Labels: american, french, italian, ny times, wine culture

Not so long ago a woman came into the store while I was working and selected a bottle of wine from the shelf. "How much is this?" she asked, looking at the price tag.

"It's $12.95 plus tax," I said. "Is there anything else I can suggest or help you find?"

"This used to be less," she said. I inwardly rolled my eyes but continued smiling helpfully. "That Talitha--trying get a few more dollars."

I almost lost it. I have worked food and wine retail in New York for more than four years now, and this was perhaps the most infuriating comment I have ever been subjected to. "Ma'am, that wine has been the same price since the first day we opened," I said, gritting my teeth. "And if you know of any non-profit wine stores in the area, I'd love to go and check one out." I smiled warmly. "We have some great $10 and unders you might like."

She paid for her wine and left.

Why the story? Well, wine prices are about to go up folks, so please don't be this woman. Some things are our fault. All of us live in New York, which is expensive. Talitha needs to feed and clothe her child and occasionally put a couple dollars into the college fund. And we all drink more wine than is strictly necessary. But at the end of the day this is a business, the point of which is to make money. We all insist on staying paid. Guilty as charged.

The weak dollar though? We didn't make that happen. Winemakers in California, Chile and Argentina raising prices to match European wine prices? That's not our fault either. No, when you come in and see that your favorite French or Spanish wine is $3 higher than it used to be, don't curse us under your breath, and certainly not to our faces. Because we're going to stay in the crazy "for profit" game.

And basically, it's Bush's fault.

The weak dollar is making European wine much, much more expensive. We're as sad about it as you. It's making it harder for us to bring you fantastic, well-priced wines and more expensive to drink our way through this recession. If you think about it, the weak dollar seems like a vast Republican conspiracy: It makes wine, travel to Europe and in general all foreign things more expensive. It makes us distrustful and insular, looking for a power higher than even Ben Bernacke to deliver us from economic evil. It turns us into small-minded folk. Don't let it turn you against us! Fight the power.

So when you see your favorite Burgundian Pinot Noir is $5 more than last year don't blame us, blame Bush.

Labels: wine culture

If I tell you this you have to swear never to tell another person I am so fickle in some of my likes and dislikes that at times that even I can't keep up. One moment I love American Chardonnay again and the next I can't quite believe that I could ever drink anything that overly oaked. Sometimes my fickleness comes from an overload of one thing; too much steel fermentation and the tongue needs some oak. Sometimes though I am just plain indecisive and fickle; I can no longer love Lyle Fass because his new photo is not nearly brooding and dark enough for me, This is not the same thing as being fickle about my over-arching loves. There are some wines that every time I drink them they are even better than I remembered; the Alloro Pinot Noir, Larmandier Bernier Blanc de Blancs and the Angus Cabernet. Then there are some wines that I fall out of love and back in love with on a regular basis; Cabernet Franc from all over, Loire Chenin Blanc's and even Rioja. But mostly I think my being fickle comes from context and the more I think and learn about wine the more I am convinced it is all context.

Imagine if you could take mood, temperature, sickness and health, garlic and all other strongly flavored foods, wealth and relative poverty out of the equation. If you could taste wine in a perfect vacuum where you didn't just get yelled at by a crazy man on the subway and our president didn't just make an ass of himself. What would the wine actually taste like? Is it even possible to taste wine like this and would wine even matter if you truly lived in a bubble? Which is why context becomes so important because what I am looking for a wine to do for me is constantly changing based upon where I am in my life. So there, I think that my fickleness comes from an entirely valid and realistic place. Now can anyone get Lyle to change his picture?

Labels: american, wine culture

Alright I confess, I have something of a crush on Lyle Fass from , this is one of those in my head only crushes, not like my crush on David Bowie where if (and when) I meet him I may just have to tell him of my grand plan to marry his son Joey so that I can be closer to him. But I digress from both Lyle and the whole point of this post. I have a crush on Lyle that goes no further than the amount I enjoy his blog and how much I love his silly-ass photo (at least I imagine in my perfect crush world that it is intended with irony). So imagine my intense joy when I stumbled across this early post on his blog (which I will now cut and paste in it's entirety);

Wine on Day 2..3..4..5 etc.

So as a retailer I get asked alot of questions about wine. From amateurs to professionals some of these questions resonate with me and I keep thinking about them over and over. One of them is if I don't finish a wine the evening I am drinking it what should I do to ensure it's freshness the next day? For pretty much all wines except sparkling wines I always say the same thing - - -If it's meant to last it will. Just put it in your temperature controlled unit if you got one and if you don't cork it up and throw it in the fridge. Most wine that is well made will last for two days but if you MUST know, through much trial and error I have come up with a crib sheet to help the uninitiated.

Barolo, Barbaresco or any Nebbiolo based wine - They usually start to oxidize on day two and smell like laundry detergent. From my experience if you are gonna open one of these......finish the bottle.

Bordeaux - Most of them oxidize on day two..but the more traditonally made ones like Cantemerle seem to get better overnight.

Loire Reds including Chinon, Bourgueil, Saumur etc. - These last two, three, and sometimes if you are lucky four days. A recent bottle of '96 Druet Bourgueil Vaumoreau (from 90+ year old Cabernet Franc Vines) was singing on day three.

Loire Whites - Chenin should be treated like Riesling but has a little bit less staying power. Some of the more fancy Sauvignon-Blanc based wines (Silex, Cotat, Vatan) last 2,3,4 days open.

Serious Beaujolais - Not this tutti frutti crap but serious grower Beaujolais always tastes great and if not better on day 2.

German, Austrian and Alsatian Riesling - Throw out the rule book for these......Great Spatlese and Auslese can last weeks in the fridge. Federspeil and Smaragd less but stil will put to shame any Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay. Alsace is a mixed bag...really depends on the grower.

Cali Wines - Drink up! In my experience they almost never last overnight.

White Burg - Rarely will they last overnight but sometimes they do and get vastly better..othertimes they are oxidized in day 2.

Red Burg - These will really surprise you. Sometimes they go through and incredible transformation overnight and add layers of aromatic and palate complexity on day 2. But never let them go past three days as they start to tire. An '88 Engel Vosne-Romanee "Les Brulees" was stunning on day 2 after being hard and angular on day 1. Go figure.

Hope this helps!

And so there you go, not only is my crush smart but he is also informative and so helpful to boot.

Labels: wine culture

At last Eric Asimov has started really speaking my language. For those of you who didn't get a chance to read the paper yesterday here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/11/dining/11pour.html

The basic premise of his article was that if you really want to learn about wine you should go to your neighborhood wine store and ask one of the salespeople to pick out a case of wine, both red and white, and then go home and drink the wine. I was just talking to a friend of mine about how difficult it is to taste wine and really understand it, at formal tastings. Your house, a friends house, anywhere you can comfortably relax and eat and drink is the best place to taste and learn about wine. The real deep dark secret to wine is that it is ABSOLUTELY SUBJECTIVE. Before all two of you readers get angry and start emailing me look at what I said.

Wine is absolutely subjective.

This doesn't mean that all wine is good, should be drunk or for that matter should ever been made. Rather, that I truly believe that every wine will find a fan. Yes the more you know about wine the more you will acquire the necessary tasting skills to appreciate intensely aged Barolos and bizarre whites from the Loire, however one of my fondest wine drinking memories involves a 5 liter box of Beringer Blush and I think that I loved that wine. So there, wine is subjective and not just a little contextual. But back to the original point.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting the cases that we would choose for you were you to decide to attend the Asimov Dining room tasting school. If you are so inclined let us know and we will throw one together for you. However since we are so tag happy here at Vine we will also tag each wine with the name of the wine, where it is from and what grape(s) are in it. Take some notes and let us know.

Labels: events, wine culture

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

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

When it comes to the rituals of wine-drinking, elegance and austerity are often the rule. Our crystal glasses, stainless steel wine racks and hand-blown decanters all impart the necessary importance to the wines we choose. It's a good thing, too, because we dropped lots of dollars for each of them. But guess what? There's a better way to impress your friends while saving your precious dough (so you can buy better wine, of course). That's right folks, a lab flask will aerate your wine just as well as your duck decanter with a geek cachet that's hard to beat. They're strong and cheap and tell you how much of that yummy Barolo you've already put down the hatch. If you really want to geek out on everyone, get the beakers and use them as stemless glasses, too. Get your own and also read Eric Asimov's NYT article about it . Don't forget your lab coat.

Labels: accessories, wine culture

So I did it. I ventured in to Trader Joe's in Union Square, swearing the whole way that there was no way in hell that I would stand in line to shop at a grocery store. Luckily the line was diminishing rapidly as we approached and our ability to shop was semi-unimpeded, needless to say shopping anywhere on a Saturday is a bad idea. It looks like Trader Joe's everywhere else, just smaller and more packed. I wandered the aisles and filled my very well designed cart with a smattering of products. I could never actually elbow my way in to see the cheese or frozen meats but I assume they are fine. After standing in line for a very pleasant five minutes, interrupted only by the infernal clanging of their bell, someone in marketing must think that it's really cute to clang a bell when a register is open, lets see how long this lasts in New York city. I spent $27 on what? A WHOLE BAG OF SNACKS. Okay this is one of my complaints with Trader Joe's it seems to be a potheads mecca, which was evidenced by the woman in front of me in line at the Portland store who told her cashier that she had just quit smoking pot, hence the piles of snacks. What did I get, you ask? Let's see apparently some olives, bananas, chocolate cookies shaped like cats and chili - lime pistachios. I rest my case.

Pairing:
Dogpoint Sauvignon Blanc and Chili-Lime Pistachios

Labels: food, new zealand, sauvignon blanc, wine culture