West Side Wine

While we were digging ourselves out of several horrible snowstorms, two of my distributor/importers had the decency to send me pre-order forms for their 2010 rosés. It was as if the sun had come out and the temperature had risen forty degrees. It’s always a great sign when I get those pre-order forms, because it’s a reminder to me that spring is only a few weeks away and all of this white stuff will soon be a distant memory.

On top of that, Eric Asimov  had a terrific piece this Wednesday’s Times about rosés being appropriate all year round. Bravo!  This is something we’ve been saying for years. My only qualm with his article was that he left out my beloved rosés of Tavel (the rosé of kings.) The thing that’s especially important about Tavel is that the winemakers there make ONLY rosé with that appellation name. That is, if a wine has the name Tavel on the label, it’s a rosé. Tavels are serious wines that can be enjoyed many years after they’ve been released.  Expensive?  A little bit more than your ordinary run-of-the-mill Provençal pinky, but so well worth it.

So cheer up all you people living in the chilly parts of the world. Enjoy a taste of spring while you’re huddling by your fireplaces and stoking your furnaces. Sip a rosé while you’re cuddling up. In the meantime, we’re busy here planning and ordering up some warm-weather pleasure.

Cheers, and here’s to rosé the whole year through.

Tillie (left) and Bau (right)

Lots of new things for the new year, and I don’t mean resolutions.  Although, I do resolve to continue to bring in new, exciting and unusual wines for you to try throughout the year.

First there’s Bau, another future Guide Dog. He’s a five month old black English Lab. We’re sharing in his care for a couple of months, or more.  He’s adorable, clumsy, cute, mischievous, handsome, and the most voracious eater we’ve ever seen. What a pig. And he also snores VERY loudly. He and Tillie are getting along famously, and are great at tiring each other out.

Next, there is  yoga. Yes, my wife has talked me into starting beginner sessions tonight. No more to be said about that until I see how that goes.  But I promise I won’t go all mellow on you. Not to worry.

So last night we went to a joint called Dempsey’s in the East Village to hear our friend JoAnn fiddle with a bunch of other amateur musicians, and it was amazingly fantastic. Every Tuesday night these guys, and anybody else who cares to join in, get together and play classic Irish music. It’s one of those great things that you can find happening in a hundred places every night in this awesome city, if you just look.

Finally, I have to give a big thank you to whomever for the fantastic fireworks that are displayed in Central Park every New Year’s Eve at midnight. I don’t know who pays for it, but these are by far the best, most imaginative, and longest fireworks show of the year. They coincide with the Road Runner’s Midnight Run, and the whole thing is a blast, if you will. We didn’t run, but we did bring a bottle of bubbly and congratulated a lot of the runners as they stumbled by us on the Upper West Side. The city’s best kept secret, and heads above the Times Square insanity.  Mark your calendars for 12/31/11 and check it out.  It will become an annual thing for you, like it is for us.

Cheers to all, and a very Happy New Year from The Wine Guy.