I haven't posted much in the past several days because I've been busy running around doing this and that, and have been emailing dozens of people about Vinitaly and other wine-related matters.
One "first" in my long life was to guide the son of friends from Paris as he searched for the right Gibson guitar. They are much cheaper here than in France, and the selection is vastly greater. I saw a lot of old rockers from 70s bands in these stores, often as salesmen. The stores themselves ranged from little and run-down to huge and glitzy, not unlike the old rockers. I had no idea how many electric guitars could cost 4-5-6-10 thousand dollars. And I had no idea how many times I would hear the opening chords of "Smoke on the Water" in one day. Every 12-year-old boy who has a yen to play begins with those elemental chords:
Dut-dut-DA / dut-dut-DA-DA / dut-dut-DA / DA-DA
Yesterday began warm and sunny, a great day to take a long walk and rejoice in a first taste of spring -- not that winter has been so long this year. The city is full of visitors from the world over, and yesterday some of them looked a bit bewildered over the rapid, extreme changes in weather that we've had the past few days. They were all bundled up, laden with backpacks. The New Yorkers sported shorts and T-shirts.
The visitors were smarter; the skies darkened, the wind rose and the temperatures fell at about 2 o'clock.
On a wine note, the young man from Paris wanted to go to a Mexican restaurant last night. We went to a place not far from here on Second Avenue. I ordered a glass of Mexican Sauvignon Blanc (just $6 a glass). I actually ordered another to wash down the black sea bass. From Ensenada in Baja California, this SB was a tad heavy but it did have a pleasing liquorice undertaste. It was dry enough to go with the heavily garlicked, salty fish, which, truth to tell, was somewhat undercooked.
The lad's mother stuck with margaritas. She looked disbelieving when I told her I was drinking a Mexican wine.
If all this sounds mundane and dull, it is and I apologize. There's a lot going on that, I expect, will burst forth at Vinitaly.
Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to some tastings of Italian wines over the next couple of weeks, and not just Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri.
Map: from New York Times
Hey Terry. Yes I am still at I.V. Things are gettinmg better. No outside offer was worth the switch. I am actually very close to opening my own wine shop in the east village. NYC needs another cool, laid back, humble, human level wine shop. My mac is still in the shop and I am hoping get it back tomorrow so I can get back in the loop. Gabrio called me yesterday and formally invited me to the De-Vino tasting. I am honored and very excited to taste great wines with some great people. It will be good to reconnect with you. I will see you around 4:30 on Thursday at Gabrio's. Talk to you soon.
EVWG
Posted by: east village wine geek | March 04, 2007 at 02:39 PM
4:30 ?? This Thursday ?? At the shop or at il Posto Accanto ?
Parameters seem to have changed!
Posted by: Terry Hughes | March 04, 2007 at 06:38 PM
yes thursday 4:30 at Posto accanto we will include eric next time...can somebody confirm with Dr Vino I'm not in the shop so I don't have the address.
Ciao
Posted by: gabrio | March 05, 2007 at 03:56 PM
Fattapposta, Eccellenza!
Posted by: Terry Hughes | March 05, 2007 at 04:19 PM
If you're interested in Italian wine moments in NYC, check out this crazy post!
http://brooklynguyloveswine.blogspot.com/2007/03/adventures-in-wine-buyingcontinued.html
Complete with the NYPD, trips in squad cars, and the scariest thing of all: the prospect of a very nice 1996 Barbaresco going into the evidence room never to be seen again!
Posted by: Bill | March 07, 2007 at 09:54 PM