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Wine Cellar

LaBelle Winery - Americus, Amherst, New Hampshire, USA

Winemaker Amy LaBelle of LaBelle Winery in Amherst, New Hampshire makes gorgeous wines full of nuanced flavors. Her LaBelle Winery Americus is a dry red, medium body wine that is a delectable blend of 50% Cabernet Franc, and 50% of the French hybrid grape Noiret. The result is stunning with dark fruit and red berries on the aromatic nose with lushness that follows through on the palate with a slightly spicy lingering peppery finish. Although bold on flavors, Labelle Winery Americus has only 12.9% alcohol, which is another plus in its favor. Although great to pair with grilled meats and heavier dishes, we paired it with Luxury Experience - Seared Scallops with Fig Butter and Candied Bacon, and the result was a fabulous pairing. The recipe works well as a passed hors d'oeuvre at parties, as an appetizer, or main course. Cheers and Bon Appetit!

Ninety Plus Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2021 Lot 130

The Russian River Valley is noted for producing great wines, and 90+ Cellars Russian River Valley Chardonnay 2021 Lot 130 is gorgeous. Richly aromatic with heady aromas of green apple, lemony citrus, tropical fruit, and a light toasty oak finish on the palate, make it delicious to drink on its own or to pair with food. We paired it with Luxury Experience - Salmon in a Beurre Blanc Sauce with Mushroom Wild Rice which brought out the lushness and complex nuances of the wine. Cheers and Bon Appetit!

Milano Wine Week 2023 - Italian Masterclass New York City

Milano Wine Week in New York City is always a highlight of the wine season. We attended two very interesting and informative International Wine Masterclasses for industry professionals at Il Gattopardo restaurant in New York City on October 11, 2023, part of the Milano Wine Week presentations (October 7-15, 2023). Wine education consisted of tasting 8 wines per Masterclass, followed by a delicious lunch buffet featuring Il Gattopardo's Southern Italian cuisine. Bellissimo!

Poggio Rosso chianti Cclassico Gran Selezione - San Felice, Italy

Autumn is on its way, and our thoughts turn to enjoying heavier-bodied red wines bursting with flavor. Poggio Rosso Chianti Classico Gran Selezione DOCG 2018 San Felice, Italy is a sensational dry, red wine from the Tuscan region that embodies a great wine. Made from 100% Sangiovese grapes, aged for 20 months in French oak barrels, followed by 15 months in the bottle, this wine has a cellaring capability of 20-25 years. We opened a bottle 5 years into its aging capability from bottling in 2018 and it was phenomenal, and it should only get even better in a few more years. We paired it with our recipe for Luxury Experience - Beef Wellington and it was old-school perfect. Salud and Mangia Bene!

Monteabellon 5 meses en barrica Tempranillo 2021

When we think of pairing Tempranillo, our thoughts turn to tapas, and Monteabellón 5 meses en barrica Tempranillo 2021 D.O. Ribera Del Duero, Spain is not only delectable, it also pairs well with a variety of food. Aged for 5 months in oak barrels, 50% French oak and 50% American oak, this deep red wine is gorgeously aromatic with blackberries, blueberries, and black cherries on the nose and on the palate and layered oak notes. Salud!

San Felice Chianti Classico DOCG 2021

Red wine lovers are in for a treat with the San Felice Chianti Classico DOCG 2021. This traditional, elegant Chianti Classico delivers cherries, raspberries, and hints of violets on the nose and palate and pairs well with a diverse variety of food. We paired it with our recipe for Luxury Experience - Swordfish with Tomatoes, Shitake Mushrooms, and Red Peppers and it was a delicious pairing.

Edward Nesta - Chamard Vineyard & Bistro - Flight Tasting - photo by Luxury Experience

If you live in Connecticut, or plan to be visiting, wine lovers will appreciate that the State has a vibrant Wine Trail, which deserves to be experienced. Chamard Vineyards and Bistro located in Clinton, Connecticut is the perfect place to discover the beauty and elegance of Connecticut wines. Established in 1983, they planted their first vines in 1984, and released their first wine in 1989. Today, Chamard has 20 acres of established vines on their 40-acre property, and they also have a Bistro. We always enjoy visiting Chamard Vineyards and discovering their ever-evolving wines. Cheers!

LaBelle Winery winemaker and owner Amy LaBelle has crafted a very delicious, elegant, and very special dry white wine with her LaBelle Winery Amherst Vineyard Estate White. Made in Amherst, New Hampshire, LaBelle Winery Amherst Vineyard Estate White sings the praises of New England and the New Hampshire terroir. This is a delectable wine to drink on its own to pair with a variety of food. We paired it with Luxury Experience - Artichoke and Green Chile Mousse and it was a hands-down favorite. Cheers!

When friends invited us over for a spontaneous al fresco dinner, what did we bring? Ninety Plus Cellars Reserve Series Lot 132 Côtes de Provence, Rosé, A.O.P France 2022 paired with our easy to make, easy to love, Shrimp and Scallop Seafood Salad, because summertime is all about having fun and leisurely, easy dining. Ninety Plus Cellars Reserve Series Lot 132 Côtes de Provence, Rosé, A.O.P France 2022 is the essence of summer! Enjoy every moment! Santé and Bon Appetit!

Kevin Zraly at Westchester Magazine Wine & Food Festival 2023 - photo by Luxury Experience

Celebrating its 14^th year in 2023, Westchester Magazine's Wine & Food Festival was a true celebration of amazing wine and spirits, as well as delectable food, chef demos, and a wine seminar by wine expert Kevin Zraly, author of the Windows On The World Complete Wine Course. When we heard that Kevin Zraly was slated to give two wine seminars on June 10, 2023, we made time in our festival schedule to attend, as we always learn something new and interesting about wine from Kevin, and there are always special wines to sample. Cheers!

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!

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