Manoavino Taste!

Coming Soon, Florida Hot Spots, South Beach, Delray Beach, Boca...

Missed us? Just back from a great trip to Florida.  So lots coming on that, and more Italy, etc.

Happy Thanksgiving .....Happy Thanks Drinking

Indigo Kitchen - Great Kansas Style BBQ & Soul Food

We are so happy to have chef Lance Knowling back in town. We were always fans of his original place in Montclair, years ago.  Tonight we dug into a real nice sampling of his refined and more focused menu. What NJ Monthly called “new-city” soul food in an upscale setting."  

We liked what we saw and what we ate.

Arnaldo Caprai - Umbrian Winemaker Wins European Award

We are thrilled to learn that the great Umbrian winery Arnaldo Caprai was named European 2012 Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast.

This no small accomplishment given that there are thousands of world class vineyards in Europe.

Taphouse Grill, Dogfish Head Tasting with Great Bar Food

One of our favorite taphouses in New Jersey is Taphouse Grille in Wayne. On the 14th they hosted a mighty Dogfish Head Brewery "Tap Takeover" . We got there a day late but there was still plenty to choose from, 16 of Taphouse Grills's 24 taps were running Dogfish Head's fabulous beers and barley wines.

Started off with this exotic barley wine called Olde School. It's fermented with dates and figs. So smooth, just fabulous, I savored it to the end of our meal while tasting 3 other brews.

When in Rome do as Vino Roma

Hande Leimer Sips

I came across a series of articles written by a young American woman, Amelia, in Rome to become an Italian sommelier, with a group called Vino Roma. I was fascinated by her words which I share here. 

Amelia, surely wiser than her years, pronounced and described her wine experience in the simple context of Looking, Breathing and Sipping to which I add Conversing. And here I converse with you.

As I read more deeply into the Vino Roma site I was re-delighted by how a place like Roma and a liquid called Vino, brings wonderful people, of very different cultures, together.

Insolia the Great White Wine Grape of Sicily

We love Italian white wine, "Vino Bianco," and have gotten really excited about Insolia, the great white wine grape of Sicily.

It is a wonderful food friendly wine that is perfect any time or place where you would drink a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. Depending on the wine maker's techniques it can be light and bright or more rich and full bodied.

We have been pouring the Fuedo Principi di Butera for friends since getting back from a trip to this vineyard in Italy and they've all loved it. We are buying another case.

Here are two others we tasted recently. 

Stew Leonard's Wines in Clifton and Paramus, NJ

A New Look at Stews's Wines, Five Reasons I like these stores - With Stew'sThanksgiving Wine Recomendations.

Back in 2008 when I visited the first Stew Leonard Wine Shop in New Jersey I was not that thrilled with the place. 6 months ago I started buying at the store in Paramus because it was right next door to our favorite Trader Joe's on Route 17. I love Stew's Wine now.

Here are the five main reasons I have come to be a regular at both Paramus and Clifton (which by the way will be next door to a Trader Joe's too, as of 8:00 AM on November 16th 2012.)