IPO Wines

Paring the Pumpkin

Lindsay Engel — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 19:48:22 +0000

Halloween always brings back some fun childhood memories. Costumes, candy, spider webs, trick-or-treating, ghosts, and most of all: carving pumpkins. My mother was a holiday fanatic, so no matter what the holiday, she went all out. And every year we would go to the pumpkin patch and each pick out the PERFECT pumpkin. Deciding on the design was key, because of course we each wanted to have the best pumpkin of all. Newspapers, knives, pumpkin pulp, messy hands….it was so much fun. While carving, we munched on candy and listened to Halloween music. One of the best parts about carving the pumpkin was the seeds; not sure if you know this, but baked pumpkin seeds are AMAZING. The experience as a whole was something I looked forward to every year.

Now that I’m an “adult,” I still love to carve pumpkins. But this year, along with eating candy, I decided to “pair” my Halloween activity with WINE (surprise, surprise). My newfound love is: The Paring Red. As a California girl, I am definitely bias toward Cali wines, but I don’t care who you are, this wine is absolutely fantastic and affordable. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Grenache, sourced from vineyards on the Central Coast. The Paring is a project from Jonata, and if you know anything about their wines, you know that everything that they make is exceptional. I love me some Jonata, but as a struggling New Yorker, The Paring is right up my alley in terms of $$. The Paring Red was perfect in terms of body and structure, considering I was cutting up a huge orange fruit (yes, it’s a fruit, I googled it). Growing up on Napa Cabs, I love full bodied juicy reds. The Paring was not as heavy as a typical Napa Cab, but it was well balanced and silky smooth. Not to mention, the knife on the label was ideal for the activity. Of course after the pumpkin was carved, I baked the seeds to perfection, and they were delicious. Paring the Pumpkin was very enjoyable, and I plan on utilizing this duo for years to come.

Shrimp and Rose

Lindsay Engel — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:13:27 +0000

Summertime is winding down and fall is approaching. But we still love us some rose!

Meghan and I decided it was time to finally have a nice home-cooked meal. We’ve been eating out all summer long, so why not have a feast in the comforts of my new apartment?! There’s nothing better than enjoying a beautiful bottle of wine with delicious food, great company, and some good music.

We started the night off with the Puech-Haut Prestige Rose. It reminded us of a beach breeze, light and refreshing, with rose and sweet cherry on the palate. An appetizer of artisanal cheese and crackers to go with the Puech-Haut was a great way to start. I decided to pair our evening with some Southern California reggae music by a band called Slightly Stoopid. Mellow music for a mellow evening.

At the suggestion of Meghan, we decided to make a simple shrimp linguine. The recipe was very approachable and I was definitely in the mood for seafood. Prep time was only about 10 minutes, and the actual cooking itself was incredibly fast and easy. We opened up a bottle of the Claude Riffault Sancerre Rose for the second part of our meal. AMAZING. This wine had more body than the previous, great minerality with some red berry flavors. Just the color itself was a complete contrast from the Puech-Haut rose. Both wines were fantastic, but so different!

The evening ended up being exactly what I needed. The food and wine was delicious. But most of all the company was wonderful. I absolutely love wine, and sharing it with a friend is my favorite way to enjoy it.

Greek-Style Shrimp Linguine

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked linguine
1 tablespoon olive oil
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1 pound)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flatleaf basil
¼ red onion sliced into thin pieces
Your favorite bottle of wine
A friend

Open your bottle of wine and pour into glasses. Cheers!
Cook linguine according to package directions.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, minced garlic, dried oregano, and red pepper; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and onion; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until shrimp is opaque, about 3 minutes.
Drain linguine; return to the same pot. Add shrimp mixture and cheese to the linguine; toss well, and transfer to 4 serving plates. Top with basil.

Sharing the Love in Chateauneuf-du-Pape

Christine Barr — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 17:52:59 +0000

I had the pleasure of joining Enrique on the trip of a lifetime to Austria and France. We had a well thought out itinerary of different producers to go visit. We started in Wachau, Austria and then worked our way through Burgundy, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Provence, and Corsica.

Erbalunga, Corsica

The places that we visited were aesthetically gorgeous and unforgettable.

One place stood out the most to me because of the experience with the producers: Chateauneuf-du-Pape. We arrived in the Rhone and started with a visit to Clos Saint Jean where we got a tour of the winery and were able to taste through several vintages of their wine. Next we met up with the passionate Marie Giraud; she excitingly gave us this year’s shirts promoting Grenache, the king grape of CdP! She drove us through the vineyard and showed us the vast differences of the vineyard sites. We saw the infamous pudding stones and the sandy soils where very old gnarly Grenache resides. It was amazing to hear her talk about her vineyards as if the vines were her own children. You could feel and see the passion exuding from her. After our visit to the vineyards we all sat and tasted through the greatest houses of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape: Domaine Roger Sabon, Domaine de la Janasse, Domaine Marcoux, and Domaine Giraud. It was a fast paced tasting because we had so many wines to taste through. I diligently took notes on the different vintages, trying to soak up all of the insight the producer was giving us on the way they craft their wines.

In the evening Marie Giraud hosted all of us in her beautiful home. She made quite the spread, and everything was delicious! She prepared multiple courses while the different houses opened various vintages. There we were, eating dinner with Marie Giraud, Isabelle Sabon of Domaine de la Janasse, Sophie and Catherine Marcoux, and Didier Négron of Domaine Roger Sabon. It was incredible. My favorite part of this was witnessing four different CdP houses coming together to break bread and share the wine that they are so proud of. It was amazing to see that not only do they make these incredible wines, but that they are all friends who share their triumphs and hardships of making wine with one another. We drank many different vintages of their wines but one particular wine stood out: the Roger Sabon 1959 Chateauneuf-du-Pape which Didier brought especially for Enrique. The wine evolved with every minute, it blew us all away! What an incredible way to end an incredible day.

Traveling abroad and visiting the wine regions in which I’ve learned so much about was an amazing experience. I have studied and looked over maps and pictures of what these regions would be like, and dreamed of one day visiting. Well, my dream came true and it was everything and more of what I could ever imagine. To be there in person, talking with the producers who have such passion for their wines was truly incredible. Seeing the stained hard working hands of the wine makers was touching and helped me understand the work that goes into tending to the vines. My experiences on this trip have only confirmed my belief that wine making is truly a romantic love story.

Love for Tintero

Daniel Sutton — Wed, 30 May 2012 16:28:11 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of visiting one of my favorite growers from the Kermit Lynch — Italian portfolio this Spring. I met with Marco Tintero at his home in the town of Mango, in the Piedmont region of Italy. The area is about 17 km directly east of Alba, and is considered one of the best areas to grow Moscato. I had the chance to carefully walk through the rows of his steep vineyards, listen to his philosophy on wine making, and have dinner with him and his family.

Ask anyone who works with me, and they will tell you how much of a fan I am of Marco and his wines. He puts out some great everyday wines that I enjoy drinking with my wife at home during the week, and for get-togethers with friends over the weekend. Marco and I first met here in NYC, when I was asked to work with him in the market on his visit to the US. We had a great time together talking while traveling the boroughs. We also did a tasting event at the end of the day with the Vino Bianco”Grangia” (which is a frizzante blend of Favorita, Chardonnay, and Moscato), and the Tintero Rosso (a blend of Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Cab Franc), followed by a dinner with Bruce Neyers of Kermit Lynch and a handful of other growers at the Grand Sichuan down the street from our office.

This time around, I flew to Turin to visit Marco and the Tintero vineyards and gain a better understanding of how the wines are made. When we arrived at the property, Marco took the time to show us around the vineyard that is made up of mainly clay and limestone soils. He showed us how he makes his Moscato D’Asti, and explained the extremely technical process involved. We sat down for a dinner prepared by Marco’s family, starting off the meal of course with an aperitif of Moscato D’Asti. There are three things that have to be in balance when drinking Moscato D’Asti. Fruit, sugar, and acid…and all three of them were in perfect order with this very refreshing aperitif frizzante. We then followed with a few bottles of the Tintero Arneis and Favorita wines, with a serving of Vitello Tonnato which is a well-known Italian dish of cold, sliced veal covered with a cream sauce of tuna. A fresh salad from their garden and some local cheeses from the market to end the meal on a perfect note.

It was a such a great experience to have an everyday dinner with Marco and his family. They hosted us graciously, and made me appreciate what they are doing with the wines even more. The meal, the wines, the conversation, and the atmosphere of the property made me feel right at home. I’m having a glass of slightly chilled Tintero Rosso this weekend while I’m writing this note. Pairs perfectly with a handful of morel mushrooms I was able to forage this season sauteed in butter and salt. Cheers!

Côte-Rôtie: Life after Marius

Enrique Ibañez — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 20:55:20 +0000

Many years ago, I had the blessed privilege of sharing in the drinking a bottle of 1991 Marius Gentaz Côte-Rôtie with a group of people. I thought to myself of how lucky I was to be able to share in that experience and wondered if anyone else felt the same way I did. I came to find out as I grew up in the wine business that many before me considered Marius the “godfather of Côte-Rôtie”, perhaps the single best raiser of Syrah. Marius was the uncle of Rostaing who took over the vineyards after Marius retired. In my humble opinion, his wine was forever gone the day he retired. To me Marius was to Côte-Rôtie what Noel Verset was to Cornas.

What I loved about his style was the purity of his wine. When you drank his wines, you tasted the earth, the roots of his vines, its soul itself. His Syrah was full of complex flavors, yet simply staggering. I remember clearly from that 1991 Côte-Rôtie from Marius Gentaz that the perfume of spice, black olive and purple violets just glittered off the wine’s surface. It had a magical, silken texture and when my glass was empty nothing but that stunning perfume remained.

I recently had the privilege to visit Louis Barruol from Chateau Saint Cosme in Gigondas. He has teamed up with Kermit Lynch to put together some Northern Rhône beauties. I remember buying all that was offered to me before tasting the wines. I figured I couldn’t go wrong with Kermits’ tasting buds, and besides, not much was offered anyway. No serious risk taken in my part.

When Louis brought out the first of three different Côte-Rôties and I smelled the first one he poured in my glass, I felt like that moment all over again. That perfume! Oh that perfume! I could not believe something I thought had passed years ago, could come back to remind me that it does still exist. Yes, it is not exactly the same, but it tastes close on this simplest of thing any day any time. After all, Marius himself once said: “Wine is a little thing, like we, everyone single one of us-no?” This simple little fact is what makes life, each one of us beautiful and unique; it is what makes the Côte-Rôtie Les Roses from Louis Barroul a ride every wine lover should experience.

2008 and 2009 vintage now available.