Big changes have taken place at Vino in 2010: first we took the decision to go international, extending our world-class selection of wines beyond Italy’s borders and to the furthest reaches of the globe. Now, more transformations are afoot, this time of the virtual kind. Vino’s online observers may have noticed we have a brand spanking new website, whose simple, clean design will hopefully make your shopping experience easy and straightforward. What’s more, the new website platform allows us to incorporate this very blog, meaning you only have to go to one place to buy wine and get all the latest news about upcoming events, tastings, classes and special offers at Vino! We think you’ll agree it makes much more sense than having three separate websites. (As the person responsible for maintaining all three I know it’s going to make my life a breeze.) This will be the final blog post at vinonyc.wordpress.com: thanks to everyone for following and commenting — I’m sure going to miss that Manhattan skyline header. Henceforth you can continue to follow Vino on vinosite.com/news. See you there!

Check out the new blog now!

And if you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to follow us on Twitter or to “like” the brand new Vino Facebook page!

Ciao!

You’ll no doubt have heard people use the phrases “Old World” and “New World” to describe wine styles, but what do these terms really mean? Join William Leonard-Lee for an intriguing look at what differentiates “Old” from “New World” wines, as he attempts to separate them into these two camps. Taste selections from some of the world’s top winemaking regions to form a clearer understanding of how terroir and technique can affect the profile of a wine. We will also take an in-depth look at how different treatments to the same grape variety can yield wines of wildly differing attributes. California Merlot and Saint-Émilion? Australian Shiraz vs. Northern Rhône? Taste and decide which side of the winemaking divide these wines lay!

OLD WORLD vs NEW WORLD
with William Leonard-Lee
Wednesday, May 19
6:30-8:30pm
$55

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.

We’ve gone OCD for this wine. Join Cindy from Communal Brands this Friday, when she’ll be pouring the magical and mysterious Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand’s Marlborough region. Winemaker Fiona Turner produces an herbacious monovarietal of surprising depth. Wake up and taste it this Friday from 5:30pm!

Sauvignon Blanc 2008 Otto’s Constant Dream

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.

Vino’s Cocktail Hour continues! Hop in this Thursday when we’ll be mixing Sidecars! Made from Cognac, triple sec and lemon juice, this classic cocktail is generally believed to have been invented shortly after the end of World War I, either in London or Paris (Paris’ Ritz Hotel often claims origin of the drink). Early sources credit Pat MacGarry, the celebrated bartender at Buck’s Club in London, with creating the Sidecar, although David A. Embury suggested the cocktail was devised by an American Army captain stationed in Paris during World War I. According to Embury’s The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks (1948) the drink was named after “the motorcycle sidecar in which the good captain was driven to and from the little bistro where the drink was born and christened.”

Whatever the drink’s origins, the sidecar remains one of the quintessential 20th century cocktails. If your bartender doesn’t know how to make it, you’re definitely in the wrong bar!

COCKTAIL HOUR: Sidecar Tasting
Thursday, May 13
5:30-7:30pm

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.

WINES OF THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
with Scott Rosenbaum
Tuesday, May 11
6:30-8:30pm
$45

For more information and reservations please call 212-725-6516 or email register@vinosite.com.

Anyone whose spent twenty-four hours in Italy will no doubt be familiar with “aperitivo”. This quintessential Italian pastime is more than just a drink: aperitivo represents the blissful post-work, pre-dinner moment when Italy’s streets and piazze begin to swell with people enjoying a passeggiata — and invariably pausing for refreshment at a bar or caffè. This Thursday aperitivo comes to Vino as we taste a classic Italian cocktail: Negroni!

Made from equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, this refreshing aperitivo was invented in Florence by Count Camillo Negroni, who demanded bartender Fosco Scarselli create his usual Americano (sweet vermouth, Campari and soda) with a little extra kick. The setting for this historic occasion was the Caffè Casoni on the corner of Via Tornabuoni and Via della Spada (the bar later became Caffé Giacosa and today forms an extension of Florentine fashion designer Roberto Cavalli’s flagship store).

Today the classic Negroni is arguably Italy’s most common pre-dinner cocktail. It’s success has even spawned modern variations, including the Negroski (in which vodka substitutes the gin) and the Negroni sbagliato (literally “wrong”, whereby gin is replaced with spumante). Join us on Thursday as we bring you Negroni just as the Count intended!

NEGRONI TASTING
Thursday, May 6
5:30-7:30pm

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.

Though Vino’s expansion has allowed us to provide you with global grasp of the world’s wines, we haven’t forgotten our Italian roots! Italian Wine 101 continues to be your favorite class: if you’re one of the many people confused by Italian wine there’s no better place to start making sense of it all. Featured twice times this Spring, this introductory tasting seminar will break down Italy’s complex appellation system, myriad grape varieties, diverse regional winemaking styles. Lucky participants will be treated to an exclusive tasting representing the spectacular variety of Italy’s wines. And remember, if you miss out this time, we’ll be hosting Italian Wine 101 again on June 8!

ITALIAN WINE 101
with William “Lucky” Lee
Wednesday, May 5
6:30-8:30pm
$45

For more information and reservations please contact 212-725-6516 or email register@vinosite.com.

Vino’s Global Grand Tasting earlier this month proved such a success that we’ve decided to host another mega-tasting in May! Join us on May 7 for a sweeping worldwide tour of some of our favorite bottles from all corners of the planet. Save the date!

GRAND TASTING
Friday, May 7
5:30-7:30pm

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.

Though we’d never betray our historically italophile tendencies, at Vino we’ve always loved a French wine. Who doesn’t? So following our international expansion we did not hesitate to dive head-first into the vast market of this great wine-producing nation. After a lot of searching (and a lot of tasting) we’ve come up with some real corkers, further proof that our careful selection process pays off. Tomorrow afternoon from 5:30pm join Naomi from Rosenthal Wine Merchants as she presents three of our best finds from France:

Sancerre Le Chêne 2007 Lucien Crochet
$32
The Crochet family has had holdings in the Sancerre AOC since the eighteenth century, and has been bottling wine since 1934. The domaine now is under the direction of Lucien Crochet and his son, Gilles. Much of the Crochet family’s growing sites are located in the fabled vineyards of the “Clos du Chêne Marchand”. These vines are an average age of 35 years and produce approximately 20,000 bottles of Le Chêne per year.

Corbières 2007 Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie
$16
Situated just outside of the tiny village of Douzens, 12 kilometers east of the ancient walled city of Carcassonne, the Domaine Faillenc Sainte Marie was founded during the reign of Louis XIV by an officer returning from service on the Indian subcontinent. Today husband-and-wife Dominique and Marie-Therese Gibert produce this charming blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault. A classic expression of Corbières AOC, the largest appellation in the southern Languedoc-Roussillon region.

Bordeaux Rouge 2008 Château La Rame
$16
Situated 40 kilometers southeast of the city of Bordeaux, Château La Rame is among the oldest and most renowned properties in the Sainte Croix du Mont AOC. The estate was purchased by Claude Armand, the father of the current owner, Yves Armand. The Armand family has undertaken to re-establish Sainte Croix du Mont as an appellation of merit set to rival the region’s greatest appellations.

FREE FRENCH TASTING
Friday, April 30
5:30-7:30pm

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.

This Thursday Vino is postponing its cocktail hour for one week only to welcome a very special guest. From 5:30pm join Conti Sertoli Salis‘ export manager Silvia Marinelli (below left with winemaker Barbara Tamburini at Vino last year) as she pours wines by this esteemed Lombardy producer.

The sub-alpine valley known as Valtellina has long drawn interest from wine drinkers; Leonardo da Vinci even spoke of its winemaking potential in his Codice Atlantico. Today, the Valtellina Superiore DOCG produces some of Lombardy’s most prestigious wines.

Located in the town of Tirano in the province of Sondrio, not far from the Swiss border, Conti Sertoli Salis is a noble family which has been bottling wine since 1869. Much of their wine is still vinified and aged in cellars beneath the Palazzo Salis, the family’s 17th century palace and one of Tirano’s most popular tourist attractions. Conti Sertoli Salis’ Nebbiolo-based wines are some of the best representations of Valtellina we’ve had the pleasure to taste. Of particular interest are Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo vinified white) and the award-winning Nebbiolo-Pinot Nero blend, Baccalitt.

CONTI SERTOLI SALIS TASTING
with Silvia Marinelli
Thursday, April 29
5:30-7:30pm

For more information 212-725-6516 or email contact@vinosite.com.