Last Tuesday, Nick, Jenny, Brad & I headed to Ivy in Downtown Crossing for "Tuesday in the Tasting Room." The event featured 4 Rosé wines that were each paired with hors d'oevres. Ivy did a great job putting this together; you had to sign up in advance, and the number of attendees was limited so we had room to move around and not feel cramped. All in all this was a great deal for $20/person, especially since they were very generous with refills and food.
After checking-in, we each received a card that listed a brief description of each wine and a few lines to jot down some tasting notes. I can't say that our reviews are on par with something one might read in, "Wine Aficionado;" however, I never said we were sophisticated.
The 1st tasting was Mulderbosch Rosé from South Africa, and is described as "layers of strawberry, cherry, roses & fresh peaches on the nose." (I'm not sure if "on the nose" is a phrase commonly associated with describing wine, or if it's a fancy way of wording that this Rosé smells like fruit...) Anyway, my distinguished panel of friends threw out "refreshing!" and "summery!" after tasting this one. The food pairing with this wine was a tasty roasted eggplant/veggie medley over crostini.
The 2nd tasting was las Rocas Rosado from Spain, which is "made from 100% Garnacha & offers up a fragrant nose of kirsch & strawberry." Or, as my group stated more succinctly, "not a huge fan." I believe the food pairing with this was a cheese croqueta; however, I'm not entirely sure. At this point in the evening, I began to suffer the same consequences that happen when I drink red wine (namely severe heartburn) and I more or less stuck to tasting Ivy's water at this point. (Inferior grade, yet potable.)
Moving on, the 3rd wine was Chateau Ste. Michelle "Nellie's Garden" Rosé from Washington State. According to the card, this Rosé "shows beautiful fruit aromas & flavors of strawberry, raspberry & subtle spice notes." Or as Nick said, "Good. I like this." Perhaps feeling poetic after several glasses of wine, Brad declared it to be "enduring." Nellie's Garden was served with a stuffed cherry pepper.
The 4th and final tasting was Jaboulet "Paralelle 45" Rosé from France. This wine was everyone's favorite and is professionally described as having "floral & crushed red cherry aromas, with full-bodied, ripe, mineral-driven fruit on the palate." Nick took one sip and exclaimed, "This wine and I will get along!" The hors d'oevres were to die for; deep-fried dates stuffed with risotto.
At the event, Ivy's staff was really friendly and the woman representing the wine distributor was more than willing to answer our questions. We've already signed up for the next tasting on July 14th, which is "Sparkling Wines from Around the World!" (The exclamation point is Ivy's, although I am rather excited about that tasting myself!) You can email events@ivyrestaurantgroup.com to sign up.
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1 comment:
Haha...good summary. In retrospect, my favorite wine was the one from South Africa versus the French one. My favorite app - the date thing - was paired with the French wine.
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