A Match Made in Brooklyn

Pat Bradley |

 

Post-holidays, I'd found that my wine cabinet had grown a bit dim. But it only took a hop, skip and a jump onto a Brooklyn-bound L train to solve that problem.

Trekking through the slush on Lorimer Street early last week, I arrived at De Wine Spot with intentions of restoring my wine collection to its former glory. House "sommelier," Cynthia Araiza was on hand to assist in selecting a nice assortment of sparklings and reds. After asking about my preferred regions, Ms. Araiza deftly pointed me toward her most choice recommendations. In the end, I left De Wine Spot with no less than eight bottles of booty. (It's a start.)

With help from my better half, I've already "tasted" half of what I came home with. And from the four sparkling wines that Ms. Araiza picked out for me, two really stood out (for which I'll be returning for a few more). Clotilde Davenne is a lovely crémant de Bourgogne (an A. O. C. wine) whose "moussiness" is impossible to miss. In addition, I found the crémant to be wonderfully 'juicy' on the palate; pressing my tastebuds against my palate, I'd savored each and every sip.

Following the "Davenne," David and I tasted the François Montand brut rosé (one of Ms. Araiza's unnegotiable recommendations). At first sip, we found the sparkling rosé beautifully brut. Yet, it still carried a good dose of fruitiness which lent to full flavors on the palate. Of all the sparkling rosés I've tasted, François Montand's manages to pack the most flavor in every square inch!

Next up: reds.