New York Cork Report

Heard in a Tasting Room: Macari Vineyards

A reader who works at Macari Vineyards passed this funny story along:

"At the beginning of harvest, when we were bringing in the chardonnay, of course the fruit flies followed. When doing tastings they hovered as unfortunately is the norm. I apologized to some guests, stating the extra protein was gratis....and one really nice young man replied "It's okay with me, but how do the vegetarians feel?"

Heard in a Tasting Room: Castello di Borghese

From reader, fellow blogger and co-founder of Grand Cru Classes, Jared Skolnick:

My favorite, mostly due to effective delivery, was at Borghese.  Three young ladies were doing a tasting flight and they were novices having fun and asking questions - precisely the kind of audience you want. The guy on staff was engaged with them and doing a great job of keeping it light while still educating and marketing at the same time.   

They finished the flight and one asked, timidly, "I'd really like to try the Chardonnay again.  Is it against the rules to go back to white after red?"  The guy leaned in to them and said quietly, "I could do it, but I'd have to call in the Wine Police to haul you away."  Then, after a deliberately timed pause he jovially and loudly added, "I'm kidding! This is wine - you can do whatever you want to enjoy it!"

Overheard at the Pindar Tasting Room in Port Jefferson

So I was at Pindar's satellite tasting room in Port Jefferson (it's a great idea by the way and I wish more wineries adopted this model and opened tasting rooms like it) to pick up some of their 2005 Cabernet Franc, which was just named the "Best Red" at the 2007 New York Food & Wine Classic, yesterday afternoon.

I was the only person in there for a while, until an older couple came in asking about "Champagne." When the women behind the bar said that Pindar's Champagne (not really Champagne obviously) was $27.99, the couple was clearly taken aback a bit.

I like Pindar's Cuvee Rare sparkler in most vintages and actually think it's a pretty good value for traditionally made bubbly, but what the tasting room staff said next was a little scary:

"That's a lot less than French Champagnes that don't taste as good. Stuff like Dom Perignon and Cristal."

Now, I'm the first person to agree that, in my experience, Dom and Cristal aren't even close to worth the money.

However, I was shocked that anyone working at a tasting room would say something like that--especially to a couple that clearly didn't know much about wine and probably believed it.

I think I'm going to start publishing some of the funny, silly and ridiculous things one hears when in a tasting room. And, if you hear anything that you think fits the bill, please send me an email and let me know.