VALENTINE’S DAY TASTING

Whether you’re single and ready to mingle or happily coupled-up and looking for a good time, join us tonight, 6-9 pm, for pink bubbles, oysters, and treats! Meg is pouring, Will is shucking, Nelson’s delivering, and Lily will help you out with your toughest pairings. Dandy loves you!

Vina Enebro Rosado

Vina Enebro’s bubbly Monastrell hails from a winery that has been run by the same family for countless generations. Their grapes are grown and harvested sustainably, and the resulting wine is fermented with only native yeasts. The wine is bright and fruit-forward, with a satisfyingly yeasty finish almost remniscent of some fruitier beers. $23

Scarpetta Vino Spumante Brut Rose

The Scarpetta vineyard is a collaborative effort of Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey and Chef Lachlan MacKinnon Patterson from Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado. Bobby and Lachlan fell in love with Northeastern Italian region of Friuli and decided to make their own wines there. The Scarpetta sparkling rose is a lush, dry blend of Pinot Nero and Franconia. It’s an excellent aperetivo with salumi and cheese. $25

La Ritournelle Rose de Loire 2011

This organic, biodynamic Cabernet Franc, made by renowned Chinon producers Pierre and Catherine Breton, is pure joy. La Ritournelle is round and bright, with notes of tropical flowers and strawberry fruit, and persistant little bubbles. Best enjoyed with friends and light fare. $25

JUST IN FROM ITALY!

Villa Rinaldi La Prima Cuvee Brut 2008 

We just cracked a bottle of this sparkling Garganega from the Veneto, and it’s everything we remembered from first taste, and then some: beautiful golden straw color, crisp tropical fruit, and a soft, chalky finish.  Bellisimo! $30

Bibi Graetz Casamatta Toscana Rosso 2010

“Casamatta”, or “Crazy House” is artist-winemaker Bibi Graetz version of the traditional Tuscan “House Wine”.  A consistently refreshing balance of fruit and acidity, we think this insane value will be a fast favorite in all of Greenpoint’s crazy houses.  $13

Cordero di Montezemolo Dolcetto D’Alba 2010 

We give high marks to this perfectly plummy, earthy, softly tannic Dolcetto from a one of the most beautiful vineyard sites in all of Piedmont. From a region rich with the illustrious Nebbiolo grape, Dolcetto is often overlooked or looked down on.  Go out on a limb and give this bottle a chance! $20

Caravaglio Nero du Munti Corinto Nero Salina 2011

A savory red from an unsavory island!  Salina has spent much of history nearly uninhabited because of PIRATES! Cool, right?  The grapes grown here take their unique qualities from the oceanside soil and salty sea air- minerality and really bright, clean, minimalist red fruit.  Great with grilled fish! $28

I Custodi Aetneus Etna Rosso 2007

A full-bodied, concentrated blend of Nerello Mascalese (80%) and Nerello Cappucio (20%) from the unique volcanic soil on the Northern side of Mt. Etna, Aetnus was a wine we didn’t necessarily need but absolutely had to have.  Elegant ripe fruit with rich tobacco and spice notes from one of our favorite vintages in Italian wine history, this is a particularly delicious treat reflecting both skilled winemaking and exceptional terroir.  $40

NEW WINE! Cooperativa La Collina Lunaris Secco 2011, $21

You guys… I’m LOVING this new bubbly and am so excited that it’s in stock just in time for Hannukah, Christmas, New Years, and most importantly, my upcoming birthday celebration!  It’s 100% Biodynamic Malvasia from Emilia Romagna in Italy, from a co-operative vineyard founded by “12 young lads, full of dreams” in 1975.  Today, they employ at-risk youth on the vineyard and give back to the community in every way possible.  Beyond being good for the environment, society, and the soul, the wine is completely delicious.  It’s light, floral, fresh, and very aromatic- everything I want in a wine of any color, and the fact that this one is sparkling is ideal for this festive time of year! It’s an amazing aperitivo, stellar with cheese, and extremely celebratory… ‘tis the season, after all! 

Cheers!

Meg

Join us tonight, 6-9 pm, for a tasting of wines in a box… and wine outside of the box, as we sip four French selections from importer Wineberry’s unique portfolio, paired with cheese from Eastern District!

Chateau de Chatelard Bourgogne Blanc

This crisp and clean boxed Chardonnay from Burgundy is a real class act. Wineberry has totally revolutionized the formerly stigmatized world of boxed wine with elegant, old-world crate-style 3 liter packages (equivilant to four bottles). And the juice inside is revolutionary as well- quality wine from small vineyards throughout France. Eco-friendly, budget concious, and delicious! $49

Chateau Real Martin Perle de Rose 2011

This Provencal Rose in a 3 liter box arrived in the shop just in time for barbecue season! There’s no way you won’t be the life of any party when you arrive with this sucker. Perle is a blend of 60% Grenache, 30% Cinsault, and 10% Syrah from the Cotes du Provence. It boasts notes of ripe tropical fruit with gentle acidity and firm tannins for balance. Soft enough for a spring afternoon but strong enough for whatever you throw on the barbecue. $44

Ze Bulle Zero Pointe

This is one of my current favorite bottles in the store- I can’t get enough! Ze Bulle is an all-natural sparkling Chenin Blanc from Saumur, in the Loire Valley. The grapes are hand-harvested then fermented in steel tanks using only natural yeasts. The wine is bottled early and no sugar is added in the fermentation process, so the alcohol stays low at 9.5%. Some natural fruit sugar is left behind, giving the wine a delicate sweetness off-set by a really cool bread-y quality. And the Loire terroir still shines through in a classic, minerally Chenin Blanc fashion with bracing acidity. A real joy! $17

Domaine Vico Rouge 2009 

Syrah, with Niellucciu, and Sciaccarellu, varietals native to Corsica, a beautiful French island in the Mediterranean Sea near Sardinia. Although politically part of France, the culture of Corsica is blended with the island’s Italian neighbors. Domaine Vico seemingly incorporates some of the best qualities of both French and Italian reds; it’s elegant and rich, with notes of supple fruit, spicy black pepper, dark licorice, and a soft finish. Ideal with grilled meat. $22

Cans of bubbly now in stock!!!

Eureka!  I think we’ve struck gold.  The Chateau Tour Grise Zero Pointe arrived at the shop recently and ya’ll, it’s a reeealll treasure.  An organic and bio-dynamic sparkling Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley, Zero Pointe is the kind of cheerful, wholesome wine that just might cure all ailments and heal all wounds. 

For one thing, it’s incredibly natural.  The grapes are carefully nurtured, hand-harvested then fermented in stainless steel vats with only natural yeasts present.  The wine undergoes no chaptalization, which is the method of adding sugar to the grape must after fermentation to raise the alcohol level.  This, combined with an early bottling, leaves the wine at a healthy, happy 9.5% abv…

Besides all that good stuff, the wine’s totally beautiful and delicious.  Zero Pointe is the prettiest hue of pale coral, and has the most delicate sweetness to it.  However the Jurassic soils in which the grapes are grown also lend the wine a bracing acidity, preventing it from tasting saccharine in any way.  Notes of cherry blossoms, candied apricots, and lemon zest make this the perfect bottle to drink on it’s own, or to start or finish a meal. Personally, I think it’s also an ideal wine for brunch… so I know what I’ll be drinking in the kitchen on Sunday!   $17

-Meg

Midway through a recent boozy Sunday brunch with a friend in Williamsburg, a generous bartender brought us glasses of something pink and bubbly.  I liked it so much that I stopped gossiping and demanded to see (and photograph) the bottle, then proceeded to furiously text our Louis Dressner Wine rep to order it for Dandy.  And today… it arrived!

This deliciously festive sparkling wine is the prettiest shade of pink. On the palate it’s fresh and delightful with the most delicate candied fruit flavor.  It’s 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Loire Valley, where the grapes are grown organically in clay and limestone soil.  This wine is alllll natural, unfiltered, and made in the Ancestral Method (spontaneous fermentation!) with only natural yeasts.  And the label demands celebration.

Happy Leap Day!!!

$25

-Meg

THURSDAY NIGHT WINE TASTING

Our friend James from Acid Inc, Selections will be joining us tonight to pour 4 spectacular wines from 4 corners of Europe 6-9 pm, with bread from SCRATCH and cheese from ED!

Cremant de Clement Brut, Alsace

Green apple, candied lemons, minerals, and brioche are just a few of the flavor components in this beautiful Cremant d’Alsace.  This bubbly is excellent for any and every celebration and with all types of food.  Clement Klur’s wines are totally organic and biodynamic, with no added sulfites.  I mean… this is practically good for you! $22

Van Volxem Riesling, Germany 2010

This biodynamic Riesling-centric vineyard is located on the site of an old Jesuit monastary in Saar, Germany.  The wine is super ripe and concentrated, with notes of honey and green grapes.  An ideal wine to chill down and pair with spicier Asian dishes. $21

Vaona Valpolicella Classico Superiore, Italy 2009

Hailing from one of the best sub-zones in Valpolicella Classico, in Italy’s Veneto region, and made by a third generation winemaker,Vaona’s Valpolicella Superiore is a blend of Corvino, Rondonella, and Molinara grapes.  This particular bottling is made in the Ripasso style, meaning it’s made with the partially dried grape skins left over from the production of Amarone, and then aged for at least one year, with a minimum alcohol content of 12%.  Italian wine laws aside, this is a rich, gratifying red that will please many palates and pair wonderfully with savory pies and hearty pastas. $23

Jaspi Negre Monsant, Spain 2008

A blend of Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Jaspi Negre is aged for three months in French Oak barrels to round out the fruit and impart a deep, toasty finish.  A masculine wine with dark cherry and blackberry fruit, aromatic spices, and a touch of anisette make this an interesting and enjoyable blend with meat dishes on chilly nights, or barbecue come Spring! $23

I giggled my way through this article in this week’s New York Magazine…

How Rappers Influenced the Moscato Boom  by Willy Staley

And it reminded us of another (perhaps more relevant) article from the Wall Street Journal published last month…

Why You’ll Be Drinking Moscato This Year  by Lettie Teague

The WSJ article mentioned one of two of our Moscatos we carry:

“Paolo Saracco Moscato:  The Piedmontese producer has long enjoyed a faithful following for his first-rate Moscato d’Asti wines. The fresh peach aromas are intense and beguiling and its slight sparkle and low alcohol (6%) makes it an especially refreshing dessert—or “in lieu of dessert”—wine.”  $13/half bottle

Elvio Tintero Moscato:  Imported by Kermit Lynch, this aromatic Moscato is fragrant of various types of flowers.  It is delicately sweet and playful and pairs perfectly with cheese, desserts, and fruit.  It is also excellent served chilled on its own, like the rappers do it… $19/full bottle

Some of our regulars came by to stock up for tomorrow night, and I was totally envious of the awesome six pack they chose all on their own!  Each of these bubblies are totally delicious and the whole thing was just under 100 bucks!

Jean Louis Moissenet- Bonnard Cremant de Bourgogne: Champagne-method blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay…luxe! $22

Alexandre Monmousseau Cremant de Loire: 100% Chenin Blanc, refreshing stony minerality $16

Cristalino Brut Cava: The standby sparkling, light and dry, perfect for mimosas the morning after $10

Domaine Vigneau-Chevreau Vouvray Brut:  a different take on sparkling Chenin Blanc, this one has an orange-blossom honey vibe $21

Paul de Coste Blanc de Blanc: 100% Chardonnay, crisp and bright, our favorite French bubbly for the money $11

Gruet Brut: Champagne-like sparkling wine from NEW MEXICO,  a sommelier favorite $16