Brancott Estate - A Taste with Jim Robertson

Wednesday night Steve and I met with an elite group of NYC bloggers to taste through the delicious offerings of Brancott Estate and hear about the brands ins and outs first-hand from Global Brand Ambassador, Jim Robertson.

The weather was one that New York City does not often have - perfect. Not too hot, not too cold and the warm breeze circling the space was just what we needed. The event was held on the XVI Rooftop bar on 48th street and 8th overlooking midtown Manhattan and a fantastic sunset that is what summertime in the city is all about.

Jim brought us through the line-up of Brancott Estate's classic range: Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc. Although we did not have the opportunity to taste, there is also a Pinot Noir and a Sauvignon Blanc available in limited quantities from the letter series which is a higher end product produced by the estate. All of Brancott's wines are appellation Marlborough, NZ.

We began with the 2010 Pinot Grigio - a wine that many exclaimed, "restored their faith in Pinot Grigio." This wine is in the style that to that of one will likely consider closer that of a Pinot Gris - big fruit, lots of a flavor a delightful bit of acid that would allow the wine to stand up to food.

Next we tasted the Pinot Noir. Why the Pinot Noir and not the Sauvignon Blanc? Well, for one, it was a special request by one of the attendees and, second of all, this order as decided to demonstrate the intense flavors and high acid of the Sauvignon Blanc that could actually follow a red wine and still come through showing beautifully.

The Pinot Noir was fruity and fresh, decent amount of a spice and far surpassed expectations for a wine at this price point. This was a wine easily sippable in the sun as it would be on a chilly fall day - with or without food. Here's a fun fact about Pinot Noir from New Zealand that Jim taught us: 52% of all Pinot Noir grown in NZ is grown in Marlborough with only a small proportion coming from Central Otago despite its popularity in recent years.

Finally we rounded up the bunch with a taste of the Sauvignon Blanc. This is easily the most widely recognized wine from Brancott Estate and most widely available - we instantly saw why. This wine is a delightfully easy-drinking white, with distinctly intense flavors of gooseberries and citrus that can really only come from NZ. Despite the fact it came after the Pinot Noir, as I mentioned, the wine was full and vibrant and instantly took over.

It was a fantastic mid-summer event in an excellent location with great company and delicious wines. Special thanks to all to attended!

Cheers!

-CC

Happy Belated Repeal Day!

Dec 5th marked the 77th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition... lucky for us!

Prohibition was that evil time between 1920 and 1933 in which drinking was *gasp* illegal. While this sounds out-and-out horrible, we can attribute the induction of Prohibition for some of the greatest cocktails and bars of all time. Who doesn't love throwing on their best flapper dress, doing the Charleston and having a classy Sidecar or Old Fashioned anyway?

...maybe that's just me?

Today you can still get your 1920's speak-easy feel on at many establishments throughout the country. In particular - and perhaps it's because I'm so in to wine - the 21 Club... one of NYC's best-hidden speakeasy clubs in the era and still around today located at 19 W 52nd Street. Not quite such a secret anymore, the 21 Club is a highly regarded, NYC icon, visited by much of NYC's high class society and celebrities from across the board.

What makes this place so famous?

Back in the 1920's the 21 Club was known as "the place to be," to the affluent drinkers of the era.

"Perhaps the most elaborately disguised vault in New York City, '21's Wine Cellar was built to be invisible. Behind several smoked hams that hung from the basement ceiling and a shelved wall filled with canned goods, stood a perfectly camouflaged 2 1/2 ton door that appeared to be part of the wall. Opened only by inserting a slender 18" meat skewer through one of many cracks in the cement wall, the secret door silently slid back to reveal '21's most coveted treasure: two thousand cases of wine."

In fact, the place was so well hidden that even when authorities came to "close the place down" in 1932, they couldn't seem to find the alcohol and so, 21 Club went on to see another day... and thank goodness because when I had the opportunity to visit the wine cellar in 2009 I was in heaven.

I'll leave it up to Stephanie to tell you about some of the best cocktail-inspired speakeasy bars in the country.

Did we celebrate with an all out bash? Not exactly... but you can bet we raised a glass.

I opted for a glass of red wine: Pittnauer Burgenlander Röt 2008, a blend of Pinot Noir, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch from Austria (of course!)

Stephanie opted for a Maker's Mark Whiskey Sour (with cherries!) with a friend at a birthday dinner.

Steve celebrated with a glass of Catena Malbec from Argentina while his wife sipped on a Cremant Rose from the Loire.

Jean joined in the fun with a mimosa and a glass of Chateau Tour Calon 2000... slow day!

No matter if you sipped yesterday or not, it's important to recognize this momentous holiday. For anyone that enjoys a good cocktail, glass of wine, beer or anything in between raise a glass to Repeal Day!

If You Were a Cocktail, Which Would You Be?

And we're considering cocktails anything from beer to wine to whiskey on the rocks or carefully crafted concoction.

This is the question I posed to the office today and I was pleasantly surprised by their answers.

Boss Steve:

Cocktail: Negroni
What's in it:
1 oz Aperol
1 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz gin
Why: The first time I had this cocktail was overlooking the Pantheon in Italy, reminding him of Italy and good memories. It tastes like Italy.

Financial Finagler Antonio:

Cocktail: Old Cuban
What's in it:

6 mint leaves
1 ounce simple syrup (or less, to taste)
3/4 ounce fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 1/2 ounces Bacardi 8 (or substitute another medium-bodied gold rum)
2 dashes Angostura bitters
2 ounces chilled champagne

Why: Because it's Spanish, but not really - just like him. (Anthony's heritage is Puerto Rican, mine is Cuban - I think he's just jealous ;0) )

Intern Kayla

Cocktail: Tequila Sunrise
What's in it:
1 ¾ oz. tequila
5 ½ oz. orange juice
1-2 dashes of grenadine
Why: Because it's pretty, fruity and fun and reminds her of Mexico!

Star Spirits Sipper Stephanie:

Cocktail: Tom Collins
What's in it:
2 oz gin
1 oz lemon juice
1 tsp superfine sugar
3 oz club soda
1 maraschino cherry
1 slice orange
Why: "If I were a cocktail I'd be a Tom Collins, because I'm simple, bubbly, and come with both a sweet and (rarely) sour side. ;) It's a cool, classic drink that is most perfectly suited for the summertime atmosphere, just like me."

Me:

Cocktail: Good ol' glass of Pinot Noir
What's in it: Pinot Noir!
Why: Because it's spicy but mellow - light enough to enjoy casually, but serious enough to stand up for itself. ;)

So there you have it! That's the majority of the BAT team in a shaker!

Which cocktail would YOU be?

Here are some of my favorite answers:

From Dale Cruse of Drinks Are On Me " I'd be a French 75. Classic but timeless. A little sweet, a little herbal, a lot bubbly. All delicious."

From Kasey Scafariello, a friend, "How about a shot? i would be peanut butter and jelly. (3/4 Frangelico and 1/4 Chambord) the reason? because i'm usually nutty with a splash of sweetness :)."

From Casey O'Brien, a friend, "Hard cider because I'm sweet and I'll warm your heart"

From Mallory Murphy, friend, " I'm not really a put together person.. I'm a little disheveled so I'd have to be something that doesn't necessarily work together but it works -- Jack and ginger and its a little bit sweet but its got a kick."

More to come!

Cheers!
-CC

Return Uncorked Wine Bar in West Hartford, CT

A little over a month ago, SJ posted a recap of our trip to Uncorked: A Wine Tasting Bistro in Blue Back Square in West Hartford, CT. I returned to the bar last night after a delightful meal at the new sushi place in town - here are my two cents.

When we went to the bar the first time it was literally the second day they had opened - in that mind set, you take it for what it is and expect it will only get better. More than a month later, it seems to be in the same state.

While the wine list is superb to my standards, the wine bar has still not crafted their cocktail list - OK so I'm resident wine gal, but what is SJ to do when she visits next time?!

Last night I opted to stray from the sip/half glass/glass dispensers and go straight for the bubbles. It must be mentioned that the fact the sparkling wines aren't considered in the sip/half glass/glass alignment is a definite downfall. A flight of a half glass of all three of the sparkling wines on the list (for less than $100) is available for $20...

OK - so when we went last time, we were told nicer counters would soon be in place and that each wine would have a corresponding tasting card available for consumers to take home. Pretty cool, right? But did they have it? Nope, at least not yet.

At the very least the bar's staff seemed to be a bit more knowledgeable this time around - last time we overheard the wine staff telling customers they knew nothing about wine. I don't know about you, but when I go to a WINE BAR, I'd like to have the wait staff know something about what they are serving me.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not entirely negative. I'll most likely return to this place at least once before my big more to NYC (more on that later) but I will say that I am disappointed in what I thought was going to be a bar to rival Clo Wine Bar in NYC. Due to CT law, patrons aren't allowed to touch the pouring machines themselves, which also takes away from the experience.

On the plus side, the glass of Gruet Sparkling Pinot Noir I had was delicious as always and nicely garnished with a strawberry I happily ate at the end. The bartender was quite friendly and knowlegable, very attentive. There were not too many people in the bar at 7pm when we went, but a few scattered groups of business men and girls night out could be found by the bar's windows.

In the end, Uncorked is an excellent place to get a great glass of wine - it's just not as "cool" as I thought it would be. Definitely worth a trip if you're in the area!

Cheers!

CC