Quirky Alps-Adjacent White Wine Fondue Night (+ Cider)

PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR THIS EVENT, THE BILL MUST BE PAID IN CASH!

Join Marly as she hosts this ALL WHITE WINE event at a FONDUE restaurant!!

For this 6-person wine dinner, we will be going to Taureau in Soho, the fondue arm of the French restaurant La Sirène next door. Taureau tables have built-in burners. Their fondue menu is extensive, offering 6 types of cheese fondue, including French & Swiss styles (which will pair better than some choices like their "Devil Whiff"). Each fondue comes with bread for dipping, and additional dippers can be ordered on the side for $6-9 each.

Dinner will include 3 white wines from areas near or at the Alps, and 1 Normandy cider, for a total wine cost of $43 per person. And while Eric is listed as the host in Meetup, this dinner is officially being hosted by Marly.

Before RSVPing yes, please read why this dinner is labeled quirky:

1. Each $60 cheese fondue pot serves 2 people, so each 2 people will need to share 1 fondue and therefore agree on which type to order. If 2 people can’t agree, seats will be switched until everyone’s happy.
2. This restaurant offers zero corkage for the amount of wine we are bringing but ONLY IF THE ENTIRE BILL IS PAID IN CASH, including tip. This means you can assume the bare minimum check for just cheese & bread would be $40, however it’s likely the table will order extra dippers to share so please prepare for that, and there's also optional dessert fondue ($30 for 1 fondue for the table if we decide to order it, but we may not). Be prepared to bring cash to cover your bill + tip, and a little extra in case.
3. A fondue dinner in this crazy hot summer? Hey it's okay to pretend we're in the wintry Alps instead of here for one night, right?

** The cost of this event is $43 and is for the cost of the wines and the 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. MEETUP+ members are exempt from this charge.

Just a reminder of our usual rules:

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 $5 service fee.

The Wines & Cider (notes will be distributed at the dinner):

1. Manoir du Kinkiz, Sparkling Cider 'Cornouaille' NV, $20 We'll start off with a Normandy cider. Astor Wines says: From France's Brittany coast comes this delicious, dry sparkling cider. Fragrant earthy and mushroom aromas continue to the palate. A knockout pairing with sharp cheeses. Leon & Sons says: Cornouaille occupies the southern fork of Brittany’s peninsula. The name Cornouaille comes from the Celtic tribe, Cornovii, which translates to "the peninsula people”. Kinkiz’s AOP Cornouaille cider is produced in accordance with all of the rules that help to distinguish this great terroir. These rules include restrictions on the varieties of apples allowed to be used, and strict controls over the method of production. Cornouaille AOP cider has a deep golden color, and is very aromatic. It is rich, mildly bitter-sweet, and leaves the mouth pleasantly refreshed. Manoir du Kinkiz 's work is done with the utmost respect for nature. They use no herbicides in their orchards and use ladybugs that rid their orchards of insects. Kinkiz is making a genuine attempt to return to the hands-on, artisan production methods of their ancestors.
2. Mystery White Wine from Northern Italy that Marly will procure on her trip to Italy, ~$40
3. Domaine de Chevillard, Roussette de Savoie 2020, $70 - A fondue dinner wouldn't be complete without a Savoie white: local wine pairs well with local cheese. Flatiron Wines says: Made in the high-altitude vineyards of Savoie, Domaine de Chevillard’s Roussette de Savoie is a wine that reflects both the ruggedness and the purity of this mountainous region. The 2020 vintage shows the vineyard’s organic farming practices at their best, producing a wine that is as clean and precise as the alpine landscape it hails from. The wine offers bright citrus and floral aromas, with a distinctive minerality that comes from the limestone-rich soils of the region. On the palate, it’s crisp and refreshing, with lively acidity and just enough roundness to give it depth. The finish is long and clean, with a subtle herbal note that lingers. Roussette de Savoie 2020 is a perfect introduction to the wines of the French Alps—elegant and approachable, yet with a sense of place that’s unmistakable. It pairs beautifully with the fresh, simple dishes of the region, from alpine cheeses to seafood and light poultry.
4. Riesling Grand Cru Alsace 2019, $100 - 92 WE, 92 WS - This wine has a personal connection. I met Jean Trimbach in 2003 at a wine dinner he hosted at one of my former employer's restaurants. There I experienced my first taste of Riesling, in this case from Alsace, and it was one of those defining moments for me as a wine drinker. Soon after, I traveled to Alsace and my company arranged a private tasting at the Trimbach winery in Ribeauvillé, where Jean Trimbach presented me with a vertical Gewurtraminer tasting. We tasted together and this inexperienced taster was quite intimidated but my host was very gracious. At that point loving both dry Riesling and Gewurtz, my heart still feels a stronger connection to Trimbach's Riesling. Their regular bottles are ~$20 now and ubiquitous in wine shops, but for this dinner I wanted to crank it up and taste one of his finer bottles. About this particular bottle from Grand Cru Mandelberg in Mittelwihr, is situated on an almond tree slope. This south-south-east hill is composed of brown limestone-marl soil and is an early-ripening terroir. The vineyard has an altitude of 690-755 ft., with the age of the vines averaging 45+ years. Twenty years after cultivating the vineyard, the family had decided to integrate this Grand Cru in their collection. Vinified in a dry style in stainless steel vats. No malolactic fermentation or long ageing on lees in order to preserve freshness, liveliness and fruity aromas. A highly finessed wine, this has notes of herbal tea and vibrant citrus over a mineral backdrop. A rich, mouth-filling wine with ripe yellow fruit on the palate. Perfectly balanced with tension. Texturally complex finish.