bostonzest

Tag: Provincetown

  • 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.

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    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. 

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    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.

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    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. 

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    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. 

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    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."

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    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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    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: © 2014-2023 Penny Cherubino 

  • We’ll Toast March 1, 2022 with Raventos i Blanc and Remember Being with Friends

    Friends delivered a bottle of Raventos i Blanc to us on Christmas day. They knew it was one of our favorite wines and sometimes hard to find. We saved it for March 1st because we knew we would need the lift that this bit of sparkle and the kindness of special people throughout the pandemic will provide on the day that marks two years since we gathered with friends inside a restaurant. 

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    It is also a wine that reminds us of Provincetown since we discovered it there. Today's photos are from that time, and here is the post about our discovery.

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    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!

    6a00e54fc42bb88834026bdeebfa2a200c-500wi

    6a00e54fc42bb888340282e11c5115200b-500wi

    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: ©2014-2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • We’ll Toast March 1, 2022 with Raventos i Blanc and Remember Being with Friends

    Friends delivered a bottle of Raventos i Blanc to us on Christmas day. They knew it was one of our favorite wines and sometimes hard to find. We saved it for March 1st because we knew we would need the lift that this bit of sparkle and the kindness of special people throughout the pandemic will provide on the day that marks two years since we gathered with friends inside a restaurant. 

    6a00e54fc42bb88834026bdeebfa15200c-800wi

    It is also a wine that reminds us of Provincetown since we discovered it there. Today's photos are from that time, and here is the post about our discovery.

    6a00e54fc42bb8883401a3fd0cb74f970b-800wi

    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!

    6a00e54fc42bb88834026bdeebfa2a200c-500wi

    6a00e54fc42bb888340282e11c5115200b-500wi

    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: ©2014-2016 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • We’ll Celebrate April 1st with a Bottle of Bollinger Champagne

    We think this April 1st monthly toast is a reason to celebrate and raise a glass from a splurge favorite Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne. Today is the first milestone on our way to immunity from our vaccinations. We have a ways to go before our level of immunity is high enough to make us begin to feel safe. We also realize that we'll still be wearing masks and keeping our distance from others, because we still could be asymptomatic carriers who could spread the virus.

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    The big decision of the day is where shall we pick up a take-out order to go with our bottle. Michael Serpa is scheduled to open all three of his restaurants today, Select Oyster, Grand Tour, and Atlantico. We've missed the great food and most of all we've missed the people from these places. While we have not experienced Atlantico yet, we plan to pick up an order this week.

    Finally, we'll celebrate in the hope that the warmer weather continues, the local positive case numbers begin to level off or fall, and that the number of our friends who are vaccinated rises quickly. We're starting to make a list of the things we'd like to do when we feel safer going places and doing more than our one walk a day for exercise.

    A trip to Provincetown where these photos were taken is high on that list!

    6a00e54fc42bb888340264e2eae729200d-800wi

    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!

    DSC_8312

    DSC_8314

    We purchased our bottle at Gordon's on sale: $54.99 last year, when they went out of their way to gather and deliver an order of favorite wines for us. 

    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: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • We’ll Celebrate April 1st with a Bottle of Bollinger Champagne

    We think this April 1st monthly toast is a reason to celebrate and raise a glass from a splurge favorite Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne. Today is the first milestone on our way to immunity from our vaccinations. We have a ways to go before our level of immunity is high enough to make us begin to feel safe. We also realize that we'll still be wearing masks and keeping our distance from others, because we still could be asymptomatic carriers who could spread the virus.

    6a00e54fc42bb888340263e958b3f2200b-800wi

    The big decision of the day is where shall we pick up a take-out order to go with our bottle. Michael Serpa is scheduled to open all three of his restaurants today, Select Oyster, Grand Tour, and Atlantico. We've missed the great food and most of all we've missed the people from these places. While we have not experienced Atlantico yet, we plan to pick up an order this week.

    Finally, we'll celebrate in the hope that the warmer weather continues, the local positive case numbers begin to level off or fall, and that the number of our friends who are vaccinated rises quickly. We're starting to make a list of the things we'd like to do when we feel safer going places and doing more than our one walk a day for exercise.

    A trip to Provincetown where these photos were taken is high on that list!

    6a00e54fc42bb888340264e2eae729200d-800wi

    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!

    DSC_8312

    DSC_8314

    We purchased our bottle at Gordon's on sale: $54.99 last year, when they went out of their way to gather and deliver an order of favorite wines for us. 

    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: ©2017 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • Remembering Friends and Good Times with a Glass of Nino Franco Rustico on March 1st, 2021

    March 1st of 2020, we gathered with a small group of friends in the small upstairs room at Grand Tour on Newbury Street. That was the last time we got together with friends in person, indoors, and shared food. Today we'll raise a glass of our old favorite and house sparkling wine, Nino Franco Rustico, and remember the times and places where we've enjoyed this wine with friends or for a two-person, private celebration. 

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    When friends stopped by in the old days, chances were good that we would have a glass of this lovely Prosecco at the ready since there are normally a few bottles in our wine rack. 

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    We were early fans of this Italian sparkler and became online friends with Silvia Franco and were even fortunate enough to meet her on one of her visits to Boston.

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    Naturally, Nino Franco Rustico came with us to Provincetown. Or rather, it was usually waiting for us there at a wine shop with excellent taste. We've shared it with friends who also love this place and are sometimes in town when we are.

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    We've been known to buy this wine by the case before the holidays to gift to friends, bring to gatherings, or add to a thank you tip for someone who's been very good to us all year.

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    Here's to those special people who joined us at Grand Tour last year and to those who couldn't make it. Let's hope we can enjoy one another's company again before March 1, 2022. And, here's to all the people we miss from Grand Tour and Select Oyster, where we were often found sitting at the bar in the good old days.

    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!

    6a00e54fc42bb888340240a4a1a5ba200c-800wi

    We purchased our bottle at Gordon's for ~$25.00.

    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 

  • Remembering Friends and Good Times with a Glass of Nino Franco Rustico on March 1st, 2021

    March 1st of 2020, we gathered with a small group of friends in the small upstairs room at Grand Tour on Newbury Street. That was the last time we got together with friends in person, indoors, and shared food. Today we'll raise a glass of our old favorite and house sparkling wine, Nino Franco Rustico, and remember the times and places where we've enjoyed this wine with friends or for a two-person, private celebration. 

    6a00e54fc42bb888340240a4a1a5a6200c-800wi
    When friends stopped by in the old days, chances were good that we would have a glass of this lovely Prosecco at the ready since there are normally a few bottles in our wine rack. 

    6a00e54fc42bb888340240a4a1a554200c-800wi

    We were early fans of this Italian sparkler and became online friends with Silvia Franco and were even fortunate enough to meet her on one of her visits to Boston.

    6a00e54fc42bb888340224e03de021200d-800wi

    Naturally, Nino Franco Rustico came with us to Provincetown. Or rather, it was usually waiting for us there at a wine shop with excellent taste. We've shared it with friends who also love this place and are sometimes in town when we are.

    6a00e54fc42bb8883401bb08a0055a970d-800wi

    We've been known to buy this wine by the case before the holidays to gift to friends, bring to gatherings, or add to a thank you tip for someone who's been very good to us all year.

    IMG_6804

    Here's to those special people who joined us at Grand Tour last year and to those who couldn't make it. Let's hope we can enjoy one another's company again before March 1, 2022. And, here's to all the people we miss from Grand Tour and Select Oyster, where we were often found sitting at the bar in the good old days.

    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!

    6a00e54fc42bb888340240a4a1a5ba200c-800wi

    We purchased our bottle at Gordon's for ~$25.00.

    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 

  • 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.

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    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.

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    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."

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    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 

  • 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.

    6a00e54fc42bb88834016767f252d4970b-800wi

    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.

    6a00e54fc42bb88834016767f20185970b-800wi

    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."

    6a00e54fc42bb88834017742ccf34f970d-800wi

    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 

  • Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut Champagne with Great Stories for Toasting March 2019

    Happy New Month! This time we are raising a glass of Philipponnat Royale Réserve Brut Champagne to salute the month of March.

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    Today we will also toast two wonderful gentlemen, Tom Fielding and Scott O’Connor, who provided us with fabulous wine selections at Perry's in Provincetown for years.

    Here's to the two of you! We hope you'll have many happy years in your new home in San Miguel de Allende. This is the last bottle we have that was one of their selections. And what a selection it is! We can't wait to taste it.

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    Philipponnat has its own story!

    In case you didn't notice the 1522 in the top photo, we took a close up of it on the neck of the bottle. The Philipponnat family have been on this land for nearly 500 years. They provided wine to French King Louis 14th, other royals, magistrates and mayors, even to those in the Champagne region.

    We have read that the current family member managing the vineyard is Charles Philipponnat who's responsible for bringing it back to greatness by paying close attention to details from vine to bottle.

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    No flutes for this wine. We'll be enjoying it in large wine glasses to capture every nuance of the blend.

    The winemakers say:

    "The Blend: 65% Pinot Noir, 30% Chardonnay, 5% Pinot Meunier. First press juice of mainly Grand and Premier Crus grapes from the heart of the Champagne wine-growing area. 20 to 30% of reserve wines are aged in wooden barrels using the solera system to incorporate older wines without losing freshness."

    "TASTING: 

    To the eye: Deep gold in colour with amber glints. Delicate froth, lively and lingering.

    With the nose: The first nose reveals vine blossom, linden and fresh, lightly toasted bread. After breathing, aromas of summer berries, citrus fruit and honey develop.

    With the mouth: Fine vinous attack on the palate, fruity (red currant, raspberry, ripe grape) and full- bodied, generous and long. Light notes of biscuit and freshly baked bread on the finish."

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    Tip: When you want to find a wine, take a photo of the back label. This gives you the information your wine shop will need to order it for you.

    We purchased our bottle at Perry's in Provincetown ~$60.00

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    (03.01.19) 4p – Update: Be sure to drink this wine through the temperatures because it is spectacular at 55º in a large glass!

    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.

     

    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 & Ed Cherubino