Tasting with the Stars

Having the opportunity to taste great wines is one of the good things about this job. Our wholesale suppliers offer large-scale portfolio tastings annually, and other trade groups have tastings throughout the year. Few other industries have professional development opportunities that are as tasty.

It is, of course, necessary to distinguish "tasting" from "drinking". If you're a professional, attending a tasting event to improve your own palate while learning more about your portfolio, then "tasting", spitting out the wine, is what's required. Really, when there are a few dozen participating wineries, each offering samples of two or three different wines, "drinking" would render you unable to stand before too long, let alone be able to evaluate the nuances of the wines.

Benvenuto Brunello

That's the background to my experience at the Benvenuto Brunello tasting event in New York City on January 27. Hosted by the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino, the Italian trade group for Brunello producers, the tasting was pegged to the release of the 2009 vintage Brunello and 2012 Rosso. And with very few exceptions, that's what was available for tasting among the 50 or so participating wineries. And, no, that is not a complaint!

Amy Ezrin, about to pour Sassetti

There was something of a mix of vintages and styles for the Brunello's. Some 2008's were also available for tasting, as well as some Riserva-level wines from 2004. Quite a few participating wineries had notes stating that they were "looking for an importer," so nearly everyone there was shopping for something!

I was prepared for a long day of tasting, although the crowds presented a challenge at times. The event was held at Gotham Hall, which is at Broadway and 36th Street. While it didn't impact the tasting, ESPN was setting up their music stage in the street right in front of the building, and their TV studio was one block south, also right in the middle of Broadway.Since the game is in New Jersey, some Super Bowl-related activities had to be in New York. I guess.

Banfi

Entering the ballroom, you found the wineries were arranged more-or-less alphabetically, which gave Banfi the first table on the right. Since we carry about a dozen different Banfi products, including their Grappa, they were on my to-taste list. I was fortunate enough to have visited the Banfi winery in Tuscany, and tasted pretty much everything there. Here, I sampled the Brunello's, and they certainly started me off the right way.

At Joe Canal's, we carry Banfi wines starting at under $10. Especially in this weather, those everyday red wines will help thaw you out.

My strategy for events like this is to first taste wines that we already carry. I want to be as conversant as possible about our brands, and sometimes speaking with the rep will give me some added insights. It can mean circling the room a few times, working my way through the crowds, but it's worth the effort.

Paul Costilla, Folio Wines

Still on my first pass, I next encountered our rep from Folio wines. Paul tasted me through his wines, and also talked up another Italian wine, Dal Forno Romano, in addition to their other wines. The Frescobaldi Giocondo Brunello was one of my top wines of the day.

This is as good a place as any to talk briefly about the process by which many products get to the shelves at Joe Canal's. Our team of buyers evaluates the products before approving them for sale at the stores. The team works exclusively for Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge, so they also know the similarities and differences of the shoppers at the two stores. Maybe my palate is just aligned really well with theirs, or maybe they're good at their jobs, but with one exception, my favorite wines of the day were wines that we already carried. And the one that we didn't carry is one of the wineries looking for an importer.

I didn't have the opportunity to get pictures of the fruit & cheese trays that the organizers had set in the middle of the tasting area. The area was always crowded when I went past, and I never saw the displays looking anything other than picked-over. But you needed a bit of a palate-cleanser as you went through the tasting. Most wineries did have small bits of bread at their tables, and many offered olive oil samples as well.

The contest was very close, but my favorite wine of the day was the Sassetti Livio Pertimali Brunello, 2008, pictured above with our sales rep, Amy Ezrin. It's in stock in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge for only $49.96 in the Bottle Club®. Wine Spectator rated it 94 points, saying, "Aromatic, suave and silky, boasting aromas and flavors of flowers, cherry, strawberry and leather, all boosted by bright acidity and firm, well-integrated tannins. Refined and long, with a lingering finish of mineral and spice. Best from 2016 through 2035. 700 cases imported." It was drinking beautifully at the event, and now I have to run over to the store and grab a bottle for myself. Considering that this wine hasn't scored under 90 points since about 1995, the Sassetti team knows how to make a great wine.

While this event was limited to people in the trade, there are similar events throughout the year that are open to the public. Some are listed on web sites like Local Wine Events, others are in Wine Spectator, and you can search the web as well. Being able to taste so many different wines is a great way to improve and expand your palate, while having a great time. And it might be on a smaller scale, but don't forget that Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge offer wine tastings nearly every Friday and Saturday. Our web site has a specific page devoted to our weekend wine tastings, and we also have special guest tastings during the year. For details about these and our other tastings, please consult our main Events page.

By and large, the Rosso's were drinking well. The Brunello's, beyond the few that were my clear favorites, showed a lot of promise, and are definitely worth buying, provided you can cellar them, or aerate/decant for drinking soon. But now I need to find a big plate of pasta.