I've recently been suffering from wine drinker's ennui, that strange affliction that makes most wines — even your favorites — seem uninteresting & ordinary. I started a palate rehabilitation program and as I had been drinking a lot of American wines, I followed these steps.

Step one: Cut down on American & new world wines & increase intake of old world, primarily French wines.

I jumped right into this step & went for the French, hoping to get rid of this affliction quickly. I cracked open the Montvac Cotes du Rhone that's been in my wine rack for a couple months. I have enjoyed this wine before & I know I like it's style & range of flavors. My palate perked up a bit during the first glass. What I had been missing most was right up front — that great old-world earthiness, a really evident terroir. And with it's supple texture & berry notes, I felt confident that the Montvac had cured me. But by the second glass, the ennui returned. Every sip seemed to lay on my tongue like Gogurt, and everything seemed disjointed. I was truly sick & needed to up my presciption.

Step two: Drink wines from less common regions or from less common grapes, or both.

I bought a bottle of the Hai Cabernet from Israel & the Erste & Neue Schiava from Alto Adige, Italy for a party I was supposed to go to (I didn't even want to *give* ordinary wine anymore). When I ended up not going to the party, I quickly opened the Schiava, knowing, again, that this is a wine I have enjoyed & it's from a region I love. It's an interesting wine as soon as you pour it, as the color is unlike most wines. It's definitely darker than most rosés, but lighter than most reds. It is beautifully floral on the nose & that's about the last time I saw this wine. It is dangerously easy to drink & I could barely keep my glass full. It's a very fruity wine & the fruit is balanced out with an interesting slight nuttiness that I noticed as the wine raced down my gullet. I was definitely on the road to recovery, but just to make sure, I went on to step three.

Step Three: Drink a higher quality wine from a reputable region.

I had a bottle of 2004 Zind Humbrecht Gewurztraminer that I'd been holding for a few years. This is a $25-35 bottle from Alsace that I've had a few times before. I was making Indian food which is usually an ideal pairing with Gewurztraminer, so I was going all or nothing. I poured the beautiful blonde yellow wine into the glass and caught a whiff of those enchanting Alsatian scents — nutmeg, jasmine, honeysuckle. I took my first sip & I could feel the ennui slipping away for good. This wine was intricate & nuanced and demanded my attention. There was so much good in this wine, a 750ml bottle seemed like a bad tease, but it was a big enough dosage to solve my problem.

Now that I'm cured, I'm following a regimen of somewhat eccentric wines & soon I will be able to drink a wine from anywhere and enjoy it again. If you too are sick with winedrinker's ennui, the doctor's office hours are every Wednesday from 5:30-8:30pm.

Labels: american, french, israeli, italian, reds, whites

I used to champion West Coast wines, calling the Frenchies stuffy, snooty and bo-ring. Now it's all France, all the time. Even though I've come to recognize, reluctantly, that it's just easier to find well made French wines that are interesting and well priced, I still love California and Oregon. But not enough to spend $30 on a cherry-berry-burst Zinfandel or a toothpaste-y Pinot Noir. For Christmas I drank a white Burgundy from St. Aubin, a Brouilly and a ridiculously good 100% gamay from Anjou that was bright, fruity, earthy and hella gamey, dude. Also, organic and biodynamic, and made by Olivier Cousin, a maniacal winemaker who handcrafts amazing stuff.

Tony (above) and Phil Coturri are America's version of Olivier Cousin. For one, they're total hippies - Eric Asimov once quoted someone who described Phil as "second runner up in a Jerry Garcia lookalike contest." Coturri Winery is the kind of place that perfectly blends the free spirit of the West Coast with traditional European winemaking practices. The Coturris have been making wine in California for three generations now, since the pater familias Enrico arrived in San Francisco at the turn of the (20th) century with $10 in his pocket. Go to their website and read the whole history -- I want to talk about the wine.

I drank a bottle of their 2005 Albarello last night and mmmmm child, what an amazing wine. Mostly Zinfandel and Petite Syrah with some other blending grapes thrown in, this wine is the result of a mixed grape vineyard in Sonoma that was planted to produce a full-bodied table wine. The Coturris don't irrigate, they hand prune and they use only naturally occurring yeasts, so the wine really expresses the character of where it was grown. And what did Sonoma taste like in 2005? Fresh raspberry juice, bright tannins and loamy earth. Let it breathe, maybe even decant it (there's LOADS of sediment) and you have a warm California hillside in a glass.

Labels: californian, french, organic/biodynamic, reds, zinfandel

I think that most of us have always paired a crisp white with hot weather. You know something light and drinkable that leaves you refreshed and with almost no finish so that you can think about how hot you felt on the subway instead of the wine itself. Then things started to get a little crazy and suddenly everyone was drinking rose, which is light and crisp for the most part but sometimes has more structure and body than the usual white Bordeaux you might have chosen. Things progressed in the wine world and suddenly a ton of hot weather options became available; Lambrusco, sparkling Gamay, chilled Blaufrankisch, Barbera vivace and so on. As you may know I am a huge fan of the chilled and/or sparkling red. Sometimes it is the only thing that will do, after all how do you pair a hamburger with some light white? And sometimes you just want a little more weight on your tongue.

A few days ago when the temperature reached it's unbearable peak of 97 degrees (in the shade) and the humidity was overwhelming I reached for a bottle of wine and suddenly I was stumped on what to drink. I wanted to be refreshed but on the other hand I wanted to be distracted from the weather and be able to pay attention to something other than my sweaty self. What to drink? That is when it struck me like a bolt of lightning, or rather a suggestion from a very dear friend, why not have a big rich and slightly chewy red? So I reached for a bottle of our new Montsant, Capcanes, and opened it with gusto. And do you know that wine was PERFECT. I know it goes against all logic but somehow the weight of the wine, the tannins and structure seemed to stand up against the heat and humidity and I felt refreshed both in mind and in palate. SO now when the weather becomes unbearable and the humidity too much I think I will look to Australia for a big Shiraz or to Washington state for a lovely Cabernet and pour myself a big glass of red wine, all the while shaking my fist at the heat and humidity. "Take that New York City summer, take that!"

Labels: reds, spanish

I am the first to want to believe that everything in wine is hype; This grape, this growing practice, this score, it is all hype. Who really cares when you are drinking the actual wine? And I am the first to say that I am sick of the whole Pinot Noir mystique. Why does it have to be this particular grape, this really expensive and so hard to grow, inconsistent supply, grape that everyone has to fall in love with?

I am the first to call bunk on all of that except that tonight I had one of those perfect wine drinking nights. You know what I mean; the talking to friends a little bit too late a little too much food and wine kind of night. The nights that make us realize that this is why we live this life, why we work so hard. Towards the end of the night I opened a bottle of the 2004 Alloro Pinot Noir and there was a show stopping quality about that wine. This was not an easy drinking chilled red, or a talk all night long white bordeaux; this was pay attention to the fact that you are having a great evening and enjoy your company and conversation kind of wine. I loved it. More than loving it I hated all that Pinot Noir represents since Sideways (the movie we all love to hate), but this wine was fun and easy, while still being present with us and our evening and it is not often that you find all of that in your wine drinking life.

I like conversation. I like wine. I like wine that lubricates conversation in a sexy, fun, easy way and this was the wine. And yes I hate that it was Pinot Noir but we cannot blame the poor simple grape for it's overhyped beauty. Instead I say race me to the store because I may very well pull all of those bottles off the shelf for my own consumption before you can even get there.

Pinot Noir, your beast and burden.

Labels: oregon, pinot noir, reds

Talitha attached a note to the bottle of the 2005 Albani Bonarda: Open carefully. Now, I'm naturally very clumsy, so I'm used to these warnings. But when I opened it, I knew immediately what she meant. A loud pop, a fizzing noise, and when I looked into the neck, I saw a plume of smoke like I'd just shot a revolver (not that I would know what that looks like, or anything). I sniffed; it smelled pleasantly of wet slate.

From the Pavia region of Lombardy in the northwest area of Italy, this Bonarda was a bit of a mystery. I texted Talitha immediately: Is it supposed to be fizzy? Yes, she replied.

There was something mysterious about this wine. Here's the secret: the Albani Bonarda is secretly a Croatina–it's not at all related to the Bonarda Piemontese. It's similar to a dolcetto; dark as night, rich and juicy. It has a mineral, earthy quality–hence the stony bouquet–but it has a lot of fruit too.

If you visit the Albani Wine website via Babelfish, as I had to resort to (because I don't speak the language of my ancestors), you'll discover that Pavia: has one ancient tradition in the cultivation of the screw and the art of the wine. As anyone who knows me can attest, I am all about the cultivation of the screw.

But seriously. The slightly frizzante quality lends itself to the Croatina varietal. It doesn't stick around, as with a Lambrusco, but it plays on the tongue ever so pleasantly at the first sip. On the next sip, the taste comes on strong. It's a soft, lively wine, fruity but not too young. And then there's the pleasantly, ever-so-slightly bitter finish. And the beauty of this wine is that it's an immediate drinker, meant to be consumed right away, and man does it open up beautifully. It's not complex, but it has its own layers, and they subtly unfold after it's allowed to breathe for a few minutes.

It turns out that this is a fun wine to drink on its own, but N and I had some eating to do. I made some pan-fried cornmeal-coated catfish with maple butter, and your basic green salad with arugula sprouts and (forlorn, winter) tomatoes. It's a perfect pairing, because catfish itself is a delicately sweet, meaty fish, and the Albani Bonarda is meant to be consumed with something as substantial and simple as cornmeal-crusted catfish. I think it'd be equally as good with an even meatier fish or a light red meat–pork chops with sour cherries, for example. Or some dried fruits and a nice stinky cheese. And though you can't all have the enviable view that we do from our apartment, I must add the Albani Bonarda is best enjoyed with a view of a crescent moon hanging over the Chrysler Building.

Labels: croatina, italian, reds, sparkling

As we roll right in to the thick of all of the holidays the question keeps on coming up ; what should I drink for Thanksgiving? In some worlds being that Thnaksgiving is truly an American holiday (okay I know about the Canadian one but still...) there is a belief that only American wines should be consumed. While I hold to that belief for many reasons; good silky cabernets disguise dried out turkey, rich creamy chardonnays stand up to mashed sweet potatoes, and of course the age old Zinfandel is the way to be. I have been finding that it is actually all about the Italians for me. I am not sure why since I have never actually eaten a turkey in an Italian restaurant or in Italy for that matter but it really seems to work. So in that vein here are a few of my faves for the turkey day:

Chiorri Rose, this one is made for Thanksgiving and what a great reason to drink rose
Squinzano Rosso, big earthy rich and interesting, almost like a sauce in its own right
Terre di Gioai Sauvignon Blanc, lovely lingering flavors of melon and a white that actually just gets better as it warms up.

Maria, Troy and I will be tasting these and other wines in the store on the Wednesday before so stop by. As for Christmas time well that is whole different story.

Labels: american, cabernet, holidays, italian, reds, rosé, sauvignon blanc, whites, wine culture, zinfandel

It may seem that in our settling down for a long cold winter we have been neglecting our blog but in fact we have so much going on behind the scenes right now that is about to emerge that we are keeping things under wraps for the time being until we can announce it all at once.

I can tell you that we have some amazing champagnes coming in soon that we will all have the chance to taste in December and that everyone needs to mark their calendars for the Coturri tasting November when the winemaker himself Tony will be joining us to taste and teach us about his wines.

Soon I promise more updates until then console yourself with a bottle of Morellino di Scansano and a chicken from Pio Pio Rico (the number is on the delivery page).

Labels: american, champagne, italian, morellino, reds

It's August. It's hot and it seems like everyone I know is too broke to go on that vacation or long weekend they planned earlier in the summer. What to do?

Treat yourself right with a fancy bottle of wine. Not pretentious fancy. Not break-the-bank fancy. Just something you haven't tried before that costs a little more than you would usually spend. Make a night of it. Buy some cheese and bread and bottle (or two) of wine and have yourself a little "I'm broke (tired of summer, sick of my job, irritated with my significant other, freaked out by the world), but I still treat myself right" party. Invite friends. Have everyone bring a bottle of wine and something fancy to eat. The funny thing is, you'll probably spend less than if you went out to a bar, had three drinks and took a car service home.

What to get?

At $15.95 Flying Cloud Pinot Gris from San Luis Obispo County in California is an affordable luxury. This crisp white has lovely notes of Asian pear and a long clean finish. Perfect chilled with a soft ripened goat cheese like Le Chevrot or Lingot de Quercy.

What else?

Try Bandol Rose from Domaine la Suffrene. A full bottle will run you $20.95. It's also available in half bottles for $10.50. Bandol is a wine making region in Provence, on France's Mediterranean coast. Mourvedre, Grenache and Cinsault are the main grapes in this rose, and, with the addition of Syrah, of the Bandol region as well. It's a sturdy but supple rose, with nice raspberry lushness and sprightly lemon notes. Get yourself some aged sheep cheese from the Pyrenees like Abbaye de Belloc, Ossau Iraty or Vermont Shepherd (admittedly, from Vermont but in the Pyrenees style). Better yet, get some Brin D'Amor - an herb covered soft sheep cheese from Corsica. You will be in heaven.

Feeling really fancy? Want a wine with some real substance?

Crank up the ac and get yourself a bottle of Domaine Ligneres Notre Dame. It has a sleek modern label, is from Corbieres, France and if I was made of money I would drink a bottle of this wine twice a week. At $29.95 a bottle it's not an everyday wine for most of us, but worth every penny and more. The Notre Dame is big and silky with a beautiful warm, round fullness. Really go for it and buy yourself the most gooey, stinky, delicious cheese you can find. Brie de Meaux or Brie de Nangis would do it. A triple cream would also be appropriate. Invite someone you love, or think you might like to love, to drink it with you. You know those blizzard babies? Consider yourself warned.

Labels: american, californian, food, french, reds, rosé, whites

For those of you who were unable to attend Wednesday's Wine Tasting Wine Cocktails Extravaganza
due to the overwhelming heat or lack of energy, don't fret. The fabulously tasty recipes follow. Tailored by Talitha, specifically for our diverse neighborhood stores' selections. She scoured the local delis and specialty shops for the ingredients. The result: four delicious twists on classic cocktail recipes, personalized for our microclimate.


Vine Cola
4 ounces Bandit Cabernet
2 ounces white grape juice
1 ounce lemon juice
splash soda
Serve in a collins glass



Pomegranate Mimosa
4 ounces Paul Cheneau Cava
2 ounces Pomegranate juice
Pour ingredients into champagne glass
you may substitute mango juice for a tropical twist



Elderberry Spritzer
4 ounces Le Mazet Blanc
1 ounce elderberry or blueberry syrup
2 ounces seltzer water
start with the berry syrup, then wine, and finish with seltzer



Vine Wine
3 ounces Bandit Cabernet
2 ounces lemon juice
2 teaspoon simple syrup
shake well and serve strained into a wine glass

Labels: events, french, reds, whites, wine culture

Usually when the dog days of summer roll around all I can fathom drinking is rose. For the love of hot, sticky, sweaty Times Square, waiting-for-the-R-train rose. Sometimes that means plunking down $20 and buying a rose from the Bandol region: big, lush peach-filled pink wines. The first rose I ever drank was from Bandol. Other days it means as cheap as possible, cold as ice, "I wish I could climb into the bottle" wine. Here at Vine that means Le Rose de Des Erles, from Corbieres, which will set you back a whopping $8.95.

Recently though, something has happened to my taste buds and suddenly I want red. A big Cabernet full of structure and tannin makes sense this time of year when I'm sitting in a well air-conditioned steak house, but I crave an everyday summer red. So what is a girl to do?

And this my friends, is where the French once again help us out. Chilled red is my new summer savior. Yes it's true, light and juicy little reds from France, Spain or Italy have become my new best friends. I love how much weight the wine has without being too much on a hot night. I love the feeling of sticking a bottle of red in the fridge: it flies in the face of conventional wine logic and seems, well, kind of rebellious.

So last night I cranked the A/C, roasted some chicken and cracked a well chilled bottle of Brouilly. And yes I felt luxurious and very refreshed. At Vine, $14.95 will get a you a bottle of Domanaine de Bel-Air Brouilly, which is light, fresh and bursting with rapsberries. One of the side benefits of Brouilly is that it's the perfect wine to test out your Julia Childs accent. Pour a cool glass and shriek "Brew-Leee" at the top of your lungs. It feels good, you'll see.

So mount your own wine rebellion and put that bottle of beaujolais you bought back in May in the fridge, or any light and juicy red you particularly like. Although I don't recommend it, I have one employee who will confess to drinking cheap Cabernet on the rocks. For your drinking ease, we have decided to throw a few of our favorite reds, including the Brouilly, into the refrigerator. Try one - I bet you will find that you like it as much as I do.

Labels: Brouilly, french, reds