Lost in the List
February 4, 2010
“I’ll tell you what you should do,” the well-dressed bar regular slurred after his fourth whiskey and water. “You need to get rid of that Merlot and pour a Cotes du Rhone instead.”
“Yeah, why don’t you just have six wines by the glass instead of four?” another regular asked, popping her head into our conversation.
“Also, your price for the Grgich Hills Fume is quite a bit more than the place down the street. You’d sell more if you lowered it a little.”
“I’m just saying this because my friend was in here last week and she’s a wine expert. She was just commenting on the list. That’s all.” [Read more]
Wine, Au Naturale
January 27, 2010
“So this wine was made from grapes that grew… out of the ground?”
My friend Jon stared at me blankly after he said this, as if issuing some kind of challenge.
“Yeah,” I snorted. “Of course.”
“And it fermented? Naturally?” [Read more]
Bitchy Brew
January 13, 2010
In the ever-changing world of wine, there are few constants. But every once in a while, you stumble on a wine that makes you remember why everyone makes such a fuss out of the stuff in the first place. I have found such a wine, and it has made me re-obsessed with a grape that I had all but forgotten.
First, the grape: Grenache, or Garnacha if you’re in Spain (we’ll get to that later). It is thought that this grape originated in the area of northern Spain/southern France around the Pyrenees. It traveled further inland in Spain and farther north into France, as well. It is now grown worldwide, but the classic versions of this grape remain the wines of the Languedoc region of France, where it is made into red and rose, the southern Rhone, where it is used as a major blending grape, and throughout northern Spain. [Read more]
Turbo-Charged Wine
December 31, 2009
Winter is my favorite season. The food and wine that go with it are a big part of my love affair with these chilly months. This is when one can pull out those squirreled-away bottles of expensive, full-bodied reds. Napa Valley Cabs, Barolos and boutique-y Shirazes are perfect for this season. But when I think winter, I think port.
Arguably one of the oldest continuously made alcoholic beverages, port is one of my faves for a number of reasons. Aside from being delicious, it is affordable. Because a bottle of port isn’t meant to be drunk in one sitting, even among a group of friends, it is a drink that lasts for a while. [Read more]
Cocktails 2.0
December 16, 2009
I stared at my friend, Aaron, long and hard. I stared at him hoping that if I did so long enough, the 12-pack he held in his arms would disappear.
“Dude,” I croaked. “Natty Light?”
“It’s got bubbles!” he proclaimed. [Read more]
Malbec Beckons
December 9, 2009
South America has been one of the rising stars in the wine world for the last two decades. Unlike Australia, however, the prices of most South American wines have not risen significantly. Chilean Merlots began showing up in North American wine stores decades ago and they remain bargains, while ultra-expensive wines like Australia’s “Australis” are becoming more and more common.
Even more of a Mecca for bargain vino than Chile, however, is Argentina. Many international grapes, like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, thrive there, especially on the sunny, fertile plateau of the Mendoza area. [Read more]
Beaujolais Quoi?
November 24, 2009
Every year on the third Thursday of November it happens: the release of Beaujolais Nouveau. Much hoopla and fanfare is given to this event, especially here in New York City, where the wine receives its unofficial U.S. welcome party. What is all the fuss about, you ask?
Good question. Even those in the wine industry don’t really understand exactly why everyone is so incredibly excited by this often mediocre (and occasionally downright terrible) juice. To be fair, Beaujolais wines tend to be good predictors of that year’s vintage, especially for wines from the Burgundy area. But that doesn’t exactly excuse the over-hyping of this middle-of-the-road product. [Read more]
Help from the Vine
November 19, 2009
I love Thanksgiving! And hate it. The holiday itself is a wonderful excuse to gather ’round family and friends for a conveniently short amount of time. Just enough hours to get in, reminisce for a day, get a ridiculously large meal into your gullet and leave before the fam starts to work your nerves.
It’s also an excuse to cook, which I love. But that’s when the frustration sets in. The menu has already been decided for you. Oh sure, there are those who experiment with the old turkey/cran/mashed/stuffing formula with deep fryers, Cajun sausage and fusion cuisine. The fact remains, though, that if you mess with the basics too much, the people will revolt. You are boxed in to a turkey dinner, no matter which way you look at it.
Luckily, any dinner can be made better with a little help from the vine. I always think of Thanksgiving as a perfect opportunity to bring wine into the picture, because there are so many different types of foods presented. More food variety equals more varieties of wine to use for pairing.
Let’s start with the 500-pound gorilla in the room, or more accurately, the 12-pound turkey. Hopefully, Aunt Gladys will give the bird a little less time in the oven than she did last year, so it isn’t as dry as the Sahara. When cooked well, turkey can be delicious (especially the ALWAYS underappreciated dark meat). When matching wine with roast turkey, I like to go to a place I rarely travel to by choice: oaky Chardonnay-land. A wine that might seem over the top or too buttery on its own is the perfect foil for the texture and flavor of roast turkey. Hope Chardonnay 2008 ($14.99 @ K&D Wines and Spirits, 1366 Madison Ave. betw. 95th and 96th streets, 212-289-1818) is not the most full-throttle, oaky Chardonnay out there, but the notes of vanilla up front and smoke on the finish coupled with the rich, tropical fruit flavors of papaya and pineapple make it the ultimate turkey wine.
How about those sides? Mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy can sit heavy on the plate and even heavier in your stomach. Rich and satisfying when made well, but dense and bland when done poorly, these ubiquitous side dishes cry out for a big, spicy red wine to break up the monotony. The Seghesio Zinfandel 2008 ($21.99 @ PJ Wines and Spirits, 4898 Broadway betw. 204th and 207th streets, 212-567-5500) is great all by its lonesome, but even better when you let it flex its muscle. Tons of baked cherry and currant fruit up front give way to baking spice in the middle and a peppery finish. It’ll cleanse your palate between each bite of stuffing and potato readying you for more gloppy goodness.
Then there’s the pie. Thanksgiving isn’t complete without an inappropriately voluminous proliferation of pies. The king of all Thanksgiving sweets is, of course, the pumpkin pie. You need something sweet, but also something that can match up to the array of baking spices used in the pie filling. Look no further than Cockburn Fine Ruby Port (pronounced Koe-burn—get your minds out of the gutter, $12.99 @ 67 Wine, 179 Columbus Ave. at 68th Street, 212-724-6767). Sweet, dark berry fruit is balanced by a touch of acidity, reminiscent of candied orange peel, to keep this port from being too cloying. The finish is full of nutmeg and cinnamon spices, sure to lull you into your post-Thanksgiving meal nap in front of the boob tube.
josh@pennilessepicure.com
At Your Service
November 11, 2009
This week I will be taking a short break from discussing wine to address a recent piece that was published in the New York Times concerning the service industry.
On Sept. 17, Phoebe Damrosch published an op-ed lamenting the poor quality of service in the American (specifically New York City) table waiting industry. As a food service professional, and on behalf of every waiter I know, I am responding with my own lamentation—not concerning the declining performance of New York City waiters, but the poor behavior of restaurant guests, and how this trend has worsened significantly in the last decade. [Read more]
Chez Bodega
November 4, 2009
I couldn’t have been more wrong. A few Sundays ago, my wife and I were finishing up dinner at around 9:30 p.m. An admittedly late hour for a last meal on a school night, but we had been running around all day.
“You want wine tonight?” Natali asked.
“Sure,” I said, “Let me run out now to get it before the store closes.”
I hopped over to my trusty standby wine shop on York that I know is always open late on Sundays. This weekend, for whatever reason, it wasn’t. I stood, staring at the darkened interior, as if my intense glare would somehow magically raise the metal gate. [Read more]
