Drink Wine With Me

Archive for the ‘Wine bars’ Category

This summer I had the opportunity to attend two wine and cheese pairing classes at City Winery in NYC.  Located at 155 Varick Street, City Winery is the first fully functioning winery in Manhattan and was founded by Michael Dorf.  His vision was to create a  space in the city where you can go and enjoy amazing wines paired with great food and live music.  Along with the many concerts they have scheduled they also offer special event dinners with winemakers, a private dining room, as well as a barrel making program for individuals or corporations.   One of the coolest things I love about City Winery is that when you order one of their wines by the glass it comes straight from a barrel in the cellar through the tap and into your glass, skipping the bottle altogether.  You simply can’t get any fresher than that!

The wine classes that I attended were in partnership with Murray’s Cheese, Manhattan’s oldest and most renowned cheese shop.  My favorite was in honor of the World Cup and the teams competing were France vs Italy.  It featured 2 Italian wines and 3 cheeses against 2 French wines and 3  cheeses.  While I loved all the cheeses we tried no matter what country they were from, in the end France won out for me.  No  surprise there.  I absolutely loved the French red Chateau d’Or et de Geulules Costieres-de-Nimes Les Cimels 2007.  This wine was dark ruby in color, had aromas of cherry and blackberry, and had tons of spice and dark fruit flavor.  I do have to give Italy an honorable mention for the white wine we sampled- Fruilano Bastianich 2007.  This wine was pale gold in color with a sweet honey aroma, and was drier with lemon and pear flavors.  It paired beautifully with the Petit Billy goat cheese from France.  Other cheeses that were standouts were the Pyranees Brebis, a sheeps milk cheese from France and the Taleggio from Italy.  This Taleggio from Murray’s wasn’t as ripe and soft as the ones I have bought but the flavor was still excellent especially when paired with the French red wine.

I loved this concept of having 2 wine regions face off and having everyone pick their favorite.  It would make for a great do it yourself wine tasting party and the options would be endless:  Australia vs New Zealand,  Washington vs California, Chile vs Spain, I could go on and on.  Thanks to City Winery for offering these educational and fun classes.  I can’t wait to see what the next classes are on the schedule!

This holiday season I visited Bar Veloce in Chelsea for pre-holiday party drinks and a quick bite.  Located on 7th Avenue between 20th and 21st streets in NYC this wine bar is one of several locations that is cozy and always crowded.  Each location’s wine list features a specific region.  The Chelsea bar is all Italian wines and the food is primarily specialty paninis.  You can also get wine bar staples such as olives, bruschetta,  and a great cheese plate of chef’s selections.  While on this excursion I had a terrific gerwurtztraminer and a glass of prosecco. 

Maso Michei Gewurtztraminer 2007 (Trentino) is one truly great white wine.  Produced in Northern Italy close to the Swiss border it has a clear gold color in the glass.  It is perfectly balanced and crisp.  This white is full of flavor with peaches and light citrus.  I was going to write about a different Gewurtztraminerthat I had the week prior but this one blew the other away.  It pairs well with most foods especially white meats.

When I want to drink something lighter than red wine and am not in the mood for mixed drinks I always go for a sparkling glass of Prosecco.  Bar Veloce features Prosecco Zardetto MV (Veneto) by the glass.  I love the way the bubbles float to the top of the glass and dance across your tongue with each sip.  This Prosecco has a honey and floral aroma.  It has a pale yellow color and tastes of apples with a hint of  lemon.  It has a great acidity and a long, clean finish.  Both of these were great choices and went well with the paninis that were ordered.  I highly recommend the prosciutto, mushroom, and truffle oil panini.  The food is reasonably priced and most wines are less than $12 per glass.  All in all an absolutely delicious visit!

Spanish Rioja is quickly gaining popularity here in the United States.  This past week I went to my favorite wine bar Riposo 46 located on 9th Avenue at 46th Street.  On every visit I choose a Rioja since these bottles are extremely well priced and you are guaranteed a wine with amazing flavor.  This night we selected El Coto Rioja 2005.  This red is made with 100% tempranillo grapes which create wine that has a higher acidity and mild tannins.  It’s medium bodied with cherry and raspberry flavors and light oak.  Riposo 46  has the best cheeses, pizzas, and olives to go along with all the great wines they feature.  The El Coto Rioja went extremely well with the mixed olives served warm in oil and garlic and the vegetarian flatbread pizza made even more delicious by adding prosciutto on top-not so vegetarian anymore!  A great table wine and the price can’t be beat at under $40 per bottle at the wine bar.

Later in the week while perusing the aisles of my local wine store I came across a white Rioja.  Normally sticking to reds but both of us being more in the mood for white we decided to see how the white version would compare to the red we drank earlier in the week.  We purchased a bottle of Marqués de Cáceres 2007.  The white version was equally flavorful.  Light mineral notes accompanied by flavors of ripe melon, apple, and pepper.  A great wine to pair with seafood and bargain priced at under $12 at retail.

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Wined Up which is one of my favorite wine bars in NYC.  It is located above Punch Restaurant on Broadway and 21st Street.  The spot is quiet, cozy, and romantic with an impressive suspended wine wall holding 3000 bottles of wine.  This gives way for a great variety of wines from all the  main regions but one of the reasons I keep going back is the affordable bottle options from Spain and South America.  Many bottles are well priced at  $40-$50.  There is also a decent selection of wines by the glass.  We chose a Nerola 80% Syrah, 20% Monastrell from Torres.  This spanish red has a firm body with light fruit flavor and is aged in french oak barrels giving it toasted cocoa and vanilla notes.  The wine had a slightly spicy finish and paired well with all of the food we ordered.  My favorite accompaniments at Wined Up are the La Tur (Italy) and Scharfe Maxx (Switzerland) cheeses, thick sliced proscuitto, and the mixed olives marinated in cabernet and herbs.  A delicious ending to a hard days work!