From the monthly archives:

February 2010

Manchuela winemakers come to New York

by Marisa D'Vari26 February 2010
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Michael Apstein
Have you heard of Manchuela? It is a very small, rather new D.O. in Spain that makes quality white, rose, and red wine. Recently, winemakers from the region presented their wines to journalists at a lunch in New York with commentary from wine educator Michael Apstein.

The native grape of the region is Bobal, which [...]

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Antonio Garcia Figuero of Garcia Figuero Winery

by Marisa D'Vari26 February 2010
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Antonio (standing)
One of the best things about being a wine writer is the opportunity to meet really great people. Wine producers always seem to be so genuinely friendly and nice. Of course, they are sales peole by necessity, yet every single wine person I’ve met has always been incredibly sincere and passionate about their product.

This [...]

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News at Ma(i)sonry & Blackbird Vineyards

by Marisa D'Vari26 February 2010
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Taylor Mason, Resident Chef
…. it seems like I’ve been going to the Napa Valley every few weeks this year. Only February, and I’ve been in late January for the Master of Wine educational seminar and just last week, the Symposium for Professional Wine Journalists and the Premiere Napa Valley Barrel Auction.

Usually Yountville looks the same [...]

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Nearly $2 Million Raised at Premiere Napa Valley Barrel-Futures Auction

by Marisa D'Vari21 February 2010
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Gary Fisch (stripped shirt) of Gary’s Wine and Marketplace (location New Jersey)
,,, so here I am, freshly returned to NYC after a week in Napa tasting fantastic wine, spending time with fellow journalists at the Symposium for Professional Wine Writers at Meadowood, and attending many of the festivities and tastings leading up to the Premiere [...]

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Meadowood Chef Christopher Kostow Gets 4 Stars

by Marisa D'Vari21 February 2010
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Chef Christopher Kostow

 
It has been a while – perhaps more than a year – when I had the tasting menu at the fabulous Meadowood resort in the Napa Valley (click here to read the review).
I had the pleasure of being at Meadowood this past week in anticipation of the Napa Valley Wine Auction, yet did [...]

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Review of Events at Symposium for Professional Wine Writers 2010 at Meadowood

by Marisa D'Vari18 February 2010
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Journalists at Symposium for Professional Wine Writers
… so on my previous post I mentioned I have been coming here for years to catch up with fellow professionals throughout the world.  Even the most jaded journalist can always learn something new, and of course new associations can always be made.
This year Tuesday kicked off with optional [...]

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Symposium for Professional Wine Writers 2010

by Marisa D'Vari15 February 2010
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Every February I have been attending the symposium for professional wine writers in the Napa Valley. It’s a great way to see good friends usually only accessed  by tweets, writing on Facebook walls, and commenting on blogs.

Of course, it is also a great place to taste some of Napa’s best wines and the delicious food [...]

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Elyssia Pinot Noir for Valentine’s Day 2010

by Marisa D'Vari14 February 2010
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Elyssia Pinot Noir
Did you realize that rose-colored sparklers is the trend of the moment? Freixenet has a new pink sparkler called Elyssia made from the Pinot Noir grape. It is a gorgeous color as you can see from the picture, and goes even better with a bouquet of valentine’s day flowers.

Pinot Noir, it happens, is [...]

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Kingdom of Navarra visits New York

by Marisa D'Vari9 February 2010
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Ana Laguna & Pilar Garcia-Granero
"Before there was wine, there was a thing called happiness …" says an attractive, charming man standing in a circle of similarly well dressed, attractive Spaniards off the lobby of the Union Square W Hotel. Not quite sure the context of the quote, yet it appears to be a typical example [...]

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Vino Italy 2010 Part 2

by Marisa D'Vari7 February 2010
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Professor Attilio Scienza

Seminar Tasting
"The Italians seem so happy to be here in New York," says a friend, after the Friday night close of the Italian Wine Exchange Grand Tasting. "Why is  that?"

Yes, it’s true – the Italians did really seem happy to be here and have the opportunity to share their wine and the love [...]

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VINO 2010 Italian Wine Week Part 1

by Marisa D'Vari4 February 2010
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Vino 2010 Italian Wine Week

… so I am on my way to the opening of New York, February 3, 2010
I had spent the opening day (February 3) in the Napa Valley at a conference related to the Masters of Wine (though happily we did have an Italian wine seminar with many examples of great Italian [...]

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