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Posts from the ‘de Maison Selections’ Category

May 9

Txikifest 2012

The traditional pouring of Ameztoi Rubentis Txakolina

On Sunday, a bunch of us spent the afternoon at Txikifest 2012 , a fabulous Txakoli fair located in the back alleyway of Txikito, a Basque restaurant in Chelsea.  With producers from D. O. Bizkaiko Txakolina, D.O. Arabako Txakolina and D.O. Getariako Txakolina (including Ameztoi!), delectable snacks for pairing from a smart selection of restaurants, and proceeds going to the Department of Neonatology at NYU Langone Medical Center, this was an event not to be missed!

And we are happy to say, that after tasting through the selections, we decided, hands down, that Ameztoi Txakolina and Ameztoi Rubentis Txakolina were most certainly our favorites!

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Feb 28

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A Special Place…Really

A visit to Granja Nuestra Señora de Remelluri, by Chris Wilford

While reflecting on my visit to the Remelluri estate located in the town of Labastida in the north of Spain’s famed Rioja region the words “a special place” kept popping into my head. I must admit that I find the phrase a bit cliché. That said, I just couldn’t shake it. Like a sip of a wine you didn’t think you would like but couldn’t stop thinking about, it simply lingered in my mind.

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Feb 9

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Love in a Bottle–Clos Cibonne Rosé

She picked a round stone from the river

And carved his name

In a heart

On a rock.

A strand of strawberry slipped from her ear

The sun-kissed dry on her cheek

Yesterday’s perfume on pale freckled skin

And forest stains on the knees of his jeans.

–Clos Cibonne Rosé 2009

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Nov 11

Staff Picks–Gorrondona Tinto Txakolina 2010

Staff Pick from Brian, our Domestic Portfolio Manager:

For me, it’s the 2010 vintage of Gorrondona Tinto Txakolina. 100% Hondarribi Beltza.

Much deeper dark fruit than the 2009.  Reminded me of some of my favorite Cab Francs from the Loire (La Croix Boissie from Baudry and Pierre and Catherine Breton’s Bourgueil Clos Sénéchal).

Those two wines specifically are from distinct clay soil vineyards in Saumur-Champigny and Bourgueil.  The Gorrondona had a very similiar minerality as those wines and great salinity from the Atlantic.

Perfect for this time of year, with root vegetables from the farmer’s market.


Oct 18

Find Fermented Cider in New York City

To aid your consumption of cider during Cider Week, we’ve compiled a list of bars, restaurants and stores  that carry our ciders, including the establishments that are hosting events for Cider Week.  Click on the links to access each site and enjoy!

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Oct 18

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Cider Week NYC at TEW!

It’s Cider Week  in NYC, and since we have some of the best Spanish, French and American ciders on offer, we are psyched to celebrate! From De Maison Selections, we bring you Isastegi, Trabanco, and Bordatto Etxaldea.  And from the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains, we carry Foggy Ridge Cider.  In these bottles, you’ll find a full range of apple varietals and flavors, from fresh fruit to tart and funk.  And whether served with tapas, as an aperitif or on their own, some of our ciders are easy drinking, while others are complex like wine.

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Sep 23

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Grower Rioja with Andre Tamers

Telmo Rodriguez of Remelluri discusses the importance of returning to traditional bush vines and field blends.

In June, Georgia Blume went with Andre Tamers to visit his wineries in Northern Spain.  What follows are her recollections and reflections.  Thanks Georgia!

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In June, I was fortunate to be invited by Andre Tamers to visit his wineries in Northern Spain. If you don’t know Andre, he is the founder of De Maison Selections, arguably the most interesting and revolutionary Spanish importer in the country right now. Andre Tamers and Tom Edward ironically both started in the wine world “repping” the street for Monsieur Touton, and Tom was the first distributor to bring Andre’s wines in 15 years ago.

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Sep 16

Isastegi––Natural Cider from Basque Country

Yes, the Vuelta España is over, however, our love of all fermentations from Basque County is not.  And because, for 15 years, the Vuelta began and finished in Bilbao, we thought it most appropriate to finish our coverage of the Vuelta with Isastegi, a natural cider from Basque Country, which is also how we’ll toast the announcement that next year’s Vuelta will begin in Pamplona (also in Basque), of the running bulls fame.

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Sep 15

The Vuelta Espana Visits Basque Country!

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While we are well aware that the Vuelta España has come to an end, with Juan José Cobo of Team Geox-TMC as the overall GC winner, we wish to take a moment here to turn back the clock so that we can linger on Stages 19 & 20, when the peloton passed through Basque Country.  Home to three wine regions, including D.O. Arabako Txakolina, D.O. Bizkaiko Txakolina, and D.O. Getariako Txakolina, Basque Country once hosted the start and finish of the Vuelta España for 15 years in a row.  From 1955 to 1970, this 21-day stage race began and ended in Bilbao, and for the first time since 1978, the Vuelta returns to its roots.

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Sep 9

Riding through Austurias with the Vuelta Espana while Drinking Trabanco Cider

Trabanco-Mixed Plantations of Apple Trees
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Tucked between Spain’s NW regions of Galicia and Basque Country, sits Asturias, home to an eternity of apple orchids.  Dominating the economy here since the 18th century, apples have been used for remedies and cooking, and most importantly for the production of apple cider.  Here, in the land of apple groves, the Vuelta España hosted Stages 14-16.  On Saturday, Stage 14 snaked through the mountains and finished with a grueling 11% climb just south of Austurias; Stage 15 rode through Austurias and, with an evil 13% climb for the final 6.5km, was clearly the most punishing day of the race.  On Monday the peloton had a well deserved day of rest (that hopefully included a few bottles of Trabanco Cosecha Propia), and yesterday, Stage 16 raced through the plains of Rioja.  And while André Tamers of De Maison Selections most likely wasn’t hanging on to the peloton for dear life while originally touring the region, he did come home with some important cultural findings.

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