We reverse at 20mph

We're still amused by the New Yorker's response to 20mph limits on London roads: "In New York, we reverse at 20mph".

So we thought we'd show them what Londoners could do speed-shopping for wine in their city.

First stop, Columbus Circle Wines thanks to a tip-off from Winesearcher on the subject of New York wines.

Here we found something other than what we were looking for; a wine from Henry of Pelham, Ontario - their Baco Noir.

What we had been looking for was wine from Bedell Cellars and here we found their Cabernet Franc (North Fork, Long Island).

Next was a visit to America's Wine Shop on 3rd Avenue but despite quite a few NY wines they didn't have what we were looking for there.

On to Flatiron Wines. Again nothing purchased as they were clean out of Heitz Grignolino pace Winesearcher. Interesting stock though including this Silkman Hunter Valley Semillon at a reasonable price.

Around the corner at Warehouse Wines and Spirits, 735 Broadway, we found a bottle of Lieb's Pinot Blanc from Lieb Cellars, North Fork, Long Island. We seldom leave New York without a bott

  

Astor Wines is but a skip and a jump from there. Here we found that Heitz Grignolino we had been looking for.

Around the corner from our hotel is a new and promising little shop called 'Vin des Amis.' We were stunned to find an obscure wine of our acquaintance from Massa Carrara by the charming Emanuele Crudeli. There were other really interesting bottles. A very well selected list.

On to Chambers Street Wines, the world's greatest wine merchant. This time we left with a Bernard Tracey Pineau D'Aunis.

  
and a good-looking Rossese. The New York wines here are excellent but quite expensive these days. It's good to see them ever better represented at Chambers St. Their seal of approval is significant. They haven't always stock NY wines so this can only mean quality has improved. We were aware of that but here was confirmation.

By accident we stumbled on Frankly Wines around the corner from Chambers Street at 66 West Broadway. This is a small but sparky complement to Chambers Street. Along similar lines, it provides some extra choices which Chambers Street might have offered if they had had more space. A compliment indeed.

Here we bought a bottle of 100% Negrette - rarer than one might have thought. Negrette is so often combined with 20% Syrah but we like ours neat.

Astoundingly, Frankly Wines had a bottle of our Greek discovery 'Paliokairisio' from Glinavos. Our NY foray was bringing quite a few of our finds home to roost as they say. Nice.



                                                                                  

Then to Alphabet City. Discovery Wines on Avenue B, East Village.

Again, an eclectic selection among which a rarity from Georgia - an Otskhanuri Sapere. there are hundreds of native Georgian varieties so finding a new one was hardly surprising yet finding it on Avenue B was a surprise even if the shop is called Discovery Wines.

Stonehill Missouri

13.6%

13.8%

Finally, two bottles we had pre-ordered from Stone Hill Winery in Missouri. Stone Hill are reputed to produce one of the best wines from Norton but they are not available in New York. Indeed Chicago sems to be the furthest they travel in a retail capacity. Norton is considered a hybrid with Vitis Aestivalis and Vinifera in its ancestry. Daniel Norborne Norton discovered it around 1820 in Virginia. He thought it a hybrid of Bland and Pinot Meunier but DNA analysis prefers the former.

Norton is considered the only American vine variety capable of making quality wine. It once won the 'Best red wine of all Nations' award at a wine competition in Vienna.

Wine glasses at The Smith, Lincoln Center. On the right Frank Rkatsiteli

All of that in one day.