Wine Berserkers - international wine social media, online community, and discussion

https://twitter.com/KhushAndOJ/status/1240329504276590594 The BLT Group did too, saying they wanted to make sure their employees could get unemployment before the tidal wave of requests hit. Maybe that was USHG's rationale too. This is going to be bad, very bad. My heart goes out to all the hard-wo...

Gov. Roy Cooper announced Tuesday he plans to order restaurants and bars closed except for takeout and delivery orders. The move aims to lessen the spread of COVID-19 — the disease caused by the novel coronavirus — by limiting interactions between large groups of people. A number of other states ha...

Tanoshi Sushi on the UES was solid but nothing special. Brought my own stems with no corkage fees. Reasonably priced at just a little over $100. A good neighborhood spot but not worth the 20 minute and $20 Uber to get there. Weird set-up in that the guests have to wait outside for each seating to b...

As for natural wines, I can tell you there are a lot of people following philosophy at the expense of taste (here in the US as well I might add), which is something that I detest. There's also a lot of chasing similar names which also drives me nuts. Especially as we import a fair amount of natural...

Glad to see you had a great time Sarah. Sorry to hear about Mokonuts, I've only heard good things but have never been. I am jealous you made it to Saint Sebastien as that was on my list of places to visit and I never made it (same with Rigmarole but just as I landed they got their Michelin star so t...

All good things must come to an end, so after a debaucherous Monday night at Ma Cave Fleury, I was up for a quiet lunch last Tuesday before flying back to the US. The area around my apartment in the 9th has exploded with tons of small boutiques and cool restaurants, many of them clustered around Rue...

Love Cheval d' Or! I felt the same way I had been hearing so much about it that I was worried that it might not live up but it did and then some. Exactly. It didn't hurt that it was a semi-official industry night (I was actually with your friend Atsushi and my friend Wendy Lyn - well, they barged i...

Love Cheval d' Or! I felt the same way I had been hearing so much about it that I was worried that it might not live up but it did and then some. Exactly. It didn't hurt that it was a semi-official industry night (I was actually with your friend Atsushi and my friend Wendy Lyn - well, they barged i...

Sunday I joined industry folks for a few drinks at Caves Septime (once again completely overrun with Americans but still fantastic), then headed over to Cheval D'Or for dinner. After hearing so much about it, I was eager to see what they could do. And I was not disappointed. The place was packed wit...

Just got back from France last night through JFK, my first international trip in several months. The GE kiosks no longer demand a passport swipe right away but rather ask you to take a picture, then the system identifies you (creepy...) and spits out a receipt. I assume if it can't recognize you it ...

Friday I didn't just drink Champagne, but I went to Champagne, to see Champagne Fleury, which we import. On the way back I got stuck in Valentine's Day traffic and had to change my plans. I ended up meeting up with a friend from school who lives in Paris and popping into Cave Paul Bert (which was fi...

Tanoshi Sushi, free corkage! 1372 York Ave, New York, NY 10021 http://tanoshisushinyc.com/index.html forgot about this...have you been recently? Curious how the food is holding up... I ate there a few months ago and it was very good, still BYO friendly (brought a bottle of Champagne Fleury Fleur de...

Thanks Nola, much appreciated. I was in deep dark Sicily yesterday so am now playing catch up.

Mark, haven't hit up fish Kodawari yet, I might try that for lunch before I leave.

Greg, I had heard about it but completely forgot, I really need to get there before I go. Thanks for reminding me!

Sunday I spent the day with our TX distributor, we took in a local wine trade show then meandered around Notre-Dame. The damage is heartbreaking, there's no roof, the windows are replaced by plastic tarps, there are wooden supports under the flying buttresses, and the damaged scaffolding is still th...

It also suggests that, in addition to price increase, we consumers may be facing shortages. Already happening. Retailers are starting to have empty spots on their shelves in certain markets. We took a gamble and ordered big at the end of the year (basically I told our wineries that Christmas was po...

It also suggests that, in addition to price increase, we consumers may be facing shortages. Already happening. Retailers are starting to have empty spots on their shelves in certain markets. We took a gamble and ordered big at the end of the year (basically I told our wineries that Christmas was po...

Friday night was dinner with expat friends, with a quick stop at Cave Septime to start the night right (Plageoles Blanc in the glass). Then we walked over to Jones, where the food was fantastic, service warm, and the wine list short but interesting. The Tourte d'Agneau was crazy good, and while rich...

I met one of my best customers at L'Avant Comptoir du Marché yesterday for lunch before he headed back to the US, which turned into a 3 hour affair, of course. I'd never been to this one, having frequented both the Avant Comptoir de la Terre and de la Mer and loving both, despite their tourist-trapp...

9 days and ticking until we know the next round of products on the carousel of goods. The uncertainty is like waiting for a prison sentence to be read. Who needs sleep? At least I'm in France so I'm eating/drinking my anxiety. That explains the tired look in your avatar. Ambien is a hell of a drug....

Nola Palomar wrote: ↑
February 6th, 2020, 3:51 am
9 days and ticking until we know the next round of products on the carousel of goods. The uncertainty is like waiting for a prison sentence to be read.

Who needs sleep? At least I'm in France so I'm eating/drinking my anxiety.

As I wrote on Instagram, this was today's motto....

What a great day! Andrew and I have turned our annual trips to France into a reason to meet up for some great meals. In the past, we hit Juveniles, Paul Bert, but this year we went all out. We started at Enfants du Marché, where Chef Masa was making some delicious dishes, as usual, for a light crowd...

The most interesting (and delicious) wine I tasted at Enfants du Marche last fall was Sous le Végétal Muscat Livia, a dry Chenin from Greece. I wish I could find some to buy. Sarah, I just tell them I want something fresh and not (too) oxidative that they think goes well with whatever I am ordering...

After three days of non-stop wine trade shows, today was a detox day. I met a friend for lunch at Kunitoraya, an always deliciously reliable udon place in the 1st, near Rue Saint Anne. Another stalwart, this has been delicious for years, and a go-to for authentic Japanese food in a lovely, warm sett...

First night in Paris was dinner with business associates at Bistrot Paul Bert. It was as usual packed with both locals and tourists, and firing on all cylinders. We discussed how despite being a tourist destination the food and service had remained delicious over the years, and my Gigot d'Agneau , s...

Nice article. I think every restaurant was mentioned here first! https://www.eater.com/2020/1/22/21068125/asian-food-in-paris-restaurants-chinese-japanese-korean-cuisine Perfect timing, something to read on the plane to Paris tonight. We really enjoyed our meal at Cheval d'Or. I'll try to make it t...

Killing me that they gave CAM a shout-out; it’s my backup for Sunday if I don’t get the Rigamorle waiting list call. Love CAM, and the Smiths Sundays were the only time we cheated on Sunday family dinner... was just great to go somewhere that didn’t feel like Paris. I know, right? I am probably tak...

Robert Dentice wrote: ↑
January 23rd, 2020, 7:35 am
Nice article. I think every restaurant was mentioned here first!

https://www.eater.com/2020/1/22/2106812 ... an-cuisine

Perfect timing, something to read on the plane to Paris tonight.

to Matt Hartley, you wrote: "But the importer owes the 25% within 10 days..." Your argument is incorrect from this phrase on. The importer pays the 25% before the wine is released from customs. I know. I'm the importer. I've been writing the checks. Dan Kravitz +1. I get the invoice the moment the ...

As someone with Champagne on the water, I am slightly relieved. This only resolved one issue (the DST), there is still risk of 100% on ALL wines from the EU, including Champagne, for the Airbus issue. So they just removed one nuke, the other one is still hanging over our heads. Fun times. We’ll be ...

As someone with Champagne on the water, I am slightly relieved. This only resolved one issue (the DST), there is still risk of 100% on ALL wines from the EU, including Champagne, for the Airbus issue. So they just removed one nuke, the other one is still hanging over our heads.

Fun times.

Nola Palomar wrote: ↑
January 14th, 2020, 4:27 pm
I have not had this degree of anxiety for many months...

As I've discovered, sleep is WAY overrated...

There's a bunch of industry folks in DC right now, pounding doors to get meetings with Congresscritters. I'm watching some live as they stream accounts of talking to folks who are supposedly listening with a sympathetic ear. But from what I've heard from our DC contacts, the trade rep Robert Lightiz...

Love love love L'Ami Jean, looks like you guys had a great time. In all my trips, I have still not made it to Au Passage, I might fix that on my next stay.

Next day , for lunch , to Chinatown . The place is called Nom Wah tea parlor. You would never go in without a recommendation , it does not look appealing , more like a hole in a wall . The place is packed , the food delicious . I ate way too much . The local NYC station here in New York talked abou...

Talking to one retailer, who is in communication with a number of wholesalers/importers, and keeping up with things, said it's very unlikely that the 100% tariff on wine will kick in. Who knows. The uncertainty, coupled with strikes in France and holiday vacations across the Continent, make for som...

Victor Hong wrote: ↑
December 18th, 2019, 4:15 pm

Michel Abood wrote: ↑
December 18th, 2019, 4:13 pm

Victor Hong wrote: ↑
December 18th, 2019, 4:09 pm
Many ITB'ers have their life savings in their businesses, and face the material risk of having to start all over.....at not-so-young ages.
Bingo. Need another noodle-slinger? I hear I'm pretty good.
Bragging about your noodle again?

My noodle brings all the boyz to the yard.

Victor Hong wrote: ↑
December 18th, 2019, 4:09 pm
Many ITB'ers have their life savings in their businesses, and face the material risk of having to start all over.....at not-so-young ages.

Bingo. Need another noodle-slinger? I hear I'm pretty good.

GregT wrote: ↑
December 18th, 2019, 10:10 am
Yeah. I figured.

Back in the early 90s we wrote letters.

What is this "wrote letters" you speak about?

I find it interesting to read comments about people "riding out" a 100% tariff. I could be wrong, but if a 100% tariff goes into effect it will essentially grind to a halt the import of EU wines into the US. I would venture to guess volume would drop 90%+. For people that rely on that channel, past...

Dan, I'm sorry you're an indirect target/casualty of this tariff and battle. The prevalent mood I am running into with importers and suppliers is a hope it passes vs. a plan for when it happens which is a bit frustrating. Pragmatically I have to plan as if it's already in and assess "do we carry vs...

Dan, I'm sorry you're an indirect target/casualty of this tariff and battle. The prevalent mood I am running into with importers and suppliers is a hope it passes vs. a plan for when it happens which is a bit frustrating. Pragmatically I have to plan as if it's already in and assess "do we carry vs...

I'm of the opinion that this will hardly be felt by the average consumer. While I'm not a fan of most this administration does, the issues that are triggering these tariffs are a big part of the US economy: aircraft and tech. EU has long been illiegally (according to WTO) subsidizing Airbus to the ...

Thank you all who commented, please pass the word along. This is not getting much play despite it impacting anyone who enjoys eating/drinking almost anything from Europe. The louder we get, the better the chances to have this revoked or at least cancelled.

Victor Hong wrote: ↑
December 13th, 2019, 1:17 pm
I am hosting a wine dinner tonight at Union Square Cafe, with 1989 and 1990 Pauillac and Pomerol wines. Their replacement costs have become daunting.

Glad to see you still go there, nice to see some things don't change. Enjoy yourselves tonight!

One thing that hasn't really been mentioned is that it's going to be difficult to negotiate within the WTO, the current administration is blocking new appointments there: https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2019/11/28/its-the-end-of-the-world-trade-organisation-as-we-know-it I figure the...

Let’s change the title to 100 on ALL European wines- https://www.winespectator.com/articles/trump-administration-considers-increased-tariffs-on-all-european-wines?utm_campaign=BreakingNews121319A&utm_source=BreakingNews121319&utm_medium=email&utm_content=40a3963e710ba30a959f1361e3e000aa Not just wi...

I agree it's likely political posturing or at least trying to get leverage in negotiations, but they are playing with the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people (voters) in the US. We don't have any set date, though when I spoke with the USTR they said that historically tariffs were imposed ...

I know there's already a post about the current round of 25% tariffs (which, as a wine importer, are so much fun to deal with - insert sarcasm), however I feel this needs to be a separate post. Not enough people seem to understand that the next round, likely at the end of January/early February, wil...

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