Want To Try Some Sina Qua Non Without Going Broke?

Wednesday, August 6th, 2008

Then we have just the opportunity for you. We wrote a while back about Campanile’s Friday Night Flights program being a great alternative to wine bars.

We were particularly excited upon reading the email blast we received earlier today with their line-up for this coming Friday (August 8th)…then we remembered that we have other plans that won’t allow us to attend.

Damn shame, since one of the flights (CHEESE!) comes with a pour of Sine Qua Non’s Mr. K The Nobleman dessert wine. Check out the line-up, and let us know if you have a chance to attend. $38 for three wines (generous 2 to 3 ounce pours) and 3 small plates is a great deal — especially when you consider that Mr. K retails for $100 and up per half bottle:

Flight 1: “Fruits of The Sea”

Scallop Ceviche with Mango and Lemon
2006 Viognier “Alban Vineyard,” Failla, Edna Valley

Big Eye Tuna with Ginger and Lime
2007 Chenin Blanc “Saini Farms,” Leo Steen, Dry Creek Valley

Yellowtail with Radish and Chervil
2006 Kerner “Stiftskellerei Neustift,” Abbazia di Novacella, Alto Aldige

Flight 2: “Tuscan Reds”

Lamb Daub
2004 Sant’ Antimo Rosso “Romito del Romitorio”, Castello Romitorio

Polenta Cake with Wild Mushroooms
2006 Sant’ Antimo Rosso, Casanova di Neri

Artichokes, Bocconcini, Parsley Pesto
2004 Collazzi, Tenuta Collazzi

Flight 3: “Say Cheese”

Tomme de Savoie, Quince Paste
2007 Mosto D’Uva Parzialmente Fermentato Rose “Bigaro,” Elio Perrone , Piedmont

Stilton, Quenby Hall, Frizée
Cockburn’s 20 Year Tawny Porto

Camembert and Watercress
2002 Chardonnay “The Noble Man,” Mr. K

We recommend making reservations for the evening, by calling Caroline at (323) 938-1447.

Note, we are not affiliated with Campanile in any way, though we did host a fantabulous event there in June.

Go ask Alice: Feiring reads at Lou on Vine

Friday, June 20th, 2008

We went to an sparsely attended intimate reading last night at our neighborhood wine bar, Lou on Vine, featuring hot-button wine writer Alice Feiring. We read her book about a month back, and, though we don’t always agree with what she says, in the book or elsewhere, we have great respect for both the author’s prose and her point of view. We won’t get into a review of the book here, and maybe we never will (there has certainly been enough back and forth about the tome without us throwing ourselves into the dialogue). Nor will we get into a review of Lou, which continues to grow on us (can’t get enough of the Pig Candy or Hook’s Cheddar) despite our disdain for their frustratingly compact stemware (bitching about it makes us feel a bit wine-snobby, but oh well).

Suffice it to say, Feiring takes a hard line approach to the current state of the wine world, while the approach at domaine547 is admittedly soft line, with a highly inclusive attitude to wine. Yes, we like leaner Loire Valley Cab Francs made with native yeasts. We like us some slightly oxidized Chenin Blanc and Burgundian Pinot Noir. But we also like bolder California wines, such as the Curran Black Oak Syrah, which we’re fairly certain would trigger Alice’s gag reflex (though we bet Alice would be intrigued by the Curran whites). Read more…

“Friday Night Flights”: Campanile outdoes most so-called wine bars in LA

Sunday, April 6th, 2008

Interior, Campanile RestaurantCampanile is a restaurant that has been a fixture of the LA dining scene for years, showcasing the inspired Cal-Mediterranean cooking of Mark Peel. The restaurant has drawn praise for its extensive wine list, one of the more interesting, inclusive and, one might say, accessible — pricewise — in the city. Alums of the wine program include Manfred Krankl of cult winery Sine Qua Non, as well as the proprietors of Silverlake Wine in Los Angeles; it’s wine program is currently overseen by Jay Perrin.

When we heard about Campanile’s “Friday Night Fights” concept just last week (though it has been in existence for some time), a theme night combining small plates of food with flights of wines from the restaurant’s list, we wondered if Campanile was trying to make itself over as a wine bar, even if for just one night a week. We decided to give it a go. And here’s what we found. Read more…

get your wine on

2008 “Bebame” Red, El Dorado County, California

Cabernet Franc (65%) and Gamay (35%) from - gasp - California! And only 13% ABV, pretty modest by California standards. If I tasted this blind I would probably have said it’s from the Loire Valley. It has pretty much nothing in common with the full bodied iterations of Cab Franc coming out of Napa. Juicy, light, delicious quaffing wine.$18 a bottle

2006 Telegramme Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge

Really balanced and smooth, this is a bargain of a Chateauneuf. Yeah, the 07s are lauded but what would I prefer to drink? This! It’s the second label of Vieux Telegraphe, from the same property but from younger vines. And it’s a deal at $33 a bottle.2006 or bust!

NV Barcino Cava: LA Times Wine of the Week!

Delicious and just in time for New Year’s Eve…this is the LA Times Wine of the Week, and we have plenty in stock. Order online, pick-up in-store!$14 a bottle!

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freshly pressed

3/8/10: First domaineLA Wine Tasting at Susan Feniger’s Street: 5 Wines, $15:

Just a quick note to let you know that a week from today, on Monday, March 8th, 2010, I’ll be hosting the first domaineLA wine tasting event at Susan Feniger’s Street, with the Manincor winery of Italy. The importer and winemaker will both be present to chat about the five wines being poured (including an unusual and delicious dry moscato), and the wines will be paired with light bites.

The best news is that the event will cost just $15 a person…a bargain! Swing by between 6PM and 8PM — I hope to see lots of you there!

Susan Feniger’s Street, 742 N. Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Oh, and you can buy tickets in advance, online by clicking here:
Buy Tickets

wine jargon

Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.


Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.


Frizzante


March 29th, 2008

Scorekage


March 23rd, 2008

Rioja


March 3rd, 2008

grapewise

DomaineLA Store Contact Info
If you’re looking for our brick and mortar shop, here’s where it can be found:

6801 Melrose Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 932-0280

Hours are 11AM to 8PM, Monday through Saturday and noon to 5PM on Sundays.

Read more…

Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!

Read more…