Mano a Vino

Amanti Vino Wine Club

Hey, I am one lucky guy. Got a year of great wine with Amanti Vino's Wine Club for my birthday. Hurray.

As you may have noticed I have very eclectic taste in wines. When I visit Amanti I am in like a kid in a candy shop . They have such a great selection of interesting wines and this is shared well in their wines of the month.

Started off with the September  Club Goda selections of a Spanish wine, Primativo Quiles Raspay, 100% Monastrell. And an Italian, Cantina del Taburno “Torlicoso”, 100% Aglianico.

A "Growler" From Whole Foods Beer

A recent trip to NYC included a stop at Whole Foods Bowery Beer Room.

I picked up a "Growler" of Sweet Action Ale by Six Point the outstanding craft brewer located in Brooklyn, NY.

Stew Leonard's Wines Clifton, NJ

I checked out the humongous new Stew Leonard's Wines of Clifton.

The store is overwhelming at first and has a rather confusing layout. There are lots of unfamiliar labels, most are displayed in stacks of cases. Some of the name brands are over priced. In my opinion there is not a great selection, considering the size of the store.

Wines are arranged by region or varietal but they are spread out in a plan that I found difficult to follow. There are many signs and shelf talkers that explain the wine, suggest food pairings and offer some ratings. For that I give them credit.

Strawberry Street Vineyard Richmond, VA

During a recent visit to Richmond, VA I had the opportunity to check out a great wine shop there called Strawberry Street Vineyard.

 

It is located at 407 N. Strawberry Street in the heart of the Richmond, Virginia's beautiful Fan District.

They offer a great selection of local, American and international wines.

Wine Tasting - Montclair, NJ

Magnolia's in Upper Montclair, NJ knows how to do Saturday wine tastings right.

Since the NJ legislature changed liquor laws to allow in-store wine tastings most good wine stores are showing or rather pouring their wares on Saturday afternoons. Most serve these tasting with those little plastic cups that are usually used for dispensing medicine. This is cheap and practical, I agree, but really diminishes the nose and flavor of the wine.

At Magnolia's they serve their wine tastings in quality stemmed wine glasses. This really enhances the experience and allows you to experience the true essence of the wine.

Today I tasted two great spring/summer wines. A Friulian Pinot Grigio and a Rose from McLaren Vale. 

Wine Tasting - CoolVines and Banville & Jones

Mark Censits, the man behind www.CoolVines.com a great new concept for helping you to find wine that you will really enjoy, invited me to a wine tasting at Limani Seafood Grill in Westfield, NJ.

When I arrived I was delighted to find friends from the great importer Banville and Jones Wine Merchants who were sponsoring the event and showing some of their fine wines.

Let me tell you about the great wines that were served.

Gary's Wine - Oakville Ranch Tasting

You can always count on tasting great wine at Gary's Wine Marketplace in Madison, NJ.

I made a special trip tonight to see Paula Kornell of Oakville Ranch Vineyards and taste their wines.

Oakville Ranch is a wonderful property in Napa owned by Mary Miner who with wine maker Ashley Heisey turns out amazing wines by letting mother nature do her thing. Paula, with her southern charm, is General Manager and the voice and Ambassador of this fine winery.

A Great Wine Store in Boonton

In the valley below the hilltown of Boonton, NJ lies a great wine store called Liquor Outlet Wine Cellars.

Ok I admit I am waxing poetic, but tooling my Saturn Sky up the steep drive into Boonton I couldn't help but reminisce of rides into Panzano, a hilltown in Tuscany, in our Alfa Romeo.

Boonton is a charming with many cafes and pubs. That's Panzano on the right. Boonton is below.

Liquor Outlet Wine Cellars is away from Main Street in a warehouse and factory area on Myrtle Avenue, close to Interstate Route 287. It stood out as a bright oasis.

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.

Bertelli's New Web Site

Bertelli's Fine Wine, Beer & Liquor, Clifton, NJ, has a new web site you may want to visit.

Bertelli's has been a favorite wine store of mine for many years. When my office was in Clifton I stopped by the shop often.

Now I do most of my buying on the Web or Amanti Vino.

The new site is simple and clean, easy to navigate and offers quite a selection of great wines.

The new site is simple and clean, easy to navigate and offers quite a selection of great wines. Not the least of which is an incredible collection of Barolos. 1993 through 2001. Wow.