Last night, I gathered a few friends for an impromptu tasting of summer wines by Brooklyn Oenology’s Alie Shaper. The group consisted of socially responsible, wine-loving people of diverse ages—no high-falutin’ flaw / fault-hunting critics or winos (as far as we knew).
Here are the results: The guys liked the Shindig best, a dry, crisp white wine which is a blend: 90% Vidal Blanc and 10% Riesling. It’s very crisp, with a hint of lemon and green apples, the perfect accompaniment for seafood or salads. The girls picked the 2010 “Friend” Riesling as their favorite, sweet, yet complex, with summer fruit notes: lemons? pineapples? honey? The group also liked the 2009 Social Club White; it’s a well-priced Chardonnay with notes of apples, papaya, mineral, and a hint of ginger. The 2009 Cabernet Franc Rose could be a crowd pleaser at summer parties, as it’s light and refreshing; a real thirst quencher; watermelons and bing cherries will dance on your tongue.
Several years ago, Shaper, an aerospace engineer from Long Island, joined the Brooklyn artisanal food movement and went into the wine making business. She founded Brooklyn Oenology and created eight different wines in a few short years. Today they are served at over forty restaurants in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island and Long Island. Among them are Momofuku Noodle Club, Back Forty, Tribeca Grill, Fette Sau, Buttermilk Channel, The Palm House at Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and M.Wells, a celebrated eatery in Queens.
Brooklyn Oenology has a tasting room in Williamsburg, where one can sample all of her wines (by the glass or a flight of three) plus a few from other winemakers. The wines are as local as you can get. The grapes are from Long Island and the Finger Lakes region, and the product is made and bottled in North Fork, Long Island. So if you’re curious about what a distilled New York countryside tastes like, Brooklyn Oenology’s tasting room is located at 209 Wythe Avenue/ Give Alie’s wines a twirl.
Brooklyn Oenology Tasting Room
209 Wythe Avenue, Williamsburg
718.599.1259
http://www.brooklynoenology.com/
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