Category Archives: NYC Events

Bordeaux 2017: Despite Adversity, a Solid Vintage

Posted on February 7, 2020 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews The 2017 vintage in Bordeaux was…complicated, and rife with pitfalls: an epic spring frost, the worst since 1991; damaging hail storms; a dry but cloudy summer; and rain in mid-September, adding drama to the harvest period. Overall … Continue reading →

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Jefferson Vindicated: Virginia Wines Wow Wine Media Guild

Posted on November 12, 2019 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews Somewhere, Thomas Jefferson is smiling. The Founding Father, third US President and first oenophile-in-chief tried mightily to establish European (vinifera) grape varieties in his gardens and vineyards around Monticello, but encountered only failure, for reasons he mainly … Continue reading →

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Bordeaux 2016: A Winning Vintage of Elegant, Energetic Wines

Posted on January 25, 2019 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews The temperature outside the annual Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux (UGCB) tasting held at Cipriani 42nd Street in Manhattan on 21 January was in single digits, but the reception by the industry throng inside the cavernous … Continue reading →

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Wine Media Guild Explores Portugal

Posted on November 28, 2018 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews During its long history, especially during the Age of Discovery, Portugal has been known as a nation of explorers, something that allowed the (then) small kingdom to punch far above its weight for centuries as a colonial … Continue reading →

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NY Craft Ciders Rock the Lower East Side

Posted on November 16, 2018 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews November 2-11, 2018, was Cider Week in New York City, a festival of multiple cider events and tastings in bars and venues across the Big Apple, organized by the New York Cider Association. The aim: “to cultivate appreciation of New … Continue reading →

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Rosé Champagne at the Wine Media Guild

Posted on December 10, 2017 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews Cross one of the bucket list…   After years of work conflicts and scheduling bad luck, I finally made it to one of Ed McCarthy’s annual December Champagne tastings for the Wine Media Guild of New York … Continue reading →

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Champagne Collet: Stylish Bubbly

Posted on April 27, 2017 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews Champagne is a big deal in the US, which is the second largest market outside of France for the iconic French bubbly (the UK remains first). And not only does it comprise over 20% of the total American sparkling wine market, … Continue reading →

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Bordeaux Chateaux “Punching Above Their Weight”

Posted on February 1, 2017 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews Bordeaux Chateaux that “punch above their weight” was how Wine Media Guild (WMG) member Mark Golodetz framed the WMG’s recent, annual Bordeaux walk-around tasting and lunch, held at Il Gattopardo in Manhattan. As the traditional member-sponsor of … Continue reading →

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Italian Elegance: Lugana Wines

Posted on October 31, 2016 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews For wine lovers, Italy’s incredible regional diversity and myriad grape varieties – many of them indigenous, and some produced only in certain Italian locales – are the gifts that keep on giving. But that’s what also makes Italian … Continue reading →

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Tuscan Value: the Maremma

Posted on November 11, 2015 by upstatedowntown

By Christopher Matthews Tuscan wines, like Chianti (in its many iterations), the esteemed Brunello di Montalcino and the “Super Tuscans” (such as Sassicaia and Antinori’s Tignanello), are well-known on these shores, at least among cognoscenti. Less familiar, but sources of distinct value, are some of … Continue reading →

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