Summer Fancy Food Show 2017

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The Fancy Food Show is North America’s largest specialty food and beverage event with over 2,400 exhibitors from 50 countries and regions. The Summer show is held annually in New York City while the winter show is held in San Francisco. This years partner country was Turkey.

The event was held at the Jacob K. Javits convention center at 655 West 34th Street in Manhattan. The event showcased anything from baked goods to vinegars including unusual products such as oxygenated water to the new “superberry” from Patagonia. As usual the event had loads of tasty hams and charcuterie from Spain and Italy, a myriad of cheeses, and cheese styles, specialty canned goods including tuna and anchovies, herbal teas and much more.

The food show is not a wine event but in the past you could count on the wine producing countries to have a booth or two serving wine. This year Italy as usual had a strong presence with the Vinitaly booth serving a rotating selection of Italian wines. Greece also a large contingent of wines poured but surprisingly, with the exception of one booth in Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Chile and Argentina had no wines to sample.

Italy

NV Alta Versa Blanc de Blanc Pinot Nero Brut (Pavia). Medium gold, toasty bread notes on the nose, crisp with bread dough notes on the finish.

2015 Alta Versa Bonarda (Pavia). Sparking, dark purple, crushed rocks on the nose, slate, black licorice on the juicy fruit, bitter cherry on the finish.

2016 Medici Ermete Concerto Lambrusco (Emilia-Romagna). Black in color with a purple rim, grapey slate on the nose, dense and grapey fruit, crisp acids.

2011 Martino Aglianico del Vulture (Basilicata). Dark red with an amber rim, fresh herbs and leather on the nose, tight, concentrated black leather fruit with firm acids.

2011 San Martino Aglianico del Vulture Kamai (Basilicata). Dark red, tar and black cherry on the nose, tarry dark fruit wit bitter cherry on the finish.

2011 Velusto Aglianico del Vulture (Basilicata). Medium red, dusty black cherry on the nose, bitter cherry notes on the finish.

2013 Vino Nostrum Stupor Mundi Aglianico del Vulture (Basilicata). Dark red with a brick rim, petroleum notes on the nose, chunky fruit with bitter black cherry on the finish.

Spain

2012 Burgo Viejo Reserva (Rioja). Medium red, cooked fruit and black licorice on the nose with bitter cherry on the firm finish.

2010 Palacio del Burgo Reserva (Rioja). 100% Tempranillo, medium to dark red, crushed black cherry on the nose, tight crushed rock and some petroleum on the fruit, firm acids on the finish.

2009 Graco Imperator (Rioja). 100% Tempranillo from a single vineyard, dark red with a perfume of sweet violets and tar, tart fruit with some heat at the end.

Summer Fancy Food Show 2016

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The Summer Fancy Food Show is a bi-coastal, bi-yearly event that is America’s largest specialty food and beverage show. With over 46,000 industry professionals, 2,500 exhibitors and over 180,000 products, it is the place to find the next big product, next big company and next big trend in the food and beverage industry.

The show took place on June 26-28 and was held at the Jacob Javits convention center on 655 W 34th street in Manhattan. This years partner country was Tunisia.

I attended Sunday for an afternoon of grazing on cured ham, cheese and chocolate and sampling mostly Italian wines.

Italy

NV Arunda Brut Rosé. (Alto Adige). Light salmon in color, crisp.

NV Arunda Brut. (Alto Adige). Dry and crisp with an oily finish.

2015 Ugolini Valpolicella “Pozzeto” (Veneto). The entry-level wine in a trio of excellent Valpolicella, medium to light red, red berry and tree bark on the nose, bitter cherry on the balanced finish.

2012 Ugolini Valpolicella “Rippaso” (Veneto). 100% Corvina, light brick in color, red cherry and leather on the nose, silky red cherry fruit, nice acidity and balance.

2013 Ugolini Valpolicella “Amarone” (Veneto). Dark red with black cherry and bitter almond on the nose, bitter almond notes on the fruit. Don’t taste the 16% alcohol.

2008 Tommasi “Ca Florian” Riserva Amarone (Veneto). Dark brick in color, dark leather on the nose, bitter almond/cherry and leather notes on the great balance.

2015 Francesco Malena “Bianco” (Cirò). Calabrese wines, this one mostly Greco Bianco, medium gold with dried flower notes on the finish.

2014 Francesco Malena “Rosso” (Cirò). Mostly the Gaglioppe grape, brick in color with leather on the nose with bitter almond and red cherry on the finish.

2012 Francesco Malena “Pian Della Corte Riserva” (Cirò). Dark red with a brick robe, barnyard notes on the nose, concentrated fruit followed by big tannins at the finish.

2012 Francesco Malena “Cutura Del Marchese” (Cirò). Dark brick, closed nose of roast meat, mouth coating tannin with bitter cherry and fuzzy tannin on the finish.

2013 Carra Di Casata “Arcòl” (Emilia-Romagna). Dark red to black, roasted coffee on the nose, concentrated, silky with roast nut notes on the balanced finish.

2011 Prima Pietra Toscana Rosso (Tuscany). Bordeaux blend, dark red with smoky, roast bacon on the nose, tight dark fruit, black licorice and bitter cherry on the finish.

Cantina Formigine Pedemontana. A co-op in Emilia-Romagna producing Lambrusco with is an excellent low alcohol red wine served chilled for a Summer day.

NV Rosso Fosco. Made from the Grasparossa clone, purple, dry, crisp black berry fruit, balanced.

NV Sorbara. Sorbara is another clone for Lambrusco I don’t see often, pink in color, crisp and refreshing with some tannin coming through at the finish.

Austria

NV Harkamp Rosé Brut. Light pink with a strawberry nose, crisp with light strawberry flavors on the finish.

NV Harkamp Sauvignon Blanc Extra Brut. Don’t have a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc very often, light yellow in color with roast nuts on the nose, grassy finish.

Spain

2014 Habla Winery “De la Tierra”. Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, dark purple with dried red fruit and herbs on the nose, tight, firm red leather and earth on the finish.

2014 Habla Winery “Del Silencio”. A blend of three grapes, dark red with crushed red fruit and violets on the nose, tight with firm tannin and dried herbs on the finish.

2012 Habla Winery “N° 14”. 100% Syrah, dark red to black with a purple robe, closed nose of berries and leather, tight and concentrated with dried herbs on the firm finish.

2011 Habla Winery “N° 13”. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, dark red with a closed nose of roasted meat, tight with big tannin and herbs on the finish.

Fancy Food Show

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The 60th Summer Fancy Food Show was held June 29-July 1 at the Javits Center. It’s a bi-annual event with the Winter show held in San Francisco. Unlike the Restaurant Show held at the same Javits Center in which showcased many necessary to the trade but boring items such as insurance, computer systems and extermination services, the fancy food show presented specialty food and beverage products. What I keep sampling in between shots of espresso were the cheeses, olive oils, specialty soft drinks (especially ginger beer) and anchovies. Various countries had their little corner of the event space presenting its native products. It wasn’t a wine event but the wine-producing countries (but strangely, not France) had a booth or two of someone pouring wines. Thank the wine gods for my paisani who had several.

Austria

2013 Winzer Krems Gruner Veltliner (Wachau). Yellow with a greenish hue with an oily nose, crisp and floral with good acidity.

2012 Meinkang Blauburgunder (Burgenland). Pinot Noir. It was dark red with a brown robe with a red cherry nose with dusty and earthy fruit.

2012 Meinkang Blaufrankisch (Burgenland). Dark red with a nose of crushed black cherry and some mint and was tight with black cherry fruit with firm acids on the finish.

Spain

2011 Cortijo Trifillas Cabernet Sauvignon (Castilla). Barrel aged and was dark red with wildflowers on the nose and was very tight with a tart mouth-feel and some heat coming through.

2011 Cortijo Trifillas Tempanillo, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon Blend. (Castilla). Medium to dark red in color with a closed nose of pencil shavings and black cherry and was tight with slate notes on the fruit ending with firm tannin.

Chile

2012 Valdivieso Reserve Carmenere (Lontue Valley). Dark red with a closed, dusty nose and was chewy with black licorice notes on the finish.

2010 Valdivieso Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc (Chile). Medium red in color with sweet cherry and mint on the nose, tight with dusty mouthfeel ending with mouth-watering acidity, good balance.

Italy

2011 CasaSetaro Caprettone Brut. (Campania). 100% of the Caprettone grape, aged on lees with a greenish tint and was floral and crisp with some bread dough notes on the finish.

2013 CasaSetaro Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Munazei White (Campania). Medium gold in color with a slight honeyed nose and was crisp and tart with hazelnuts on the finish.

2013 CasaSetaro Lacryma Christi del Vesuvio Munazei Red (Campania). 100% Piedirosso and was dark purple, light, grapey and stemmy and was firm with tannic plums on the finish.

2013 Tenuta Col Sandago Brut Rosé (Veneto). Made 100% from the Wildbacher grape variety which is a dark-skinned grape originating from southern Austria. Pale red in color with a closed nose and light strawberry on the finish.

2007 Tenuta Col Sandago “Wildbacher” (Veneto). Made entirely from the Wildbacher grape variety, dark red to brownish tints with dried leaf on the nose and big tannins, tobacco and cigar box on the finish.

2007 Tenuta Col Sandago “Camoi” (Veneto). Made with “typical red varieties” and was dark red with a brown robe, notes of black licorice on the nose and was rustic and chewy with slate on the firm fruit, balanced with bitter cherry on the finish.

Cantina Centro Massenzatico Lambrusco Secco (Emilia-Romagna). From a co-operative, dark black to purple in color, inky and dry with refreshing tannins and acids.

2013 Cantina La Salute “Manzione Bianco” (Veneto). A cross between Riesling and Pinot Blanc, and was medium gold in color with white flowers on the nose, floral medium fruit with low acids.

2008 Cantina La Salute “Eneto” (Veneto). Made from 100% the Raboso grape variety and was medium red with an amber robe with cigar box and dark cherry on the nose, tight, smoky and bitter cherry and good acidity on the finish.

2012 Montesole Falanghina del Sanno (Campania). Light yellow in color with a greenish tint, closed nose of bubble-gum and roasted nuts with moderate fruit.