On the Contrary

Saturday it is off the Grand Tasting wine and food tasting event at Pier 54 on the Hudson River.  But before I go into that, last night we went to a lovely restaurant in Soho (I love this part of New York) called Commerce.  We went with my daughter Serena and three of her friends and just had a delightful time.  After struggling through a couple of mediocre California Wines, I finally ordered a bottle  of Donnahuna Aglianico. a very nice Italian wine.  I think I have figured out many New York restaurants.  They don’t really get California wines, but they know Italian so that is what you want to order.  There are, of course, some good California wines on the menu, but they are in the $100 range as opposed to some really good Italian wines in the $40-$60 range.  In the Italians, look for the super Tuscans.  They are the bigger Italians with some body and finish.  That is not to say there are not cheaper and comparable California wines, they are just not on the menu’s out here in the east.

Pier 54 Tasting

Okay on to the Grand Tasting.  Well the evening at the Chelsea Market (see New York Part I) had been somewhat disappointing so the bar was set low but it was not necessary.  The Grand Tasting was a true treat and very, very, very will organized.  When we arrived and we were in the early tasting from 11 a.m. till 2 p.m., it was about 11:30 so there was no line.  The had set up processing in a lovely park where they gave you a bag of goodies including a fairly good cookbook, a neck strap for your wine glass and a good wine tasting glass.  They had thought of everything.  They had lots of volunteers who were extremely nice and helpful.  Then you walked over to pier 54 on the water for the tasting.  It was amazing!!!

I was afraid there would not be good wineries there or knowledgeable pourers but I was wrong.  Most of the wineries were represented by their employees who were very knowledgeable about their wine making techniques and vineyards.  There were great wines from all over the world and some real surprises.  I have to tell you I like big wines and their were some big wines there.  When I knew I was in Nirvana is when I came across Yangarra wines pouring their Shiraz and Grenache.  I have always admired (Australia) their wines and it was fun to be able to taste their new offerings. Lorraine Broco of the Sopranos fame was pouring her wines and they were quite nice.  Here is the great equalizer in life, love for good food and wine.

The Evian Girls and a Very Happy Taster

I will list some of the wines I found exceptional but I must also mention the food.  It was also over the top.  There were so many chefs presenting wonderful little tastes of their food that you could have gotten lost in just the food.  It was truly fun to grab Raymond Generations Cabernet Sauvignon (excellent and big) with Washguyu (beef) braised beef with black olive risotto.  What a symphony for your palate.   I simply cannot remember all the wonderful things I tasted.  There is a listing of some of the food purveyors and chefs that were represented at the FoodNetwork.com.  The staff, the attendees, and the purveyors were extremely gregarious and fun and it was just a wonderful experience.  Here are some of the wines I loved:

Raymond Generations Cabernet Sauvignon
Cossentino, The Poet 2005 (57% Cab, 24% Cab Franc, 15% Merlot, 7% Petite Verdot,  2% Malbec
Lodola Nuova Modus, Super Tuscan (Mostly Sangiovese)
Byron Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir
Chalk Hill Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

Raymond Wines

Antinori Marchese Ansinori
Arnalido-Capriai
Zaca Mesa Z3 (Rhone blend) and a lovely Viognier
Chateau Beaucastel Chateau de Pape
Yangarra Grenache and Shiraz

I am sure I missed some.  For food here is a layman’s guess at what some of the tasty food was and this is about one-tenth of what was there:
Butternut squash soup with foam and truffle oil
Pumpkin Almond Biscotti ravioli
Wild Mushroom dumpling
Duck confit with wild mushrooms
Barbequed brisket from Hill Country Barbeque
Steak with lumped crab meat
Korean barbequed short ribs
Ahi tuna
Steak Carpaccio
Beet and goat cheese with hazel nut vinaigrette
Gelato
Salumeria Rosi
Tons of chocolate which I skipped

Candace Running out of Hands

Then there was a ton of hard alcohol to drink including sake, bourbon, tequila, and rum.  Candace had a Makers Mark bourbon drink that was so fresh and good that it was a wonderful finish to a wonderful day.  I forgot to mention both Samuel Adams and Corona Beer that was there, and who can forget the Corona girl’s dresses.  But my favorite were the Evian Water girls who we so nice and posed for a picture with an old man.  It was just a terrific day.  Carpe Diem.