lørdag 25. oktober 2014

Flatiron Wines

Flatiron Wines in New York is a little wine shop with a surprising selection. It can be hard to miss this New York Gem, but it is a must to go if you are looking for good wines. 
The Italian section is larger than many other stores, and you can find both Elio Altare and Bartolo Mascarello. 



The French section holds the "cheaper" Comte Lafon, but also many other great wines, if you are in a Burgundy kind of mood.
The wines are fairly priced, and their selection fairly wide. 

Check out their website for more information. 


onsdag 15. oktober 2014

New York Wine Experience




I have never been to the New York Wine Experience, but it's on my Barrel List. 
This year, my "boss" Elena Penna with Vietti will be there, and I am sad to miss her.
You can read more about the event here. 

The Wine Spectator hosts the Wine Experience, and the event consist of seminars and tasting. There is a program with sit down tastings, lunches with wine parings and a Grand Award Banquet. 


onsdag 8. oktober 2014

Burlotto - Pelaverga 2013

Burlotto is one of the oldest producers of Barolo. Today Fabio Allessandria, is the winemaker. 

Pelaverga is an old, grape variety, and a rare grape variety as well. The Burlotto family has grown the grape since the1800's. The pelaverga grape is know to make lightly sparkling, strawberry flavored wines.


The Pelaverga 2013 has a cherry red color and the aromas include cherries, notes of bourbon, and even hints of white pepper. The wine is dry, but fruity, medium bodied and rich.


You can visit the Burlotto website to learn more about their wines.

mandag 6. oktober 2014

Lupa Osteria Romana

If you are ever in NYC, check out Lupa in Greenwich Village on Thompson street. 
Lupa is one of Mario Batali's restaurants, one tier above Otto and one tier below Babbo.Mr. Batali openened Lupa in 1999 with Joseph Bastianich, Mark Ladner and Jason Denton.

Just make sure you book a table, they fill up quickly. You can drop by, they have a few tables available for walk-ins, but reservations are recommended.  

The food, mainly Roman, is superb, wine list wonderful and staff exceptional. You can look at their Wine List.



I have been going to Lupa for years, and will keep going. My usual dinner consists of assorted meats for an antipasti, Bucatini al'amatriciana as a main course, and cheese for dessert. I usually also go for the Ettore Germano Herzu, one of my favorites. 

Check out their website here.  

 Cheers!

søndag 5. oktober 2014

Nino Negri

Nino Negri is a winery located near Lago di Como. I first discovered the wine when I was in Bellagio a few years ago, in a little wine bar. I had the Ca' Brione, which is my favorite wine of theirs.
Their reds are fairly good, however very different from what I usually enjoy.


At the MS Walker tasting in Boston, I found the Ca' Brione and two reds. Hopefully I'll be able to find it in a store nearby. 

You can read more about Nino Negri here.



torsdag 2. oktober 2014

Cinque Terre

Elio Altare is famous for his Barolo's, Barbera's and hi Dolcetto's. What fewer know about, is his project on the edge of Cinque Terre. 
Altare produces white and red wine on the edge of a cliff along the ocean in Cinque Terre. The work is hard, the hills are steep, but the final product is very good. His white from this area is one of my favorites.

The project interests me for many reasons. He is, of course, Elio Altare. His passion for wine is contagious and it was on that cliff in his vineyard along the coast that I first started to love wine; and that was before I had even tasted it. 

A more practical aspect of the project: it helps keep the earth in tact and prevents mudlsides. Mudslides have been a problem in the area, and Altare's vineyard is part of preventing future ones.




Wine production is expensive and hard work, but this little adorable man eagrly runs up and down those hills. And there are no machines. I repeat, there is no tractor or car or anything. They carry the grapes on their backs. 

You can check out the project on their website here.

Toni Fadnes, author of How To Wine Travel wrote a wonderful article about Altare's project in Cinque Terre. You can find the article: here.

Read about Cinque Terre and Elio here: TheVipTable