I’ll be in the shop watching the view from our giant glass window that looks out onto West Broadway.That’s the fun part, cozying up inside with a glass of wine and watching NYC take a short break from the hustle and bustle. I love that about a snowstorm too, everyone is forced to slow down a little. These short breaks leave a small amount of residual guilt about not being super duper productive in a city where time is of the essence and every minute is valuable, but a break much welcomed and deserved.

Today is Cabernet day, maybe that should have been the headline. I opened a bottle of 2005 Stellekaya Cabernet Sauvignon from Stellenbosch South Africa to taste today. It’s a full- bodied Cabernet which was inspired by the brightest star in the constellation, Scorpius. The “giant red” called Antares forms “The heart of the Scorpion”. The grapes are hand harvested on cool mountain slopes and are limited production. We give so many props to winemaker Ntsiki Biyela for raising wine awareness to non-whites and women in South Africa. She’s an inspiration to say the least, having grown up in a poor rural village to becoming South Africa’s first black female winemaker. Her spirit and hard work ethic was contagious when she visited us here at Maslow 6, we were in awe and genuinely loved all of her wines.

Another home team wine we opened was a California Cab from Lake County,CA called Line 39- named after the latitude where great wines are made across the globe. This wine from the Cecchetti Wine Company, just north of Napa, is full of bright red fruits and a smooth med body that is easy to drink on its own.

Both of these wines paired very well with the game we had on in the shop. Great for calming game-time anxieties and for revving up the spirit.

We’ll be tasting wines every day to represent the teams playing and our friends from many distributors will be joining the fun to pour for you and educate you on the wines we select.

Maslow6 loves celebrating wines from all over the world and this is a great opportunity to share our selections with you. We even have wine from Uruguay which is a sure winner.

It all starts Friday, we’ll be tasting two amazing wines from South Africa. The Stellekaya Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch, from South Africa’s winemaker of the year Ntsiki Beyela. This is one of my favorites. Complex full-bodied, dark fruits, and a bit of cedar.

Oh and speaking of cedar, we’ll also be trying a new white in the shop from Cederberg South Africa- the Bukettraube (name of the grape). It’s a rich white wine with notes of honey, dried apricots, and just so darn unique.

Let’s toast to USA and hope they make it level two. USA! USA! USA!

It all started in San Francisco, with a generic bottle of red wine at a Halloween party in ’94. This night led someone with a dislike for alcohol to convert to all out wine lover. “It was a bottle of Gato Negro, that I bought for 5 dollars at a corner  store.”  That was the night Tara discovered wine. “A lot of people say I’ve got the wine bug, and it’s kind of true. I guess you can’t avoid it,” says Tara.

She had always been a lover of the food industry, working in bakeries, delis, and restaurants at the age of 14. Due to her interest in the food industry combined with her brief stint in office work, she realized she needed stick with something lively. Wine was her calling. “Wine is such a social thing. People drink it, talk about it, grow it. It’s a never ending cycle of learning.”

Tara just completed her exam certificate through WSET, wine spirits education trust, at a UK certified wine school. She is currently working towards her diploma, starting a two-year intensive program through WSET at the International Wine Center.  In her studies of wine she has encountered many different wine personalities, but the common denominator is simple: a passion for the grape juice. “Making something good and sharing it,” says Tara. “Its an innate passion that you have that drives you to be a part of the wine business.”

She truly realized her passion for food and wine working at Paloma, former Top Chef, Camila Becerra’s restaurant in Brooklyn. There, Tara got the privilege of creating a wine list for this small but well-known restaurant. Working closely with the chef and pairing wine with food became adventurous to Tara. However, tragedy struck Paloma as the restaurant burned down and was forced to close.

After a few months, she found Maslow 6…

“Maslow 6 is so inclusive and there’s a lot of room for creative freedom,” says Tara. Watching Mollie (Maslow 6’s Sommelier extraordinaire) is a great inspiration to Tara and the other staff. As Tara says, “Maslow 6 gives us the platform to hone our skills. Keri gives us the freedom to work on what we want.” At Maslow 6, they not only sell wine from many different distributors, but they host educational seminars and classes. So Tara makes a point, there is a lot learn from.

As for her future plans, Tara will be going to Bordeaux this fall for the harvest and learning vinification at Chateau La Gatte, which she is very excited about. Beyond that it’s clear that whatever it is, it will definitely involve wine.

The party was set up with assigned seating to encourage people to meet each other and socialize. Some were friends of friends, family, celebrities, or just folks who heard about it and wanted to be a part of the unique experience. One night a love connection was made when a woman had a single reservation and a gentleman was stood up by his date, we sat them together and they gabbed the whole time. The tables were set up to sponsor this type of communal dining.

Alan started every night off with an introduction of the staff and a few jovial words on how the idea was conceived, reminding all of the “party” in dinner party and to have fun with it. Camille ended the night with a spectacular presentation of a giant lavender cream filled Croquembouche pyramid lit up with flaming sparklers. Every night this caused applause and it felt like we had just completed a successful play of events, waiting for the curtain to go down.

The food and wine were amazing and the dinner was cheap considering all that came with it. The price was 75.00 and 100.00 with wine pairing. The experience itself was like no other, in a city where everything feels like it has been done already.

This dinner party will be presenting itself to NYC again soon at a yet to be announced location.

Here are some links for more info- check it out and stay tuned for the next party…don’t miss out!

www.thehungernyc.com

http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/good_day_ny/pop-up-restaurant-the-hunger-20100514

http://www.nypost.com/p/lifestyle/food/born_to_eat_and_run_BBwnGJFtnHjx5BVpJjmdCO

http://www.papermag.com/2010/05/about_last_night_the_hunger_pr.php

How is Chianti Classico linked with this film? At Maslow 6 we were inspired in general by the TFF, which is airing some fantastic films this year and we were reminded of the stories that lay behind so many great bottles of wine. Part of what makes them what they are is their story. We thought it would be a fun exercise to pair some of the wines with the films – to link the stories in an admittedly loose fashion. And to maybe spark some interesting conversations along the way.

So, back to Chianti Classic and Nice Guy Johnny. The film is from someone who loves old New York: Ed Burns, who has Tribeca as his home and muse (see the Tribeca Trib article in the April 2010 edition). Our minds went to Little Italy with old New York, and from there to Chianti. The chord that struck us about this film is the struggle to become yourself: to define who you are, to be willing to change some things but also to stick to the core of what defines you as you, even in the face of outside pressures.

Chianti Classico is a wine region that has struggled to define itself: what is it, and what makes this historic zone Chianti. It has undergone major changes over the last 20 years – both good and not-so-good. The geographic boundaries of the zone, and grape variety have been primary to Chianti’s struggle. These, along with yields, density of planting, and clones used, have all played a role in what ultimately Chianti (Classico) is today.

For a long time Chianti did not produce high quality wine. The old bottles with straw on the outside that were used as candle-holders with wine that was too acidic were unfortunately not uncommon. Today however that picture has changed completely.

Chianti’s roots go back several centuries. The zone of Chianti was originally identified back in the days of the Florentine Republic. In the 1870’s Bettino Ricasoli defined the ‘formula’ for Chianti: Sangiovese, with a significant portion of white grapes. Canaiolo in particular was used for softening. Here we have the essence of Chianti defined: geographic zone and varietal(s).

Several things happened to Chianti that were not-so-good:
• The varietals used at the time became part of official policy in 1967 when the DOC enshrined the traditions of the time and captured the letter of the original formula if not necessarily the spirit: 30% of white grapes were allowed.
• The original zone that had been defined as Chianti was greatly expanded when the officials attempted to capitalize on the Chianti “brand”.
• The government sponsored re-plantings which resulted in a “quantity over quality” approach for many people.

As a result, some producers decided that being identified with the supposedly more prestigious classification of Chianti DOC was really not where they wanted to be and they went off to make wine as either a Vino da Tavola or later as an IGT wine (see another blog for more details here). Others worked to make the best wine they could make, as Chianti, but also to change the rules.

The Chianti Classico consorzio has existed for some time. This consorzio has operated under the principle that the original geographic (and not the extended) boundaries should be observed for the Classico designation – this was officially recognized when Chianti Classico became its own independent appellation in 1996. In 1989 the consorzio initiated the Chianti Classico 2000 project which experimentally tested things like the specific clone of Sangiovese used, the yields, and the density of plantings in the vineyard. Great improvements have been made in the vineyards partly due to this project.

The crux of the identity struggle recently has come down to varietal: how much Sangiovese does one need to have and how much is ‘too much’ or ‘not enough’ of something else ?

In 1984, the blending rules were changed so that only 2% of white grapes had to be in Chianti (but you still needed a minimum of 2%). Also, up to 10% of “foreign” varietals could be used – i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

In 1996, the rules changed again: the requirement of having a minimum percentage of white grapes was removed entirely. Now, one could have a 100% Sangiovese wine and call it Chianti Classico (a good thing I think). However, the maximum allowance for “international” grapes increased to 15%. It increased again recently, to 20%.

Is a wine with 20% Cabernet Sauvignon still Chianti Classico? I side with the folks that say no. Or at least it is awfully difficult. Cabernet is simply too powerful to take a back seat at that high a percentage.  Sangiovese needs to be able to show its own elegance, nuances, and red and dark cherry perfume that gives it its Sangiovese Chianti Classico character. That core of angular firmness and grace without relying on sheer power. (see Nicolas Belfrage’s boook: Brunello to Zibibbo for a persuasive argument). The key here is typicita, or retaining the essence… not an easy or simple formula to be sure nor does having a low percentage of Cabernet guarantee a good Chianti Classico (or one that shows typicita). Back to the film, I am dying to see what decision Johnny makes.

A producer who embodies the true essence of Chianti Classico is Felsina. Albarese – rocky, limestone and clay – is the predominant soil type of their Chianti Classico holdings. The current owner is Giuseppe Mazzocolin and his father-in-law acquired the property in 1966. The Rancia Riserva bottling is 100% Sangiovese, made from a single vineyard. It is a pure wine and structured for aging. Refined, nuanced, aromatic, and totally in balance. Chianti Classico comes into its own. Try the 1995 with us on April 23rd.

For a producer who is on the higher edge (in my opinion) but who does a gorgeous Chianti Classico and is a master of the Sangiovese grape (and yes, it does show all those great Sangiovese nuances and can be at peace with itself), try Fontodi. The Fontodi Chianti Classico Riserva “Vigna del Sorbo” 2006 is richer than some, yet elegant and beautiful. Even with high Parker points. It has dark cherry fruit, with minerality and a bit of tobacco. Or the 2006 Fontodi Chianti Classico, coincidentally written up in the Los Angeles Times today.

References:
Vino Italiano: the Regional Wines of Italy by Joseph Bastianich & David Lynch
Brunello to Zibibbo by Nicolas Belfrage

A big sweet and salty ham is the perfect match for a dry Riesling. The high acid cleans your palate  and if it is a sweet glazed ham the honeyed fruits will bring out the peach and apricot typical in a German Riesling. Our 2006 Sybille Kuntz trocken is the one you want.

Ham makes me think of pineapple, which makes me think of my favorite white wine, Zierfandler. This would be another good white for a sweet ham and a also an interesting choice for a dinner party. Not very well known, it is a unique grape that has honey and quince notes, spice, high acidity, and full body. Let me suggest the 2006 Stadlman ‘Mandel-Hoh’ we have in the shop.If you prefer red, a Beaujolais or Barbera D’Alba would be great with their light body and bright red fruit. One of my favorite wines in the store right now is the 2007 Dante Rivetti Barbera D’Alba. So perfect with food and so delicious on its own as well.

For all of the vegetarians this easter there are many crispy white wines to pair with your asparagus and carrots. Gruner Veltliner for asparagus, Sauvignon blanc for salads, Gewurtraminers for savory and spicy lentil dishes.

Here in NYC, the temperature is hitting the 70’s for the holiday. I would pair a cold bottle of rose for sitting outside in the grass watching the clouds float around and hunting for easter eggs. The 2009 Christian Lauverjat Sancerre Rose is my recommendation for grassy environments with notes of spring breeze and bloom.

I will be working in the shop all day on Easter. Stop by and entertain my easter food/wine pairing obsession and let me suggest a good bottle or two. However, I caution that I am not a professional, and most of my information comes from the internets.

The Ameztoi Txakolina (sounds like chocolina) Rose has arrived at our shop for the taking. It’s a Basque wine made mostly from the indigenous Hondarribi Zurri grape. What is so unique about this wine is the spritzy lemon-lime zest you get that pops when you open the bottle. On the palate it has a burst of strawberries, high acidity, and citrus. Although you will expect a little sugar, it is surprisingly dry. The Basque region has a tremendous influence from the Atlantic ocean, which makes this wine a perfect match for seafood. I’m thinking about oysters right now!

A couple of new restaurants opened in our neighborhood, which are BYOB. Exciting! Come by our store and we can help you choose a bottle.