NIGHTLIGHT: Bottlenote's Inaugural Around the World in 80 Sips at 583 Park is a Hit Says Whom You Know!

Stay Local. Drink Global.

Bottlenotes' Around the World in 80 Sips™

Brings 80 + Wines from 5 continents to NYC Wine Enthusiasts.
Peachy Deegan just LOVED it!

On the evening of Friday, November 13, Whom You Know had the privilege of traveling around the world, all in the comfort of one place, when Bottlenotes held their first annual Around the World in 80 Sips.  We think we may have had even more than 80 sips because the selection was so enticing!


Hosted at the lovely event space at 583 Park Avenue, one of the best event spaces in Manhattan, the event was a wine tasting of a grander scale (how "Champagne Wishes"!), with representatives from wineries all around the world- with usual contenders like France, Italy, Spain and the US, while some unusual and unexpected joiners like China, Thailand, Lebanon and Israel participated too.  Of course, Peachy loved the sparkling the most.


Wines of all varieties, vintages and blends were well represented, with sparkling wines being amongst the favorites of the entire Whom You Know panel.  All around, it was an exciting, fun and educational event for all attendees, whether seasoned wine connoisseurs or new and intermediate enthusiasts.  We loved that some of the wineries that made an appearance at the event were staffed by the actual owners themselves and we were treated to a glimpse of the hard work, planning and passion that went into the creation of their wines.  Our appreciation of wine has definitely increased manifold afterwards.  Bottlenotes did a fantastic job putting together this
wonderful "trip" Around the World in 80 Sips for us, we're looking forward with anticipation to next year's "trip" with them!



We also look forward to featuring the best of the night in Champagne Wishes and some of the food choices in Peachy's Pantry!  The wine was accompanied by Italian charcuterie, cheese from Artisanal Premium Cheese, handmade chocolate, hand-rolled cigars and more.  We were pleased to see our friend Matt Wong from Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits and we will be reviewing them soon much to our delight!



Bottlenotes' wine tasting is inspired by the Bottlenotes Guide to Wine: Around the World in 80 Sips, and comes on the heels of its nationwide book tour. Their tastings, which feature wines from traditional and emerging wine regions including Argentina, California, Chile, China, France, Italy, Lebanon, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain and South Africa, have drawn large crowds in San Francisco, Chicago, Portland and Dallas. 


Bottlenotes Co-Founder Kim Donaldson is confident in the local response, “New Yorkers are passionate about wine and food, and are always looking for new wines to try and new regions to explore. Around the World in 80 Sips^TMoffers that in a fun, informative setting without the formality often associated with wine tastings.”



A portion of ticket sales for the event benefits Robin Hood, a local non-profit organization that identifies and combats poverty at its roots, giving 100% of every donation directly to programs helping poor New Yorkers. Guests presenting a business card at the Robin Hood booth were eligible to win a grand raffle prize of two roundtrip jetBlue tickets to San Francisco for a weekend of exclusive wine tastings and a winemaker dinner in Napa. Whether looking for a fun night out or seeking new wines for the holidays, Around the World in 80 Sips^TM promises fun, flavor and a flight to wine country for one lucky attendee.



'Early bird' tickets were $50 (limited quantity), regular advanced tickets were $60 (available through 11/13 at 2:00p.m.) and tickets were $75 at the door. There was a VIP and press tasting from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m., with an exclusive Champagne and sparkling wine tasting featuring Ayala Champagne, and included a reserved seating area throughout the event. VIP tickets were $125. Doors opened to general admission from 6:30 p.m. – 8:30p.m.  


Among the wonderful people we met last night were:
Carrie Forster
Frank Forster
Alexander Milligan
Jonathan Shiekman
Robert Miller
Cate Evans
Robert Carbone
Tim McDonald
Kim Hyson
Simon Buck
Max McCalman
Brianna Jordan
Matt Wong
Rick Fields
Lisa Carley
Andrew Bell
David Bate
Makiko Yamashita
Stephenie Harris
Robert Hall
Jonathan Sillcocks
Suzie Kukic


 

About Bottlenotes.com
Launched in 2005, Bottlenotes is a Palo Alto based company, uniting e-commerce and community with its online wine platform that guides wine novices and enthusiasts through the world of wine with a Personal Taste Profile^TM, community reviews, tailored wine recommendations, customized wine clubs, hand-selected boutique and estate wines from around the world, a wine registry, and wine resources such as The Daily Sip™ (a daily wine email sent to 100,000 subscribers), a Winecyclopedia™, and podcasts that share insights from wine experts. For more information visit www.bottlenotes.com.


About the Participants:



Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits (www.sherry-lehmann.com) New York’s leading brick and mortar wine retailer located at 505 Park Avenue at 59th Street celebrating over 75 years of business.



Artisanal Premium Cheese (www.artisanalpremiumcheese.com) America's first restaurant-based 
Maître Fromager Max McCalman will attend representing Artisanal Premium Cheese and their extensive selection of cheeses aged in their very own cheese caves. 



Bottega del Vino Crystal (www.bottegadelvinocrystal.com) The Chicago-based importer of beautiful, hand-blown Italian stemware. “If the wine matters, so does the glass.™”



Leopard Frog (www.leopard-frog.com) Leopard Frog's winemaker and proprietor David Bate will be on hand pouring a selection of premium estate wines made on his family-owned farm in the heart of the historic wine capital of Stellenbosch, South Africa.  His handmade chocolate and hand-rolled cigars will also be sampled.



Chateau Montelena (www.montelena.com) In 1976 California’s Chateau Montelena put the U.S. at the forefront of the wine world at the now infamous Paris tasting in which four white Burgundies were tasted against six California Chardonnays and the French judges were convinced that the top-ranking white wine was one of their own, when in fact it was Chateau Montelena's 1973 Chardonnay.



River Valley Wine Cellars (www.rivervalleywinecellars.com) River Valley Wine Cellars is a state-of-the-art, environmentally controlled and secure storage facility for the preservation of fine wine for both short and long term storage, serving Manhattan and the Tri-State Area.



Ayala (www.thepurestchampagne.com) The only French champagne house with Latin roots, AYALA was established in 1860 in Äy, France by Edmond de Ayala, the son of a Colombian diplomat in Paris, who married the niece of a noble Viscount and received the Chateau of Äy as his dowry, along with prime vineyards located in Aÿ and Mareuil sur Aÿ.



Rick's Picks (www.rickspicksnyc.com) Founder Rick Fields is scheduled to be on-hand to discuss the wonders of his pickles. Rick's Picks is located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and makes fourteen varieties of shelf-stable pickles. The pickles are hand-packed and all natural, made in season with produce from local farmers. They bring innovation to a category that hasn’t seen much change in a long time. 


A lovely job by Delicious Life