All posts tagged: wine tasting

NY Times Best Sparkling Wines

December 23, 2010 Events, Wine

We’re pretty excited to announce that we were able to get our hands on a few cases of the Philippe Foreau Vouvray Clos Naudin Brut NV ($24) selected as ‘Best of Tasting’ and ‘Best Value’ french sparkling in yesterday’s NY Times. Described as “complex and distinctive with savory, toasty flavors and a touch of honey, yet dry and refreshing,” this will be a fun bottle to open for Christmas or New Year’s.

To reserve yours, call us at (718) 797-9463.

We also have the Parigot Cremant de Bourgogne Blanc de Blancs Brut NV ($22), which was #2 on the Times list (and a year in, year out favorite as it appeared as #3 on the Times’s list of value sparklers two years ago). Tangy, balanced and refreshing, with dry, chalky, spicy flavors according to the Times. If we have any left on December 29, we’ll open it at our annual “Bubbles that Don’t Blow” event where we uncork all our sparkling wines over the course of 2 days (bubblies under $25 on December 29 and champagnes on December 30).

Enjoy!

Funky Old Madeira

December 16, 2010 Events, Spirits

Tonight from 6-8pm we’ll sample Charleston Sercial Madeira from the Rare Wine Company along with some special red and white wines.

Madeira was so popular in the 1800s, just as brownstone Brooklyn was being built, that a wine list dated in the year 1844 from the Astor House (which used to be in Manhattan at Broadway and Vesey) features half a page of madeira wines and just a handful of first growth bordeaux and grand cru burgundies. Madeira makes a great gift – it can last up to a year after being opened

Charleston Sercial is nutty and tangy with some sweetness but is relatively dry compared to most madeira.

Mike recently added some wines and spirits specifically geared at the home cook. For cooking, we recommend H.M. Borges medium dry madeira ($12). For the cook, we recommend the Charleston Sercial.

Raise a Glass to Baked!

November 16, 2010 Baking, Desserts, Events, Food, Wine

Tonight, Tuesday Nov. 16 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the wine store at 765 Fulton, we’re pouring some sweet sparkling wine as an aperitif to a book signing by Baked, the Red Hook bakery that supplies us with our wonderful brownies, peanut butter krispy bars, cupcakes and granola!

Stop in and sample our Musva Moscotel sparkling wine and then walk across the street to Greenlight Books where you’ll be able to sample desserts from Baked and hear from the authors Matt and Renato about their new book, Baked Explorations.

Thursday Cocktail Series in April

March 22, 2010 Events, Food, Spirits

They say April showers bring May flowers. And if you spend your rainy April Thursdays attending our cocktail demonstrations, you may see your mixology skills bloom just in time for summer. Every Thursday in April from 6-8pm, the Brooklyn wine store will have a different spirit expert on hand to teach you how to make cocktails at home. So come sip ‘n’ study. The events are FREE.

April 1 – Titos Vodka & McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix – Try a vodka made in Texas, taste the new bloody mary mix from famed pickle maker McClure’s (available at Provisions) and put some drawl in your Cosmopawlitan

April 8 – Sombra Mezcal – This smoky spirit takes your tastebuds a step up from tequila. Try it straight and learn how to make your margarita a Margarita 2.0.

April 15 – Ransom ‘Old Tom’ Gin – What better day to learn how to make an Income Tax Cocktail? Gin is crucial for summer slings, fizzes, rickeys and sours. Old Tom is sweeter than the London dry style and drier than the Holland style which is why it is known as the ‘missing link’ of gins.

April 22 – Canton Ginger Liqueur – Honestly we’ve never had a cocktail that couldn’t be made better with a bit of Canton added. For May’s Sakura Festival, you can serve it in ginger cherry blossom cocktails but it also spices up classic mojitos or margaritas.

April 29 – Pitu Cachaca – Muddle through mixing caipirinhas with a classic cachaca.

Come Taste Our Newest Direct Import Wines!

September 18, 2009 Events, Wine

Join us tonight Friday, September 18 from 5-8pm in the Manhattan wine store and from 6pm-8pm in the Brooklyn wine stores as we taste our new direct import spanish wines. We are excited to offer red, white, rosé and cava under the Pierre Ronsard label from Penedès. The searing hot Catalan sun in this region makes old cabernet vines erupt with ripe cherry and blackberry notes and parellada and xarello grapes produce white wines fragrant with litchi fruit and apricots drizzled in floral honey and cava rich with aromas of orange peel and notes of apple and white peach on the palate. And they’re 100% organic!

Because we arranged the purchase directly with the winery, we are able to save on the charge a distributor would normally levy for sourcing wines. This allows us to offer these wines at a great price, making them excellent values. For more on how we got our hands on these direct import wines, check our previous post.

Mom-made Wines

May 8, 2009 Events, Wine

In honor of Mother’s Day tonight from 5-7pm in the Manhattan wine store and on Saturday May 9 from 5-7pm in the Brooklyn wine store, we will be celebrating by tasting three wines (a white, a red and a rose) all made by moms! Remember to bring your same-day receipt for over $10 purchase from Provisions to the wine store and get 5% off your wine purchase.

Chateau des Hospitaliers 2008 ($14)
Mme. Martin-Pierrat proves the old saying that the phrase “working mom” is redundant. She is involved in every aspect of winemaking at her family’s tiny 24 ha. estate in the Languedoc region of southern France and produces this lovely clean and fresh white with apple and peach aromas.

Rosi Schuster Blaufrankisch 2007 ($19.75)
When Rosi married her husband, Franz Schuster, they each owned their own vineyard in the Austrian countryside. They joined forces and began making classic Austrian wines. Recently the day-to-day wine-making has been handed off to their son Hannes, but Rosi’s passion, influence and taste is still felt in every wine they produce. This is a quintessential blaufrankisch, with dark red fruits and peppery spice.

Susana Balbo Crios Malbec Rose 2008 ($14)
The name says it all: Crios is “offspring” in Portuguese. The first female winemaker in Argentina dedicates these wines to her children. Her rose of Malbec is very dry and because it is made from the powerful Malbec grape, it has enough character to stand up to heartier foods.

Keep In Touch