Last weekend, Valley Cheese and Wine celebrated its second anniversary. Quite a feat for a store tucked into a back corner of an obscure shopping center at the far edge of town. Maybe its success has to do with the fact that it has the best selection of cheese, salumi, charcuterie, specialty foods and obscure-yet-bargain-priced wines in town. That, and it also has Bob Howald and Kristin Sande as owners — famous fromagerie folks who are always on Forme, have a great Tomme de Savoie together, and don’t ever lait down in their quest to fromage-i-fy the world. The Brindamour between them is so palpable, they may brie the cheesiest couple in town.
Category: Wine
Burgundy tasting at Marche Bacchus
Last week’s Burg-fest among truly dedicated local Burghounds, enjoying forty bottles everything from Chassagne-Montrachet to Vosne-Romanee, was a genuinely Burg-o-licious time, with Burg-o-holics indulging themselves at Marche Bacchus. It had the added bonus of having Mega-burg-babes at a table to provide even more incentive to take a few extra sips. In keeping with the single-minded connoisseurship for which he is known, and despite the distracting presence of these mas diablo wine divas, ELV paid attention solely to what was in his glass.
One of the joys of les vins des Bourgogne is watching the world’s greatest wine bring together sworn enemies and disparate characters in a love-fest of shared values and great taste(ing). Doctors chumming with lawyers, Democrats with Republicans…..even John Smith of wholesaler DeLuca sharing a glass and a toast with rival Kelly McAullife of Southern Wines and Spirits. ELV thinks only the wines of Burgundy could accomplish this feat. Perhaps John McCain and Barack Obama should share a glass of Pommard or Pernand-Vergelesses? Of course they won’t, because that would mean that they were becoming too French! Mon Dieu! We can’t have that.
Veritas Wine List
For those of you who would like a basis for comparison when contemplating whether wine is overpriced in a restaurant in our humble burg: here is the complete wine list of Veritas in New York– one of the great lists in the world — to use when contemplating whether that bottle of Romanee-Conti, or that Dauvissat Les Clos 1989 Grand Cru, or something as pedestrian as a half-bottle of Ridge Sonoma Zinfandel ($45), is being priced fairly.
According to Friend In Food Alan Richman (in this post on his blog), many restaurants and sommeliers use the Veritas list as a pricing benchmark when establishing their own lists. He also states there are over 200 bottles available at Veritas for under $75, but good luck finding them among the 3,500 labels.
After perusing it, ELV decided two things: One, we can’t afford to drink in New York City anymore; and two, the wine programs at Marche Bacchus and STEAK look better than ever to us.