Riesling Battle! France vs Germany

Barramundays, Wine & Vinyl Presents:
War of the Rieslings, France vs Germany!
Paired with Saxelby's Cheese!


Considered by many top wine critics to be the finest white wine variety on earth, Riesling finds two of its finest expressions in Germany and the Alsace region of France. 




The most popular misconception about Riesling is that the wines it produces are sticky-sweet. In fact, although some of the finest Rieslings are sweet, the majority are dry or off-dry, with a crisp, refreshing acidity that makes them perfect with food- a German Riesling with full flavored or spicy food (Thai), or an Alsace version with foie gras or crab cakes, for example.


Riesling is know for its terrior-expressiveness, each wine's character being clearly influenced by its place of origin. This battle will also be about style. Which will carry the day?


Forstmeister Geltz Zilliken Saarburger Riesling 2009 from Mosel, Germany
Lighter and lower in alcohol, with crisp minerality and floral notes, German Rieslings tend to be more restrained in style than Alsatian Rieslings.


Louis Sipp Riesling 2008 from Alsace, France
Alsatian Rieslings tend to have a richer character, and this is no exception, with plenty of fruit and a medium body. 


Tonight at Barramundi. 
We Are Drinking the Wine..
with DJ Ilmo Spinning Groovy Lounge.
67 Clinton St.
(between Stanton & Rivington)
NYC

Who Won the Battle of the Bubbly?

Barramundays Wine & Vinyl
Battle of the Bubblies: France vs Italy vs Spain
Vouvray Brut Chateau Moncontour
vs
Ruffino Procecco DOC
vs
German Gilabert Cava Reserva

Each of our contenders were the front-runner at some point, as they were all delectable. But..


Cava Won the Battle.
GERMAN GILABERT CAVA RESERVA
Light, delicate and fresh, this sparkler rose to the top later in the evening. Any one of these would be perfect for your Thanksgiving table. 


I suspect we will soon have a Holiday Rematch.


Check back here for Monday's Battle!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Barramundays, Wine & Vinyl Presents

BATTLE OF THE BUBBLIES!


FRANCE vs ITALY vs SPAIN!


This Monday is a first, and a must. Not only are we showcasing 3 wines, but they have bubbles! Get ready for Thanksgiving Dinner and start celebrating early with juicy tunes by DJ Ilmo and bubbly whites from Europe's three heavyweights.

FRANCE:
VOUVRAY BRUT CHATEAU MONCONTOUR
100% chenin blanc, sparkling wine from the Loire Valley, created in the "methode traditionnelle". This light, fruity and elegant bubbly undergoes second fermentation in the bottle for 12 months in 10th century caves. 


ITALY:
RUFFINO PROSECCO DOC
100% prosecco (grape), grown in the Northeastern regions of Italy, and produced under the Prosecco DOC code of production. Intense fruit bouquet, crisp and delicate.


SPAIN:
GERMAN GILABERT CAVA RESERVA
 A blend of 3 Spanish grapes, macabeo, xarel-lo, and parellada, and made in the "methode chanpenoise", this is a classic cava, with apple and floral notes.



The Holidays kick off this Monday, November 21st!


at Barramundi
67 Clinton St
(between Stanton & Rivington)
NYC

Pinot Noir Smackdown! France vs America. The Victor!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this past week's competition was so close, I almost feel guilty announcing a winner. I think more than any previous contest, this one truly boiled down to personal preference, old world vs new world style. Both wines were delicious with great character.


But a battle it was, and there can only be one victor.


Jigsaw Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2009.
To be honest, I really thought this was going to win. Contrary to my usual tastes, I found all of that big fruit and spice to be really attractive. But just when I thought I made my decision, I changed my mind, and voted for..


THE WINNER:


Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Domaine Parent 2008
This was silky smooth, lighter bodied with more mineral notes and subtle fruit. Although I have a feeling, I could have been swayed once more, depending on my mood, or food!


Speaking of which, these two reds were paired with Saxelby's Cheeses: Frere Fumant, a slightly smoked hard sheep's milk cheese, and a lovely hard cow's milk cheese we've had before, the Ouray.


A great time was had by all. 


Battle of the Bubblies this Monday! Just in time for Thanksgiving.

Barramundays, Wine & Vinyl Presents

Red Wine Battles: 

America vs France, The Battle of Pinot Noir

An evening of fine, deeply discounted wine and artisanal cheese, with groovy, eclectic lounge by DJ Ilmo.

With tonight's selections, we have two strong, balanced, yet very different expressions of the Pinot Noir grape. In very general terms, American Pinot Noir, -which arguably finds its best articulation in Oregon's Willamette Valley- tends to have a juicier fruit-forward character while French Burgundies favor an earthier note. Both of these wines have fine structure and balance, but what will our tasters prefer? 

Jigsaw Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2009. The second label of Ransom Wines, Jigsaw is described by the winemaker as "Pinot for the People", and "cerebral punk", aiming for aggressive aromas of fruit, flowers and spice. Hmm..

Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Domaine Parent 2008. This Burgundy slugged it out with our Red Sancerre a while back and only lost by 1 vote! Let's see how it fares against a totally different style. Our French Contender has been described as having aromas of strawberry and rose petal, with hints of earth. 




Truly, an exciting tasting of this most noble of grapes! 
Half-price at $8 a glass.


Paired with Saxelby's Cheese.

at Barramundi
6pm-Midnight
67 Clinton St.
(between Stanton & Rivington)
NYC

The Victor: Battle of the Blends, Languedoc-Roussillon

Barramundays, Wine & Vinyl
Last Monday's Vicor!


We have the results of November 7th's Wine Battle, where our red blend in the traditional Languedoc-Roussillon style challenged a non-traditional blend using not only Rhone style varieties, as is typical, but some Bordeaux grapes as well.
If there's one trend we notice, looking back over the Battle outcomes of the past few months, it's that there IS no trend. On any given Monday, our wine-drinkers seem to be solidly behind one wine, only to tip the scales in the other direction. Never predictable!


St Chinian Jougla 2009, a traditional blend, Mourvedre (40%), Grenache (30%), Syrah (30%)

This would be my personal favorite, though it was very close. 
Both of these wines were strong, and delicious with our Saxelby's cheese, (the Rupert, a hard cow's milk cheese from Vermont, aged 12 months).


In the end, our winner was..


Chateau de Pennautier Cabardes 2009, a non-traditional blend, Cabernet Franc (20 %), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Merlot (20 %), Grenache (20%), Cot (10%), Syrah (10%)

Our tasters were won over by the bigger fruit and spicier complexity. Both were fabulous!


Check right back here for tomorrow's wines!

Barramundays, Wine & Vinyl Presents:

Red Wine Battles: Languedoc-Roussillon

Battle of the Blends

An evening of fine, deeply discounted wine and artisanal cheese, with groovy, eclectic lounge by DJ Ilmo.

About Languedoc-Roussillon:

The largest wine producing region in the world is an area which spans the Mediterranean coastline from the French border with Spain to the region of Provence, and whose first vineyards were planted by the Greeks in the fifth century BC.

An area with a long and tumultuous winemaking history, during the Middle Ages the Languedoc was known for its high quality wines, only to shift focus in latter years to high yields and prolific, lower grape varieties. The remaining quality vines were decimated by the phylloxera epidemic in the 19^th century. In modern times, the Languedoc wine industry has reinvented itself, refocusing on quality winemaking.

This should be a fascinating battle. The combatants:

St Chinian Jougla 2009, a traditional blend, Mourvedre (40%), Grenache (30%), Syrah (30%), food friendly and benefiting from excellent soil, (schist, clay and limestone), and close to the Mediterranean Sea.

Chateau de Pennautier Cabardes 2009, a non-traditional blend, Cabernet Franc (20 %), Cabernet Sauvignon (20%), Merlot (20 %), Grenache (20%), Cot (10%), Syrah (10%). Cabardes is the only formal appellation which permits this many classic varieties in the same wine.

Cheese by Saxelby’s Cheesemongers, our neighbors in the Essex Market.

6pm - Midnight

Monday, Nov 7^th

Barramundi

67 Clinton Street

(between Santon & Rivington)
NYC