Located in Williamsburg, the D.O.C. Wine Bar offers a delectable tour through a sampling of Italian wines.  With a sidewalk café on N. 7th Street, there was little reason to imbibe inside. (More reason to revisit on a cooler night.)  And though the menu has a stellar selection of reds, including twelve by the glass, there was a unique offering of whites that kept me engaged on a buggy summer night.

Waiting for my friend Randy, I enjoyed a cool breeze at my back on Wythe Street, while sampling a couple of Sardinian wines.  No, not double fisted, but rather two shots, available at $3 a pop.  And while this offers one the option of exploring the menu, a shot glass is not exactly the most optimal vessel for drinking wine.  That said, both wines, though interesting, probably had noteworthy bouquets that I missed.

The first wine that I tasted was from Selegas, which is located in the southern Province of Cagliari, on the island of Sardinia.  Made from 100% Nuragus di Cagliari, a variety that some theorize appeared on Sardinia before 12th century B.C., this 2006 vintage produced by Argiolas, was a pale straw colored hearty white, with a buttery textured bitter finish that lingered long.

The second varietal, a 2005 vintage produced by the Cellars of Dolianova, also located in the Province of Cagliari, is made from 100% Vermentino, a grape native to the Mediterranean and introduced to California in 1993.  This straw yellow wine was fruity and bright, but not crisp, with a touch of apple and bitter oak, that also finished long.

And finally, with not much time left before the show (Gogol Bordello that is) I ordered a glass of Tenuta Roveglia, 2005, Lugana (northwest Italy) made from Trebbiano, a poorly regarded grape that undergoes a transformation in Lugana.  A lemony colored wine with a grassy/herbal bouquet, this glass tasted a bit of passion fruit and finished smooth.

The service was pleasant.  The waiter advised which wine to drink first and why, when I ordered a couple of simultaneous shots.  I hear the food is delicious, but that’ll have to be sampled another time. 

 

[Where: 83 N. 7th St., Brooklyn, NY 11211]