Manoavino Taste!

New York Wine Salon - Wines Stories, Experiences, Adventure Only In New York City

New York Wine Salon, founded by the in imitable W.R.Tish, promises and delivers "Wine Happenings and Happening Wine." It is hard to describe all that Wine Salon does with their events, wine news and reviews, their rich blog and comprehensive searchable wine shop guide.

I got to meet the gregarious and entertaining Tish at a Sips and Giggles event at the Gotham Comedy Club.  Since then our paths have crossed at other events and I really enjoy the content on the www.nywinesalon.com site. You can always count on something interesting, engaging and enlightening happening there.  

Friends Enjoyed This Wine Recomendation - Charming Gruner Veltliner by Laurenz V.

We always love it when friends and fans tell us they enjoyed one of our wine suggestions. Here is an e-mail we got this week. Have a wine you liked? Please share.

"This is how Will and I are enjoying the wine! Quite a beautiful pairing. Looking forward to getting together with you on the 15th for sure! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday."   Anne

The wine Charming Gruner Veltliner by Laurenz V. Perfect for all types of Asian cuisine.

Albarino Wine of Rias Baixas for Your Fall and Winter Enjoyment - Even Thanksgiving

Don't ask my why but when I think of Spanish white wines I think of spring and summer. I love to make white sangria with Albarino. It may be because I dream of Espana as a warm and sunny place. When a friend suggested I consider Albarino for Thanksgiving I had to rethink this.

In Fall and Winter I think of deeper wines like Riesling or Pinot Blanc from Germany, Austria or Alsace France.

But what better wine for the cold of winter than a bright crisp golden wine like Albarino. Here are two that we like.

Llai Llai Pinot Noir 2009 - Love at First Sip

Llai Llai Pinot Noir is an intriguing lady, I was immediately captivated by her sexy black label. But, it's what's in the bottle that led to my "love at first sip."

This wine is from the beautiful Bio Bio Valley south of Santiago, Chile. In the land of the Mapuche her name means wind, strong wind.

Crafted by Louis Vallet of the well known Pierre Bouree Fils French wine family and the worldly Marcela Chandia of Chile this wine is adorable. From the first sip it put a big smile on my face and joy in my heart. 

Cascina Luisin - Langhe Nebbiolo - Maggiur - 2009 She asked for Tannins and She Got Them

Nell and her good friend Crystal graced us with their presence for dinner Monday night. The offer of Dad's delicious home made Eggplant Parmesan was irresistible or they were just broke and need a free meal.

In any case, last time we had dinner together Crystal shared how much she liked wines with nice up front tannins. You know that thing in some wines that makes you feel like you bit a lemon or sucked a dry popsicle stick, that parching kind of sensation that you sometimes find in tea.

Well knowing she liked this I ran over to Gary's in Wayne after work to look for a wine with nice tannins. I was thinking Dolcetto or Barberra, but a wise woman on the floor guided me to this perfect and well priced wine Maggiur CascinaLuisin Langhe Nebbiolo it was a great selection.

The Crossings Pinot Noir - Awatere Valley, NZ Enjoyed at Home - Next at an Asian Restaurant

What makes a great wine? Often they arise out of events a 100,000 years ago. Unbelievable? Perhaps, but we need to learn how the fertile Awatere Valley in New Zealand became such a great place to make wine we need to go back to the Ice Age.

You see it was this big ass glacier and some awesome tectonic movements that cut this valley and left a place for some amazing soil structures of grey clay and limestone called "Grey Marl" to form. Mother Nature at her finest.

"What" you say "does that have to do with great wine?" Terroir, my friend, terroir. The special land and air and winds and sun and climate and all of nature that allows skilled wine makers to turn good grapes into great wine like this gently abundant, silky and sumptuous Pinot Noir from The Crossings.

Nice Day on the Beach Ends with Great Beer and Dinner at Twin Light Taphouse

It was so sunny and just warm enough yesterday to put down the top on the sports car and take a ride down to the beach.

We have wanted to check out some of the other beaches from Sandy Hook south to see if there was anything as nice as our favorite Sea Girt. We checked out Sea Bright, Monmouth Beach and Seven Presidents Park in Long Branch.

Seven Presidents is nice but we still like Sea Girt best. We were so close to Highlands, NJ that we just had to stop at one of our favorite taphouses Twin Light.

Thanksgiving Wines 2011, What We're Thinking About - Dinners and Wines from around the World

Mano a Vino started back in November of 2005 with a humble post on our Thanksgiving wines that year. They were all by women in wine, noted female wine makers who have continued to be iconic in the field. Thanksgiving 2005 Wines By Women. The wines we chose for that day are just as good today.

When it comes to T'day our first thought is Champagne or other dry sparkler to start and Pinot Noir. In 2007 we suggested these two. But there are so many other wines to consider.

Riesling, Gruner Veltliner & Cotes du Rhone are some of the wines that come to mind. The style and influence of your Thanksgiving menu should have a lot of influence on your wine selection.

Perhaps you would like to share your favorites in a comment below.