Monthly Archives: February 2023

Macari Vineyards: Time to Book a Table

Posted by nofowineaux in Tasting and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , ,

www.Macariwines.com   

February 23, 2023

I’ve become quite familiar with Macari’s tasting room this year, since I now belong to a book club that meets there.  What’s better than sitting around a table with a group of bright people, discussing books and sipping wine?  Oh, and let’s not forget nibbling on truffled potato chips.  However, the book group has settled on one favorite wine—the Life Force Sauvignon Blanc—so when friends who belong to the Macari wine club offered to take us there for a tasting, we accepted with alacrity.  They made the reservation, which, by the way, is required.

Not sure what this is, but it is impressive.

To get to the entrance, you have to wend your way around the wrap-around porch.  The room you enter is dominated by a decorative structure which I think is beautiful, but which defies categorization.  We were shown to a table overlooking the vineyards on a plastic-windowed porch, cozily warm, with chairs decorated with soft furry drapes.  In front of us were place mats with three glasses, and the names of the three wines in the standard tasting.  However, as our cheery server informed us, as wine club members we could choose the special wine club trio of tastes.  It took my husband and me only a moment to decide that he would get the standard group and I would opt for the wine club tastes.  One friend also got the wine club trio, while her husband opted for a glass of his current favorite, the Dos Aguas Red, a blend of 48% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Petit Verdot. ($35 per bottle) The Dos Aguas refers to the North Fork’s two waters—the Long Island Sound and Great Peconic Bay—which moderate the climate. 

The tables were set like this. If you didn’t want the three wines on offer, you could substitute others from the list.

As we discussed what to get, the server brought us chilled bottles of water.  We also ordered a charcuterie board for four, which had enough meat, cheese, almonds, olives, bread, hummus, and chips for at least six. ($50)  Yum.  We all agreed that this was a very civilized way to spend a damp, chilly February afternoon.

No outside food allowed, but they have plenty of snacks to choose from.
  •  2020 Dos Aguas White  $24

This was the first of the wine club trio, and a very good way to begin.  It is a light, dry, lemony white blend, half grüner veltliner, blended with pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc, and a touch of chardonnay.  The grüner can tend to be a bit sweet, but in this case it was nicely balanced with the other grapes.  It would go well with seafood in a cream sauce.

  • 2022 Life Force Sauvignon Blanc $28

As I noted, this is the book club favorite, and for a good reason.  It is aged in a combination of a concrete “egg,” and stainless steel, which makes it both more complex and smoother than a typical sauvignon blanc.  One time, years ago, we were at Macari and happened to get into a discussion with the winemaker about the concrete egg, and he gave us a long explanation of the benefits of this way of aging wines.  I’ll just say, it seems to work really well.  This is dry but fruity, very easy to drink.

I believe these are the wine club prices.
  • 2019 Life Force Cabernet Franc  $30

My favorite of the day, this is a yummy red, with tastes of berries and plums.  Again, this is aged in concrete.  It was the second of the wine club trio.

  • 2021 Rosé                          $24

On the other hand, this was my least favorite, a very light rosé, tart, with not much fruit.

We had made some serious inroads on the charcuterie platter before I remembered to take a photo.
  • 2019 Malbec                     $50

We had made some inroads on the charcuterie platter by the time I got to the malbec, and I noted that it went very well with the cheese and other snacks in front of us.  Despite its high price, I did not like it as well as the Life Force Cab Franc, though it is a perfectly good wine.  I got some cherry taste, and nice tannins.  Perhaps it needs to age a bit more.

By the time we left, the room had emptied out quite a bit.
  • 2020 Cabernet Franc                      $38

One problem with this red was that it was served too cold, a common problem.  I think if it had had time to warm up, I might have liked it better.  I found it somewhat light for a cab franc, with notes of berries and herbs.  Very drinkable.

Reasons to visit:  pleasant tasting room overlooking the vineyard; excellent service; I liked all the wines, but especially the Life Force Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Franc; ample charcuterie board (no outside food).  One unfortunate note—when the room is crowded, it tends to become very noisy, as it was during this holiday week.

I really like these furry throws!

Übergeek Brewery: You Have Arrived

Posted by nofowineaux in Brewery and tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

www.Ubergeekbrewing.com

February 19, 2023

Your GPS says, “You have arrived,” but as you look around you are thinking, “Where?”  Never fear, you are near.  Just turn off the road you are on into what looks like an alley, and a few yards down the road you will see the sign for Übergeek Brewery.  In a past life, this warehouse-looking building was home to Moustache Brewing Company, and apparently nothing has been changed on the outside, except for the sign, and the only change on the inside is the painting of a large and rather geeky mural. Yes, they take the geek theme seriously.

The taps look exactly the same as the taps when this was Moustache.

We entered on this President’s Day weekend with our guests to find the small room fairly full, with what seemed to be mainly locals, enjoying pints and chats with friends, or playing a board game from the selection on a shelf off to one side.  We managed to find seats—uncomfortable metal stools—for our group of six at a long table, and sent a delegation to the bar to find out if they had flights.  Though there were plenty of signs on the walls—describing the beers, giving notice of upcoming events of various sorts—nothing said anything about flights.  However, the sole server came over to tell us that yes, they do flights, four of any of their ten beers for $13.  So we discussed our options with each other, and decided to get two flights, careful not to overlap, so we could sample eight of their brews.  The server then gave us little cards on which to write our selections.

The stools were rather uncomfortable, but no one else seemed to mind.

In addition to beer, they have a few snacks for sale, and a cooler with juices and such, so we got apple and cranberry juice for the youngsters in our party (who had already discovered the arcade machine in one corner) and ordered a pretzel.  We think the server forgot the pretzel, because we had to remind him of it when we were almost done with our tasting.  In recompense, he brought us two pretzels (with some honey mustard) and a bag of chips.  Nice.

As we sipped and compared notes, we found ourselves often thinking of food pairings—maybe we were just hungry for that pretzel, or maybe these are just beers that demand food.  The names of the brews are…creative.  No idea if they have anything to do with the beers themselves!  Maybe they name the beers the way the Surrealists titled their paintings, at random.

This flight includes the peanut butter porter, the dark beer on the right.
  • Rockets Don’t Fuel Themselves                  Pilsner, 4.1% ABV (alcohol by volume)

This is a very light, almost watery beer.  To me, it’s a beer to chug at a ballpark, after a salty hot dog, but one friend says he likes these crisp, refreshing beers.

  • All the things, all the time                            Amber lager, 4.5%

I like this one better than the pilsner, as it had a nice well-rounded toasty taste.  One friend proposes it would go well with tacos.  Yes, I can see that.

The mural enforces the geek idea.
  • Now we’re just making stuff up                 Cold IPA, 5.6%

Fresh cut grass under pine trees, I say, as I take a sniff.  This is a refreshing, piney but not too piney, IPA.  Good with barbeque, suggests the hungry member of the party.

Yes, that’s a very blue beer there, not a glass of ink!
  • Blue beer, don’t care                     Blue raspberry soured, 5.2%

Well, at least this name makes some sense, as this beer is VERY blue.  Very.  Although I am not a fan of sour beers, this one is at least potable, though I find it sets my teeth on edge.  It does have a bit of sweetness that balances the sour.  One friend imagines a hot day at the beach, and adding a squeeze of lemon to this.  Meh.

  • I never asked to be here                              Winter lager, 6.5%

If you were at a party and didn’t want to pay attention to the beer, but just drink one that’s easy to drink, this would be my choice, says one guest.  I could see this as a generally acceptable beer—and I’m not damning with faint praise, as it is quite pleasant to drink, with a slight citrus note.

  • You call that a calculator?                            Doppelbock, 7.5%

This was my favorite so far, a good sit-in-a-pub-and-sip beer.  It’s not too heavy, but does have texture and classic bock flavor.

  • All these quarters, still no dollars              Peanut Butter Porter, 6.5%

Don’t get this one if you’re allergic to peanuts, as it is actually brewed with that legume.  This is the only really dark beer of our flights, and I like it, but less than I thought I would.  It tastes and smells strongly of coffee, with some umami nuttiness and an aftertaste of, yes, peanut butter.

  • Only when we suffer can we be great                     Marzen lager, 5%

No suffering necessary when drinking this brew, as it is a light, slightly fruity lager, very easy to drink.

Clearly, geeks like to learn!

Reasons to visit:  casual, relaxed brewery, with easy to drink beers; dogs allowed; you call that a calculator? and now we’re just making stuff up (the two beers we bought in cans to bring home); they also had warm hard cider and some wines available; lots of events, including “Geek Talks,” Stand-up Night, and live music.