The National Wine & Vine Chamber Degustation for European Wines and Luncheon at Hunt and Fish Club with Sommelier Marika Vida Arnold in New York City
As a New Yorker and journalist who has served as a Media Partner to quite a few New York City based Wine Festivals, I definitely have had the chance to attend some stellar Wine Tastings, but I have to say this one was pretty fantastic and I knew it would make for a perfect Wine Wednesday.
One thing I have greatly enjoyed about the tastings I have experienced is the chance to try international wines and expand my palate beyond 'Napa'.
Let me take you through this experience:
Above: Chandelier, Hunt and Fish Club, NYC
I must admit I am no stranger to
The Hunt and Fish Club in New York City, they host very upscale events!
Bulgarian Wine has such a rich and deep history, one I wasn't very familiar with, and much like a sponge I was fascinated and wanted to 'soak it all in', ok, so no pun intended!
Above: Bulgaria is actually one of the oldest wine producing countries whose prominence rose and fell with each ruling class and whose Golden Age was during the 12th Century. In the 80's Bulgaria was the second largest wine producing country!
Above: Principal Regional Highlights: Bulgaria's Five Major Regions for Wine Production include: Danube River Plains, Black Sea Costal, Sofia, The Valley of the Roses/Thracian Valley and Struma Valley
THE WINES:
Above: Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve Vintage: 2010
Vinal AD, Lovech is a modern winery located in one of the oldest Bulgarian cities
Classic 10-month aging in French and American oak barrels and subsequent aging in a bottle.
Notes on taste: Cabernet Sauvignon Special Reserve has a rich granite color, an intense flavor with a well-formed bouquet and preserved fruitiness, hints of blackberry and minerals. The taste is soft, harmonious, well-structured and balanced.
Food pairings: Fat meats, dishes with a lot of spices, heavy cheeses.
Awards: Silver medal from Vinaria 2011, 2013, Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Gold medal from Vinalies Internationales 2014 – Paris FR
Above: ELENOVO Mavrud, Vintage: 2013
Grapes: 100% Mavrud.
Colour: Intense red colour with brownish hues.
Aroma: Attractive nose, rich in ripe cherries, with hints of mushrooms, dry leaves, walnuts and smoke.
Taste: The body is full and supple, rich in soft tannins. Excellent structure and complexity, long and memorable finish.
Ageing: 18 months in 225 l French oak barriques
Serving suggestion: Pizza, pasta, red meat casseroles, steaks (underdone). In order to fully enjoy this product, it is recommended to open the bottle in advance or to decant it.
Best serving temperature:
18° - 20° C.
Above:
EM Brut "Edoardo Miroglio" Series
GRAPES: Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
COLOUR: Light and clear, with greenish and golden nuances
AROMA: Delicate nose of fresh white mulberries and incense.
TASTE: Fresh, dry, mouth-filling, with a tickling sensation, soft and inviting. Honey, bread crust, and raisin flavors, complemented by incense and mastic nuances.
AGEING: Minimum 18 months on the lees.
SERVING SUGGESTIONS: To be served as an aperitif, with fish dishes, white and yellow cheeses
You know this butterfly loves her Champagne, Sparkling Wines, Bruts and all thing 'bubbly'.
Above: Merlot Special Reserve Produced from high quality grapes grown in vineyards in the Lovech Region
Grape variety: 100% Merlot
Vintage: 2010
Production: The wine was produced by a classic technology and matured for 8 months in French oak barrels with subsequent aging in a bottle. 6) Notes on taste: Merlot Special Reserve2010 captivates with its rich, well preserved, deep purple color. The flavor is a powerful multilayer bouquet of pleasantly interwoven nuances of ripe plum, forest fruit and discrete vanilla, unique for this region. The taste is thick, voluminous and warm.
Food pairings: Grilled or broiled dark meats, game, lasagna with meat or type of pasta roasted with cheese and mushrooms.
Awards:Gold medal at Vinaria 2013, Plovdiv, Bulgaria;Diploma from Wine Challenge 2011
Above: Pixels Sauvignon Blanc, Dry white wine, 100 % Sauvignon Blanc
VINTAGE: 2016 REGION: Thracian Valley, Bulgaria
Vineyards: Vineyards, where grapes are grown, are located in the heart of the Thracian region – Naiden Gerovo village. This region is characterized with fertile black cotton soil. The climate is transitional-continental with long spells of sunshine and more than 102 sunny days throughout the year and with a mild warm Autumn, which results in uniform ripening of the grapes with excellent ratio of sugars and acids. The average annual air temperature is 12 С° and the average annual rainfall is 539 mm
Tasting notes: Bright color with green hints. Delicate nose with hints of green apple and ripe citrus fruit. The acidity is medium high and has roundness and fruit. It will pair perfectly with shrimps or white cheese.
Above: VERSION, PLAISIR DIVIN MAVRUD
Vintage: 2016
Alcohol: 14.5%
I can see why this one has won so many awards!
Tasting Notes: Wine with sparkling, deep, ruby-red color. Complex brand aroma, which reminds of a ripe wild blackberry, sweet dark cherry, and fresh forest fruits. In taste it is a juicy, fruity, mature with pleasant unostentatious freshness, soft tannins and long elegant aftertaste.
Above: Villa Yambol Reserve
Vintage: 2013
Alcohol: 13.5%
Taste: This wine carries the spicy nature of Cabernet in a rustic, but delicate body texture. Our advice: aerate before consumption.
Aroma: A fascinating blend of red berries, cherries and oak overtones with hints of vanilla, clove, smoke taint and spices.
Origin: Thracian Plain
The Eats and Tasting:
Above: The Hunt and Fish Club put together quite a menu!
Above: You guys know I love my 'pour shots'
Above: We had a choice of Appetizers and I chose the Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, that slaw and the sauce were delish by the way! (I wasn't fast enough to nab a shot of the salad that was the alternate appetizer/starter)
Above: We had choice of Entrée and I chose seafood (Artic Char) yet again! I am always team seafood.
Above: The other option was Filet Mignon! Talk about difficult decisions! (both were DELICIOUS) I didn't get a photo of the Roasted Cauliflower Steak
Above: Another Pour Shot! Would a wine blogger consider this 'the money shot' or is that just a tad 'too cheeky'? :-)
Above: Deep Chocolate Cake with Espresso Buttercream and Chocolate Ganache. Needless to say this was my choice and it tasted every bit as decadent and delightful as it looks!
Above: Carrot Cake with Candied Walnuts, Caramel Rum and Bayou Rum Ice Cream (I was lucky enough to have a blogging buddy sitting next to me who let me photograph her Filet Mignon and taste it! and I photographed her Carrot Cake although I didn't taste it, I'm taking her word for how delish it was because at this point I was STUFFED!)
Above: Ivaylo Shotev, BWC Imports.
Totally Funny Sidebar: I was not fast enough to nab shots of "The Sides" which were: Truffle Tater Tos, Grilled Asparagus and Roasted Root Vegetables - ALL were insanely delicious by the way.
Above: I spot cute Swag Bags/Wine Totes!
MY TAKE:
Some standouts I thought I should share:
-
Marika Vida Arnold,
wine director of The Ritz-Carlton New York was our Sommelier and emcee, sadly my direct photos of her did not come out clearly, but she is seated in one of the photos above and I have linked you to her web page. She did a phenomenal job of sharing her knowledge of the wines and best pairings, I hope to attend more events with her, I feel like I learned way more in this tasting than many conferences/tradeshows I have attended. And kudos to the PR team FMG NYC for keeping this event so intimate and inviting such a diverse and fun guest list!
- Alcohol Content on these are a bit higher than I am used to in wine, so they definitely pack a punch, in a GOOD way
- I LOVED the reds! That's notable because I usually go for sparkling first, then white wines, with the REDS in most tastings coming in dead last. This time it's the opposite, the MAVRUDS were simply outstanding, memorable and notable and you will definitely impress your guests without breaking your budget.
- The price points are super budget friendly without tasting like they are budget friendly!
- Hunt and Fish Club is always consistent, I haven't had a meal there I didn't like and the service is always impeccable. It's warm, never aloof, fancy but without being stuffy.
This was an amazing introduction to Bulgarian Wine and I am looking forward to learning more about Bulgarian Wines and hopefully visiting some of these amazing wineries for myself someday.
Readers Sound Off: How/Where do you learn about International Wines? Do you have a favorite Wine Region?
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