The wood-fired oven goodness of Saraghina awaits!

PLEASE JOIN US

FOR ITALIAN WINE WEEK!

It all begins with four special tastings:

Wednesday, Feb 1st, 5-8pm

2008 Cos “Nero di Lupo” Nero d’Avola, $33

2009 Le Macchiole Bolgheri Rosso, $32

Averno Amaro Siciliano $32

Thursday, Feb 2nd, 6-9pm

2009 Arianna Occhipinti ‘SP68′ Bianco, $28

2010 Perrini Negroamaro, $16

2010 TAMI Nero d’Avola, $19

NV Vergano Chinato Americano Vino Aromatizzato (Grignolino), $45

Friday, Feb 3rd, 5-8pm

2009 Zonino Valpolicella, $14

2006 Gricos Grifalco Aglianico del Vulture, $14

2006 Le Gode Brunello di Montalcino, $50

Saturday, Feb 4th, 6-9pm

2010 Terre Nere Etna Rosso, $19

2005 Terre Nere Calderara Sottana Etna Rosso, $25

2010 Fontaleoni Chianti Colli Senesi, $14

2008 Piaggia Carmignano “Il Sasso,” $32

Culminating in a very special Sicilian-centric wine dinner

WEDNESDAY, FEB 8TH, 7PM:

TERRE NERE WINES

AT

SARAGHINA RESTAURANT

One of our favorite 2012 Resolutions? We resolve to sip more wine and break more bread with you – our friends, neighbors, and customers. Because, really, what better way is there to open up the ever-continuing conversation about vino than at the table?

Please join us for a spectacular 5-course dinner of tipicity-focused Mount Etna wines from one of our organic faves, Terre Nere, paired with the locally sourced, Mediterranean island stylings of chef Edoardo Mantelli at his rustic charmer of an eatery, Saraghina!

Upon Arrival

Gnocco Fritto

2009 Etna Bianco ‘Le Vigne Niche,’ Terre Nere, $35

The Warm Up

Fave e Cicoria

(Fava bean pureè with lightly spiced sauteed dandelion)

2010 Etna Rosso, Terre Nere, $19

2005 Terre Nere ‘Calderara Sottana’ Etna Rosso – Sicily, Italy, $25

The Primi

Pappardelle with Lamb ragu

2007 Horizontal Flight

2007 Terre Nere ‘Santo Spirito’ Etna Rosso – Sicily, Italy, $38

2007 Terre Nere ‘Calderara Sottana’ Etna Rosso – Sicily, Italy, $40

2007 Etna Rosso, ‘Feudo di Mezzo’, Terre Nere, $40

The Big Night

Arrosto di Maiale con Cavolo Nero E Fagiolini
(Roasted Pork with Tuscan Kale and String Beans)

Pecorino Sardo con Mostarda Mantovana and Kale Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette

Terre Nere Guardiola Vineyard Vertical

2009 — $42

2007 — $40

2006 — $44

2005 (in Magnum!) — $88

Finalamente!

Caffè e Dolci

Buon appetito!

Saraghina is located at 435 Halsey Street (corner of Lewis)

Bedford-Stuyvesant

$75 per person (plus tax & gratuity)

Over the pass from Cape Town to the Stellenbosch, South Africa’s premier wine region

In the spirit of Dr. King’s hopes and to celebrate his achievements, we’re pouring wines from One World, a fair trade certified winery in South Africa. One World comes to us from Heritage Link Brands, a relatively new but rapidly growing company that has become the largest importer of black-produced wines from Africa. Read more about Heritage here. Their story is one that Martin Luther King would be proud of – and one that probably wouldn’t have been possible without him.

Click on the picture of MLK to read his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech and listen to an audio clip. It’s as poignant now as it was then.

Stop in over the next several weeks to view Gregory Tuck’s austerely beautiful photos of Masaieem, Qatar. Click on the image above to learn more about Greg. Here’s what he has to say about his Masaieem exhibit:

“As dusk falls on the area around Mesaieem, Qatar, the desert for a moment lends its mystery to the sprawling oil refinery complex nearby. Our notions of the oil-rich monarchies of the Middle East are made up of contradictory images. On the one hand we hold an image of a region defined by its oil resources. This is a commercial, even mercenary land where a commodity vital to our current economy sits in a vast reserve. The luck of geology allows a select few to dwell in plump, aloof comfort in a manufactured modernity of freeways and shopping malls. Then there is an older, nostalgic image of an Arabia of sand, merciless sun and solitude. The landscape is noble and unforgiving. Its very inhospitality prevents further discourse. It is a shut-off place. It is partly this dichotomy, this dwelling in the modern world and its rejection of it that defines life in the contemporary Middle East.”

Join us Wednesday from 6-9pm to taste a delicious lineup of Champagne, including a 1998 vintage!

We love sparkling wine all year-round, but it’s especially fun to drink on New Year’s Eve. Click HERE to shop our selection of bubblies – from festive Prosecco and refreshing Cava to elegant Champagne. Or let us put together a selection for you. Check out our Sparkling Six-Pack – a tour de force of our favorites from around the world!

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ICONIC CHAMPAGNE & MORE – A SPECIAL TASTING THURS, DEC 22nd 6-9pm

The Billecart Salmon rosé has achieved iconic status among Champagne lovers. A classic blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, this might very well be the platonic ideal of rosé bubbly – it’s fine and focused with lovely berry fruit flavors highlighted by exotic hints of orange peel and spice. Simply put, Billecart-Salmon is the house for rosé. At wine industry trade tastings, the pros flock to get a sip of the Billecart before it disappears. Try it with us at a special tasting this Thursday night from 6-9pm. But come early! We’ll also be tasting 3 other French wines that are perfect for holiday dinners.

DO’s like Cava and Priorat have raised the popularity of Spanish wines over the last two decades, but the country is covered with lesser-known regions that produce delicious, interesting wines. Join us Wednesday night to taste a vintage rosé Cava and a bold, densely layered Priorat. We’ll also pour two other Spanish beauties from the south of the country where just about everything exudes vibrant personality.

As always, 15% off wines featured at the tastings!

We’re not big fans of an early freeze, but the closer we get to winter the more we enjoy coming in from from the cold and opening a bottle of warm, toasty red. Whether you’re cooking a hearty stew, simmering a pot of Sunday gravy or roasting a duck (maybe a Cassoulet?), it’s nice to have a robust, flavorful red to open while you’re in the kitchen and around the table. Thursday night we’re tasting four wines that will ease the onset of winter.

Clockwise from left to right: Freedom Hill in Oregon, Sealing Wax at Breuckelen Distillery, Lake Garda, Italy, and Friuli, Italy

Ask someone who works in wine to explain the French concept of terroir, and you’re likely to get a tortuous explanation that mentions everything under the sun (literally), including what species of alfalfa the winemaker’s mother fed the family cows. Terroir is a sort of all-encompassing term (here we go!), but basically it means place – where does the wine come from? The most important factors, of course, are soil and climate, but for other reasons too numerous and intertwined for anyone to explain without sounding like an idiot, some sites just possess a little more magic than others. Friday night we’ll introduce you to three very distinctive wines that each embody the unique characteristics of their origins. We’ll also pour Breuckelen Gin and Whiskey, made a skip and a hop from the Gowanus Canal – distinctive indeed!

British Barmaster + U’luvka Vodka = The Perfect Holiday Punch

PHOTOGRAPHS BY ROBBIE LEE

THROUGHOUT THE HOLIDAYS AT GNARLY VINES

We’re thrilled to have Robbie’s photographs back in the shop – be sure to check them out next time you’re here, or get a look at his work at robbieleephoto.com

VESPER MARTINIS & BOLLINGER CHAMPAGNE – FRIDAY DEC 9th 6-9pm

THE VESPER

3oz Gin, 1oz Vodka, 1/2 oz Lillet. Serve shaken (of course) with a lemon twist.

Given Bond’s globetrotting ways, we thought it fitting to make our Vespers with Hendricks Gin (from Scotland), Reyka Vodka (Iceland) and Lillet Blanc (France). And it wouldn’t be a Bond tasting without Bollinger, an iconic Champagne that’s powerful, opulent and sensual, all at the same time – much like 007 himself.  Bollie is made with 60% Pinot Noir and and ages for at least three years on its lees, giving it the rich, toasty character that has made it famous. This is an assertive  but beautifully balanced Champagne, with autumnal notes of baked apple and brioche accented by hints of smoke and exotic, gingery spice. No wonder Monsieur Bond can’t resist…