Judgment Day – May 21st. Wine at Five’s Annual Wine Tasting? May 20th! You have time!
Planning our 5th Annual Wine Tasting event has left me with a profound respect for event planners. By now it should be relatively simple and yet every year it seems to be more daunting. Every year we try to tweak it a little bit so that its better than the previous year, and now that it has become one of the largest non-trade wine tastings in Westchester County it seems that a tweak becomes an earthquake.
Sadly one side-line cost has been that I haven’t devoted enough time to writing the blog. But it’s quiet now so let the ramble begin. First out of the starting gate – thanks to all those charity planners who have used the store, and their private houses, to host private wine-tastings. It’s a blast for us, raises money for the charity and puts us in front of dozens of new customers – so thank you one and all. Also big thanks to Gary Stone, owner of Cornerstone Catering who has done so much to ensure that our Annual Wine Tasting Events are such a success. This year we deliberately kept the numbers down, the food up and the quality of wines being poured is the best ever. Whilst it will probably rain this coming Friday it won’t dampen our spirits. I look forward to seeing everyone who has a ticket this coming Friday – glasses up at 6:30pm.
Life hasn’t stopped here just because we are planning for the wine tasting. We have hosted a bevy of brilliant wine makers in the store over the last few weeks. A wonderful consequence of our impassioned belief in family owned, small production real wine is that wine-makers from far afield now seek out our store – this is where they want their wines to be showcased and sold. Just last week we had an opportunity to taste library wines from Heitz Cellars which is celebrating fifty years of production. David Heitz makes a very profound statement when he said, “It is our family name on the label, and we love being able to maintain the continuity of the family touch”. Of the library wines that we tasted we found the 2001 cabernet to be the highlight and so we have asked for the wine to be poured at our 5th Annual Wine Tasting – look for it on Table 8, Heitz Trailside Cabernet, 2001.
How many people, sommeliers included would ever think that a Gruner Veltliner could come from America? I certainly didn’t, but then last week we were introduced to a wine from our illustrious producer in Oregon, Illahe. Illahe is a Chinook word that means ‘earth’ – the French would say ‘terroir’, for us, we simply say ‘damn good’. A Gruner from Oregon – who would have thought. And, like everything else from this tiny winery, it really is damn good. Gruner is one of the most refreshing white wines to drink in the summer (not that we are likely to experience a summer this year – bipartisanship at work upstairs I guess), it has this floral note that reminds you of Heidi and plays on your tongue like the ‘Sound of Music’. Fresh, dry, rich and playful – it’s got a lot more going on than a pinot grigio.
On the rosé front we finally took delivery of the much vaulted Chateau de Roquefort Corail. The young wine-maker, Raimond de Villeneuve is another ‘family m
ember’ who decided to go back to the family vineyard and produce wine under the family’s name and no longer for ‘bulk’. At some point, when life has quieted down, if there is anyone who would like to front me to write a book entitled ‘Children of the Vine’ I would love to do it. To travel around the world from one wine-making country to another and interview, understand and appreciate why a son or a daughter would go back to the vines and preserve their heritage and make great wine – what a book – I can see the T-shirts already! Back to the Corail – it is one of the best Provence rosés we have – Michel Bettane recognized the wines recently and called de Villeneuve ‘one of the finest winemakers in Provence…incontestably, one of the great hopes of the Cote de Provence…the wines perfectly combine ample and intense fruit with a rich and silky body. They are wines that will make you rejoice”. We have the rosé on the shelf for $19.00
Prosecco is another wine that blossoms when the sun comes out. Sadly there hasn’t been much reason to open a bottle lately, but that will change. Whilst I was attending the huge Italian trade show in Verona in April I was on a mission to find great Prosecco at the right price. I have mentioned previously that a disturbing fact at Verona was that prices of Italian wines are going to move higher -considerably higher. Already most Prosecco that I would like to buy for the store would require a price tag of $22-$30. In Verona I met with the owners of Botter Prosecco. They make quite a few types, from single estate to variations on dry. It was hard work. Almost twenty different styles and yet I kept coming back to one in particular. And I was told yesterday that samples of it had arrived in New York and we will taste it at the Wine Tasting on Friday for the first time – look for it on table six – Botter Prosecco Cuvee ‘Olivia’. My importer asked me if we could call it ‘Olivia’ after his daughter; I had no problem with that as it is also the name of my beautiful niece who sadly lies in hospital afflicted by anorexia of the worst kind. When I tasted it I knew that this was the right one and I think it’s the best Prosecco I have ever tasted – let’s hope that you agree too. $16.00 at the Wainwright, $20 retail.
I have just been reading an interview with Harold Camping. For those of you who don’t know his name, he is foretelling the absolute end to this world at 6:00pm on May 21st. So convinced is he that he is not willing to book interviews
on May 22nd. In fact followers of his Family Radio and is Christian movement have put up billboards advertizing the end of the world; they have also blown through their entire savings. My suggestion to all of them would be to spend their last few hours at the Wine at Five 5th annual wine tasting. Just be sure to complete the credit card ordering details on the back – no need to put an address for delivery down, since your house won’t be standing any longer!
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when is the 2012 wine tasting event? I see all kinds of dates, but no year.
The Annual Wine Tasting is on Friday, May 11, 2012 at the Wainwright House in Rye. Glasses up at 6:30pm