Imbibe New York Wine Club–Bordeaux

A few hours before this month’s Imbibe New York Wine Club meet, my back went out…just as I was getting dressed for a run.  If it were a night of Zin or Shiraz I would have stayed home with my back pressed flat to the floor.  But on this night, Brian (who works at Polaner) was in charge of bringing some wines from Bordeaux, including 2003 d’Yquem, and so, despite my lack of mobility, I dragged my spastic back-ass out the door.

Wine Down: The Holiday Party

We’re having a bit of an identity crisis, said Michael Green, as he looked around the room.  It was Wednesday night at BLVD on the Bowery, and Green, formally of Gourmet Magazine, was overseeing Wine Down: The Holiday Party–Wine Down’s fifth event.  When I’d arrived that evening on a press pass in the pouring rain, I was surprised to find a line out the door.  Women in black dresses and bare legs teetered in heels while I ducked beneath an awning in black leather pants.  Once inside, I threaded the crowd beneath colored spotlights, wondering, with a glass in hand, what Wine Down was all about.

Experiments in the Vegetarian Kitchen with Cabernet Franc from Loire

Commonly neglected like the spinach on a child’s plate, Cabernet Franc is often accused of being too green, too herbaceous, or too vegetal—traits that are often the result of underripe grapes.  But some, myself included, embrace this greenness as a natural expression of the grape itself, and not necessarily always a negative result of nurture—or climate and activity in the vineyard.  I enjoy earthy, vegetal notes in my wine when it’s a trait of the grape.  And so, just as I embrace plants, legumes, and grains—foods that grow close to the earth—I am happy to invite a wine with supporting characteristics to accompany my vegetarian plate. Read more…

Imbibe New York’s 100th Post on Wine-Part 1

Today marks my 100th post on Imbibe New York, and I thought I’d celebrate by reflecting upon how the site began, and where its been.  In May 2008, I started this blog with a hangover, the day after attending my first NYC wine event–Brooklyn Uncorked! at BAM.  At that point, I’d spent he past ten years, pre- and post-MFA, writing.  I’d written fiction and nonfiction, spent seven years on one book, and written drafts of others in between.  To me, I felt that I’d made progress as a writer, but I wasn’t getting where I wanted in terms of publishing.  Why not attempt another approach to writing? I thought.  Clearly, it was time to twist things up.

The Blogger’s Dilemma-When Free Samples Suck

Pictured above is of one free sample that DID NOT suck–down home: downtown “Seasonal Recipes from Two Sonoma Wine Country Restaurants.”  In fact, it’s a pretty cool publication, presented like an art-photo book.  Many of the dishes are too fleshy for my liking, but there’s some sweet recipes for pescatarians, including “Josh’s Crab Cakes with Sherry Mayonnaise”, for which the suggested pairing is “Carneros or Russian River Valley Chardonnay.”  Not my preference.  But it’s about Sonoma, and so the wines must be local.  Anyway, this is a sample that I like, and so it’s easy for me to write about it.  However, when I receive free wine that provokes ire, should I dump it down the drain and keep my mouth shut, or be blunt as hell about how I felt I’d just been poisoned?

Imbibe New York Wine Club–Malbec, Cot, & Cahors

I cannot believe that it’s been one year since Kelleigh last hosted our pre-Thanksgiving Imbibe New York Wine Club meet--complete with sit down dinner and wine.  This year, Malbec was the guest of honor; and so in the spirit of Thanksgiving, we decided to extend the invite to the entire family, including Cot or Auxerrois from Loire Valley and Cahors in southwestern France.  And while the evening went sans familial breakdown, tears, or fight, we were quite surprised by the differences in personality, which included a wine likened to the thighs of a speed skater; and another reminiscent of a hot iron’s heat.

Wine in NYC–Where to Take Your Guests

We’ve all been hit with the dilemma of where to bring out-of-town guests.  Your favorite spot if often the obvious choice, but there are occasions when the coolest joint isn’t the right fit.  Perhaps you’re with folks who aren’t into wine–who might better appreciate a certain atmosphere or “gimmick”.  Or maybe you want to impart a message, one that suggests to your guests your relationship with New York.   Considering a few possible traits, occasions, or types, I’ve compiled here a list of ten wine bars in the city–some of which have been reviewed on Imbibe New York, others which have not.

The Garden Wine Bar

As we entered The Garden Wine Bar at NYC’s Four Seasons Hotel, Caitlin and I chuckled, wondering how she managed to score an invite to this inaugural event.  Grabbing a glass of bubbly and a few nibbles of cheese, we stood at a table where I was happy to be her date.  It’s a lovely space, as one might expect–with four towering Acacia trees, windows to the ceiling, a 15-foot tall wine display, and many plays on light.  With 200 bottles of wine to choose from and approximately 150 by the glass, one glimpse at the menu is all it takes to realize that I (sans expense account) am most likely not their quintessential guest.

Around the World in 80 Sips

On Friday, Jenn–producer extraordinaire– and I arrived at 583 Park Avenue, an awesome space for which I–in my DM’s and black skinny jeans–felt awkwardly underdressed.  Opening the doors for a press tasting at 5:30, for which we were there on the dot, Bottlenotes launched Around the World in 80 Sips, an event that hits NYC, Chicago, and in 2010, San Francisco.  Showcasing wines from 14 countries, Bottlenotes (an online wine community) managed to pack the house with the most colorful crowd I’ve ever witnessed at a tasting; one that actually represented the demographics of New York City.  Wow.  Why are tastings often such a white-wash?  To address this question, I could write a book, so for sake of this short post I will simply applaud Bottlenotes for their fresh approach, their outreach, and their interpretation of the word community.  

Spit & Twit at City Winery

At City Winery on Sunday, Wine Twits co-sponsored an experiment in social media and wine called Spit & Twit, to bring users of Twitter together to taste and tweet at the same time.  In case you’re not in the know, as I was not until recently, Wine Twits is an online networking site for those who tweet about wine.  By addressing @WineTwits before every tweet, one contributes to the database/online community at at Wine Twits, which could potentially help generate a following, voice, and/or cyber-friends.  It’s an interesting concept, that brought together a host of imbibers, some tweeting amongst many who seemed quite happy to sip and social network the old fashioned way–face-to-face.