Mano a Vino - Eat, Drink, Write - Great Wine, Food, Beer and Places

Pinot Grigio - I'm sorry, I do still love you. Kellerei Cantina Terlano Alto Adige Pinot Grigio 2009

It all started some weeks ago when I posted an article titled "Gruner Veltliner Exciting - Pinot Grigio Boring."  I seem to have struck a nerve because a few days later I got an e-mail from a NY Wine PR person asking me to "Give PG Another Go." Apparently PG has gotten a bad rap, that they are trying to change.

I never meant to say Pinot Grigio was bad, even though there is a lot of poor Pinot Grigio out on the market.

I was just trying to say hey let's try something new. That's what this blog is about, getting you to try something new.  Even if it is a new Pinot Grigio. 

In a few days I will be posting a big article on nine or ten Pinot Grigios, it will include the good, the great and the horrid. In the meantime I could not to wait to post this article on a simple dinner with one of my favorite winemakers, Kellerei Cantina Terlano, and their delicious Pinot Grigio that I made tonight.

Nine Walks New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc 2010 New Release W.J. Deutsch & Sons

The news of the devistating earthquakes affecting Christchurch and Canterbury, New  Zealand has disapeared from the North American news coverage, yet it will be years before that region will fully recover.  They can certainly use all the help they can get.  Contact the NZ Red Cross if you wish.

The New Zealand wine industry, that has been growing dramatically over the last few years, fortunately was not seriously affected. Wine is an important part of the New Zealand economy so we were happy for that.

The successful international wine marketer/importer W.J. Deutsch & Sons is releasing a new NZ Sauvignon Blanc to the US market called Nine Walks. We drank this wine with a dinner of salad of very fresh vegetables from the farmers market, with homemade mustard vinagrette and some French cheese and bread.

Perfect relief for this hot summer day, cool, sweet, juicy, New Jersey watermelon sprinkled with some mineral rich sea salt, I like pink Hawaiian. Vodka infusion is optional.

Posted: July 30, 2011

 

Get out of the Heat for a Nice Cool Draft Beer at Twin Light Taphouse Highlands NJ

Twin Light Taphouse in Highlands, NJ is a a real destination for beer lovers and foodies alike. In what looks from the outside a little like a dive bar, that you might want to pass by, Twin Light is actually a warm and inviting place that you won't want to leave..

Our third visit here confirms Twin Light as the best place for craft beers that we know of in NJ.  The beers are spectacular, always something new, and the food is great.

They bill themselves as a "gastro-pub" style restaurant with rotating local craft beers on tap, a growing bottled beer list, and a interesting and flavorful menu of bar food as well as full dinners and brunch."

Weekend Trip to Charlottesville, VA - Foodie Town - The Local - Restaurant Review

We just spent a long weekend in Charlottesville Virginia, visiting friends and attending the North American Wine Bloggers Conference. I knew that Charlottesville was a very beautiful city that I was looking forward to seeing but I never knew that it is such a great foodie city. This is the first of many posts on what we discovered and enjoyed there.

It is a 6-7 hour drive from Montclair, NJ if you time your travel to avoid rush hour traffic. It is all interstate highway until you leave Interstate below DC and enter local roads in VA. Route 20 is a beautiful drive that takes you to C'ville. We put the top down and enjoyed the scenery.

Our first dinner was at an excellent "Farm to Table" restaurant called The Local in the revived Belmont section of Charlottesville. The Local is a very hip place with great atmosphere, booze and amazing food.  More Here

We will also be writing about:

• Horton Vineyard
• Barboursville Vineyard
• Rioja Party Rocks
• Bashir Mediterranean Restaurant
• What is Great About Virginia Wine
• Ten Japanese Restaurant