Everyday Cellars hosted a complimentary wine tasting last night, May 17 at 7-8:30PM at Kenise Barnes Fine Art.
For those of you who were there & for those of you who wished you were there, I have assembled full tasting notes of the 8 artisanal hand-crafted wines we tasted.
All wines are available for purchase at https://www.ecwineclub.com/membership/! With questions, please contact me at stella@ecwineclub.com.
8 wines
As part of Larchmont’s 1st annual restaurant week, Everyday
I want to tell you about my TOTALLY unconventional (yet perfectly great), holiday wine pairings.
Picking the right wine to pair with a formal meal is always a challenge, but holiday time is the ultimate test.
WINES THAT ARE GREAT WITH TURKEY, DUCK, PORK & DESSERT.
PINK & WHITE BUBBLES ANYTIME & ANYWHERE.
Chenin Blanc-based Crémants from Saumur & Vouvray Loire and Chardonnay & Pinot Noir-based Crémants from Burgundy (bottle-fermented Sparkling wines from other parts of France) or Franciacorta (same method but made in Lombardy, Italy, always a favorite because price to value is where it’s at). Try our club wine pick of either pink or white dry Champagne from a 300-year old estate (Jean Vesselle, Rose Champagne, Brut “Oeil de Perdrix”, NV or Jean Vesselle Champagne, Prestige Brut).
WHITES
Go for white Chateauneuf-du-Pape (unusual small production wines made from Clairette, Roussanne, Bourboulenc & Grenache Blanc—Viognier isn’t allowed but Condrieu in Northern Rhone is the bomb for this white wine) or a Graves (hailed by Thomas Jefferson as the finest dry white wine Bordeaux had to offer in the late 18th Century, is situated on sandy soils & is made from the Semillon & Sauvignon Blanc grapes).
REDS
Go American! Star Producers…Ridge (one of the best Zinfandel producers in the world), Helen Turley (iconic California wine consultant & winemaker makes her own wines–50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir—on 10 acres of land on the Sonoma Coast under the Marcassin (French for ‘young wild boar’) Vineyard label).
Choose from Burgundy’s superb 10 Beaujolais Crus based on the fragrant & fruity Gamay grape. From north to south, they are: Saint-Amour AC, Julienas AC, Chenas AC, Moulin a Vent AC (try our wine club pick, the herb-flavored: olive, thyme, rosemary, tarragon, sage, & secondary notes of red cherries, Domaine des Burdelines 2007), Chiroubles AC, Fleurie AC, Morgon AC, Regnie AC, Cote de Brouilly AC (widely available), and Brouilly AC. *Don’t forget to chill these for 20 minutes. Note: We would chill only reds that are low in tannins and high in acidity, light to medium bodied, and big on fruit. By chilling some reds, the idea is to help focus and express their flavors.
Based chiefly on the low-tannin, leather & strawberry scented red Tempranillo grape, look for Spain’s Rioja Reservas (aged in oak for a very long time this one is definitely a bang for the buck) & Priorat (powerful & delicious, these wines are made from indigenous & International grapes of Grenache, Carinena, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah & Pinot Noir).
Dessert wine
I have a sweet spot for Tokay from Hungary or the sublime Sauternes from Bordeaux or Chenin-based sweet wines from the Loire Valley. Try our wine club pick: Chateau Rieussec 2007, 1er Grand Cru, the best Sauternes since the 2001 vintage. Made by the owners of First Growth Lafite-Rothschild, for several vintages, Rieussec has been consistently among the top wines in the appellation which like all in the district is dedicated to the production of unfortified sweet white wine. Sauternes is made from the Botrytised troika of Sauvignon Blanc, Muscadelle, and the district’s chief grape, Semillon. Botrytis (also known as noble rot) is what causes the grapes to shrivel up and lock in the flavors. Without noble rot, these wines would lack the sublime complexity they are known for.
Join Everyday Cellars Wine Club for Women today and have unconventional, special, affordable, unstuffy & out-of-the-box wines at your fingertips all the time!
Click here to join today! https://www.ecwineclub.com/membership
Happy Holiday!