Reasons to Love Winesday: Wine Wednesdays at Mohegan Sun

It seems that Wednesdays are officially becoming synonymous with wine!  In addition to our “Winesday” column, you can now enjoy an array of vino-based festivities at Mohegan Sun’s latest weekly event, “Wine Wednesdays.”  The evenings embrace the acclaimed restaurants and lounges already present within the casino, but present them with an emphasis on wine.  Four course pairing dinners unfold every Wednesday at both Bobby Flay’s Bar American and Todd English’s Tuscany.  Casino guests can also relax with a glass of champagne and smooth jazz rifts at the Vista Lounge starting at 8pm.  The first Wednesday of every month, though, has a special offering: “Tasting and Tapas” at Todd English’s Tuscany.  I had the pleasure of experiencing the affair (which has an impressively alliterate title, I might add) earlier this month.

Tasting and Tapas unfolded on the beautiful “patio” in the front of Tuscany.  Tuscany has an indoor restaurant with the kitchen, bar, and tables, as well as a front portion looking out on the casino.  Mohegan adopted the motif of a night sky, so guests sitting in that area feel the illusion of eating dinner under twinkling stars on a summer’s evening. 

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Winesday: Elm Restaurant Rhone Wine Dinner

“Are you here for the wine dinner?” asked a smiling gentleman as I entered Elm Restaurant in New Canaan, shaking snow flurries from my coat.  Before I knew it, he was whisking us away behind the bar, past a few tables, and into a smaller dining room tucked away in the back.  The area felt cozy and intimate.  Four glossy walls framed the small space and a table set for eight sat in the center.  Nearby stood a countertop, where a few more guests could perch while looking into the bustling kitchen.

“We want people to feel like they are at our homes,” explained Chef Brian Lewis. “It’s like the feeling of having close friends over for dinner.”

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Winesday: Best Wines from the Mohegan Sun Winefest

There’s a lot to wine about at the Mohegan Sun Wine Fest.  I watched in horror as my printer spewed out 16 pages of wines that would be featured over the course of the weekend.  The annual event is an exercise in diversity; exhibitors bring everything from the commercial to the exclusive, the traditional to the innovative.  There are wines with long-lasting legacies and bottles that haven’t even hit shelves yet.

Fortunately, I carefully siphoned through all of the offerings to bring you a report of the very best the event had to offer.  Armed with my 16 page list, I diligently worked my way through the tables, asked questions, and sampled the wines.  (Don’t worry, there was a significant amount of spitting involved!)

It’s difficult to compare wines, especially with such an extensive range available.  How can one compare an expensive Napa Valley Cab to a fruity white made for casual drinking?  To solve the predicament, I broke my explorations down into categories.

In this first installation, I feature Robust Reds, Wonderful Whites, and Wines to Watch.  In Robust Reds and Wonderful Whites, my aim is to focus on quality.  Some of these wines might come off as a bit of a monetary splurge, but they drink beautifully.  Wines to Watch also hinges on quality.

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Champagne: Nicholas Roberts Fine Wines Says "It's Not Just For Valentine's Day"

Flat screen TV: check. Afternoon game on: check. Matching jerseys: check. Champagne. Check?

If football conjures up images of greasy chicken wings, beer, and people shouting at the television, champagne is equated with glitz, elegance, and a touch of pretension.  It seems impossible that the two would ever exist in harmony.  Recently, Peter Troilo of Nicholas Roberts Fine Wine in Darien, CT proved otherwise.  He and wine distributor Peter Slywka held a grower champagne tasting against a backdrop of Sunday afternoon football.

“Most people think they have to drink champagne for a special occasion.  People should drink it all the time!” Troilo proclaimed.  Slywka nodded.  Then both turned their attention to the TV and let out a whoop as their team complete a play.

Don’t let the laid back demeanor fool you; these guys know their stuff.   Just this year, the Wall Street Journal wrote an article on the boutique wine store, praising it for its carefully stocked shelves.  Troilo’s knowledge has earned him widespread respect in the industry.  Recently he joined forces with New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov to select wines for an event celebrating the launch of the commentator’s book at the Darien Library.

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Winesday: Don't Forget About The Glass

Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week!  I know that I have the New York Times Dining Section and a new episode of Top Chef to look forward to.  Now there’s one more reason to love them: our new weekly column, Winesday!  This is your pass to all things wine from amazing bottles to local retailers to restaurant vino offerings.

For the first article, I thought that I would cover a slightly atypical topic: the glasses in which we drink wine.  There are many articles about wine itself, but the vehicles in which we consume it is a less explored frontier.

I first encountered Bottega del Vino stemware at the Mohegan Sun Wine Fest and alluded to it in my article on the event.  Since then, I had the opportunity to try it for myself.  Some of you wanted further information, and now I can render my verdict!

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Sun Winefest Recap: One Woman's Search for the Best Bottles

It was the calm before the storm.

As I strolled into the SunWineFest before the doors opened to the public, the ballroom appeared almost peaceful.  Exhibitors casually erected their stands and freely moved about the space.  Within an hour, that all changed.  People stood packed shoulder to shoulder and attempted to elbow their way through the throng for tastes of wine.  The crowd surged with energy, and my heart raced with excitement.

For some, the Mohegan SunWineFest is one giant party: an excuse to get buzzed with friends, blow off steam, and sample as many wines as physically possible.  For others, the event is a valuable opportunity to find exceptional bottles. 

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Off the Vine Wine & Spirits Opens in Norwalk

“Come on in. I just finished putting the wine away about an hour ago,” says John Noakes as I enter Off The Vine Wine & Spirits, a wine shop in Norwalk. “I had about 100 cases just sitting in my basement.” 

Off the Vine is a work in progress; a paint brush lies in the corner waiting for use and the shelves have a few empty spaces awaiting bottles.  Still, Noakes is well on his way toward reopening the store in its new location.  The shop, previously situated on the corner of Spring Hill Avenue, is moving across town to Winfield Street.  The space has its own legacy.  It once housed the original location of Fountainhead Wines before it became a part of Fat Cat City on Wall Street.

Off the Vine is a relatively small operation.  Noakes owns and works in the store full-time and has two people who assist him part-time.  The new location is physically petite as well, even more so than the previous shop.   Don’t let the size fool you though.  The shop offers an enviable collection of boutique wines.

“Having a small store poses its challenges, but it makes it so that your taste has to be spot on,” explains Noakes.  He strives to offer only the best products to his customers and tries to find unique, small production wine.

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The Story Behind Fat Cat Pie Co. in Norwalk CT

As an English enthusiast, I am always looking for meaningful ways to explain the concept of “irony.”  It is perhaps the most misunderstood word in the English language.  Although Alanis Morisette’s single “Ironic” proved catchy, it helped propagate the phony notion that irony must be linked to coincidence or misfortune. Irony is actually a simple “incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs.”  Examples include a traffic officer avoiding parking tickets or the demise of “unsinkable” Titanic.  But the best embodiment of the term is certainly the Fat Cat Pie Company.  This venture, led by Mark Ancona, Anthony Ancona, Suzanne Ancona, and Mike Pelletier, is a dazzling display of all things unexpected.

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Bottlerocket Wine & Spirits Opens in Westport

Is grilled Mahi Mahi on the menu tonight? Not sure which wine or beer would best complement the fish? Bottlerocket Wine & Spirit is now open in Westport at 1790 Post Road East offering a seamless, cleverly organized wine shopping experience. With its roots in downtown Manhattan, Bottlerocket hopes to offer wine fans in Fairfield County a better understanding of wine, beer and spirits. Plus, they've got street cred. Bottlerocket has been named the #2 wine store in New York City by Zagat: "An 'innovator' among vintners...an 'A+ in creativity' for the 'eye-catching' themed displays..."

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Blue Laws Officially End Sunday, May 20th

It's not quite as momentous as the end of Prohibition, but Connecticut now has its own Repeal Day, as Gov. Dannel Malloy signed a bill Monday to end our state's archaic Blue Laws. And on American Craft Beer week, too. Way to go, Guv'na. Connecticut liquor stores will now be allowed to operate from 10a.m. - 5p.m. on Sundays, and choose one item per month to offer at a 10% discount. This last item was the lone concession to proponents of blue law repeal who sought the end of the state's mandatory minimum pricing practices. Discounts had previously been outlawed. 

Like most of the other measures signed into law by Gov. Malloy, this decision came down to the economic bottom line.

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