Author: Bruno Donaggio

Summer Of Riesling

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This past Saturday afternoon on June 25th I attended the Summer of Riesling kickoff wine tasting event whose motto is “all German all Summer”. The event was run by the owner of Terroir Wine Bar, Paul Greico who is a booster for Rieslings in general and German Riesling in particular.

The event was held at Hudson Mercantile on 500 West 36th Street on the far west side of Manhattan. It’s another old warehouse building converted to an event space and we took a freight elevator to the fifth floor for the Riesling party. There was a rooftop outdoor space on the sixth floor that had great views of the Hudson river to the West and the Empire State Building to the East.

The wines were divided by categories such as sparkling, rosé, dry, off-dry and late harvest which were so popular with the attendees that I wasn’t able to get to all of them. There were several restaurants serving excellent bite sized portions of food to pair with the wines, it was a fun afternoon.

 

Rosé

NV Kruger-Rumpf Estate Trocken

2014 Von Buhl Rosé

The Pinot Trio

2014 Valckenberg Pinot Blanc

2014 Louis Guntrum Pinot Gris

2014 Becker Family Pinot Gris

Dry Riesling

2013 S.A. Prüm “Luminance”

2014 Dr. Loosen “Red Slate”

2014 Eva Fricke “Kiedrich”

2014 Schäfer Fröhlich Estate Reserve

2014 Dönnhoff “Felsenturmchen”

2013 Weingut Dreissigacker “Morstein”

2011 Pfeffingen “Ungsteiner Herrenberg”

2014 Liebfrauenstift

Off-Dry Riesling

2014 Schloss Johannisberg “Gelblack”

2014 Hexamer “Porphyr”

Some tasty eats

Lukes: Lobster Roll

Oaxaca Taqueria: Pork Tacitos

Mr Bing Beijing Street Food: Duck Crepes

Stinky Brooklyn: Assorted Cheeses

 

 

Westchester Magazine’s Wine & Food Fest 2016

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On June 8-12, Westchester Magazine held their 6th annual Wine & Food Festival . It was “five days of fun!” that included 100+ local restaurants, 200+ world class wines, dinner tastings, chefs demos and seminars.

The signature event of the festival was the Grand Tasting Village which was held on Saturday afternoon. It was an outdoor event held under tents that featured 50+ local restaurants and over 200 wines and spirits.

The event was held in the bucolic Westchester hamlet of Valhalla which is a 40 minute train ride north from Grand Central Terminal and then a ten minute walk from the train station to the Kensico Dam Plaza where the event was held.

I noticed there were more food vendors this year than last which made for some good eating to go with all the wines. I was able to get into the Connoisseur tent which was a separate area that poured some extra special juice. Unlike many other food events, the crowds were much more manageable at this event which meant that lines for food and wine were comparatively short and that made for an enjoyable experience. Overall, this is one of the best wine and food events of the year.

Some of the wines I sampled:

 

NV Ruinart Blanc de Blanc (Champagne)

2015 Chateau Minuty “Rosé et Or” Rosé (Provence)

2015 Domaine Ott “Clos Mireille” Rosé (Provence)

2015 Chateau du Ronet Rosé (Provence)

2013 Merry-Edwards Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley)

2012 Matanzas Creek Sauvignon Blanc (Knights Valley)

2014 Flowers Chardonnay (Sonoma Coast)

2013 Jean-Louis Chavey Pugliny-Montrachet (Burgundy)

2011 Aurelie Verdet Morey St-Denis (Burgundy)

2012 Domaine Antonin Guyon “Les Cras” Chambolle-Musigny (Burgundy)

2012 Angela Estate Pinot Noir “Abbott Claim” (Yamhill)

2014 Angeline Estate Pinot Noir “Reserve” (California)

2013 Truchard Pinot Noir (Carneros)

2011 Pio Cesare Barberesco (Piedmont)

2010 Castigilon Del Bosco Brunello di Montalcino (Tuscany)

2012 Mt Brave Cabernet Sauvignon (Mt Veeder)

2010 Stags’ Leap Cabernet Sauvignon “Audentia” (Stags Leap District)

2012 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Private Reserve” (Napa Valley)

2012 Heitz Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

2011 Caymus Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

2012 Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford)

2013 Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

2012 Beaulieu Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Rutherford” (Napa Valley)

 

 

 

Upper West Side Party

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The 9th annual New Taste of The Upper West Side was held this past weekend, June 3-4. It was a two-day food festival featuring over 40 local restaurants serving some of their signature dishes along with wines, beer, cocktails with some acrobatics thrown in.

I attended the Best of the West event on Saturday evening which took place under the Grand Tent at the O’Shea Complex school yard on Columbus Avenue between 76-77th streets on the upper west side of Manhattan. And a good thing the tent was up because soon after the start time, the torrential rains came which made for a slightly more damp of a good time.

There was music provided by Joe Battaglia and his 16 piece New York Big Band and a DJ and it was hosted by Sara Gore of NBC’s New York Live and Open House.

Some of the food I sampled:

Bar Boulud: Veal & Foie Gras Pâté

Boulud Sud: Ora King Salmon “Mi-Cuit”

Crave Fishbar: Faroe Island Salmon Crudo

Jeans-Georges: Maine Lobster Summer Roll

Red Farm: Beef Dumpling & Chanterelle Mushroom

Cesca Trattoria & Enoteca: Tuscan Summer Farro Salad

Caffè Storico: Insalata di Polpo

Lincoln Center Kitchen: Chilled Pea Soup with Fresh Crabmeat & Crispy Bacon

The Mermaid Inn: Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Jonah Crab Salad

Rosa Mexicano: Guacamole En Molcajet

The Smith: Toasted Ricotta Gnocchi with Truffle Cream

The Leopard at des Artistes: Parmigiana of Zucchini

Firehouse: Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings BBQ

Andanada: Paella Mariscos

Tavern on the Green: Smoked Salmon Mousse and Tequila Cured Scottish Salmon, Pickled Cucumber Salad, Dill

 

 

Taste The East End

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On Sunday this past Memorial Day weekend I attended the 2nd annual Taste The East End. It’s an event showcasing over 40 East End local restaurants, breweries and vineyards serving their signature dishes with beer, cider, wine and spirits to accompany them.

The event was held at the Long Island Aquarium & Exhibition Center located on 431 Main Street in Riverhead which sits at the beginning of Long Island wine country. That’s about an hour and a half drive as the crow flies East of Manhattan.

A portion of the event was held in the aquarium which makes for an out of the ordinary experience, walking around with a glass of wine in hand with various sea creatures swimming around in the background.

The incoming rain held back and I was able to make it in to the event at the start time. This was before the crowds poured in and was able to sample some of the food and wine (the pork belly dish from Jedediah Hawks Inn was outstanding) before the lines became impossibly long.

 

 

Speed Rack

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This past Sunday evening I attended the Speed Rack season 5 National finals. Speed Rack is an organization that promotes women bartenders, this event is a multi city contest to find the nations fastest women bartender and crown her Ms Speed Rack 2016.

The competition featured eight wild card contestants who participated in timed heats of rounds of cocktails to be judged by cocktail celebrities.

The event that evening also raised money for breast cancer research, so pink was the color of choice throughout the venue including the speed rack logos on the t-shirts, which some might say was a double entendre.

The event was held at the over 100 year old nightclub, concert venue and event space, Webster Hall located at 125 East 11th Street in the East Village, Manhattan. To accompany the competition, two levels of the club were filled with spirit companies serving their products and assorted cocktails.

I stopped by the Luxardo table whose claim to fame is a two century old liquor made from Maraschino cherries, and tried some of their other products which included Aperitivo, an herb and citrus based liquor, and the Fernet Amaro, another dark, intense herb based liquor.

 

Some of the cocktails I sampled:

 

St-Germain Cocktail: Processco, St-Germain, club soda.

Lady Reign: Bacardi Maestro, Bacardi 8, apricot brandy, pineapple juice, lime juice, angostura bitters.

Four Roses Cooler: Four Roses bourbon, honey syrup, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, angostura bitters.

Welcome Home: Beefeater gin, apple juice, fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, yellow Chartreuse, velvet Falernum.

English Channel Collins: Plymouth gin, Lillet rouge, fresh lemon juice.

Paradise City: Absolute vodka, spiced Aperol, fresh lemon juice, soda.

Moscow Mule: Absolute vodka, ginger beer, fresh lemon juice.

Exonoration: Singani 63, perfect purée prickly pear, ginger syrup, lime juice, Perrier.

The Grand Life Punch: Kappa pisco, Grand Marnier raspberry peach, lemon juice, bubbles, berries.

Double Dr Punch: Highwest double rye, pomegranate juice, date syrup, lemon juice, orange flower water, mint.

Do Lally Ditty: Jameson Black Barrel, honey, sauvignon blanc, apple juice, fresh lime juice, mango green tea.

 

 

Boco Resort Cocktail Party

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This past Sunday afternoon, the Bowery Collective which holds cocktail themed events during the year, held their first annual Boco Resort cocktail festival featuring over 50 types of Summertime cocktails. In preparation for Summer drinking they wanted us “to rethink the margarita and show how brown spirits can work in the sun” using brown spirits in cocktails that traditionally use white spirits such as rum, tequila and vodka. Works for me. The event which was held at the ever trendy Bowery Hotel on 335 Bowery in Manhattan and was held on the second floor terrace event space. I’ve been to many cocktail and wine events at this space and with an outdoor terrace and a hunting lodge motif, makes for a fun event space

There were many booths featuring brown as well as white spirits with mixologists creating various incarnations of Summer cocktails including fruity drinks with umbrellas!. Out in the terrace there was a guy with a buzz saw slicing (empty) rum bottles. It seems that Monkey Rum designs its bottles so that they can be reused as a drinking glass.

After a glass of Fernet Branca to start the day, I sampled many cocktails and whiskeys. With a reggae band playing in the background, followed by a DJ spinning tunes, a good time was had by all.

 

 

 

Wine On The High Seas

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Just got back from a cruise vacation. I took a week off and ended up at the port of Miami boarding the Norwegian Cruise Lines ship the “Escape” for a week long cruise that took me to the  U. S. and British Virgin Island and Nassau, Bahamas.  The Escape is a state of the art mega-ship launched last year, at over a 1,000 feet long with 4,000+ passengers and a 1,700+ crew, it’s a mini city on water. To accommodate all of those guests are 28 Bars and Restaurants including a wine bar. That wine bar is  “The Cellars” a Michael Mondavi family wine bar. It’s a small nook on the bar floor of the ship where I spent some time chatting with Rodrigo, the Wine Steward while drinking some juice. They also had one of those wine pouring machines in the café if you wanted a glass of wine with your buffet.

 

Some of what I drank during my cruise:

2014 Marques de Riscal Verdejo (Rueda)

2010 Godelia Mencia (Bierzo). Dark red with a purple robe, roasted meat and bacon with camphor on the end, concentrated with slate notes on the fruit and chewy tannin.

2013 Estancia Pinot Noir (Monterey). Medium red, strawberry jam and black cherry on the nose with some earth notes, strawberry fruit with crisp acidity.

2013 Estancia Meritage (Paso Robles). A Bordeaux blend, dark red to amber with a perfume of crushed dark berries and camphor, silky mint notes on the fruit with firm acidity.

 

I attended a seminar on Riedel glasses and how wines are enhanced with the proper glass.

Pinot Noir glass served with the 2012 Louis Jadot Pinot Noir (Burgundy)

Syrah glass served with the 2013 Spellbound Petite Sirah (California)

Cabernet Sauvignon glass served with the 2013 Wente Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon “Southern Hills” . (Livermore Valley).

 

 

 

Bacon, Beer & Baseball

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This past Friday and  Saturday the Beer and Bacon Classic festival was held in New York City. Another one of the many craft beer fests that are held throughout the year in the city. This one is a traveling beer and bacon fest that tours baseball fields around the country. Here in New York it was held at Citi Field stadium (the former Shea Stadium) at 123-01 Roosevelt Avenue in Corona, Queens and is the home of the New York Mets baseball team.

It featured over 40 local restaurants serving bacon infused dishes and over 40 breweries and cideries pouring their craft products.

I attended the Saturday evening session. I have to admit it was a great venue to have an event, it gave me the opportunity to see the new stadium which is a much more interesting event space than some of the other beer venues.

I generally like the dark beers such as  stouts, porters and cream ales, but since this was a spring time event, not much of the heavier beers were poured but I did find a few ciders. I was lucky to get in to the event before general admission and was able to sample some of the food, when they opened the flood gates at the general admission start times, the lines at the food stands became impossibly long.

 

Some of what I sampled:

Ciders

Bad Seed Cider Co. With 0gms of sugar, about as bone dry as you can get.

Downeast Cider House: Flagship original and summer blend.

Doc’s Draft: Hard pear cider and original.

Strongbow Hard Cider

Northern Spy Hard Cider

Original Sin Hard Cider

McKenzie’s Cider Co.: Seasonal reserve and black cherry.

Ace Cider Co.: Pineapple Cider.

 

Jonas Bronk Beer Co.: One of the few stouts served, nice and creamy.

 

 

 

The Bloody Mary Festival

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This past Sunday I attended The Bloody Mary Festival,  a multi-city event that was advertised as “a celebration of our beloved brunch cocktail and the largest event of its kind”.

It was an afternoon of sampling Bloody Marys  prepared by local bars and restaurants along with food trucks and a DJ.

This year the event was held at the Grand Prospect Hall at 263 Prospect Avenue in Park Slope Brooklyn. It’s a 100+ year old oak paneled beer hall event space that someone described as “Disney-does-Hapsburg”.

This time around the vodka sponsor was Bleu Storm vodka, an ultra premium French vodka made from whole wheat.

A few of the Bloodys and the restaurants/bars that serve them:

 

Bloody Mary Liberation Party The Prospect Park

Lucky Luna (Greenpoint) Kimchi and Nori Bloody Mary

Esme (Greenpoint) Esme Bloody Mary

Syndicated (Bushwick) Blood For Dracula

Travel Bar (Carrol Gardens) The Well Traveled

706 (Prospect Heights) The 706

Hunter’s (Cobble Hill) Hunter’s Saigon Mary

Skylark (Park Slope) The Skylark

Talde (Park Slope) Talde Bloody Mary

Catfish (Crown Heights) Creole Bloody Mary

 

 

Craft Distillers Festival

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This past Saturday I attended the annual New York City Craft Distillers Festival. A pre-prohibition themed event of over 60 craft spirits with a live jazz style band.

A century ago New York States breweries and distilleries produced oceans of spirits made from local ingredients. The Volstead Act changed all that and Prohibition shut down most of those distilleries and breweries. The industry began to recover in the early 21st Century when the State laws regulating distilling were loosen which resulted in the explosion of local micro-distilleries and breweries. There are about 30 craft distillers and counting in New York State with some in Queens, Brooklyn and The Bronx.

The event was held at the hip Bowery Hotel at 335 Bowery in Manhattan,  a castle-like venue. There were plenty of local whiskeys, gins, vodkas, tequilas, fruit-based eau di vie and even some absinthe.

With live music and people enjoying unlimited spirits, it was a party.

Some of the Distillers I sampled from:

Orange County Distillery

Cooperstown Distillery

Catskill Distilling Co.

Standard Spirit

Tres Papalote Mezcal

Black Button Distillery

Hillrock Distillery

Valentine Distilling Co.

Widow Jane

Tirado Distillery