Wine For Your 20s

I'm alive, and still drinking plenty of wine.

Whoo hoo! I'm actually updating this blog! Boy, I nearly hit the one-year anniversary of NOT blogging. That's sad. 

For the three people who actually followed this blog, you were probably wondering: what the hell happened? Well, around the time of my last post, I got promoted to a director position at my job, which significantly increased my travel. I'm now on the road every month for about a week, some months even more. It's insanity, and sometimes I wake up not knowing where the hell I am (Scranton?), but I love it.

I'm getting back in gear, especially since now that I travel so much I'm actually getting loads of opportunities to drink wine all over the country. But the real reasoning behind this update was to mark a significant milestone in my 5+ years of drinking wine: I bought my first case.

This is a big deal for me. I've never bought twelve bottles of a single wine. Sure, I bought a few mixed cases here and there, but I'd freak out like any confirmed bachelor at the thought of committing to just one.

But when I visited the charming Martin Ray Winery (whose wines I've featured on this blog before) during a work trip to Sonoma County last weekend, I fell in love with their 2005 Angeline Mendocino County Riesling. Here's what Martin Ray had to say about it:

ANGELINE 2005 MENDOCINO COUNTY RIESLING is made from grapes carefully selected from Nelson Family Vineyards in Sanel Valley north of Hopland in the cool Mendocino County wine region. The Riesling fruit from this region is rich with concentrated fruit flavors and strong varietal characteristics. 

Our “dry” style Riesling is a light, crisp wine perfect for warm weather sipping and outdoor entertaining. Bright aromas of fresh peach are touched with a whisper of rose. Cold fermentation in stainless steel tanks preserves and enhances the floral aromatics of the wine. Crisp flavors of green apple and luscious peaches overflow into a light, dry finish that leaves you wanting more. 

Check out more stats: 89 points and a "Best Buy" listing from Wine Enthusiast, and Martin Ray was featured as a "Winery of the Year" from Wine & Spirits. But the best part? A case of this deliciously crisp wine is only $60. That comes out to $5 a bottle. FIVE DOLLARS. Put down that Three-Buck Chuck right now and buy this wine.

Personally, I'm happy to discover a not-at-all-sweet riesling to drink with chicken or light pasta dishes. With twelve of these bottles, I'll be drinking it again and again. In the meantime, I'll look forward to my next milestone: visiting my 100th winery. I'm at 38, so I still have a long way to go.

Store Review: Manhattan's 67 Wine and Spirits

Nearing the end of another great weekend in the Big Apple, I had yet to visit a wine bar or shop and had just thirty minutes to catch a 1:15p Megabus ride back to Washington. Luckily, The Boyfriend came along on this particular trip (he enjoyed sightseeing with friends while I discussed liberation theology in world religions---whoo-hoo!) and discovered a wine shop just a few blocks from our hotel. After a quick goodbye to my classmates, we hurried to 67th and Columbus on the Upper West Side to visit 67 Wine, consistently rated one of the best wine shops in all of New York.

Large and cavernous (a true luxury for any shop in Manhattan), one could spend hours perusing 67 Wine's vast selection that includes everything from French Bordeaux to California "cult" wines. The wines are organized simply with whites on the first floor and reds on the second, with everything from wine bibles to glass decanters in between.

Considering the fancy-pants store interior, I was doubtful I'd find anything for a cheap wino like me, but I was thrilled to pass rows of wines with prices in the very affordable $15-$20 range. But did they have one from New York on my under-$20 budget?

The store's wine expert, who asked me to call him "Michael Number Two," directed me to their disappointingly small New York selection. I mentioned my wine preferences (dry whites, light yet fruity reds), and Michael #2 responded enthusiastically with two recommendations: a red table wine from Baiting Hollow Farm Vineyard (made mostly of cabernet franc) and a chardonnay from Macari; both vineyards are nested in the North Fork region of Long Island. And luckily, each bottle was just $15.99.

A future entry will put both of these wines to the test. In the meantime, on your next trip to New York, stop by this great neighborhood wine shop and add a special New York wine to your collection. (Collect one from all 50 states and maybe you'll win a prize.)

Bar Review: Aureole Las Vegas

During my brief trip to Las Vegas, I nearly missed my chance at visiting the famed restaurant Aureole, housed in the luxurious Mandalay Bay. The restaurant didn't open until 6pm, giving us less than an hour before we had to hurry to the Orleans Casino to catch comedian Steven Wright (who was fantastic, by the way). But we managed it. ("We" being The Boyfriend and longtime college friend Sketchy Metal.)

And it was well worth it. Aureole's four-story wine tower was a sight to behold:

To avoiding the $300+ pre-fixed menu in the main restaurant, we were seated in the lounge area with dark wood highboy tables and modern blue and brown couches. The wines-by-a-glass list was limited and unimpressive, so I opted to select a full bottle. With three people and only 45 minutes to drink, I figured we could handle it.

When I asked the waiter for the bottle wine list, here's what he gave me:

Yeah, that's a tablet PC. The wine list is so huge, they need a freakin' computer to list them all. Holy cow.

It was incredible. You can sort by type, price, varietal, and region. And it was very helpful, considering that the wine tower houses thousands and thousands of wine. How would anyone know where to start?

(And if you look closely at the picture above, there's a listing for a Chateau Petrus for $45,000. Um, no thanks.)

I made it easier on myself by asking for recommendations from the sommelier. I gave her my criteria: red, bold, and under $50.

"That's easy," she replied. "I'll bring over the Pascual Toso Malbec. It's one of my favorites."

The sommelier knew her stuff. It's a great $20-and-under Argentinean wine, a country known for its Malbecs, and has the added bonus of being backed by famed California winemaker Paul Hobbs (whose wines are in the $100 and up range). And with a solid rating of 87 by Wine Spectator, I was very excited to try it.   

The "wine angel" who retrieved the bottle from the four-story tower was too quick for me to snap a photo. Take my word: it was pretty sweet to watch.

We clinked our wine glasses, breathed in the deep scent of spices, and sipped.

"Mmm, Malbecs are so good," I said.

"Delicious," The Boyfriend echoed. "Dark, bold, with a spicy kick at the end. Just the way I like it."

Sketchy Metal took one sip and declared, "This is gross." Then he proceeded to polish off the rest in less than three minutes.

He gave me a "What?" look. "I wanna get drunk."

And that was a-okay with me. It's Vegas, after all.

The Wine Life in New York

If you ever find yourself in New York, be sure to check out one of the over 130 wine bars in the city. But remember that most of them aren't open until 5pm, even on weekends. I made the mistake of hoping to enjoy a quick lunch in between classes at the New York Society for Ethical Culture, not realizing that wine bars are focused on the nightlife. (Duh, Maggie.) And after a 13-hour class discussion on moral and ethical development, I wasn't thinking about wine; I was thinking about sleep. Boy, I'm getting old.

Luckily, with BoltBus' new DC-NY service offering tickets for as low as $1 (I bought my ticket for an unbelievable $17 round trip), I'll find my way in Manhattan again soon. And I'll be sure to take the advice from a recent posting by Eric Asimov, blogger for the New York Times' wine blog, The Pour, and visit a few of the many unique wine bars in the area.

Casellula
401 West 52nd Street
www.casellula.com

Xai Xai (South African)
369 West 51st Street
www.xaixaiwinebar.com

Pata Negra
345 East 12th Street
www.patanegratapas.com