Red Is Life

Pinot & Cubans

Invited for a cigar - perhaps some wine - maybe dinner - to the Grand Havana Room - used to be Top of the Sixes - 39 floors above 5th Avenue -

Myuge

New to me - Myuge - Cabernet Sauvignon - Napa - CA - 2005 - on the list at Ouest - at several merchant shops in NYC -

Very dark coloration - OK - not a terribly distinctive nose - expecting high tannins - asked that it be decanted - still tight - swirls plus 1/2 hour needed - mellowed sufficiently to pass muster with world's toughest tannin critic - i.e. - wife - lots of alcohol - 15% - but no heat - slightly tart taste - final judgment - good not great - too hard for simple dinner accompaniment - nothing that one would go out of one's way for - √√

It Is What It Is

RED IS LIFE is about wine - food - occasional ramblings about issues that are simply beyond comprehension - e.g. - FEMA in NOLA post Katrina -

Recent parsing of presidential candidate language by media commentators - having entered the realm of - "simply beyond comprehension" -

So Little Time For So Much Wine

Major wholesaler's tasting to the trade - thought it was 12 to 6 - showed up at 4:30 - informed "we're going to start wrapping up at 5:00" - needed a plan - New World - one varietal only - aw-shucks - it would have to be a Pinot exclusive afternoon - i.e. - its off to the races -

Pint Glasses

Reidel take note -

Great article - For St. Patrick's Day, A Proper Pint - Amanda Clarke - SeriousEats.com - explaining how -

• British pint glasses -
• Republic of Ireland pint glasses -
• American pint glasses -

Are not created equal -

Wine Notes

We did eight wines - seven grapes last night - Sauvignon Blanc - Merlot - Mourvèdre - Bordeaux - Cab Franc - Riesling - Cabernet Sauvignon - wide ranging tastes - wide range of vintages - 750 & 375 bottles - i.e. - diversity -

More Musical Chairs

More restaurants - closing - rumored to be closing - opening -

$1.30

The price of a single H&H bagel - plain, onion, garlic, whole wheat, everything, sesame, poppy, cinnamon-raisin, blueberry, pumpernickel - $1.30 each -

Enough said -

NY Wine Expo

Attended the First Annual New York Wine Expo - at Javits - in conjunction with the umpteenth International Restaurant and Food Show - advertised 600 wine vendors - a lot but not 600 - limited one glass per entrant - taking care of both red & white - lots of security - the customary trade show directory - absent pages for wine notes - absent pencils - i.e. - a wine tasting to the trade run like a a jewelery show - still - there were some standouts - including Fulcrum - my take home wine of the event -

Classic Pinot

Coyote Canyon - Big Pond - Pinot Noir - 2003 - aroma and first sip - marked it as a classic Pinot - slightly tart - high oak - high alc - rich texture - tasting group split 50/50 on identifying it as a Pinot or Zin - personally would have liked more fruit - low production - $52 list - picked it up for $39.99 at Wades Wines - on the money description from the retailer - have another bottle - going to let it sit for a year or two - 3 click enjoyment - good bang for the buck - will not replenish pending aging outcome of second bottle -