mondosapore

Thanks for proofreading

Before I forget, I want to thank those of you who have pointed out proofreading errors on the Domenico Selections web site. We're crumy proofers, so consider the first "edition" something of a Beta test.

If you see any more mistakes, please let me know. I'm compiling a list so that the lovely and talented May, our designr, can fix them all at once.

Grazie, amici.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

"Yes we can" if we "don't stop thinking about tomorrow"

Yesterday was an interesting day here on the urban wine schlepp. 

After a thrilling lunch with husband-and-wife winemakers, I strode up and down the cold bright streets of a metropolis in economic distress.  Countless restaurants with FOR RENT signs on the windows.  Many many little shops of all kinds now abandoned.  Many of the ones that remain open are doing a much reduced business.  

I reflected on how glad we were that our wines will retail, by and large, for under $25.  A good number of them under $20, some under $15.  People have said how lucky we were that we focused on those price points.  My response is always, "We beat up on our producers beginning in late 2007, telling them that a major recession was coming to America, and that if they wanted to sell, they'd better get real about price.  We're old enough to recognize the warning signals of a down economic cycle.  We knew it would be rough."  Not this rough, I must add, but rough.  The pricing strategy was deliberately set for harder times.  

Benvenuto Brunello, etc.

Yesterday we all met at the Hilton on 6th Avenue for the big event, the Brunello tasting and so on.  The weather was miserable, the crowd more or less the same, and the event over all had some of the clusterfuck qualities of Vinitaly, on a much smaller scale, of course.

As always, the crush of people in the most prestigious exhibit/tasting areas was intense.  You had to have your badge rescanned to get into the Brunello room, which had the allure of a Mumbai railway station at rush hour.  I managed to get a taste of a couple of well-known Brunellos -- quite nice but if they were 100% Sangiovese, I'll eat my cappello. Too drinkable and round too young, too darkly grapey.  To me it was all redolent of the Merrill Lynch bonus scandal:  Have these people learned nothing? 

Allora, as they say. We spent most of our time scouting other wine-producing areas, Chianti and Abruzzo (successfully) and Calabria (more disappointments -- stop the new-American-oak barrique madness!) among them.

We spent a lot of time tasting and chatting with Stefania Pepe, winemaking daughter of the iconic Emidio Pepe, and her husband, who has the wonderful name Adone Del Negro ("Adonis Black").  Each of them owns vineyards, some certified biodynamic, some certified organic but working through the stringent, seven-year process to be biodynamic as well.  Every one of their wines was highly individuated and utterly compelling.  What knockouts. 

I mentioned to Stefania that her father's wines can be off-putting; they not only require a very long ageing to show their stuff but are also uneven and too particolare.  Not to mention very expensive.  She handled that one nicely.  "I want to make the best wines I can.  Not to be the most expensive or particular.  I want everyone to like them." 

By the way, like Emidio, Stefania and Adone are making more of their wines in cement rather than stainless steel.  The contrast between two of Adone's -- from the same vineyard and 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo -- illustrated the distinctive character each fermentation container imparts to wine. When asked which of them we preferred, we declared, "Both!"

Speaking of asking awkward questions, I'm never one to shy away.  We found another good Abruzzese producer, whose wines are very well priced.  His low end, super-economy line was impressive.  A lot fuller and rounder than is typical of Montepulciano.  So what did I ask him?  "Any oak?"  No.  "Trucioli?"  (Oak chips?)  I admire the gentleman for keeping his composure.  Well done, sir.  

 

Domenico Selections Website: Live at Last!

Domenico Selections dot com.

We asked for something simple, clean, functional.  With a warm, sunny look.  Suggesting Mediterranean light and vitality.  Free of red-white-and-green clichés.

Yes, we do have the useful traditional map of Italy with clickable regions where we have producers.  Short but sweet regional intros - not the standard boilerplate, either, but a personal viewpoint based on our experiences and observations.  Ditto the producer profiles.  Short, factual wine spec sheets.

And watch this site grow. More producers are on the way.

Still missing: the Muddy Boots blog.  Soon, kids, soon.  And the listing of where you can find the wine, mainly because this is in flux. 

Bookmark this link.

Baci per May Matta-Aliah, who designed the Domenico Selections corporate identity program as well as the site.  She is the owner of Red-Dot-Solutions here in New York. 

Vino 2009 Meet & Greet: Waiting for a Miracle

Briefly.

I stopped in at the Vino 2009 "Meet & Greet" yesterday.  It was held in the fusty grandeur of the Palace, formerly the Helmsley Palace, where the late Queen of Mean, Leona Helmsley used to have ad photos taken with cowering employees posing as carefree guests.  The hotel would not be out of place in a provincial Italian city.

Up on the 5th floor in a warren of meeting rooms there were little tables, each assigned to a wine producer looking for representation in the US market. Around some tables there were two, even three, Italian winery reps, all of whom eyed each Yankee visitor like the Big Bad Wolf eyeing Petunia Pig.  As one such visitor plunked himself down at a little table, amply adorned with bottles, laptop, glasses both clean and dirty, and a huge spit bucket that reminded one of an industrial-sized spackling tub, the other reps cast imploring looks that cried, "Come sit HERE!  HERE!  HERE!!!"

At 5 pm the M&G was over.  Shuffling broken creatures drifted to the coat check.  One heard almost nothing but Italian.  The Yankee Saviour had not materialized.

 

This just in -- Lisa Qiu still...

...Loves me and harbors no ill feelings for my recent profile (ahem) of Jennifer Nguyen!

(Lisa remains the Official Mondosapore Groupie.  For now.)

"Dignity, always dignity"

Fetishizing wine

I've long wondered at the tendency of wine-lovers to worship wines, certain wines, wines that are somehow worthy of cultish adoration.  They did it a century or two ago with Haut-Brion, for example, and they do it now with any bottle labeled "Mascarello" or "Conterno."  While the obsessive observations and infinitely fine judgments about a wine were once hidden away in obscure journals or the published memoirs of some imperial bore, they're now open for all to see on bulletin boards, forums and blogs.

Evidence of the drawing power of such writings is the number of views and comments they attract compared with other I suppose less prestigious topics. In these threads aficionados obsess and argue about everything conceivable, from the wine's color to the relative merits of a neighboring producer's analogue of the 1957 vintage.  To me, at least, it all seems a bit insane.

Why is there this tendency to fetishize wine?  To impute almost magical powers to a producer or to a little patch of ground?  Why this need to worship, and to play the Scholastic monk with his myriad quiddities and quarities? 

More to the point, where's the pleasure in this exercise?  Is it in tasting the wine and savoring its particular qualities?  In proclaiming that you're refined or clever or affluent enough to "own" this wine? 

For me the ultimate pleasure in wine is the context of drinking it.  What was the food?  What was the setting?  What was the occasion and who else was there, sharing the bottle?  How did we feel? 

It's not about analysis, it's about immersing yourself in an experience that forever links the wine with the moment.  And if you must impute some spiritual importance to the wine and the moment, think of it as the fellowship of commensality, even sort of a secular eucharistic feast.  But for Chrissake, go with the flow and enjoy it.

This is why something Jeremy Parzen recently posted resonates with me.  He describes a tasting experience with an old Barolo -- a 1967 Borgogno -- and wisely tells his readers:

Drink old wine with food! Don’t fetishize it. Respect it but don’t be intimidated by it. The people who made it intended it to be served with food.

Track 7

Listening to iPod.   I have a playlist called "Misc Oldies" -- 331 songs identified by numbers only.  There must be 20 Track 14's. Some of them I downloaded 10 years ago, when Napster was a pup.

The Kinks wrote "Rock n Roll Fantasy" and in it sang, "I'd like to spend my life // in a rock n roll fantasy." 

If I could sing I'd sing about a 1930s and 1940s and R&B fantasy.  I'd never leave the realm of Cab Calloway, Fats Waller, Louis Jordan, Chick Webb and Ella Fitzgerald.  Or of Irma Thomas or Faye Adams or the incomparable Solomon Burke.

Listen.

Download 07 Track 07

Sittin' on shpilkes

What does the title mean?  It's an interesting phrase, full of emotional force, a combination of humor and dread, which itself is the chief Jewish contribution to world culture.

Moses: You shoulda seen it!  G-d was a bush that burned yet was not consumed! 

Aaron: That's funny, Moishe.  Only you could come up with something like that.  [Pause.]  This will be good for the Hebrews?

Szpilka is a Polish word meaning "nail."  It's also a Yiddish word, and the Anglo-Yiddish phrase means something like "being on tenterhooks" or "sitting on pins and needles".  Calmer than agitation ("ants in the pants"), lighter than anxiety ("sick with fear").  The agitation and fear are there, but they're anesthetized by a dose of drollery.

Which is what you feel when you've sent wine out to be reviewed.  There's no other phrase so brief, so neat, so exactly right for the feelings you experience.  Sittin' on shpilkes.

Thwarted in Jersey

Let's see...the radio show begins in less than 30 minutes. I've been stuck at the Newark train station for over an hour and a half, and it takes at least 40 minutes to get to Morristown. I may make part of the show.

I have wine weighing down my backpack. I've been up since 5:30 -- I, who hates to get up before 8. I want to talk about the wine. I'm jonesing for it.

Damn you, New Jersey Transit! Damn you, highway and oil lobbyists! Damn you, idiot legislators who starve the public weal! Damn you, Strappo, just because!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Tonight's tasting

A brief but delighted summary of the Frankly Wines Experience

I dropped my stuff at the shop around 4:45, went for some coffee, and at 5:10 -- 20 minutes early -- two guys were waiting outside the store (for the record, Al and Vincent, Al being a faithful reader of my rantings and ravings on this blog).  They had traveled far to see...me!  And to taste a few wines.  And then there was pretty much non-stop foot traffic until after the official closing time of 8 pm.  Thank God I brought two bottles of every wine.  The pours were tiny, too.

What did I pour?  Two wines that Christy carries now, a Soave cru (I Stefanini Monte di Fice,) and a coastal Aglianico (Terra di Vento Petrale).  And another that will be officially and legally for sale in New York and New Jersey on February 1, the stunning 100% Aleatico dessert wine, Nanerone, from Piandibugnano in the Montecucco zone of Tuscany. 

We ran out of the Soave and got a mad number of preorders for the Nanerone.  The Aglianico did pretty well too. 

Forgive me the shameless self-shilling on this blog.  A couple of weeks after the new Domenico Selections site is up, the new Muddybootsblog.com should be up too.  You'll be spared this on mondosapore then.  Not too long a wait now. 

Oh I'm pumped, kids, I'm pumped.

Giorgio and Drugo, among the creators of Piandibugnano Nanerone

Map for Frankly Wines, 66 West Broadway, where Strappo will pour and entertain this evening

		When?  5:30 to 7:30.  Be there or deprive yourself of infinite pleasure. The green B is the precise location of Frankly Wines. Convenient to many subway lines.  I'd like to point out that it's very near the College of Insurance.  (????)

Drag to change route

©2009 Google - Map data ©2009 Sanborn, Tele Atlas - Terms of Use

Map

Satellite

Show labels

Terrain

500 ft

200 m

More...

PhotosVideosWikipedia

Hide all

Street View

Drag me to a street!

Street View

Drag me to a street!

Traffic

Get directions: To here - From here

« Back

Search nearby: 

« Back

Save to My Maps
Which map do you want to save to?

Save

« Back

Save to My Maps

Send

Get directions: To here - From hereGet directionsSearch nearbyStreet view
 - 

Edit

Hide all

PhotosVideosWikipediaTransit

Address:

Removal requested ()

 -  -

Placement on map is approximate Get Directions * approximate times  -  Unverified listing

Street view

 

Eat your heart out, Lisa Qiu

It's probably going to be another slow news day.  You know, Obama brings peace to Gaza, the Dow tanks again, more corporate heads roll, blah blah blah.

So I thought I'd share something pleasant and, in fact, beautiful.  I refer to the lovely and talented Jennifer Nguyen of Toronto, who visited our fair city last month.  We had a splendid brunch at the Cornelia Street Cafe (with no comps from owner Robin Hirsch, boo hiss) -- by the fire on a grey and gloomy Sunday, with OK wines that were definitely not Domenico Selections selections...

But I quibble.  Jennifer is a fascinating young woman whose past has been full of trauma and drama.  But you have to admire a girl who comes through it all and yet is mad about wine.  She has her priorities straight, if not her mentors (me). 

But still, for an old gay guy, I really attract the most beautiful women.

Let's lift a glass to Jennifer, who is worthy of being the next mondosapore groupie!

NB:  Lisa Qiu, thou hast cleft my old heart in twain...

Strappo, whore of self-promotion

As if you hadn't suffered enough, you have two opportunities in the next two days to encounter Strappo in the more or less real world.

Photo: Strappo in a sniffing pose.

Spectacular event numero 1:

Pouring at Frankly Wines, 66 West Broadway, in warm and sunny Tribeca.  Strappo will be on hand to pour a couple of his authentic yet absurdly inexpensive wines from 5:30 to 7:30 tomorrow -- Friday evening.  The lovely and talented Christy Frank will chaperone.

Spectacular event numero 2:

Strappo will dispense his usual "wit" and wine "humor" with the easily inebriated Jon Krasney and Gorgeous (aka Heather) on WMTR-AM somewhere in North Jersey.  (All I know is, it's a long long walk from the subway.)  The show is "Krasney on Everything Financial", 9:30 - 10:30 am.  WMTR is at 1250 on your low-tech AM dial.

Fass, rising

Lyle Fass is an almost ubiquitous personage in the New York wine world.  Although he's just 34, he's been in wine retail since he was 19 and a student at my alma mater, Boston University.  Until recently he worked for Chambers Street Wines, one of Manhattan's most prestigious wine stores, but the economy has taken its toll on many in the wine biz; Lyle's been out of CSW for a couple of weeks.  Count him out but not down.

Last evening we met for a glass or two of wine at the bar in the prime Bastianich outpost of Felidia, which is located close to both our apartments.  We talked about what was happening in general, both about trends and the usual industry dish.  And I was struck by the fact that sometimes, if you're young and resilient enough -- and without a family to feed -- being let go from a job is the best thing that can happen to you.  Being let go and maintaining mutual respect is even better, since Lyle and Chambers Street Wines continue to work on various projects together. 

He's got some other interesting irons in the fire.  He's reinventing himself or, should I say, he's reinventing his role in the wine business, which he clearly loves and is totally committed to.  Shocked as he was by leaving CSW, it seems to me he's having a great time exploring, testing, creating. 

Whenever you're tempted to get cynical, you need to sit down with an energetic, passionate guy like Lyle.  You come away with a new set of ideas and plans, too. 

Meanwhile, you can follow Lyle's blog, Rockss and Fruit.  When you go through the archives you're struck by his absolute love of German wines, especially the noble Riesling in all its styles and subtleties.

My Obama hangover and other topics

While I'm delighted that Obama is now president, I have to confess that watching endless loops of the swearing-in and the communal exultations has worn me out.  I checked out at around 9 last night during the Neighborhood Ball, only to pick it up with a mildly funny Daily Show.  And like some sort of recidivist, I've been poring over the articles and photos on the NYT and Huffington Post.

So, yes, I feel hung over from it all.

At last...

 

Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out

Download 02 At Last (Single Version)

(This is the original Etta James version.)

*****

NOTABLE VISITORS

Aside from my brother John and his eldest son, Morgan, who visited over the weekend -- lots of yucks and lots of venting about our famously shitty upbringing -- we were pleased to reunite over dinner with a fine producer of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, Susanna Crociani.  I first met Susanna at the 2007 Vinitaly, and

Snow. Hush. End of era.

Quiet here today.  No traffic.  Quiet in the holiday, Martin Luther King's birthday.  Quiet in the snow.  Quiet as the last full day of the Bush era runs itself down. 

We are waiting for some one.

We are waiting for the sun. 

We are waiting.

Vinitaly and other clusterfucks

A new year brings new rounds of Italian wine shows to attend or consider attending or avoid attending, as the case may be.  The Big One, as always, is Vinitaly, the international formiculation held every year in Verona, this year April 2 - 6.  It's one of those things you have to go to even if you're dreading every minute of it.  (What a difference two stints at Vinitaly make -- contrast with my joy at attending a couple of years ago.)  I think of Vinitaly as the 3D version of Physical Graffiti or Irish music, with too many notes and a nervous-making tempo.

Photo: All the charm of Vinitaly

The worst manifestazione that I've been to in Italy is the oddly prestigious mess at Merano, the Merano Wine Festival to be precise, which this year will be held November 7 - 9.  As I noted in 2007, it combined Teutonic charm with Italian efficiency.  Mai più, as they say in operas.  (Never again.)

 

At Merano Wine Festival:  Une saison en enfer

As I've noted several times, the most interesting and, no doubt, the most productive wine shows to attend to scout new producers of promise are those regional shows or panel-vetted convegni that are focused and designed to showcase emerging wineries, regions and/or wine types.  I've only been to a couple of

Best regional cuisine in Italy? My say

I've been busy the past few days and unable to sit and write at all.  Tastings, visitors from Ohio (sp?  Is it "I-O-W-A"?), going out to eat (Barbone!) and drink (Morrell's Wine Bar!)...sorry, sorry.

I did want to tell you that I appreciate your thoughts on the best regional cuisine in Italy.  August journalists and others aside, I find individual experiences and preferences quite interesting.  Now, as for my own preference -- which is not to suggest that the stated preferences of others are "wrong" or "lesser" than mine -- I have to vote for Puglia.

The seafood is stunningly delicious and fresh, the beef sensationally flavorful and the various meats of the pig are amazing in the depth and richness of their perfumes and savory yumminess.  (Clever how I repeated the same thought with all different words, eh?  That's why they pay me the big bucks.)

The olives, the fruits, the vegetables -- also tasty and full of their respective whatnesses.  You know, such olivey olives, such tomatoey tomatoes, etc., etc.

The bread's good too.

I wish I could say the wines of the region were on the same level as the foods.  Alas, no.  Most of Puglia's wines are rough and overdone, often taste badly adulterated, and maybe I'm not too wild about the local grape varieties.  Zinfandel doesn't do much for me, and neither does its genetic doppleganger Primitivo.  Negroamaro has its moments but not many.  Uva di Troia -- please.  Get outta here.

If I had to make a sweeping generalization, I'd say that the food of Puglia, as produced and prepared, outdid that of Campania by a little.  But the wines of Campania outshine Puglia's the way the sun outshines the moon.

That's my story, kids, and for the foreseeable future I'm sticking to it.

Best regional cuisine in Italy?

While I was chatting with Jacopo Sardi Giustiniani, owner of Bar Felice on the Upper East Side, we hit upon the topic of food in Italy.  It turns out that we agreed on the region that has the best food in all of Italy.  Foods of all kinds -- meat, seafood, vegetables, olive oils, etc. -- which are bursting with flavor and freshness. 

I won't divulge the identity of this region.  Not yet.  I'd like you to chime in with your bets first.  I'll even make it easier by narrowing Italy's 20 regions to 6:

a)    Tuscany

b)    Emilia-Romagna

c)    Sicily

d)    Campania

e)    Piemonte

f)    Puglia

Come on, folks, this is audience participation at its best.