September 26 saw a group of valiant ladies tackling the Niagara Wine Trail as a part of a bachelorette party- me included.The group decided to visit five wineries, which were Warm Lake (already profiled in an earlier post) Arrowhead, Freedom Run, Niagara Landing, and Marjim Manor. Of the five, Arrowhead (recommended by Eric!) was easily my favorite. All the wineries were different, with The Manor being the most beautiful interior (it was a converted church/ monastery), and Arrowhead having the most gorgeous, rolling landscape. Arrowhead looked the most like a scene from "Sideways". Here's a link: http://www.arrowheadspringvineyards.com/catalog/. Wildflowers in their last bloom, steep shale steps to a small tasting room, hills and hills of sleepy vines dusted with rain...lovely.
The Manor: http://www.niagarawinetrail.org/pages/marjim_page.html. The Manor makes fruit wines that were very, very sweet. It was our last stop on a rainy Saturday, and we tasted six wines, each with fanciful names (100 windows, Pear made in heaven, etc). For me, they were just too sweet, but a few of the other girls really loved them, and picked up a few for the ride home. The Manor itself was stunning- wood floors, dozing cats in spectacular windows, undulating hills misted with late afternoon dew as far as the eye could see. It's way, way out there, but worth the trip for the building (which is said to be haunted!) alone.
The "coolest" was Freedom Run- they also had some of my favorite wines too. The spacious California- style interior was very customer friendly, with natural architectural elements cohabiting with circus- colored glass installations. http://www.freedomrunwinery.com/ The tasting itself was confusing- we were told there were three tables: white, red, and sweet, but a girlfriend and I got separated and went to the bar in the common area (as opposed to the barrel room) and got to mix and match. I wasn't upset but my more particular girlfriend was a bit flustered over the confusion.
The "funnest" was Niagara Landing. They had wine- dyed teeshirts, necklaces made from vines, food, live music, and nearby was a small propeller plane garage, so overhead in the foggy early fall sky, vintage prop planes buzzed and circled. The atmosphere was definitely "party". The crowd, which was there for "Harvest Fest" was loud but friendly. We each tasted five wines, and most got a thumbs up, but not a rave. Again, solid, nice, decent wine but nothing to fall down dying over. http://www.niagarawinetrail.org/pages/niagara_landing_page.html
One of the minus-es of going during such a busy time was that some of the girls (myself included) were glimpsing wines that were private or limited label (such as Landing's Chili Pepper wine) but couldn't get the harried servers to serve us. The "system" was that you paid a flat rate at your first winery, then at each subsequent winery, you got a ticket punch and drink tickets for wine flights, which you chose from a menu. So, unlike a slower time, we were limited by the wines that had been sold out or drunk out by others, or just time itself. It takes much less time to familiarize servers with four wines than the 50 or so that are really on tap at Landing. The plus was definitely the atmosphere, the low flat rate, and the weather- I really liked the drizzly, moody rain outdoors and the bumpin' tastings indoors.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Bottoms up for Curtain Up
Well, my faithful ones! sorry to desert you for so long, but here I am again, and with a blind item to boot. "Which up and coming wine shop was 'all hands on deck' for the fun, frolicsome and frenzied Curtain Up event this September 11?"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32811381/ns/local_news-buffalo_ny/
That's right kids, City Wine Merchant. All four employees plus our fearless leader Eric were there with bells on and a braid in our hair, running three separate stations: a table in front of Market Arcade (where the action overwhelmed poor Patrick and we had to send in the cavalry), the store (which stayed open late to accommodate tipsy revelers) and a special tasting at Irish Theatre Company.
Kevin, our full time guy, Patrick, our part timer, and myself and Jessica, the special event ladies (kind of like the St. Paulie's girls but less cleavage) were all there, helping taste the bubbly. We sampled Los Altos Malbec, The Magnificent Wine Company's White Table Wine (unoaked chardonnay from Washington),http://www.magnificentwine.com/index.php and something else which disappeared too quickly for me to even see what it was (this is all from memory, here, people, so some facts may be a little off, forgive me).
Everyone was in their cocktail best, loaded for bear, and as I was leaving at 12.30am (hey, I was there at 3pm, and had worked since 9am at my other job!) Eric was frantically loading *another* case of various wines for Amanda from the Vault across the street. I guess supplying the wine to the local businesses has its ups and downs. The staff (by which I mean Kevin and I, the two picked to "hold down the fort" sampled a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that we found in the basement (with permission! We're not animals!) called "Josh" (hi Dad!!). There was some debate over the "foxiness" of the cork, but in the end we choked it down somehow. It was marvey.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32811381/ns/local_news-buffalo_ny/
That's right kids, City Wine Merchant. All four employees plus our fearless leader Eric were there with bells on and a braid in our hair, running three separate stations: a table in front of Market Arcade (where the action overwhelmed poor Patrick and we had to send in the cavalry), the store (which stayed open late to accommodate tipsy revelers) and a special tasting at Irish Theatre Company.
Kevin, our full time guy, Patrick, our part timer, and myself and Jessica, the special event ladies (kind of like the St. Paulie's girls but less cleavage) were all there, helping taste the bubbly. We sampled Los Altos Malbec, The Magnificent Wine Company's White Table Wine (unoaked chardonnay from Washington),http://www.magnificentwine.com/index.php and something else which disappeared too quickly for me to even see what it was (this is all from memory, here, people, so some facts may be a little off, forgive me).
Everyone was in their cocktail best, loaded for bear, and as I was leaving at 12.30am (hey, I was there at 3pm, and had worked since 9am at my other job!) Eric was frantically loading *another* case of various wines for Amanda from the Vault across the street. I guess supplying the wine to the local businesses has its ups and downs. The staff (by which I mean Kevin and I, the two picked to "hold down the fort" sampled a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon that we found in the basement (with permission! We're not animals!) called "Josh" (hi Dad!!). There was some debate over the "foxiness" of the cork, but in the end we choked it down somehow. It was marvey.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
New Horizons
Hi all- great news from the City Wine camp- We're finally open! The last few days have been hectic, but we've got an article in Buffalo Rising that has created quite a buzz- customers have been mentioning it as they come in, so that's giving us a little "glow". Here's a link:
http://www.buffalorising.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?search=city+wine&IncludeBlogs=1&limit=20
I've tried a few of the wines, and we've had a couple quick, informal tastings at the store.
My top pick so far is the 2007 Ferrari Carrano Fume Blanc. I picked it up and ran into a friend, we wound up charming a bartender at Campieri's (http://www.campieri.com/) into throwing it in the ice chest while we sipped on house Malbec with our pizza. The wine was exquisite: tart, fuzzy like the skin of a peach, delicate, off dry, and with 13.8% alcohol, could knock you out without you feeling a thing. For those wondering: Fume Blanc is the "imaginary varietal" name for "Sauvingnon Blanc", which Mondavi popularized in the late 70's and, according to some sources, is getting "a bit dated", but I'll tell you what: when told what we were drinking, the owner made the "ooh la la" face you always get when you say "Fume Blanc" and that, my friend, will never be dated.
http://www.buffalorising.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-search.cgi?search=city+wine&IncludeBlogs=1&limit=20
I've tried a few of the wines, and we've had a couple quick, informal tastings at the store.
My top pick so far is the 2007 Ferrari Carrano Fume Blanc. I picked it up and ran into a friend, we wound up charming a bartender at Campieri's (http://www.campieri.com/) into throwing it in the ice chest while we sipped on house Malbec with our pizza. The wine was exquisite: tart, fuzzy like the skin of a peach, delicate, off dry, and with 13.8% alcohol, could knock you out without you feeling a thing. For those wondering: Fume Blanc is the "imaginary varietal" name for "Sauvingnon Blanc", which Mondavi popularized in the late 70's and, according to some sources, is getting "a bit dated", but I'll tell you what: when told what we were drinking, the owner made the "ooh la la" face you always get when you say "Fume Blanc" and that, my friend, will never be dated.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
local digs
I wanted to post some links to articles about local wine lover's treasure troves:
http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/dining/story/453977.html
This is about (now over a year old but still relatively new) "The Wine Thief". I've only been their twice so far, both time with groups of girlfriends. I went in search of a more upscale experience than the local "here's your carafe of god knows what" at places like Staples of Allentown, Brick Bar, Frank's at the Bend, etc. My only complaint is that you can't be seated at a table unless you are eating until after ten, so you are stuck at the bar, which is small, brightly lit to the point where you can do surgery on it, and has too few stools. The staff is very knowledgeable, and my overall feeling was that it was low key but classy.
http://www.ultimaterestaurants.com/bacchus/
This upscale restaurant offers wine courses, and is in the heart of the Chippewa district. You can decide if those two factors are pluses or minuses.
http://www.justvino.net/
This hip little wine bar has a huge selection of wines, very knowledgeable staff, and one small problem: wobbly tables with very high stools. Women such as myself, who are over five foot one, can't cross their legs under the table without causing a near-catastrophe, and having to sit with your legs straight and dangling is very uncomfortable after a bit. But it's downtown, and that counts for quite a bit, and you can always sit at the bar or stand.
Other than those three, there may be some amazing places in the hinterlands of Williamsville, but I am unaware of them. Perhaps you can email me with your own experiences and ideas--other cities welcome, too.
http://www.buffalonews.com/entertainment/dining/story/453977.html
This is about (now over a year old but still relatively new) "The Wine Thief". I've only been their twice so far, both time with groups of girlfriends. I went in search of a more upscale experience than the local "here's your carafe of god knows what" at places like Staples of Allentown, Brick Bar, Frank's at the Bend, etc. My only complaint is that you can't be seated at a table unless you are eating until after ten, so you are stuck at the bar, which is small, brightly lit to the point where you can do surgery on it, and has too few stools. The staff is very knowledgeable, and my overall feeling was that it was low key but classy.
http://www.ultimaterestaurants.com/bacchus/
This upscale restaurant offers wine courses, and is in the heart of the Chippewa district. You can decide if those two factors are pluses or minuses.
http://www.justvino.net/
This hip little wine bar has a huge selection of wines, very knowledgeable staff, and one small problem: wobbly tables with very high stools. Women such as myself, who are over five foot one, can't cross their legs under the table without causing a near-catastrophe, and having to sit with your legs straight and dangling is very uncomfortable after a bit. But it's downtown, and that counts for quite a bit, and you can always sit at the bar or stand.
Other than those three, there may be some amazing places in the hinterlands of Williamsville, but I am unaware of them. Perhaps you can email me with your own experiences and ideas--other cities welcome, too.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
What have we here?
Well, kiddles, it's been a while! Citywine Merchant is still under construction and still wrangling away with various authorities, so we are looking at late July for a "soft" opening and early July for us employees to get in there and rummage around. From what I've seen the spot looks amazing, and I'm excited to see what it looks like when it's all done.
Today's brief topic: How not to sell/ buy wine
Adventures at "Bates Motel" wine store (name changed to protect the not so innocent). "Bates Motel" is a relatively upscale wine store where the wines are advertised by price point, the Yellowtail is prominently featured, and you can wander around and hear things like this:
Emp: "Do you like Pinot Grigio? What associations do you have with that?"
Cust: "Uhm...none really. I like white wine though."
Emp: "How about Sauvingnon Blanc? What comes to mind when I say that?"
Cust: [inaudible]
me: (clutching my friend's arm in disgust) "Dude! If a customer doesn't know Pinot Grigio--a type of wine so well known rappers give it a shout outs "Big cups of Pinot Grigio/ Take it easy, though"--then she sure as HELL doesn't know Sauvingnon Blanc (a much lesser known, more delicate and "acquired taste" grape)!!"
Emp: (basically pushing any old thing that looks pretty and is probably ready to keel over, since it's a 2005 or something) "Well, this is a blah, blah, blah, just buy it and get the heck out so we can continue gossiping about the SLA".
Also--may be letting the grape out of the vat here, but I told Rob something I had read in one of my many books- Wine Spectator ratings are helpful...up to a point. WS doesn't like to give a 75 or a 60, so in essence the scale is 85-100. So when you see a bottle of wine that is proudly sporting a "Wine Spectator 87 points!!!" label...that's a D-. Now, for 6.99 you can easily give your Philistine friends a D- bottle, especially after you gave them your B+ bottle, but seriously "Bates Motel", cut it out with the "85 Points!" BS.
Rob was thrilled to learn this tidbit, which you readers may take with a grain of salt, but it makes a great party tidbit. You're welcome.
He settled on what we call a "jug" (a magnum) of wine (he wanted Carlo Rossi!!) for about 10$, a 2008 CabSauv (eh...he was happy though). His only requirements: "dry" and "cheap". I laughed and told him that generally, red wines are by definition "dry", other than, say, Beaujolais Nouveaux, and he glowered and told me to go on with my bad self.
"give me a bowl of wine! In this, I drown all our differences!" --old Shakey, I think
Today's brief topic: How not to sell/ buy wine
Adventures at "Bates Motel" wine store (name changed to protect the not so innocent). "Bates Motel" is a relatively upscale wine store where the wines are advertised by price point, the Yellowtail is prominently featured, and you can wander around and hear things like this:
Emp: "Do you like Pinot Grigio? What associations do you have with that?"
Cust: "Uhm...none really. I like white wine though."
Emp: "How about Sauvingnon Blanc? What comes to mind when I say that?"
Cust: [inaudible]
me: (clutching my friend's arm in disgust) "Dude! If a customer doesn't know Pinot Grigio--a type of wine so well known rappers give it a shout outs "Big cups of Pinot Grigio/ Take it easy, though"--then she sure as HELL doesn't know Sauvingnon Blanc (a much lesser known, more delicate and "acquired taste" grape)!!"
Emp: (basically pushing any old thing that looks pretty and is probably ready to keel over, since it's a 2005 or something) "Well, this is a blah, blah, blah, just buy it and get the heck out so we can continue gossiping about the SLA".
Also--may be letting the grape out of the vat here, but I told Rob something I had read in one of my many books- Wine Spectator ratings are helpful...up to a point. WS doesn't like to give a 75 or a 60, so in essence the scale is 85-100. So when you see a bottle of wine that is proudly sporting a "Wine Spectator 87 points!!!" label...that's a D-. Now, for 6.99 you can easily give your Philistine friends a D- bottle, especially after you gave them your B+ bottle, but seriously "Bates Motel", cut it out with the "85 Points!" BS.
Rob was thrilled to learn this tidbit, which you readers may take with a grain of salt, but it makes a great party tidbit. You're welcome.
He settled on what we call a "jug" (a magnum) of wine (he wanted Carlo Rossi!!) for about 10$, a 2008 CabSauv (eh...he was happy though). His only requirements: "dry" and "cheap". I laughed and told him that generally, red wines are by definition "dry", other than, say, Beaujolais Nouveaux, and he glowered and told me to go on with my bad self.
"give me a bowl of wine! In this, I drown all our differences!" --old Shakey, I think
Monday, June 15, 2009
"first thoughts on wine"
Hi babes! I wanted to cover two things in this post: Wine tasting at Eric's house, and an excerpt from the amazing Kinsley Amis.
From Amis (from "Everyday Drinking"):
"Before I get to a more positive approach [to wine], let me describe, in careful stages, not what you should do when serving wine to your guests, but what you nearly always do (if you are anything like me):
1) Realize that They will be arriving in less than an hour and you have done damn-all about it
2) Realize, on your way to the cellar or wherever you keep the stuff, that the red wine to go with the roast beef will be nowhere near room temperature if left to warm unassisted
3) Realize, on reaching the stuff, that it has not had time to settle after being delivered, and that you should have realized six weeks ago--or if you wanted to give Them a treat, ten years--ago exactly what wine you were going to need tonight
4) Decide that They can bloody well Take what They are given , grab some bottles and take them to the kitchen
5) Look for the corkscrew
6) Having (we will assume) found the corkscrew, unscrew the cork that someone has left screwed on [to the end of the corkscrew] and open the bottles
7) Decide that, while any fool can tell when a wine is cold, and nearly any fool knows nowadays that a red wine is not supposed to be cold, hardly anybody knows a decent glass of it from a bad one and put the bottles in a saucepan of warm water
8) Spend parts of the next hour and a half wondering whether old Shagbag [person who fancies himself a wine expert], who is reputed to know one wine from another, will denounce you for boiling out whatever quality tonight's stuff might have had, or will suffer in silence. Also wonder whether the others will think that 1971 [book published in 1973] is a rather insultingly recent year for Medoc , whether to get up another bottle on the off chance that They can force force down what you have "prepared" for the table, whether to boil that too or bank on Their being too drunk to notice or too polite to mention its coldness and kindred questions."
HAR!!
On a different note, we tasted two wines at Eric's house yesterday: Kris Pinot Grigio, which is under consideration for a reasonable alternative to the wildly popular "Santa Margarita" Pinot Grigio, and a Taval Rose.
The Kris was fruity without being overwhelming, crisp, light, balanced, and had a medium body and finish. It was, in all of our minds, a front runner for people looking for something comparable to Santa Margarita, with a better value, as Santa is about 40 in the restraunts, and this is about 10, retail.
The Rose was a revelation. Pinch hitter for the store Kevin (?- he's new! and quiet!) liked it so much he wanted to grab a bottle on his way home, I who have hated Rose since an incident a couple years ago with Thirsty Lizard, was won over, and Patrick and Eric loved it too. Eric wants to promote and educate on Roses, as they are the perfect summer wine- goes with anything and is refreshing to boot. Delicate in some forms, zippy and full in others (this Rose was a blend of Zin and Grenache, among others, giving it a "volcanic" taste and a very pleasant dry finish), it is considered by many critics to be their second choice "desert island" wine (first being Champagne). It rings in at about 15 for the bottle, a score for those of you looking for a special dinner or date wine.
Enjoy!
From Amis (from "Everyday Drinking"):
"Before I get to a more positive approach [to wine], let me describe, in careful stages, not what you should do when serving wine to your guests, but what you nearly always do (if you are anything like me):
1) Realize that They will be arriving in less than an hour and you have done damn-all about it
2) Realize, on your way to the cellar or wherever you keep the stuff, that the red wine to go with the roast beef will be nowhere near room temperature if left to warm unassisted
3) Realize, on reaching the stuff, that it has not had time to settle after being delivered, and that you should have realized six weeks ago--or if you wanted to give Them a treat, ten years--ago exactly what wine you were going to need tonight
4) Decide that They can bloody well Take what They are given , grab some bottles and take them to the kitchen
5) Look for the corkscrew
6) Having (we will assume) found the corkscrew, unscrew the cork that someone has left screwed on [to the end of the corkscrew] and open the bottles
7) Decide that, while any fool can tell when a wine is cold, and nearly any fool knows nowadays that a red wine is not supposed to be cold, hardly anybody knows a decent glass of it from a bad one and put the bottles in a saucepan of warm water
8) Spend parts of the next hour and a half wondering whether old Shagbag [person who fancies himself a wine expert], who is reputed to know one wine from another, will denounce you for boiling out whatever quality tonight's stuff might have had, or will suffer in silence. Also wonder whether the others will think that 1971 [book published in 1973] is a rather insultingly recent year for Medoc , whether to get up another bottle on the off chance that They can force force down what you have "prepared" for the table, whether to boil that too or bank on Their being too drunk to notice or too polite to mention its coldness and kindred questions."
HAR!!
On a different note, we tasted two wines at Eric's house yesterday: Kris Pinot Grigio, which is under consideration for a reasonable alternative to the wildly popular "Santa Margarita" Pinot Grigio, and a Taval Rose.
The Kris was fruity without being overwhelming, crisp, light, balanced, and had a medium body and finish. It was, in all of our minds, a front runner for people looking for something comparable to Santa Margarita, with a better value, as Santa is about 40 in the restraunts, and this is about 10, retail.
The Rose was a revelation. Pinch hitter for the store Kevin (?- he's new! and quiet!) liked it so much he wanted to grab a bottle on his way home, I who have hated Rose since an incident a couple years ago with Thirsty Lizard, was won over, and Patrick and Eric loved it too. Eric wants to promote and educate on Roses, as they are the perfect summer wine- goes with anything and is refreshing to boot. Delicate in some forms, zippy and full in others (this Rose was a blend of Zin and Grenache, among others, giving it a "volcanic" taste and a very pleasant dry finish), it is considered by many critics to be their second choice "desert island" wine (first being Champagne). It rings in at about 15 for the bottle, a score for those of you looking for a special dinner or date wine.
Enjoy!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Warm lake
Friday night: the weather was sultry, warm, and close. I was dashing to meet a girlfriend at the Niagara Arts Council. Imagine my happy suprise when I note that Warm Lake Estates is doing a tasting at the event. Warm Lake is part of the Niagara Wines Region, and the owner is the head of the tourist concerns in the area. As I tasted his pinot noir he told me about his vineyard and his tours, and we exchanged cards. Here's a link to the site: http://www.warmlakeestate.com/events_niagara_wine_trail.html
The wine itself was smooth and very drinkable, with very light tannins. It was what I have come to recognize as a characteristic pinot noir: medium body with light tannins, fruit flavors like cherry, plum, and currant, and a silky character. The owner grows only pinot noir grapes, but makes brandy and icewines as well (something Niagara and Ontario are known for).
Pinot noir can be an intimidating varietal for someone like me: it's a "cult" grape mostly known for wine lovers, and as it's red, it can be harder to pair with food., as opposed to, say, pinot grigio, which happily bonds with almost any old thing. However, most pinot noirs are silky, light, and pair well with food- they are not the heavy "philosophical" wines like tassicia, or sassicia, which are smoky, tarry, and heavy, with high tannins and layers and layers of flavors. Pinot noir is also the grape of red Burgandies, which are considered some of the finest wines in the world- fyi. I would call pinot noir a "friendship" wine- a good wine for those of you cautiously moving from pinot grigio to chardonnay, then into the world of reds. Give it a try.
I've added a link to my store's home page, and will most likely cross link this blog from there as well. Happy trails and long legs!
The wine itself was smooth and very drinkable, with very light tannins. It was what I have come to recognize as a characteristic pinot noir: medium body with light tannins, fruit flavors like cherry, plum, and currant, and a silky character. The owner grows only pinot noir grapes, but makes brandy and icewines as well (something Niagara and Ontario are known for).
Pinot noir can be an intimidating varietal for someone like me: it's a "cult" grape mostly known for wine lovers, and as it's red, it can be harder to pair with food., as opposed to, say, pinot grigio, which happily bonds with almost any old thing. However, most pinot noirs are silky, light, and pair well with food- they are not the heavy "philosophical" wines like tassicia, or sassicia, which are smoky, tarry, and heavy, with high tannins and layers and layers of flavors. Pinot noir is also the grape of red Burgandies, which are considered some of the finest wines in the world- fyi. I would call pinot noir a "friendship" wine- a good wine for those of you cautiously moving from pinot grigio to chardonnay, then into the world of reds. Give it a try.
I've added a link to my store's home page, and will most likely cross link this blog from there as well. Happy trails and long legs!
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