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Unexpected Gifts… Christmas in February

March 5, 2009 by Kevin

Marguerite Barrett
Contributing Writer

Well, not completely unexpected; I had threatened bodily harm to Gretchen if I wasn’t gifted with a bottle of the fruits of her first foray into home winemaking. But I was still surprised…

I came home from a really long day at work about 10 days ago to discover a large box on my front porch. I didn’t remember ordering anything, and couldn’t imagine why anyone would be sending me something in mid-February – so you can guess my delight when I saw the return label said “Gretchen Neuman.” I knew – just knew – it was a bottle of the first Neuman vintage – Rebel Girl.

But actually it was even better – it was TWO bottles of Rebel Girl and a very large bottle of Cider of Eden – along with several jars of lovely home-made sauces and jams. Yum!

A few days later, I opened my first bottle of Rebel Girl. A pale yellow, almost straw color, it has a very delicate nose. There are notes of citrus, but they are very subtle. The wine is delicate, light,and has notes of grapefruit; all in all it’s a very nice sipping wine.

No oak – not surprising given Gretchen’s preference for low-oak whites. I later learned that “to oak or not to oak” was a matter of great debate in the wine-making process. Gretchen ultimately won that argument, and I think it was a wise choice. This wine is a bit too light to handle much oak, which would very likely have overpowered the wine.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I wasn’t expecting much – I’ve tried other home-made wines – but was very pleasantly surprised. It’s a charming wine.

So, I have a second bottle in the wine rack for another day – as well as the Cider to look forward to. Christmas will extend well into the spring!

And I understand there are two new wines in the offing… Congrats, Gretchen!

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In Honor of Rebel Girl

December 13, 2008 by admin

Congratulations, Gretchen!

2 Comments

Musings on Taste, Cachet & The Exotic

December 1, 2008 by MTB

Marguerite Barrett

Contributing Writer

The posts last week about French and Italian wines – while really about “geography” – got me thinking about wine regions, reputation, “cachet,” etc.

I think most Americans have a sense that European wines, particularly French, and to a slightly lesser extent Italian, are the wines with the highest “cachet.” You hear people say “this is a French Bordeaux” or “this is an Italian Chardonnay” with a certain tone (sometimes reverence) in their voice – you don’t often hear people say “this is a California Merlot” in quite the same way.

Granted the Europeans produce excellent wines, and they’ve been doing it longer than just about anyone. And heaven knows France spends enough money, time and energy promoting themselves as the epitome of all things Vino. But I was reminded recently of a conversation I had a number of years ago with a friend of mine, Rodgy Guerrera, who at that time was living in Milan.

Rodgy is truly a citizen of the world – born in South America, her parents are Greek, she lived in something like 8 different countries while growing up, she speaks at least seven languages fluently and can probably get by in several others, and during her career has lived and worked in cities like New York, Paris, Milan, and London.

And yet, several years ago when I packed my bags and headed to Milan for a 2-week stint for a project Rodgy and I were working on, the only thing Rodgy asked me to bring were California wines. Needless to say I was shocked – I think my exact words are “but you live in Italy! Why would you want me to bring you wine?” But the wide variety of California wines that are so readily available to us in grocery stores, liquor stores, restaurants, and which are often quite affordable here – are not as readily available and can be more expensive there.

Rodgy loves wine in general, but particularly California wines. The depth, the fruitiness, the difference in the grape because of climate and soil differences all become “exotic” and special because they are not an everyday experience.

It makes me wonder – how much of a wine’s reputation (or even the reputation of a region) is predicated on it’s foreign-ness?

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Have I ever mentioned?

November 26, 2008 by MTB

Marguerite Barrett

Contributing Writer

Has Gretchen ever mentioned she likes French wine? Hmmm… I think I may have heard those words mentioned once or twice.

However, I do have to say that Gretchen’s musings yesterday made me stop and think. While I’m not a complete neophyte in the wine department, I’m not an expert either.

And to be honest, I’ve never really thought about the idea of “geography” as part of the wine, other than to say that something is from one country or another – or that climate (such as colder vs. warmer climates) can affect the wines. But Gretchen’s post made me think in a whole new way.

I, too, have a fondness for French wines, but given a choice, Italy is my preferred European region. Why? I don’t know – I find Italian wines more interesting than French wines. But that’s a discussion for another day.

My point today is that having read “Have I Ever Mentioned” I began thinking… So tonight when I went to the wine rack to select a new bottle of wine, I deliberately chose an Italian (I’ve been exploring Connecticut, New Zealand and South Africa recently so the only European wines I have in the house currently are Italian).

I was much more conscious of the bouquet, and for the first time I smelled it – the soil! There was an earthiness to the bouquet that I recognized but hadn’t realized what it was before. And as the first sip hit my mouth, I was aware that what I often described inadequately as “dry” was in fact “minerals.”

I’m not educated enough in wines, grapes, etc. to be able to describe it correctly, but that’s o.k. I learned something today, and even if I can’t explain it, my experience with wine has just become richer.

Salut, Gretchen!

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VV in the News!

May 27, 2008 by admin

Kevin brought home a little treat for me today.

The latest copy of the David Burke Magazine. The magazine which features the various David Burke restaurant properties contains an article in this issue about our favorite sommelier, Rory Gurland.

Specifically, the article discusses Rory’s enormously popular 777 Wine Weeks, which allow diners to travel around the world tasting seven wines and seven dishes from seven places. Proceeds from the tasting benefits Common Threads, that educates children about nutrition and cooking (Those of you following Bravo TV’s Top Chef may have seen the episode that featured the kids from that program).

Upcoming events have been scheduled for lunch during the weekdays instead of including the weekends, but patrons will continue to taste seven wines for the very low donation of $7.00 (again going to Common Threads). As mentioned previously, the themes for this year’s 777 Events have been set.

The week of June 2 thru 6 will feature:

Chardonnay
Cabernet
Summer
‘New’ Old World
South America

The week of December 1 thru 5 will feature:

Sparkling Wine and Champagne
Winter
Italy
France
Spain

So come on by, taste some great wines, hobnob with Rory and make a donation to Common Threads! Oh and if you see some crazy woman with a camera taking pictures of her food, say hi to me as well!

Oh and as note, the photograph featured in the article was taken by yours truly.

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Unexpected Gifts… Christmas in February

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Musings on Taste, Cachet & The Exotic

Have I ever mentioned?

VV in the News!

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