesting, for architects like ourselves, as each retailer is careful to construct their jewel box like shops to maintain their carefully crafted brand image, even in the unique, carnival-like atmosphere of the casinos. And like the restaurants, casinos, and entertainment, its part of the sensory overload of exceptional experiences.

Breakfast was our greatest encounter in excess though. Still on New York time, we were up early, with only the most hardcore and elderly of gamblers. With a couple of hours to kill before we could get to work, we decided to find a breakfast worthy of the city. By design, we didn't have to venture far: we found ourselves at Serendipity3 just outside the casino. Spoiled for choice, we went with Fried Chicken & Waffles, and the aptly named "French Toast Log." After what seemed an eternity, a pair of heaping platters were delivered, each containing more food than a human should consume in a day, let alone a single meal. We struggled to rise to the task in front of us, but in the end we had to admit defeat. The plates returned to the kitchen, half full, but in the end, there were no real losers, as we relished every moment of the ordeal.

My only regret was that it was a quick trip, and only were in town for one day. A city dedicated to tourists presents a lot of opportunities for memorable experiences, and I feel bad I didn't have time to fit a few more in.

Wine-ding Down

2013-04-15T11:31:00.002-04:00

For almost two years, Nate and I have been sharing our stories and passion for wine with you all on a daily basis. We hope you will forgive us as we take a pause to regroup and plan even more stories for you. This month our own personal journey finds us in a new home and about to welcome a new member to our family. So, we take a short break but promise to be back very soon. Until then, when in doubt, go for what tastes good to you!

What Red Wine to Drink if You Don't Like Red Wine

2013-04-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Many people find they don't enjoy wine. Often, red wine in particular can be difficult for some people. But it's important to remember that there are a wide range of flavors available in red wine (as well as white). If you don't enjoy a particular varietal or style, look for something at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Quick Reviews: Channing Daughters Cabernet Sauvignon Rose

2013-04-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

US, NY, Long Island, Channing Daughters, Cabernet Sauvignon Rose 2011
+ // Crisp // Sweet Apple, Cinnamon, Brown Sugar // Apple, Peach // Medium

Why Does Red Wine Taste "Raspy"?

2013-04-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Like the coating on the back of your teeth after a glass of cola, sometimes red wine can leave a scratchy texture in your mouth. A less than generous comparison would be that it feels like licking sandpaper. This is from the astringency of tannins, a chemical compound found in plants, in this case in the skins, stems, and seeds of crushed grapes. Since red wines need to spend time in contact with the crushed skins (and stems and seeds), they pick up more tannins than white wines.

Quick Review: Raphael Sauvignon Blanc

2013-04-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

US, NY, Long Island, Raphael Sauvignon Blanc
+ // Crisp // Grass, Butter // Butter // Light