Mano a Vino Montclair

Good Mustard

I grew up with mustard, my parents were Pennsylvania Dutch, we all loved hot dogs, hamburgers, bratwurst. Mustard was the condiment of choice.

But it was not until I met Rudy Polack, who became my father-in-law, that I came to know the fine art of good mustard.

Rudy was an owner of a venerable, but little known, NY institution that until the late 1990's made mustard and vinegar at their factory on  431 East 91st Street in New York City. The old factory is now  the site of a great food emporium, Eli Zabar's Vinegar Factory . In earlier years Rudy, Baker Brands, made some of the world's freshest and finest mustards and vinegars, they were all private labeled, for food purveyors like Nathan's, Kosciusko, Gold's and practically every good Jewish deli in NY.

He taught me to recognize good mustard, which for the most part means fresh mustard.

Good Inexpensive Wines

Here is a report on 10 Wines in the Ten Dollar range we tasted recently.

The availability of good wines at this price point continues to grow. While the market for expensive wines is going out the roof, virtually every wine store also has a good selection in the $7 to $12 range.

My favorites of this group were a Chenin Blanc, Mulderbosch 2006 Stellenbosch, Africa and a Pinot Noir, Cully 2006 Marlborough Valley, New Zealand.

Summers Over

We are back after a tremendous Summer including a fabulous trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Back to work, and the beginning of a new season of wine pleasure.

Summer inspires roses, fine light bright white wines from the Mediterranean and Adriatic shores, Burgundy or Loire Valley .

Now we look to deeper richer wines for fall. We turn our eye to Germany, the Pacific Northwest, and Alsace.

Magnolia's - Upper Montclair

For over 12 years my friend John Finkel has operated the fine wine store in Upper Montclair called Magnolia's.

Through their excellent selection of special wines, frequent participation in Montclair fund-rasing events and a great wine of the month club, Magnolia's has a loyal following.

Passover Food and Wines

Joy Weinberg, managing editor of Reform Judaism magazine wrote to let us know about an event you may like to attend. " Top 50 Kosher Wines at the RJ Wine Guide Launch Event" Thursday, March 15, 2007, 7-9pm, at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, 1 West 4th Street, New York.

With Passover less than a month away the timing is perfect. To attend, reservations are required, call the Wine Event RSVP hot-line: 212-650-4243. by this coming Tuesday, March 6.

New Wine Store in Lyndhurst

Leigh Haydon has opened a new wine shop in Lyndhurst.

Stopped by this past Saturday to check it out.

The store concentrates on Italian and California wines, but has good offerings from Spain, France and around the world. Saw several favorites and a few new gems.

OTBN 2-24-2007

Open that Bottle Night is just a few weeks away.

Created six years ago by Dorothy Gaiter and John Brecher, who write the Wall Street Journal wine column "Tastings", OTBN gives us an occasion to open a special bottle of wine that may otherwise sit too long.

Spring Wines

Now that I can finally sit out on our deck and enjoy the sights of spring I like to keep my wine "cellar" filled with delicious spring wines.

These include Reisling, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Grigio, Albarino and Sauvignon Blanc, among others of course.

Please read on, and send me the name of your favorite spring wine.

Dinner at Home - Recipe and Wines

Wednesday evening, homework, teachers conference, Lost, dinner at home.

An excellent recipe for an easy to assemble Asian dish and wines to contrast and compliment.

Learn About Wine

There are many opportunities and resources for learning about wine in our area.

Here are some listings of the ones we like.