Loire Valley Wine Bureau Tasting - NYC 2011

A private exhibition gallery in New York's Nolita (nothern little italy) neighborhood for the Loire Valley Wine Bureau in order to expose wines from the Loire. I'm truely excited as the Loire is my favorite wine region and in turn, one largely neglected in America.

In all, I sampled 98 items out of 181 offerings. I afforded myself the chance to try not only item from multiple distributors but items from previously unseen importers looking for representation. In all, it was a good showing and gave me the opportunity to try some new items. Aside from the usual bread and cheese board was a table of shucked Malpeque oysters, a nice palate cleanser with a bit of muscadet.

A couple hightlights were the chance to sample through the large section of wine from Vos selections which doesn't often make visits to lowly South Jersey. Another was the discovery of an excellent Vouvray Pettillant from the never seen label of Gilet. One I'm still working on to become available in New Jersey.

Regal Imports at Zengo - 2011 Fall Tasting

A busy day with South Jersey based Regal Wine Imports as they continue to woo the Manhattan crowd at the stylish Zengo, a Latin-Asian hybrid restaurant on Midtown's east side. In fact, since Regal has entered the NY market, they have done it with flair by holding their trade tasting at attractive restaurant venues which offer their clients some exceptional palate cleansing hors d'oeuvres.

The main floor of Zengo from the upstairs lounge.

The tasting pretty much shows their total portfolio, but the hightlight for me is their exceptional Spanish imports from Chris Campbell and his C&P Wines and the Montecastelli Italian imports. In just a few years Chris Campbell and his partner have put together one of the top Spanish portfolios in the business. His Castellroig Cava is not only one the best Spanish sparklers, but one of the top fizz under $25. Exceptional when you consider it retails in the $13-$16 range. Castellroig also makes a stunning mineral driven Xarello that is not to be missed.

The affable Chris Campbell.

The Castellroig Cava.

Montecastelli Selections continues to updrade their portfolio with diversified items and some terrific values. Their Cardetto Orvieto has never been better with an electrifying backbone of mineral. The Sicilian grape grillo has never been terribly interesting until trying their diGiovanni grillo. Bright, crisp and a fine band of mineral on the finish.

ABD/Opici at the Mansion

 Like last years ABD/Opici trade tasting event, they have returned to the Mansion, part of a suburban business complex to show their wines and spirits. And like last year, they have made improvements to the portfolio with both new items and acquisitions from other distributors.

One of the conference rooms set up with wine and chaffing dishes of food.

Aside from tasting their new items, the primary focus for me is to get reacquainted with the mass market products of a major wine distributor. While I find a few pleasant surprises amongst some major brands, many leave me unimpressed and dismayed they these brand names are what most Americans are consuming. But the facts are that the brand names are what most consumers drink and its necessary for me to stay current with popular brands.

The Union Square Experience

During a New York wine tasting I decided to take a lunch break between two tasting events in order to refresh my palate and for a moment of rest. The highly regarded Union Square Cafe was just a short walk to my second appointment, so there I dined.

Down with the menu is an attractive assortment in the breadbasket with a plate for butter seasoned with sea salt and a ramekin of cured olives. Nice touch.

During my numerous trips to New York I've been to Union Sq. Cafe several times with pleasant results every time. While I try to find new dining destinations, I also know that Union Sq. always rewards with a good experince. The reason for that is most likely to do with man who runs this restaurant and several others in NY. Danny Meyer. So, if you ever want to see how a successful restaurant is run, then sit at the bar and experience it for yourself.

Great job by my bartender/server. Efficiency in motion.

From the moment I sat at the bar, the woman bartender offered and pleasant greeting and offred me everything I needed to complete a brief, one-plate pasta and get me on my was without feeling neglected or hurried. And everytme I've been there, the service has been nothing but efficient, professional and the food attractive and delicious. An interesting wine list completes the deal.

A bowl of delicate gnocchi. Just right.

A New York Doubleheader - Sept. 2011

Two worthy tastings on the same day always creates logistic and sanity issues. Fortunately, neither the Jenny & Francois portfolio of natural wines or the T Edwards domestic portfolio are massive in numbers and style.

Waiting for the R train to take me to Union Square.

Jenny & Francois Selections, based in Manhattan, is a tidy portfolio of just under 120 natural wines, largely from France. As in years past, this is an event that is notable for attracting a base crowd of millenials and gen Xers which is interesting in itself on who is accepting these wines.  The overall portfolio was good, but didn't seem to have as many standouts as the tasting I went to last fall. Nevertheless, it's always a provocative, eye-opening look at the growing popularity of natural wines.
 
After a brief palate cleansing lunch at Union Square Cafe, I made the very short walk to Union Square Ballroom. This is the second focused tasting of the T. Edwards domestic portfolio. The 144 selections were almost all premium labels slanted towards pinot noir with some chardonnay, syrah and cabernet making up most of the rest. Overall, the quality of the wines were quite good for those who have a preference for California and Oregon style pinot noir. There were some familiar labels like William Sinsky, ZD and Jaffurs, but most were less recognizable, small producer labels such as Elizabeth Spencer, Allorro, Gothic, Stephen Ross, Tamarack and Maysara.  

Part of the line up at T. Edwards.

Of particular interest were a couple of companies that were collaborative efforts by people in the industry that interestingly, were looking to make a California wine with the character of a French wine. Bebame sources cabernet franc (95%) and gamay fruit from the Sierra foothills to make as they say, a wine in the fashion of a Chinon, Bourguiel or Beaujolais in a natural style with little SO2 and modest alcohol. The wine is made by partner Steve Edmunds of the highly touted Edmunds St Johns label. And I would have to give them good marks for making a wine with fresh acidity, bright red and black fruits with hints of black pepper. The wine would retail in the $16-$18 range and roughly be $40 in a reasonable restaurant wine list.

On the other end of the spectrum, III Somms, a hommage to the greatness of three sommeliers who want to make Burgundy style pinot noir and of course a cabernet sauvignon and a Bordeaux style blend that "are to be reasonably priced" so they can offer them to their restaurant customers. Coming in six-packs, the least expensive III Somms, a Seven Springs Willamette Valley pinot noir would be about $126 or $65 on a retail shelf. Or we could go with the reasonable Seven Springs Willamette Valley "Old Vines" at $195 at your favorite cafe. Somehow I missed sampling the greatness of the III Somms. My bad.

Joey Tensley chatting it up.

Like the last T. Edwards domestic tasting last fall, my favorites were again from Tensley Wines of Los Olivos, Santa Barbara county. A tasty starter was their Tensley Blanc, Camp 4 Vineyard. A well balanced, mouth-filling blend of grenache blanc and rousanne. Of the syrahs it's a hard choice as for my favorite between Tierra Alta or Colson Canyon, but I lean toward the Tierra Alta with its balanced black fruits, bright acid and smoky, bacon fat nose.

The wildcard in the tasting was the Foggy Ridge ciders from the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia. I found their three bottlings to be comparable in style to the high quality ones I've sampled from Normandy, France. Even the sweetest of the three was more on the dry side and all had an enticing apple peel tannin component that made them more complex than most standard ciders.

The David Bowler Fall Tasting Event - 2011

The facade of Tribeca Grill, host of the tasting.

Bowler Wines is one of the most anticipated tasting events of the season as they have a portfolio that is appreciated by discerning reataurant and retail buyers. Bowler offered 245 samples of which I was able to taste 99, which is about my limit over a four hour period.

The star of the portfolio are the wines from Louis/Dressner which is heavily slanted to Loire and Beaujolais. While their wines aren't heavily represented, items like Tue-Bouef, Olivier Lemasson, Jean-Paul Brun and others are always worth checking out. An interesting scene came about when tasting their Loire wines and Jules Dressner instructed us to skip past the Noella Morantin wines as they were in Asian oak and should be tasted last. I shared a puzzled look with another couple next to me who clearly heard, Asian oak. Now I realize that Loire is full of innovative winemakers and I knew that Noella has a neighboring winemaker from Japan. Could they be sharing ideas? Well, I just had to ask. Turns out Asian oak was meant to be aged-in-oak. That was a relief.

There was once a time when there was only one significant importer of Spanish wine. Today, there are a handful of top level importers and Bowler has a real good one in Jose Pastor. One of my recent favorites in Cava has been Pastor's German Gilbert Cava. Concocted of the traditional grapes of macabeo, xarello and parellada in Catalunya. Another versatile wine is his Benaza label from Monterrei, Galicia made from godello. Godello has the perfect balance of albarino's richness and verdejo's bright, crispness. This should be the next pinot grigio and the Benza godello is a terrific value.

In today's tasting Pastor had unveiled a group of wines from from the Canary Islands which I don't recall ever seeing before. The catch on Canary Island wines is that they are grown on volcanic soils which imparts a unique salty, smoke accent to the wines. My first overall impression was mild. Nothing really reached out to me, but I will look forward to seeing them again.

Being familiar with most of the Bowler European portfolio, I move on to spend some quality time with their domestic wines. The California winery, Cold Heaven, makes my favorite domestic viognier and their basic Santa Ynez Valley is right on with lush stonefruit, melon and thankfully absent of hot alcohol and wood that often inflict this grape. The California pinot noir samples offered today were also good, well-made samples worthy of purchase. They include the Mout Eden Santa Cruz, Holdridge Russian River, Chasseur Sonoma Coast, Black Kite Mendocino and Red Car Sonoma Coast pinots.  

Martin Scott at the Lincoln Center - Fashion Week - 2011

It seems like every subsequent tasting event put on by host Martin Scott get bigger. It's not an illusion as Martin Scott continues to bolster their portfolio with new products, which I take as an assertive way of staying competive in an ever growing and competitive market. On top of that, they seem to continue to be acquiring long familiar labels from other distributors like Domaine Baumard from Monsieur Touton and E. Piri from Michael Skurnik and a label that's just starting to come into its own, Cleto Chiarli Lambruscos which had been languishing at Frederick Wildman.

The growth of Martin Scott is being celebrated in today's tasting event at the Lincoln Center in New York during fashion week which is having their own event at the same site which creates an exciting venue littered with skinny girls, mobs of photographers and their minions taking part. For me, it just created an interesting diversion to the front door where I am set to sample some of the over five-hundred producers available as well as some exciting new spirits.

Winemaker Tom Drozd with his new North Fork Project chardonnay in a 1 liter bottle. Merlot also available. Good stuff, good price.

As usual, I begin with sparkling wines. Not much new here and mostly made up of solid commercial labels as opposed to smaller, grower/producers that have become endearing amongst progressive restaurants and retailers. While not the biggest fan of Prosecco, I have come to appreciate the Adami brut NV for being consistently clean, bright and with a satisfying mellow mousse. Their Jaume Serra Cristalino Cava brut NV is a solid value sparkler that can be sold at retail in the $6-$8 range. One of interest was a Cremant de Bourgogne, normally a value sparkler priced in the high teen range, but the Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard (Chassagne-Montrachet) version entitled LYS, while being high in quality it would come in at serious $44 to the retailer.

At past tastings I had spent so much time with French and Italian wines that I often had little time to go through their broad selection of well known pinot noir including popular restaurant labels. Unfortunately, I was mostly unimpressed with the Californians. Too many were heavy handed and clumsy, lacking any sense of bright perfume and/or elegance. The pinots from Oregon were a different story. Most, like the Auteur, Fiddlehead and St Innocent showed nice balance, aromas and attractive red fruit character. A particularly reasonably priced wine was the Haden Fig from Willamette valley that would retail for around $26. Very pale Burgundy-like color with delicate red berry fruits and a hint of wet earth. A slight chill on that would make for one tasty, refreshing dinner red, perhaps with salmon, tuna or a quiche.

Martin Scott's Spanish imports come from Ole which has consistently offered well-made, interesting wines, mostly from smaller producers with appealing, well-designed labels. I really liked the Exopto Cellers b.b. de Exopto Rioja from Alavesa. And once again, another bright, mineral laced Rioja from Alavesa, the region that is actually situated across the border in Pais Basque. For me, Alavesa is the name to look for in exceptional Rioja.

b.b. de Exopto from the Alavesa region of Rioja.

South America has been the go-to region for popular value wines for some time. While walking by the tables, one grabbed my attention. Sommelier turned wine maker Brian Smith comes off as the kind of guy for whom life is too short to muddle in mediocrity. His Loca Linda (crazy beautiful) label provides a torrontés and malbec that have an eye-catching label on a grand one liter bottle. The malbec is good, but I'm always interested in finding an exceptional torrontés like the one I first tasted out of curiosity at a NewYork restaurant ten years ago. The one that has left me with the desire to find more. I can't say torrontés is the most exciting grape I've ever had, but you never forget it. The good ones have modest acidity which allows the exotic, spicy fruit to linger on the palate just a bit longer like a solid good-bye kiss. And with the one liter bottle, that's one long good-bye. I like torrontés with shellfish and richer seafood to white meats like veal, pork and chicken. Right now Loca Linda torrontés and vitello tonnato would be awesome. They also perform well on the holiday table alongside all the rich, fruit, herb and spice laden foods.

Brian Smith with his Loca Linda.

As a fan of food friendly, dry lambrusco, I became capitaved by the Luigi malvasia di Casorzo (Piemonte) rosso dolce. It has all that wild briary fruit, a touch of frizzante yet with a light kiss of sweetness. I also loved the quirky label that reminds me of a figure from a Christmas opera. This will be a terrific wine to offer customers for the holiday table, but this kind of wine, served cool, is fun to have with cured meats, aged cheeses and a big crusty loaf of bread on the back patio.

The devious Luigi looks like he's on his way to waking someone.

At the end of the event were several tables of new craft spirits. This has become an interesting and fast growing segment. Breckenridge Distillery of Colorado had an exceptional corn based vodka that was flavorful and had a richer texture. Since Bourbon is mostly corn, they also had a terrific Bourbon with mellow vanilla and honey with undertones of spice. Out of Nashville, Tennessee, Corsair Artisan Distillery offered a series of top-shelf spirits. I really liked their gin. A nice bouquet of juniper based botanicals with a smooth texture that would work straight-up or as a mixed cocktail. They also has a single barrel, Triple Smoke whiskey that would excite Scotch drinkers that like the smoky, Islay style. Another remarkable item was the Marolo chamomile grappa from Italy. 

Plenty of good spirits from Corsair Artisan Distillery.

How to Eat Tapas in Pamplona

On one of my past trips to Spain and Barcelona I toured via a clockwise loop that took me from Barcelona through the regions of Aragon, La Rioja and Pais Basque before stopping in Pamplona in the region of Navarra. Pamplona was only about an hour away from the coastal city of San Sabastien in Pais Basque and the Autopista took me back into the mountains which are now heavily blanketed with snow. So much so that I almost got stuck at an isolated auto stop in the mountains. At this particular road stop I am afforded a most spectacular view of a village below sparkling in the late afternoon sun.

To arrive in Pamplona is to descend from the mountains which surround the basin at 1,500 feet to the city. With a population of just under 200,000, Pamplona is similar to Logroño in La Rioja but on a slightly larger scale. It is the capital of the autonomia de Navarra which has an interesting background. Pamplona was originally settled by the ancient Vasconians, the predecessor to the Basque people, before being Romanized, then occupied for varying times by the Visigoths, Muslims, Charlemagne and the Carolignians and the French. Referred to as Iruña by Basques, today’s Pamplona is mostly influenced by the Castillians.

Today it is known for its green parks, universities and health care research. But without question, the claim to fame is the running of the bulls each morning over seven days in July during the Festival de San Fermín.

Upon my arrival I follow the yellow directional signs for hotels and choose the perfectly comfortable and adequate Hotel Leyre in the center of town. Since there is still a bit of daylight, I take a walk around the city which is mostly covered with snow, though the streets and sidewalks are clear. With the many banks and smart shops, particularly for women’s fashions, Pamplona has the look of a successful city.

Eventually I make my way into the Old City which is rather large and with great character. One could easily get lost in that maze and surely I did. With plenty of time before dinner I took my time getting re-established and finally made it back to my room a bit cold and wet.

I was having trouble deciding where to have dinner so I stopped at a nearby restaurant and tapas bar. After my first glass of Navarran wine, it seemed like having tapas for the night was a perfect idea. The restaurant, whose name I have forgotten, was a warm, convivial place with the typical wood beams and trim, masonry and wrought iron bathing in the glow of candlelight.

I enjoyed watching the ebb and flow of customers popping in for a glass of wine and tapas. The senior couple next to me lingering over tapas of seared foie gras and plated slices of jamon iberico freshly carved off the leg by the barman, glistening under the drizzle of olive oil. At one of the large wood tabled banquets were a group of four older women intermittently nibbling on slices of jamon iberico accompanied by bottles of famed Navarra rosado. A young woman doting over her grandmother at the bar. Well dressed women stopping for a quick bite before a show. The men behind the bar, professionally attired in their crisp white shirts, black tie and grey vests are busy with the guests and carving jamon iberico from the whole leg set in a brace while motherly women from the kitchen bring out fresh tapas to replenish the bar top.

When not too busy observing, I was savoring my own tapas of a hearty slice of bread rubbed with garlic then given a drizzle of oil before being topped with slices of jamon ibérico. Followed by two lengthy slices of baguette topped with freshly seared duck foie gras and the last tapa being a savory chunk of baked bacalao (salt cod) with sweet caramelized onions on a small plate. All taken with three doses of tasty red Navarra wine made from garnacha and served in quality stemware. That doesn’t seem like much to eat, but it was immensely satisfying.

The next morning started fairly early with a walk down the street for café con leche and a bocadito, a smaller version of a bocadillo, a small baguette sandwich. This one filled with scrambled egg and chorizo. While savoring my coffee and sandwich, I am enjoying the view directly across the street from the Pamplona’s famed bull ring.

Flashback: Epic Loire Dining

Having recently posted about some recent Loire Valley experiences, I thought it appropriate to record an experience on my first visit to the Loire.

The Loire Valley has been my favorite wine region since 1996 once I read Jacqueline Friedrich’s “A Wine and Food Guide to the Loire Valley” while mending a broken wrist from a motorcycle accident five weeks into starting a new career at the California Culinary Academy. I had six months to read and taste my way into expertise. The key to this title is wine and food, because to me the two are inseparable in understanding the value of wine and no single region offers a more diverse, value driven, food friendly wines than the Loire Valley.

Chateau Chenoceau, typical Loire castle.

During my first trip to the Loire, not to mention my first trip to France and Europe, I had arranged to visit a wine producer whose wines I had sold while working wine retail in San Francisco. When Eduard Pisani-Ferry of Chateau de Targe in Saumur- Champigny had entered the shop, he was pleased that I had taken a fancy to his wine and offered a tour if I ever came to visit.

Business card of La Mangeoire

Well, that tour came a year later in late September 1999. After departing Paris with a classmate/friend from the California Culinary Academy, we arrived at Ch de Targe the producer of Saumur-Champigny red wines which means cabernet franc. The tour of the vineyard and cave then tasting in his office promptly ended at noon, the beginning of the French lunchtime. I’m not kidding. When the clock neared twelve, it was time to go and I can respect that lifestyle.

However, he generously made a recommendation for our own lunch experience. He said that if we wanted to eat like a real Frenchman, then we should drive down the hill toward the riverbank to Auberge La Mangeoire. And so we did.

La Mangeoire is a traditional Loire restaurant that specializes in wood grilled meats. But as we found out, the meats aren’t just wood grilled. They are wood grilled on a massive stone fireplace in the dining room. The ambient air in the room was dense with the aromas of smoky meats. I could barely control myself, certainly not as well as the two dogs politely lying under their owners table.

Both of us started with a slice of terrine of duck foie gras. About three times bigger than any portion seen at home, it was simply stuffed with a fig in the middle and without the typical fruit compote garnish seen here. That’s because the old school foie gras garnish in the Loire is a small glass of Coteaux du Layon, the unheralded vin doux (sweet wine) from Anjou made from chenin blanc. When young, Layon is an exciting glass full of peach, apricot, orange blossom, honey and bright acidity that makes you wanting more, which is the perfect fruit and palate cleansing foil for rich, fatty foie gras. We cut into the terrine with our forks as if it’s our last meal, slowly letting it melt in our mouths like glaciers across the northlands.

For mains, my friend stayed with duck that was grilled in the room’s fireplace. I opted for a traditional dish I had read about in Friedrich’s book. The Loire is renown for eels and my dish, matelote d’anguille au Chinon are segments of eel on the bone simmered in red Chinon wine (cab franc), onions and herbs. Once cooked, it is served a la nage which means to serve in a shallow pool of its cooking liquid as the sauce.

Eel is common in Europe and Asia but needs to be lacquered in a salty-sweet glaze in the name of unaghi in sushi restaurants and groceries before Americans will even look at it. Eel is nothing less than elegantly delicate, sweet, falling off the bone delicious.

For both of us, my tender anguille and my friends smoky, roasted duck, a bottle of Chateau de Targe Saumur-Champigny was perfect for the meal. Saumur-Champigny typically show aromas and flavors of red berry fruits, wet earth, a touch of spice and in this case a bit of smokiness.

The next course consists of the server bringing a basket of local goat cheeses. Loire is synonymous with goat cheese. Goat cheese is tangy and a perfect match for the local sauvignon blanc like Sancerre, Pouilly-Fume or Touraine, but as I found out, works great with the bright reds like our Saumur-Champigny or a Chinon and Bourgeuil.

The classic Selles sur Cher, an ash covered Loire goat cheese.

Next up is a dessert featuring another local classic, tarte tatin, which starts with a stovetop skillet of apples simmering in knobs of butter and sugar. Once it caramelizes to a bubbly brown, it is covered with a simple dough and finished in the oven. When done it is turned upside down and cut into wedges. Legend has it that in the late nineteenth century, one of the Tatin sisters neglected the pan on the stove and hurriedly finished it in the oven. Regardless, it’s a great dessert, always served warm. Finally, we finish lunch with a café before moving on to visit nearby Angers.

A slice of Tarte Tatin.

Rudipalozza 2011

 Rudipalooza, the self proclaimed title of importer Rudi Wiest's wine tour of German riesling was held at Tribeca Grill in Manhattan. Wiest is determined to spread the word on the virtues of dry German riesling as opposed to the sweet versions that have permeated the conscience of the American consumer. I am all too aware of his mission as three years ago, myself and eight other wine professionals were guests of Rudi on an intense, one week tour of his producers. It was an expedition of grueling tasting lasting from morning to night, but was an immensely rewarding experience for myself as it provided an unique experience in wine education, not to mention the great meals and hotels taken care of by Rudi.

The portfolio cover with a caricature of Rudi Wiest.

As usual, many of his producers were in attendance, adding information to the tasting of 136 wines which also included selected pinot noir, pinnot blanc and a handful of worthy German Sekt and some grower Champagnes from his two distributors, David Bowler and Maximum Wine Co. Rudi is one of the top importers of German wine and some of my favorite labels from him include Von Buhl, Friedrich Becker in the Pfalz region. Von Hovel, Monchhof and Karthausehof in the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer. Snaightmann from just outside Stuttgart. Gunderloch and the superb Sekt of Raumland in the Rheinhessen and Kunstler of Rheingau.

Dr. Manfred Prum of J.J. Prum and Rudi from my 2008 tour.

Aside from the spectacular rieslings, Germany is producing some spectacular pinot noir Kunstler's "Tradition" or Heder's "Estate" bottlings, both of which would roughly be in the $30's based on buying strategies. I recall being unexpectedly wowed by several pinot blancs when touring Germany, While these aren't bargains, they should be taken as serious wine instead of their usual value pricing elsewhere.

Upstairs at Tribeca Grill.

 Without a doubt, any retailer or restaurant looking to add quality to their inventory would do well to work with Rudi Wiest. And any consumer should definitely be on the lookout for Rudi's name on the back of the bottle.

Some old vintages from the cellar of Zilliken in Saar.

The T Edwards Italian/Spanish Portfolio

The downstairs banquet room at the Chinatown Brasserie has been a host for several wine events, but this time, the New York based distributor/importer T Edwards has reserved the whole main dining room to introduce their current and expanding Italian and Spanish portfolio.

Buscaretto vino rosato.

There are volumes of ordinary Italian wines out there, so it was inspiring to see many new labels, most being poured by the proprietors themselves. Americans have gotten themselves into a pinot grigio rut. Hopefully, some retailers/restaurants will get a good look at some of these interesting white alternatives like the Conti di Buscareto Verdicchio Castelli di Jesi which offered a pale dry wine with mouthfilling dried and fresh fruits and a long finish at about $11 to $12. Buscareto also has a seriously delicious sparkling rose wine made from 100% lacrima nero that comes in a unique, squat bottle that will sell for an exceptionally reasonable $9 to $10.



Another exciting new producer was Paolo Cotroneo of Fattoria la Rivolta based in Campania of southern Italy. His version of the ancient Roman varietals of greco, falanghina, coda di volpe and aglianico, found in the area were top-notch and better priced than any seen in the higher quality level. It was also good to revisit with Marco Ricasoli of Rocca di Montegrossi, which makes a benchmark for traditional Chinati Classico. Same for the traditional wines of Mauro Veglio from Piemonte.


On the Spanish side, a good introduction were the estate grown and bottled Cavas from Caves Avinyo. It's always nice to find more affordable sparklers and these had a distinctive, bright mousse, clean nose and palate and long fresh finish all for under $20. French and Spanish ciders are become more available and the Domaine Bordatto "Basa Jaun" cidre from French Pays Basque was memorable for being neither too sweet or too dry. Made from fifteen heritage apple varieties, this offers superb balance and a style for any food or occasion.

Once again the producer Luberri comes through with exquiste Rioja. Luberri is located in Alavesa which is actually outside of Rioja, across the border in Basque Country. The minerality of wines from Alavesa provide a tangy backbone to the bright red fruits of the tempranillo grape. On this afternoon they were showing a new joven (young style) bottling called Orlegi. It was youthfully vibrant, juicy and balanced. A great everyday wine that should be priced around $12.

Luberri's fine Rioja "Orlegi"

 

Martin Scott in the Meat Packing District

It seems to be more common for wine distributor/importers to break down their trade tasting events by producing region so as to focus everyone's attention. A method that has now worked for Martin Scott which was showing off their expanding Italian portfolio at Macelleria Restaurant in Manhattan's meat packing district.

In all, I liked this focused event which featured 293 items to sample of which I touched 120, more than usual. It was inspiring to see many new labels and some familiar ones that had been with other importers in the past.

Among the highlights were some clean, refreshing Prosecco's from Adami and Toffoli. A Vermentino di Sardegna from Feudi della Medusa. Grillo is usually an unremarkable neutral grape from Sicily, but their Ajello grillo offered a bright, clean, white that will please the value hunters for everyday white at about $9.99. Selvapiana's Chianti, long a workhorse wine for competing distributor Winebow is now with Martin Scott still offers an excellent Chianti under $20. There were also a number of exceptional reds from Piemonte. I was hoping to find an interesting Lambrusco and while they are aware of its resurgence, none were available.

Polaner Selections at Gotham Hall

I'm right back in New York, this time for Polaner Selections grand tasting event for the trade at the cavernous Gotham Hall. Like Bowler the day before, this is a portfolio that offers an ample selection for savvy retailers and restaurants. There is too many wines to taste so this requires a brief study of what to look at.

Inside of Gotham Hall. A former bank building.

Polaner has developed a fine selection of Champagnes like Pierre Moncuit, Agrapart & Fils and Gatinois. Of particular interest was a rarely seen dry red wine from Gatinois. Similar to the better known Bouzy rouge, they offer an Ay rouge. This is an elegant, non-sparkling red made from Champagne's red grape, pinot noir harvested in their home village of Ay. It is a style similar to fine Burgundy. I last has this type of wine while dining at a restaurant in Reims, the center of the Champagne trade, a few years ago. 

Louis Cheval-Gatinois and wife of Champagne Gatinois. Louis is holding his bottle of Ay Rouge.

A new item and a stunning value was the Domaine de Pajot Cotes de Gascogne. A delicious, crisp white wine that would sell in most wine shops for $8 to $9. Another new label of interest was from Zuazo Gaston a producer from Rioja Alavesa. Alavesa are actually located outside of the Region of Rioja, just across some hills in Basque country. They have a distinct underlying tang of mineral with the bright, cherry, red berry fruit of the tempranillo grape. At a likely price of $8 to $9, it is another exceptional value.

As pinot grigio has become so popular these days, most are truly forgettable. Not so with Polaner's Muri-Gries from the Alto Adige region of Italy. This has consistently been one of the finest. Their reds made from lagrein are also quite good. Lagrein offers deep red fruits with a backbone of mineral and a fresh finish.

Caterina and Giuseppe Mazzocolin of Fattoria di Felsina in Tuscany. A superior source of Chianti farmed organically and made traditionally.

One of the last items I tasted was also one of the more memorable. Young Julien Masquin was offering his first vintage since taking over his family's vineyard. He make a wonderful Cotes de Rhone and Chateauneuf du Pape in the southern Rhone valley. His style is a welcome shade of elegance from the often brooding wines of that region.

Julien Masquin of Domaine Julien Masquin. He seems to have the admiration of his mother after I complimented his wines.

David Bowler at the Altman Building

Always one to look forward to, importer/distributor David Bowler's portfolio has a lot to offer. At the top of the leader board are the wines from my favorite importer, Joe Dressner. Most of his producers are in attendance and this gives me a chance to become reaccquainted with some that I have met before in France. I wish I had some kind of command of French as many of hiss vignerons have limited English and I have many questions.

David Bowler with Arianna Occipinti from Sicilia.

While tasting the wines of Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pepiere in the Nantes region of the Atlantic coast section of the Loire river, I told him that his Clos Briord Muscadet, a bright, tangy mineral/citrus driven white has been one of my personal favorites over the last few years. He liked that news. Marc also introduced a new sparkling wine made from the local grape, melon de bourgogne. It was just a bit sweet, the opposite of his bone dry Muscadet's, and should make a fine appertif.

Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pepiere. Making some of the tastiest everyday wines.

A newcomer to the portfolio was the young exuberance of Patrick Piuze of Chablis. Chablis is the oft misunderstood white wine region in the northernmost area of Burgundy, not the jug wine from California. Chablis makes lean, dry, unwooded wines from chardonnay. Every sip offers tangy lemon and nervy mineral flavors. Piuze's were exceptional, focused and well priced.

Jean-Paul Brun and his collection of exceptional cru Beaujolais.

Another nice addition were the wines from top importer Robert Kacher who has been bouncing around from various distributors. Let's hope he finds a home with Bowler. Karcher's wine are primarily from France and largely offer some spectacular values like Domaine Tariquet's perky Cotes de Gascogne, ugni blanc/colombard blend.

Damien Coquelet, the new face in Beaujolais

Coquelet's stylish label from the village of Chiroubles.

Herve Villemade is the type of classic, small family run winery in France worth a mention. Outside of some clever retailers and restaurants, his wines from the village of Cheverny in the Loire valley are virtually unknown. These are not collector wines, but are cherished for being so fitting for everyday life and the dinner table.

Herve Villemade

Villemade's Cheverny blanc label.

Jenny at The Smith - 2011

The Jenny & Francois Selections tasting, again held at the Manhattan restaurant The Smith, is the bi-annual event that I always look forward to. It is likely the most unique tasting event of the season. Not just because the portfolio is completely made up of natural winemaking techniques and organic vineyards, but the people attending this event are different than others.

The downstairs room at The Smith.

At  the tastings for premium distributors, there are the usual suspects of select liquor stores owners and Manhattan wine shops and restauranteurs. But somehow, many from those tastings are missing at Jenny's. It is a decidedly younger crowd that seem to be enamored with these natural wines like no other demographic. I have been attending the Jenny & Francois tastings since their beginning. I used to wear my usual wine tasting attire of casual dress shoes, jeans, dress shirt and sport coat. Not anymore. I am more casual here to fit in. I could likely be wearing a coonskin cap, snowshoes and have a husky under my arm and not even be noticed here.

Olivier Cousin of Cousin-Leduc. He makes a damn tasty Anjou cabernet franc. He also uses a horse to plow in the vineyards. Genius!

So why are the wine people at this tasting so different and younger. I'm not sure, but I believe that the largely Gen X/Y group are more open minded about wine and less attracted to the trophy wines. Sure enough, these wines are not easy to sell - unless you are truly enthused and dedicated. You can't just sit these out on the floor for sale. They really need to be explained before even sampled. To be hand sold. But these avant garde wine merchants and hip wine bars are really excited to offer something wholesome, unique and delicious. And I am completely with them or maybe they are completely with me.

Alain Rochard of Loup Blanc in Minervois.

The delicious Loup Blanc La Mere Grand (grandmother) Minervois aptly named for having come from old vines, mostly grenache.

Making natural wines isn't easy and the vigerons that Jenny and Francois find and represent are farmers with limited resources and land. Some wines are hit and miss, but most work and offer a fresh look on a new style of wine that is actually the old style of wine before a laboratory of additives and refinements became standard.

Domaine Sablonettes is always one of my favorites and this Le Bon Petit Diable cabernet franc is a new offering and another fav.

The problem with these winemakers is that their production is so small, I'm afraid there will not be enough to go around. Shhhh!     

Jenny on the right with Rita, the rep of the wines in NJ and PA.

C. Flemming Einfahrt, the world's foremost authority on accordion repair, dining at The Smith. How cool.