Drink Wine With Me

For someone who primarily drinks red wine especially in the cold winter months I seem to be discovering quite a few white wines that I am really enjoying.  Recently while preparing a delicious dinner of chicken with green curry sauce my boyfriend selected Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc, a medium bodied white that he purchased at a wine tasting.  Arboleda wines are produced in the Leyda Valley located in Chile.  Chilean wines are gaining in popularity based on their high quality and affordable prices.  This sauvignon blanc is no exception.  When poured this wine has a pretty straw color and concentrated aroma.  I found it to smell rather buttery with notes of grass and minerals.  The flavor of fresh tropical fruits and slight citrus was well balanced with a nice acidity.  According to the wine makers notes this wine has 14 % alcohol and notes of asparagus and green chili.  I didn’t really taste either of those but this wine did pair extremely well with our spicy Thai meal.  This wine scored 90 points from Wine Advocate and retails under $20.   Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc is another fine white wine choice and another great representation of Chilean wine making.

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!

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend another amazing wine tasting at Court Street restaurant in Hoboken, NJ.  We tasted 10 top rated wines several of which I will be writing about in future posts.  We started with 4 whites and I was excited to see that one of my favorite varietals was on the list.  Viognier is a white grape that is produced in the Rhone Valley in France.  Zaca Mesa winery located north of Santa Barbara, CA in the Santa Ynez Valley is producing what I feel is an excellent version of this wine.  They are the first winery to plant this varietal in the area.  Zaca Mesa Viognier 2008 has both rich aroma and bold, crisp flavors.  This wine is first aged in stainless steel and then transferred and aged in French oak barrels.  In the glass is a clear pale golden color with a strong floral nose.  This white has an intense burst of flavors on the tongue.  I tasted pear and citrus with hints of peaches.  It is medium bodied and has a long finish with great acidity.  You can pair this wine with spicy dishes and seafood.  I recommend this white for wine drinkers who favor less sweet and slightly drier whites.  Zaca Mesa Viognier is rated 90 points from Wine Enthusiast  2008 and is available for less than $20 per bottle.

My absolute favorite wine is Silver Palm Cabernet Sauvignon.  This award winning wine is produced by Silver Palm Wines in California.  I first fell in love with this fabulous red wine at a tasting a few years ago.  I purchased several bottles and just finished my last one this Thanksgiving.  This is without a doubt the most smooth and flavorful cabernet I have yet to taste.  The varietal breakdown is 82% cabernet sauvignon, 10% merlot, 5% syrah, and 3% petite syrah.  Upon opening the beautiful bottle which is accented in platinum, you experience mouth watering aromas of cherries, coffee, pepper, and wood smoke.  Upon sipping there is a perfect blend of flavor with cherries, currants, vanilla, and spice.   These flavors are intensified due to aging in oak barrels for 15 months.  If you love spicy, smoky, reds or are a cabernet drinker in general this is a wine you definitely have to try.  My bottles were from the 2005 vintage which was only available in restaurants previously.  You can now purchase this wine online as the 2006 vintage is readily available.  I LOVE Silver Palm Cabernet and cannot wait until my latest order is delivered!

Since I gravitate towards all things French, it is no surprise that I also love French wines.  At many of my local wine shops there are plenty of inexpensive Cote du Rhone offerings.  By far my immediate favorite is Perrin & Fils Cote du Rhone Villages 2006 from Chateau de Beaucastel in the Rhone Valley.  I first tried this version at a wine tasting and was blown away by how great it was.  I went on to order several bottles and have really enjoyed each experience upon drinking them. 

The reason I am so impressed with this red is the explosion of flavor that comes with every sip.  A blend of 50% syrah and 50% grenache, it’s slight  floral and licorice aromas lead into full rich black cherry and plum flavors with a light spice and a hint of oak.  There are mild tannins present and there is a smooth and long finish on the palate.  I find this wine on the lighter side even though it is categorized as medium bodied.  This makes it a great companion not only to grilled meats and cheeses but  it also pairs well with spicy Thai and Indian cuisines.  It is rated 90 points by Wine Spectator and retails under $18.

Lately I am hearing a lot of buzz regarding wines produced in New Zealand particularly Sauvignon Blanc.  I decided to taste for myself what this gorgeous country is offering with their wines.  I took a chance and picked up a bottle of Kono Sauvignon Blanc 2008.  This white is produced in Marlborough which is New Zealand’s largest wine growing region and is now recognized by wine experts for turning out the best Sauvignon Blanc in the world.  The initial taste of this wine was clean and crisp with a distinct citrus flavor reminding me of juicy grapefruit.  This white has a pleasant acidity which gives it a nice long finish on the palate.  I definitely would pair this wine with seafood and poultry dishes.  Kono is a huge hit for me and will now be a regular purchase since it is extremely affordable at less than $11 a bottle!

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!

After what has turned out to be a crazy and intense week at work I came home and opened up a bottle of Zen of Zin Old Vine Zinfandel hoping it would help me decompress a little.  What I wasn’t expecting was an excellent bottle of wine.  Zinfandel is usually my go to red when I am out on the town.  I love it’s richness and full deep flavor.  This version is much lighter than what I am used to even though it is 13.5% alcohol .  The aroma of coffee is very pronounced upon opening.  I tasted juicy berries and lots of spice but the best thing about this wine is that there are definite chocolate notes.  This is mentioned on the bottle and amazingly enough that flavor came through with every sip!  This Zinfandel is an extremely versatile wine.  It is great on it’s own but also makes a great companion to your dinner and can carry right on through with dessert.  I would say this is a perfect choice if you are entertaining or need to take wine to a party.  Zen of Zin is bottled by Ravenswood in Sonoma, CA.  It retails for under $15 and is readily available online and in stores.

I recently went on a 4 day boat trip up the Hudson River with my boyfriend.  Turns out it was the last good boating weekend we would have for the season.  As with all our boat trips we have to provision and make sure enough bottles of wine are on board to get us through the trip.  One of the selections that I brought along was The Old Field Merlot 2001.  In May we visited the wineries for my birthday on the North Fork of Long Island.  The Old Field was our first stop on our journey and what a place to begin our tasting!  This family owned and operated winery has been in business since the 1970′s and offers not only a beautiful and relaxing setting but an absolutely amazing merlot.  This wine tasted like a glass full of dark cherries and it’s smoothness carried into light notes of black pepper and spice.  It has a slightly lower alcohol content at 12% making it an easily drinkable wine and it pairs well with meat and other savory dishes.  Even though I have been drinking more full bodied reds as of late this merlot has made me love this variety again.  Overall a fabulous wine and well priced at under $20 per bottle.