Dr Vino's wine blog

The third installment of our NYC wine bar crawl will take place on March 8! Come and join fellow wine enthusiasts as we will be trading our office chairs for the comfortable couches and warming fireplace at Jadis on the Lower East Side. The wine list is strong in value wines from France so get ready to do our part to help drain the French wine surplus.

The format is simply a get-together of a people who read this site. Come, order, chat, drink, munch, pay. Inspired by our attendee from Colorado last time and an inquiry from newlyweds from London who wanted to join us on their honeymoon, I’ll be buying a glass of wine for the person who comes from the farthest away! But even if you’re not journeying from afar, come along to our offline for a happy hour or two.

When: March 8, 6 PM – 8ish.
Where: Jadis, 42 Rivington (map it)
How: F, V at 2nd Ave; J at Bowery; 6 at Spring St.; taxi
Review: Jadis [NY Mag]
on the web: Jadisnyc.com

tags: wine | NYC wine bars

Another couple of dozen of us met up at Wined Up early Friday evening. It was great to see many new people at the meetup including one site reader from Colorado. He was in town for work and decided to stop for a flight of wine before his flight from Laguardia (wise man).

Everyone agreed that Wined Up has a great aesthetic. The one long wall with backlit bottles is a great look. Another wall has some gnarly grape vine cuttings running up it.

And it was good for us that the venue remains somewhat “undiscovered” since we were able not only to hear each other but also to grab some seats at the bar. Many wine bars in NYC are often too cramped or too full so talking and sipping with ease should not go unrecognized.

The wine list has a couple of pages of red, white and bubbly by the glass. The selections are solid (if somewhat ho-hum for die-hard wine geeks) and affordable since the glasses run from $6-$12. Interestingly, there are no flights on the list but if you want one they will make one for you. One among us told the bar tender that he wanted a flight of “big reds.” The friendly bartender asked him how many to which he replied four. And voila four reds were poured into Riedel O glasses and the bottles lined up behind them. Nice display.

Another in our party wanted to pick out her own wines so she selected a flight of five whites. Presto, five whites in the “O” glasses with the bottles behind them. I tried a glass of white, the Don David Torrontes from Argentina (find it), to go with a small cheese platter (they have Jasper Hill “constant bliss”–a must try!) but found it to be too cold especially given the wintry weather. But in the glorified tumbler that is the “O” glass, I was able to warm it up quickly in my hand. Other cured meats, cheeses, and small bites are available.

Here’s how to find Wined Up:
913 Broadway, nr. 20th St. Map it
Second floor above the restaurant Punch (signage is not great but it’s upstairs)
Flatiron District. Tel: 212-673-6333

And stay tuned for our next stop on the NYC wine bar crawl, probably next month. I’ll post the details here with hopefully enough notice so that you can join us if you haven’t already…

tags: wine | NYC | wine bars

Get your weekend started tomorrow at Wined Up! I’ll be there with readers of this blog from 6 – 8ish for a happy hour or two. I look forward to seeing you again or meeting you if you couldn’t make it to our last outing!

When: starting 6PM, Friday, February 9
Where: Wined Up
Second floor above the restaurant Punch (repeat: it’s upstairs)
913 Broadway, nr. 20th St. Map it
Flatiron District
Who: You! And bring a friend or two if you like
See the original post

tags: wine | NYC

It’s official! Back by popular demand, we are having the next offline meet-up on February 9 at Wined Up! Our slow-motion, NYC pub wine bar crawl makes a second stop this year after starting at Varietal last month.

The meet-up is simply a chance to meet in the real world, off the internet, with wine enthusiasts, in particular, readers of this site and people who’ve taken my wine classes at NYU. There’s no charge other than what you order at the bar. Consider it a happy hour. Or two.

Wined Up opened in November above Punch in the Flatiron District. We will put their 30 wines by the glass to the test. Ditto for the cured meats and cheeses (I’ll leave it to you if you want to try the pumpkin hush puppies). And perhaps even pull a bottle off their 100′ backlit display wall. Come one, come all and kick off your weekend between 6 and 8ish on Friday, Feb 9.

When: starting 6PM, Friday, February 9
Where: Wined Up
Second floor above the restaurant Punch (repeat: it’s upstairs)
913 Broadway, nr. 20th St. Map it
Flatiron District
Who: you! And bring a friend if you like

tags: wine | nyc

A couple of dozen of us had a great meet-up at Varietal last night! About 25 people attended during our two very happy hours, including fellow NYC wine bloggers Terry from Mondosapore and Keith, the East Village Wine Geek.

Varietal is a wine restaurant AND and excellent, bona fide wine bar. I’m upgrading it to “a favorite” on my NYC wine bar map. Here’s why:

• 75 wines by the glass. These aren’t any wines, mind you. They are really cool stuff. I’d be willing to taste them all–in fact I have enjoyed many of them already.
• Great flights, seven flights in all, including even a Greek flight! All the glasses in the flight come with handy printed tags–excellent for keeping things straight.
• The “master of wine” flight: three wines poured blind, guess the grape varieties and the flight is on the house. After being open for five weeks now, nobody has guessed them correctly (including yours truly). I have two words for you: garnacha tintorera!!!! oy.
• An emphasis on freshness. Despite having so many wines available by the glass, the wines are well preserved. I had a glass of Nicolas Joly Clos Sacres and it was the last pour from a bottle opened a previous day. It was still very fresh.
• Very cool bar. The countertop is a durable white surface–all the better for eyeballing your wine.
• Knowledgeable staff! You would not know that it only opened about a month ago.
• Spacious and comfortable bar area as well as a spacious seating area with Jetson-like chairs.
• 200 wines on the wine list for the restaurant, including some bottles starting in the high $20s…I didn’t have the chance to dine there. Pending reviews from the Times and NY mag, check out Augie’s review who gave it 832 bazillion stars.

In all the meet-up was as fun as the place. I really liked meeting those of you who made it and look forward to the next time. Stay tuned for details. Maybe we can turn this into a slow pub crawl of NYC wine bars!

Varietal [map it]
138 W. 25th St., New York, NY 10001
between Sixth and Seventh Ave.
212-633-1800

tags: wine | wine bars | nyc

Join the couple of dozen fellow vino-philes who have already replied they will be there! Drop by Varietal between 6 and 8ish on Thursday evening to have a happy hour or two. See you there! More details here.

138 W. 25th St., New York, NY 10001
nr. Seventh Ave.
212-633-1800

tags: wine | offline

It’s officially winter (although not a flake has fallen). There’s no better way to ward off midwinter blues than socializing. So open your calendars–we’re having an offline! January 11, starting at 6 PM.

We will go and check out Varietal, possibly NYC’s hottest new wine destination. With over 75 wines by the glass, there will be plenty to choose from.

One highlight is the “master sommelier” flight of tasting sized pours. This trio of wines is served blind–you correctly guess what the wines are and the flight is on the house! I’m up for the challenge, though fear it will turn into a round of “stump the chump.”

Greggory Hockenberry, friend of the blog who took one of my NYU wine classes last fall, is the owner of Varietal. Blog readers and everyone who has taken a class with me is welcome to attend–we can toast Greggory’s success and mingle with fellow vinomaniacs! If I haven’t met in person you before, I hope you can make it!

Drop me a line if you think you’ll be able to stop by for a glass or a flight. Hope to see you there! Thursday January 11, starting at 6 PM.

Review: Varietal [NY Mag]
138 W. 25th St., New York, NY 10001
nr. Seventh Ave.
212-633-1800

tags: wine | NYC

I want to meet YOU! I hope you can join me this Thursday at Bar Carrera for some tapas and vino. Some people who took my wine classes at NYU last year will be there too so drop by, say hi, and meet some fellow wine enthusiasts.

Bar Carrera
175 2nd Ave @ 11th St
6:30 PM start
Review here
Map here
Let me know if you think you might be able to drop by!

If just hanging out and eating tapas is not enough Dr. Vino for your taste, or if you demand more structured Dr. Vino sighting opportunities, check out one of my classes at NYU. We’ll be looking at the exciting regions of the Pacific NW, Napa/Sonoma, Argentina, the Loire and Bordeaux. We will focus on the hot-button issue of how producers blend innovation and tradition in their winemaking. I’ll pour at least five wines in every class from the region we’re discussing that day. Some will be organic, some will be conventional, and some will be biodynamic (eegads). By the end, you’ll be able to identify wine made with oak chips versus oak casks from 50 paces. OK maybe 49. Sign up–it will be fun!

Blending Innovation and Tradition, 5 weeks, Sep 21 – Oct 19

tags: wine | offline | NYC wine classes