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Frieze NY, 2018

'If you live long enough, you'll see everything' may be a truism but on a recent trip to New York, several strands heralded in this Blog seemed to come together.

the 2018 Frieze tent on Randall's Island

Take the amazing wine list at Foul Witch by Blanca at the Frieze New York 2018. Foul Witch was a pop-up restaurant at the fair and Blanca is the two-Michelin star tasting restaurant co-founded by chef Carlo Mirarchi.

The name of the Sommelier was Hugh Crickbourne. Whether he was responsible for the whole list we don't know but whoever it was has offered in a short space the following interesting items you don't find on most other wine lists;

Czech wines (from Bohemia and Moravia)
Orange wines including a Qvevri wine from Georgia
A Trollinger (aka. Schiava/Vernatch) rose
A fortified wine (under the heading 'Sherry') from Zalema of the Condado de Huelva, Andalucia
A North Fork Long Island Cab. Franc 'sans soufre'
An Arbois Poulsard.

Indeed, every wine on the list had clearly been painstakingly chosen and the reasoning behind each one was easy to see.

Next, mirabile dictu, Glinavos's Paleokairisio (or Paleokerisio as transliterated here) the brown sparkling wine from Debina and Vlahiko we have been banging on about for years. It had been seen at Frankly Wines with its Greek label on a previous trip but here it was, properly presented for the US market.

It always went down well as a beverage but no professional could see the point of it. When it should be drunk and with what. Its cidery notes were also not appreciated but here it was at the ever adventurous Flatiron Wines of New York. The girl at the till assured us it was a popular item. Not yet as popular as Mateus Rose but finally on its way.

left to right (not counting the bottle on the far left) Viuva Gomes Reserva Tinto, Arenae Malvasia Colares and Viuva Gomes Ramisco

Just to put the icing on the cake, a whole tray of Colares - red and white - also at Flatiron.