Manoavino Taste!

“Great Appetizers by Great Chefs” Kicks Off Jersey Shore Restaurant Week™

TD Bank presents “Great Appetizers by Great Chefs” to kick off Jersey Shore Restaurant Week™ on Thursday, March 31^st at the Dauphin Grill in the Berkeley Hotel in Asbury Park. Sponsored by Gosling's Rum, Pernod Ricard Wines and Larson Ford, this event is everyone's favorite way to begin Jersey Shore Restaurant Week™. Sample top Jersey Shore chef's favorite appetizers. Complimentary Wine Bar featuring delicious wines from around the world. cheese bar, pate station, dessert room. Live music by the Soul Singers.

Restaurants and vendors participating to date: Kleins, Tre Amici, Brandl, Dauphin Grill, Matisse, Spicy's Cantina, Remington's, Red's Lobster Pot, Ship Wreck Point, Harpoon Willy's, Alexian Pate, Bay Head Cheese Shop, Sweet Bottom Cookies....more to come! VIP and general admission.

Details and ticket purchase available at www.jerseyshorerestaurantweek.com.

Gruner Veltliner a Wine to Enjoy this Spring and Summer

Ok, can I make a suggestion? Something different for your spring and summer wine enjoyment. Pass by your Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc or Albarino and try a Gruner Veltliner from Austria. Call it Gruner or "Grooner."

We have been preaching the word of Gruner for years now and have yet to find an unhappy convert. It is delicious food friendly wine. They are not as easy to find, but the good news is there is a whole new flock arriving in NY and NJ this year. So tell your wine store, "Get me some more great Gruner!"

The bottles we suggest include.....

Sokol Blosser Evolution Great with Thai Food, Forgot what I was Missing

So we were out to dinner with our friend Cathy, Conrad was working, so it was just Diana, Cathy and I and some of the kids. We decided on Thai so I brought a bottle of Sokol Blosser Evolution, we were headed to JukGajee but they are closed on Sundays so we ended up at Brookside.

Cathy is one of my dear friends who I share cases of wines with. Whenever I find something I know she'd like I buy enough to share. In fact she brought a bottle De Morgenzon Chenin Blanc that we had just split a case of, another wine that goes very well with Thai.

We decided to open the Evolution, Cathy took a sip and gave me a look. What you don't like it I asked, no, she said, I want to know why you have never shared this with me before. It's fabulous.

Well the truth is.

Plum on Park Great Place for Breakfast, Lunch and Saturday Brunch

Natalie Colledge has breathed new life into the old Park Street Dinner and created a delightful retro, stylish, cafe, coffee shop called Plum on Park,  in that cute little dinner at 16 Park Street in Montclair, NJ.

She has been open for awhile now and I am sorry I have gotten there soon, I will be a regular from now on.

This is the kind of place every town should have for breakfast and lunch. They offer a wonderful brunch on Saturday too.

Stump Jump Shiraz with Asian Style Grilled Skirt Steak Recipe

Stump Jump Shiraz by d'Arenberg vineyards of Mclaren Vale was selected as #82 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 of 2009.

It goes perfectly with grilled meats like the grilled Asain Style Skirth steak, see recipe and video below. We also really like it with Barbecued ribs and hamburgers. 

We love d'Arenberg and wines from Mclaren Vale.

Find this wine at Magniolia's Wines in Upper Montclair

Spring Wines

Now that I can finally sit out on our deck and enjoy the sights of spring I like to keep my wine "cellar" filled with delicious spring wines.

These include Reisling, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Grigio, Albarino and Sauvignon Blanc, among others of course.

Please read on, and send me the name of your favorite spring wine.

Taste Some Great Malbec Wine this Saturday at Magnolia's in Montclair

Malbec is a wonderful medium bodied fruit full wine from Argentina that has just exploded in popularity in the US over the last few years. Their are dozens to choose from from $10 to over $50.  We have written about many of them here.

This Staurday at Magnolia's in Upper Montclair, they are doing a fun wine tasting entitled "Three Blind Malbecs", a blind tasting of three very good Malbecs from three great Malbec producers, including one of our favorites. 

Hope to see you there.

Saturday March 12th 2:00 to 6:00

Magnolia's Wines 42 Upper Montclair Plaza · Upper Montclair NJ 07043 Phone: 973-746-7337

Dear Laurenz and Sophie we love your Singing Gruner Veltliner

8 March 2011

Laurenz and Sophie Moser
LAURENZFIVE Fine Wine GmbH
Mariahilfer Straße 32
1070 Wien, Austria

Dear Laurenz and Sophie,

We are writing to say thanks so much for making such a beautiful and affordable wine, Laurenz und Sophie Singing Gruner Veltliner. After tasting your "Charming" we could not wait to taste another one of your wines.

We love to go out to wine tastings and to sip at restaurants and wine bars, but as you know, most of all, we like to drink at home with a good home cooked dinner. A very nice mutual friend was kind enough to share a bottle of Singing which we enjoyed tonight.