Manoavino Taste!

Speaking of Beer - Star Hill Brewery Charlottesville, VA "The Gift of Great Beer"

I tasted this great lager at the restaurant "The Local" in Charlottesville, VA.

The brewery, Star Hill, has a slogan "The Gift of Great Beer" and this Jomo Lager certainly lives up to that claim.

It is smooth flavorful light amber lager that is crisp and clean with a slight malty sweetness. I really enjoyed it.

The bad news is that you cant find it in New Jersey. The good news is that I have yet another reason to go back to Charlottesville.

Tutidi Cortese a Fun Sparkling White from Piemonte

We poured this fun sparkling wine for some friends the other night.

It is made by the same people who make Tutidi Brachetto a red sparkling wine that we also loved.

"Tutidi is a tantalizing white wine that is an everyday treat . Made from 100% Cortese , a native grape to Piedmont, the wine is a delicious unoaked white that is dry on the palate but possesses a very pleasant floral nose." Winemaker Notes.

It is great as a starter wine with light Italian cheese or salted nuts.

MANO A VINO AFTER DARK Agwa de Bolivia by Nell

We have a new author here who will be writing a new series of posts called MANO A VINO AFTER DARK. Please let me introduce Nell Conway.

Millennial, Gen-Yer, what ever label you may attempt to apply, she offers the voice of another generation. And we are excited to share her words.

Here is her first review of a very interesting liquor called Agwa de Bolivia. Not to my taste in particular but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Ravines Wine Cellars Makes it Easy to Fall In Love with Finger Lakes Wine

Winebow's 22nd Annual Vintners' Harvest was a spectacular showing of the latest offerings of many of the worlds greatest winemakers. I did not have a lot of time so I focused on finding some new wines that I had never experienced before. I saw that there was one vineyard from the Finger Lakes so I set my sights for their table.

I have been hearing more and more about how great the  wines from this region have become. There are over 100 wineries along Keuka, Seneca, Cayuga and Canandaigua lakes. The region's micro-climate provides the ideal growing.

Still I did not expect a lot. To my very pleasant surprise I was completely blown away by how good Ravines Wine Cellars's wines are.

A very nice dinner at Red Hen Bistro Wood-Ridge, NJ - Restaurant Review

I had heard about Red Hen many months ago, but it was a little out of the way so never made it there. A Groupon bridged that gap and Nell and I had dinner there the other night.

We took a nice Cotes du Rhone Les Garrigues a great wine for the Red Hen Menu.

The food is wonderful here which makes up for the few shortcomings.

We Loved the Rooftop Beer Garden Birreria at Eataly in NYC

In our never ending search for the perfect draft we finally made it to Birreria the fabulous rooftop beer garden atop Eataly on 23rd and 5th in NYC.  Needless to say the location is exceptional and the food and beer and wine on tap are the best.

We were on our way to another event but had a few minutes to enjoy two draft beers. 

Whether you are a beer or wine lover this is a place you must try.

Luce IGT Toscana 2007 - Another Extraordinary Vintage from Luce Della Vite Estate Montalcino Italy

There was quite a bit of excitement over opening our first bottle of the 2007 vintage of a wine that has won so much praise over the years.  I had been waiting for weeks for just the right moment and last night was the night.

I don't know about you, but one of my greatest pleasures is a dinner at home with good friends and a great bottle of wine or two. My cooking buddy Greg Calbi and I put together quite a feast. But the real star of this meal was Luce.

Upstairs Restaurant and Cocktails is Fabulous - Montclair NJ

After what seems like years in the making Aki Kaneda's dream of creating a beautiful and  superb cocktail restaurant in Montclair has become a reality. His new Upstairs Restaurant above Aki's other restaurant the loved Dia Kichi is now open. NEW REVIEW January 2013

From the moment you open the door and step onto to the translucent icy blue staircase you know you are somewhere special.

Judging from the sophisticated crowd that packed Upstairs last night I think many people agree.