Manoavino Taste!

$50 Malbec, Wow, You have come a long way

I have been a big fan of Malbec for what seems like a couple of decades. I think I first tasted it at a favorite little Argentinean restaurant Chimichurri Grill on 9th Avenue in NYC.

It is a great summer wine because it goes so well with grilled meats and barbecue. It is usually a great bargain. A wine I truly enjoy.

In a great NY Times article today, Argentina Opens the Tap for Malbec by Eric Asimov,  I learned that dedicated wine makers have been turning Malbec into a world class juice commanding as much as $50, some $100 a bottle.

Here is a beautiful value wine by Lapostolle Casa, a Chardonnay from the Casablanca Valley Chile

This wine was discovered in a great tapas bar Tapas Adela in the Baltimore waterfront area called Fells Point. It is a delightful Chardonnay grown in the sublimely beautiful Casablanca Valley, Santiago, Chile under the guidance of Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle.

It is one of Lapostolle's entry level wines and at around $11 it is a wonderful every day wine. Her higher end wines sell for as much as $75.

Diana liked this wine Grillo Del Barone by Tenuta di Serramarrocco

We always have fun when we are at a wine bar. Diana describes the type of wine that she likes, the bartender looks at her in bewilderment, I translate, and then usually, not always, she finds something she likes. I may take several tries.

You see she says I like "a very complex, full bodied, white wine, with effervescence, not too oakey, full on the tongue, lots of minerality, and a big ending, fruity but not too sweet, " etc)

So we were drinking wine at Gottino......

A delcious wine at Gottino Wine Bar NY - Franco M Martinetti Colli Tortonesi Georgette - Croatina Grape -

Last night we stopped by our favorite New York City wine bar, Gottino. Hung out with one of our friends behind the bar, Kevin Kaye, chatted for a few minutes with Jody Williams and enjoyed some delicious wine and food.  

Gottino's backyard garden is now open for Spring.

We tasted some very good wines. The one I enjoyed the most was a wine from  Franco M Martinetti vineyard in Torino, Piedmonte, Italy. It is made with an unusual grape called Croatina.

Wine Blog Wednesday - "Got Gamay"

I don't know how it started but a thing called "Wine Blogging Wednesday" continues on. For episode 68 Frank J. Morgan who writes on Drink What You Like has brought to focus what he considers one very underrated grape, Gamay, with a challenge of "Got Gamay."

This is the grape that is used to make Beaujolais, which perhaps sadly is most publicized as Nouveau Beaujolais. It's full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc, a  grape that is believed to have first  harvested in the village of Gamay, south of Beaune, Burgundy.

Local Bars, The Landmark Tavern Livingston NJ

When I was a kid my parents loved going to taverns, most had dining rooms and the kids would sometimes get to join mom and dad for dinner. These are fond memories. In Morristown we used to go to Cutters, Mt. Kemble Inn and other places. Down the shore a favorite was, and still is, Kubel's in Barnegat Light.

In those days good taverns existed in practically every town. Now most are gone. Two that have endured the decades of intrusion by corporate places like Bennigan's, Holihans and the like are The Landmark in Livingston and Billy and Madeline's Red Room in Whippany. I like them both.

We met friends for dinner at The Landmark which lives on in Livingston where the Houlihan's has closed.

Urban Chicken, Montclair, Damn Good Ribs and Chicken with all that Special Sauce

Had our first dinner from, the new to Montclair, Urban Chicken.

All the rave reviews are well deserved.

We got one of the "Urban Combos", the 4 X 4, 4 ribs (they through in 5) 4 pieces of southern fried chicken, breast, wing, leg & thigh, 4 corn breads (or rolls), with mashed potatoes (or Fries). 

There are a variety of homemade sauces, all pretty darn good.

We enjoyed it all.

See more here:

Yelp &  Baristanet

Urban Chicken

43 Glenridge Ave
Montclair, NJ 07042

(973)  746-1271

Found this Great Dessert Wine, Monbazillac, While Exploring Joe Canal's in Woodbridge

Joe Canal's is a chain of discount liquor, beer and wine stores in  
Southern and Central Jersey. They have a pretty good reputation for offering good beers and wines at great prices.

I was on my way to Woodbridge to visit family for dinner when I spotted Joe's Iselin-Woodbridge store on Route 1 and decide to stop in.

I found a great dessert wine and some other goodies at a really great price.