I receive invitations to 20 or more events a month. Some are lunches or dinners; some wine or spirits tastings; the rest are press conferences. Since I cover wine, spirits, food, restaurants, sports and travel the events are not all of one type. During the school year I do not attend any events that feature alcohol on Wednesdays before my class. This does not include press trips, which require plane or auto transportation. I write about most of those events on my blog- ronkapon.com and send the stories out to the 12 outlets that carry my stories. What about the events that do not fill a column? That is why I write This & That- Catching Up.
I am sent many samples hoping I will write about their product. Normally, I bring them to my wine class and ask my students to experiment with them and report back. I received 2 samples of the Holdaplate™ after school had finished so I decided to do the testing myself. It just went on sale the end of May. Materials range from heavy-duty recyclable plastic (my samples) to commercial-grade porcelain, compostable paper and eco-friendly bamboo. At large industry functions I am used to using a similar product with a space to place a wine glass as part of the plate. With this product (6-inch version) one holds the plate with the user’s index finger and supported by the remaining fingers below. A wine, beer or water glass rests in the same hand, nestled against the plate. This leaves you one free hand. I tried it several times and could not quite get used to holding both the plate and a glass in the same hand. I need to try it more often. A 6 pack presently retails for $10 and can be ordered from www.holdaplate.com
From Asia to Europe to the Americas, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts is inviting people around the world to raise a glass to the global rollout of Sheraton Social Hour. In cooperation with the Wine Spectator the 430 Sheraton hotels will offer a menu of premium wines and weekly tasting events. In North America, the program features Sheraton Selects, an upgraded premium wine menu comprised of a rotation of eight or more wines by the glass. All Sheraton Selects wines will be rated above 85 and at least four offerings will be rated 90+. The program features renowned wineries such as Chateau Ste. Michelle, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, Northstar, Columbia Crest, Antinori, Col Solare, Champagne Nicolas Feuillatte and Eroica. The price is sure right: two 2oz pours for $5. Three press conferences were held at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel- breakfast, lunch and cocktail hour. I attended the breakfast and it sure was a nice way to start my day- Caviar and Champagne. You do not have to be a guest of the hotel to participate. A great place to drink wine at a very reasonable price. I am there. www.sheraton.com
Spirit festivals are gaining ground on wine festivals, which seem to occur every week somewhere in the US. What five-day festival welcomed over 8,000 attendees, served over 100,000 cocktails, offered 55 ticketed events, hosted 27 seminars, 57 tasting bars and a free multi-day trade conference for 1,500 members of the beverage and hospitality industry professionals? The fourth annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic which took place May 17th through May 21st was headquartered at the Andaz 5th Avenue Hotel (41St). I did not attend any of the ticketed events that were open to the public and spread out all over the city. I did however spend one day at the Industry Invitational trade conference. I visited the walk-around tasting showcase of top spirits brands, attended several industry seminars and toured the 11th Floor Andaz Hotel hospitality suites. The weather was perfect which allowed me to use the penthouse suites outdoor space overlooking the NY Public Library. The night before over 3,000 people attended the opening night black-tie gala at the library. Guests nibbled gourmet finger food and sipped libations from 24 New York State distilleries. There were a variety of live performances from Gatsby-era jazz musicians, old-time singers, stilt-walkers and costumed dancers. www.manhattancocktailclassic.com
I am invited to many wine and food lunches and dinners, but only once before (Felidias) have I dined at a restaurant where the owner's family also owned a winery. The recently opened Felice restaurant and wine bar is at 15 Gold Street in the Gild Hall Hotel, a few blocks from Wall Street. There are two other Felice restaurant and wine bars in NYC. Both are on 1st Avenue; one at 64th and the other at 83rd street. Our dinner was on the 2nd floor La Soffitta Wine Lounge and the food was as superb as the wines. Matteo Giustiniani is the winemaker for the family owned Fattoria Sardi Giustiniani winery in Lucca Tuscany. His brother Jacopo is the co-owner of the Felice restaurants. Having both present was a plus as we tasted their 100% Vermentino (pear, peach, grapefruit, sage & mint) with the Antipasti, followed by the Rosato (Sangiovese, Merlot & Ciliegiolo- 8 months in oak- roses, raspberries and melon); the red blend( Sangiovese, Caniolo, Colorino & Moscato Nero- violets, blueberry & raspberry) and the Merlot (90% with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon & 5% Sangiovese- 18 months in oak- 1 year in bottle- violets, blackberry, licorice and leather). I have since recommended both the wines and the restaurant to my many Wall Street friends. www.felice15goldstreet.com
Only a few blocks away from Felice is the South Street Seaport, though Super Storm Sandy devastated many of the restaurants and shops with most still not open. I was invited to spend 2 hours (Pier 16 at 6:30PM) aboard the luxury yacht Zephyr on its inaugural Hidden Harbor Summer Tour. The boat has three decks, two full bars, a climate controlled interior and a large dance floor. It is part of the Circle Line Downtown/New York Water Taxi organization. On selected Tuesdays through September the Zephyr takes one behind the scenes of the inner workings of New York Harbor. The tour is called “Beyond Sandy, Keeping the Conversation Alive” and features three different speakers with a portion of the fare going to the Working Harbor Committee. Their job is to make people aware of the need to build and sustain the working harbor. We passed by Red Hook Brooklyn, Gowanus, Staten Island, the Verrazano Bridge, container terminals, oil docks, Bayonne, Jersey City, Hoboken, The Statue of Liberty, and the new World Trade Center Tower 1. www.workingharbor.org www.circlelinedowntown.com/tours/hidden-harbors
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