RoobiFood

I promised you an article about wine tasting for this week. Sadly my life has been crazy as I search for a job in NYC so I haven’t had time to write said article. But, thinking that it would be wise to still give you something, here is a clip from “French Kiss” that talks about smell and flavors in wines. Go watch it.

Living in New York City where everything is so unavoidably expensive, who doesn’t love a bargain? So if walking into a ‘no frills’ warehouse-style discount liquor store means scoring a great bottle of wine on the cheap, why not? Sure, I venture in one every now and then, but to me, there’s something about the rustic quality of wine that makes buying a bottle under bright fluorescent lights feel slightly amiss. Luckily there are plenty of boutique wine shops dotting the map here in Manhattan; the kind with that dark, cozy wine cellar feel.

Ninth Avenue Vintner is one such shop I happened to stumble upon last week. Even though it’s a subway ride away, it’s found a place on my list of favorites to visit. Located on Ninth Avenue between 46th and 47th streets, the shop is hard to miss, and trust me when I say it’s hard not to be tempted to walk inside, whether wine is on your shopping list or not.

The cement floor, exposed wood ceiling joists, dim pendant lighting, wooden cubby shelving that spans the walls, and a charming, old-school rolling ladder together create a warmth that makes you want to stay a while. With wines from all over the world, from both well-known and lesser-known vineyards, there is an endless selection to choose from. And if you don’t know where to start, check out the store’s Top 10 List that notes a handpicked selection of staff and customer favorites, each with a detailed description sure to titillate the senses. If after reading over that you’re still unsure, the friendly staff is more than willing to offer their expertise. The best part however? A bottle of wine here won’t break the bank. At least one fave on the list is under $15.

Once you’ve got the wine covered, step next door to Vintner Wine Market for a baguette and some cheese. With hundreds of varieties to choose from and a selection of gourmet pairings, from homemade quince paste to organic charcuterie, it’s quite possible to walk away with dinner! But…if you can stay a while, grab a seat at a table in the back and order from the shop’s list of over two hundred beers (or of course wine if you like) and its low-key menu of salads, sandwiches, cheese plates and…you guessed it—fondue. Cheese or chocolate!

For information on wine and cheese tastings visit the store’s website at vintnerwinemarketny.com and read through the Vintner Gazetteer at ninthavenuevintner.com

Ninth Avenue Vintner 669 Ninth Avenue NY, NY; Vintner Wine Market 671 Ninth Avenue NY, NY

Last week I wrote about white wines because I think it is wiser for those getting into wine to start off with whites and then more to reds. But as there are those of you reading this blog that are probably a little past “starting off” I have put together a list of three red varietals you might want to try.

Below you will find a list. Each item has a brief explanation of the history of the particular varietal and a link to Wine Library TV so that you can watch a tasting of a few wines made from the particular varietal.

1. Cabernet: Cabernet has been the most important red in America for a long time, to help you sort through the list of vineyards with Cabernet on their vines, watch this video.
2. Pinot Noir: Pinot Noir flew into fame after the move “Sideways” with all the hype there is this video to help you find the best one.
3. Malbec: Malbec’s importance in American wine consumption is still questionable. It has just recently started to explode, possibly due to ex-pats in Argentina where the varietal is a staple along with grass feed beef. Watch this video.

Next week we will be looking at the flavors in wine, and “How The Honker on Your Face Makes The Wine”

Untangling the vines of wine culture-
one word at a time.

In “Hello. My name is: Chase” I told you a bit about how I got into wine. What I didn’t tell you was that I spent almost an hour reading and re-reading the back labels of almost half my local liquor stores wine selection. I picked up each bottle aware that I was not looking the part and hoped that something would say “You will like me!” The lingo I had loved and started to learn thanks to the journal had suddenly become a confusing jumble of seemingly random metaphor. Plus, all my friends who talked of drinking wine talked of enjoying reds more than whites, so though “fresh , crisp and sweet” sounded more appealing than “a dry wine swimming with cherries and raspberries that  finishes with the tannins of a perfectly made cup of earl gray” I felt the need to get a red and, after my hour of reading landed on a red enjoyed out of the need to enjoy and not because I liked the wine.

Your first bottle of wine shouldn’t be “a dry blah blah blah”, especially if it is your first serious experience with alcohol. I remember tasting a lot of alcohol and a low amount of fruit and though this is largely because the Hoya de Cadenas Reserve Tempranillo was not of great quality itself I strongly believe that going with something sweeter would have been better for me and that by giving into my desire to be suave rather than my desire to enjoy a good bottle of wine I caused myself more pain than I admitted at the time.

So, as a promised , here is a list of white wines that I think anyone can enjoy. There are those who will enjoy reds before they enjoy whites, and I will deal with you next week, but for the most part I think this list of three white wine varietals will be a good place to start.

1. Go out and buy a sweet Finger Lakes Riesling right now. A few Vineyards that are known for making a consistently good vintage are Standing Stone, Dr. Konstantin Frank and Bully Hill. Riesling is a grape that has waved in its popularity in the States. A traditionally sweet wine, resent trends are rendering this grape dry, I recommend though that you find a sweet or semi-dry bottle like Dr. Frank’s and enjoy.
2. The restaurant I worked at during my “One Wine a Week Summer” was Italian based and thus we severed a bunch of Pinot Grigo. This varietal is called Pinto Gris by many State based vineyards. One bottle I enjoyed was the Montevina Pinot Grigio from 2006 that I drank at an Olive Garden recently.
3. This last wine I recommend with a few reservations. First of all you have all heard of it. OK, maybe not all of you but if you flip open any book on wine in the States you will note how important Chardonnay is. Sadly, this means a lot of bad Chardonnay is made so keep to something like Robert Mondavi or Charles Krug (priced around $10 and $20) and beware of vineyards that seem to like oak.

There are other whites, we will talk about many of them as time goes on but please feel free to comment below and tell us all about different vineyards that make a Riesling, Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay you like. Or, if you don’t enjoy any of these choices, please tell us about a white grape you do like.

Next week “Going Red in The Vase”.

Untangling the vines of wine culture-
one word at a time.

If you are interested in finding Wine Events around you, a good website full of wine events all around the world but particularly in the USA is Local Wine Events.

Being able to locate local wine events is a huge help for beginner as it will help you get tied into a community that is as into wine as you are. In my article “What Wine Goes With This?” I mentioned that you should find a wine buddy so you have someone to compare the reactions to bottles of wine with, local wine events are a good way to find such a person if you are the first of your friends to get into wine.

If you are a long time wine drinker starting to think about your carbon foot print, looking at a list of local wine events will help you find winearys that are close by, and buying local does more than give you community it reduces the amont of gas burnt for each class of wine you drink.