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Category: We recommend!

  • Opening 2020 with Roses de Jeanne by Cedric Bouchard

    We're celebrating a new decade with Roses de Jeanne Champagne from a groundbreaking winemaker. Cedric Bouchard has some unusual views on the wine he is making in the Champagne region. We've enjoyed his wines before. In fact, he has made our New Year's choice twice. We opened 2013 with his Inflorescence Blanc de Noirs.

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    We're looking forward to this bottle and have the glasses and decanter ready to fill. Yes, we did say decanter. Cedric Bouchard suggests decanting his Champagne, so we're eager to give it a try. Polaner Selections in writing about this wine added, "One serving note: While you can enjoy Bouchard's Champagnes like other Champagnes, he recommends gently decanting them and serving them in regular wine glasses instead of flutes." We totally agree with the large wine glasses and we will try decanting a portion of our bottle.

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    Polaner Selections also noted the importance of terroir to this winemaker, "Bouchard’s wines are characterized by uniquely soil-driven personalities, with the underlying terroir of each parcel jumping from the glass with a purity of expression that is extremely rare in Champagne. These are brilliant wines made from a young, perfectionist vigneron who is likely to completely revolutionize the landscape of Champagne before he writes the last chapter on his career."

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    With this wine leading the way, in 2020 we will toast each new month with sparkling wines from different places. It will be our "Year of Terroir!" Trying wines made with different grapes,and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! 

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    We purchased our bottle at Federal Wine & Spirits.

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • Today We Celebrate December and 100 Years of Nino Franco with a Bottle of Nino Franco Rustico

    We are starting December 2019 with a longtime favorite sparkling wine, Nino Franco Rustico. We have been enjoying, recommending, and writing about this wine for more than a decade. Now wine experts around the world are catching on to a great thing. (More about that below.)

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    The last time we raised a glass to the wonderful people at Nino Franco, it was with the bottle Silvia Franco was signing in the photo below. Back then we joined them long distance as they celebrated the 30th vintage of their Primo Franco. As they raised their glasses in Valdobbiadene, we opened this bottle and toasted them here in Boston. 

    After a few years as Internet friends, we were happy to meet Silvia in person on a trip to Boston. It was good to learn that she is as nice, smart, and sharing in person as she is with her social media friends.

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    Today we'll raise a glass to Silvia Franco and her family as they celebrate 100 years of Nino Franco vintages. Please take a relaxing moment with Silvia and her family as they tell you about the wines and the place they love, protect, and celebrate in the video below.

     

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    Not only will we congratulate this family on 100 years of winemaking, but also for their Rustico winning the number one spot on Wine Enthusiast's best-of-the-best list "THE ENTHUSIAST 100 WINES OF 2019" with a rating of 94 out of 100. That is along with many more honors for their other wines.

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    We purchased our bottle at Gordon's for ~$25.00. (A special thank you to our friend Vinnie who supplied the ride to Waltham to renew our supply of this favorite wine.)

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Join us in our Sparkling Resolution.

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this post is a category, it will appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino with a few additions from the Nino Franco site.

  • Today We Celebrate December and 100 Years of Nino Franco with a Bottle of Nino Franco Rustico

    We are starting December 2019 with a longtime favorite sparkling wine, Nino Franco Rustico. We have been enjoying, recommending, and writing about this wine for more than a decade. Now wine experts around the world are catching on to a great thing. (More about that below.)

    IMG_6563

    The last time we raised a glass to the wonderful people at Nino Franco, it was with the bottle Silvia Franco was signing in the photo below. Back then we joined them long distance as they celebrated the 30th vintage of their Primo Franco. As they raised their glasses in Valdobbiadene, we opened this bottle and toasted them here in Boston. 

    After a few years as Internet friends, we were happy to meet Silvia in person on a trip to Boston. It was good to learn that she is as nice, smart, and sharing in person as she is with her social media friends.

    IMG_6550

    Today we'll raise a glass to Silvia Franco and her family as they celebrate 100 years of Nino Franco vintages. Please take a relaxing moment with Silvia and her family as they tell you about the wines and the place they love, protect, and celebrate in the video below.

     

    IMG_6558

    Not only will we congratulate this family on 100 years of winemaking, but also for their Rustico winning the number one spot on Wine Enthusiast's best-of-the-best list "THE ENTHUSIAST 100 WINES OF 2019" with a rating of 94 out of 100. That is along with many more honors for their other wines.

    78100621_2543931032361232_8081260994996731904_o

    IMG_6570  IMG_6570

    We purchased our bottle at Gordon's for ~$25.00. (A special thank you to our friend Vinnie who supplied the ride to Waltham to renew our supply of this favorite wine.)

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Join us in our Sparkling Resolution.

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this post is a category, it will appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino with a few additions from the Nino Franco site.

  • Our November Sparkler Is 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles’ ROCO Winery

    We'll celebrate the first of November 2019 with a bottle of 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles' ROCO Winery. This wine is very special to us because we have had the pleasure of meeting the winemaker and are longtime fans of his wines.

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    Howie Rubin from Bauer Wine & Spirits was kind enough to bring in a small stash of this limited supply wine and let us know when it arrived. He remembered how much we love the Argyle sparkling wines made under Rollin Soles' direction during his years as the winemaker at that outstanding vineyard. 

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    We were not about to wait for November 1st to try this wine! We've been looking forward to it since we heard that ROCO had released its first sparkler. Fortunately we had a birthday to celebrate and popped a cork on our first bottle. We'll open and enjoy another this evening.

    Please notice the big, full wine glasses in the top photo. You want big glasses because this is a big wine in the tradition of the great Champagne houses. It is full of layers of flavor and exuberant bubbles. 

    Here are Rollin's winemaker's notes:

    “Seamless flavor has become an RMS Brut Hallmark.  Complex fruit mix of plum, red skinned apple, and yellow cherry is lifted upon bracing citrus acidity.  Aromas of cherry, and Anjou pear are framed by vanilla spiced, shortbread-like yeastiness. Despite high acidity, the mid-palate has a beautiful creamy, vanilla, and cracked yeast impression.  Sit back and savor the very long, fresh finish, another RMS Hallmark.” – Rollin Soles, Winemaker

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    We purchased our bottle on sale at Bauer Wine for ~$30. 

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Join our sparkling resolution with your own monthly toast.

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    Argyle’s Rollin Soles Talks Wine with BostonZest

    March Sparkles with Argyle’s 2001 Extended Tirage Brut – It’s a Sure Thing!

    Oregon’s Argyle Brut to Light-Up July!

    Our Sparkling Resolution

    Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • Our November Sparkler Is 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles’ ROCO Winery

    We'll celebrate the first of November 2019 with a bottle of 2013 RMS Brut from Rollin Soles' ROCO Winery. This wine is very special to us because we have had the pleasure of meeting the winemaker and are longtime fans of his wines.

    IMG_6276

    Howie Rubin from Bauer Wine & Spirits was kind enough to bring in a small stash of this limited supply wine and let us know when it arrived. He remembered how much we love the Argyle sparkling wines made under Rollin Soles' direction during his years as the winemaker at that outstanding vineyard. 

    IMG_6200

    We were not about to wait for November 1st to try this wine! We've been looking forward to it since we heard that ROCO had released its first sparkler. Fortunately we had a birthday to celebrate and popped a cork on our first bottle. We'll open and enjoy another this evening.

    Please notice the big, full wine glasses in the top photo. You want big glasses because this is a big wine in the tradition of the great Champagne houses. It is full of layers of flavor and exuberant bubbles. 

    Here are Rollin's winemaker's notes:

    “Seamless flavor has become an RMS Brut Hallmark.  Complex fruit mix of plum, red skinned apple, and yellow cherry is lifted upon bracing citrus acidity.  Aromas of cherry, and Anjou pear are framed by vanilla spiced, shortbread-like yeastiness. Despite high acidity, the mid-palate has a beautiful creamy, vanilla, and cracked yeast impression.  Sit back and savor the very long, fresh finish, another RMS Hallmark.” – Rollin Soles, Winemaker

    IMG_6202

    We purchased our bottle on sale at Bauer Wine for ~$30. 

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month! Join our sparkling resolution with your own monthly toast.

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    Argyle’s Rollin Soles Talks Wine with BostonZest

    March Sparkles with Argyle’s 2001 Extended Tirage Brut – It’s a Sure Thing!

    Oregon’s Argyle Brut to Light-Up July!

    Our Sparkling Resolution

    Our Sparkling Resolution Winner’s List

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • Toasting July with Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut

    On a recent check of our wine rack, we remembered enjoying a few bottles of Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut  over the years. We first toasted with this back in 2011. It's time to share the remaining bottle with friends at our July 1st toast to a Happy New Month. 

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    This wine is from Austria and is made from 100% Grüner Veltliner grapes. This is a grape we turn to when we're eating foods that are difficult to pair with wine, like salads, asparagus, or artichokes. It's a food-friendly wine, also perfect with seafood, oysters, fried, salty, fatty dishes. As a grape we just enjoy, we often try any bottle we spot by a new producer on a wine list. 

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

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    This is another wine from a trusted importer, Winebow.   If you ever see us shopping for wine, you'll notice us reading the back labels to see who selected this wine to import or distribute. When in doubt, we opt for someone who has introduced us to wonderful wines in the past.

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    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny Cherubino 

  • Toasting July with Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut

    On a recent check of our wine rack, we remembered enjoying a few bottles of Szigeti Grüner Veltliner Brut  over the years. We first toasted with this back in 2011. It's time to share the remaining bottle with friends at our July 1st toast to a Happy New Month. 

    IMG_4561

    This wine is from Austria and is made from 100% Grüner Veltliner grapes. This is a grape we turn to when we're eating foods that are difficult to pair with wine, like salads, asparagus, or artichokes. It's a food-friendly wine, also perfect with seafood, oysters, fried, salty, fatty dishes. As a grape we just enjoy, we often try any bottle we spot by a new producer on a wine list. 

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

    IMG_4549

    This is another wine from a trusted importer, Winebow.   If you ever see us shopping for wine, you'll notice us reading the back labels to see who selected this wine to import or distribute. When in doubt, we opt for someone who has introduced us to wonderful wines in the past.

    IMG_4553

     

    Related Posts:

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny Cherubino 

  • Another Taste of Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises for Our June Toast

    Tonight we'll toast the month of June with a bottle of Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises. Sometimes the choice of a sparkling wine to feature for our monthly toast is made by visiting our favorite wine shops. Other times we pull a bottle from our wine rack. This bottle had a note added to the side with our trusty Sharpie glass and bottle markers. This bottle will bring extra smiles tonight because it was a gift from a friend who we hope will enjoy it with us. 

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    Here is a full report about this bottle of "grey pearls" (as the name is translated) when we featured it a few years ago.

    Wine Lovers Tip

    We highly recommend adding a set of these markers to your wine supplies.

    You can use them to mark the price and where you purchased a wine or, as here, note who gave it to you. Not only do we enjoy sharing gift wines with friends when they visit again, but we also enjoy the wines more ourselves because they're part of a friendship.

    IMG_4322

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • Another Taste of Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises for Our June Toast

    Tonight we'll toast the month of June with a bottle of Patrice Colin Les Perles Grises. Sometimes the choice of a sparkling wine to feature for our monthly toast is made by visiting our favorite wine shops. Other times we pull a bottle from our wine rack. This bottle had a note added to the side with our trusty Sharpie glass and bottle markers. This bottle will bring extra smiles tonight because it was a gift from a friend who we hope will enjoy it with us. 

    IMG_4325

    Here is a full report about this bottle of "grey pearls" (as the name is translated) when we featured it a few years ago.

    Wine Lovers Tip

    We highly recommend adding a set of these markers to your wine supplies.

    You can use them to mark the price and where you purchased a wine or, as here, note who gave it to you. Not only do we enjoy sharing gift wines with friends when they visit again, but we also enjoy the wines more ourselves because they're part of a friendship.

    IMG_4322

    Trying wines from different places, made with different grapes, and produced by different methods adds spice to our monthly ritual. Since 2007 we have raised a glass of sparkling wine to greet each new month!

    Our Sparkling Resolution is covered in this post : Join Us as We Toast…

    A Few of Our Favorite Gifts for Wine Lovers

    Here are all the wines we've covered. Since this is a category, this post may appear at the top. Just scroll down for more.

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • Seasonal Farmers Market Opening Dates 2019 Summer to Fall

    Here is our round up of the summer farmers markets opening dates around Boston. We visited the Copley Market's opening day today and it reminded us to share this list with our BostonZest readers.

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    Early in the market season, we enjoy dishes like “Asparagus Two Ways.” Here it is roasted and starring in a simple salad of shaved asparagus, fennel, and capers.

    Boston Public Market News
    The Boston Public Market (BPM) headquartered at 100 Hanover Street, will have outdoor markets in three locations. In addition to their popular Dewey Square market (near South Station) they will have a market on City Hall Plaza and in the Seaport.

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    What Is There to Buy at Early Markets?
    You can expect a selection of storage, greenhouse, and hoop house produce at early farmers markets: mushrooms, potatoes, scallions, spinach, lettuce, and greens. In June we can hope to see strawberries, asparagus, beets, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, peas, and radishes.

    Naturally we’ll also be offered meat, poultry, seafood, maple syrup, honey, dairy, cheese, and eggs which are not seasonal in the same way as plant-based goods.

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    Here are opening dates for the 2019 area seasonal markets:

    Boston Public Market: Open daily, year-round 

    May Markets
    South End/SoWa: Open Market: May 5th (Sundays)
    Copley Square: May 10th (Tuesdays & Fridays)
    Egleston Jamaica Plain: May 11th (Saturdays)
    Central Square, Cambridge: May 13th (Mondays)
    Boston Public Market at Dewey Square: May 14th (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
    Cambridge Center (Kendall MBTA): May 15th (Wednesdays)
    Davis Square, Somerville: May 15th (Wednesdays)
    Jamaica Plain (677 Centre Street): May 18th (Saturdays)
    Union Square, Somerville: May 18th (Saturdays)
    Boston Public Market at City Hall Plaza, May 21 (Tuesdays)

    June/July Markets
    Roslindale/Adams Park: June 1st (Saturdays)
    Boston Public Market at the Seaport (85 Northern Ave.) June 5th (Wednesdays)
    Brookline/Coolidge Corner: June 6th (Thursdays)
    Harvard University Farmers Market, Cambridge: June 11th (Tuesdays)
    Charlestown: Thompson Square at Main & Austin Street, June-October (Wednesdays)
    East Boston/Central Square: July 3rd (Wednesdays)

    What's on your food lover's shopping list?

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2019 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

    (Adapted for BostonZest from one of our Fresh & Local newspaper columns.)