… it's that time of the year when winemakers from the Old World are crossing the ocean to showcase the wines that are ready to drink. Either from last year or older vintages, we gonna taste hundreds of them in order to select the few that will make it to our list!!! Most of these tastings are professional, but some importers set smaller ones, or pairing dinners, in restaurants or wine stores all over town, allowing you to meet with the geniuses, talk to them, ask them questions about their work and most importantly, taste the juices you'll be sharing with your friends and loved ones for the monthsi to come.

The first to shoot for the season will be Jenny & Francois Selection. With 15 winemakers in town, an impressive schedule is set for numerous events, including a tasting with us, @ The Ten Bells with 3 wine makers. Alain Rochard from Domaine du Loup Blanc in the Minervois (Languedoc-Roussillon), Renaud Guettier from Domaine La Grapperie in the Coteaux-du-Loir (Loire Valley) and Chad Hardesty from Ardesty Cellar in California.

They gonna make you taste 8 cuvees, along with some charcuterie, and will give you force details about their terroirs, why most of the work is done in the vineyard and what's going on in the cellar, so you will understand why the wines are authentic!!! So mark your calendar, this coming Wednesday, March 9th, 2 seatings of 20 people only will be able to participate, the first one @ 6.30 p.m, the second @ 7.30 p.m. $25/head. There's a few places still available for both seatings.

Call to make your reservation @ 212 228 4450.

Taste In another hand, as always, Sunday host a special dish. As the weather doesn't really wanna switch from Winter to Spring, we'll keep it spicy with a Mexican flair with RABBIT IN ADOBO!!! Cheers

The whole team of The Ten Bells is joining me to wish you and your loved ones an great 201, and we also wanna thank you for your support all the way along 2010. Yes, it was quiet a great year, with new wineries coming in, the addition of the back room, some new items on the menu beside the "no kitchen" situation!!! Good news and bad ones gave us the rythm and the strengh to keep going and pushing always harder to please ourself and doing so, to please your palate too.

We keep looking around to find great quality products to bring you tasty munchies that  pairwith the authentics wines selection we offer.

As you might have seen, postings on the website are not as regular as they used to be. Time is not on my side!!! We opened a Facebook page where posts are numerous and more instinctive, so I would suggest you to join us there (if you aren't already). This page will more about deepest thoughts on wine and food!!!

 "Le vin est un produit si complexe qu’on ne peut le réduire à ses seuls arômes. Mais ce que j’ai toujours cherché à faire, c’est redonner de l’importance à l’arôme, au détriment de l’alcool : on considère trop souvent le vin comme de l’alcool et ce n’est pas éton- nant s’il est devenu un sujet tabou. Les œnologues eux-mêmes s’oc- cupent très peu des arômes ; on s’intéresse à l’étiquette, au volume, au prix, à l’alcool et pas assez aux arômes. C’est une paresse intellectuelle : il est sûr qu’il est plus facile de mesurer la richesse alcoolique d’un vin que d’exprimer ce que l’on ressent en le dégustant". (Jules Chauvet)

Cheers

... that might be the last of the year!!! I'm getting ready for some vacations in the sun with M, it's just gonna be awesome.
We gonna start this new year with quiet some new wines that will land in February if there's not to many strikes in France again. Some Beaujolais-Village and Chiroubles from Karim Vionnet, a beautiful Pineau d'Aunis old vines 09 from Pascal Simonutti, rich and deep Bandol from Chateau Ste Anne with a few old vintages in magnums, fruity wines from the Loic Roure, if he picks up his phone, a yummy Vdp de Cucugnan, Cargnan/Cinsault blend 09 from Catherine Marin-Pestel, long aged Cabernet Franc from Jerome Lenoir in Chinon and more Cheverny from Philippe Tessier.

Meanwhile, we just got 3 bottles, rare ones, of Chateau Chalon from Jean Bourdy. 3 different vintages: 1991, 1979 & 1947!!!

Almost forget to tell you that tomorrow, we'll be bitting into a juicy ROASTED LEG OF LAMB WITH FLAGEOLETS!!!

So enjoy those last day of 2010 whatever you do, and please help "Partner in Health" by sending money. It will make you feel good I promise.

www.pih.org