Mike’s Take on 2009

Some were happy to see the ball drop on 2009.  For the new guy at the Wine Bottega, it wasn’t an easy one to see pass.  From the ongoing excitement of my recent engagement, to the new family I’ve acquired since working at this store, it’s been a very, very good year.  I can only hope that karma will be kind in 2010.  I was fortunate to have jumped into the Bottega at a particularly exciting time in its history, not two weeks before the Best of Boston announcement was made.  (The pressure is on me if we lose this year.)  Here’s my list of ten favorite wine people of 2009, in no particular order:  Matt and Jackie Carroll, Dennis Quinn, Kerri Platt, Matteo Mollo, Jeff Slavin, Theresa Paopao, Maria Jose Lopez de Heredia, Giuseppe Vajra, Sadat X.  Now, onto the wines:

A Whirlwind of Wine - Kerri’s Top Picks for 2009

Wow, what a year!  First of all, thanks to all of you who have participated in this crazy journey, I can’t believe how many amazing people I have had the pleasure of meeting this year.  It’s hard to believe all we achieved in 2009: epic Abbondanzas, fantastic renovations, winning Best of Boston, discovering new producers, and I know we could not have done it without all the encouragement, support, pestering, provocation and inspiration from all of you in Boston and (amazingly!) from around the globe.  I am incredibly excited to launch our new projects for 2010, but I also wanted to look back on the year “through the glass” and pick some of my favorite discoveries.  Here you go…

Matteo’s Reflections from the Glass 2009

For me 2009 was a big year of great wine tasting, drinking and celebrating with friends and family. I felt that I cemented some loose ends in my wine knowledge while at the same time discovered that I (and most everyone) was merely at the beginning of a great journey through the wine world. I shared many a great, and some not so great, glass of vino, whether it was here in the Bottega, out at a local restaurant, at our wedding dinner in Italy or simply, and most often, at home around the table with a couple friends and a nice meal. Picking the “Top Five” wines of the year is a difficult and in some ways unrealistic task, so I simply looked back at the first five wines that brought a smile to my face when I thought back about them. Here’s the list:

Chocolate & Wine Recap

Hosting a chocolate tasting with Seattle’s Theo Chocolate not only allowed us to taste some really incredible chocolate concoctions, it gave us the opportunity to challenge our wine pairing skills. We pushed ourselves to select wines that you wouldn’t normally think as a natural match for chocolate.

Beware: reading on might lead to extreme jealousy and mild pangs of hunger.

Orange Wine: A new genre (re)emerges

The wine industry is buzzing about a genre of wine that defies most conventional categories. From NYC to San Francisco, avant-garde restaurateurs, wine critics and wineshops are embracing a concept that is at once revolutionary and uber-traditional. The result is what has been dubbed “orange wine”, not quite red, nor white, nor rose.  These wines are a particular breed of deeply colored, intensely flavored wines, created only by the most artisanal producers looking to capture the essence of ancient winemaking techniques; extended skin contact.

Why we’re thankful

With all the mayhem surrounding the holiday season, it can be difficult to find time to step back and reflect.  Each of us at the Wine Bottega owes a huge debt of gratitude to the people that surround us at the store every day.  From our lovely friends and neighbors in the North End, to the talented salespeople who bring us their stories and cheer along with their wares, to our loyal customers who inspire us with their passion for the wines we love to share.  We wish you and your family a relaxing and delicious Thanksgiving.

– Kerri, Matteo, Michael, and Stephanie