Buying Wine

Now that it’s been almost two months, its time to throw another dinner party. I’m having 11 friends over to my house next Saturday and preparing seven courses. Other than cooking delicious food, my goal for this party is to try a wide array of wines from different regions. I was hoping to find some lesser known wines and represent as many different countries as possible. Lucky for me, I have a great wine shop that I frequent.

I buy most of my wine at Chamber Street Wines on Chambers between Greenwich and West Broadway, and over time have gotten to know some of the people at the store. Now, every time I shop there, the staff is able to make recommendations based on what I like, my price range, and even based on what food I tell them I’m preparing. It was a actually a lot of fun browsing through the store last Friday and picking out wines for the dinner next Saturday.

We were able to pick out a Spanish Verdejo, an Argentinean Bonarda, a California Syrah, a French Montlouis, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and an Italian Greco di Tufo to go along with a Moscato D’asti and a Vintage Port. I’m hoping my guests can enjoy dinner and learn something new about wine.

Here is a link to an article in last Wednesday’s Dining section about learning about wine. Eric Asimov points out that the best way to learn is to sample, and the best way to sample is to make friends with people at a (good) local wine store.


Also—I was able to eat at a great restaurant in Carroll Gardens this weekend called Zaytoon’s. It was BYOB, so for 14 dollars a person we were able to drink a nice bottle of wine and eat ourselves silly.