Results tagged “cabernetfranc”

Ask any kid who grew up on Long Island, and they could easily rattle off their favorite Entenmann’s desserts. For us, no contest, the Devil’s Food Crumb Donuts are as good as it gets. We’d eat off all the chocolate, sugar-coated crumbs first, one by one, and then save the naked donut for our final conquest. It somehow felt like two desserts that way. Maybe it’s all those fond childhood memories of sugar highs mixed with a dash of indulgence, but when we heard that the Entenmann family owned a vineyard on the North Fork of Long Island, we threw on our elastic waist pants and headed east.

Did you ever hear the one about the vineyard in Queens, just minutes away from the Little Neck Parkway Q46 bus stop? Even if you haven’t, it’s true. First reported three years ago, the borough is finally set to prove it has terroir in spades with the imminent production of its namesake wine. The epicenter for this oenophile revolution is the Queens County Farm Museum, described on its website as “New York City's largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland,” and “the only working historical farm in the City.” It’s also one of the oldest farms in the entire state of New York, celebrating its 310th birthday this year. It’s about time for Queens to have its own wine. Gothamist visited the farm yesterday, and got the full story from vintner Gary Mitchell.

The annual Gambero Rosso Slow Food Italian Wine Tasting reminds us a little of the Oscars. People lined up outside the Puck building anxious to get in, half the men are dressed in Armani and everybody’s dying to find out who will be the big star of the evening. The space is packed with industry-types, producers and wine geeks who are on the lookout for the next great Italian wines. The top producers honored at this tasting have won the tre bicchieri (three glasses) award, which recognizes top premium Italian Wines. This year there was not one wine that swept the tasting, but there were quite a few standouts. Here are our favorites:

The wines of France are often identified by their personality before their physical make-up. When you think Bordeaux, perhaps thoughts of fireplaces, pedigree and ascots come to mind over Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Burgundy is the slightly more quiet, smoldering type – more sweater vest than ascot. And the Languedoc, well that’s the funky, fun free spirit that we’ll be inviting to our holiday parties this year.

It’s amazing what you can accomplish under pressure. When that critical moment comes, and you bring the goods, rise to the occasion or score the goal it can be the most exhilarating feeling. Watching the World Cup this week, we’ve sat on the edge of our chair, holding our breath, crossing our fingers, cheering our teams on – waiting for that moment. Saturday’s Argentina vs. Mexico match came down to just that – in overtime, with a tie score of 1 to 1, Argentina pulled through – scoring an amazing goal to win the game and move on in the tournament. Pressure is pretty powerful. It’s the reason some of the most exciting points are scored with just a few seconds left on the clock. It forces you to reach a little further down, and go a little further than you knew you could. It’s also the reason that some of the most expressive and concentrated wines are those created when the vine is under extreme pressure.

Once you get past the budget deficit, the war in Iraq and the fact that McDonald’s stops serving McGriddles after 11am, you’ll find that there is a lot to be proud of when it comes to this country. However our wines may not be the first thing to come to mind.

Every now and then you have to leave the city. Yes, it can be difficult to know that where you going may not have a Whole Foods in a five mile radius, there may be no bodega selling beer at 5am and chances are the cheese selection may be limited to cheddar and swiss, however, as Gothamist discovered on our weekend wine tour of the Hudson Valley, there is a world of alcohol out there just waiting to be drunk.