Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/551222
22 / the tasting panel / august 2015 NEW YORK CITY SIPS by Lana Bortolot W e spent the month drinking not one Grand Cru wine, instead turning our taste buds to fanciful quaffs that transported us out of the concrete jungle, where we envisioned ourselves by the French, Slovenian or Italian seaside. We enjoyed a Midtown tasting with Tatjana Puklavec, Managing Director and third generation of P&F Winery from the Ljutomer-Ormoz region of Slovenia. (Fortunately, the wines she poured were easier to pronounce than the lands from which they came.) Tatjana describes her sales and marketing territory as "the United States and the world;" the winery has grown its export market from two to 24 over the past five years, formally launching in the States this spring. Some people don't think Slovenians can make wine, Tatjana says, but "as soon as they taste it, they drop their prejudices." In fact, she confided, an Alto Adige producer rated P&F's Pinot Grigio higher than his own. The white wines are affordable—all to be had at less than $15—but also quality-driven, with hand harvesting and sustainable viti- culture. Her roadshow companions included a Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet/Merlot blend. The Grigio seemed like a crisp Verdejo, and though we braced ourselves for yet another in-your-face Sauvignon Blanc, we were happy this one conjured up savvy Sancerre. What's officially billed as the "World's First Food & Wine Festival Dedicated to Rosé Wine," has unofficially (and unabashedly, we might add) become the booze cruise of the year. For the second year, the La Nuit en Rose party docked on the Hudson River, presenting two floors of pink producers (more than 150 wines) from across the globe—from Provence's light salmon-hued wines to Spain's rosados. We even tasted a Moroccan rosé. Industry guests included media and importers (I spy Palm Bay) and regions (bonjour, Loire!), but more importantly retail- ers—usually tethered to the stock- room—had the opportunity to dress up in pink and have a day of cruising around Manhattan. And, it turned out, they were the life of the party. The Consortium of Lugana DOC came through New York, making a stop at Eataly on their way home from the West Coast (keep an eye out for Deborah Parker Wong's story on p. 56). The small region, south of Italy's Lake Garda, boasts its own indigenous grape, Turbiana, which Consortium Director Luca Formentini says has "a unique personality that is translated in many different ways." He calls it "The new Pinot Grigio." We wonder what Alto Adige and Slovenia have to say about that! Cruising on Summer Time Tatjana Puklavec, Managing Director and third generation of P&F Winery. Consortium of Lugana DOC President Luca Formentini and Carlo Veronese, Cosortium Director. PHOTO: LANA BORTOLOT PHOTO: LANA BORTOLOT PHOTO: LANA BORTOLOT Eric Foret, Cellar to Table, New York–based distributor and friend.