About us
We are a Wine and Dine Group! We share some good (sometimes Great!) bottles of wine over food and conversation.
A few times per month, we have small group dinners, either 6, 8 or 10 people at each event. The group organizers will host dinners on both weeknights and weekends. The organizer will supply 4 bottles of wine for 6 person dinners, 5 bottles of wine for 8 person dinners, and 6 bottles of wine for 10 person dinners. Most of the time, the wines will come from the event organizer's personal collection.
The cost of each event will be for an individual's share of the wine and in some cases the wine corkage charge of the restaurant. Dinner is not included and must be paid for at the event.
To attend an event, the wine payment must be made in advance, and reservations are on a first come, first serve basis. Once you pay, refunds or credits are only available if you cancel AND your spot gets filled by someone else. All refunds are subject to a cancellation fee from $3 to $5, depending on the cost of the event. There is no refund or credit for no-shows.
No other outside wine will be permitted, unless prior arrangements have been made with the host, but attendees may order wine or spirits from the restaurant, at their own expense. Attendees are expected to order at least an entree and one other item from the menu, either an appetizer, a side dish or a dessert.
Along with the wine charge, everyone will be expected/required to pay for their own meal, along with a 33% charge for tax and tip.
We will be dining at restaurants that we have established relationships with, where we can bring our own wine for us to enjoy. Corkage varies from restaurant to restaurant, from Zero to $25 per bottle.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU DON'T HAVE A PROFILE PICTURE WHERE I CAN SEE YOUR FACE, YOU WILL BE REJECTED FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THIS GROUP.
Upcoming events
5
- $65.00
A Wine Journey Beyond France
Arvine, 19 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY, USPlease join me at Arvine, a new restaurant I recently discovered in the West Village. With its modern, casually chic vibe, Arvine serves vibrant American cuisine alongside creative, innovative drinks in a relaxed yet energetic setting. We’ll be featuring a curated selection of wines from Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United States.
Here is a link to Arvine's menu:
Arvine MenuJust a reminder of our usual rules:
** The cost of this event is $65 and is for the cost of the wines only.NOTE: Meetup has started charging a "Partner Fee" that is above and in addition to the listed price of the event. It is annoying and confusing, but there is nothing I can do about it. It comes to approximately $4 more for each RSVP. You will see this charge when you complete your rsvp and pay for the event. MEETUP+ members are exempt from this charge.
You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 33% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner. There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine for a Zero corkage fee. We must be good guests to encourage the restaurant to continue to be generous to us.
Please read and understand the group's cancellation policy. If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). All cancellations are subject to a $6 service fee. Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!
The Wines:
2022 Peter Lauer Unterstenbersch Fass 12 Riesling, Saar, Germany - The 2022er Unterstenberg No. 12, as it is referred to in the central part of the label, is a dry wine (with 8 g/l of residual sugar) made from fruit picked in the similarly-named prime Lieu-Dit forming the south-southwest facing, front part of the original Kupp hill (at the foot of the hill). It has a beautifully complex and smoky nose of candied lime, grapefruit zest, smoky bacon, ginger, almond, yuzu, and white flowers. The wine is superbly playful and refined on the palate, where some light creamy and juicy elements make for an appealing touch. The finish is beautifully spicy and herbal and already fully dry. (Mosel Fine Wines, Issue No. 66)
2017 Vega Sicilia 'Pintia', Toro, Spain - WA 94, Toro (almost) didn't suffer the frost of 2017 that decimated Ribera del Duero, and in that early harvest, the grapes for the 2017 Pintia were picked between September 6th and 17th trying to keep the freshness and acidity. They also did a softer extraction, reduced the percentage of wine that went through malolactic in barrel and used less American oak for the élevage, trying to achieve a more elegant wine. Still the wine is ripe, juicy, round and powerful at 15% alcohol, with a mellow palate with a pH of 3.9 and 4.5 grams of acidity. The wine matured in new and used oak barrels for 12 months. It feels quite fresh and harmonious, not showing any heat, not as fresh and atypical as 2016. It keeps the poise and the balance and has abundant but fine tannins. These wines repay time in bottle, and even if approachable now, it should get better with time. It's like a refined version of the 2015. A triumph over the adverse conditions of the year. 204,240 bottles, 6,720 magnums and some larger formats produced. It was bottled in May 2019.
2019 Tenuta Argentiera 'Argentiera' Bolgheri Superiore, Tuscany, Italy - WA97, What a beauty and what an incredible leap forward to excellence. The 2019 Bolgheri Superiore Argentiera shows depth and wide shoulders with soft plushness and impeccable fruit. The full-bodied wine is dialed up on all levels from perfumes, intensity, mouthfeel, texture and freshness. This bottle should hold past the 20-year mark.
2019 L'Aventure Cote a Cote Red, Paso Robles, USA - WA96, The 2019 Côte a Côte is stunning this year, made up of 34% Grenache, 34% Syrah and 32% Mourvèdre. It has alluring, savory-tinged scents of blood orange, tar, aniseed and dried flowers with an undercurrent of spicy accents. The palate is ultra classy and pure, with fine, pixelated tannins, uplifting acidity and slowly opening layers of perfumed fruit that drive the very long finish. (EB)
6 attendees - $78.00
CA Pinot Noir!
Il Monello, 337 E 49th St, New York, NY, USJoin me for this California Pinot Noir night. The white wine starter will be a California Chardonnay and the 3 reds will be California Pinot Noirs. We will be dining at Il Monello Italian Restaurant for this 6 person dinner. They are located on E. 49th Street, between 1st and 2nd Aves.
Here is a link to their menu...
Il Monello lunch & Dinner Menu
** The cost of this event is $78 and is for the cost of the wines and corkage only. Please understand, that Il Monello charges us corkage, which is included in the price of the event. PLEASE ONLY SIGN UP FOR THIS DINNER IF YOU ARE SURE YOU CAN MAKE IT.
NOTE: Meetup has started charging a "Partner Fee" that is above and in addition to the listed price of the event. It is annoying and confusing, but there is nothing I can do about it. It comes to approximately $6 more for each RSVP. You will see this charge when you complete your rsvp and pay for the event. Sorry! MEETUP+ members are exempt from this charge.
Just a reminder of our usual rules:
You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 33% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner.
Please read and understand the group's cancellation policy. If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). All cancellations are subject to a $6 service fee.
Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!
The Wines (notes will be distributed at the dinner):
2023 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Magnolia Montrachet ($64) - Tongue Dancer got sued for using Montrachet in the name of this cuvee, so going forward it has a different name. From Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley. My notes on my previous bottle, "I'm not sure I can give any Chardonnay more than 95 points, despite the Drunken Cyclist's 97 point review, but this was spectacular! I shared this with my wine group and we all wanted more! Long finish, well integrated oak, and a creaminess on the palate. One of the best Chardonnays, CA or otherwise that I have had this year."
2022 Tongue Dancer Rambling Fox ($54) - From California's North Coast Anderson Valley. JD gave it "only" 90 points, but the Drunken Cyclist gave it 93 points in a blind tasting and then a year later, un blind, gave it 94 points saying, "I first tried this about five months ago for the Seventh Annual Blind Tasting of American Pinot Noir and I loved it (93 Points). When I first opened this last night? I was a bit underwhelmed; it was closed, a bit too tart, and rather nondescript. Tonight? Yowza. Oodles of fruit, touches of earth, that tartness is still there, performing a fantastic balancing act, and a boatload of verve. Yeah. Pretty fantastic. Outstanding."
2008 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvée Elizabeth Bodega Headlands ($110) - Probably my last bottle of this. From the Sonoma Coast, WA 96 points, "From the coldest parcel of four cool terroirs, the stunning 2008 Pinot Noir Bodega Headlands Cuvee Elizabeth boasts copious aromas of boysenberries, black raspberries, spring flowers, sweet earth and hints of graphite as well as spice box. Broad, savory and full-bodied with impressive purity, this 2008 Pinot should drink well for a decade or more."
2017 Martinelli Pinot Noir Blue Slide Ridge ($110) - From Sonoma's Fort Ross/Seaview area. WA 96+ points, "The 2017 Pinot Noir Blue Slide Ridge has a pale to medium ruby-purple color and aromas of blueberry preserves, cranberry sauce, warm black cherries and berries, orange peel and dusty earth with violet hints. Wonderfully concentrated in the mouth with spiced fruits, despite its only light to medium weight, it's framed by very fine, grainy tannins and juicy acidity, with a long, layered finish. 207 cases were made."
5 attendees - $85.00
Napa at 30: Conn Valley & Mayacamas
Hawksmoor NYC, 109 East 22nd St, New York, NY, USIn the world of California wine, the thirty-year mark is the ultimate "moment of truth." For our upcoming dinner, we are gathering at Hawksmoor to witness that milestone firsthand. This lineup offers a rare look at the structural integrity of mountain fruit, where even the youngest red in the flight has finally reached its third decade of evolution.
We will be diving deep into the soul of 1990s Napa—focusing on the rugged, secluded terroir of Conn Valley and the historic, cloud-swept slopes of Mount Veeder.
The Producers
Our exploration begins in the high-altitude terrain of Mount Veeder with Mayacamas Vineyards. Sitting between 1,800 and 2,400 feet, these vines grow above the mist in thin, volcanic soils. Mayacamas is a bastion of tradition; they famously eschew malolactic fermentation and use neutral oak to preserve the site's natural tension and "stony" character.
The heart of the night is a vertical of Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Estate Reserve from the 1990s. Tucked into a secluded canyon just east of St. Helena, this estate benefits from dramatic diurnal shifts and rocky, alluvial soils. The winemaking, led by Todd and Gus Anderson, focused on a "European" sensibility—lower alcohol and firm tannins designed for the long haul.
The Lineup- 2014 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay: A warm, concentrated vintage that remains electric and bracing. The perfect "anti-Napa" white to wake up the palate.
- 1993 Anderson's Conn Valley Estate Reserve (33 Years Old): The epitome of "old school" Napa, showing cedar, dried tobacco, and high-toned acidity.
- 1996 Anderson's Conn Valley Estate Reserve (30 Years Old): A year of low yields and high intensity; the "sleeper" of the flight with deep savory and forest-floor complexity.
- 1997 Anderson's Conn Valley Estate Reserve (29/30 Years Old): From the legendary "vintage of the century," this bottle hit its 30th year with plush, velvet-textured power.
The Venue: Hawksmoor
Located in the historic United Charities Building, Hawksmoor is the premier U.S. outpost of the legendary British steakhouse. Under the culinary leadership of Executive Chef Lauren Mazzella, the menu centers on all-natural, dry-aged steaks seared over live-fire charcoal. The grand dining room, with its 26-foot vaulted ceilings and Beaux-Arts details, provides a stately yet high-energy atmosphere, the ideal savory canvas for the tertiary complexity of our 30-year-old Cabernets.
I hope you can join us!***
Disclaimer: Please note that these wines are mature. Wine is a living organism and there is a higher risk of disappointment here. If your preference is for younger wines, please skip this one. But for those who appreciate the patience required to age these and the resulting development, you are in for a treat.
***
Just a reminder of our usual rules:
** The cost of this event is for the cost of the wines and corkage only!
NOTE: Meetup has started charging a "Partner Fee" that is above and in addition to the listed price of the event. It is annoying and confusing, but there is nothing I can do about it. It comes to approximately $4 more for each RSVP. You will see this charge when you complete your RSVP and pay for the event. Sorry! Meetup+ members are exempt from this charge.
You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 33% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner. There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine for a reasonable corkage fee. We must be good guests to encourage the restaurant to continue to be generous to us.
Please read and understand the group's cancellation policy. If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot).
All cancellations are subject to an $8 service fee. Additionally, cancellations within 24 hours of the reservation will incur a $45 Restaurant Fee.
Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!6 attendees - $39.00
WA State Cabernet & Merlot
Bobby Van's 230Park, 230 Park Ave, New York, NY, USIt is time for a Washington State Cabernet and Merlot wine night at Bobby Van's. For this dinner we will have one white wine from California's Russian River Valley, followed by 4 red wines, all from Washington State.
We will return to perennial favorite, Bobby Van's on Park for a 7pm reservation.
Here is a link to their menu...
Bobby Van's on Park MenuJust a reminder of our usual rules:
** The cost of this event is $39 and is for the cost of the wines only.
NOTE: Meetup has started charging a "Partner Fee" that is above and in addition to the listed price of the event. It comes to approximately $4 more for each RSVP. You will see this charge when you complete your rsvp and pay for the event. Sorry! Meetup+ members are exempt from this charge.
You will also have to pay the cost of your food (plus 33% for tax and tip). Please order at least two courses (i.e. a main dish and either appetizer or dessert) for your dinner. There are very few restaurants that allow us to bring our own wine for a Zero corkage fee. We must be good guests to encourage the restaurant to continue to be generous to us.
Please read and understand the group's cancellation policy. If you take spot, then cancel, and no one else takes the spot, you will not receive a refund or credit. No refunds or credits will be given for no-shows or late cancellations (unless someone else takes your spot). All cancellations are subject to a $6 service fee.
Please use public transportation - NO DRINKING AND DRIVING!
The Wines :
2022 Tongue Dancer Chardonnay Pratt Vineyard, Irwin Lane ($50) - CT 94.5, The Drunken Cyclist 95 points, "Whoa. This is on the verge of life-changing. Fairly light in color, more of a pale straw than yellow with a rather demure nose of lemon curd and oak. The palate, however, is far from reserved as this is a rich wine with lovely lemon meringue, a lively zinginess, and a finish that most wines can only fancy. I have had a ton of Tongue Dancer wines now, and they continue to impress, particularly the Chardonnays."
2019 Fidelitas Merlot Red Mountain ($55) - CT 91.6, the only 100% Merlot of the night. Vinous 90 points, "The 2019 Merlot Red Mountain launches from the glass with a burst of orange-tinged blueberries and confectionary spice. It smooths over the palate with supple textures and ripe wild berry fruits—silky, without a hard edge in sight. A coating of subtle tannins lingers as the 2019 finishes with a hint of licorice. This pretty Merlot steps lightly but leaves a lasting impression. (Drink between 2025-2029)"
2011 Andrew Will Champoux Vineyard ($55) - CT 91.2, WA 94 points, A Merlot dominant blend of 54% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon. "The 2011 Champoux Vineyard is flat out gorgeous. Elegant, perfumed, layered and complex, with lots of sweet currants, licorice, underbrush and graphite, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, ultra fine tannin and a great finish. A complete, impeccably put together and balanced wine, it can be enjoyed anytime over the coming 10-15 years. (2016-2031)"
2016 DeLille Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags ($50) - CT 90.6, WA 94 points, "Named for the four famous vineyards on Red Mountain, the 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags immediately shows power and elegance on the nose, with a fresh core of fruit and minerality, showcasing rich and velvety oak tones. The wine is rich and complex on the medium to full-bodied palate that's overflowing and expressive, with good depth and breadth, balanced tannins and the lifting support of oak spices and energetic acidity. It lingers long, with a tannic edge that will settle down with time, making it ready for food now. Only 1,500 bottles were produced. I recommend securing some for yourself before they are all gone! (drink 2020-2036)"
2019 Cayuse Camaspelo ($85) - CT 93.3, JD 97, WA 92+ points, "The 2019 Camaspelo is mostly Cabernet with some Merlot splashed in. The nose begins with a generous and dark fruited frame that is open and expressive with notes of spiced black plum and a soft earthy sensation. Medium to full-bodied, the palate is savory with an umami profile that leads to a soft essence of worn leather and river rock. The wine is generously layered and offers fine-grained tannins that drive the delightfully complex and lingering finish. Only 396 cases were made."
8 attendees
Past events
468
