bostonzest

Tag: sparkling resolution

  • 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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    6a00e54fc42bb888340240a4b77382200c-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!

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

    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: © 2014-2023 Penny Cherubino 

  • For November 2021 We’ll Raise a Glass of Cerdon, Renardat-Fâche and Have a Dessert Party

    Our monthly toast for November 2021 will be a rare, slightly sweet sparkler- Cerdon, Renardat-Fâche 2019. A few factors influence this choice. This wine is organic. It's from, "The Bugey, halfway between Lyons and Geneva, is one of the tiniest and most obscure wine areas in France," according to importer Louis/Dressner. It is made with Gamay and Poulsard adding a new grape for sparkling wine to our life list. And finally, it's 8% Alcohol by Volume. That is a rare find. All these factors checked some boxes on our preference list.

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    Here's some fascinating information on this producer and this wine from the importer.

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    Aware that it was slightly outside our choice for drier wines, we have decided to use its ability to step in after a meal as an excuse for a dessert party! Today we'll wander the neighborhood and pick up a few desserts to sample with this month's selection. Perhaps some of the favorites from our memory photos above.

    Trying wines from different places, made with other 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_1536
    IMG_1536

    We purchased our bottle at Gordon's for $23.99.

    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: ©2017-2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • For November 2021 We’ll Raise a Glass of Cerdon, Renardat-Fâche and Have a Dessert Party

    Our monthly toast for November 2021 will be a rare, slightly sweet sparkler- Cerdon, Renardat-Fâche 2019. A few factors influence this choice. This wine is organic. It's from, "The Bugey, halfway between Lyons and Geneva, is one of the tiniest and most obscure wine areas in France," according to importer Louis/Dressner. It is made with Gamay and Poulsard adding a new grape for sparkling wine to our life list. And finally, it's 8% Alcohol by Volume. That is a rare find. All these factors checked some boxes on our preference list.

    15174

    Here's some fascinating information on this producer and this wine from the importer.

    IMG_4596
    IMG_4596

    IMG_8838

    Aware that it was slightly outside our choice for drier wines, we have decided to use its ability to step in after a meal as an excuse for a dessert party! Today we'll wander the neighborhood and pick up a few desserts to sample with this month's selection. Perhaps some of the favorites from our memory photos above.

    Trying wines from different places, made with other 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_1536
    IMG_1536

    We purchased our bottle at Gordon's for $23.99.

    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: ©2017-2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • Our August 2021 Toast Will Be Fizzante with Gönc Winery “Canvas” Pet-Nat Pinot Blanc

    For August 2021 we will take our handy bottle opener and remove the cap from a bottle of Gönc Winery "Canvas" Pet-Nat Pinot Blanc.

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    When Penny popped into Urban Grape during a recent Zipcar trip, she described our monthly toast with a sparkling or frizzante wine, our search for wines from new places, grapes, or vineyards, and a bit about our taste preferences. Their staff person, Tray, was knowledgeable and helpful. She recommended three exciting prospects including this one.

    Today's wine is from a new vineyard for us Gönc, and a new country Slovenia! What's more neither of us can remember a fizzante pinot blanc and this is one of Penny's favorite varietals. 

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    It is also a naturally sparkling "Pet-Nat" or, as the French say, “pétillant naturel” wine. In the photo above, you can see the yeast that collected as the wine rested in our wine rack. Food and Wine in an article on Pet-nat explains, "Many are also unfined and unfiltered, and may include some leftover yeast cells, which can lead to a slightly cloudy or hazy appearance. (All this is fine to drink.)"

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    You may also notice the special crown cap. This is one made with, "…special liners compatible with the vinification and fermentation process…" 

    Here's one description of the wine that has us looking forward to our toasting time. "These effervescent, refreshing bubbles with smells of fresh lemon and minerals, crisp pear and almonds springing from the bottle."

    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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    We purchased our bottle at Urban Grape 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: ©2021 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • We’ll Toast July 2021 with Our First Rose Prosecco! La Gioiosa Prosecco Rosé

    La Gioiosa Prosecco Rosé sounds like a perfect wine to toast July 2021. La Gioiosa means “The Joyous” and, as we slowly get out and about, that's how we feel. Rosé proseccos are also a new thing! And, we love trying new wines. 

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    This one is made up of Glera, the traditional prosecco grape and Pinot Noir, one of our favorite wine grapes! It's a slim 11% Alcohol by Volume making it a great wine to sip on a hot summer evening. 

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    The winemaker's tasting notes say:

    "Delicate rose in color with hints of pomegranate, the wine is extremely fresh and aromatic with notes of rose and pomegranate on the nose. On the palate, it’s silky and full-bodied with gorgeous balance between its fruit and floral notes."

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    We purchased our bottle at Urban Grape for $18.00.

    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!

    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: ©2021 Penny Cherubino and La Gioiosa

  • We’ll Toast July 2021 with Our First Rose Prosecco! La Gioiosa Prosecco Rosé

    La Gioiosa Prosecco Rosé sounds like a perfect wine to toast July 2021. La Gioiosa means “The Joyous” and, as we slowly get out and about, that's how we feel. Rosé proseccos are also a new thing! And, we love trying new wines. 

    IMG_8711

    This one is made up of Glera, the traditional prosecco grape and Pinot Noir, one of our favorite wine grapes! It's a slim 11% Alcohol by Volume making it a great wine to sip on a hot summer evening. 

    Prosecco-Rose-Front-scaled  

    IMG_8710

    The winemaker's tasting notes say:

    "Delicate rose in color with hints of pomegranate, the wine is extremely fresh and aromatic with notes of rose and pomegranate on the nose. On the palate, it’s silky and full-bodied with gorgeous balance between its fruit and floral notes."

    IMG_8712

    We purchased our bottle at Urban Grape for $18.00.

    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!

    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: ©2021 Penny Cherubino and La Gioiosa

  • We’ll Toast June 2020 with Beyra Vinhas Velhas Bruto 2014

    Today we'll raise glasses of Beyra Vinhas Velhas Bruto 2014 to the hope that better times will last for us and especially for all our friends in the hospitality industry. This bottle was a gift from a favorite bartender, Gabe Bellegard Bastos. The Boston Globe featured him in a story about his joy that regular customers were returning to his bar at Atlantico Boston.

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    We hope to enjoy this bottle on the roof deck of our building, a place we haven't visited for more than a year. And, if all goes well with other commitments scheduled for the day, we may even be able to invite a friend to share a glass. 

    Gabe knows what we like and he shares our enthusiasm for finding wines with a story, a winemaker doing something different, a grape we haven't tried before and from an area, we seldom taste. This bottle ticks off all those things and we thank him for thinking of us.

    Here's to all the people in the food and wine business who share what they know about wine with us and other customers. They are great educators!

    The site Wines of Portugal told the story of this sparkler. They wrote:

    "The renowned winemaker Rui Roboredo Madeira is the pioneer of the "Altitude Wines" concept.

    Beyra is the name of his wine project that results from this concept. Beyra wines are produced in the highest vineyards in Portugal, at over 750 meters of altitude.

    This terroir combined with the cool climate favours:

    • The increase in acidity;
    • The slower and more uniform ripening of the grape which enhances the concentration of aromas and flavours
    • The proximity of the sun helps photosynthesis by enriching the wine in terms of colour and alcohol content."

    If the science of soil and its impact on wine interests you, here's some extra credit reading on the subject.

    "How vineyard soils affect the taste of your wine" from the Washington Post.

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    The grape is new to us. The wine is 100% Síria, which seems to be particularly suited to the region.

    Finally, this gift from a friend fits perfectly into our year of wines that celebrate friendship. Thank you Gabe and soon we'll see your smiling face across from us at the bar.

    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: ©2020 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

  • We’ll Toast June 2020 with Beyra Vinhas Velhas Bruto 2014

    Today we'll raise glasses of Beyra Vinhas Velhas Bruto 2014 to the hope that better times will last for us and especially for all our friends in the hospitality industry. This bottle was a gift from a favorite bartender, Gabe Bellegard Bastos. The Boston Globe featured him in a story about his joy that regular customers were returning to his bar at Atlantico Boston.

    IMG_8213

    We hope to enjoy this bottle on the roof deck of our building, a place we haven't visited for more than a year. And, if all goes well with other commitments scheduled for the day, we may even be able to invite a friend to share a glass. 

    Gabe knows what we like and he shares our enthusiasm for finding wines with a story, a winemaker doing something different, a grape we haven't tried before and from an area, we seldom taste. This bottle ticks off all those things and we thank him for thinking of us.

    Here's to all the people in the food and wine business who share what they know about wine with us and other customers. They are great educators!

    The site Wines of Portugal told the story of this sparkler. They wrote:

    "The renowned winemaker Rui Roboredo Madeira is the pioneer of the "Altitude Wines" concept.

    Beyra is the name of his wine project that results from this concept. Beyra wines are produced in the highest vineyards in Portugal, at over 750 meters of altitude.

    This terroir combined with the cool climate favours:

    • The increase in acidity;
    • The slower and more uniform ripening of the grape which enhances the concentration of aromas and flavours
    • The proximity of the sun helps photosynthesis by enriching the wine in terms of colour and alcohol content."

    If the science of soil and its impact on wine interests you, here's some extra credit reading on the subject.

    "How vineyard soils affect the taste of your wine" from the Washington Post.

    IMG_8214

    IMG_8215

    The grape is new to us. The wine is 100% Síria, which seems to be particularly suited to the region.

    Finally, this gift from a friend fits perfectly into our year of wines that celebrate friendship. Thank you Gabe and soon we'll see your smiling face across from us at the bar.

    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: ©2020 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