Tag: MA

We Toast May 1, 2024 with a Bottle of Dibon Cava from Oz Wines.

This is our year of toasts saluting our wine heroes. Andrew Bishop, Founder and CEO of Oz Wine Company, certainly deserves recognition. This month, we'll raise a glass of one of their great-value wines, Dibon Cava. In addition to providing us with a great selection of wines as both an importer and distributor, Oz Wines is located in Methuen, MA, so we are supporting a local business.

We have our usual details about the Dibon Cava below. However, we also want to tell you a bit about Oz wines and how we use experts like Andrew Bishop to select more interesting wines. We know we are likely to enjoy his selections.

When we're in a great wine shop looking for a new wine, we always turn the bottle over to see the name of the importer. If the wine was imported by a trusted resource like Oz Wines, it makes our short list. Then, we will ask the shop assistants for a bit more information and their opinion on this selection. We might mention other Oz Wines imports and distributes to give a clue to our taste.

Occasionally, we go to the Oz website to find more information. Once, when we bought our first Portuguese Sparkling wine, Filipa Pato's 3B Rosé, we contacted the importer to improve our wine education. This post from 2012 is an example of an Andrew Bishop educational chat.

Now back to Dibon Cava! Here's what we said back in 2012

Except for the price, which is still reasonable in today's dollars, it still holds true today.

"Dibon Cava Brut Reserve ($9.99) is so impressive, you’ll want to share this find with every wine-lover you know. If “balance” is a fault, then it’s this wine’s only fault! It will please a wide range of tastes– not too dry or too fruity. A light nose that reminded us of citrus? lemon curd? No, dried apricot.

It's light, refreshing, and inviting. Very food-friendly (spicy chicken wings, potatoes, roasted root vegetables worked for us). This cava also shines all on it’s own! And, it was still very good as it warmed."

We purchase our current bottle at Urban Grape for $14.00.

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

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

May 1, 2024
On March 1, 2023 We’ll Raise a Glass of Raventos i Blanc de Nit Cava

This month we'll raise a glass of Raventos i Blanc de Nit cava. This sparkler certainly qualifies for inclusion in our year of choosing wines associated with great memories and great people. We have a scrapbook of photos of this wine in some of our favorite places. Moreover, we are grateful to four wine mentors for sharing their knowledge of this cava and its history with us.

This is one of many wines we discovered thanks to recommendations from Thomas Fielding and Scott O’Connor, one time owners of Perry's Wine and Spirits in Provincetown. These former restaurateurs chose the selection at their shop like a well-curated wine list.

Perry's was always a stop on our initial shopping trip when we arrived for a week or two. We also loved their clever "OPEN" and "NOPE" signs. The last we heard, these gentlemen were headed for retirement in Mexico.

Thanks to them, we enjoyed many bottles of this great value wine as we made memories in one of our very special places. We'll think of those times with every sip this month.

Back in Boston

Penny ordered Raventos so often at Select Oyster Bar that the staff would often just ask, "The usual?" Select owner, and another wine mentor, Michael Serpa, told us more about the winery and its history.

On the other side of town, we learned even more from Alcove Boston owner and long-time wine educator Tom Schlesinger-Guidelli. He likes this wine so much that he offers it in half bottles, 750s, and magnums. We've followed Tom around since his early years as a bartender at Craigie on Main.

Raventos says, "Five centuries of winegrowing, tradition and family."

Raventós i Blanc is a winery with one of the longest documented winegrowing traditions in the world. The family farm where our wines are now produced has belonged to the Raventós family since 1497. Five centuries working 90 hectares of vines and forest, a dynasty closely associated with the land from one generation to the next. Today, Pepe Raventós, who represents the twenty-first generation of the family, farms 44 plots using biodynamic winegrowing methods and is committed to maintaining the estate of vines, wood and lake as a complete entity. Raventós i Blanc is faithful to tradition and upholds the relationship between man and nature at the very core of its production philosophy."

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!

We purchase our bottle at Gordon's Wine and Spirits for $24.99.

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

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Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
Photos: © 2014-2023 Penny Cherubino

March 1, 2023
We Toast February 2023 with Colorful, Romantic Memories and Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne

We have fond memories of enjoying many bottles of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne in the flamboyantly colorful Upstairs at The Square in Cambridge.

We added a bright backdrop to this month's bottle to honor the design of this much-loved and sadly-missed restaurant.

For those who have never seen this space, here's a link to an Eater Boston article with images. As you click through, pause at the photo of the bar where we used to sit alongside the man in the picture. He was almost always there.

Often when we dined, Frank (or "Frank who went to New York," as Ed always calls him) was behind the bar. He was one of those great bartenders who knew the food and the wine and always made you feel welcome.

One day we noticed a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne on the wine menu for less than we had paid in a wine shop. We asked Frank if this was a typo. He consulted the wine buyer and confirmed the price. While that supply or oversupply lasted, we enjoyed great Champagne at sparkling wine prices.

In 2009 we wrote about the food and wine and called this place "a well-rounded favorite." In that article, we also reminisced about the first version of this establishment saying,

"When we first met UpStairs, it was "UpStairs at the Pudding" and was housed in the Hasty Pudding building a few streets over. We adored lunch or brunch on their garden deck. They do have patio seating at the new location, but we must admit we still miss that hidden garden surrounded by Cambridge homes and businesses."

You might have a delightful surprise at either restaurant when the Harvard Krokodiloes streamed into the room and began an a cappella serenade!

Here is what this Champagne house says about this wine:

Grape varietal: Pinot Noir 100% aged an ideal minimum of 5 years.

SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS
"Elegant, with colour changing naturally from a pretty raspberry hue to salmon pink.
A precise nose of extraordinary freshness and a wide range of red fruits: raspberry, redcurrant, strawberry and black cherry. A fresh and sharp attack for this supple and rounded wine. On the palate, it offers the sensation of plunging into a basket of freshly picked red berries."

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's Wine and Spirits for ~$100 with a six-bottle discount.

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

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: © 2009-2023 Penny Cherubino (Bottle with glass courtesy of Laurent-Perrier)

February 1, 2023
We Toast February 2023 with Colorful, Romantic Memories and Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne

We have fond memories of enjoying many bottles of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne in the flamboyantly colorful Upstairs at The Square in Cambridge.

We added a bright backdrop to this month's bottle to honor the design of this much-loved and sadly-missed restaurant.

For those who have never seen this space, here's a link to an Eater Boston article with images. As you click through, pause at the photo of the bar where we used to sit alongside the man in the picture. He was almost always there.

Often when we dined, Frank (or "Frank who went to New York," as Ed always calls him) was behind the bar. He was one of those great bartenders who knew the food and the wine and always made you feel welcome.

One day we noticed a bottle of Laurent-Perrier Cuvée Rosé Champagne on the wine menu for less than we had paid in a wine shop. We asked Frank if this was a typo. He consulted the wine buyer and confirmed the price. While that supply or oversupply lasted, we enjoyed great Champagne at sparkling wine prices.

In 2009 we wrote about the food and wine and called this place "a well-rounded favorite." In that article, we also reminisced about the first version of this establishment saying,

"When we first met UpStairs, it was "UpStairs at the Pudding" and was housed in the Hasty Pudding building a few streets over. We adored lunch or brunch on their garden deck. They do have patio seating at the new location, but we must admit we still miss that hidden garden surrounded by Cambridge homes and businesses."

You might have a delightful surprise at either restaurant when the Harvard Krokodiloes streamed into the room and began an a cappella serenade!

Here is what this Champagne house says about this wine:

Grape varietal: Pinot Noir 100% aged an ideal minimum of 5 years.

SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS
"Elegant, with colour changing naturally from a pretty raspberry hue to salmon pink.
A precise nose of extraordinary freshness and a wide range of red fruits: raspberry, redcurrant, strawberry and black cherry. A fresh and sharp attack for this supple and rounded wine. On the palate, it offers the sensation of plunging into a basket of freshly picked red berries."

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's Wine and Spirits for ~$100 with a six-bottle discount.

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

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: © 2009-2023 Penny Cherubino (Bottle with glass courtesy of Laurent-Perrier)

February 1, 2023
We’ll Toast Friends with a Dr. Konstantin Frank 2019 Sparkling Riesling Nature

This month we’ll raise of glass of Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyard’s 2019 Sparkling Riesling. We can thank our friends David and Peter for introducing us to this family vineyard from the Finger Lakes region of New York. We also have to thank them for educating Penny about dry Rieslings. She had always avoided this varietal after trying a few versions that were too sweet for her taste. You can learn a lot about wine by sharing it with friends.

Recently the Washington Post featured Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyard in Dave McIntyre’s article “This 60-year-old winery changed the way America grew grapes.” One of our toasts from this bottle will honor Ukrainian refugee Konstantin Frank for his contributions to winemaking and the education of wine consumers in this country. Another toast will be to the third and fourth generation of his family who operate the winery today.

A second nudge to place an order from this vineyard came when we spotted their dry Riesling on the menu at the Dubliner, where we’ve enjoyed this selection by the glass while lunching with friends.

Here’s what the winemakers say about their Sparkling Riesling Nature 2019.

“Our Riesling Nature is 100% Riesling from our estate vineyards on Keuka Lake. Secondary fermentation took place in bottle for a minimum of 24 months in our historic underground cellar. The wine is finished without any additional dosage creating a very dry wine.”

“Toastiness comes first, with prominent fruit flavors of crisp red apple, lemon curd, and ginger come to meet up. Driven by its freshness and austerity, the creamy mouthfeel balances the dry, crisp, and bright green apple flavors.”

We purchase our bottle directly from the vineyard for $34.99.

We were pleased with every aspect of the transaction. They were offering a quantity discount, so we added three bottles of the dry Riesling and two more of their sparkling wines. The cost of shipping was reasonable. The packaging was sturdy, and our wines arrived promptly as promised.

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!

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: ©2022 Penny Cherubino

September 1, 2022
We’ll Toast Friends with a Dr. Konstantin Frank 2019 Sparkling Riesling Nature

This month we’ll raise of glass of Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyard’s 2019 Sparkling Riesling. We can thank our friends David and Peter for introducing us to this family vineyard from the Finger Lakes region of New York. We also have to thank them for educating Penny about dry Rieslings. She had always avoided this varietal after trying a few versions that were too sweet for her taste. You can learn a lot about wine by sharing it with friends.

Recently the Washington Post featured Dr. Konstantin Frank Vineyard in Dave McIntyre’s article “This 60-year-old winery changed the way America grew grapes.” One of our toasts from this bottle will honor Ukrainian refugee Konstantin Frank for his contributions to winemaking and the education of wine consumers in this country. Another toast will be to the third and fourth generation of his family who operate the winery today.

A second nudge to place an order from this vineyard came when we spotted their dry Riesling on the menu at the Dubliner, where we’ve enjoyed this selection by the glass while lunching with friends.

Here’s what the winemakers say about their Sparkling Riesling Nature 2019.

“Our Riesling Nature is 100% Riesling from our estate vineyards on Keuka Lake. Secondary fermentation took place in bottle for a minimum of 24 months in our historic underground cellar. The wine is finished without any additional dosage creating a very dry wine.”

“Toastiness comes first, with prominent fruit flavors of crisp red apple, lemon curd, and ginger come to meet up. Driven by its freshness and austerity, the creamy mouthfeel balances the dry, crisp, and bright green apple flavors.”

We purchase our bottle directly from the vineyard for $34.99.

We were pleased with every aspect of the transaction. They were offering a quantity discount, so we added three bottles of the dry Riesling and two more of their sparkling wines. The cost of shipping was reasonable. The packaging was sturdy, and our wines arrived promptly as promised.

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!

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: ©2022 Penny Cherubino

September 1, 2022
We’ll Toast December 2021 with Cabernet Franc! It’s Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé

This month we'll raise a glass to the wonderful people from Cornwall's in Kenmore Square with a glass from the bottle of Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé we included in our last take-out order before they closed until March 2022.

While Ed loves going to Cornwall's for their excellent draft beer selection, Penny appreciates a pub where she has a nice selection of wines that match the food. This one is among her favorites, there or at home.

Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé is a 100% Cabernet Franc sparkling rosé from the Loire Valley. We've enjoyed this wine in many fine-dining restaurants over the years.

We dined on the patio out front all summer and fall and, last winter, made regular visits for take-out. This year we learned that they were closing for the season. Here is the announcement on their website. We'll miss them but support them in doing what they need to do.

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!

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 – 2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

December 1, 2021
We’ll Toast December 2021 with Cabernet Franc! It’s Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé

This month we'll raise a glass to the wonderful people from Cornwall's in Kenmore Square with a glass from the bottle of Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé we included in our last take-out order before they closed until March 2022.

While Ed loves going to Cornwall's for their excellent draft beer selection, Penny appreciates a pub where she has a nice selection of wines that match the food. This one is among her favorites, there or at home.

Louis de Grenelle Saumur Rosé is a 100% Cabernet Franc sparkling rosé from the Loire Valley. We've enjoyed this wine in many fine-dining restaurants over the years.

We dined on the patio out front all summer and fall and, last winter, made regular visits for take-out. This year we learned that they were closing for the season. Here is the announcement on their website. We'll miss them but support them in doing what they need to do.

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!

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 – 2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino

December 1, 2021
We’ll Toast August 1st with Happy Memories of Bollinger Champagne

Thanks to a great assist from some very nice people, we'll toast August 1st with a favorite – Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne. This is our year of terroir and Bollinger, for us, is the center point for the flavor, aroma, balance, and everything else we want from a champagne. When we enjoy other wines from this region, it's the memory of this wine we use for comparison.

While we'll be raising our glasses at home with friends on computer screens, in our minds we'll travel back to the many times we've enjoyed a bottle of this wine on the deck in Provincetown. Today's photos are all from another time and place.

Another type of terroir brings a distinct note to the wine in these bottles. Namely, the years of reserve wine from the same land that is blended to give us that Bollinger Special Cruvee style.

On their site the vineyard explains:

"The Bollinger vineyard covers 178 hectares, most of which are classified Grand or Premier cru. Pinot Noir predominates, a demanding grape variety with an intense character which forms the backbone of the Bollinger style. Continuity of style is ensured by an exceptional collection of over 700,000 reserve magnums, making Bollinger the only champagne House with such a wide and precise palette of aromas for their blends. As a guarantee of supreme quality, the best crus are vinified in wood thanks to a stock of 3,500 small, aged casks. The House lets its wines mature for twice as long as the appellation requirement. This is not out of vanity, but because a great wine needs the luxury of time to develop its full character."

We'll do a special toast this month to the excellent team at Gordon's Wine in Downtown Crossing (39 Temple Place) who helped Penny put together (and keep us safe by delivering) a box of special bottles as a gift for Ed. Here's to Tyler, Val, Jack, and our delivery driver.

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's on sale: $54.99. If that sale is still on, this would be a great time to stock up and be ready for your next special occasion.

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: ©2012 Penny Cherubino

August 1, 2020
We’ll Toast August 1st with Happy Memories of Bollinger Champagne

Thanks to a great assist from some very nice people, we'll toast August 1st with a favorite – Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne. This is our year of terroir and Bollinger, for us, is the center point for the flavor, aroma, balance, and everything else we want from a champagne. When we enjoy other wines from this region, it's the memory of this wine we use for comparison.

While we'll be raising our glasses at home with friends on computer screens, in our minds we'll travel back to the many times we've enjoyed a bottle of this wine on the deck in Provincetown. Today's photos are all from another time and place.

Another type of terroir brings a distinct note to the wine in these bottles. Namely, the years of reserve wine from the same land that is blended to give us that Bollinger Special Cruvee style.

On their site the vineyard explains:

"The Bollinger vineyard covers 178 hectares, most of which are classified Grand or Premier cru. Pinot Noir predominates, a demanding grape variety with an intense character which forms the backbone of the Bollinger style. Continuity of style is ensured by an exceptional collection of over 700,000 reserve magnums, making Bollinger the only champagne House with such a wide and precise palette of aromas for their blends. As a guarantee of supreme quality, the best crus are vinified in wood thanks to a stock of 3,500 small, aged casks. The House lets its wines mature for twice as long as the appellation requirement. This is not out of vanity, but because a great wine needs the luxury of time to develop its full character."

We'll do a special toast this month to the excellent team at Gordon's Wine in Downtown Crossing (39 Temple Place) who helped Penny put together (and keep us safe by delivering) a box of special bottles as a gift for Ed. Here's to Tyler, Val, Jack, and our delivery driver.

We purchased our bottle at Gordon's on sale: $54.99. If that sale is still on, this would be a great time to stock up and be ready for your next special occasion.

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: ©2012 Penny Cherubino

August 1, 2020