Daily Archives: March 20, 2018

La Cantina Wine & Liquor

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I visited La Cantina Wine & Liquor Located atĀ 2355 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458. La Cantina sits at the Heart Of Little Italy. Little Italy is my backyard I’ve grown up there and it has changed a lot as I’ve grown up but the heart and soul of it has not changed. Which comes from its Italians who still live and run businesses in the area. Especially La Cantina which opened up about 15 years ago around the time I moved around the area.Ā 

La Cantina

La Cantina

As I entered La Cantina I am greeted by staff but I also noticed that the store was narrow and had wooden columns and sections that contained wines from France, Italy, Spain, Chile, New York, and California. Anthony is the gentleman who helped me by answering the questions I had to ask for the assignment.

What’s a Shelf Talker?

A Shelf Talker is a wine that may have a description note that will indicate where it is from, grape variety, etc and what it could be paired with. Its usually used to engage potential buyers.

Anthony told me that his store did not carry any shelf talkers because to him they are useless and doesn’t fit within the ideal of the store. Being in the heart of little Italy La Cantina specializes in Italian wine and Liquor. They have Italian wines and liquors that could be hard to find in New York or anywhere else. Like Sambuca, Grappa, Amaro, and Limoncello.

I asked Anthony what he thinks La Cantinas advantages/disadvantages were, he told me the advantages of La Cantina are that they carry quality Items and Price. Which ranges from six dollar bottles to a thousand dollar bottles. Another advantage is specializing on Italian wine. La Cantina’s Disadvantage is not having warehouse pricing which has to do with the stores concept of choosing quality over quantity.

I looked around the shelves and saw the Italian wines which occupy the majority of the shelves in La Cantina. I was able to see some DOCG (Denominazione di Origine controllata e Garantita) wines from Italy.

Italy

DOCG Wines
on the left, Borgoni Borromeo Chianti Classico Riserva 2012. Grape Variety: Sangiovese
Region:
Chianti Classico
On the right, Vecchia Cantina Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Poggio Stella 2012
Grapes
Sangiovese
Region
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano

 

French Wine

Cave des Vins de Sancerre Les Champs Clos Sancerre Blanc 2012
Grape Variety:
Sauvignon Blanc
Region:
Sancerre

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DOC Spain Wine

DOC (Denominazione di Origine Contollata)
Blancos de Castilla Herederos del Marques de Riscal Rueda 2012
Winery:
Blancos de Castilla
Region:
Rueda

Spain

DOC (Denominazione di Origine Contollata)
Blancos de Castilla Herederos del Marques de Riscal Rueda 2012
Winery:
Blancos de Castilla
Region:
Rueda

French Wine

Veuve du Vernay Ice RosƩ
Winery
Veuve du Vernay
Region
Vin de France

I asked Anthony about Sparkling wines and their intended use. He told me that Sparkling wines are usually used in Celebrations anywhere from Weddings, Quiceneras, Graduation Parties, Toasts, etc. He also tole me he enjoys theĀ Veuve du VernayĀ Ice RosĆ© 2012 chilled on a hot summers day. I appreciated his input because he was knowledgeable on all of his inventory.Ā 

To be honest i did not expect the staff at La Cantina to have such knowledge. But my expectations changed once I received all of this information from them. And it made me feel good that there are knowledge people who share a passion for wine right in my backyard. I learn a lot from hands on activities and such. I asked Anthony if they had any internships sadly they didn’t but he said we could work something out. I am hoping to create one so that any of my other peers could benefit from.

Overall I enjoyed my visit To La Cantina and I learned so much. The staff is very knowledgeable of their inventory and will give you the best price possible for great quality wine whether your looking for a cheap or expensiveĀ bottle. Quality is Guaranteed at La Cantina.

Dundee Hills, Oregon: Pinot Noir Country and So Much More

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In March 2014 I was in the Oregon wine country, touring tasting and learning. Lea003rning a lot. I drove north from Salem towards Dundee, and at first I felt that the wine country was quite similar to Long Island but boy was I wrong. Yes, there were flat places and a maritime climate. Yes, there were sod farms and farm stands with local produce but that is about where it ends. What I thought were apple trees were filbert trees, where on Long Island there would be flat land at every 007turn in the Willamette Valley a turn off the road can lead up a steep hill.

The maritime climate was showing at its peak with grey skies, a deep dense fog and a constant mist and light rain. It was cool and the damp March air was heavy, blanketing the vines as they rested for the winter. I was able to just see the faint outlines of the hills that surround the valley and the pine trees that tower over head with their commanding presence. Their beauty helped make this region unique.

021 019On Dundee hill various vineyard management philosophies were evident. At White RoseĀ  Winery: http://whiteroseestate.com/ the vines were trained very close to the ground to accommodate for the fog that often covers their vineyards. With some vines pruned and others still showing their canes the growth that takes place was evident. The pruned vines sat just inches from the ground but the canes shot up over six feet from the ground. I had seen this type of pruning before but only in books.

Just a few hundred yards away was Domaine Drouhin: 015http://www.domainedrouhin.com/en/ and Archery Summit: http://www.archerysummit.com/, their properties are adjacent to each other but their planting styles are worlds apart. At Domaine Drouhin their vines are planted very close together, spaced about three feet apart and four feet wide. This dense planting results in more vines per acre than many of the surrounding vineyards but they tend to drop a significant amount of fruit leading to similar yields per acre.027 Archery is on the south side of the hill and uses wider planting and a north-south planting pattern.

This is Pinot Noir country and the wines express their sites beautifully. Though, through all this Pinot Noir I was surprised to see chardonnay on the tasting menu at Domaine Drouhin. They use a Dijon clone and have had great success in this cool maritime climate. Earlier wine makers tried to use other clones with less success, Drohin, however, shows beautifully with a balance between a crisp French style and new world expressions.

My visit to Domaine Serene http://www.domaineserene.com/ was inspired by Prof. Roger Dagorn, MS. ā€œA must seeā€ he said and he was right. I found elegance here, not only in the030 wine but in the winery too. The lawn and winery are immaculate and all encompassing with a wrought iron mastodon on the lawn created by a local artist representing a time long gone. The wines I tried were the Evenstad Reserve, 2009 and 2012 Pinot Noir they had red fruits on the nose and pallet yet was beautifully spicy as well. The heat of the 2009 vintage was evident and will ensure the wine lasts for many years to come.

My last visit was to The Four Graces http://thefourgraces.com/, a wine we use in the wine class to show the style of Oregon Pinot Gris. Unlike the previous wineries the tasting room for Four Graces is on the valley floor at the edge of the town of Dundee. The tasting experience here was warm and friendly, relaxed yet intense with site specific details. Here I did not stay with only Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc from their various vineyards but of course tried their Pinot Noirs as well. Of outstanding mention was the Black Family Estate wines http://thefourgraces.com/vineyards/black-family-estate-vineyard.html. Though they are labeled as Willamette Valley they are predominately Dundee. This was among the most full body of the Pinots I tasted on this day and well worth my final stop.

As in many wine producing areas locally sourced food is of great importance. If you ever do get a chance to visit the Willamette Valley be sure to have lunch at Red Hills Market http://www.redhillsmarket.com/. Ā They offer local food at great prices. The roasted ham sandwich with honey butter and melted gruyere was a treat as was the salad made with those local filberts that seem to be everywhere. Finish with a Stumptown coffee and then head back to Portland.

So, as I sit and write this post I am happy to add another wine region to my travels, another experience spent talking to people with passion and a deep understanding of their vineyards and wine. I love that in so many of the wine regions I have traveled there is outstanding locally sourced food and art that inspires. Wine has a way of bringing the best of what is available to one place and that is evident in Willamette Valley.

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Let’s Take A Urban Uncorked Wine Journey

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Let Take A Wine Journey Ā 

Ā Ā 

Urban Uncorked is a wine and spirits store located on 147 Flatbush Avenue extension in Brooklyn, New York. As I entered the retail store I was shocked at the huge variety of wines all around. I was welcomed by the friendliest sommeliers on duty.They had a wonderful selection of wines and liquors from many different countries which amused me because when I thought about ā€œwineā€ the first thing that came to my mind was Italy, France and Germany. These are initially the only ones Iā€™ve been knowledged on but they are so many more countries which also have great wine.

The sommelier Susan Ellis was very helpful throughout my interview for this project. I was introduced to the two most popular wines in store which were Pinot Project and Processo. Both of these wines were very popular not only for their price but also because it is very difficult for winemakers to grow the grapes involved in the processing of creating them. These two wines are typically sensitive to climate changes and vine diseases as well as sun exposure and temperatures.

How much are consumers paying for a bottle of wine for a celebration?

 

When consumers are paying for a bottle of wine for a celebration they pay $40 or more. They mainly buy red wine rather than white wine not only because it is the most valued but it is also they one with more alcohol provided in it.

 

The sommelier Susan developed her knowledge by working in wine shops and drinking wine. She said that choosing the wine they sell is one of the easiest things because of course the seller wants to hand over the wine they have so that consumers can buy it, but they decide which wine is the easiest to sell in the location they are located in. One concept that they use to decide which wine is the best to sell is by tasting the wine and than making sure it fits what they think their customers would like. Naturals wines are the trend for the people who buy in her store she says many people go for natural wine because of where they come from and also the prices they are sold for. Her store also stores the wine 50-55 degrees which make it even better for those who are going to buy immediate wine to share with their loved ones.

 

France

Susan explained to me that Chablis was one of the most sold wines in the France section of the wine store. It is a nothernmost wine district wine of Burgundy in France. This wine is made in a cool climate which produces wines with more acidity and flavors less fruity which makes it dry. I like how we learned about this specific wine in our class and I come to the retail store to find out its the most sold in the France district. Itā€™s good to see that things you never knew or heard about are really out there and very popular to those who enjoy their cups of wine here and there.

 

Italy

For the Italy region the best seller was Chianti Classico which is produced in Tuscany. This was another region we learned about in wine class. I really like how their posters of each country mention the famous regions that the wines are from.

 

New Zealand

 

Germany

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Chile

We havenā€™t learned about Chile wines but the best seller in this wine retail store was the Refugio which is a pinot noir which is aged and fermented completely in stainless steel and concrete egg. They do not use oak to make this kind of wine. I canā€™t wait to learn more about Chile wine looks like they have a good selection.

I really enjoyed my interview at the wine retail shop because not only did I get to see new countries and regions where wines are produced but I also received some knowledge on the regions we havenā€™t studied on as of yet. Also relearning what I already knew because #istudywine about Italy, Germany and France made me realize that I finally know something about wine and I can go to a wine store and say I know at least three wines types in each region. One thing that did catch my attention as I left the store was ā€œSakeā€ which to japanese is a rice wine but in reality itā€™s a beer. I found it interesting because Susan told me that normally beer is fermented by converting the starches in a grain into alcohol but in this case they do the same process with rice. I would recommend this wine retail shop to anyone who would like to furthermore their understanding of wine because they also provide courses and are very welcoming and eager to help students learn more about the topic and the background. Also free wine tasting Friday’s and Saturday go tasteeee guys!!!Ā