A NEW WINE SHOP!

Thanks to our member Robin we have a new shop to frequent, and I'm very excited about it for three reasons: 1)it's in the neighborhood; 2)they have some excellent wine tastings and events; and 3)their prices are extremely reasonable. The store is The Village Wine Cellar, and it's located at 249-70 Jericho Tpke. in Bellerose Village. That's roughly a mile or so from the Cross Island Parkway, a mere stone's throw from DiVine Wine Co. headquarters.

Mom and I attended a tasting there last Friday night and were very impressed. The tasting was free, and they asked only that you buy two bottles of anything in the store. Not a problem! We tasted 7 wines: a Spanish albarino (you may recall that we chose an albarino as our favorite in the last meeting), a pinot gris, a riesling (yay! said Mom), a temparanillo, a syrah/grenache blend, a zinfandel, and a port. Very nice selection. The store even provided plenty of snacks including cheeses, crackers, sausage slices, breads, pita, and hummus. And let me tell you, the people were pouring in. The store has lots of regulars so many of the customers actually knew each other, and the atmosphere was super friendly, not stuffy and stodgy like in some of the shops in Manhattan. It did get pretty crowded, and you had to get your glass and move away from the tasting bar right away so others could get theirs. Then when you were ready, you elbowed your way back to the bar for the next taste. Mom really liked the pinot gris -- if you haven't tried it and you like white wines we recommend it. It was creamy and buttery on the nose and had a fresh, fruity taste with body and a long finish. She actually bought a bottle along with a viognier that the manager recommended, while I came away with what was promised to be a bold petite syrah and a rich chardonnay. We shall see! All four wines were under $20 each.

The store has a website: www.villagewinecellar.com, and it includes a mailing list that you can join to get alerts for upcoming events. Next time you're in Queens or Nassau County, I recommend that you check it out.