Would you like to learn more about Saké? Would you like to taste some Saké with some interesting Sushi? You will have your chance on April 24.
Gordons Fine Wine and Culinary Center in Waltham will be holding a Sushi & Saké class on April 24 from 7:00 pm-9:00 pm. The sushi chef at a neighboring restaurant, Absolutely Asia, will be doing a sushi demo while Michael Simkin, a well known Saké expert will be going into great detail about rice wine production, the international market for it, and its best food pairings.
The event will include a flight of Sakés as well as a taste of the different styles of sushi.
Either register online or by calling Gordon's. The cost of the class is $50 per person.
Gordons Fine Wine and Culinary Center
894 Main Street
Waltham, MA
Phone: 781-893-1900
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Skinner Wine Auction: Exciting and Interesting
So I finally went to my first wine auction. And I quite enjoyed myself. Plus, I learned more about the local wine community and was surprised by some of what I witnessed. It is definitely an experience I will repeat again.
This past Friday night, the Skinner Gallery in Boston held their second Wine Auction. It was held at their offices near the Park Plaza, the same room where they had the pre-auction wine tasting the evening before. Upon entering the room, you could partake of a glass of chilled Louis Roederer Champagne. They even had a few appetizers to nibble upon.
I registered for a bidder number and received my paddle, #40. There were plenty of chairs in the room and a fair number of people showed up, predominantly men. There were a few telephones set up at the front of the room for phone bids though there was only need for one such phone. Though that phone would be quite busy during the auction.
There were over 240 lots up for auction and they planned on going through about 100 lots each hour. And they would actually come fairly close to accomplishing that. The auctioneer was a woman and she did an excellent and professional job of hosting the auction. Matters proceeded quickly so if you wanted to bid, you needed to be on the ball or you would lose out.
The auction catalog listed all of the lots with a description of their condition as well as a ranged estimate of their value. I had done a bit of research prior to the auction and it seemed their estimates were generally conservative. What surprised me were the number of lots that sold for less than the estimates, or at the low end of the range. Very few wines sold for more than the estimated value. So this seems to indicate that bargains can be found at these auctions. You probably could find better deals at the auction than if you tried to buy some of the same wines at a retail store.
I only stayed for the first 100 lots but almost all of those lots sold. Only three did not sell and they were two lots of Opus 1979-80 and a lot of Opus One 1984. Two other Opus One lots sold so I am not sure why the other three did not.
Let me give you a sampling of some of the lots that sold and for how much. The first lot of the evening was 3 bottles of 1953 Chateau Margaux that sold for $1500, which was less than its estimated value of $1800-$2800. One of the oldest wines was six bottles of 1870 Lafite Rothschild, estimated at $25K-$35K. And it sold for only $19K. I was interested in two half-bottles of 1988 Chateau d'Yqeum but they sold for $425, more than its estimated value of $250-400. I was not interested in paying that much for them. A bottle of 1996 Screaming Eagle sold for $1900 and a bottle of the 1998 vintage sold for $1300.
The person who bought the most lots was the man on the telephone. It seemed like he bought about 20% of the lots though I did not keep an exact count. This mystery man certainly bought a lot of wine. Some people had previously bid online or phoned in bids earlier. So, when some of the lots were initially offered, there were already bids in place. Though generally those bids did not win the lots.
Everything seemed to go very smoothly and professionally. It was fun to watch the bidding, to see what some were willing to pay for the various wines. You do get caught up in the action and you want to join in, to make a bid. I did bid on a couple items for which I had not previously planned on bidding. But at the moment they seemed like potentially good buys. Though the price rose too much for me.
I do wish though that there had been a bit more diversity in the wines up for auction. Many countries were not represented at all, such as Spain and South Africa. And other countries only had a minimal number of wines at the auction, such as Australia and Italy. But that is a function of who offers their wines for consignment. And that tends to be those holding French and California wines. It is out of the hands of the auction gallery. They can only sell what others offer for sale.
I eagerly look forward to their fall wine auction. This was only Skinner's second wine auction in Boston and it will continue to improve with time. There will be more lots and hopefully more diversity. Skinner certainly sells almost all of the lots and they run a very professional operation. It is definitely something that all wine lovers should experience. I would recommend it to all, even if you just go to watch.
This past Friday night, the Skinner Gallery in Boston held their second Wine Auction. It was held at their offices near the Park Plaza, the same room where they had the pre-auction wine tasting the evening before. Upon entering the room, you could partake of a glass of chilled Louis Roederer Champagne. They even had a few appetizers to nibble upon.
I registered for a bidder number and received my paddle, #40. There were plenty of chairs in the room and a fair number of people showed up, predominantly men. There were a few telephones set up at the front of the room for phone bids though there was only need for one such phone. Though that phone would be quite busy during the auction.
There were over 240 lots up for auction and they planned on going through about 100 lots each hour. And they would actually come fairly close to accomplishing that. The auctioneer was a woman and she did an excellent and professional job of hosting the auction. Matters proceeded quickly so if you wanted to bid, you needed to be on the ball or you would lose out.
The auction catalog listed all of the lots with a description of their condition as well as a ranged estimate of their value. I had done a bit of research prior to the auction and it seemed their estimates were generally conservative. What surprised me were the number of lots that sold for less than the estimates, or at the low end of the range. Very few wines sold for more than the estimated value. So this seems to indicate that bargains can be found at these auctions. You probably could find better deals at the auction than if you tried to buy some of the same wines at a retail store.
I only stayed for the first 100 lots but almost all of those lots sold. Only three did not sell and they were two lots of Opus 1979-80 and a lot of Opus One 1984. Two other Opus One lots sold so I am not sure why the other three did not.
Let me give you a sampling of some of the lots that sold and for how much. The first lot of the evening was 3 bottles of 1953 Chateau Margaux that sold for $1500, which was less than its estimated value of $1800-$2800. One of the oldest wines was six bottles of 1870 Lafite Rothschild, estimated at $25K-$35K. And it sold for only $19K. I was interested in two half-bottles of 1988 Chateau d'Yqeum but they sold for $425, more than its estimated value of $250-400. I was not interested in paying that much for them. A bottle of 1996 Screaming Eagle sold for $1900 and a bottle of the 1998 vintage sold for $1300.
The person who bought the most lots was the man on the telephone. It seemed like he bought about 20% of the lots though I did not keep an exact count. This mystery man certainly bought a lot of wine. Some people had previously bid online or phoned in bids earlier. So, when some of the lots were initially offered, there were already bids in place. Though generally those bids did not win the lots.
Everything seemed to go very smoothly and professionally. It was fun to watch the bidding, to see what some were willing to pay for the various wines. You do get caught up in the action and you want to join in, to make a bid. I did bid on a couple items for which I had not previously planned on bidding. But at the moment they seemed like potentially good buys. Though the price rose too much for me.
I do wish though that there had been a bit more diversity in the wines up for auction. Many countries were not represented at all, such as Spain and South Africa. And other countries only had a minimal number of wines at the auction, such as Australia and Italy. But that is a function of who offers their wines for consignment. And that tends to be those holding French and California wines. It is out of the hands of the auction gallery. They can only sell what others offer for sale.
I eagerly look forward to their fall wine auction. This was only Skinner's second wine auction in Boston and it will continue to improve with time. There will be more lots and hopefully more diversity. Skinner certainly sells almost all of the lots and they run a very professional operation. It is definitely something that all wine lovers should experience. I would recommend it to all, even if you just go to watch.
Pre-Auction Wine Tasting: Amazing
Once again I had the exciting opportunity to taste some amazing wines, wines that are not part of my usual buying range. Last September, I attended a pre-auction wine tasting at Skinner Gallery in Boston and it was sublime. This past Thursday, Skinner Gallery held another such tasting prior to their second wine auction. The tasting was held in collaboration with the good people of Lower Falls Wine Co., one of my favorite wine stores.
When you entered the tasting room, you could begin your evening with a fine glass of Louis Roederer Champagne. Then, over the course of the next ninety minutes, they allowed you to taste thirteen top-notch wines.
The list included:
Red Bordeaux
1989 Chateau La Conseillante
1986 Chateau Gruaud Larose
1983 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
1988 Chateau Mouton Rothschild
1989 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalanda
Rhone
1989 Jaboulet Aine, Hermotage La Chappelle
1990 Dom. du Regau, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cuvee Reservee
California
1990 Beringer Private Reserve
1992 Dominus
1992 La Jota, 11th Anniversary Release
1986 Chateau Montelena
1987 Chateau Montelena
Port
1985 Warre
As I have said before, I have little familiarity with such high-end wines. They are generally too expensive except for maybe a very special occasion. So I know that I am not the best judge of such wines. I probably do not appreciate them as much as someone who has far more familiarity with such wines. But, I know what I like, what wines I enjoy.
One thing that seemed different at this tasting over their last pre-auction tasting was that this time I detected more of a musty odor from a number of the wines. That did not carry over into the taste though, and maybe the wines just needed to breathe for a time.
My favorites of the tasting included the 1989 Chateau La Conseillante, 1992 Dominus, the 1989 Jaboulet Aine, Hermitage La Chappelle and the 1985 Warre. I really did not dislike any of the wines. Each wine has its own unique character and generally offered plenty of complexity. I certainly did not spit any of this wine. You only received maybe two mouthfuls of each wine anyways so there was little need to spit. Plus, there was a table of cheese and breads to nibble on between tastes of wine, to help cleanse your palate.
For me, this type of tasting is important as if I am going to purchase any of these high-end wines, it will be to drink them, and not as an investment. So, I want to know what they taste like, to see whether they are worth the money to me. If I only wanted them for an investment, the taste would largely be irrelevant. I would care only for points and popularity, how much other people wanted the wines. Not me. I still just enjoy drinking wine. And if I buy a bottle of wine, I am looking to when I will drink it.
Kudos go out once again to Lower Falls Wine Co. for arranging a exceptional wine tasting. If you have never been to their store, then go. Sign up for their email newsletter as well so that you learn about their upcoming events. There should be another wine auction in the fall so you will want to know about it.
When you entered the tasting room, you could begin your evening with a fine glass of Louis Roederer Champagne. Then, over the course of the next ninety minutes, they allowed you to taste thirteen top-notch wines.
The list included:
Red Bordeaux
1989 Chateau La Conseillante
1986 Chateau Gruaud Larose
1983 Chateau Lafite-Rothschild
1988 Chateau Mouton Rothschild
1989 Chateau Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalanda
Rhone
1989 Jaboulet Aine, Hermotage La Chappelle
1990 Dom. du Regau, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Cuvee Reservee
California
1990 Beringer Private Reserve
1992 Dominus
1992 La Jota, 11th Anniversary Release
1986 Chateau Montelena
1987 Chateau Montelena
Port
1985 Warre
As I have said before, I have little familiarity with such high-end wines. They are generally too expensive except for maybe a very special occasion. So I know that I am not the best judge of such wines. I probably do not appreciate them as much as someone who has far more familiarity with such wines. But, I know what I like, what wines I enjoy.
One thing that seemed different at this tasting over their last pre-auction tasting was that this time I detected more of a musty odor from a number of the wines. That did not carry over into the taste though, and maybe the wines just needed to breathe for a time.
My favorites of the tasting included the 1989 Chateau La Conseillante, 1992 Dominus, the 1989 Jaboulet Aine, Hermitage La Chappelle and the 1985 Warre. I really did not dislike any of the wines. Each wine has its own unique character and generally offered plenty of complexity. I certainly did not spit any of this wine. You only received maybe two mouthfuls of each wine anyways so there was little need to spit. Plus, there was a table of cheese and breads to nibble on between tastes of wine, to help cleanse your palate.
For me, this type of tasting is important as if I am going to purchase any of these high-end wines, it will be to drink them, and not as an investment. So, I want to know what they taste like, to see whether they are worth the money to me. If I only wanted them for an investment, the taste would largely be irrelevant. I would care only for points and popularity, how much other people wanted the wines. Not me. I still just enjoy drinking wine. And if I buy a bottle of wine, I am looking to when I will drink it.
Kudos go out once again to Lower Falls Wine Co. for arranging a exceptional wine tasting. If you have never been to their store, then go. Sign up for their email newsletter as well so that you learn about their upcoming events. There should be another wine auction in the fall so you will want to know about it.
McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant
It is always a major disappointment when a restaurant that you usually enjoy serves a dinner that just does not satisfy. Unfortunately, I had such a disappointment last night.
After attending a wine auction (which I will talk about soon in another post), we stopped by McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant at the Park Plaza for a bite to eat. It was very busy, which is to be expected on a Friday evening, but we were able to get a couple seats at the bar.
Now I do enjoy McCormick & Schmick's. I generally even prefer them to Legal Seafood. I like the idea of the menu changing every day. I think they have a diverse selection of seafood and they have some creative dishes. Their lunch menu is also an excellent value. I especially like their tilapia and catfish dishes. So I was looking forward to a good meal.
I ordered the Jumbo Sea Scallops, seared, with a Saffron Risotto and Lobster Sauce ($24.95). This was one of the more pricey items on the menu. It sounded intriguing to me so I thought I would give it a try. But my plate had only three scallops on it. Only three? They had to be kidding. That certainly is an insufficient amount considering the price of the dish. The Saffron Risotto was just ok. It certainly did not impress. The lobster sauce was also ok, and there were not any chunks of lobster in it. There were a few veggies atop the rice, such as asparagus. Overall, I felt this was very overpriced and nothing special. I should have chosen the Tilapia.
We also had the Seafood Cobb Salad ($15.95), with shrimp, scallops, crab, tomato, egg, bacon and blue cheese. Now this was quite a large sized salad and very tasty. It was worth its price. But it did not make up for the disappointing Scallop dish.
After attending a wine auction (which I will talk about soon in another post), we stopped by McCormick & Schmick's Seafood Restaurant at the Park Plaza for a bite to eat. It was very busy, which is to be expected on a Friday evening, but we were able to get a couple seats at the bar.
Now I do enjoy McCormick & Schmick's. I generally even prefer them to Legal Seafood. I like the idea of the menu changing every day. I think they have a diverse selection of seafood and they have some creative dishes. Their lunch menu is also an excellent value. I especially like their tilapia and catfish dishes. So I was looking forward to a good meal.
I ordered the Jumbo Sea Scallops, seared, with a Saffron Risotto and Lobster Sauce ($24.95). This was one of the more pricey items on the menu. It sounded intriguing to me so I thought I would give it a try. But my plate had only three scallops on it. Only three? They had to be kidding. That certainly is an insufficient amount considering the price of the dish. The Saffron Risotto was just ok. It certainly did not impress. The lobster sauce was also ok, and there were not any chunks of lobster in it. There were a few veggies atop the rice, such as asparagus. Overall, I felt this was very overpriced and nothing special. I should have chosen the Tilapia.
We also had the Seafood Cobb Salad ($15.95), with shrimp, scallops, crab, tomato, egg, bacon and blue cheese. Now this was quite a large sized salad and very tasty. It was worth its price. But it did not make up for the disappointing Scallop dish.
Friday, March 14, 2008
UNLVino Wine Tastings: April 3-5
I don't often post about wine events outside of Massachusetts but there are exceptions. Especially if I am going to be attending the event myself.
From April 3-5, 2008, in Las Vegas, Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada will present the 34th annual UNLVino wine tasting events in partnership with the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. UNLVino basically consists of four different events, three tastings and an auction.
The first event is a Champagne and Sparkling Wine Tasting held on Thursday, April 3, from 7pm-10pm at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. There will be over 80 wines here which should make it one of the larger Champagne tastings around. Tickets cost $100 per person and you can obtain them online from the UNLVino ticket site. Tickets will also be available at the door.
The second event is a Auss-Some and Then Some! Wine Tasting held on Friday, April 4, from 7pm-10pm at the District at Green Valley Ranch. This will be a tasting of wines from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tickets cost $75 per person and you can obtain them online from the UNLVino ticket site. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Their major event is the UNLVino Grand Tasting on Saturday, April 5, from 2pm-5:30pm at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. Similar to the Boston Wine Expo, this Grand Tasting should have over 1000 wines available for tasting, from over 300 different wineries. There will be wine from all over the world, including many new releases. Tickets in advance cost $100 per person and you can obtain them online from the UNLVino ticket site. Tickets will cost $125 at the door. I will definitely be attending this event and later report back on the best wines I found.
The last event will be a Grand Tasting Wine & Art Auction at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. The date and time has not yet been announced but it will likely be held on April 5.
For More Information, you can call Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada at (702) 876-4500 or The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration Department of Food and Beverage Management at (702) 895-1330.
And as a bonus, for the safety of guests, Designated Drivers will be at all UNLVino events. For more information call (702) 456-RIDE.
From April 3-5, 2008, in Las Vegas, Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada will present the 34th annual UNLVino wine tasting events in partnership with the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. UNLVino basically consists of four different events, three tastings and an auction.
The first event is a Champagne and Sparkling Wine Tasting held on Thursday, April 3, from 7pm-10pm at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. There will be over 80 wines here which should make it one of the larger Champagne tastings around. Tickets cost $100 per person and you can obtain them online from the UNLVino ticket site. Tickets will also be available at the door.
The second event is a Auss-Some and Then Some! Wine Tasting held on Friday, April 4, from 7pm-10pm at the District at Green Valley Ranch. This will be a tasting of wines from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tickets cost $75 per person and you can obtain them online from the UNLVino ticket site. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Their major event is the UNLVino Grand Tasting on Saturday, April 5, from 2pm-5:30pm at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. Similar to the Boston Wine Expo, this Grand Tasting should have over 1000 wines available for tasting, from over 300 different wineries. There will be wine from all over the world, including many new releases. Tickets in advance cost $100 per person and you can obtain them online from the UNLVino ticket site. Tickets will cost $125 at the door. I will definitely be attending this event and later report back on the best wines I found.
The last event will be a Grand Tasting Wine & Art Auction at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel. The date and time has not yet been announced but it will likely be held on April 5.
For More Information, you can call Southern Wine & Spirits of Nevada at (702) 876-4500 or The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration Department of Food and Beverage Management at (702) 895-1330.
And as a bonus, for the safety of guests, Designated Drivers will be at all UNLVino events. For more information call (702) 456-RIDE.
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