Wednesday, February 15, 2012

TRE BICCHERIERI TASTING 2012 NEW YORK

Yes Italian Wine mavens. It's that time of the year again. Wow, another year gone by. It's the 2012 Tre Bicchieri Tasting New York, the years most prestigious Italian Wine Event of all. It is this friday February 17 at the Metropolitan Pavillion on West 18th Street and if you don't have an invite or in, forget about getting in. Security is tight at this one, sponsored by Gambero Rosso the Wine Spectator/Robert Parker of Italy and Italian Food and Wine all rolled into one. What is 
Tre Biccieri? Well first off it translates to Three Glasses., and this is the system for rating the top wines in Italy by the famed Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri Italian Wine Guide compile and published each year by Gamabero Rosso Publications. Italy's top wines are here. Gambero Rosso rates the wines on a 1, 2, and 3 glass system as opposed to others like Robert Parker and WIne Spectator which uses a 100 Point System. So at the Tre Bicchieri Tasting, all of the Tre Bicchieri (3 Glass Wines) Wines will be on hand.
   For an Italian Wine Guy like me, this is my favorite event of the year and although I love and enjoy all the great wines, it's actually more of a social event for me. I get to see my many friends from Italy, winemakers, but mostly the proprietors of the many wine estates on hand. It's just great! 
   Needless to say there are going to be many great wines on hand including; Sassicaia 2008, Turiga 2007, Donnafugat "Ben Rye" 2009 from good friend Antonio Rallo, Barolo "Monfortino" Riserva 2004 from Giacomo Conterno (Considered by many Thee Top Dog of All Barolo), Vietti Barolo Villero Riserva 2004, Mastroberadino Taurasi Radici 2007,






 Rosso del Conte Tasc d'Almerita 2007 from good friend Conte Giuseppe Tasca, Masi Amrone "Vaio" 2006, Planeta's "Plumbago" (Nero d'Avola), and many more. To many to mention here. Yes a lot of great wines, looking forward to tasting as many as I can, but even more so, seeing the many friends who make these wines, especially, Francesca Planeta, Sebastiano Rosa of Sassicaia fame, Merielisa Allegrini, Antonio Rallo, Giampaulo Venical with his great Sauvignon Blanc "Ronco de Mele," Rafaella Bologna with her renowned Barbera "Bricco dell' Uccellone 2009 and many more.As always, this is going to be a great event, Great Wines and Great Friends from the whole of Thee Italian Peninsular. Can't wait!




by Daniel Bellino Zwicke

Friday, February 10, 2012

ITALIAN FOODIE and NyFoodee FIRST To Proclaim PERCY'S PIZZA BEST $1.00 PIZZA in NEW YORK



Yes The New York Post is jumping on The Band Wagon proclaiming Percy's Pizza The Best $1.00 PIZZA in New York, and yes this is true. And I don't blame The Post for writing this piece and I'm glad they did, as let's face it, they have a lot more power and exposure than I, just let's not forget who "Discovered" this Gem first and who was the First to write about it and Proclaim It
"New York'S best $1.00 Pizza." ? Mwha! Yes I. Me writing the piece and making the proclamation way back in December 2011, more than 2 months before the New York Post's piece.
      For those of you who may have forgotten here it is, my Proclamation that Percy's Pizza is The Number One Undisputed Champion King Best $1.00 SLICE of PIZZA in New York. Look below.




Post in NyFoodee    ....  December 10, 2011 by Daniel Bellino Zwicke


PROCLAIMING  PERCY'S PIZZA BEST $1.00 PIZZA in NEW YORK
The latest entry into the DOLLAR a SLICE PIZZA "PERCY'S PIZZA" on Dollar Slice is phenomenal. It's Top Notch and Superior to the likes of JOE'S PIZZA just a mere 200 feet away from this wonderful new establishment.
The Pizza at Percy's is just about absolute perfection. The way real pizza should be, perfect dough that is cooked to crisp perfection with just the right balance of tomato to cheese ratio. This slice is tasty, and at a Dollar a pop, one of New York's greatest culinary deals. And as for the other Buck a Slice guys, they just don't measure up. They're pretty good for a Dollar, but the slice at Percy's is Superior, even up against $2.75 a Slice joints like the famed Joe's Pizza just feet away. Percy's blows them away. They have a couple great Pizzaiolos, one from Sardegna, the other from Cairo of all places. Percy's is a simple unassuming place, that's nice and comfortable and serves up some of the Best Pizza in town, and at a Buck a Pop, you just can't
beat it. I Love it, and hope it last.






Daniel Bellino Zwicke                                                       Original Post December 10, 11














ITALIAN WINE MASTERS BRUNELLO CHIANTI TASTING


Well, I went to the Italian Wine Masters Tasting at The Metropolitan Pavilion (New York, NY) yesterday. The Italian Wine Masters Tasting, better known to New York Italian Wine Guys like myself, as the Brunello Tasting, for this is thee Brunello Tasting of the year and second most important of the year after the Tre Biccheri next week. "The Brunello Tasting. Once Upon a time, not too long ago there was a tasting soley of Brunello. The past 3 years has seen the Brunello Tasting paired up with Chianti and Vino Nobile. Sadly this has brought the prominance and overall quality of Thee Brunello Tasting, way down. Not that I'm against drinking Vino Nobile, Prosecco, and Chianti which is now tagged on to The Brunello Tasting, no, but I can drink these wonderful wines at another tasting. And I do. With the Brunello's coupled with these other wines, instead of getting about 150 Brunello producers, you get just 38. Thirty-Eight
      Great Brunello's of the day were: one of my All-Time Favorites, Fattori Barbi Brunello Riserva 2006 "Awesome," the Brunello Castelgiocondo 2007 from friend Marchese Lamberto Frescobaldi of The Nobel Florentine family The Frescobaldi's, This wine was quite tasty, also from the Frescobaldi Family their Brunello Di Montalcino "Luce della Vite" 2007 is absolutely "Superb,"
    The Conti Cinzano who owns the Col D'Orcia Estate in Montalcino had the most amazing line-up of the day as he brought a Vertical of multi vintages of Brunello of which the Brunello Poggio Vento Riserva 1995 won my prize of Most outstanding Brunello of the day. Absolutely "Amazing" and I didn't want to put my glass down after taking three wonderful mouthfuls. Outstanding! Thank You for the special treat oh Conti. And I msut point out that this was a special tasting from the Count Cinzano as this was the release of the 2007 Brunello's and 2006 Riserva counterparts, the 1995 Brunello Poggio Vento was outside the box of the tasting. Of the released date Brunello's the Frescobaldi CastelGiacondo Brunello 2007 gets my vote for Best Normale and top Prize riserva goes to Fattoria Barbi for their Riserva 2006.
  A lot of lovely wines on the day, and looking forward to next year as i received some inside information yesterday that The Brunello tasting is going back to the format it is best at at most loved for, solely Brunello.



Daniel Bellino Zwicke





CONTI CINZANO
with HIS
BRUNELLO POGGIO VENTO
RISERVA 1995

photo Daniel Bellino Zwicke








MARRONETO BRUNELLO
and ROSSO Di MONTALCINO 2010
The ROSSO'S Were DAM GOOD Too !!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

2007 VINTAGE BRUNELLO TASTING and GIANTS SUPER BOWL VICTORY PARADE ..All in ONE DAY !


Italian Wine Masters "Brunello Tasting" in New York today, February 7, 2012. Today we get to taste one of the greatest Brunello Vintages ever, the 2007 Brunello di Montalcino's are being released and shown at The Italian Masters Tasting in New York. The may very well be one of the greatest tastings ever, with those of us fortunate enough to be at this tasting, we will be drinking the great 2007 Brunello along with the Brunello Riserva's 2006 which are also released and shown today. Wow! And if that wasn't enough we will also be tasting Vino Nobile and some wonderful iconic Chianti as well. That's a lot of Sangiovese. This guys favorite grape. And what's more,
The New York Giants just won their Fourth Super Bowl Victory and are having a Victory
Ticker-Tape Parade in Lower Manhattan at The Canyon of Heroes as we speak. Excuse me, Write.
   What a day in New York.
      Well, heading up to the Brunello Tasting in about an hour. Will report back tomorrow.



Daniel Bellino Zwicke





Thursday, February 2, 2012

BRUNELLO "POGGIO BANALE" La PODERINA 1999 and 2006 PIANCORNELLO ... MISS and HIT

Had a couple good Brunello's last night, a 2006 Piancornello and from one of Brunello's great vintages the 1999 La Poderina "Poggio Banale" Brunello Di Montalcino, a single vineyard Brunello.
Well the 1999 vintage Brunello's is one of the most famous and one of my favorites. The 99 Banale was quite nice and really full of life. i was suprised at it's power at this point in time, being about 12 years old. I liked the wine, but it didn't really knock me out of my socks, quite good but not memorable, missing that perfect or near perfect balance that makes a wine extra pleasurable and a joy to drink. The Brunello "Poggio Banale" 1999 just din't have it. "Don't get me wrong, the wine was good, just not thrilling" as I hope and thought it would be as we pulled it and anticipation of drinking it. Our anticipation was high, but the wine though very good, "did not delivery on our high expectations of #1 a Brunello of a Great Vintage, #2 A Single Vineyard, and #3 that it was 12 years old, a perfect age for drinking great Brunello's."
     Now the Brunello Di Montalcino Piancornello 2006 on the other hand was a suprise. A nice surprise. This wine was perfectly balance and a pleasure to drink, and I definately enjoy it more than the more esteemed Poggio Banale 1999. A lesson to be learned. Though "On Paper" one wine may appear great, wonderful, whatever, that might not be the case. The only way to tell, is, to Tatse It, "The Prood Will Be in The Pudding."






Daniel Bellino Zwicke











BRUNELLO Di MONTALCINO
"POGGIO BANALE" 
La PODERINA
1999

photo Daniel Bellino Zwicke