Posts by Anthony

2016 RECAP

January 16th, 2017

Anthony

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2016 turned out to be a big year for Golden Vines with the last 4 months of the year being historic with new records for sales.

We [Ben and Anthony] both got a chance to travel to visit our producers in Europe as well as source new wines and this proved important to balancing out our portfolio to include some exciting new regions like the Rhone and Sicily to name two.  Those producer visits always sound romantic for an outsider but include much traveling and tastings in a short period of time.  Also the pressure to get as much done as possible to make the trip worthwhile is very stressful.  There is also the big issue of not liking the wines that you traveled miles/KM for.

Though it’s fun to travel we are both still needed back at home to sell those hard to find wines at this time but hopefully things will change as we brought in some [3] salespeople by the end of the year.  One Friday night in December we even did FIVE in-store tastings!

We also opened up the state of Connecticut and are wines have proven quite popular to many of the top stores in the state.  We like to think that it is the beginning of the public becoming aware that like the food they are eating, the wines they are drinking are filled with many additives.  Did you know the US government allows over 80 different additives. Small farms equal clean wines!!

We look forward to more good things in 2017 and glad you have come along for the ride!

Where to begin…

October 31st, 2016

Anthony

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As you build a wine import ‘start up’ from scratch there are so many things to do that tending to your website sometimes slips through the cracks.  We do apologize but hope you have been following us on social media.

We added Instagram and Twitter to our original Facebook posts and it is there that we keep up a regular presence.  Just look up Golden Vines and surely you will see our posts on food, wine – sometimes other things that catch our attention.  Since our last post we have so much to share from Ben’s sourcing trip to France especially the Rhone Valley to all the wine events and tastings that we have been doing.

Besides all this we have added new producers and wines to our portfolio that we hope you will love.  Don’t forget emailing us at info@golden-vines.com to share your thoughts and ideas.

Cheers!!IMG_4290

Golden Vines ‘IS’ now sold in Connecticut!!

June 9th, 2016

Anthony

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We are happy to announce that we were given approval by the Connecticut State Liquor Authority to begin selling wine in this beautiful state starting today!!  Connecticut being so close to where we both live in Westchester County, gives us an opportunity to expand our exposure to another growing wine population.

Craft Beer, Craft Spirits, Farmer’s Markets, Farm to Table Restaurants = just a matter of time for people to recognize that Golden Vines is a leader in Craft Wine Imports.

Know where your wine comes from, who’s working the vineyards, what are they spraying on their plants, what are they adding to their wine…who’s hands are in your wines??!!!

Thank you Connecticut

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Sergio Arcuri and Bricco Maiolica in the spotlight…

May 23rd, 2016

Anthony

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We were excited to see both Sergio Arcuri [Calabria] and Bricco Maiolica [Piemonte] highlighted in a recent article by the food, wine and travel writer/TV personality Dave Eckert.  Check out this link…

Dave said: ‘…will get several hundred thousand hits. Chowtown is owned by the Kansas City Star newspaper #2 food blog in the country last year’

http://www.kansascity.com/living/liv-columns-blogs/chow-town/article70738862.htmlIMG_2638Aris Front Label

 

Vinitaly+

May 17th, 2016

Anthony

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Wow, does time fly since it only feels like yesterday that I returned from a whirlwind visit to Italy.

Annually I try to get to the Vinitaly wine fair in order to meet most of our Italian producers at the country’s largest wine event which is held in the picturesque town of Verona.  Besides meeting our current producers and tasting their new vintages in one place it also provides me an opportunity to taste many other potential producers at one time.  Obviously the best part is that I need not drive from North to South in order to taste wine from different regions.  The problem is this takes place in four days so from about 6am to midnight it is one long taste-fest. This always sounds amazing to people but when you factor in that I end up hardly ever swallowing wine, the glamour soon rubs off.  Now I won’t accept any sympathy either since this year I mixed it up  with a visit to Campania and the Amalfi Coast to taste with potential producers plus the weather was a consistent 70 degrees with bright sunshine for the entire visit.

Combine all that, plus finding two new producers including one from an unrepresented region [I'll wait until it is official before I announce the new producers] and you have one successful trip!  Cent’anni!

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Spring got here [NY] quickly and so did our pink wines…

March 25th, 2016

Anthony

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Well after the last 2 winters felt like they lasted forever it has been nice to enjoy some warmer temperatures in February and March.   This in turn made everyone start to crave the wine of the moment – rose’.  Rose’ is made all over the world but like most things when it comes to wine, the French lead the pack and the others follow.

Generally rose is made by letting the  skins from the red grapes spend a little time with the clear juice that is produced when the grapes are crushed, leading to a pink or darker tint to the wine.  The should not be sugar sweet [unless they are junked up with sugar - not very unusual these days] but should offer a bridge between a white and a red.  Some fruit is ok but pick one of those pink things next time at the store and close your eyes when you taste it, tell us what you taste.  If your teeth ache – we understand why!

Unfortunately more and more importers are pushing their products onto the market in order to beat the rush though these wines are not ready yet and in the end the quality suffers – can you say ‘market bubble’!!  WE are slightly more patient and will wait for the wine to actually be ready to drink because our shareholders trust us first and foremost, besides we are not looking to sell out for the quick buck!

Please try our rose wines this spring and summer – heck rose is great all year round.  This year we will add Domaine du Vistre’s Costieres du Nimes to last year’s success stories, Daniel Reverdy Sancerre Rose, La Braulterie’s Rose [Bordeaux] and Sergio Arcuri’s Il Marinetto [Calabria].  By the way this last one won’t arrive until May and even then it is pushing it but boy will it turn your head when it comes to rose’.

Cheers!

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Week of February 1st: Special Events, Tastings and Winemaker Dinner

February 1st, 2016

Anthony

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February 2016 opens with bang as we start with a Burgundy wine taste off!  We will taste our wines side by side against another great importer, Eric Foret of Table to Table at Rouge et Blanc the sensation restaurant in the Village.  Check out the link below for more information.

https://madmimi.com/p/332136?fe=1&pact=8532-129568720-8324520015-20587260d8d3ec87b1f23c00c93d4edbf7c04232

 

On the same day [Wednesday February 3rd] we will be hosting a wine tasting paired with small plates with Ignazio Giovine of L’armangia at the Upper East Side wine bar Bar Prima.  Ignazio is in town because he won another pair of Slow Wine awards and we are excited to have him visit the NY market.

 

Thursday February 4th at 6:30 we will be up in Peekskill at Gleason’s where Ignazio Giovine will be the star of a wine dinner paired for each of his wines.  The link below will give you more details…

http://gleasonspeekskill.com/wine-dinner/

Friday February 5th we will pour some of artisanal wines at International Wines in the Columbia University neighborhood [Broadway and 114th St].

We look forward to seeing you!

Sanfeletto’s star turn on HGTV’s hit show Property Brothers

February 1st, 2016

Anthony

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Wow, were we surprised by all the calls regarding Sanfeletto’s Product Placement at the end of HGTV’s hit show Property Brothers.  When you watch the video you will clearly see that the hosts pour Sanfeletto Prosecco as they celebrate their 100th Episode.

Congratulations to Property Brothers and the same to Imelda and Paolo of Sanfeletto!!  We are proud to stand amongst such good company.  Can you say product placement…??

Cheers!!!

 

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Hello 2016 – say good bye to 2015

January 5th, 2016

Anthony

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Wow 2015 was some year for  Golden Vines with a large increase in sales, an influx of new clients, plus new producers and wines imported in both France and Italy, then we even welcomed a new member to our team –  Kelan Golden born to Ben and Emilie this past year.  Yes, we were quite busy and I guess our posts or lack of, represents that activity.

In between that activity we did get a chance to get to Italy a couple of times to visit our producers at their estates so we can see first hand how the vintage was progressing as well as see how these passionate winemakers were doing their utmost to produce the best wine possible.

We sourced some new wines from France like Chateau des Gimarets that makes some awesome Cru Beaujalais, Domaine Maurice Charleux where we found some under the radar Burgundy from Maranges, old vine gamay rose’ from Domaine le Bout de Monde, Clairette de Die from Domaine les Trois Becs which is a sparkling, slightly sweet muscat, and from the Languedoc we found some outstanding value wines, Domaine du Vistre and Chateau du Cointes.

In Italy we went way up north to the smallest wine producing region, yet arguably the hottest wine zone in Italy, the Valle d”Aosta.  This is the region that borders France and Switzerland [think alpine wines] on its northern borders and Piemonte to its south.  The wines are very unusual with natural savory notes that blend well with the brambly fruit that these wines possess.  Le Clocher is the producer and we’ll start with their Cornalin and Fumin, two indigenous varietals.

We also added new wines from our stable of great winemakers that we’ve been working with- check out ‘Our Wines’ section for more info on our selections.

In 2016 we look to continue with what we started in late 2013 and always find delicious wines from artisanal producers.  We will continue to do tastings and wine dinners so continue to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the most up to date information on these events.  We are looking to expand our reach this year to other states like we did in 2015 where we entered the market in Long Island, Queens and New Jersey,.

Feel free to continue to reach out to us at info@golden-vines.com  We were able to direct a bunch of people looking for our wines to retailers and restaurants for their own enjoyment as well as for gifts for the holidays.  Purposely you won’t find our wines in every liquor store or corner restaurant yet one taste tells you the wine is delicious, unique and tells a story in every sip.

The future is bright and we are thankful for your support.

CHEERS!!!

Winemaker Lucio Mosole to visit NY for weekend of May 1st

May 1st, 2015

Anthony

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We are excited to welcome for the first time to NY Lucio Mosole of Tenuta Mosole in the Veneto.  For his maiden visit he’ll do two events one in Manhattan at our new partner Back Label Wine Merchants on Friday May 1st. Then the next day we’ll travel to Peekskill to one of our original supporters, Dylan’s Wine Cellar where we’ll help celebrate their anniversary with Lucio’s visit as well as an art exhibit.

Should be a great weekend.

http://backlabelwine.com/events/the-wines-of-venice/