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Wild for Wildman!

5:11 pm in Events, The Wine Buzz, Wines of Austria by KT Goldthorpe

“When in doubt, look at the back of the label…”
No doubt, we all have been faced with the need to buy wine and many times we lean to our old faves or standbys. However, sometimes we find ourselves at a wine shop that doesn’t have the brand we are used to — or, we are the adventurous type that enjoys the different expressions of a grape, a region or a wine blend.  Whether you fall into the “I’m open to new ideas” camp or the “Dear Lord, just give me something similar to what I usually like” one, a good “trick of the trade” is to flip the bottle to the back and see who the importer is. Granted, there are a lot of different kinds of wine importers; just as there are different kinds of wine retailers (from the corner liquor store to the highest-end wine retailer on Madison avenue), so it’s good to know which ones you can trust, and more importantly, which ones have a style you like; as the range of service, product quality, and focus among importers can be vast.
Many of these specialty importers are dedicated to seeking out wines that are most interesting and good value for the money. Sommeliers often select bottles for their wine lists based on the importer, and you can use the same strategy. A luxury you have with old world wine in the US is the regulation that mandates the importer’s name on the label. Usually printed on the back, the best of these names have come to symbolize quality in the bottle and may help guide your choice. This is because many importers have a “signature” style they seek out, buy and bring into the states. These are the men and women who do the legwork, so you don’t have to. They scour the regions, driving back roads to find small producers of great wine that can only be imported in small amounts, tasting the wines and assessing if it will fit into their mix – their portfolio if you will.
You can’t be expected to know the track record of every importer, so throughout this series, we will attempt to share insights on some of the key importers.  Recently, Frederick Wildman had a portfolio tasting for the trade, which had a huge turnout and offered a number of amazing wines. Our Features Editor, Carrie Dykes, attended and found some hidden gems from the lesser known, but up and coming region of Austria.  But first, a little about Mr. Wildman and his wine’s of choice.
Following the repeal of Prohibition, Frederick S. Wildman, a Connecticut-born wine connoisseur, bought the century old Bellows and Co., a wine importer and fine-food emporium. Wildman himself wrote the newsletters and wine notes, always reflecting his personal commitment to the highest quality products for his clientele. His name has since been synonymous with high quality European wines for decades. The Colonel, as he was called, continued to travel to Europe to develop contacts and establish partnerships with an assortment of legendary properties as well as (Chartreuse, Trapiche, Nino Negri, Seña, Christian Moreau Pere et Fils) as well as dynamic rising stars around the world (Nicolas Potel, Pascal Jolivet, Domaine Jacques Prieur, El Coto de Rioja).
The company has grown to become the third largest importer in the United States — a remarkable feat — but perhaps more so for the maintenance of its reputation for quality during that growth. The portfolio now includes over 50 brands under its umbrella, each one unique and each one prominent in its region of production.
Here’s an interesting piece on the man himself: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1002958/index.htm
By the way, the Frederick Wildman Portfolio tasting just occurred a few weeks ago; and our Features Editor, Carrie Dykes attended.  It took place at Guastavino’s a high end event site on E.59th right under the Queensboro Bridge. It was spacious enough to fit over a hundred tables and hoards of people comfortably with extra mingling room.

The highlight of the event  was the Austrian section featuring Forstreiter, Andau, Fritsch, Stadlmann, Weninger and Nittnaus. I spent the majority of the afternoon there savoring each Gruner and Zweigelt but the most exciting part was meeting Toni Silver from Grooner.  She is the spritely spokesperson for the brand and is pictured on the bottles. Visit our Facebook page for pictures of the event.

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SHARE tasting to benefit cancer research

12:52 pm in Business, Events, Interesting Looking Wine Events, News by KT Goldthorpe

We have learned the many ways in which wine can be beneficial to your health and by attending this tasting it can, in a sense, help to save lives!  We will be there pouring for Solstars, so come by and say hello and if you mention Winesinthecity.com we’ll give you a hearty pour!
A Second Helping of Life is a tasting event featuring NY’s top women chefs.

All proceeds benefit SHARE (www.sharecancersupport.org).

Monday, Sept. 20, 2010
7 PM
Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers

Tickets: call 212-937-5581

Company Overview
The Seventh Annual “A Second Helping of Life” is a tasting event featuring New York’s top women chefs.

All proceeds support SHARE: Self-Help for Women with Breast or Ovarian Cancer.

Monday, September 20, 2010
7 PM
Pier Sixty, Chelsea Piers

For tickets, call 212-937-5581

Products
25+ women chefs serve their signature dishes, with the help of celebrity sous chefs

Wine, alcohol, and artisanal beverages served

Live and silent auctions

Beautiful views of the Hudson River!

PARTICIPATING CHEFS

Alex Guarnaschelli, Exec. Chef, Butter
Amy Scherber, Chef/Owner, Amy’s Bread
Rebecca Charles, Chef/Owner, Pearl Oyster Bar
Anita Lo, Chef/Owner, Annisa, Rickshaw
Kirsch/Awerbuch, Owner, Abigail Kirsch Catering

Jennifer Appel, Pastry, Buttercup Bakeshop
Heather Bertinetti, Pastry, Marea
April Bloomfield, Chef/Partner, Spotted Pig, Breslin
Lynn Bound, Exec Chef, Café 2 & Terrace 5, MoMa
Heather Carlucci-Rodriguez, Print, Pastry
Nikki Cascone, Top Chef Season 4 Contestant
Ariane Daguin, Owner, D’Artagnan
Gina DePalma, Pastry, Babbo
Amanda Freitag, The Harrison
Gabrielle Hamilton, Chef/Owner, Prune
Emily Isaac, Pastry, Trois Pommes Patisserie
Patti Jackson, Exec. Chef, Il Triuli
Sara Jenkins, Chef/Owner, Porchetta
Meredith Kurtzman, Gelato, Otto
Sarabeth Levine, Owner, Sarabeth’s
Margaritte Malfy, Barbara Sibley, Chef/Owners, La
Palapa Rockola
Nancy Olson, Pastry, Gramercy Tavern
Deborah Racicot, Pastry, Gotham Bar & Grill
Alex Raij, Chef/Owner, Txikito, El Quinto Pino
Julie Reiner, Mixologist/Owner, Clover Club, Flatiron
Lounge, Lani Kai
Missy Robbins, A Voce
Rosa Ross, Scrimshaw
Ivy Stark, Exec. Chef, Dos Caminos
Julie Taras Wallach, Chef/Owner, Little Giant, Tipsy Parson
Sue Torres, Exec. Chef, Suenos

CELEBRITY SOUS CHEFS

Jane Alexander, Actress
Jayne Atkinson, Actress
Brenda Blackmon, Anchor, My9, WWOR-TV News
Martha Byrne, Actress
Kathleen Chalfant, Actress
Carol Higgins Clark, Author
Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief, Food & Wine Magazine
Tandy Cronyn, Actress
Jill Davis, Author & Screen Writer
Laura Day, Author
Jill Eikenberry, Actress
Barbara Fairchild, Editor-in-Chief, Bon Appetit Magazine
Judy Gold, Comedienne
Donna Hanover, Contributor, WOR Radio & Former First Lady of the City of New York
Jessica Hecht, Actress
Cindy Hsu, WCBS-TV News Anchor & Reporter
Marketa Irglova, Actress & Musician
Wendy Kaufman, TV Personality
Karen Page, Author
Joanna Pruess, Author
Daphne Rubin-Vega, Actress & Singer
Carole Shelley, Actress
Valerie Smaldone, Radio Host & Media Personality
Julie White, Actress
Michele Wiles, Dancer

Website
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Food and Wine Festival

2:35 pm in Events, Interesting Looking Wine Events, The Wine Buzz, Uncategorized by KT Goldthorpe

If you are an oenophile or a foodie or just looking for something fun to do you can’t go wrong with NYC Food and Wine Festival.  From wine seminars to cooking classes to tastings to dinners with hosts such as Martha Stewart and Paula Deen.  Starting Thursday September 29th until Sunday October 2nd the opportunities are endless!

Tickets are still available for Eat.Drink.End.Hunger in NYC from September 29th-October 2nd. 100% of the net proceeds from the Festival benefit the Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength®

To get tickets, click here to visit NYC Wine & Food Festival or call 866.969.2933.

Follow @FoodBankNYC@ShareStrength on Twitter

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Miss Louisa Belle: Sommelier and Bloodhound

8:53 am in News, The Wine Buzz, Uncategorized, Wines of Australia by Carrie Dykes

Michelle Edwards and Daniel Fischl, owners of Linnaea Winery in Victoria Australia have an unusual system when it comes to wine testing. Each bottle has a label that reads: Approved by Miss Louisa Belle (and may contain dog snot).

Fischl tells The Herald Sun that Miss Louisa knows if a glass or barrel of wine is off due to tainted corks just by raising a nostril at it. Daniel says, “Most wineries rely on the human nose but that is time-consuming, costly and nowhere near as reliable as Belle, whose nose is 2000 times more sensitive than ours.” Miss Louisa’s nose can also sniff out mildew leaves on vines and faulty corks.

Coming from a long line of search-and-rescue dogs, Miss Belle has a keen sense of smell, but opted to abandon the family profession for sniffing wine. We’re sure her lineage of superior olfactory sense sure comes in handy!

For all you dog loving oenophiles you don’t have to travel to Australia to incorporate the two. This Wednesday, you can help mans best friend and enjoy some delicious wines!

Bideawee is collaborating with 67 Wine for a summer wine tasting event on August 10, 2011 from 4:00 – 7:00PM to raise funds to help support that wide variety of programs that Bideawee offers pets and the people that love them. Below is the information Bidawee has put out about the event:

The partnership between Bideawee and 67 Wine brings together two New York City mainstays to offer pet lovers the opportunity to taste three distinct styles of wines from the Les Compagnons collection from Gabriella Wines at 67 Wine’s Columbus Avenue location on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. At this pet friendly event, attendees will also enjoy light snacks and the pleasure of mingling with other pet lovers and their dogs. To commemorate the event each guest will receive a Bideawee wine glass and 67 Wine will donate $1.00 for each bottle of wine purchased during the event to Bideawee. Raffle drawings and prizes for wine enthusiasts and dog loving attendees will be held throughout the evening.

Bideawee adoptable dogs will be on site in hopes of finding a new forever home.

67 Wine
179 Columbus Avenue (at 68th Street)

Wine tasting event fee is a $10.00 donation to Bideawee. Well-behaved dogs are welcome and will receive complimentary treats and gifts from The New York Dog Shop.

For more information, contact Amy Hraniotis, Bideawee Event Manager, at (516) 785-4687, ext. 369

Maybe you’ll find a Miss Louisa Belle of your own!

"That batch has got to go!"

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