Blame it on Rioja

Or, what to drink with take-out Wood Roasted Chicken from Lil’ Frankie’s

On the cold, snowy night that a nice man from down the street delivered a crispy chicken to my door (see previous post), I was happy to remember that I had only that morning received a mixed-case inspirational care package from the Rioja wine bank (thank you, Lisa).

Randomly, I chose a bottle from the box, and pulled out a wine I had never tasted before, Vina Pomal 2001 Crianza from Bodegas Bilbainas, one of Haro’s oldest wineries recently acquired by the Cordiniu wine group.

I am happy to report that not only did it match the salty and fatty flavors of my chicken and mashed potato ensemble, it also became, in short order, one of my new favorite wines. (more…)

A little over a week ago, when snow and icy winds kicked spring two states away just as we were beginning to think it was here to stay, Violeta and I decided to engage in that most satisfying of indoor cold-weather activities: Staying in, ordering in, firing up the DVD player.

Living on 2nd Street in the East Village of Manhattan has its benefits. Sure, weekend nights kinda suck, punctuated as they are by high-volume caveman chants audible for three city blocks, spirited impromptu contributions to the Battle Hymn of the Visiting Idiot. But, within those same three blocks in all directions, I’ve also got Tinto Fino, Sunshine cinema, d.b.a, Il Buco, Prune, Russ and Daughters, and in just two days, the new Whole Foods at Houston and Bowery, complete with an in-store fromagerie masterminded by one of the world’s most gifted ager of cheeses, Herve Mons.

And then there’s Lil’ Frankie’s, 45 seconds door-to-door, assuming no weekend traffic. (more…)

Jane Brody’s “Personal Health” column in today’s New York Times, “You are also what you drink,” got me thinking about a conversation I had yesterday with food and wine journalist Gerry Dawes about rising alcohol levels in contemporary wines.

“Alcohol,” Ms. Brody writes, summarizing a recent study on beverages and health conducted by a panel of nutritionists and health experts, “is a classic case of ‘a little may be better than none but a lot is worse than a little.’ Moderate consumption — one drink a day for women and two for men — has been linked in many large, long-term studies to lower mortality rates, especially from heart attacks and strokes, and may also lower the risk of Type 2 diabetes and gallstones.” Moderate-to-heavy drinking, unsurprisingly, is a different thing altogether. (more…)

Score!

I came home yesterday to learn that my brother and roommate, Pablo-who turns 27 today-had chosen a bottle of Rioja the night before based on vintage recommendations I made in my post, “All You Really Need to Know About Wine.”

Applied learning at its most gratifying, albeit on a modest scale. (more…)

While I wait for my copy of the Wine Advocate to arrive by mail, I wanted to share a few more thoughts related to the big news that five Spanish wines recently won perfect scores in Robert Parker’s influential publication, including two Riojas, Artadi’s 2004 Viña El Pisón, and Bejamin Romeo’s 2004 “Contador.”

I didn’t really explain myself when I said that the news of was “impressive if not entirely surprising.” This was meant, first, to say that it is astonishing how far Spanish wine has come, even in the last ten years. How the country’s wine makers have not only harnessed technological advancement to wondrous effect (look no further than the dense and ripe but still remarkably fresh fruity wine of Yecla and Jumilla in Murcia) but have also recognized the value in isolating old vines and quality-bearing soils, rediscovered indigenous grapes and long-forgotten regions, and identified unique micro-climates to transform a wine-making culture from a once-underperforming national industry under Franco into the hottest wine-making region in the world, in very short order.

What wasn’t shocking were the wines that made the grade (in this case, a call not made by Parker himself, but by one Jay Miller). (more…)

Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate recently released its first issue (#169, Feb. 28. 2007) devoted exclusively to Spanish and Portuguese wines since 2005–and the first with Jay Miller presiding over Spanish wine instead of Mr. Parker–and the results are impressive, if not entirely surprising. Five Spanish wines scored perfect 100s, all from the now buzz-heavy 2004 vintage, including two Riojas, “Viña el Pisón” 2004 from Bodegas y Viñedos Artadi and Benjamin Romeo’s 2004 “Contador.” (more…)