Author: Bruno Donaggio

Winebow Fall Portfolio NYC 2025

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Winebow is one of the many distributors of wines and spirits in New York State. In this State a business can’t buy alcohol directly from the producer, they have to contract with an importer/distributor whose job it is to market, sell and deliver the wines and spirits.It’s a three-tier system that adds to the cost of every bottle of wine and spirits.

In the Spring and Autumn, the local distributors hold tastings of the products in their portfolio for professionals in the restaurant trade. Some are huge events covering everything in the catalogue, while some are much smaller, focused tastings held very often in the business offices of the distributor.

On September 17th, Winebow held their Fall portfolio show at the Standard Hotel in the Meatpacking district of lower Manhattan. The event was held in the hotels Biergarten restaurant. It was a brave decision because the restaurant is partly open to the to the outside and this day was a brisk, wet September afternoon.

Some of what I sampled:

2015 Markham Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): In magnum. Opaque black, toasty stone, bell pepper and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy and dusty fruit with a great balance and long finish.

2018 Blackbird Vineyards Illustration (Napa Valley): Bordeaux blend. Opaque black, purple rim, tar, cinnamon and barnyard on the nose, chewy and chunky dark chocolate fruit, good grip.

2019 Inglenook Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark purple, tar and violets on the nose, silky black fruit with cocoa and white pepper notes, ending with a good grip.

2019 St. Innocent Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard (Oregon): Clear light purple, cherry earth notes on the nose, chewy, silky red fruit with earth and cocoa notes, nice grip.

2021 Adelsheim Vineyards Pinot Noir Breaking Ground (Oregon): Clear medium purple, green herbs on the nose, silky and juicy, a bit closed at the end but good balance.

2021 Delille Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Ciel (Washington): Opaque dark red, purple rim, green herbs and pickle juice on the nose, chewy fruit with a bitter cherry finish, firm grip.

2022 Pine Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Clear dark purple, tar and cigarette smoke on the nose, juicy with chocolate and steel notes, nice grip.

2022 Spottswoode Winery Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley): Opaque dark purple, tree bark and crushed blueberries on the nose, tight, chewy red fruit, firm tannin.

2022 Joseph Drouhin Bourgogne Blanc (Burgundy): Clear light gold, earthy pineapple on the nose with tart lime and stone notes.

2023 Joseph Drouhin Puligny Montrachet (Burgundy): Clear light gold, white flowers on the nose, moderate fruit with some earth notes, tame acidity.

2019 Chateau Kirwan (Margaux): Clear medium purple, sweet tar and crushed blueberry on the nose, silky fruit with firm tannin.

2020 San Felice “Vigorello” (Tuscany): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed dark berries on the nose, concentrated and juicy ending with big tannins.

2021 Chateau Gaudin (Pauillac): Clear medium purple, crushed stone on the nose, tight dusty fruit ending with silky tannins.

2022 Domaine Reverdy Ducroux Sancerre Rouge (Loire): Clear purple, crushed plums on the nose with juicy red fruit, east drinking.

Wine Spectator’s New York Wine Experience 2025 Day 1

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The 44th annual Wine Spectator’s New York Wine Experience was held on October 16-18.

It was three days of wine seminars and two days of the Grand Tastings on Thursday and Friday nights.

The event which raises money for the Wine Spectator Scholarship fund, was first held in San Francisco and alternated between that city and New York City until they decided to make New York the permanent home for the event.

The Grand Tasting which was open to the public is, in my opinion, the best wine tasting event of the year. It was two floors of over 265 participating international wineries and chateaux serving their wines that scored 90+ on the Spectator rating scale.

I was lucky enough to be able to attend both nights. It’s a massive amount of high-quality wines and as in the case in these types of mega tastings, I focused my efforts. On day 1 that focus was on the red wines of Bordeaux and (mostly) California Napa Valley. What was exciting is that most of the wineries showcased an older vintage of their wines which is always a treat to experience.

The event was held at the Mariott Marquis hotel at 1535 Broadway in the heart of the theater district in Manhattan.

Some of what I sampled:

Napa Valley

2009 Lokoya Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, peppery tree bark on the nose, chewy dark fruit with black pepper notes, firm grip.

2011 Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon “Monte Bello” (Santa Cruz Mts.): Opaque black, brick rim, perfume of violets, roast meat and a touch of oregano, silky bright red fruit with a nice grip and firm tannin.

2012 Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Special Selection” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, perfume of sweet red fruit and white pepper, chewy and chunky dark fruit with dark chocolate and spicy red fruit notes, good grip, long finish.

2013 Opus One (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, brick rim, sweet tar, white pepper and saline on the nose, tight and concentrated black fruit with a chewy, long finish.

2014 Diamond Creek Cabernet Sauvignon “Gravelly Meadow” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, crushed black fruit, pickle juice and milk chocolate on the nose, chewy and chunky with dark chocolate notes, nice balance.

2014 Harlan Estate (Napa Valley): Opaque black, slate and tar on the nose, chewy black fruit with a great balance.

2016 Hall Cabernet Sauvignon “Kathryn Hall” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, chalk and barnyard on the nose, chewy and chunky with crushed stone, dirt and saline notes, firm grip, long finish.

2016 Mt. Brave Cabernet Sauvignon Mt. Veeder (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, dirty tar and red roses on the nose, tight and concentrated black fruit ending with crisp acidity.

2017 Bond Red Blend “Vecina” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, crushed rocks and pickle juice on the nose, chewy dark fruit with tree bark notes ending with firm tannin.

2017 Louis M. Martini Cabernet Sauvignon “Lot No 1” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, spicy crushed black fruit and tar on the nose, chewy and tarry black fruit ending with a firm grip.

2018 Larkmead Cabernet Sauvignon “Solari” (Napa Valley): Opaque medium red, brick rim, sweet tar and crushed green herbs on the nose, silky red fruit with stone and chalk notes, firm grip.

2019 Joseph Phelps Red Blend “Insignia” (Napa Valley): Opaque dark purple, tobacco, cooked asparagus and dirty chocolate on the nose, thick and concentrated black fruit with smoke, steel and herb notes, firm grip, long finish.

2021 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard “The Reserve” (Napa Valley): Opaque black, purple rim, juicy green herbs on the nose, chewy, chunky and dusty black fruit with slate and dark chocolate notes, long and firm finish.

2021 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon “Heritage Clone” (Napa Valley): Opaque thick black, violets and black pepper on the nose, thick and concentrated black fruit with a nice grip and long finish.

2022 Continuum Estate Sage Mountain Vineyard (Napa Valley): Opaque dark red, purple rim, cigarette smoke, white pepper and violets on the nose, chewy and silky with lip smacking tannin. Still young.

Bordeaux

2001 Chateau Phelan Segur (St. Estephe): Opaque black, dirt, mint and dark chocolate on the nose, thick and chewy with gritty chocolate notes on the silky finish, nice grip.

2010 Chateau Cos d’Estournel (St. Estephe): Dark red with a brick rim, cedar, tar and cooked vegetable on the nose, silky, chewy fruit with dark chocolate notes, firm grip, long finish.

2014 Chateau Haut Brion (Pessac Leognan): Clear medium red, dirty chocolate on the nose, tight red fruit ending with firm acidity.

2014 Chateau La Mission Haut Brion (Pessac Leognan): Clear medium red, brick rim, dirty black fruit on the nose, tight and concentrated black fruit ending with firm acidity.

2014 Chateau Montrose (St. Estephe): Opaque dark red, tar, sweet chocolate and toasty black cherry on the nose, concentrated and tight black fruit with dusty slate and gun metal notes, balanced grip with a long finish.

2015 Chateau Langoa Barton (St. Julien): Opaque black, purple rim, dirty chocolate on the nose, tight, silky red fruit, nice grip, some heat.

2016 Chateau Leoville Poyferre (St. Julien): Opaque black, purple rim, green herbs and chalk on the nose, chewy bright red fruit ending tight.

2016 Chateau Giscours (Margaux): Opaque dark red, purple rim, sweet barnyard and dirt on the nose, tight black fruit ending with big tannin.

Grenache Seminar At Spain’s Great Match NYC

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I’m a big fan of Grenache based red wines, their bright red fruit notes are a nice change of pace from the usual Cabernet, Merlot, etc.

In Spain it’s called Garnacha and is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the country. The grape also has a large presence in the Rhone and Languedoc regions of southern France as well as in Sardinia where it’s called Cannonau.

On September 30th. I attended Spain’s Great Match New York City. It was both a trade and consumer event and was a “celebration of Spanish wine, spirits and gastronomy” featuring Spanish companies and importers.

The event was held at Mercado Little Spain at 10 Hudson Yards on the west side of Manhattan. Mercado Little Spain is to Spanish food what Eataly is to Italian food, they are culinary theme parks with various restaurants showcasing the cuisine of those countries.

Spain has its own rich culinary tradition and Mercado served many of those foods as hors d’oeuvres for people attending the event. Foods such as paella, suckling pig, grilled octopus and churros to name a few. They also served Spanish jamon. With apologies to my Italian brethren, Spain makes some of the best cured hams in the world. It’s like natures candy and I made my presence known at the ham tables. Since I’m a fan of Grenache, I attended the seminar.

Seminar Presented by Evan Goldstein

Campo de Borja The Empire of Garnacha

2024 Bodegas Ainzon Peñazuela Garnacha Blanca: Pale light yellow, white flowers on the nose with nice acidity.

2022 Bodegas Borsao Tres Picos: Opaque dark purple, closed nose of slate and white pepper, chewy, silky red fruit ending with crisp acidity.

2023 Bodegas Aragonesas Garnacha Centenaria: Opaque dark red, purple rim, closed nose of tar, tight and concentrated ending with silky, firm tannin.

2022 Bodegas Morca Morca: Opaque dark purple, crushed red fruit and pickle juice on the nose, chewy fruit with gun metal notes ending with firm tannin.

2021 Bodegas Alto Moncayo Veraton: Opaque black, purple rim, closed nose of white pepper and warm spice, chewy, black licorice fruit ending with lip smacking tannin.

2021 Vino dei Viento Ermita Santa Barbara: Opaque black, purple rim, perfume of sweet cigarette smoke and cooked fat with chewy black fruit and big tannin.

Bertani Amarone Vertical Tasting New York City

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It’s always an education and a treat to be able to sample wines with some considerable bottle age when the opportunity presents itself.

It’s a myth that wine gets better the older it ages, it’s more like a Bell curve, on the left side of the curve is when the wine is released, it reaches its peak and then slides downward.

I had the opportunity to sample a few older bottles on September 29th when distributor Independence Wine & Spirits held their Luxury Italian Tasting.

It was a niche of their portfolio that included Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello, Amarone and some Italian sparklers. The tasting was held at their offices at 298 5th Avenue in midtown Manhattan.

Some of the older bottles included the 1999 Col d’Orca Brunello di Montalcino, a 1982 Fontanafedda Barolo Riserva and a 1996 Fontanafredda Barolo Vigna La Villa to name a few.

I have to admit that some of the older bottles were on the downward side of the curve, but it was a unique experience. An older bottle than held up was the 1968 Bertani Amarone which was drinking nicely, and I was able to sample five vintages of that wine.

Valpolicella is a red wine produced in the Veneto region of Italy, north of the city of Verona. It’s a blended wine primarily made with the Corvina grape varietal. Amarone is one category of Valpolicella that includes Classico, Superior and Ripasso. What makes Amarone unique is that they let the grapes dry out and concentrate the sugars. Back in the day if you ran into a red wine with a 15+% alcohol level, it was either a California Zinfandel or an Amarone but that’s not the case now.

These are big and brawny wines, many almost port like, great for a Winter night with a hearty stew but not easy to pair with other food. A couple of years back I did a wine tour of Valpolicella and visited several wineries. The Amarone I sample at those wineries were more delicate, feminine and more structured than what I was used to, much more food friendly which is what the winemakers I spoke to said they strived to produce.

Bertani is one of the most recognizable producers of Amarone and they have been producing wine for over a century and a half.

Bertani Amarone

1968

Clear light brick, sweet plums on the nose, silky, red cherry fruit with a good grip and a long finish.

1990

Clear medium brick, crushed mint and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy dark chocolate fruit, nice grip with cocoa notes on the long finish.

2010

Clear medium brick, crushed red fruit, mint and graphite on the nose, chewy and plummy ending with crisp acidity.

2011

Clear medium brick, toasty dark fruit and white pepper on the nose, chewy and peppery ending with firm tannins.

2012

Clear medium brick, smokey plum on the nose, toasty chocolate fruit ending with tight tannins.

Wine Enthusiast Sip of Italy NYC 2025

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On September 11th, I attended the Wine Enthusiasts Sip of Italy wine tasting event. It was another their series of “Sip” wine tasting events hosted by the magazine.

It was an all-Italian wine tasting of over 300 wines from most of the wine regions in Italy. Most of the wines were from smaller, off the radar producers with many looking for an importer.

The tasting was held at City Winery located at 25 11th Avenue on the far west side of Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River.

Some of what I sampled:

2018 Vignamaggio Chianti Classico Gran Selezione “Monna Lisa” (Tuscany): Clear medium brick, perfume of tar, leather and green herbs, silky red fruit with black licorice notes ending with tight tannin.

2018 Zenato Amarone Riserva (Veneto): Opaque dark brick, toasty leather on the nose, chewy and chunky with green herbs notes on the long finish, good grip.

2019 Ruffino “Alauda” (Tuscany): A blend of Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Colorino. Opaque dark red, mint and dark chocolate on the nose, tight and dense crushed black fruit with black licorice notes, great balance.

2019 Banfi “Summus” (Tuscany): Bordeaux blend. Opaque dark red, black leather and crushed black fruit with toast notes on the nose, tight, concentrated and chewy with a firm grip and a long finish.

2019 Ruffino Modus Primo (Tuscany): Clear medium brick, perfume of violets and tarry chocolate, chewy black fruit with stone notes ending with good acidity.

2020 Tenute Orestiadi “Il Rosso di Ludovico” Riserva (Sicily): Clear medium purple, perfume of violets and green herbs, juicy black fruit, firm finish.

2021 Tenute Sette Ponti “Sette” (Tuscany); 100% Merlot. Opaque dark red, brick rim, toasty roast meat on the nose, tight and juicy with gun metal notes, firm finish.

2021 Viticcio Foglia Tonda (Tuscany): Made from 100% of the obscure Foglia Tonda grape varietal. Clear light brick, crushed black cherry and toasty chocolate on the nose, chewy red fruit, long and firm finish.

2021 Brancaia “Ilatraia” (Tuscany): A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Clear medium purple, minty crushed black fruit on the nose, chewy dark fruit with a firm finish.

Zachys Bordeaux Grand Tasting

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Zachys is a fine wine retailer and auction house. Founded in 1944 by Zachy Zacharia, it was a destination wine shop in suburban Scarsdale for many years. They eventually moved their store and operations to Port Chester, New York at 30 Midland Avenue.

Like many wine shops, they will host informal wine tastings for customers, but on occasion they will host a ticketed and a more focused wine tasting.

Port Chester is about an hour train ride north from Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. I’ve been to several of those ticked tastings and I can say that it’s worth the train ride. Whatever theme or category the tasting will be, it will be an excellent tasting, and they will be pouring quality juice.

On September 20th, they held a Bordeaux Grand Tasting. The event featured over 30 wines from the major appellations. It was a very enjoyable tasting because they not only poured current vintages, but poured some older vintages as well.

Pauillac

2003 Chateau d’Armailhac: Cloudy medium brick, big perfume of violets and sweet crushed gravel, chewy dark fruit with mint notes, great balance and a long finish.

2021 Chateau-Pontet Canet: Clear medium purple, ceder, graphite and cigarette smoke on the nose, silky red fruit with dusty, tree bark notes on the finish.

2022 Chateau Lynch-Bages: Opaque dark red, purple rim, slate and gun metal on the nose, chewy and dusty crushed black fruit ending with silky tannin.

2022 Chateau Clerc Milon: Opaque dark red, purple rim, cedar and sweet red fruit on the nose, dense and chewy black fruit with a good grip and a balanced and long plummy finish.

2022 Chateau Haut Batailley: Opaque dark purple, closed nose of ripe fruit, chewy red fruit with silky, firm tannin, long finish.

Pessac-Leognan

2014 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte: Opaque dark brick, perfume of cedar, cigarette smoke and sweet cooked fruit, chewy with mouth crunching tannin, long finish with mint notes.

2019 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte: Opaque dark brick, perfume of smoke and barnyard, chewy black fruit with crushed rock notes, silky and dusty tannin on the balanced finish.

2022 Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte: Opaque dark purple, cigarette smoke on the nose, chewy black fruit with silky and firm tannin with green herbs on the long finish.

Margaux

2008 Chateau Rauzan-Selga: Cloudy dark brick, stinky barnyard on the nose, silky, chewy red fruit with barnyard notes on the firm finish.

2009 Chateau Rauzan-Selga: Opaque dark brick, crushed slate and barnyard on the nose, chewy red leather fruit with roast meat notes, chewy finish with a great balance.

2021 Chateau Rauzan-Selga: Opaque dark purple, mint, red tar and roast meat on the nose, concentrated tight red fruit with bitter cherry notes, moderate tannin and acidity, long finish.

2022 Chateau Rauzan-Selga: Opaque black, purple rim, crush red berry, mint and dark chocolate on the nose, chewy and toasty fruit with dark chocolate notes, good grip, long finish.

Saint-Julien

2014 Chateau Branaire Ducru: Opaque dark brick, tar, mint and barnyard on the nose, chewy dark fruit with crunchy tannin, great grip, tarry finish.

2016 Chateau Branaire Ducru: Clear medium brick, tree bark and red tar on the nose, concentrated and dusty ending with tart acidity.

2018 Chateau Branaire Ducru: Opaque medium brick, sweet barnyard on the nose, chewy, mouth filling fruit with cedar and gun metal notes, great balance.

Saint-Emillion

2005 Chateau Canon: Opaque medium brick, perfume of slate, steel and dirt, chewy fruit and chewy tannin with crushed rock notes, long finish.

2009 Chateau Canon: Opaque cloudy dark brick, ripe, juicy fruit on the nose, chunky and steely with bitter cherry notes ending with a nice grip.

2015 Chateau Canon: Opaque black with a brick rim, saline, cinnamon and earth notes on the nose, chewy with slate notes, great grip, long finish.

2022 Chateau Canon: Opaque medium brick, perfume of dusty red fruit, chewy red fruit with green herb notes, nice grip, long finish.

Saint-Estephe

2016 Chateau Les Bosq: Opaque dark brick, ripe red fruit on the nose, chewy and chunky dark chocolate fruit, good grip.

Eureka! California Wine Discovery NYC

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The Eureka California Wine Discovery tour stopped in New York City on September 8th and was held at Moonlight Studios located at 330 Hudson Street in Manhattan.

It was sponsored by the California Wine Institute to promote “the incredible diversity of California wine regions”.

It was a walk around tasting of 30 producers from several California wine regions which included the well know AVAs of Napa Valley, Sonoma County and Paso Robles to name a few but also some not so well known AVAs such as Livermore Valley, Temecula Valley and Lodi. There were also several master classes held throughout the afternoon.

This wasn’t one of those mega tastings in a warehouse sized event space but a very manageable tasting. Each AVA had their own table which made it easier to sample their wines and compare them to the other AVAs.

The afternoon session was for members of the trade with a consumer session later in the evening. I attended the seminar, California Wines: Texture and Verve by Elaine Chukan Brown.

Some of what I sampled:

2023 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay (Napa Valley): Clear light gold with greenish tints, spicy tropical fruit notes on the nose, tight and crisp with green apple notes.

2018 Santa Cruz Mtn. Vineyard “Branciforte Creek” Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mtns): Clear medium brick, tar and green herbs on the nose, medium red fruit with red licorice notes, crisp finish.

2019 Mount Eden Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir (Santa Cruz Mtns.): Clear medium brick, tarry red cherry on the nose, tight red fruit with milk chocolate notes ending with crisp acidity.

2021 Villa Creek Garnacha (Paso Robles): Clear medium brick, tarry dark chocolate on the nose, chewy and chunky black fruit, nice balance and a long finish.

2021 Morgan Pinot Noir “Double L Vineyard” (Santa Lucia Highlands): Clear medium red, tar and milk chocolate on the nose, chewy dark fruit with slate notes and a firm finish.

2021 Alma Rosa Winery Pinot Noir “El Jabali Vineyard” (Sta. Rita Hills): Clear medium purple, smoky blueberry on the nose, juicy red fruit with steel notes and a good balance.

2021 CO’LLUVIAL Pinot Noir “Las Nenas” (Sta. Rita Hills): Clear light purple, barnyard notes on the nose with juicy tar notes on the fruit, nice balance, easy drinking.

2021 Pedroncelli Zinfandel “Bushnell Vineyard” (Sonoma): Opaque medium purple, crushed black fruit and mint on the nose, chewy and chocolaty ending with big tannin.

2022 Siduri Pinot Noir “Rosella’s Vineyard” (Santa Lucia Highlands): Clear medium purple, tarry milk chocolate on the nose, juicy red fruit with a nice grip.

2022 Michael David Winery Carmenere (Lodi): Clear medium purple, crush stone and black fruit on the nose, chewy and juicy with black licorice notes, good balance.

2023 Roar Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands): Clear light purple, tarry dark chocolate on the nose, chewy red fruit with green herb notes, nice balance.

2023 Sandlands Red Table Wine (Lodi): A blend of Cinsault and Carignan, clear light purple, dirty dark chocolate on the nose, juicy red fruit with a nice grip at the end.

2023 Tablas Creek Vineyard Grenache (Paso Robles): Clear light purple, candy apple on the nose, juicy red fruit with some chalk notes on the finish, nice grip.

James Suckling Great Wines Italy New York 2025

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James Suckling is a wine critic and the CEO and publisher of the wine media platform, JamesSuckling.com.

He hosts some very nice wine tastings around the world throughout the year. This past June in New York, he held Great Wines World. It was a mega tasting with two days of 800 worldwide wines that had scored 90+ points on his rating scale.

This past September 3 & 4 he held the New York leg of his Great Wines Italy wine tour. It was a smaller event than the Wines World with “only” 300 wines from all the regions of Italy.

Italy is one of the great wine producing countries of the world with wine a part of Italian culture for thousands of years. The country is one big vineyard with home to over 1,300 grape varieties so Suckling and his team had plenty to choose from.

This was a walk around tastings open to both trade and the public, I attended on Wednesday evening.

Some of what I sampled:

2023 Tenuta di Montefoscoli “Vacevoli” (Tuscany): Clear dark gold, sweet tropical fruit on the nose, juicy pineapple notes with moderate acidity.

2011 Zyme Amarone “La Mattonara” (Veneto): Opaque dark red, tar, forest floor and crushed red berries on the nose, chunky dark chocolate fruit ending with silky, firm tannin.

2017 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona “Pianrosso” (Tuscany): Clear light brick, sweet tar and cooked vegetable on the nose, juicy fruit with cola notes, firm finish.

2018 Cotarella Le Macioche Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany): Clear medium brick, smoke and sweet cooked fruit on the nose with peppery, silky red fruit.

2018 Zyme Amarone (Veneto): Clear medium brick, tree bark on the nose, juicy, moderate fruit with herb notes on the balanced finish.

2019 Pian delle Querci Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Il Piccho “Serbolino” (Tuscany): Clear light brick, tar and toasty milk chocolate on the nose, toasty dark chocolate fruit with a nice grip.

2020 Sordo Barolo “Monprivato” (Piedmont): Clear light brick, minty tar on the nose, moderate red fruit with a nice grip at the end.

2020 Boschetto Campacci “Masgalano” (Tuscany): 100% Merlot. Opaque dark red, brick rim, stinky tar on the nose, chunky and chewy ending with a good grip.

2021 Antonutto Rosso “Poppone” (Friuli-Venezia-Giulia): A blend of Merlot and Pignolo. Opaque dark red, toasty dark chocolate on the nose, chewy dark fruit with chocolate notes, nice balance.

2021 Ca ‘Viola Barolo “Caviot” (Piedmont): Clear light brick, toasty forest floor on the nose, tight fruit ending with big tannins.

2021 Kloster Neustift Pinot Nero Riserva “Praepositus” (Alto Adige): Clear light red, toasty spice on the nose, light and spicy fruit, some tartness on the finish.

2023 Tenuta Liliana Cabernet Sauvignon (Tuscany): Clear medium purple, band aid notes on the nose, toasty red fruit, moderate acids.

International Wine Fest Golden Nugget Atlantic City 2025

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The Golden Nugget is one of the several casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It’s one of a handful of casinos located in the Marina district at 600 Huron Avenue which is about a half mile off the famous boardwalk.

This event began a few years ago as the Ital-Cal wine festival which featured Italian wines and California wines from wineries with an Italian heritage.

It was a great concept but probably not sustainable, so they broaden the event to include other wine producing countries. I’ve attending the event several times in the past and this was my first time back in a few years.

On August 22nd I attended this year’s event which was held outdoors and billed as a “wine & jazz reception under the stars”.

This was not a professional wine tasting event but an experience for wine drinking consumers to broaden their horizons with the opportunity to sample an international selection of wines that they might not normally have the opportunity to try.

It was an enjoyable event of drinking wine on a beautiful Summer evening while listening to some live jazz

Some of the producers I sampled:

Bouchard Aine & FilsCastello di Gabbiano
C.S. SubstanceEdourd
Josh CellarsJ. Lohr
NaturaRatti
VolverRodney Strong
OberonWhite Haven
MatuaLyric
RaymondProvenance

Brooklyn Rum Festival 2025

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Rum is a distilled spirit made from molasses which is the byproduct of refining sugarcane, or from fresh pressed sugarcane juice. It comes in white, dark, aged and flavored versions.

It’s usually associated with the tropics but is made in non tropical countries as well, including New York State. Most are made from molasses but Rhum Agricole from the French West Indies, Clairin from Haiti and Cachaca from Brazil and made from local, fresh pressed sugarcane juice.

On August 16th I attended the Brooklyn Rum Festival, which was held at BK Loft 26, an event space at 153 26th Street in Brooklyn.

I think that good, aged rum is an underappreciated spirit, compatible with other brown spirits on the market. Rums age quicker in the warm climate of the Caribbean as opposed to the climate in Scotland. While for a Scotch, I would go for the oldest bottle I can get my hands on but with aged rum, I feel that the sweet spot is 10 years of aging.

I have a preference for the Rhum Agrigole, there is so much character in those rums but for some reason, at this tasting there were not many if any of those rums being poured. In the interest of expanding my knowledge base, I decided to focus on white rums a category that I normally bypass at these big tastings because I find most of them, bland and neutral only to be used as a mixer in a cocktail.

I decided to sample some Clairin style rums from Haiti and I was pleasantly surprised at the character and distinctness of the rums I sampled. Clairin rums have their own particular rules and regulations such as the use of local pressed cane juice, the use of indigenous yeast and the pot still method of distillation. I spoke with some of the representatives at the festival and they told me that rum production in Haiti is comparatively primitive compared to other countries so the rum your drink is like the rum made a century ago.

The way I could describe the flavor profiles of these rums is to imagine walking through an open hay field filled with the smell of grass and earth with a whiff of funky barnyard. They are white rums that I would sip on their own.

White Haitian rums from Saint Benevolence, Navat 1804 and Barbancourt (though the Babancourt is not a true Clairin but more of a Agricole style rum).

Producers at the festival:

Mount GayPlanteray
BajanZacapa
Chairman’s ReserveWorthy Park
BacardiOzama
DiamondEl Dorado
EliaBanter Bay