WineLife365

Archive for March, 2011

If you’re kickin’ yourself for missing the 4^th Annual New York Wine Expo this past weekend – you’ve got good reason!

My wife and I made the annual trek to NYC to sample a remarkable array of wines from Old World producers from places like France and Italy, to New World wines from South America and the United States –  to name just a few.  Attendees had a whopping 760 different wines to choose from; and over 190 wineries from around globe were on hand to pour their newest creations.

I’d either be lying or still passed out drunk somewhere in a New York City alley if I told you that we were able try all 760 wines, but we did our best to try at least a few of the wines at each exhibitor’s table.

Here were just a few of the wines that left us tipsy in their awesomeness:

• Winemaker, Miguel Jesus Gonzalez Sahuqillo of Bodegas Villavid traveled all the way from one of Spain’s more obscure wine regions, Manchuela, and dazzled our taste buds with both the Blanco Villavid (D.O. Manchuela)  and the Woman Soul (Made for a woman –and good enough for a dude! ), both consisting of 50% Macabeo and 50% Verdejo grapes.  

• On the red side of things, both Wines of Argentina  and Portugal Wines brought their A-games.  They were well represented by dozens of exciting and a few barely pronounceable reds like the Portuguese 2007 Esporão Reserva that was a blend of Aragones (Tempranillo), Trincadeira, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Alicante Bouschet.  Try saying that 3 times fast! 
• We also loved, I mean LOVED the 2007 Saurus Patagonia Select Pinot Noir from Familia Schroeder in the Valley of San Patricio del Chañar (Argentina). 
• For the very wealthy wine collector or someone who really wants to splurge, there was a lot to Ooh and Aah over with the nearly $100 bottle of 2008 Achaval Ferrer Finca Bella Vista Malbec from Mendoza, Argentina that oozed with seductive elegance and refinement. 
• For dessert, wine lovers with a sweet tooth had lots of treats to choose from.  Our favorite was the 2008 “Naturally Sweet Wine” Vinsanto from Santorini’s Santo Wines.  Comprised of 75% Assytriko and 25% Aidani grapes, this barrel aged, very rich wine provided a happy ending after a long afternoon of tasting.

Notwithstanding the many great wines at this year’s expo, there were also some terrific wine personalities as well to help pour on the education.  We had the pleasure of meeting Mark Oldman, best-selling author of Oldman’s Brave New World of Wine and the beautiful and energetic Leslie Sbrocco, otherwise known as Thirsty Girl.

Finally, we happened upon a great local wine story this year.  Or, should I say that “it” found us!    As we were preparing to wrap things up for the day, we were stopped by a gentleman named Craig.  As it turned out, Craig was the boyfriend of Alie Shaper, president and winemaker of Brooklyn Oenology.

Shaper, a former aerospace engineer, decided a few years back to turn her hobby and love of wine into a new full–time career and began Brooklyn’s first urban winery.  Now, you’re probably asking yourself, “they make wine in Brooklyn?!”  Well, not quite yet at least.  BOE currently doesn’t have its own vineyard; the company rents space and winemaking equipment from Long Island’s Premium Wine Group to produce its own line of wines made from grapes mainly sourced from local Long Island grape growers.  What I also found particularly interesting about Brooklyn Oenology wines was the incredible and unique artwork on their labels.  To help showcase local artists, Brooklyn Oenology features artwork on each of their bottles created by an artist living or working in Brooklyn.  Another cool thing about their artistic labels is that they easily peel off in case you’re interested in saving the label.  The company recently opened its first tasting room where they showcase their own Brooklyn Oenology Wines and also feature a rotating guest selection of both wines and artisanal spirits from around New York State.

And so ends another great time at the New York Wine Expo!  If you didn’t make it to the expo this year, I highly recommend marking your calendar for next year…’cause you never know who or what you’ll discover!