Italian Wines @ InQuattro Fashion Group, Yorkville, April 14
The event was Italian, so the great fashion was no surprise. And the food was ... sushi.
The InQuattro fashion emporium is an odd cross between a high end fashion boutique and an office: the periphery of the big old converted church on Hazelton Avenue is a well laid out display of Europe's top names in fashion: Versace, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Dirk Bikkembergs and others, while the centre is glass cubicle offices. Odd. No cash tills were evident, so it's probably not a retail outlet.
The fashionistas were there in force: tall and beautiful models, including a gaggle of chatty Russian girls, well-dressed older women, thirtysomething gays in elaborately "edgy" outfits better suited to their twentysomething counterparts (if only they could afford them...) and the inevitable accessory of any moneyed event: straight men in conservative suits.
The wine selection was small and very inexpensive. But interesting. The idea was to show some Italian wines that work well with sushi. Here are my two favourites:
Fondo Antico 2005 Grillo Parlante $14.85 (at Vintages)
In the original Italian version of Pinnochio, the "grillo parlante" was just that: the talking cricket. Walt Disney called him Jiminy Cricket. Grillo (the double l's equal "y" in Italian) is also the name of the grape is used, along with catarratto bianco, to make marsala. However, that rich fortified Sicilian wine has fallen out of favour in the market and now grillo is being made into a dry wine.
This wine has a rich almost golden colour and an interesing aroma, including floral notes. On the palate, it's both full bodied and very dry. There's a good amount of ripe white fruit and decent acidity. OK finish. It worked well enough with the sushi, but it's just fine on its own. 88 points.
Zenato 2006 Bardolino Chiaretto (Rosé) $12.85 (at Vintages)
Fairly bright orange-pink colour on this nice full rosé. Lots of fruit, including cherries and red berries, but nicely dry. Acidity level is good and there's a nice lingering finish with more fruit and a nutty note. Although rosés are never expensive, this represents particularly good value. 88 points.
