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Prima Perla Prosecco

Last but not least–this one immediately following our wine-tour-by-boat around Manhattan–our band of adventurers opted for this prosecco at the Drunken Horse on 10th Avenue in New York.  On our tour we learned that the US is the second-largest consumer of wine in the world, recently outranking Italy in per capita consumption.  Only 10% of this market share is sparkling wine–and still 40% of this is consumed from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve annually.  Prosecco is a part of this trend, and the one we tasted here at the Horse definitely fit the profile–light, citrusy, and fun.

Special thanks to our friends Angela and George for joining us and treating us to a great afternoon of fun tastings.

 

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Cleto Chiarli, Grasparossa de Castelvetro Lambrusco

The Cleto Chiarli, Grasparossa de Castelvetro Lambrusco from Emilia Romangna, Italy.

This beautiful Saturday in August we joined dear friends for a cruise around Manhattan, sampling wines and cheeses of the world–all paired by our hostess Ms. Wendy Crispell.  The final wine of the day was this one: the Cleto Chiarli, Grasparossa de Castelvetro Lambrusco from Emilia Romangna, Italy.  It was light, fresh, and brought a smile to our faces.  It was matched up with the Capra Sarda in Sardinia.  According to our guide, the Brothers Pinna made this thermalized goat’s milk, gathered from small, independent farms dotting the rocky landscape.  Its flavor was “sweet and compulsively edible, with brown butter aromas.”  To me, the La Tour was the best of the cheese samples, but the Capra Sarda did seem to go well with the Sparkling Lambrusco.  Here is Wendy’s synopsis of the red:

“The winery was founded in 1860 by Cleto Chiarli who, until that date, managed the “Trattoriadell’Artigliere” in the center of Modena and was already producing Lambrusco for the habitues of his restaurant.  Sparkling Lambrusco is one of the planet’s most versatile beverages.  It will pair with pretty much anything, from cured meats to Thai.  Grasparossa is the most typical of this style of red and the Cleto Chiarli shows bright strawberry fruit, mouth-tickling bubbles, and just a hint of sweetness on the end; not anywhere close to being sticky, but just the right amount of something with that little kick, such as some spicy sausage piled high on your slice.  This is classic, delicious, traditional wine that has a near-universal appeal.  Really, who doesn’t like Lambrusco?”

We swirled our glasses from the deck of our boat, passing beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, the South Street Seaport, and heading out to pass Lady Liberty.  This one would be amazing with pizza.  Great to finish our wine tour, and would be absolutely amazing with a pie.

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Jean Bourdy Cremant du Jura

Our tour of the world’s wines, making our way around the island of Manhattan, next included the Jean Bourdy Cremant de Jura – a 100% chardonnay from Jura, France.  This white was matched up with the Delice D’Bourgogne, a cheese from Burgandy, France.  Produced by Fromagerie Lincet, the pasteurized triple creme (75% butterfat in dry matter) marries full-fat cow milk with fresh cream, producing a rich, whipped cheese with a thin, pungent mold rind that imparted some great smells (“straw and mushroom aromas, complementing the buttery, yellow, sweet cream interior” according to our learned guide) to all of us enjoying the pairing.  At first I wasn’t sure what smell I detected in the JBC but, when prompted by our hostess, I definitely got a feel for the nutty, fruit-tinged aroma she described.

The Jean Bourdy Cremant de Jura, a 100% chardonnay from Jura, France.

“The nose begins with a boulangerie’s blend of toasted hazelnuts, meshed with pear, baker’s yeast, and sea air.  It plays all rich and creamy with the scents but hits the palate like winter ice–bright, racy, and chiseled.  Almost like a fine Riesling or Vouvray that shows honey and peach but turns into citrus and minerals.  It lives in two universes at once, something we’ve come to expect from Jura wines, which often show heft on the nose but are electric on the palate.”

How’s that for some good wine-speak??!  Just one more pairing still to go after this one as we pass the History Channel sign along the river.

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2007 Marques Gelida Exclusive Cava Reserve

Marques Gelida Exclusive Cava Reserve, Penendes, Spain, 2007.

This light white blend marked the halfway point of our wine tasting cruise around Manhattan on a warm August Saturday.  We had “toured” two sparkling wines prior to this blend of Macabeo, Xarello, Parellado, and (15%) Chardonnay from Penendes, Spain.  This our hostess paired with a Gallego cheese from Galencia, Spain.  This cheese was produced by a co-op in Pontevedra that has its own cows; a round of creamy pasteurized cow’s milk is surrounded by a doughy natural rind.  Lactic with a marshmallowy paste, it would have been an ideal starter on the cheese plate or a solid third entry in our afternoon.  As with the Szigeti that started our tasting event, this cheese was delicious when consumed with the Cava, which was related to us as the following:

“A 15% Chardonnay in the blend in addition to the three traditional varieties of the Cava region, it spent 42 months on lees.  It exhibits a refined nose of mineral, biscuit, baking spices, and white flowers leading to a wine with excellent acidity, plenty of forward, dry fruit, and a lengthy finish.”

This third wine in our afternoon still showed its individuality and engendered smiles among all tasting it.

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2008 St. Hiliare Blanquette Limoux

The 2008 St. Hiliare Blanquette Limoux, a blend of 98% Mauzac, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc from Languedoc, France.

The second sparking wine that we tasted as we cruised north under the George Washington Bride, circling Manhattan with other cruisers, was this 2008 St. Hiliare Blanquette Limoux – a blend of 98% Mauzac, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc from Languedoc, France.  Enjoyable for a variety of reasons, and in no small part because we wouldn’t normally pick up a sparkling or drift to French wines in general.  As such, it was a nice change of pace from our domestic proclivities.  This was paired with my favorite cheese of the day, a La Tur from the Piedmont area of Italy.  The cheese was formed from a blend of sheep, cow, and goat’s milk–it was runny (“oozing” in the words of our host, not a description that I’d usually give to my foodstuffs) around the perimeter with a most, cake-like paste.  Its flavor was earthy and full (“like ice cream served from a warm scoop”)–a truly enjoyable pairing.

“The Blanquette de Limoux is probably the oldest sparking wine in the world.  In 1531, the Benedictine Monks of the Abbey of Saint-Hiliare were already producing Blanquette de Limoux, which thus precedes champagne by more than a century.  The Limoux vineyards are located at Languedoc, in Southern France, at the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains.  The grapes are selected from clay-limestone plots that capture both the Oceanic and Mediterranean influences.  Dry, toasty, smooth and clean it truly captivates with an attractive yeasty aroma and luscious creamy texture.  The palate is light and crisp with citrus and apple flavors and the body is just hefty enough.”

And on our tour of the world’s wines continues!

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Szigeti Gruner Veltliner Brut

The Szigeti Gruner Veltliner Brut, Austria, NV.

This sparkling brut we enjoyed on a gorgeous Saturday in August, circling Manhattan with our good friends as we set out on a wine tasting cruise.  On a hot afternoon this brut and its citrus flavors were a great way to break our thirst.  The Szigeti Gruner was paired with a Valency goat cheese from the Loire Valley of France.  The cheese had a greyish rind and was very creamy…we sampled before the brut, after the brut, and were even encouraged by our host to taste the two together–all to great result.  Some comments on the Szigeti:

“Produced using fruit sourced at a vineyard surrounding Lake Neusiedl; it sits approximately 328 feet above sea level.  This Sparkling was made using traditional methods…A hint of lemon zest, followed by wisps of almond are the primary aromas in the attractive and somewhat subtle nose of this wine.  The citrus theme continues through the palate where its rounded out by a lovely creaminess.  White pepper emerges and leads to the finish, which features brioche and yeast notes.”

Obviously many of those comments are far more nuanced than we can detect but the citrusy aspects made for a great start to the tasting event.

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Blanc de Blanc – Brotherhood Winery

Today we’re embarking on a wine tour by boat, circling the island of Manhattan with a group of fellow passengers ready for some vino.  As we steam out of Pier 62 and head north on the Hudson, we’re kicking things off with a Blanc de Blanc from the Brotherhood Winery in New York–just a quick thirst-quencher to get things started.  This is the basic sparkling white on which we’ll be layering the world’s wines this gorgeous afternoon!

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1995 Château Troplong Mondot, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru

Château Troplong Mondot 1995, Saint-Emilion Grand Chu, France.

We had not tasted the goodness that is fine bordeaux until treated at dinner tonight with our friends George and Angela.  The four of us met at the Capital Grill for steak dinners and were not disappointed by any facet of our evening.  All of us started with fantastic salads–three chopped wedges and me with a spinach and bacon salad that was perhaps the best of the bunch.  Our main courses were nicely salted and perfectly cooked filets, strips, and the like.  The photos shown here will definitely not do justice to the meal, which we accompanied with creamed corn and mashed potatoes.  The most important accompaniment, of course, was the 1995 Château Troplong Mondot red to which George treated us.

Eschewing the house options for a corking fee and this red bordeaux, produced by the Château Troplong Mondot and of the appellation Saint-Emilion Grand Cru.  It was perhaps the most expensive bottle of wine I’ve ever enjoyed, and I believe even my course palate understood that it was being treated to some of France’s best work.  A deep, pungent red, it was decanted for us and extremely smooth on the finish.  Here’s a word or two from the producers:

“Château Troplong Mondot is grown on extensive vineyards rich in limestone clay soils. Powerful, well-structured with pronounced complex tannins, its deep aromas of truffles and blackberries develop over time.”

Deep aromas indeed.  Really impressed that folks buy wines like this and can stand to hold them over time, when they’ll increase (not just in value but) in taste and in turn our appreciation.

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DaVinci Pinot Grigio 2010

As the sultry summer slugs slowly onward, we decided preventative medicine would include a white wine along with our dinner tonight.  We had an amazing meal (pictured below) of Italian turkey sausage, spiral pasta, and a warm vegetable salad that included organic rainbow chard, mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic.  Our ongoing pinot parade required the performance of the DaVinci Pinot Grigio, on this occasion the 2010.

DaVinci Pinot Grigio 2010

As I understand it, this light white originates from the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy.  Here’s what the big shots have to say about this vino:

DaVinci Pinot Grigio has a brilliant light straw color and a full, ripe palate. It is an extremely well-balanced wine with a bouquet of floral aromas coupled with ripe flavors of fresh apple, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors. This crisp, clean Pinot Grigio finishes with notes of minerals and a vibrant acidity.

I concur with this assessment and would be back for more.