New York is one of the world’s great “wine capitals” and like many other industries here it is often on the the cutting edge of trends and fashions in the wine world. At UVA we enjoy being on the cusp of these emerging and exciting trends (unfiltered, unsulphured, untouched etc.). But every once in awhile I have some old school classics and I am often pleased by their simple elegance and tradition. Two recent wines are a great example of this.

The 1999 Chateau La Vieille Cure is wine from an estate that was only recently (1980’s) rejuvanated with fresh ideas and cash by some American Investors. Of course this is not a small, naturally made farm product, but the Fronsac appellation (and its neighbors St. Emilion and Pomerol) have vineyards that have been producing wine grapes for many centuries (back when the Medoc was mostly swampland). This is a classic Bordeaux in the best sense. Integrated oak flavors mingle with soft, red and black fruit and a meaty, almost bloody quality that I found delicious.

Chablis is another famous name and wine region that has had a tough time keeping up with current tastes. But the good stuff is still very good. The 2007 Domaine des Malandes Vieilles Vignes is excellent with classic notes of lemon and minerals and that slatey, almost saline quality that apparently comes from the shell laden kimmeridgien soil for which this region is famous.

2009 is becoming another “vintage of lifetime” in France. Of course these tend to happen every few years so we get a lot of great vintages in our lifetime, lucky us! Burgundy fanatics are lining up (that includes us) and the Bordeaux Futures game is back (that does not include us) but behind the hype is a simple truth: a lot of ’09’s are already here and most of them are drinking fantastically. I’ve already mentioned the deliciousness of ‘09 Loire reds like Chevalerie’s Bourgeuil Cassiope, Breton’s Bourgeuil Trinch and Puzelat’s Cheverny Rouillon, but the Macon is great too! Check out Comte Lafon’s accessably priced label Les Heritiers Macon-Village . . . awesome Chardonnay. Or how about Gramenon’s Cotes du Rhone “Poignees des Raisins” which is amazingly powerful, fresh and elegant. Finally let’s go way down south to Sicily and enjoy a bottle of Terre Nere Etna Rosso, a wine we always run out of before we have sastified demand. Don’t be afraid, drink some 2009 wine!

In my experience the 2000 vintage created wines throughout Europe that are drinking well at all levels right now. Burgundy and Piedmont are the regions that come to mind first but two recent wines were also in a great spot. The first was the La Rioja Alta Vina Ardanza Reserva. This classic estate has long been a favorite of ours for producing traditional wines that are consistantly great and the Ardanza offers both elegance and power; yes it has a hefty dose of American Oak but it is very well balanced and not at all over-extracted. The second was the Duclaux Cote Rotie. A softly complex, peppery Syrah from one of the best places for this grape to grow and we were able to get it at an amazing price.

German Gilabert, Cava Rosado NV $15. This is the best cava rosado I can recall tasting. Gilabert is doing things very differently from the vast majority of Cava producers: he uses native yeasts, no dosage and very little sulfur (if any). The rosado is a blend of Grenache and Trepat and has a deep, dark cranberry color. In many ways this drinks like a light, bone dry red wine with bubbles. It went perfect with a grilled shrimp salad.

Alessandro E Gian Natale Fantino, Barbera d’Alba 2005 $16. I keep coming back to this wine because if offers so much balance, elegance and drinkability for the money. A plate of pasta and a bottle of Fantino Barbara and all is right.

Domaine Collotte, Fixin Rouge “Les Crais de Chene” 2007 $28. I thought this wine was in a nice place when I first tasted it a few months ago, and I recently confirmed my suspicions. No need to wait on this one, it already offers loads of earthy, dark fruit, spice and all around Pinot goodness. Steak frites is waiting.

Breuckelen Gin has arrived! It is retailing for $37 and the packaging looks great. Brad will be here on Wednesday, August 28th from 6-8pm pouring free samples for anyone who wants to stop by.

And on Sunday the Kings County Distillery guys will be here, at UVA from 12-3 to launch their product. Come by to sample their white dog whiskey and be one of the very first to purchase their much anticipated products.

Not that we have anything against a major company putting millions of dollars into an ad campaign for a mass-produced product and slapping the name of our Borough on it (despite being manufactured in Sweden and owned by a giant French conglomorate) but we are much more excited about actual distilleries that are now making delicious spirits close to home.

We’ve long supported the Hudson Valley and Tuthilltown distilleries, but now there are two right here in Brooklyn! Brad Estabrooke is making a classic yet distinct gin at his new Breuckelen Distilling Company, a tiny operation in Redhook. The gin is made from locally grown wheat and a few choice botanicals. We tasted it and it is delicious. Then there is Kings County Distillery, which has already attracted a lot of national and local media attention. They are making whiskey almost next door in East Williamsburg/Bushwick and UVA is the exclusive retailer of their excellent, handmade whiskey, bourbon and moonshine.

All these spirits will be arriving in the next week or two, we’ll keep you posted!

It’s hot and we all want to drink cold, refreshing things like Riesling and sparkling wine. But I usually drink wine with food and some of the best summer foods (grilled meats or if you must the vegan versions thereof) almost demand a red wine. So what do you do? You drink Cabernet Franc, from the Loire Valley preferably (or maybe Long Island) and always a little chilled if not downright cold. We have a great selection of young Cabernet Franc wines that can be served very cool and are refreshing, herbacious, juicy and dry. 2009 is especially great for these wines from the Loire, wines such as Venier’s Le Gautrie, Breton’s Bourgueil Trinch, Baudry’s Chinon Granges and Chevalerie’s Bourgueil Cassiope.

But if you are itching for world class wines with complexity, nuance and bottle age Cabernet Franc does the job as well. And we have an especially good selection of back vintages from Domaine de la Chevalerie and Olga Raffault, including wines from 1986, 1989, 1990, 1996, 2001 and 2002. They are all library releases and so are in excellent condition, and having already opened several of them myself I can attest that they are vibrant, honest and delicious. Of course you don’t want to chill these too much but served at cellar temperature they are perhaps the perfect wines for an evening of al fresco dining.

And for our out-of-state friends we are happy to set your purchases aside and ship as soon as it is a bit cooler, but still in time for outdoor dining season.

We won’t ship via Fedex in this hot weather! We will, however, gladly hold any wine you purchase in our cold cellar, free of charge, until the weather cools off (usually October) or you otherwise instruct us.

Delivery within New York City is via air-conditioned van, so that’s OK, but we will discuss with each customer before sending out to make sure the wine can be received safely.

If, for some reason, you absolutely must get delivery right away, we can ship something via over-night Fedex in foam. We don’t like doing it, however, and the customer will need to accept full risk of heat damage.

If you can come by the store or accept local delivery, we have lots of great hot weather wine (sparklers, rieslings, rose, Chablis, etc.). Otherwise, don’t be afraid to shop now and let us keep good care of your wine until Autumn!

The Northeast is expecting a beautiful weekend and so there will no doubt be an excess of barbeques, beach parties, rooftop parties and country getaways to celebrate the USA’s birthday. While the UVA team embraces the familiar role of beer and lemonade (they’re good together too!) we happen to think that there are some excellent wine options for all of your 4th of July needs. Here are a few of my favorites:

American wine! Drink local wine from Long Island. Paumanok Vineyards is one of the older vineyards in Long Island (1983) and every year their wines get better and better. The last few vintages have been very good, so enjoying American made wines from a small, family run vineyard seems like the right thing to do. We have the Festival Chardonnay, the Cabernet Franc and the award winning Chenin Blanc.

BBQs! I like light, chillable reds and other than the Lapierre below, I’d say my current favorites are the 2009 La Butte Gamay from Clos du Tue Boeuf and the 2009 Bourgueil “Trinch” from Breton. Both are super fresh and extremely delicious and versatile for all types of grilled food.

Beaches! Can’t do any better than a 3liter box of Rose from Bordeaux that comes in a snazy wooden crate and has a reusable ice pack on the bottom. 4 bottles of delicious, dry rose for $40! It will last for several weeks or a couple of hours with a thirsty group at the beach.

Rooftops! Sparkling wine is refreshing and fun and while Prossecco and Cava are great I’d go for a Cremant de Bourgogne or a bottle of Rene Mosse’s Moussamousettes (if we don’t drink them all first!)

Happy 4th everyone!

The much anticipated shipment of Marcel Lapierre’s everday red is now available for your summer drinking pleasure.  Lapierre is widely regarded as one of the preeminent winemakers in Beaujolais and a founding “member” of the natural wine movement. His various Morgons are off the charts, but this year a small amount of his Vin de France Gamay has come across the pond. Chill it down and then try not to drink the whole bottle, it’s that good, that drinkable and that affordable. We ordered as much as we could but it certainly won’t last through the season, so stock up now!