Ok, so I actually say both and you may very well do the same but as pink wine extends its unrelenting run of summer wine dominance into a now second decade, I am increasingly feeling compelled to distinguish between the catch-all French designation 'rosé' and its lesser-used Italian and Spanish ver …
Emily and I had dinner last Saturday at our friend's place and I'd been tasked with most of the cooking (the proteins) and, naturally, brought a few wines along as well - two of which were both 'last year' Rosés. The first was the Le Clos Peyrassol, Commanderie's top-tier pinky. That was so lovel …
Ah, summer in France. Warm sunshine, picturesque beaches, outdoor markets teeming with fresh produce, lazy afternoons on the café terrace, four weeks of vacation, salade Niçoise, roast Provençal chicken and of course, delicious wine. Sounds wonderful, doesn't it? I personally will not be making it …
I was trying not to drink the other night, something I’ve tried to be a lot better about during the week. To some of you, that may sound crazy that a wine merchant wouldn't drink on any given night, while some of you might find it insane that someone should even have to make themselves not drink a …
Where to start with this one... Walter Massa has been producing wine the hills around Tortona (Colli Tortonesi) in Eastern Piedmont since  1978... ...and I've tasted his '78 Barbera Monleale twice now... ...and if you think Barbera doesn't age, well, then I urge you to pay attention to this one. …
'Do you have this wine?', says the person who just walked in, holding up a picture on their phone of a bottle with a simple, but very distinctive, artistic label on it. The wine they were asking for (usually the 'orange' version) was from a producer called Vivanterre, and MCF was one of the first …
Our current selection of Italian wines with some age on them. ALL PRICES ARE PER BOTTLE Umbria Paolo Bea Montefalco Sagrantino Vigneto Pagliaro 2012 $91 Paolo Bea Umbria Bianco Arboreus 2012 $64 1 x Paolo Bea Montefalco Sagrantino Vigneto Pagliaro 2012 1.5L $240 Piedmont Cantalupo Ghemme Collis …
Saturday Sancerre. Here in Northeast, the weather's been about as rainy over the last week as it's been in a long time. Even though I tend to think of Sancerre for Summer afternoons with raw bar and other fresh seafood, the fact remains that, for many, Sancerre is a 24/7/365 delight. You all …
Everyone's heard the idiom 'catch lightning in a bottle', used to illustrate how someone got really lucky and/or succeeded in an unconventional way. But henceforth, by my decree, it shall refer to obtaining a bottle of Riesling...especially Riesling from a producer like Van Volxem in the Saar, bec …
Last Friday night, I had the pleasure of being invited to the La Festa del Barolo Gala Dinner by Giuseppe Vajra and his American Sales Manager, Kevin. This is the dinner where every producer in attendance hosts a table where attendees get to interact with the producer and each other, but also brin …
Over the past few years, Bouzereau-Gruere has become one of our sleeper favorites here in the White Burgundy category. Their wines offer everything you can ask for in classic Burgundian Chardonnay - precision, clarity, typicity, nuance - and do it while also deserving to be placed squarely in the ' …
Dry, spicy, herbaceous, lively, refreshing, mineral...and pink...in other words, perfect for the warm days on the horizon... Sounds like I'm referring to your classic Provençal rosé, no? Well, I love Provençal rosé, but I'm not. I'm talking about Italian pinkies...and from opposite ends of the bo …
It must be your lucky day. I know you were just sitting there thinking 'I really wonder what perfectly-aged wines from Portugal's Bairrada region would taste like...' (I know you were) And, like I said, lucky day... Last year I offered my first round of wines from Luis Pato's brilliant library o …
Well, the Mets have broken our hearts once again, but I'm choosing to be optimistic anyway... One, because the collective negativity of the Met fanbase hasn't done much for us over the course of my life. Two, our new owner won't stand for 'just good season'. Three, the Jets are looking good. Fo …
They just keep coming, these drinkin' Burgs to keep your winter spirits bright. Bernard Moreau's spectacular Santenays have been making a big splash in the last few months - first there was the boldly mineral, savory 2013 Santenay 1er Cru Clos Rousseau. Then we had the lithe, elegant 2014 Santenay …
I love under-the-radar producers. I consider these two producers under the radar. They're from Burgundy. They're delicious. They aren't crazy expensive. It's January. You need Burgundy. You need Burgundy that won't break the bank and that you don't have to sit on for a decade... ...tho …
FIRST, A REMINDER THAT WE'RE TASTING BOTH OF THESE SETS OF WINES HERE AT MCF TOMORROW (Wed, 6/19) from 5-7pm. Now for the good stuff...because this stuff is good... Even though it's not my usual format, I'm sending a 'dual' offer today, so apologies for the length. It's a 'dual' offer in the f …
Late last week, we had a couple of days here in NYC that made it seem like Fall was right around the corner. I opened all the windows in the morning, allowing the cool, fresh breeze to flow right in. It was a most welcomed feeling, one that you veteran readers know that I celebrate every Septemb …
It's a bright April Saturday. As I sit at my desk, the brisk, fresh air gently breezes in my window. For the last two weeks, I've been hearing birds, loudly and clearly, all day long - the same bird calls I used to hear as a kid in NJ. Despite the horrible situation I know the people down the …
There are a lot of things that we associate July and August with - warm weather, light, fresh foods, lazy Summer days - but one of the best aspects of the dog days are wine deals! I mean, at least that's what I say... There are so many things that make Pinot Noir so special, not the least of whi …
Lots of Etna lately, I know... ...but these two are worth your attention...mostly because they are pretty much outside the sphere of attention of just about everyone. Hence my use of 'anomaly'... The first one is an anomaly in the sense that's it's a producer who I wasn't familiar with...and bas …
If you see the labels in the above picture, they're probably ringing a bell. I've offered the red wines from Fabrice Dodane, proprietor of Domaine Saint Pierre, a few times already and, each time, they sold out within a day, and you all gave them some pretty rave reviews. Today, I'm offering two …
The last large gathering that I (and quite a few of you) attended before things went crazy, was the Gala Dinner of the Festa del Barolo on January 31st. Heading into the event, there was a lot of buzz about a new producer called Trediberri and its young proprietor, Nicola Oberto. The estate's pri …
Timorasso is one of those grapes you have probably heard me talk at length about, so... ...I'll talk about it some more now... A brilliant Barbaresco producer makes a Timorasso in 2012, ages it in stainless for six months on the lees, then racks it into neutral barrel for NINE YEARS before bottli …
Well, even though it's cold and wet (and slushy) here in NYC, my Spring fever has officially kicked in. We had a few beautiful Spring days last week, so that set it in motion. On Sunday, Emily and I had dinner at the home of Doug and Tina Polaner, and the meal they made was packed with every grea …
Mimi Casteel's Hope Well winery has been among one of the many tiny-production wineries from Oregon that we love here at MCF. I first wrote about her back in September, and you go to the website to read that one, if you want to know more. I dig what Mimi has going on so many levels. She grew u …
This is a really fun offer, and not the type that I get to do all that often. A lot of times, new customers will walk in the door and be surprised to not see many older and/or higher-end wines sitting on my shelves. The reason for that is quite simple. Most of the time, when I receive older or …
A perfect loin of pork, well spiced and lightly pink in the center. A grilled, glazed filet of salmon. Fresh, fire roasted veggies from the farmer’s market. These are all things that are delicious on a warm evening in the backyard, and they all need a flavorful, but nimble red that will compl …
Okay, so, I've traditionally shied away from making specific recos for Thanksgiving, and I suppose there are numerous reasons for that. If you had to boil it down to one main reason, though, I think it would be this - I just can't decide. It's hard enough for me to pick two wines to take to such …
Over the last few weeks, I've been on a rum kick, specifically the 'stinky' rum, as my kids now call it. (Or 'don't sit next to me if you're drinking that...', as my wife says.) I'd wandered on the periphery of funky and/or ester-heavy rums for years, but never quite found a connection with them t …
WARNING: DRINKING DISTILLED SPIRITS, BEER, COOLERS, WINE AND OTHER ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES MAY INCREASE CANCER RISK, AND, DURING PREGNANCY, CAN CAUSE BIRTH DEFECTS.