Irish Loving Wine Drinkers Can Fill their Cup with Mead

It’s the day when everyone’s Irish! So, what’s a wine lover to do if she doesn’t feel up to a Guinness, and the thought of green beer turns her, well, green?
How about enjoying an ancient Irish wine-based beverage--mead? Many experienced Renaissance Fair visitors are familiar with the sweet beverage, as it is often sold at these events. But there’s a lot more to mead than men in tights and corseted ladies.
Mead is a mix of white wine, honey, and herbs. This sweet elixir is said to have wondrous properties. I love the old Irish tradition that after couples were married, they were sequestered for a full moon cycle (a month) with a supply of mead and a comfy bed. If a baby was born nine months later, it was attributed to the fertility powers in the drink. This was the beginning of our honeymoon tradition, which unfortunately has been downsized to a much shorter time, although the addition of traveling to luxury accommodations is a welcome one.
Bunratty Meade is a traditional Irish one that’s available in the U.S. But, whatever you’re drinking today, enjoy a safe and fun St. Patrick’s Day.

Bargain Airfares, Strong Dollar Make Now the Time for European Wine Trips

While terrible economic news dominates the airwaves, there are still a lot of folks who have their jobs and, while their 401ks have taken a big hit, still have disposable income. If they happen to be wine lovers who want to plan a getaway abroad, this is a great time to book a trip.
Airfares to Italy are under $500 – a remarkable fare. A sluggish travel season and decreased fuel prices have made the airlines willing to drop prices in order to fill planes. I just booked round trip tickets from Newark to Milan for only $478. I’m still working out the details, but my trip will focus on wine regions near Venice, Florence, and Alba.
Feeling like sampling some Claret in Bordeaux or bubbly in Champagne? British Airways has a roundtrip New York to Paris fare for only $449. Or maybe it’s Tempranillo in Rioja you’re after. British Airways will take you to Madrid from JFK for only $422.
Those fares are even more tempting when you consider that the one euro now costs 1.28 dollars. That’s a lot more value for the greenback when compared with recent years. Another plus is that these fares are for travel in late spring, when all of Europe is blooming and the weather is ideal for excursions.
I have found the best airfare aggregator to be Kayak. Check out the prices—it might be the motivation you need to book the wine trip of a lifetime.

Wine Lovers x 22 in South Orange

On Tuesday, March 24, I will meet 22 wine lovers at the elegant Papillon 25 for my South Orange-Maplewood Adult School class, French Wine: An Evening of Tasting and Discovery. I am excited to have such a robust registration for this class, in which I will discuss the wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire Valley. This is the first class I’ve taught in which we will have wine tasting, and I’m selecting at least four representative wines from the regions, so it should be lots of fun. Attendees will be able to learn about what grapes grow where, how the winemaking techniques differ in the regions, and view photos from my recent trips to France. Can’t wait to bring a little bit of la belle France to South Orange, N.J.

123 A-Z Grape Guide at Decanter

The other day I went into my local wine shop and asked if they had any Vermentino. I discovered this fragrant white wine recently at an Italian wine tasting and wanted to explore it further. Not only did they not have the variety, but their resident Italian wine expert had never even heard of it.

Today, I discovered a terrific online resource which would have helped my wine shop friend. Decanter.com has an incredibly useful list of 123 wines listed from A-Z, from Aghiorghitiko (a Greek red) to Zinfandel. This list is helpful for anyone who tries something new and wants to learn more—it even includes grapes that have different names in different countries. I learned that the Italian Vermentino I enjoyed is known in southern France as Rolle—hey, I had a glass of that at a Women for Winesense dinner!

Is the list definitive? Not even close. For example, the Zs stop at Zinfandel, not listing Austria’s Zweigelt grape which Eric Asimov introduced me to at a seminar. Still, it’s a very convenient resource. Some grapes have write-ups that are concise and to-the-point. Others have long paragraphs that offer insights not only about their taste, but also about their trendiness. For example: “Viognier…has become the darling of Californians, and, latterly Argentina, Australia and the South of France too.”

I can see this as also being a great resource for those trying to join the Wine Century Club. These ambitious imbibers are on a mission to try wines from 100 different grape varieties.

There are many wine resources online, but this is one that I’m sure I’ll return to time and again.

Snooth Open (Those Bottles) Night

If opening one special bottle of wine is event-worthy (see Open That Bottle Night below), what about opening 31 special bottles? That was how many wines were poured during the marathon wine–tasting and dinner I attended at the cozy art deco room of the North Square Restaurant in the Washington Square Hotel in the heart of Greenwich Village.
This Open That Bottle Night event was organized by Snooth, an all-around online wine destination where you can log your favorite wines, access other folks’ tasting notes, join groups, make friends and search their huge wine database. The event was also loosely tied to Twitter Taste Live, an online event so geeky that it’s hard to begin to describe, but, in brief, a lot of us had iPhones in hand and were whipping out micro-tasting notes, and, when the ability to quickly summarize wines failed us, snarky comments and photos.
One of the most enjoyable parts of the evening was dining with such a witty and charming group, including Robbin from Vineyard Adventures and her wine-loving friends, Catherine and Scott, as well as Snooth staff Mark and Gregory, music biz guy by day and chef by night Erik, wine educator Ben, and assorted other great peeps.
The wine ranged from very good to outstanding. In a night of truly wonderful reds, old Barolos in particular stood out, the wine that made the biggest impression on me was white, a 1991 Eyrie Vineyards chardonnay from the Oregon's Willamette Valley. The same climate that produces wonderful Pinot Noirs, just like Burgundy, can apparently produce spectacular age-worth Chardonnays, just like Burgundy. With a hard candy butterscotch flavor, deep gold color and intense buttery aromas, this was a chard that aged beautifully.
Our dinner was delicious, too. My lambchops were juicy and perfectly medium-rare, and our assortment of appetizers included a chopped tuna tartare served with creamy guacamole and crunchy sprouts—a really well-executed dish.
So, cheers to Snooth for organizing a great event and to all the attendees for sharing such wonderful wine.

Dig Into Your Cellar – Open That Bottle Night is Saturday

Exactly what have you been waiting for? Your anniversary? Your wife’s birthday? Your son’s graduation from nursery school? So many people have that special bottle of wine tucked away….waiting for an event so wonderful that it cries out for a special pour. The problem is, we start accumulating a lot of those “special” bottles and when that grand event finally does come, we end up going out for dinner.
Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) was created by Wall Street Journal wine columnists Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher. Take a look at their recent WSJ article on the subject. The event has picked up steam and become a national celebration among wine enthusiasts. This year marks the 10th anniversary of OTBN.
Some people are concerned that they’re opening an age-worthy wine too young. Others may feel that no night could possibly justify opening up the most valuable wine in their cellar. But life is fleeting and so is wine—neither it nor we will live forever. So grab that bottle you’ve been saving. Invite over some friends and ask them to do the same. When you’re all gathered, say a few words about why your own wine is special—was it bought on your honeymoon to France? With your first paycheck from the new job? Part of the fun of these wines is the stories behind them. Then drink. And celebrate the wine, the memories, and each other.

Luca Maroni’s SensofWine Exudes Italian Warmth

Ever since I laid eyes on the magnificent space that is Cipriani’s 42nd Street,I’ve longed for a reason to attend an event there. Last Friday I got the chance. My friend Kevin Heald tipped me that Alta Cucina was giving away tickets to an Italian wine tasting there.
SensofWine is presented by Italian wine expert, author, and creator of his own wine-tasting method, Luca Maroni. Maroni cut an elegant figure in his trim, dark suit, and his sharp features were lively as he addressed the crowd. I attended the portion of the day dedicated to the trade, and, as such, came home with his thick and informative book, Top Italian Wine Producers 2009, a terrific reference.
Thirty-nine Italian wine producers representing 14 different regions were in attendance. The event was overwhelmingly grand, housed as it was in that cavernous space. Cipriani 42nd Street is a landmark building, previously the headquarters for the Bowery Savings Bank. Walking the perimeter of the huge room, I could see wine being poured through the old teller windows.
In such a large tasting, it’s tough to get to every table, so I zeroed in on the regions where I planned to travel later in the spring. In the Tuscany area, I liked Serraiolo’s 100% Sangiovese and their white made from Vermintino, which was bright, bursting with fruit, with a lovely finish. The Sada Carpoli 2005 Toscana was a big wine made in the Bordeaux style, combining Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. It’s aged for 18 months in small oak barrels known as barriques. This wine was full and rich with layered flavors and a long finish. This was one that could age.
One of the pleasures of the evening was discovering that Riondo now offers pink Prosecco, an Italian sparkling wine from the northeast. Cotton-candy colored, it was a beautiful, bubbly treat. I finished up tasting the extensive line of wines from Negretti, whose Bricco Ambrogio was the best wine I had tried at the tasting.
All of this wonderful wine was complemented by the authentic Italian treats: freshly carved Prosciutto, tangy chunks of Parmesan, olives, and beautiful hors d’oeuvres such as tiny cones of fried calamari and grape tomatoes filled with Pesto.
The wine was delicious, the food was great, but it was the Italian producers who stood out in my mind as most impressive. Their welcoming ways and warm smiles were the best PR for their products. When I told them I planned to travel to Italy later, many of the winery representatives—who varied from hired staff to the owners and winemakers themselves--insisted that I stop by to see them. “Come, visit, it’s beautiful, we’re right by the Mediterranean.” I can’t wait to take them up on their lovely invitations.