Saturday, October 22, 2011

A taste of Broooklyn

I was faced with a mission of brining home something good without breaking the budget. Well I guess that is always my mission when it comes to buying wine. 

Last night I found a bottle of Brooklyn Oenology 2006 Social Club Red ($13.99) collecting dust in the "local" section of a nearby liquor store. It was by accident was I even there in the first place seeing that they tend to stock a lot of garbage, but this time it was a mistake I would come to appreciate.

BOE as they like to call themselves proclaim their wines to be "a celebration of both heritage and the artisinal resurgence in Brooklyn".  Ok, you got me.  "Artisinal" is the current buzz word to describe everything from spray cheese to paint colors. But whatever, they had me at the word "local".  Seriously, if you've read anything I've written before (all 3 of you), you know I am a huge supporter of all things artisinal, uh I mean local.

Onto the wine.  The Social Red is a Bordeaux style blend of Merlot, Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Malbec & Syrah. Yes, yes, yes & yes. This is like the holy trinity of wine for someone like me.  Wait, a trinity is a group of 3...anyway. So yes, this wine has all the makings of a true champ.  There are floral notes of rose & not so floral notes of plum. The wine posseses a woodsy flavor with hints of cherry & clove. They say chocolate as well, I say I was already too impressed to tell.  The finish was bold & deep yet lasting & smooth. That is not a contradiction. Next/first time you try this wine you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

In short, this wine was a slam dunk for me.  And for the record, the wine while billed and labeled as a Brooklyn Hipster really grew up on the NoFo.  So either way the NYC snobs will probably still look at it as B&T all the way. That's why I support the snobs, they tend to ignore good wine from unsuspecting places.  That only means more amazing red for us.

Happy Tasting!
-ES


www.brooklynoenology.com/

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

A tale of two tastings

What better way to reward ourselves after the Shelter Island 5k than a trip back west through LI Wine country? 

A relatively little known new add to the tasting scene is Mattebella Vineyards in Southold.  Since August, Mattebella has been entertaining guests out of their quaint tasting shed while showcasing their wines which are cheerfully advertised as being produced "the old fashioned way".  The wines are harvested sans machinery and the vineyard is "committed to using sustainable viticulturural practices, while incorporating as many organic practices as possible into their farming method".

Mattebella has prided themselves on a more friendly, laid back environment and it shows.  The shed and accomodations are simple yet effective.  While they are open through December, this is purely a seasonal establishment.  Figuring that it will take a few seasons to work out the kinks, I still suggest stopping in to say "Hi" and grabbing a bottle on the go.  Unless of course the sun is shining  and your lucky enough to grab one of the Adirondack chairs out back.

The second stop of the day was a few clicks down the road @ Sherwood House in Jamesport.  The tasting house is a converted 1860's farmhouse complete with fireplace, deck and event barn.

From the second you arrive you feel as if you've stepped into a Williams Sonoma catalog. The farmhouse chic decor spills out to a patio complete with raw bar featuring local oysters & clams. For me, that's as close to heaven as I'll ever get.  The wine isn't so bad either.

In all seriousness, if you enjoy the scenery as much as you enjoy wine, Sherwood is the place for you. Dan's paper has rated them among the very best in multiple categories the last few years and I tend to agree with their asessment. Some vineyards pride themselves on style over substance, but in this particular instance Sherwood has acheived both near perfection.

46005 Main Road (Route 25)
Southold, NY 11971
http://www.mattebella.com/

TWO TASTING ROOMS:
1291 Main Road, Jamesport & Oregon Road, Mattituck
http://www.sherwoodhousevineyards.com/