Manoavino Taste!

Mairena Bonarda by Familia Blanco - As Beautiful as the Woman on the Label

We first discovered Bonarda the other great Argentinian Red Grape six years ago and really fell in love with it because it pairs well with many foods and has a lucious personality that we really enjoy.

While in Buenos Aires this past June we tasted a lot of wonderful Bonardos like the amazing La Florencia Bonarda from Familia Cassone in Mendoza. Unfortunately Bonarda has not gained the popularity in the US that Malbec has and they are not that easy to find. It is very popular in Argentina

We were delighted to come across this very good Bonarda called Mairena Bonardo by  Familia Blanco of Mendoza Argentina.

Hot Dogs - A Gourmet Item? Oh Yes Oh Yes - Daniel Boulud Chooses New York’s Best Nouveau Hot Dog

Around the Conway household hot dog night is a major event.  We try and emulate the great dogs served at the now closed Amazing Hot Dogs.

We use the best dogs we can find and have over a dozen condiments to dress them. Baked beans, fresh cole slaw and good fries are part of the feast. We usually drink beer, birch, root, ale or lager.

Some of our essential ingredients are below.

We were very excited to see this article, Daniel Boulud Chooses New York’s Best Nouveau Hot Dog and are looking forward to trying the 5 of his top 7 we have not had yet.

Australian Wines by our friends at Lets Talk Wine

Australian Wines

More than a century ago Australian wine had reached the level of French wine. There would consistently be prizes given to certain Australian wines. However wine making in Australia faced one of the worst nightmares in the wine world. An epidemic of phylloxera bursted out and threw the Australians back to ground zero for decades.

It wasn't until the late 1970s when they started to grow again. To give you an idea of the evolution in both quality and quantity, exports to the US went from a little over 500 thousand cases in 1990 to 20 million cases in 2004. Today, the Australians occupy the 4th place as far as production goes, and concerning quality they are among the top 5 producers in the world. Let's talk about some of the highest class wine regions in Australia:

News from Michter's the most popular Rye on Mano a Vino

Our readers love Michter's Rye and so do we. So we thought we would share the news that they are building a new distillery in  the historically and architecturally significant Fort Nelson Building at 801 West Main Street in downtown Louisville, directly across the street from one of Louisville’s top tourist attractions, the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. Sounds ike a great destination for a road trip to me.

The new facility will be open to the public and will offer educational tours and tastings. Yea, that sounds good. 

Located on Louisville’s Museum Row, the Fort Nelson building’s striking exterior is a classic example of 1890’s cast iron architecture. Iwas fascinated to learn that Louisville and the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan have the United States’ two most important concentrations of buildings exemplifying great American cast iron architecture.

More on Michter's

A Generous Pour at The Capital Grille Paramus NJ

I received a very nice invitation to a press reception for the kickoff of The Capital Grille's "A Generous Pour" a wine tasting event offering some very good wines at very good price.  The event began today July 12th and runs through September 4th.   

I am not a big fan of corporate chain restaurants and frankly was not expecting to be that impressed.  But I had some time, so I decided to give it a try.   

Boy were my expetations wrong. While Capital Grille has over 40 locations and is owned by a large restaurant operating corporation their attention to detail and passionate commitment to producing a quality dining experience really WOWed me.

I will explain further on in this post, but let me say this, find the Capital Grille nearest you and get to this event, it is an opportunity of a lifetime.

FIAF Bastille Day 2011 New York & New Jersey

Leisure, surely one of the greatest rewards of asserting our independence. July 14th, Bastille Day, like America's 4th of July is an annual cause for celebration and engagment in the abundant leisure we work to preserve.

The word leisure comes from the Old French noun use of infinitive Latin licēre - to be permitted. Whether it is permitting yourself to simply do nothing or to play deeply in some fun activity it is an essential part of our human existence that should be exercised often.

Now before you start thinking "why is he waxing all philosophical" let me mention that the words on the beer, wine and food are coming, for this past Sunday in New York and this Thursday in New Jersey we celebrate Bastille Day and engage in great leisure with the French Institute Alliance Française, for the French are so very good at it.

Love French Food, Wine, Music? Join Us Here.

Fête du 14 juillet !

Buy Tickets

Join the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) at the beautiful Van Vleck House and Gardens in Montclair on Thursday, July 14, from 7–9pm to commemorate France's National Day with a fabulous summer fête! Enjoy French wine, sample delicious French food, dance to live French music (featuring Les Chauds Lapins and accordionist Dante), and best of all, win great prizes featured in the NJ Bastille Day Raffle. Prizes include a Nespresso "Citizdot" espresso machine, French classes, a Marc Jacobs watch, and much more! Buy your tickets today and get ready for an evening of celebration à la française !

Cloverleaf Tavern Caldwell, NJ Great Beer and Burgers and More

Our summer NJ beer mission lead us back to the Northern New Jersey favorite Cloverleaf  Tavern. We used to go there often but for whatever reason had not been back for a few years.

Recently I saw an ad or listing somewhere talking about Cloverleaf's "MBA" (Masters of Beer Appreciation) and was immediately intrigued.

Went there for dinner the other night and so glad we did. There are many great dishes on the menu but we decided to have a couple of their great burgers and sampled two beers on Cloverleaf's menu of over 25 beers of tap and over 50 in bottles.