Ronga’s Rant

This is what I am, this is what I’m doing.

Cork’d.

Tomorrow, maybe I’ll come up for air. Because lately all it’s been is wine. And frankly a girl has got to breath. Maybe sleep and eat too. But one cannot sustain on wine alone, unless those health resveratrol rumors are true then heck, I’ve found the fountain of youth and I’ll live until the end of time with the way I’m sipping.

So here’s the thing, I made a promise in my last post and by golly I will hold true to that and tell you about my resto-sommelier binge in the city that never sleeps. I certainly didn’t. While my next post will be dated and I’ll have some catch up to do, I’ll at least be satisfying one person out there by following up from the last one. Umm… me. Duh. We’re all selfish son of a guns and I’d feel guilty as heck if I left it lingering. Not to mention the copious notes/reviews I took on the wines I tried (71 Petrus anyone? Not like that ever happens to me). So YOU will hear about it.

But in the mean time (by which I mean the next 24 hours), I live, breath and drink Cork’d. So go there, tell me what you think. http://corkd.com/

Your Drinking Buddy,
Ronga

Today at 4pm I venture into the big city on a tour of the best restaurants with wine friend, Enrique Ibanez. He will introduce me to the top sommeliers and I hope to try some very good wines. More importantly…what could be more important than wine, you ask? Conversation. I hope to learn from these somms. Just as I expect I will learn from this entire experience. Wine can truly take on new forms and taste completely differentl when shared with others and when there is a story told around it. Some people (hopefully those I’ll meet tonight) have a special gift for explaining and breaking down wine into words that make the wine so truly enjoyable it is truly spectacular.

As Corkd does not (yet) have a mobile app, plan on me taking note of each wine I taste and reviewing them later on Cork’d. This is a PROMISE.

However, I must admit…I’m a little scared. Not about wine being intimidating and interacting with folks more knowledgeable than me. I’m the first to admit when I don’t know something. Here’s the thing: we start at 4pm, before the somms are busy. We’ll hit five or so places….wait til after the rush is over, then hit five or so more places. Have you done the math? That is a lot of wine!

The key is not to drink a full glass (at least in my world… and my body size , just a taste (2+ oz) so you can fully appreciate everything the next wine has to offer. . Enrique may by on a different playing field, however.

I will write about this NYC restaurant tour, of course, in my next post and tell you all about my experience and if I… eh.. I mean “it” lived up to all I had hoped.  Two hours til GO TIME.

There are so many wine bars in NYC.  I’ve made it a personal goal to hit up each one while I’m here.  Ambitious, I know…

The best tool I’ve found to assist me in doing this is a mashup created by Dr. Vino that shows most wine bars by geography in NYC.  He not only has wine maps for wine bars, but also wine shops and covers the Chicago area.  Tyler – Dr. Vino – also writes a great blog worth checking out.

Anyhow, y’all know I’m a sucker for South African wines.  I love them all. When I came across Xai Xai South African Winebar, I about died & went to heaven.  They only serve South African wines, & not just your typical African wines (as if there is such a thing).  Really, really interesting ones.  It was hot outside & I wanted a white.  So I went with a grape I know… one that is 1) slowly going extinct in South Africa because it is becoming more expensive to grow so it is becoming increasing replaced with Sauvignon Blanc & one that is 2) delicious because the soil & weather there supports its growth.  Sorry for the ridiculous build up. The grape is Chenin Blanc.

The South African bartender poured me a taste and it was good… a little oily, petrol like, but good.  Then I do what I always do & ask him if he had to pick ONE wine to drink, which would he choose.  This usually proves an impossible question to answer.  But not for this guy; he immediately pulled out the Haute Cabriere ‘06 Pinot Noir-Chardonnay from Franschhoek.  I have never had a Pinot Noir Chardonnay combo, except in sparkling or Champagne of course, but there was no second fermentation on this baby.  We are talking new territory!

Wow.  What a treat.  This made the Chenin Blanc seem like PBR in the world of beer.  I opted for his suggestion & was even more impressed by the temperature at which they kept their wines. Honestly, it was perfect…not freeeeeezing. Room temperature, rather.  You could actually taste the flavors in the wine. While the mix was unclear (I was told it was 70/30 chardonnay/pinot noir), this did not ooze chardonnay to me.  Instead I got richness, intensity, & a medium body.  Crisp & green, there was some acidity to add to the balance of the wine.  I am salivating as a write about this.

If you get a chance to pickup this wine – do it.  More importantly, go check out Xai Xai on 51^st & 9^th Ave. Well worth the trek.  Cool ambiance, friendly staff. Didn’t try the food, but would be a great after work spot.  Let me know if you end up swinging by.