Perfectly preserved

Always up for trying a new wine bar, I was excited when a friend suggested we go to Tarallucci E Vino on 18th Street. The atmosphere was laid back and similar to a traditional Italian bar, serving coffee, pastries and panini, as well as entrees for lunch and dinner.

Of course, I was particularly interested in the wine selection. It turned out to be quite extensive, covering France, Italy, Austria, Spain, the U.S. and South Africa. There were several sparkling reds and rosés by the glass, which I thought was well selected for the time of year, as well as unique to many of the offerings at wine bars in New York City.

Around 60 wines are available by the bottle, while 20 are offered by the glass. Those by the glass are kept in nitrogen dispensers that preserve the wine. I’ve tasted wines from these enomatic serving machines before, the first time at Union Square Wines, which I didn’t think were so special. The second time was at Clo in the Time Warner Center, where wine by the glass ranged from $7 to $100 per. While these were special, many were cost prohibitive. The refreshing aspect of Tarallucci E Vino is that all of their wines by the glass ring in at less than $20.

The majority of Tarallucci’s collection is from small producers. We started with a glass of the Minervois Chateau D’Oupia, 2007, which was light and silky with a medium to long finish,  yet meant to be drunk young. It paired perfectly with the cheese selection with which we started the meal.

A sucker for Sicilian and southern Italian wines, my next glass was the Nero D’Avola, Nerojbleo, Gulfi 2006, which expressed notes of eucalyptus and tobacco, and whose tannins were well integrated, complementing my saffron risotto.

Yet, the best part of experiencing these wines is that both tasted as if the bottles were just opened. They were vibrant, expressive and served at the perfect temperature.  I enjoyed both immensely, and they were better than I expected.

The validity of enomatic serving machines has been questioned, doubted and ignored, and I am guilty of  disbelief myself. But seeing – or tasting – is believing.

Wine Enthusiast sells these machines for home use. I’m not saying I’m going that route just yet, or ever, but I’m more than willing to visit bars that opt to serve wine from these machines.

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Italy takes on Argentina

At a post-work tasting tonight I discovered the breadth of an Italian winemaker. Piero Incisa della Rocchetta of the Italian winemaking family that owns Tuscany’s Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia), is growing pinot noir in the Patagonia region in the Rio Negro Valley of Argentina. della Rocchetta purchased the land in 2004 and I believe the 2006 was the debut vintage.

Tonight we tasted the 2008 vintage of both the Bodega Chacra Cincuenta y Cinco and the Bodega Chacra Barda. The Chacra vineyard of pinot noir vines is planted on their own rootstocks, is head trained and produces tiny bunches of small, concentrated berries. There is a fourth vineyard that was planted and is the basis for the Barda wine, together with deselected grapes and wines from single vineyard plots.

The gravels and coarse alluvial pebbles, which have significant limestone content in the soils, and the fresh, dry climate, allow for minimum treatment in the vineyard and biodynamic practices. Together with green harvest, the production yields are kept very low.

The Chacra exhibits deep red fruits of strawberry with some spice and clove, and has a medium body. It retails for around $80. It can definitely benefit from a few years in the bottle.

The Barda is light to medium bodied, lighter in color than the Cincuenta y Cinco and sells for around $25. It is a fantastic everyday drinking pinot.

Often when we think of Argentina today thoughts of malbec are conjured up. However, the country has been producing wine since the 1500s, and traces origins to Spain, France and even Italy.

Italian immigration is second only to Spanish in Argentine culture, and the flavors of Italy show up strongly in the nation’s wine, food and cultural tradition. Historically, Argentina wine has been kept for local consumption. Only recently has more of the wine been exported, with Malbec leading the drive.

Perhaps della Rocchetta through Bodega Chacra can show the depth of Argentina’s wine production and its capabilities to produce some notable New World pinot.

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