Chenin Blanc

Trestle on Tenth is one of those places you always intend to visit more frequently, but rarely do. It's that spot you wish you’d thought of when you were stranded in Chelsea and couldn’t figure out where to eat. Somehow, it remains quiet on the scene despite the decibel level of Ralf Kuettel’s Swiss riffs on pork standards and his preference for wines that require a warning label (in this case, a skull and crossbones).

The sleeper status of Trestle sort of suits Kuettel, though. He’s congenial, but direct. No question causes him to feel conflicted; the answer is always simple. His wine list has the same sort of candor. It is unwavering in its dedication to Old World wines made traditionally—many of them employing minimal intervention—but not because those wines are considered trendy within the industry or because he wishes his list to reflect a movement or make a statement. They’re present because Kuettel has a preference for them; they’re the producers he’s connected with in his travels or perhaps more simply put: they’re the wines he likes to drink.

But many assume (including Adam Platt, in his review of the restaurant back in 2006) that because Kuettel is firstly a chef and his wife just happens to be Juliette Pope—the fabulously talented Wine Director at Gramercy Tavern—that Trestle’s well-edited homage to the dusty far flung domaines of the Old World, as well as a few from the New, is hers. Kuettel isn’t bothered by this assumption, but he humbly denies it. He did, after all, spend four years at Chelsea Wine Vault during his hiatus from restaurants, two of those years as a buyer—more than enough time to define his preferences.

The lunatic periphery moonlights, the classicists dominate. The New World gets a nod, but the wines are restrained. Kuettel hails from Switzerland, so there’s Swiss wine, the prices of which he knocks down enough to urge them into consideration. The aforementioned skull and crossbones marks those wines made in “an ultra traditional style” in order to ensure that someone looking for Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t accidentally order Savagnin and flip out. The 80-100 selections rotate frequently, and they sport markups that compete for the lowest in the city, not to mention there’s always a gaggle of ultra-geeky rarities on the top end. This list is short and obscure, but curiously disarming. It’s easily one of the finest featherweight lists on our little island.

Trestle On Tenth: One of the Finest Featherweight Lists in NY - Eater.com (blog)

As a wine writer, I'm frequently asked what my favorite wines are. Because sometimes I'm able to spontaneously rattle off a list of many wines and other times I'm more contemplative and struggle to think about the question as if I'd just been asked the meaning of life and need to postulate a dignified reply, I've recently decided to assemble a list of my favorites. I'd be remiss if I did not share that list with my readers.

Allow me to preface my list with thoughts on the kinds of wines I most enjoy. Like most wine lovers, I started out years ago with the basic wines, such as merlot and chardonnay, then realized a world of wine adventure awaited me beyond these traditional ones. Experimenting, I branched out into Spanish and Italian wines, then into Greek and Portuguese, Argentinean, Australian and New Zealand vino.

Many of these were made from unusual grapes I'd never heard of before: aglianico, agiorgitiko, nero d'avola, pignolo, touriga nationale, trincado. I discovered that once one develops a taste for wine, we become open to exploring new tastes and unique flavors, and they abound.

I've learned I view wines the way I do people. I enjoy spending time with shy soft-spoken friends as well as with buddies who can be rowdy and loud; it just depends on my mood. Wines are like that. While I most often prefer subtle elegant wines of finesse, on other occasions, I enjoy more rustic wines and even big, powerful California cabernets sometimes. I've been accused by friends of never having met a grape I didn't like, and I'll admit it's probably true.

Wine Wisdom: My list of exceptional whites - Daily News Transcript

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Perfect Wines for Summer - MyFox Illinois

Samuel Hernandez places a grape vine into the ground for Reece Cordi's new vineyard which contains 6 different varieties and 5965 plants which will be used for blended wines.

Nestled at the base of the Sutter Buttes, Reece Cordi's vineyard has affirmed in just one year's time that the soil that grew the nut farmer's almonds so well for decades is also prime for grapes.

Nestled at the base of the Sutter Buttes, Reece Cordi's vineyard has affirmed in just one year's time that the soil that grew the nut farmer's almonds so well for decades is also prime for grapes. "The 1-year-old vines have absolutely proven that — they have gone crazy," he said.

After planting five acres of cabernet sauvignon, primitivo and zinfandel in 2009, the winery expanded its footprint by another 10 acres this month with the addition of malbec, tempranillo, negroamaro, grenache blanc, roussanne and dolcetto varietals.

Sutter Buttes winery expanding operations - Appeal-Democrat

Wine and music lovers were invited to Le Royce recently for the launch of York Wines. Held on the rooftop of the hotel, the event saw Sandhya Gokhale, Gauri and Hemant Naiknavare, Amrita Thapar and Ashwin Deo among others having a good time, digging into appetisers and enjoying the rich reds and whites like Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel Rose, Reserve Shiraz and Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. The band Lambada belted out peppy tunes and raised spirits even higher. Some interesting wine competitions added to the fun.

Pune has a legacy of yoga and meditation, but with the fast changing lifestyles it needs to be brought back into the lives of people. Keeping that in mind, Total Yoga, a new initiative in the city, looks to tone the individual at three aspects ? body, mind and soul. An initiative by Neetu Singh and Manish Pole, the group classes will be held at six locations in the city ? Koregaon Park, NIBM, Aundh, Mukundnagar, Prabhat Road and Magarpatta. Some of their previous students have been Sachin and Sara Pilot, Anoushka Shankar, Ritu Beri and Mahesh Bhupati.

The Hindu month of Shravan, which runs through the latter part of July and most of August, is traditionally a holy month, in which people appease Lord Shiva. This month is also considered the most auspicious to wear rudraksh. On August 14, Eshan's Emporium organised the Pavan Shravan Rudraksh Mahotsav, a rudraksh fest. Present to inaugurate the event was actor Sameer Dharmadhikari. At this fest, a wide range of rudraksh, from countries like India, Indonesia and Nepal, will be available at reasonable prices till September 6.

The Hindu month of Shravan, which runs through the latter part of July and most of August, is traditionally a holy month, in which people appease Lord Shiva. This month is also considered the most auspicious to wear rudraksh. On August 14, Eshan's Emporium organised the Pavan Shravan Rudraksh Mahotsav, a rudraksh fest. Present to inaugurate the event was actor Sameer Dharmadhikari. At this fest, a wide range of rudraksh, from countries like India, Indonesia and Nepal, will be available at reasonable prices till September 6. ... contd.

In high spirits - Indian Express