Name: Melanie D.
Day Job:
Copywriter at a software company, which means I write stuff like ads to get people to buy stuff from my employer.
Blog/website:
kissmyglassboston.wordpress.com
Favorite places in the greater Boston area to drink wine:
Wherever my friends and loved ones are: Public Alley #237, the southwest bench at the Savin Hill T station, and the VIP lounge at One Schroeder Plaza. Or Ten Tables Jamaica Plain and TW Food in Cambridge. I've never had a bad meal at either, and they both have the knack of matching their food and wine perfectly. So I'm always tugging at my server asking, "Who's your distributor? I need to know where I can buy that."
Favorite place in the greater Boston area to purchase wine:
I can't limit myself to just one, because it's like picking your favorite child. And when I say that, it's not that I've spawned any wine stores, it's just that I can claim them on my tax returns as dependents because I spend so much money and time hanging out there: Winestone and The Urban Grape. I like to say I'm a case away from getting my own set of keys. They know me by name and remember the name of that $15 wine I bought two years ago.
Winestone also has the best special order policy in town. Patrick, the owner, is so gracious. He will track down anything, and you don't need to commit to a case. He's gotten me stuff I've had at TW Food that was only sold to restaurants, not to the public, which is very very cool. Yoko, whom I like to call Winestone's second-in-command, has a scary-cool encyclopedic knowledge of any grape varietal or region anywhere.
And if you like stories about your wine, TJ at The Urban Grape knows them all. He'll tell you which winemaker makes the wine in his backyard, which one is the ex-rock-and-roll-roadie, which one has the crazy James Bond underground lab, and which one made a fortune in grocery stores in low-income areas. So on that note, here's a story about the store: I had a planned a holiday party at Urban Grape that got snowed out the day of it--meanwhile, I had six dozen cupcakes I didn't know what to do with. Heath, one of their associates, thought fast and got the bakery next door to store my order in their fridge until the party got rescheduled. (I just wish their shelves weren't so high so I could reach up there and browse! I hate asking for help!)
I want to support stores like these: the ones that really got the extra mile for their customers. A lot of other stores I could name (but won't!) don't find out the names of their regulars, train their staff to know the inventory, or act like having a huge selection is more important than developing relationships with customers.
Do you have a favorite wine or wine-related experience you would like to share?
There was my first Australian shiraz about 15 years ago and I remember thinking, "okay, now I get it." Because I grew up in an Italian family, and they drank cheap stuff that was like strawberry soda. But that also instilled in me a greater meaning to wine: it's about fellowship and family and being together.
Or it was sitting on the front stairs in my building with my friend and neighbor Tim during a summer blackout about three years ago, with the door propped open to catch the breeze. A police car drove by, and then backed slowly up. We were wearing hoodies, so the cops must have thought we were juvie troublemakers. Then they saw the Riedel glasses and Pinot Noir bottle between us and wished us a good night instead.
Or passing the first-level exam to the Court of Master Sommeliers in 2010 because that test was WAY harder than they led on. Ask anyone who took it with me. They'll back me up on that one.
Or teaching a wine class at a former job, and passing out bottles of MD 20/20 as door prizes to people who answered my questions correctly. Because the key to wine is to stop taking it so seriously. Take it down off the pedestal, or out of your wine rack, and enjoy it whenever you want it. Have that $50 Nebbiolo with your $8 pizza and get decadent.
If you could follow your love of wine to any place in the world, where would it be?
Ummmm...am I allowed to say "everywhere?" It would have to be a Grand Tour: to the Pacific Northwest and then to Napa & Sonoma too because the one time I was out there, it was closed. (I'm serious. It was Christmas Day. Grr.) I'd have to stop in South Africa because I've heard Cape Town is the most beautiful city on earth and I can stock up on Rust en Vrede. Then on to Lebanon because Chateau Musar is one of the world's greatest wines and it happens to be made in one of the world's trickiest situations, and to see that would make one hell of a story. Before I went home, I'd do some serious time in Spain, especially Priorat and the Pyrenees, so I can do a lot of quad-burning bike riding up those mountains and hills to atone for all that decadence.
Name: Jason Phelps
Day Job: IT Consultant
Blog/website: http://ancientfirewineblog.blogspot.com/
Favorite places in the greater Boston area to drink wine:
My wife and I had a great Valentine’s Day meal at Sel de la Terre in 2010. We skipped food for dessert and opted for a glass each of the Sauternes and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc they had on the menu at the time. What a great experience!
Les Zygomates is a special place for me. I remember my first visit there in 2001 with a new business partner to talk about a project I was being asked to run. I was nervous and a glass of wine helped calm me down. Since then I have been back several times for work functions and go there at least once a month for tastings with the Boston Sommelier Society.
Favorite place in the greater Boston area to purchase wine:
Boston Wine Exchange. The shop owners read my blog! Seriously, they remember my name, let me place special orders via Twitter and stock a great mix of wine, beer and liquor.
Do you have a favorite wine or wine-related experience you would like to share
In 2010 I attended the WineMaker Magazine Annual Conference. The first evening of the conference is the swap meet. This is where amateur winemakers from all over the country get together to share their wines with each other. I have never seen that many bottles of wine opened in one place before. There were tables with dozens of open bottles! Every time my glass was empty I didn’t have to look away long before somebody was filling it with another great wine.
If you could follow your love of wine to any place in the world, where would it be?
For me wine is about people and nature working together to great something magnificent. I am hoping that wine is the driver for me to keep exploring in search of new places where people are passionate about making wine and love sharing their unique corner of the world. My place is not so much a physical one as it is the journey of exploring as many destinations as I can.
Name: Meghan Malloy
Day Job: Marketing Consultant
Blog/website: http://traveleatlove.com
Favorite places in the greater Boston area to drink wine:
Boston has an ever-growing number of fun places to to drink great wine. Though we love to try new places, I always return to Les Zygomates for dinners that last hours, accompanied by live jazz music, a relaxed atmosphere, and a great wine list. I also really enjoy the bar at Bistro du Midi in Back Bay and visiting a variety of North End restaurants on summer evenings to sip wine in the open air.
And, of course, nothing quite beats home, my back deck, and a great bottle.
Favorite place in the greater Boston area to purchase wine:
The Urban Grape in Chestnut Hill
Do you have a favorite wine or wine-related experience you would like to share?
I have had so many great wine experiences in my life, including trips to Sonoma and Napa, the Willamette Valley, and Italy. My favorite experiences always involve meeting and spending time with great new people, something that, as a result of both my love of wine and my life in the blogging world, has happened many, many times in the past couple of years. My favorites definitely include spending my 30th birthday in Napa!
If you could follow your love of wine to any place in the world, where would it be?
I couldn’t choose just one place! I would love to spend a month or two driving around Europe, spending some time in Champagne, then heading to Alsace, then through Germany and into Austria to sip on some Grüner . From there, I would drive South to Italy, heading through Trentino-Alto Adige and stopping in Marche to visit my adorable nephews (who come from a long line of winemakers!) Oh, and I would also throw in a visit to Sicily for some Nero d’Avola if there was time. Ultimately, after all of my travels, I would find my way back to Sonoma, to stay. A girl can dream, right?! ;)
Name: Emily Olson
Day Job: graduate student at Boston University's gastronomy program/reservationist at No. 9 Park
Blog/website (if applicable): whatemilycooks.com and on twitter @emilyolson80
Favorite places in the greater Boston area to drink wine: Island Creek Oyster Bar seems to be my default these days - looking forward to finding new favorite places as the weather gets warmer
Favorite place in the greater Boston area to purchase wine: being relatively new to the Boston area, I've had great wine purchasing experiences at Central Bottle & Provisions, Ball Square, and Dave's Pasta
Do you have a favorite wine or wine-related experience you would like to share? My favorite vineyard experiences occurred at two wine regions: in the Willamette Valley learning about biodynamic wine-making and Napa Valley at Cakebread Cellars (a long-time must-visit vineyard) with my family. Another memorable experience involved a large table of friends celebrating the opening of a restaurant - the "set list" of ten wines paired with numerous dishes was outstanding. Its safe to say that most of my favorite wine-related experiences involve friends and family.
If you could follow your love of wine to any place in the world, where would it be? I would love to spend time in the Alsace region or Champagne region of France to learn about "old school" ways and processes. The cuisine in those regions isn't too shabby either!
Name: Brian Knowles
Day Job: Account Manager/Merchandiser for Despensa Familiar
Blog: www.thegringochapin.com
Favorite places in the greater Boston area to drink wine: Anywhere outside in the warmer months. Honestly my favorite place to relax with a glass of wine is The Blue Ox in Lynn. Its close to home and they have a great selection. I also love Oleana in Cambridge because they have such a diverse wine list with quite a few you can't find elsewhere.
Favorite place in the greater Boston area to purchase wine: The Urban Grape in Chestnut Hill
Do you have a favorite wine or wine-related experience you would like to share? A few years back I was in San Francisco on business with the weekend free of work. I wanted to drive up to Napa/Sonoma, but none of my coworkers wanted to go with me. I went anyways and had the best time! I visited the Beringer Winery, what was then the Niebaum Coppola Winery, and the Mondavi Winery where I actually had the pleasure of Margrit Mondavi conduct my tour and tasting. My lunch at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone was a life-changing event and started on me on my journey of food and wine. Needless to say my coworkers were very jealous when they heard about my day.
If you could follow your love of wine to any place in the world, where would it be? My first instinct was to say the Loire Valley in France, because I love it there. But then I thought the Douro wine region in Portugal. Not only do I love the wines from Douro but they are completely underrated. Plus I love Portuguese food and therefore Portugal is on my travel bucket list.