The Eve of Open That Bottle Night - Friday Tasting

Tomorrow is possibly the most important day of the year on the wine calendar! (No silly, my birthday isn’t until August)  For the past ten years, the last Saturday of February is designated as “Open That Bottle Night”, the brilliant invention of one of my favorite wine couples, Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, wine columnists for The Wall Street Journal.  (I highly recommend their book – Love by the Glass for anyone who enjoys wine or a remarkable real life love story) Dottie and John created this evening to encourage everyone who has been holding onto a special bottle for the “perfect” occasion to actually open that bottle up and enjoy it! 

Matteo’s Recent Underground Riesling Trocken Tasting

“I recently took part in a covert Riesling trocken (dry) tasting the auspices of which; time, place, and tasting colleagues will remain enigmatically undisclosed…The tasting was organized in a double blind fashion, so that even the organizer, who was gracious enough to share 16 or so of his wines, did not know the order in which they appeared.  All the wines were bone dry Rieslings, most of which were of German origin (more on that later).  It was not expected by the host but I brought along a wine of my own (a Bottega selection of course) that we threw into the first flight of wines but then later revisited allowing the wine to breathe a bit.

The Second Glass Interview!

First the front page of The North End Regional Review and now this!  The Second Glass is a fantastic on-line (and occasionally print) magazine whose mission is to demystify wine in a humorous, approachable and informative way.  I always enjoy what they have to say and I was honored when they asked to do an interview with me.  Check out the result on their website!  http://www.thesecondglass.com

Good Morning, Gianluca Grasso!

Every day should start off so well!  As I wrangled our ridiculous grates off the windows this morning, shivering in the frigid air, I looked up to see Gianluca Grasso of Azienda Agricola Elio Grasso heading my way.  I had met Gianluca, his mother Marina and his father Elio last April when I visited their beautiful winery in Monforte D’Alba.  I have always been a huge fan of their beautifully crafted wines and this was only reinforced after experiencing their passion and commitment to quality first hand, not to mention the warmth of their welcome and sincere hospitality.   Gianluca is in Boston this week with samples of the yet to be released 2005 Barolos and his 2006 Barbera.  I will admit that I was a little worried about how the 2005’s would stack up after the epic 2004 vintage, but I should have known better.

Do you have Dog Point? A spontaneous vertical tasting.

It was one of those weird small world coincidences that I love so much about this industry…  

I could tell that the two guys who walked into the store knew about wine. Although my attempts at striking up a conversation weren’t going so well, I knew that sooner or later they would stumble across something that would get the ball rolling.  It turned out to be the St. Clair “Vicar’s Choice” Pinot Noir from Marlborough, NZ which is made by my good friend Julie Ibbotson’s (now Grono)  parents.

 Turns out that initially reticent guy, David, had actually spent some time making wine at Nobilo in New Zealand!  

The name game started and it turns out that he knew quite a few people who were studying wine making at the University of Adelaide, while I was studying wine business.  David asked if I was familiar with Dog Point Vineyards, a Marlborough winery that he respected, but didn’t often see their wines in the U.S.  To continue with strange coincidence, I just happened to have a three year vertical (2002, 2003, 2004) of Dog Point Chardonnay tucked away in the fridge that I had been meaning to sample for the past month and just hadn’t gotten around to.  (Now I realize it was not laziness, it was just destined to wait for this unique opportunity.)

Versatility in the Veneto

Romeo and Juliet, Gondoliers, Sunset over the Grand Canal…
The romance of Venice and Verona are second only to the multi-dimensional wine production of the Veneto.  Stretching from the Sudtirol Dolomites of Cortina D’Ampezzo to the canals of Lido, the vastness of the Veneto is showcased by the diversity of its wine styles.  Rich, gamey fare is the choice of the rolling interior regions around Verona while delicate and stylish cuisine featuring regional seafood is on display in Venezia.  Refreshing, fun bubbles of Prosecco are a classic, but do not underestimate the qualities of quality Soave!  Like Soave, the Valpolicella or “Valley of Many Cellars” is home to both large co-operatives as well as some of the most artisanal houses in Italy.  And of course, what would a tasting of this region be without a sultry Amarone to finish! We will take you on a tour of some of our favorites and introduce you to the pleasures of the vinously rich Veneto region!

Read More