Category Archives: Corks – Wine

July 7, 2013 · 2:55 pm

A serendipitous find of Brunellos, Barbaresco and Barolos

Photo1With the exception of an occasional media event, I don’t drink a lot of high-end Italian wines.  Can’t say why, for sure, but I probably should.

So it was serendipitous that during a recent stop at Post Wines in Syosset that I encountered Eric Svirida, a rep for Syosset-based Michael Skurnik Wines, pouring samples of the importer’s wares for a dozen or so customers.

Svirida had uncorked a trio of Brunello di Montalcino bottles, among Tuscany’s top reds, and a trio of Piedmontese reds— a Barbaresco and two Barolos. The wines ranged from $32 to $80. Given the typical premium prices often attached to these wines, I was astonished that so were attractive values.

The tasting started with the Brunellos, all from the 2008 vintage, a difficult, but good one for growers with an August hailstorm that damaged many vines. The Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, a trade group, ‎ scored the vintage 4/5 stars.

We started with the San Filippo Brunello di Montalcino  2008. San Filippo is an estate of 22 hectares, 11 under vine (5.5ha in Montalcino) east of Montalcino. The wine is ruby red with a powerful nose of deep red fruit, mostly cherry, oak and herbs. The wine is dense, its tannins lush and soft, and there is a hint of heat. The cherry notes continue on the palate and the acidity is bright, suggesting the aging potential of the wine. Post’s price for the event: $36.

Next up was La Colombina Brunello di Montalcino 2008.  A relatively new producer with just 3 hectares near Castelnuovo Abbot, it sold its grapes until 1997, when it produced its first vintage. Wood and tart cherries on the nose were followed on the dense palate with notes of cherries and spices and dry tannins. Post sells this for $36.

The third Brunello was the Ciacci Piccolomino Brunello Pianrosso 2008, a single vineyard wine from the southwestern reaches of Montalcino. A large estate with 172 ha (425 acres) that dates to the 17th Century, this wine is produced with grapes from a single vineyard of just 11.69ha. This mouth coating ruby red wine offers up notes of plums, blackberries, minerals, lots of acidity, some heat and a big-dry finish. It sells for $56 at Post.

On to the Barbaresco, in this case a Sottomano Barbaresco Fausoni 2010. The 2010 Barbaresco vintage has been described by producers as spectacular and it was evident in this wine from a tiny — 1.5ha — 35-year-old vineyard in Nieve. This definitely is a food wine, starting with its huge nose of sweet cherries. On the palate there are cherry, earthy and Balsamic notes. And despite monster tannins, the wine proved accessible. Post price: $47.

Azelia Barolo 2008, our first Barolo, was a winner, in part because of its wallet-friendly price, just $32 at Post. A bit closed, the nose suggested the sweet fruits to come on the chewy, full-bodied palate. I picked up notes of prunes, licorice and cocoa with a mouthful of soft tannins. Accessible now, but it certainly will age well.

Our second Barolo and last wine, was the Chiara Boschis Barolo Cannubi 2008  is produced with Nebbiolo grapes grown in the well-known Cannubi vineyard. Chiara Boschis is the only female winemaker in Barolo. The nose is floral and fruity and on the dense, balanced palate there are generous notes of berries and minerals along persistent, albeit soft, tannins. With a 95-point score by the Wine Advocate, the wine was the priciest of the tasting at $80.

Skin flint that I am, I limited myself to buying one bottle: The Azelia Barolo. It’s hard to pass up such good value.

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June 8, 2013 · 1:38 pm

A charity showcase for Long Island’s brewing talent in Bellport June 13

Participants from the last Bellport Charity Beer, Wine and Food Tasting event

Participants from the last Bellport Charity Beer, Wine and Food Tasting event. David Shultzer is fourth from right in bottom row.

An annual Long Island event that has become a launching point for some of Long Island’s newest and smallest breweries takes place on June 13, 6-10 p.m. at the Bellport Country Club.

“It’s been a cool little showcase of Long Island’s brewing talent,” says organizer Dave Schulzter, owner of Bellport Beer and Soda, one of top beer merchants on Long Island.  “It’s the first exposure for some brewers before they are anybody.”

This year’s lineup of 18 breweries includes Outer Lands Brewing and The Brewers Collective, both groups of advanced home brewers who intend to go commercial. Ten restaurants and two East End wineries also are participating,

Schulzter, who for many years has been involved in the charity tasting event, the Bellport Charity Beer, Wine and Food Tasting  marks the fifth year he’s doing it on his own with sponsorships from a local wine shop, South Shore Wines and Liquors and a home brewers group, Long Island Beer and Malt Enthusiasts. “It’s been very rewarding,” he said of the work involved in running the event.

All proceeds from the event – beer, food and wine are donated – go to local charities.  Tickets to the Bellport Charity Beer, Wine & Food Tasting are limited to just 300. It takes place 6-10 p.m. on June 13 at the Bellport Country Club.  Local charities receive the proceeds from the event. Three hundred tickets are available. Tickets are $45 in advance and $50 at the door. Tickets can be purchased online.

Proceeds from event will go to Camp Pa-Qua Tuck, which serves disabled children; The Lighthouse Mission , a faith-based soup kitchen in Bellport, and for three scholarships for deserving, needy seniors at Bellport High School.

Who’s going to be there?

Participating brewers include: Barrier Brewing, Blind Bat Brewery, Blue Point Brewing, Brewers Collective, Brewers East End Revival, Brickhouse Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Fire Island Beer Co., Ghost Cat Brewing, Great South Bay Brewing, Greenport Harbor Brewing, Long Ireland Beer Co., Long Island Beer and Malt Enthusiasts, Port Jeff Brewing, Rocky Point Artisan Brewers, Sixpoint Brewery and Spider Bite Beer Co.

Among the restaurants and bars participating: Avino’s Italian Table, of Bellport; Bellport Country Club; Bobbique, of Patchogue; The Brickhouse Brewery, of Patchogue, The Good Life, of Massapequa Park; American Cheese, of Sayville; Ms. Michelle’s Urban Gourmet, a gluten-free bakery/café in Bayport, and Jackson’s, of Commack.

Wineries at the event include Ospreys Dominion Vineyards, Southold, and Comtesse Therese, Aquebogue.

The Bellport Country Club is at 40 S. Country Rd., Bellport.

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June 6, 2013 · 7:13 pm

Bordeaux’s Stéphane Toutoundji’s advice to Long Island merlot producers

Stéphane Toutoundji in the Raphael vineyard, Peconic, NY

Stéphane Toutoundji in the Raphael vineyard, Peconic, NY

Stéphane Toutoundji, a Bordeaux-based consulting oenologist says the Long Island winery owners and winemakers he’s met have plenty of passion, interest in producing high quality wines, a good climate and good land. What they lack, he said, is perfectly ripened grapes at harvest.

“The wineries are pretty good on the technical side. Everything is there,’” he said, “The only problem is the weather around the picking time.” Often, he said, winemakers are harvesting too late.

Long Island winemakers “have to concentrate on the picking in the vineyard,” he said. ”The key is to have very ripe fruit.”

In addition, he said, winemakers  “have many things to do in the cellar and the vineyards.” He recommended changing the way they barrel age, the temperature at which they ferment their wines and the amount of oxygen they allow into their wines.  He said he favors micro-oxygenation, a process widely used in Bordeaux to introduce oxygen into wine a controlled manner.

Toutoundji, who spent three days this past week with members of the Merliance trade group, visited their wineries and laboratories and offered feedback and guidance on viniculture and wine making technique

It was the consultants first visit to the region and the first time he has sampled its wines. On Long Island, he mostly sampled wines from 2007, 2010 and 2012 vintages as well as a few older bottles at a dinner, which he said aged well.

He described Long Island merlots and merlot-based bends as “very traditional wines with a bit of oak.” He noted, “The fruit is not the same [as elsewhere], the wood is well integrated. It’s well balanced.” White wines, he added, also “are pretty good.”

An early student of the famous oenologist, Michel Rolland, Toutoundji has been a partner since 2002 in the Gilles Pauquet Laboratory in Libourne, France, now known as Oenoteam. It currently serves 300 wineries worldwide, including 60 Bordeaux châteaux, some of them Grand Cru Classe, many in St. Emilion and Pomerol, where merlot is the predominant grape.

Toutoundji’s itinerary included Clovis Point (Jamesport), McCall Wines  (Cutchogue), Raphael (Peconic), Sherwood House Vineyards  (Jamesport), T’Jara Vineyards (Mattituck) and Wölffer Estate Vineyard (Sagaponack).

Among his concerns he said is the sandy soil of Long Island vineyards, which allow rain at harvest time to accumulate near the roots of the vines, causing berries to swell. “If you drain the soil, you get rid of a lot of water,” he explained.

Russ McCall, president of Merliance and owner of McCall Wines, said of the consultant’s visit “was an eye opener” and showed the necessity for the region’s winemakers to communicate more with their colleagues around the world. “We’re a bit insolated on Long Island.”

McCall said Toutoundji’s technical guidance was better suited to the winemakers than winery owners.  And the winemakers were happy to have it.

“It’s always great when a consultant comes in,” said Roman Roth, executive vice president of Merliance and winemaker and partner of Wölffer. He said consultants like Toutoundji challenge winemakers about what they have been doing in their wineries.

As for Toutoundji’s views on drainage, Roth said drainage is trendy topic in France and that Bordeaux oenologist and winemaker Jacque Lurton, who consulted with the Merliance members a year ago, offered similar advice.

Roth said while improving drainage in the vineyards is worthwhile because it more flavorful fruit at harvest, it’s a big capital expense and better suited to new plantings.

Nevertheless, Toutoundji was optimistic for Long Island winemakers growing merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot. “This climate is right to grow Bordeaux cepages. It’s good land to grow wine for sure,” he said. “This area will have a very good future for the wine business.”

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March 24, 2013 · 2:44 pm

Thanks for an amazing first year

As Corkscapsandtaps.com marks its first anniversary beer has become the topic of choice.

What a year it’s been! Corks, Caps and Taps was launched just a year ago.

In that time I’ve written 81 posts —  this will be No. 82 . Not bad considering that this is just a part-time thing.

And, there have been 13,381 visits to the blog and 18,251 pages  have been viewed. More than three quarters of you are from the U.S., largely concentrated in metro New York — not a surprise, really. I’ve written about beer, wine, spirits and cider over the past year. Judging by the numbers, readers mostly have enjoyed reading about beer. And there will plenty more on that ahead.  I’ll be traveling this week to the American Brewers Association Conference in Washington, DC and writing about what American craft brewers  are up to.

To be sure, I haven’t forsaken my wine loving friends or those who prefer spirits.  They’ll get their due — as they happen. The craft beer world, it seems, is much more active.

I thank you for your readership and continued support.  I’m looking forward to another amazing year.

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March 11, 2013 · 1:27 pm

Long Island vineyard’s Kickstarter campaign exceeds goal; 2 weeks remain

The owners of a Southold, Long Island vineyard seeking $15,000 in crowd-sourced funds to plant an acre of “weird” grapes have exceeded their goal with more than two weeks to go.

Aided by a press bonanza that included an article on the online-edition of the Wall Street Journal   as well a story in this blog, the owners of Southold Farm & Cellar thus far have received 123 pledges for a total of $22,135 that will allow them to plant an acre of Teroldego grapes—and more.

The owners, Regan and Carey Meador, announced March 11 that if they add another 100 backers before their Kickstart campaign runs its course, the will allow the group to vote on the next variety of “weird” grapes. “The more people talking about and supporting what we’re doing, the more effect it can have influencing folks in the marketplace whether they are a new wine lover or a vineyard owner considering what to plant,” Regan Meador said on his Kickstarter page. “ We have all the confidence in the world we can hit this goal … ”

The Meadors, hoping to bring diversity to the Long Island wine market, plan to plant Teroldego, a red Italian variety grown primarily in the northeastern region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Süditrol, Italy, and other less-popular varieties, among them Syrah, Lagrein, Goldmuskateller, Albariño and Marsanne.

They’ve called their Kickstarter campaign, “Bring Weird Grapes to the North Fork”.

Meador estimated the cost of planting one acre of grapes at $15,000, excluding land costs, with another $5,000 a year per acre, to keep the vines growing.

 

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February 28, 2013 · 3:22 pm

North Fork couple launch Kickstarter campaign to plant ‘weird’ grapes

Southold-mainThe owners of a new vineyard on the North Fork of Long Island have launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund their first plantings — an acre of what owner Regan Meador calls “weird grapes.”

The grape variety being considered by Southold Farm & Cellar is Teroldego, a red Italian variety grown primarily in the northeastern region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Süditrol, Italy.

They’ve called their Kickstarter campaign, “Bring Weird Grapes to the North Fork.”

Just three days after launching their campaign Meador and, his wife Carey (nee O’Connor) have pledges for  a third of the $15,000 they are trying to raise. The crowd-funding campaign seeks contributions of as little as $1.

Meador estimated the cost of planting one acre of grapes at $15,000, excluding land costs, with another $5,000 a year per acre, to keep the vines growing.

The couple turned to Kickstarter, because they have a friend who had success “funding everything.”

Regan and Carey Meador

Regan and Carey Meadow

The Meadors, both 33, combined their savings with money from relatives last year for their $800,000 purchase of a 23.7-acre one-time vineyard from Leucadia National Corp. Since then, they’ve been busy restoring a house on the property they’ve dubbed Southold Farm & Cellar.  They’ve also prepared the vineyard for planting. Prior to the farm’s sale to Leucadia in 2006 the property was known as Charles John Family Vineyard.  Leucadia pulled out all the vines on the site on County Road 48 and Horton’s Lane.

Meador, who has no formal wine making training, has taken courses from the University of California-Davis and has been apprenticing as an assistant wine marker with Adam Suprenant at Osprey’s Dominion in Southold.  The couple moved to the North Fork from New York City in June 2011.  Before turning to wine, Meador was a planner at the New York City advertising agency, Euro RSCG, where he worked on campaigns for Heineken and Dos Equis beers.

He said the couple considered other places to start a vineyard, including Texas’ Hill Country, where he grew up. But moving to the North Fork, where Carey Meador grew up and where her parents still live “made the most sense,” he said.

Meador admits that planting a grape that few have experience with is “a shot in the dark,” but he said he hopes that this will distinguish Southold Farm & Cellar from the dozens of other wine producers in the region. “It’s an intriguing grape,” he said, noting that he’s tasted wines from the Finger Lakes made with Teroldego. For the future, he’s considering plantings of Syrah, Lagrein, Goldmuskateller, Albariño and Marsanne.

Meador’s interest in “weird” grapes isn’t so far fetched.  He said growers on Long Island’s East End, particularly Channings Daughters in Bridgehampton, have experimented successfully with a range of grape varieties beyond the region’s workhorses, merlot and chardonnay. He hopes to get young vines from a California nursery into the ground this spring.

In addition to Channing’s plantings of such less popular varieties as Lagrein, Pinot Grigio, Tocai Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat Ottonel, Malvasia, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Bianco, Blaufrankish Dornfelder, Teroldego and Refosco. Palmer Vineyards in Riverhead has a patch of Albariño grapes, Paumanok VIneyards in Aquebogue has plantings of Chenin Blanc Pugliese Vineyards in Cutchogue grows Sangiovese.

The Meadors plan to take it slowly.  Their initial goal is to plant just seven of their 23 acres of grapes and, possibly, later add an orchard with heirloom apples trees to eventually make cider.

Meador said he hopes to brand his business by making wines that offer different tastes and textures from what is typically available on the North Fork. He said he also intends to take some cues from Brooklyn’s Red Hook Winery, which has produced an eclectic variety of wines using Long Island grapes.

Ultimately, Meador said, he wants to build his own winery, but the foreseeable future, he said, he’ll contract produce elsewhere. He said he might purchase Cabernet Cranc for a Chinon-style wine and, perhaps, Sauvignon Blanc, next harvest “to get the ball rolling.”

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February 19, 2013 · 5:34 pm

James Beard Foundation lists wine, beer and spirits pro award semifinalists

Who’s the top wine, spirits or beer professional in the country?

You’ll find them among The James Beard Foundation’s 2013 list of semifinalists for its annual award, the nation’s most prestigious recognition program honoring professionals in the food and beverage industries.

Finalists will be announced March 18 and the award will be presented on May 6 at Avery Fisher Hall at New York City’s Lincoln Center.

award-largeThe James Beard Foundation is a New York City-based foodies’ organization, named for the late cookbook author, educator and champion ofAmerican cuisine.  The Beard Foundation offers a variety of events and programs designed to educate, inspire, entertain, and foster a deeper understanding of American  culinary culture.

The list of semi-finalists, in alphabetical order:

The 2012 award winner in the category was Paul Greico, owner of Terroir Wine Bar in New York City.

The nominations were derived from  an online open call for entries that began in mid-October. This year, more than 44,000 entries were received, a list which the foundation’s restaurant and chef committee reviews to determine eligibility and regional representation. Based on the results and eligibility requirements for each award, the committee then produces a nominating ballot that lists the semifinalists in each of the 20 restaurant and chef awards categories, which include outstanding wine, spirits, or beer professional. The list of semifinalist nominees is then sent to an independent volunteer panel of more than 600 judges from across the country. This panel, which includes  leading regional restaurant critics, food and wine editors, culinary educators, and past James Beard Foundation winners, votes on specific award categories to determine  final five nominees in each category. The same judges then vote on these five nominees to select the winners. The governing awards committee, board of trustees, and staff of the James Beard Foundation do not vote, and the results are kept confidential until the presentation of winners on  May 6.

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December 27, 2012 · 4:29 pm

Rosé Champagnes tinted for exclusivity

Opening rose Champagne at recent tasting

Opening rose Champagne at recent tasting

Rosé Champagne is in fashion.

That’s what Ed McCarthy, author of “Champagne for Dummies,” told a recent gathering of the Wine Media Guild, a group of scribes who gather monthly in Felida restaurant in New York City to sample wines and lunch.

Indeed, according to Drinks Business magazine, U.S. rose Champagne sales rose 50 percent last year – despite a 20 percent price premium over non-vintage brut.

In some ways, it’s not surprising.  Sales of till rosé wines have been rising, too, as tastes have changed from dense reds and oaky whites to lighter styles.

A decade ago, rosé Champagne accounted for only 4 percent of the total Champagne production and some houses did not make it, McCarthy said. Now, it represents 8 percent of total production and most producers have rosé sparklers in their portfolios. Annual sales haven’t dropped in a decade – despite the higher cost  Perhaps, that’s due to a perception of exclusivity.

Rosé Champagne is the moniker for Champagne that’s been tinted pink by the addition of pinot noir or pinot meunier grapes or wine.  Sometimes, these wines informally are called ‘pink’ Champagnes. Chardonnay is the only other grape permitted as a component of  Champagne. A touch of red wine can be added to an existing white cuvee that’s been made with chardonnay or another less-used method, called saignee,  may be used under French wine making rules. In the method called saignee — French for “bled,” the free-run juice of the red grapes is run off or bled from a batch of crushed  grapes after a short period of maceration or skin contact.

Champagne expert Ed McCarthy

Champagne expert Ed McCarthy

That addition of red wine does more than color the wine. Rosé Champagnes tend to be more full bodied than others, McCarthy said, and, as a result, they go well with food—entrees. They do not, however, work with  desserts, because they are dry. And there’s more red fruit character —  berry aromas and yeasty meaty flavors — identified in the wine.

For Guild’s December gathering, McCarthy curated a tasting of 15  impressive rosé Champagnes, including 10 non-vintage bottlings and five vintage bottles. The prices for the wines ranged from $48 to $300 a bottle.  I enjoyed wines at all price points, but I must admit my top pick was the Perrier-Jouët Belle Epoque Rosé, the priciest bottle in the bunch.

The wines, listed in ascending order in terms of body:

Bruno Paillard Brut Rosé Premier Cuvèe NV.  $70. A blend of about 85 percent pinot noir and 15 percent chardonnay, this wine was pale in color, almost golden, completely dry with delicate red fruit notes. McCarthy described this as the driest of the 15 wines sampled.

Ayala Brut Rosé NV. $48-$54. The only wine on the list for under $50, it was made from 53 percent Chardonnay and 47 percent pinot noir (partly from  old vines). A blend of premier and grand crus, McCarthy noted that Ayala is a corporate sibling of Bollinger, though the wine is different in style. Salmon hued, I liked the yeasty notes and light berry/cherry flavors. A good buy.

Henriot Brut Rosé NV.  $60. Mostly pinot noir with some pinot meunier, vinified as red wines, and then blended with chardonnay. Delicate fresh-tasting wine with berry notes. McCarthy described it as an elegantly styled wine from a little-known producer.

G.H. Mumm Brut Rosé NV. $70-$75.  Salmon hued, 12-14 percent pinot noir. Quite fizzy, dry with hints of berries.

Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Brut Rosé NV. $70-$80. Made from 100 percent pinot noir using the sagnee method, this salmon-colored wine, aromatic with floral and red fruit scents,  first was produced in 1968 and now is the category benchmark. It is aged at least four years and offers yeasty notes of biscuits and hazelnuts with juicy red berry and cherry flavors.

Taittinger Brut Prestige Rosé NV.  $60-$65. McCarthy noted that 30 percent chardonnay has replaced pinot meunier in the blend which contains 70 percent pinot noir. The wine spends three years on its lees. Cherry-pink hue with berries on the nose and biscuit and berry and cherry notes on the palate. Crisp finish. A good buy at $60.

Alfred Gratien Brut Rosé NV. $62-$75. Gratien is not a household name, McCarthy said, adding that the wine is aged in old barrels. It’s 45 percent chardonnay, 4o percent pinot meunier and 15  percent pinot noir. Light pink color with a great fizz, dry with notes of red fruit.

Gosset Brut Rosé NV. $70-$80. Mainly chardonnay (58 percent) and rested on its lees for four years, this salmon hued wine was mouth filling, quite dry with notes of fruit and dough.

Louis Roederer Brut Rosé 2007. $65-$70. This wine by Louis Roederer, a specialist in pinot noir, contains 67 percent pinot noir. Pale pink in color it delights with notes of almond and tart fruits.

Nicolas Feuillatte Palmes d’Or Rosé 2004 $180-$200. Copper salmon  in color, this  limited production, 100 percent pinot wine needs more time to develop, said McCarthy. Nevertheless, it offers fruit and nut flavors.

Perrier-Jouët Cuvée Belle Epoque Rosé 2004.  $300. This  grand cru chardonnay-dominated wine, McCarthy said, is the “epitome of elegance.”  The most expensive of the group with six years of aging, it was my favorite of this group.   Pale salmon in color and richly textured, it offered a delicate blend of  tart fruit and biscuit flavors with lively acidity.

Moët & Chandon Brut Rosé 2002. $80. From the  largest producer of Champagne and a great vintage, this salmon tinted wine is quite dry with hints of fruit. McCarthy opines “it just needs time.”

Pol Roger Brut Rosé 2004. $110. I’ve been a big fan of this house since I met Christian Pol Roger years ago at a dinner on Long Island.  This salmon colored, pinot noir dominated wine has berries on the nose, a fruity palate and finishes quite dry,  McCarthy said it “is really not yet ready to drink.”

Bollinger Brut Rosé NV. $85. “A huge pale-copper wine that is 64 percent pinot noir, I found this to offer hints of toast and to be extremely dry and austere.

 

 

 

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November 18, 2012 · 4:34 pm

Tellers beverage director Paul Villela picks unusual reds for fall sipping

Second of two parts

Paulo Villela, Tellers Chophouse beverage director, prepares for tasting of fall reds.

In a dimly lit alcove aside the bar at Teller’s Chophouse in Islip, on a Friday evening not too long ago, five bottles of wine and a filled decanter stood on a table along with a tray of bulbous wine stems awaiting Paulo Villela. Platters of hors d’oevres sit atop a nearby table.

Villela, beverage director at Tellers and other restaurants in the Bohlsen Restaurant Group portfolio, was preparing for an educational tasting for a few select patrons, who’ve paid $50 each for the privilege of tasting with the master, and for members of Tellers’ staff.

Tellers’ bespectacled wine guru, who’s been pouring wine professionally in New York City and Long Island for nearly a quarter of a century, believes in keeping the serving staff of the Bohlsen restaurants up on the newest wines and regularly conducts sessions in each of the restaurants.

Tellers’ Paulo Villela, left, makes a point about a wine as Corey Burke, a Tellers manager looks on.

On this particular evening, Villela has chosen a handful of wines he says are perfect for autumnal dinners. Many are Rhone varietals. “Rhone varietals are best in the fall. They’re big, but they work with a lot of different foods,” he explained, noting that they suit the seasonal items on Tellers’ menu.

Moreover, these wines were from small artisanal producers unfamiliar to many imbibers and made from grapes varieties that Tellers’ regulars, generally fans of big California cabernets, might not recognize. Offering small production wines, Villela says, let’s Tellers standout from its competitors. “They’re not overexposed. They’re only available in a few boutiquey retail stores,” he added, noting that it  doesn’t look good if Tellers is selling a wine at triple what a patron might pay in a discount wine shop.

The first offering of Villela’s wine practicum was Flux 2009 a Grenache dominated Napa Valley red blend from Mark Herald Wines. Winemaker Mark Herald, who has PhD in ecology with a focus on fish biology, made the blend with 68 percent grenache, 15 percent syrah, 12 percent carignan, and 5 percent petite sirah. A big, alcoholic wine with notes of black and red berries and the silkiest of tannins, Tellers sells it for $60 a bottle.

Up next was a wine few of Teller’s regulars likely would ever order on their own: Robert Foley Vineyards Charbono 2008. Charbono, known as bonarda in Argentina, is a red grape that originated in Savoie region of France and one that Villela explains has been used for years for blending in California. Foley is one of California’s most-respected winemakers and a partner in Brooklyn’s Red Hook Winery. A big luscious wine, the charbono offers notes of berries, earth and graphite and, yes, high alcohol. It’s $80 on Tellers’ list.

Villela’s third selection was Gramercy Cellars Lagniappe 2009, a Washington state syrah produced by Greg Harrington, a master sommelier who formerly worked at New York City-based BR Guest restaurants.  It’s a chewy wine with soft tannins, good acidity and an lengthy finish and, surprisingly, just 13 percent alcohol. “This is definitely a wine made for food,” Villela tells his guests. The wine is $90 on Tellers’ list.

Wine No. 4 was a Rhone-style blend, McPrice Myers Beautiful Earth 2009, from California’s Central Coast Paso Robles appellation. It’s 72 percent syrah blended with grenache and mourvedre. An inky, powerful, jammy fruit bomb with 15.8 percent alcohol, notes of black berries with tarry notes. So thick, it coats the tongue and it has a finish that seems to go on forever. $90 for a bottle at Tellers.

We followed with C.S. Cellars Old Vines Petite Syrah 2006, a Napa Valley wine that Villela described as a small production (3,000 cases a year) artisanal producer owned by veteran winemaker Chris Sweetanos, formerly of Twenty Rows. The nose is herbal, the body big and palate coating ,with notes of roasted prunes and figs. $60 at Tellers.

Our final selection, also a petite syrah, was the Scholium Project “Babylon” Tenbrink Vineyard 2005, a North Coast California wine from the iconoclastic, oft controversial winemaker Abe Schoener, also a co-owner at Brooklyn’s Red Hook Winery. This wine had been decanted two hours earlier. Big (17.1 percent alcohol) and chewy, it offers a nose of earth and graphite and big cherry fruits on the palate. Villela calls this “a very serious wine.” It goes for $160 a bottle at the restaurant.

On the first Friday of every month Villela shares with patrons six wines that best illustrate a theme. His December tasting, for example, will feature prestige Champagnes. Space is limited and reservations are on a first come, first serve basis. The cost is $50 per person. To reserve call (631) 277-7070.

 

 

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November 4, 2012 · 10:59 am

Bohlsen’s wine guru Paulo Villela pours trophy wines and ‘cougar milk’

Bohlsen Restaurant Group Beverage Director Paulo Villela in the wine vault at Teller’s Chophouse.

First of two parts

 Paulo Villela is a man of influence.

As beverage director of Long Island’s Bohlsen Restaurant Group, his influence extends to the thousands of patrons who dine at the group’s five high-end eateries: Tellers Chophouse and Verace in Islip, Monsoon in Babylon, H2O in Smithtown, Prime in Huntington and the moderately priced Beachtree Cafe in East Islip. That makes Villela one of the most powerful wine buyers on Long Island. Bohlsen’s restaurants ring up $3 million a year in wine sales.

At the group’s flagship eatery, Tellers, the Brazilian-born Villela oversees a wine cellar with 8,000 bottles –1,000 labels – that includes scores of reserve California Cabernets, rare Barolos and hard-to-find white Burgundies that sell for hundreds of dollars each. You’ll also find cult wines like Screaming Eagle, Harlan Estate and Schrader Cellars stored in the walk-in vault of the 1927 art deco former bank building. Wealthy doctors favor these bottled trophies, some priced to $3,500, he confides.  “They cost a lot of money. We charge a lot of money for them, too.”

While admitting its fun to offer cult wines and helps to create a buzz, Villela notes that patrons have become more price conscious. Needless to say, there are plenty of lower priced options at Tellers and the group’s other destinations. “Somebody looking for [a] $40 [bottle] can find it very easily on our short list.”

And, of course, there’s wine by the glass, which starts at $9. Indeed, Villela says, wines by the glass are fastest growing trend across the group, enabling diners to try less-familiar wines, such as Viognier, Falanghina and Gruner Veltliner, and educate themselves without asking a sommelier for assistance.

But the group’s top seller is Pinot Grigio with 24,000 glasses of the ubiquitous Italian white wine slurped up annually at all the restaurants. Villela and his staff refer to Pinot Grigio as “cougar milk.” (Hopefully no additional explanation is required.)

Bohlsen Restaurant Group Beverage Director Paulo Villela shows off wine tap at Verace.

A lot of wine poured at the group’s restaurants is served from kegs, rather than bottles. The group was among the pioneers of the wine-on-tap movement with the launch of Verace, which offers a custom merlot-based red blend made at Long Island’s Raphael Vineyard  and chardonnay and pinot grigio from Piedmont’s Iuli Winery, which is delivered in tanks to Raphael and then kegged. Wine-on-tap, Villela explains, delivers an exceptional price-to-quality ratio. To be sure, there is no keg wine at Teller’s,

At Tellers with its beefy menu, reds, especially Cali Cabs, dominate sales, but these Cabs also sell well at H2O, a seafood eatery. “People still want to have what they’re into regardless of the food,” Villela says. “You’ve got to give people what they want.

To be sure, the Bohlsen restaurants support Long Island’s producers with a list that includes Castello di Borghese, Channing Daughters, Lenz, Macari, Paumanok, Peconic Bay, Wölffer, Shinn Estate and Sherwood House. “The level of quality has risen in the last 10 years,” Villela notes.

Villela’s interest in wine began as a youth in southeastern Brazil, where he grew up on a farm neighbored by Italian immigrants who provided him with homemade wine as long as Villella brought his own bottle. After finishing up a degree in agricultural engineering at Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, a family medical issue necessitated a move to New York City in 1983, where Villela found work as a bus boy. He later managed a restaurant, Dolcetto on the Upper East Side, and in 1996, he joined the staff at the Windows on the World, because, he said, he wanted to learn more about wine at the city’s top wine program.  “I went from GM at a restaurant to busser,” he said, explaining that he took the only open post available at Windows. He became a captain in less than a month, learning wine from gurus Kevin Zraly and Andrea Immer Robinson

Now, Bohlsen’s wine guru, the 1998 Sommelier Society of America class valedictorian, joined the group in 2008 after working at Blue Fin Restaurant at the W Hotel in Times Square.

He’s been a welcome addition. “Paulo brings a breath of fresh air to our wine program. His love and appreciation for wine has fueled a culture at the Bohlsen Restaurant Group where wine knowledge is cool,” says Bohlsen co-owner Michael Bohlsen. “The members of our staff have intricate experience with wines ranging from local Sauvignon Blanc to Argentinian Malbec.  This wine knowledge translates to a more well-rounded, seamless dining experience for our guests at the bar and in the dining room.”

Adds, Villela, “We have a very motivated staff.”

Fluent in five languages, Villela conduct staff wine education programs at each of the restaurants and tastes 40-50 wines per week and regularly visits Napa Valley, Italy, Greece, Chile, Argentina, Germany and Spain. Away from work he drinks Cali Cabs, German Riesling and whites from Northern Italy. “I love wines with food,” he says. 

Next: Tasting fall reds with Villela

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