Results tagged “cabernetsauvignon”

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:

All it takes is one really good fall to understand the importance of balance. We were reminded of that this past week when having drinks at Hudson Bar and Books with colleagues. The night was going all too well. We had even managed to include Frangelico in the drinking equation. Everyone was enjoying themselves and the ample amounts of Champagne being poured when a slight move turned the table—both literally and figuratively. A co-worker scooted over in the banquet seat to make room for another when he lost his balance and flew into the table, knocking over at least seven (full) glasses, flipping us over on our chair, and falling on top of us. As we laid there, a Perrier-Jouet miraculously still full and in hand, we tried to process what just happened and how we came to be sprawled out on the floor of Hudson Bar and Books with all its patrons’ eyes focused in our direction. It then occurred to me: we can never come back here again. See, balance is important – particularly when you're drinking wine and especially when you're making it.

Crossover in the entertainment industry is as prevalent as Dunkin' Donuts built next to Weight Watchers. You have music stars breaking in movies, actors releasing albums, sports stars invading reality TV and you know they’ve all released a line of clothing and a perfume or two. That being said we’re still not sure if we should be shocked that apparently the next frontier for these enterprising celebrities is the world of wine.

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.

You know we love it. It’s the largest collection of delicious wines under one roof. For the wine novice who is looking to expand his palate to the experienced taster looking to find the next big thing, it’s the best way to support a great cause (City Harvest) and get all liquored up in the process.

Terroir is one of those concepts where if you put 50 wine geeks in a room and let them talk among themselves, you can create a heated discussion around dirt. Add to that equation a blind wine tasting and hold it at Daniel and it’s possible that a cheese puff and caviar food fight may erupt. The potential to see little bites of culinary genus thrown maliciously at Masters of Wine and industry greats was too good for us to pass up, so Gothamist gladly accepted an invitation to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Robert Mondavi Winery at a panel discussion titled “A sense of place: The future of terroir”

The world of wine and spirits has historically been a male-dominated arena – from the old-school sommeliers in bowties and silver tastevins around their necks to the grand chateaus passed down from father to son. However, this ancient industry has evolved and grown to cater to its bellowing fan base. No longer only a boys’ club, women have become a driving force in the production, service and consumption of wine. Forget the notion of girls sipping chardonnay and white wine spritzers – we, ladies, can grow the grapes, make the wine and serve it up, too. And it’s plain to see at Annisa, an intimate West Village restaurant, in our own Manhattan.

Gothamist has been on a Bordeaux kick lately. Perhaps it’s because we overdid on the Spanish Riojas, but lately the rich, complex notes of a great Bordeaux have us longing for just one glass more. And perhaps one more after that, but then we swear we’re moving on to South African wines (Mmmm…Pinotage). There seems to be a misconception that you have to pay a lot to get a good Bordeaux, and while some of the great wines of Bordeaux cost hundreds of dollars, there are quite a few out there that are great bargains. Here are our favorites, from budget to splurge…

Sometimes one just isn’t enough. This can be true when it comes to lobster rolls at the Black Pearl, cashiers at Duane Reade and that tasty little chocolate that they leave on your pillow in hotels (especially if it’s a Toblerone). When it comes to wine there is also something to be said about having more than one grape variety. Blends, or wines that are a blend of different grape varieties, can be some of the most interesting, complex and delicious wines out there. The different grapes, like a well-stocked spice rack, can add an extra layer of flavor and depth to the wine. Although blends have been around since the creation of wine, today winemakers are pushing the envelope, creating blends that are unique, unexpected and bursting with flavor. Here are a few of our favorite traditional and non-traditional blends.

This past weekend Gothamist was invited to a party, and we needed to bring wine. We ran to the local wine shop (it was pouring rain, which conveniently seemed to start the moment we stepped outside), selected our wine and were off to the party. When we arrived, we placed the wine down on the table with the other wine guests had brought and noticed something quite unusual. Of the 7 bottles of wine, 6 were Cabernet Sauvignon from California. Was it possible that we were at a party with all New World Cabernet lovers? Did that many exist? We had to find out.

Try: Mazzei 2001 Poggio alla Badiola Toscana, Italy, $12.99

This post is dedicated to the students heading back to school with dreams of champagne and box wine budgets. To those returning from Vegas, who lost their shirt and perhaps a cute black strapy sandal (yes it’s possible to lose one shoe and no it’s not in the fountain at the Bellagio, we’ve checked there twice). And to most of all, to our fellow New Yorkers who have spent all their money on rent and rice pudding from Rice to Riches…and just want to know “what are the good cheap wines?”

It was bound to happen. The Hamptons, or as Gothamist likes to think of it, a displacement home for wealthy New Yorkers, finally got their own wine and food festival. The talent read like a who’s who of the food and wine circuit: Rick Moonen, Michael Romano, Steven Jenkins and Floyd Cardoz all boarded the Hampton Jitney to share their secrets with those who could afford the $150 ticket. Or for the big spenders $650 gets you the VIP Platinum Pass that includes access to the Bentley Tailgate Party and Mojito Barbecue (unfortunately the Bentley’s were only for show and were not included in the $650 ticket – such a tease).

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.

…well not in the literal sense but ask any attendees at the Australian Wine Tasting party Gothamist attended on Wednesday and they will affirm, we should have taken first prize. Wine parties are on the rise. When you add a little friendly competition, lots of wine and nibbles and a dash of creativity it’s amazing how quickly an evening can be spiced up…even a Wednesday. The party Gothamist attended last week was one of the most creative wine events we have been to in while. Everybody had an amazing time (perhaps a direct correlation to the 12 bottles of wine) - so we figured we would “borrow” their idea and share it with you.

a.k.a red badge of courage, a.k.a tannin teeth. Oh, we all know it and we’ve all been there. Standing by the buffet table at a cocktail party throwing back free Californian Cabernet Sauvignon like it’s our job and we steal a quick glance in the mirror to check out how pretty we are and there it is: purple teeth. It’s enough to drive us to Chardonnay. Well maybe not, but it sure pisses us off. So like any concerned drinker we went in search of answers.

The other night, Gothamist had the most decadent dream: in one night, we ate at Hearth, WD-50, Asiate, Public, Cru, Sumile and Per Se. We sipped wines from all over the world, and nibbled on delectable desserts from Spice Market. When we woke up the next morning, we realized that it wasn't a dream after all -- it was the StarChefs.com annual Rising Stars Revue, and Gothamist was there.

We were all set to write about the 2002 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon this week - to tell you about the rich fruit and the velvet texture of the wine. But then we made a pit stop in Brooklyn last night, Park Slope to be exact, and writing about just one wine didn’t seem like enough. What happened in Brooklyn was the birth of a new tradition for Gothamist. While this tradition is not groundbreaking or some novel idea that took weeks to conceive – ask anyone who was a part of it, and they will tell you how special it was.

So you've made it through another Valentines Day -- whether you shared a romantic evening with your sweetie-pie or drank your sorrows away with some spicy shiraz, it's time to move on, as there are some food and wine events this week that need your attention:

First it was Australia, then it was New Zealand . . . now the next New World wine region to capture the hearts and taste buds of New Yorkers is South America. What makes this region so spectacular for easy to drink, plush, fruity wines is the perfect climate. Grapes get to bask in the warm Latin sun – enjoying a particularly long ripening season. Kind of like the holiday we wish we could take. Rain and frost are non-issues and with plenty water from irrigation those lucky grapes are more spoiled then the tenants of 927 Fifth Avenue.

Red is definitely one of Gothamists' favorite colors - especially in wine. Just combine some top-notch red vino with some top-grade red meat and we're ready to kick up our heels at a bonafide Bordeaux and bovine ball.

With the Jewish holidays in high gear, many of you will be washing down your gefilite fish with a glass or two of Kosher wines. We�re not just talking about Manishevitz, the official �fortified grape juice� of the Jewish people, but rather the growing selection of Cabernet Sauvignons, Chardonnay�s and numerous wines that are being made Kosher style.

When was the last time you had a wine that knocked your socks off? The kind that wakes every last taste bud and leaves you longing for just one more sip - we�re talking �lick the bottom of the glass when nobody�s looking� good. If you�re having trouble remembering, then it time you explore the great wines of Italy.

You�re on a date. We�ve all been there. You�ve checked your teeth � all clear, deodorant � check, you even remembered to switch to the good underwear � just in case. The waiter drops off the menus and wine list � so far so good. Now here�s the tricky part, before even deciding whether to go for the Lobster Risotto with Saffron or the Chicken Paillard � you have to select a wine.

red wine extends life! It's all due to a nautral chemical substance called resveratrol, a compound found largely in the skins of red grapes. Also, resveratrol is found in grapes of cooler climates, like New York State, in what can only be a boon to the New York wine industry. The Times quotes the Oxford Companion to Wine: ""