Steve's latest wine epiphany from NYC
It felt so good to be back in New York City last week-my hometown, the place I grew up and fell in love with wine. Every day in the city gave me new inspiration to see as much as I could, and most importantly, to eat as much great food and drink as much amazing wine as I could possibly digest. While sitting at my friend’s restaurant Dell’ Anima on 8th Ave, I scanned the exclusively Italian wine selection, only to find a rare vintage of Gravner Breg, a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Ribolla, Tocai. This has been a long time favorite wine of mine, and has been known to pop up on the wine list at Carpe from time to time. The winemaker, Jasko Gravner, is known as one of the great pioneers of wine making in Friuli, in the northeastern corner of Italy. He forgoes the use of oak barrel fermentation and exclusively uses amphorae (large ceramic pots). Additionally, he will extend the maceration period for sometimes up to 8 months! This wine is a crazy, out-of-the-box kind of wine, which is why I love it so much. The flavors make you ponder everything you know about wine and you will find yourself perplexed by its unique flavor characteristics and texture. I challenge you to pair this wine with our housemade Burrata or the Claypot Harissa Chicken. For $150 bottle, this is a special wine for an incredible experience. Check out http://www.gravner.it/ for more information
Another wine that got inspired me recently is the 2009 Von Holt Pinot Noir. I love these small-scale wine producers because I can see and feel the heart and effort packed into their wines. This boutique wine is no exception. Chris Von Holt was a secret service agent back in the 80’s and was lucky enough to travel the world during his free time and make it to Burgundy, France. Like many people before him, he fell in love with the expressive Pinot Noirs of the region, and the rest is history! His retirement found him the opportunity to buy up some fruit in the Russian River area and begin making wine. This particular pinot is very approachable and well balanced, with those classic, nice earthy tones. Pair this wine with our Stuffed Shrooms or our Quack n Cheese for a killer pairing. This is on the wine list by the glass at $13 or $52 for the bottle. For more information go to: www.vonholtwines.com
Cheers Everybody!
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