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Nominated for Tales of the Cocktail 2008 Spirit Award for Best Cocktail Writing

Wine Cellar

LaBelle Winery Petit Verdot, Amherst, New Hampshire, USA

What we love about LaBelle Winery located in Amherst, New Hampshire is that Winemaker Amy LaBelle, is crafting delectable, less well-known wines, like her LaBelle Winery Petit Verdot. This bold, red wine is richly succulent and redolent with black fruit, floral, violet, and tobacco notes. It's gorgeous to drink on its own, and pairs well with grilled steaks, bold food, and dark chocolate. We paired LaBelle Winery Petit Verdot with Luxury Experience - Grilled Chicken with "PV" Barbecue Sauce. We not only drank the wine, we also added some Petit Verdot to our homemade barbecue sauce to bring out the flavors of the wine and complement the food, and it was a perfect match. Cheers and Bon Appetit!

Its wine festival season in New York, and Luxury Experience was there to partake of the festivities during the NYC Spring Crush Wine & Artisanal Food Festival presented by Crush Wine Experiences. Held in the Grand Hall at St. Mary's in New York City's Lower East Side, oenophiles gathered to experience wines from Argentina, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and from the United States with wines from California and New York state. Combined with artisanal tastings, it was a perfect Saturday evening in New York City.

Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 197 Prosecco Rosé DOC Extra Dry, Millesimato 2022 from Italy is bellissima to drink all summer long. This medium dry sparkling wine combines Glera and Pinot Noir grapes that give it structure, layers of nuanced flavors, its elegant rose color, and lively bubbles. If you love Prosecco and Rosé wine, this elegant Prosecco Rosé is destined to become a new summer favorite and is perfect to drink on its own or to pair with food. To showcase its versatility, we created a Prosecco Rosé cocktail and used it in our culinary recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Cake. Saluti and Mangia bene!

Love white wine but want to try something different? For summer we like to lighten up and found LaBelle Winery Seyval Blanc made in Amherst, New Hampshire to not only be delectable, but it also only has 12% alcohol. This crisp, semi-dry wine pairs well with seafood, chicken, creamy pasta, or on its own. We paired it with grilled shrimp with mango and green pepper, and it was delicious, and we also used it in a wine-based cocktail, and it was also a hit. Cheers and Bon Appetit!

Slow Wine USA - photo by Luxury Experience

The 2023 USA Slow Wine Tour at Eataly NYC Downtown in New York City brought together Slow Wines from around the world, including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Italy, and Mexico, and from California and Oregon in the United States. Produced by Colangelo and Partners and presented at Eataly NYC Downtown, it was a day of education and experiencing Slow Wines combined with excellent cuisine. Salut et Mangia Bene!

Carmel Appellation Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

For the past 140 years, Carmel Winery in Israel has produced quality Kosher wines with layered nuances of flavors. After experiencing and enjoying their Carmel Signature Single Vineyards Volcano Merlot 2020, Evyatar Creek, Galilee, Israel we tried their Carmel Appellation Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Galilee, Israel, which was also delicious and had aromatic notes of black fruit, black cherries, cassis, and blackberries, that followed through on the palate with balanced tannins and acidity. Imported by Royal Wine Corp., this wine will be a welcome addition to our wine cellar.

Now that Spring has arrived and Summer will soon be here, our thoughts and palates start thinking about lower alcohol wines to enjoy with friends. We found that Ottella Lugana DOC 2021 from the Lugana Region of Northern Italy to be a very notable choice with only 12.5% alcohol, but with layers of flavors. This is an elegant wine that is perfect to serve as an aperitif or to pair with food. Ottella Lugana DOC 2021 is imported by Vias Imports, Ltd. Salud!

Carmel Signature Single Vineyard Volcano Merlot 2020

We fell in love with Carmel Signature Single Vineyards Volcano Merlot 2020, from the Evyatar Creek in Galilee, Israel since the first sip during Kosher Food & Wine Experience 2023 in New York hosted by Royal Wine Corp. Intrigued after speaking with the Chief Winemaker Yiftach Perets, we later tried this wine at home where we could better appreciate this gorgeous deep red wine with layered aromatics and dark fruit on the palate. Although Kosher for Passover, this stunning wine would be a welcome addition to your wine cellar and enjoyed at any time.

Pinot Noir Lot 75 - 2020 - 90 Plus Cellars Reserve Series

Pinot Noir fans are in for a treat with 90 Plus Cellars Reserve Series 2020 Pinot Noir Lot 75 Russian River Valley from Sonoma County, California. Part of the 90 Plus Cellars Reserve Series, this Pinot Noir is big and bold, a powerhouse of flavor with dark cherries on the nose and on the palate, and 14.5% alcohol. Delectable to drink on its own, this gorgeous wine will steal the show when paired with food. We created a pairing menu, Luxury Experience - Roast Pork with Cherry Sauce, which features the wine in the sauce to pick up its layered nuances. Cheers and Bon Appetit!

It was a fun-filled Saturday afternoon of wine tasting and wine education in the Hudson Valley at the gorgeous Revel 32 in Poughkeepsie, New York for the 1^st Annual Queen City International Wine Festival. Built in 1845, expanded in 1895, and renovated in 2019, Revel 32 has rich architectural details that complement the contemporary appointments. Produced by Revel 32 and 1915 Wine Cellar with a wine seminar by renowned wine expert Kevin Zraly, the 1^st Annual Queen City International Wine Festival was a perfect afternoon of tasting, learning, and mingling in the Hudson Valley.

Kevin Zraly - Queen City International Wine Festival 2023

Wine education is always fun especially when the seminar is given by wine educator and award-winning author Kevin Zraly. Held as part of the 1^st Annual Queen City International Wine Festival at Revel 32 in Poughkeepsie, New York, the wine seminar provided participants with the ability to learn to appreciate and look at wines in a new way. As the class involved tasting four wines, it was the perfect combination of learning while experiencing. Cheers!

The Kosher Food & Wine Experience (KFWE) 2023 held at Chelsea Piers Pier Sixty in New York City was a sold-out event that took guests' palates on a tasty journey around the world without the need for a passport with exceptional kosher wines from Argentina, Australia, France, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, and the United States. Produced by Royal Wine Corp. and celebrating its 17^th anniversary (after a three-year hiatus), KFWE attracted almost 3,000 guests. Distilleries were also well represented, and there was a plethora of delicious food to enjoy throughout the evening, which Luxury Experience happily did!

Vintage Cru Sun Wine & Food Fest - 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience

Vintage Cru at the Mohegan Sun - Sun Wine & Food Fest 2023 in Uncasville, Connecticut was a celebration of wine and spirits excellence and provided wine and spirits lovers with the opportunity to taste a well-curated offering of 145 wines and spirits. It was a fantastic bon vivant late afternoon of experiencing exceptional wine and spirits hosted by Celebrity Chefs Rocco DiSpirito and Christian Petroni with oysters, shrimp, pairing cheeses, and live piano music by John Lomartra. Cheers!

Drinking prosecco always reminds us of fabulous times spent in Italy where we celebrated the end of each day with an aperitivo and small bites before venturing out for dinner later in the evening. While we may not be hopping on a plane to Italy as often as we would like, drinking Ninety Plus Cellars Lot 50 Brut Prosecco DOC from Veneto, Italy brings back those memories each time we raise a flute glass and toast, Saluti!

While Makasi Wine made in the San Francisco Bay area of California may be a newcomer to the wine market, (the brand launched in April 2022), Winemaker Danny Sullivan has been making wines for over 10 years for private label clients, family, and friends. Now the rest of us get to enjoy these stellar wines from the boutique Makasi label, produced and bottled by Treasure Island Wines in San Francisco, California. We loved the M-19CH-SLV-CNV, shorthand for Makasi 2019 Chardonnay Siletto Valley Cienga Valley, as this stunning, non-buttery Chardonnay was aged to perfection for 14-months in neutral French oak barrels and stainless-steel tanks. Cheers!

Ottella Le Creete Lugana DOC 2021

Since 1905, Ottella wines from Lugana, Italy have been winning awards. Their Ottella Le Creete Lugana DOC 2021 received 92 points from Wine Spectator and is a crisp, white wine with luscious pineapple and grapefruit notes on the nose, and intense minerality from the white clay of the terroir. This is a wonderful wine to enjoy on its own or to pair with a variety of food. We paired it with pasta as well as with seafood, and the wine was delicious. Ottella Le Creete Lugana DOC 2021 is imported by Vias Imports, Ltd. Salud!

San Felice Il Grigio Riserva Chianti Classico 2019

After the excitement of the November and December holidays, there is always a bit of a slide into the January doldrums and the need for a bit of decadence to ease into the new year. Riserva wines are always special, and we found that the Il Grigio Da San Felice Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2019 from the San Felice Estate in Siena, Italy was especially so and just what we needed with its tradition of excellence. This intense, deep ruby red Tuscan wine is richly aromatic with layers nuances of ripe red berries on the nose and the palate with lush tannins and balanced acidity. Il Grigio Da San Felice Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG 2019 is imported from Italy to the United States by Total Beverage Solution. Saluti!

Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa

Looking for something different to serve your guests? We recently "discovered" Lustau Manzanilla Papirusa Sanlúcar de Barrameda and loved how this extra dry sherry paired with "tapas" making it perfect for easy holiday or anytime entertaining. While new to us, Bodegas Lustau was founded in Spain in 1896 where they continue the tradition of crafting world-class, award-winning sherry expressions. Salud!

Ottella Italian Wines - photo by Luxury Experience

I attended a wonderful Ottella Italian wine luncheon at the restaurant Il Fiorista in New York City to have a better appreciation of these outstanding wines from the Lugana region of Northern Italy. Mariano Sansone, Wine Consultant at Vias Imports, Ltd. gave an interesting presentation on the history of Ottella founded in 1905 and the four wines that paired exceptionally well with Chef Rae Kramer's exciting cuisine. Mangia bene et saluti!

Benvenuto Brunello 2022 - Tasting 2018 and Riserva 2017

On November 17, 2022, we attended the 31^st Edition of Benvenuto Brunello, the Benvenuto Brunello Anteprima 2022: Tasting the future: Brunello 2018 and Riserva 2017. Held at The Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City, the unveiling of these incredibly exquisite future wines also occurred simultaneously in London, Toronto, and Los Angeles, making it an international grand-scale event with 68 wineries presenting their wines. Saluti!

Michele Chiarlo Le Orme Barbera d'Asti DOCG 2020 is a delectable red wine made from 100% Berbera grapes from the Piedmont region of Italy. This award-winning vineyard consistently receives high point ratings and their Michele Chiarlo Le Orme Barbera d'Asti DOCG 2020 is a delectable and versatile wine that pairs well with a variety of cuisine including Pasta with tomato dishes, pizza, Livorno-style fish, and white meat. The wine is imported from Italy to the United States by Kobrand Corporation. Cheers!

Luigi Bosca De Sangre Cabernet Franc 2018

Summer and juicy steaks and the burgers on the grill, rich tomato-based dishes, and cheeses pair especially well with Luigi Bosca De Sangre Cabernet Franc 2018. We loved the depth and complexity of this dry red wine with its deep purple color with dark fruit and spices notes, and lusciously lingering finish. With 14.4% alcohol, Luigi Bosca De Sangre Cabernet Franc 2018 is a rich, bold and powerhouse of a wine perfect to drink now or cellar for a few years...that is if you can wait that long. Cheers!

Poema Pura Cava

It is Summer and if you want to lighten up on your alcohol choices without sacrificing taste, Poema Pura Cava, a Brut-style Cava, made from certified organic grapes from the Penedès region of Spain is perfect. With only 11.5% alcohol, lively bubbles, and lovely mineral, citrus, and floral notes, this Cava may become your new favorite beverage to pair with tapas, seafood, charcuterie, or serve as an aperitif. Imported from Spain by Kobrand Corporation. Cheers!

Barkan Superieur Cabernet Sauvignon - photo by Luxury Experience

It was a spectacular evening of wine and food at the kosher restaurant, Wolf & Lamb Steakhouse located at 16 East 48^th Street in Manhattan, New York learning about the excellent kosher wines from Barkan Winery in Israel presented by Barkan's Master of Wine and Head Winemaker Ido Lewinsohn. Paired with Wolf & Lamb Steakhouse's delicious food, the one-night special event dinner was a night to remember.

*City Winery Montgomery Mills Riesling 2019* is a *dry, crisp white wine* with lovely citrus, floral, and mineral notes made in the *Hudson Valley, in Montgomery, New York*. Made from Uvas Blancas grapes from the Finger Lakes, this delectable wine has a lower alcohol level of 12.5% and is a perfect summertime wine to drink on its own or pair with food.
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Trapiche Gran Medalla Malbec 2019

Warm weather, steaks on the grill, and Trapiche Gran Medalla Malbec 2019 are the perfect combination. This dark purple, big, and bold red made from 100% malbec grapes, with 14.5% alcohol, pairs exceptionally well with grilled steaks and does Mendoza, Argentina proud. Created to celebrate Bodega Trapiche's 125^th anniversary, they selected the best grapes from the Uco Valley to commemorate their heritage for their Medalla wines. Cheers!

Edward Nesta - Cheers from City Winery Hudson Valley - photo by Luxury Experience

We spent a perfect Sunday afternoon at City Winery experiencing MADE Hudson Valley Spring 2022 presented by edible Hudson Valley + City Winery Hudson Valley in Montgomery, New York. Our day began with a VIP Wine Tasting and Food Pairing, followed by a private wine cellar tour, sampling delectable products from the curated artisan vendors, and listening to live music.

The Argentine consulate and *Wines of Argentina* hosted *Malbec World Day* *2022* in *New York* with more than 40 wines presented to celebrate the most renowned and revered of Argentina's wines. It was a magical evening of *wine tasting, traditional Argentine dancing, and learning more about the impressive expressions of Argentina's famed Malbec wine*.
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Medici Ermete Concerto Organic Reggiano Lambrusco DOC 2020

The Medici family-owned winery has been making high-quality Lambrusco wines since 1890 and their Medici Ermete Concerto Organic Reggiano Lambrusco is the world's first single vineyard vintage Lambrusco. Interesting to note is that the Medici family has been farmed sustainably for decades, and their Concerto is now farmed organically. Their Medici Ermete Concerto Organic Reggiano Lambrusco DOC 2020 is a delicious, dry red semi-sparkling wine at natural fermentation that is "green certified" and has achieved 93 points from the Sommelier Journal. Need we say more? Cheers!

Sommelier Suzanne Wagner - photo by Luxury Experience

We spent a perfect Friday afternoon in the Award-Winning Crystal Springs Wine Cellar taking a Wine Tasting class with Wine Director and Sommelier Suzanne Wagner. As the Wine Director and Sommelier Suzanne Wagner is responsible for the Wine Spectator Grand Award-Winning Wine Cellar which houses an impressive collection of 45,000 bottles of wine with a value of approximately $10 million USD.

Benvenuto Brunello - 2022 New York City - photo by Luxury Experience

Benvenuto Brunello 2022 held in late February 2022 in New York City was a celebration of the "2022 Release of New Vintages" - Brunello di Montalcino 2017, Brunello di Montalcino Riserva 2016, and Rosso di Montalcino 2020. Fifty-three wineries presented an impressive selection of 156 wines available for tasting. During an informative (and very tasty) 3-hour presentation, we learned more about the nuances of what makes Montalcino such a special wine region.

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