Italian Wine Merchants (IWM) is a wine shop that, not surprisingly, specializes in Italian wines. It’s located at 108 East 16th Street across from Union Square Park in Manhattan.
Unusual for a wine store, they have a small room and a dedicated kitchen in the back of the shop that they use as a venue where they host wine dinners and wine tastings.
On the weekend after Thanksgiving Day they hosted their Black Friday mini grand tasting. On this Saturday afternoon, it was a casual walk-around tasting of 32 Italian wines. I’ve been to a few tastings at this venue and I know they pour quality juice. It was a mostly a red wine list with a couple of sparking wines, a rosé and a handful of whites thrown in. They poured a good representation of Italian wines from the North to the South of the boot.
As usual they put out a nice spread of food with good bread and an excellent selection of charcuterie. The kitchen cooked up a couple of tasty pasta dishes as well.
It’s a popular event and the crowd became a little thick at times but I was able to sample as many wines as I wanted, everyone was in a festive mood. My favorites of the afternoon were a couple of Nebbiolo based wines, the 2015 Luigi Giordano Barbaresco Asili and the 2015 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia.
Wines poured:
| NV Cima da Conegliano Prosecco Extra Dry | 2011 Castello Bonomi Franciacorta Brut Cru Perdu |
| 2018 Cornarea Roero Arneis | 2015 Drago Collio Friulano |
| 2018 De Concilus Falanghia | 2018 Masut da Rive Maurus Chardonnay |
| 2015 Per Luna Cerasuolo | 2016 Hilberg-Pasquero Vareij |
| 2016 Hilberg-Pasquero 29.5 Per Alessandra Barbera d’Alba | 2016 San Giuliano Barbera Fiore di Marcorino |
| 2015 San Giuliano Barbaresco | 2017 Scarzello Langhe Nebbiolo |
| 2013 Scarzello Barolo | 2015 Luigi Giordano Barbaresco Asili |
| 2015 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Bussia | 2013 Gaja Costa Russi |
| 2017 Masut da Rive Maurus Pinot Noir | 2018 Per Linda Montepulciano d’Abruzzo |
| 2017 Schiena Vini Salento Enneoro Negroamaro | 2017 Schiena Vini Impero Primitivo di Manduria |
|
2017 De Conciliis Donnaluna Anglianico |
2010 De Conciliis Naima |
| 2017 Begali Valpolicella Classico | 2012 Nicolis Amarone dell Valpolicella Classico |
| 2008 Giuseppe Quintarelli Rosso del Bepi | 2014 La Corsa Settefinestre |
| 2014 La Corsa Teroldego | 2015 Trecciano Chianti Colli Senesi Riserva |
| 2017 Collemattoni Rosso di Montalcino | 2016 Le Mortelle Botrosecco Maremma |
| 2011 Talenti Brunello di Montalcino |
2012 Livio Sassetti Pertimali Brunello di Montalcino Riserva |
SocialVino 