Manoavino Taste!

On my way home from Red Hook I stopped off in Maine at the Red Hook Lobster Pound

I was visiting a client in Red Hook yesterday and decide to find a place for lunch. I had heard about all the great restaurants, bars and food places that have been growing in Red Hook Brooklyn, The Red Hook Diet. We have been meaning to get over there for some time.  Now with the new Fairway open and the new Ikea, Red Hook has become an even greater destination.

Came across this real gem that made me feel like I had suddenly been beamed up to Maine. The place is called the Red Hook Lobster Pound where I had the most delicious lobster roll and seafood chowder ever. 

Planning some great desserts for our Greek dinner tomorrow with Foods of the Greek Islands by Aglaia Kremezi http://www.aglaiakremezi.com/

Fun for this weekend, Montclair Varsity Hockey Banquet catered by great http://rosariosbutchershop.com/ and a Greek food and wine party with best friends.

Trius Riesling Dry Hillebrand Winery Niagara Peninsula 1999

My friend Ray Graj bought me this big bottle, a magnum, a few years ago. I have been waiting for ages to open it up, needed a special occasion.

Well the occasion came and it happened to involve dinner with Ray and our darling wives, we decided on Brookside Thai. Riesling is a perfect wine for Asian cuisine. I was a little nervous, you never know how well white wines will age. This one was now 10 years old. The wine comes from the Canadian wine region called the Niagara Peninsula. It was delicious.

Brave the elements and get to this great tasting today at Amanti Vino, Montclair, NJ

Today my friends at Amanti are pouring a wonderful array of Spanish wines.

The tasting will be presented by Dave Stewart a Wine & Spirit Education Trust student who is just back from a wine tasting trip in Spain.

He is presenting some really outstanding wines. One of my favorites being served is Loxarel OPS from  Alt Penedes Catalonia, Spain. It is made of the Spanish grape Tempranillo with Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot it is a great wine for people just learning to enjoy Spanish wines. It is also a tremendous value.

New Cocktail - Ginger Rose- Sparkling Rosemary Ginger Mint Raspberry Lemon Vodka

Here is another exciting cocktail that you will just love.

It takes some work but is beautiful to eye, has a wonderful scent and is deliciously intoxicating.

Made with vodka, white rum or tequila. I also use lemon, rosemary, mint and ginger simple syrup and a splash of seltzer.

I call it Ginger Rose.

Served it at three parties so far and most everyone loved this concoction.

Shiraz (Syrah) Part 3 , D’Arenberg - The Stump Jump from McLaren Vale, Australia.

McLaren Vale is one of my very favorite wine regions. I have a dream to live there some day. They say it is where the "Vine meets the Sea" and locals say “It's a secret you don't want anyone to know about sometimes...” or “It's a culmination of eccentric people who love to play, and love to get the most out of life...” My kind of place for sure.

D’Arenberg is one of the most significant wineries in McLaren Vale. Their slogan or mission, The Art of Being Different, is surely realized in this wine, The Stump Jump Red a Grenache, Shiraz & Mourvedre blend. A wine of the Rhone Valley with that wonderful Aussie flair.  

Syrah part two, Boekenhoutskloof, The Wolftrapp Syrah, Mourvedre and Viognier from South Africa

I first tasted this wonderful wine a couple of  years ago at the great South African wine bar, Xai Xai in New York City.

My brother in-law Perry Weinstein and I were hanging out tasting wines and absolutely loved this one.

I was thrilled to see it at one of our local wine shops.

It is a deep full bodied red, just what you would expect from South Africa, but the Viognier gives it a playful openness that I really enjoy.

Founded in 1776, Boekenhoutskloof is one of the oldest farms situated up the "Valley" in the Franschhoek foothills. Marc Kent is the wine-maker, cellar-master, and part owner of this homestead and wine farm.