Zenato Valpolicella 2007

A blend of 80% Corvina, 10% Rondinella and 10% Sangiovese from the Valpolicella Classico area. Aged for six months in stainless steel tanks and six to eight additional months in oak barrels.

Exotic aromas of cured meats, animal and some distinct chocolate on the palate with coffee notes, licorice and dark berries. The hefty tannins were well integrated and paired with the simplicity of the meal I had at Quinto Quarto in the West Village, NYC. Carciofi with arucola, shavings of pecorino cheese and olives made for a super salad course, followed by Fresh pasta with sausage and mushrooms.

Importer notes:
Ruby-red in color tending toward garnet as the wine matures. Dry and robust on the palate with an excellent, velvety texture, this wine offers fleshy aromas of wild berries, currant, black cherry and spice, framed by intriguing hints of chocolate."

Pepper aromas and flavors in a wine

Watch my friend Keith Beavers' (The East Village Wine Geek) take on how wines can exhibit aromas or flavors of peppers (Keith is owner of InVino and Alphabet City Wine Co).

Statti Arvino Calabria IGT 2006

Yet another tasting at The Wine Room of Forest Hills from the Calabria region of Italy is this well integrated blend of 60% of the indigenous grape, Gaglioppo, and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. The blending with the Cabernet successfully rounds out the Gaglioppo's spiciness a bit. Deep ruby colors, bright bing cherry aromas with tobacco, cloves and bittersweet chocolate flavor this with a bold, thick texture and an opulent, earthy, lushness... making it great wine to pair with any steak dish. 13.5% Alcohol.

Librandi Ciro Rosato DOC, Calabria

Another tasting at The Wine Room of Forest Hills from the Calabria region is a Rosato made from 100% of the regional grape, Gaglioppo. Coral in color, showing a slight effervescence, spicy notes and mineral aromas accompanied by a palate of flowers and a slight tartness. Two months aged in stainless steel and two months in bottle. $13 & 13% alcohol. Pairs well with most Thai dishes, cured meats, spicy dishes.

Librandi Ciro Bianco DOC 2008, Calabria

The second tasting at The Wine Room of Forest Hills from the Calabria region is a beautiful crisp white wine made from 100% Greco Bianco grapes. Straw colored with fresh aromas reminiscent of rain water and flowers, with lush but delicate flavors of pineapple, melon and pear, rounded out with a slight tartness. Has a long finish. $12. pairs well with fish, shrimp or any shellfish, or a soft cheese and fresh fruit. Aging: Three months in stainless steel tanks and one month in bottle.

Librandi Duca San Felice Ciro Riserva 2005, Calabria

Tonight at The wine Room of Forest Hills, I got to taste 4 wines from Calabria, Italy (the toe of the boot). This one is made with 100% Gaglioppo, a regional grape originating in Greece, giving up aromas of intense spices and red berries, flavors of dried red fruits, ripe strawberries and ending with a long smokey finish. It shows vague similarities to a Grenache or an Aglianico, and the exotic spiciness make this a great candidate to pair with a lamb dish.

Aging: 24 months in stainless steel tanks, 6 months in bottle, 13.5% alcohol.

Zenato Merlot Delle Venezie 2005

This Italian merlot has aromas of ripe berries set against a toasted oak background, and smoked meats with a palate of blueberry pie and sour cherry and finally milk chocolate and vanilla. Paired with a beautiful veal milanese at Il Poeta... yum.

Winemaker notes:

A noble red for aging, made with procedures appropriate to merlot fruit from the “delle Venezie” area. After crushing-destemming, and the traditional one-week maceration on the skins, the wine remains in steel until malolactic fermentation finishes.

Maturation follows in 300-litre French oak, then 6 months bottle-aging.

Bodega Numanthia Termes Tempranillo 2006

The Spaniards of the region call it Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo). Hailing from Valdefinas, in the Toro region of Spain this wine has full, muscular body and a viscosity that complements its creamy texture. Dark purple rose in color and weaving aromas of black currants, violets, licorice and caramel. The bouquet blends into a palate of plums and dark chocolate, all working to create a soft but supple wine with a long dusty finish... very well balanced tannins & acidity. This retails for about $29, and I understand it can be cellared for at least another 10+ years.

Recommended to me by Eric Guido, searched online and found at Cabrini Wines.

Jadot Chateau des Jacques Moulin a Vent 2007

Continuing the Beaujolais tasting at Snooth.... Vibrant aromas of violets, bubblegum, and raw meats with a palate of dark fruits, black currants and a long finish.

Snooth launches iPhone App

This is great... you can have access to over 1 million wines on your iPhone.

New York, NY (June 1, 2009) - Snooth, the world's largest wine site, today announced the launch of its iPhone application.

The app will allow users to access Snooth's database of 1 million wines and 11,000 merchants from their mobile device.

Users can:

-Download the app from the iTunes store for free
-Find where their favorite wines are available for purchase in their neighborhood, using the device's location-aware functionality
-Update their tasting notes, ratings, and reviews as they are dining
-Access personal wine wish lists while out and about

"We're committed to translating the Web experience of Snooth to other innovative mediums," said Philip James, founder and CEO of Snooth. "The feedback from our mobile-optimized site has been great, but now with iPhone's location-aware functionality, users can now type in "spicy Shiraz", or "Chardonnay under $20 for fish" and we'll give you wines in-stock in your neighborhood. It is then simple to then click and call the store to hold the item, or to get directions. You can also keep track of what you tried and enjoyed while dining out."

Since its inception in June 2007, Snooth has grown to be the world's largest wine site, with over 500,000 users per month, 1 million wines and prices from 11,000 merchants and wineries worldwide. The site currently handles over 2 million searches per month and has over 125,000 registered users.

About Snooth

Launched in June 2007, Snooth is a highly interactive, social database of the world’s wines, offering both casual and expert wine drinkers the ability to search, obtain personalized recommendations, interact with fellow wine lovers, as well as seamlessly buy from a global network of over 11,000 merchants.

Users have the ability to search by their own personal preferences (bold, peppery, fruity, etc), by a specific meal-pairing, price, or by region or producer. Snooth’s recommendation engine also provides customized selections based on stated preferences and user feedback. The more information a user gives on wines they enjoy, the more personalized and detailed the recommendations become.

Please visit snooth for more information.

Sole di Puglia Negroamaro Primitivo 2006 IGT

At a late night dinner at Il Poeta this week Luca recommended this Italian Primitivo with dinner, and I was very happy with the pick. Being a great food wine, it showed aromas of licorice, blackberries and violets, with a viscous texture and concentrated flavors of vanilla, banana, bell pepper, talc, tea and tobacco.

Il Trullo Salento Primitivo

I just wanted say how much I enjoyed Lorenzo Scarpone's Il Trullo the other night at the Brooklyn International Film Festival. The wine, from Puglia, is a Primitivo (the same family as Zinfandel) it's delicious, and the price point ($11) is amazing considering how simply and honestly the flavor profile expresses itself. I enjoyed it on it's own, but with food this Primitivo SINGS! It's loaded with resinous flavors of cassis and dark berries. I can't wait for its release sometime at the end of summer.

Clos De La Roilette Fleurie 2007

Another Cru Beaujolais in the Snooth series... aromas of cassis and soy with flavors of ripe sour cherries, black currants, a medicinal edge on the berries, and finally some hints of tobacco and herbs.

Christophe Pacalet Chiroubles 2006

A nose like this really gets my attention.

Beautiful perfumed aromas of resinous flowers and herbs along with a gaminess and a touch of gummy bears candy make this a really interesting Cru Beaujolais.

The nose gives way seamlessly to strawberries, ripe cherries with some eucalyptus and lavendar. Well balanced and just plain delicious (a great deal for $20 retail)... this one was my favorite of the 12 we sampled. (Yikes, I've forgotten to include the reason for all these Cru Beaujolais.... I attended a tasting hosted by Greg Dal Piaz at Snooth's new offices on Madison Ave.

Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2007

This Beaujolais displays aromas of violets, raw meats, and pencil shavings followed by flavors of white pepper, raspberries, and strawberries, with good balance and a slightly tannic finish.

Thenevet Grain & Granite Regnie 2007

This Beaujolais shows aromas of ripe fruits, herbacious, violets and flavors of white pepper, ripe cherries, cinnamon and other spices, then hints of raspberries finishing with high acidity.

Domaine des Terres Dorees Jean-Paul Brun Cotes de Brouilly 2007

This Beaujolais has strawberries, over-ripe vegetables, dried meats on the nose with flavors of spicy cherries, caramel, vanilla, bitter cola, stones and a flinty finish.

Vissoux Pierre Chermette Brouilly 2007

This Beaujolais has a nose of cassis, and ripe blackberries with a palate of green peppers, strawberries and cherry candies overlapping nuances of white pepper, and a slightly medicinal, violet edge and finally a bit of gamey salami. Finishes nicely, has some depth.

Chateau du Chatelard Beaujolais Villages 2007

On the nose, clean and fresh wood notes with a wafting of vine ripened tomatoes just cut open. Initial flavors reflect a chalky undertone with strawberries, summer fruits and hints of a metallic finish.

Chateau du Pizay Beaujolais 2007

Animal and gamey on the nose, resinous with vegetal and leather notes, with a palate of blackberries, blueberries, that finishes a little flat and loses interest at the end. Retails for about $11.

Yoga In Long Beach Long Island

This has nothing to do with wine, but it's a great cause... If you're in Long Beach L.I. this Saturday morning, join Kristen's 3 hour yoga class on the beach to benefit Leukemia & Lymphoma Society... see details.

Kristen Trieger

25 DEAD FROM DRINKING HOMEMADE WINE

I think I'm a fairly adventurous person, and if on vacation a local offered me a home brewed wine, I probably would try it. After reading this story I think I'll be taking a pass.

Arizona Woman Among 25 Dead From Drinking Homemade Wine
Tuesday, June 02, 2009

From Fox News

Twenty-five people, including one American, have died in less than 10 days after drinking a deadly brew of palm wine on the Indonesian resort island of Bali.

Former Phoenix, Ariz. artist, Rose Johnson, was among the victims. The 48-year-old died Sunday at the Sanglah General Hospital in Bali after ingesting the lethal concoction made with methanol — a toxic chemical compound often used in antifreeze, the Phoenix News Times reported. It’s believed Johnson most likely died from acute alcohol poisoning.

A local man has been arrested for making the home-distilled liquor, Bali police said.

Alan Cole, 57, from Britain and Irish and Dutch citizens were also among the victims who have died over the past two weeks from drinking the deadly brew, according to a report by Agence-France Presse.