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Archive for the ‘Israel Wine’ Category

Trump event & Rally to STOP IRAN

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

I spent my day today at an amazing event. Eric Trump (yes, The Donald’s son) has a wonderful charitable organization that throws an event at the Westchester, NY based Trump International Golf Course to raise money for St Jude’s Childrens Charity. I was invited several weeks ago to sponsor a hole & pour wine at the event.

(pic to come)

I’m very proud to say that Hole # 10 was sponsored by the Wine Tasting Guy. Not only that, but they set up a wine tasting table for me (and a fabulous industry collegue from “Bacchus – Wine Made Simple”) right on the 10th hole. We poured some amazing wines from Israel and California and the guests LOVED THE WINES. The golf tournament went well for the golfers and there was a reception that followed where we poured more wine. It was a successful event and I was very excited to hear the positive feedback and be invited back next year. Among the many highlights of the day was when Ivanka Trump came by, tried, and LOVED an Israeli Syrah we were pouring. Sadly I missed her at the end of the event but I sent Eric with a bottle of the Syrah for her.

On a sadder note I am about to bring up a political issue. I try very hard to stay away from said issues on this site for a multitude of reasons. But this one is important enough for me to briefly mention. This coming Monday Iran’s President Ahmadinejad is coming to the U.N. and there is a “Rally to Stop Iran. The information can be found in the following flyer. I will be there and hope that anyone within driving distance of NYC understands how serious this evil man is about his intentions to “wipe Israel from the map” and will put the effort in to attend the rally.

rally flier

Happy PEACEful rally golf tournament wine tasting!

WTG

Tags: Eric Trump Foundation, Israel Wine, Israeli Syrah, Ivanka Trump, St Jude's Charity, stop Iran
Posted in Israel Wine, Other, wine tasting | 2 Comments »

Wine Wine Wine

Friday, September 5th, 2008

WHAT A WEEK! And it was only 4 days long. Feels a bit more like an 8 day week. Don’t get me wrong, I was busy running around selling wine and I had a blast. Oh yeah, there was also a bit of NFL FOOTBALL thrown into the busy mix.

But for the most part The pre-Jewish holiday rush has officially begun and I have been selling fabulous Israeli wine all around the NY Metro area. While for the most part it is referred to as “kosher” wine I am plugging the idea of Israeli wine. The industry people hear it, respect it, and then let me know it is not viable…YET. But it will happen…eventually.

Have a great wine tasting weekend everybody. Hope you will be popping a special bottle!

WTG

Tags: , NFL Football, wine
Posted in Israel Wine, Other, Wine STUFF | 2 Comments »

Camping, Le Rendezvous Wine bar & wine consumption

Sunday, August 24th, 2008

My sincerest apologies for the lag in posts the past few days. Things have been hectic yet fabulous. I returned today from a wonderful yet too short weekend camping trip. There were 8 of us on the trip and it was loads of fun. BBQ-ing, fireworks, fishing, tubing & BIG CAMP FIRES. Ahhh…so much fun. I brought a bunch of wine and someone questioned whether wine was camping appropriate. I thought it was perfect actually. While chillin’ in a chair & fishing on the Delaware river I preferred a cold beer. But a bottle of rose in the early evening and a cup (no glasses at the campgrounds – oh well) of red at night with a burger by the campfire – SOOOO GOOOOOD!

Quickly want to thank everyone who made it out to Le Rendezvous wine bar last Thursday night. The turnout was great and all who made it were treated to a spectacular night (if I do say so myself). I was able to seat almost all the guests and like a good party host I mingled with everyone while constantly filling up their glasses with fabulous wines from Yarden & Galil Mountain. I got lots of people nice and buzzed, but more importantly the guests and wine bar staff (and owner) loved the wines and really enjoyed the evening and ambiance at the fabulous Le Rendezvous wine bar.

Finally want to share an interesting little tidbit with you. The Beverage Information group recently released their 2008 wine handbook and announced that wine consumption in 2008 once again rose – by 3.2%. Doesn’t sound like a lot but it marks the 14th consecutive year of “case gains”. The full PR Newswire release can be found here.

Happy Campfire Israel Wine Tasting!

WTG

Tags: Beverage Information Group, Campfire, galil mountain, Le Rendezvous, Yarden
Posted in Israel Wine, Wine Industry, Wine STUFF | 2 Comments »

A beautiful woman and a fabulous wine bar

Monday, August 18th, 2008

NOOOO…I did not pass away and go to heaven (although I bet that is what MY heaven looks like). But I must admit that this afternoon and evening were quite wonderful.

Late this afternoon I had the opportunity to meet a gentleman with whom I have been in touch for a long time. This guy is working to promote THE CAUSE – Israel wine. And he seems to be doing a great job of it. His approach is unique, but his passion is unmistakable. He invited me to meet him at an in-house wine tasting event. At this event he poured several wines, spoke to the people about the wines and the winemakers, and then took orders for said wine. All the wines were Israeli wines made at what are considered to be boutique operations. And while some of the wines showed better than others, all were generally warmly received. Way to go Richard!

From this fabulous event I went to meet a lovely young lady at a wine bar I have been meaning to check out. The young lady looked terrific (no, not because I drank a lot at the wine tasting event) and the wine bar was doing “IT” right.

What is “IT” you ask? Ahhh…good question. IT is the prefect level of service where the customer feels attended to, appreciated, yet not crowded, rushed or made to feel anything less than like a king. Just really great service.

Upon initially speaking with the server, she modestly deferred to the asst. sommelier for wine related issues – something I greatly appreciate rather than being fed B.S. about wines they might know nothing about. The sommelier was cordial, polite and gracious and brought us 4 samples to try so that when we made out ultimate selection we would be sure to be pleased. And the clincher was the follow up service. They were attentive, but from afar. I was thrilled to be pouring my own wine from the carafe in which it was served. And throughout my time I noticed the server looking over, almost waiting to be summoned, but not crowding us in any way. She was really amazing. How she came up with what (in one persons humble opinion) was the perfect combination of space & attentiveness I will never know. But she got IT!

Happy fabulous (Israeli) wine tasting!

WTG

Tags: Israeli Wine, Wine bar, wine bar service, wine tasting
Posted in Israel Wine, Wine Bars | 4 Comments »

Buying wine at a wine shop

Sunday, August 17th, 2008

As part of my work for the Israeli wine distributor I am presently working for, I went into a wine shop on Friday afternoon to “hand sell” some of their wines. The wine shop manager set me up next to the shelf displaying the producer’s wines. I opened up 3 bottles to pour for customers as they came in, and said customers were offered discounts if they purchased any of the wines (in 3, 6 or 12 bottle increments) I was pouring – as well as others made by the producer.

I must say, things went brilliantly. OK, it could have been better. There was not as much traffic as I may have liked. A few people did come in just to try some free wine. Yes, there were one or two people who I suppose felt a “hard sell”, and ending up opting for other wines. BUT for the most part people tried the wines, engaged in conversation about the wines, asked lots of good questions and then bought at least one if not 3 bottles of wine (to take advantage of the discount).

I have heard this from others but I am now fully convinced that this method of “hand selling” is truly the best way to sell wines. It may seem obvious, but you have people entering a wine shop/liquor store with the intent to purchase a bottle (or more) of wine. Yet they are suddenly faced with the daunting array of wines set before them.

And standing right there to help is Mr./Ms. NON-PRETENTIOUS wine expert happy to provide a quick taste of wine for said customer and answer any questions they may have. Two very important elements. I always recommend that people taste a wine before buying a bottle of it (when possible of course). And having someone there who may know a bit more about wine than the ordinary average Jane is also helpful and generally appreciated.

It was a great few hours and I really hope everyone who purchased some of the wines I recommended were happy with their selections.

Now if only I can figure out a way to be in 200 stores selling wine at the same time…

ASIDE: All NYC (and vicinity) residents are invited to an Israeli wine tasting this Thursday night. I’ll be at the Le Rendezvous wine bar at 80th St. & 2nd Ave pouring FREE wine from 7-9PM. There will be bubbly (show up early for this) as well as some whites, a rose’ and of course some fabulous reds. Come say hi and introduce yourself!

Happy wine tasting & buying!

WTG

Tags: hand sell, Israeli Wine, wine shop
Posted in Israel Wine, Wine STUFF, wine tasting | 2 Comments »

A taste of Israel

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

Happy B-day to WTG. Happy B-day to WTG, Happy B-day to WTG, Happy B-day to YOU!

OK, that is out of the way. I tend to I shy away from b-day attention, but hey, a Wine Tasting Guy only turns 21 (yeah, right) once right?!?!?

Anyway, I attended a wine tasting tonight, and it was my favorite kind. It was an ISRAELI WINE tasting at the as of yet not opened 92Y Tribeca. I poured wine at the event and it was FABULOUS! People at the event were “WINE CURIOUS”. I did get some requests for “white wine” or “red wine” or “the best wine”, but for the most part, people were engaging me in conversation about the wine. Where did it come from (Israel), what region (most from Galille, but some from Golan), what grapes were used (Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Viognier, etc.)… YES, there were some people who just wanted to drink, but that is OK. I busted balls – made all the people who asked for white pronounce “VIO-GN-IER” before I poured them anything (actually pronounced VEE-OAN-YAY). Speaking of Viognier, the Galil Mt. 2007 Viognier was the hit of the event. I was told by more than a few people that it was the best wine of the night. I went through 3 bottles of the Viognier before finishing 1 bottle of anything else I had.

But seriously, it was a very productive tasting. Many of the people were sincerely curious as to the varietal, origin, winery, etc. They also wanted to know where they could find the wine. Some were truly upset that they could NOT buy some of the wine poured at the event on the spot. I had to explain to them that it was illegal to sell to them and they would have to buy it at their favorite wine shop. But overall, people were happy to engage the WTG in conversation about GOOD, ISRAELI wine. And I was thrilled to be able to oblige.

Happy Israeli Wine Tasting!

WTG

Tags: Israel, wine tasting
Posted in Israel Wine, wine tasting | 5 Comments »

Steak & wine – a match made in heaven

Monday, July 7th, 2008

Those who know me well know that there is little in this world that I enjoy more than a good rare steak and a fine bottle of red. As a matter of fact I have a bunch of friends I might never see if not for our steak & wine nights. Forget that, I have friends who might not actually be friends if not for the steaks I grill & the wine I bring (kidding fellas – I hope).

But seriously, I was elated when I read an article recently in the Economist “Of Sommeliers and Stomachs”. Scientists from my beloved Israel have determined that compounds in red wine “thwart the formation of harmful chemicals that are released when meat is digested”. Is that unbelievable or what!?!! The research was led by Joseph Kanner of the Hebrew University (my new favorite person!). Not being scientifically inclined, I’d encourage you to read the article for yourselves. But in essence, toxins found in high fat foods (such as a nice rare steak) are combated by the polyphenols found in red wine at the moment that they meet in the stomach. This seemingly prevents the “toxic materials from getting any farther into the body” – he knows, he did some nasty experiments with rats that you can read about in the article.

So there you have it ladies and gentlemen. Steak & red wine is good for you. Cheers & eat up!

Happy wine & steak tasting!

WTG

Tags: hebrew university, Israel, polyphenols, red wine, Steak, toxins
Posted in Israel Wine, wine health | 1 Comment »

Less know wine region(s) in the news

Sunday, June 29th, 2008

Yes, I have been tempted to write about Israeli wines a lot lately given the fabulous press they have been getting with recent articles in Wine Spectator (online version only available to subscribers) & The San Fransisco Chronicle (found online at the SF Gate).

But any post about Israeli wines will be elaborate and hopefully include some specific news/update describing progress concerning my previously discussed Israel Wine Project.

So instead, I want to bring up wines from another not-too-discussed wine region – Washington state.

Washington State, is known to produce some exceptional reds, in particular Merlot, Syrah and yes, of course, Cabernet Sauvignon (and blends including all or some of the aforementioned varietals). (more…)

Tags: Israel, Laurie Daniel, Lynne Char Bennett, Rhone valley, Washington state
Posted in Israel Wine, Wine Industry | 2 Comments »

Misinformed – what to do with a bad wine educator?

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

I attended an Israeli wine tasting at a local cultural center earlier this week. The instructor spoke both about the Israeli wine industry as well as basic wine appreciation. Among the instructor’s opening statements was a proclamation that the Israeli wine industry took a major step forward with the introduction of the Golan Heights Winery 15 years ago (it was more like 25 years ago). Shortly thereafter we tried the first wine, a sauvignon blanc. He began by pointing out that it is not straw in color, as a straw color indicates a flaw (not true). Upon tasting the wine he pointed out that this wine was NOT oaky like some other whites since Sauvignon Blanc generally only spends 6 months in barrel (when in reality this Sauv Blanc was made in stainless steel tanks and saw no oak – hence the non-oakiness). Finally he alleviated the concerns of an attendee regarding sulfites in wine informing the class that white wines, although written on the label “contains sulfites”, don’t really contain sulfites. I raised my hand and announced that i thought all wines contained sulfites, even organic wines (albeit in smaller quantities). He emphatically responded that I was wrong, reds contain sulfites but whites do not.

Speaking of his angry response, in a crowded room with over 50 people drinking (not spitting) wine, he consistently “sshhh-ed” the crowd. I can appreciate the challenges of speaking before a loud audience but while drinking wine in a crowded room did he really expect the audience to remain perfectly silent??

(more…)

Tags: bad teacher, Israeli Wine, wine tasting
Posted in Israel Wine, wine tasting | 2 Comments »

White wine can be beneficial too?

Saturday, June 7th, 2008

A real quick weekend post. I have written plenty about the health benefits of wine and my affinity to Israel has also been well documented on this site. So when I stumbled on the following post I knew I had to re-post it here for all of you. Enjoy the article, “Researchers Develop White Wine With Health Benefits Similar To Red”.

Happy healthy WHITE wine tasting!

WTG

Tags: Israel Wine, white wine
Posted in Israel Wine, wine health | 1 Comment »