Wine, Beer and Restaurant Reviews

A New Look at Gary's Wine & Marketplace Wayne NJ

I have shopped at Gary's Wine & Marketplace for over a decade often traveling all the way to Madison to the original store. I've attended many of their fabulous wine events and shopped all their stores, even two that are no more. When Gary Fisch embarked on his biggest project, opening a mega wine store and marketplace in Wayne in 2008 I wondered how it would do. Certainly was not the best timing in terms of the economy, but who knew then what was about to happen.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years and the results are obvious, the Wayne store is a tremendous success but not without the tremendous passion of the Gary's Wine team and an absolute dedication to consistently delivering the finest wines, beers, spirits, foods and gifts. It is a work of constant creation, invention and scouring the globe for good things just for you. Here wine buyer Maggie Fox shows off the new wine NapaTech Wine Station.

The thing is, while I've bought at this store many times and enjoyed a lot of their great food and wine I never truely realized the magnitude of their offerings until tonight, when I took an insiders tour of Gary's Wine and got a fresh new look.

Wine and Chocolate Pairing - Terroir in Chocolate & Wine with Valrhona,The Modern & TGIC Wines

The 2012 New Jersey Wine and Food Festival at the luxurious Grand Cascades Lodge at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, NJ was - even on a cloudy rainy day - a fabulous event. 

There is much to share about the festival, and we will get to that, but let me start with perhaps the best, a Wine and Chocolate pairing entitled "Terroir in Chocolate & Wine."

Presented by the knowledgeable Lisa Petrucco of world renowned French chocolatier Valrhona and savvy Alex Guarachi of the fine international wine importer TGIC; along with, from the prestigious restaurant The Modern in NYC, famous pastry chef  Marc Aumont and appluaded wine director Ehren Ashkenazi.

I love chocolate and I love wine but have never had the real opportunity to explore them together so intensely.

Nicole's Ten Restaurant, a Trip West to Randolph NJ

We rarely go west for drinking and dining. Unless you are talking about Chicago, or San Francisco. Other than Salt in Stanhope we are usually hitting places north, south and of course east of Montclair. Randolph, NJ has never been a place we thought of as a dining destination until my daughter Nell turned us on to Nicole's 10 on Route 10 in Randolph, where she works.  

I've now drank and/or dined at Nicole's Ten 5 times, alone, with Diana, and with family or friends. Each time I've enjoyed this cocktail bar, taproom and restaurant more and more.

Here are Some Great Value Wines that We Served for a Happy Birthday Party

I served as sommilier at a very festive 50th birthday party a couple of weeks ago.  We  served some great wines that everyone loved, so I thought I would share them with you.

We found these wines at the Total Wines in River Edge NJ, and all are great values. The theme was "New Wines to Explore." The whites were grapes many people have never tried, the reds were all New World wines from the Southern Hemisphere.

Patagonian Malbec a Wine Unto Itself - Chalten Reserva from Neuquen, Argentina

I have been enjoying Malbec for years, decades perhaps, I've tasted many, but the Malbecs from Patogonia, a wine I discovered this past June in Buenos Aires, are the Malbecs I love the best.

This rugged mountainous region of Argentina is lush nature at her most almighty and the wine reflects this.The name, Patagonia, comes from Patgon the word used by Magellan in 1520 to describe the native people who he thought to be giants. Also remember the region inspired whole line of explorer clothing and gear and an international chain of stores, Patagonia.

Finding Pantagoina Malbecs in New Jersey has been a challenge. To my delight I found this one called Chalten and others from Patagonia at recent trip to the Total Wine store in River Edge.

We enjoyed it tremendously with a dinner I made with a Latin bent.