2004’s first shipments of Beaujolais Nouveau have arrrived…and, despite how many wine snobs feel about this ultra-young, ultra-juicy wine, I plan to get a few bottles this weekend. This was a good year for Gamay grapes (which are what’s used for BN) if the experts are to be believed, so I look forward to tasting the freshest of wines. BN is an easy, fun wine that isn’t meant to be scrutinized or analyzed. And, while it seems to become more and more about the "hype" every year…I’ll never give up on it. It’s still an event and any excuse to…

In what has become a tradition when we see Paul and Sara, we put together a Syrah/Shiraz tasting for last Saturday. Our last one was rather impromptu…we had four Rieslings the last time. The premise this time around was simple, each couple would contribute one bottle of "bargain" wine ($10 or less) and one more expensive bottle ($20 or more). We wanted to see if there was a marked difference based upon price and which we’d prefer. Plus, four bottles and four tasters always makes for good times. Nena and I contributed a bottle of 2002 Columbia Crest Two Vines…

An authentic Philly Cheesesteak. I’d never had one in 24 years living in PA. Of course I was in Pittsburgh, about five hours away, so I’m going to give myself a free pass. Surely I would have had one at 3 a.m. after a night of drinking had I grown up in Philly! When we were in Philly last weekend, we decided to get cheesesteaks Sunday to eat as we settled into Paul and Sara’s family room to watch our beloved Steelers destroy and embarass the Cleveland Browns. But where to go? Anyone from (or who has lived in) Philly…

I consider myself a pretty good cook…better than pretty good in fact. Sure, I’m no professional…but I’d gone a looong time without a meal totally crashing and burning. Last night’s dinner summed up in a word: Bomb. I got home late, found myself missing some ingredients for my intended creations. Culinary arrogance drove me on…I could make it work. I could create a masterpiece from mere scraps. Gold from sawdust. The Gods of the Gullet have shamed and humbled me. I won’t even discuss the "menu" or what exactly happened. It was that horrific and unpleasant. Nena said she still…

That’s right loyal readers, LENNDEVOURS is packing up and moving his roadshow to Philadelphia…but just for the weekend. Nena and I are heading down the NJ Turnpike tomorrow after work to spend the weekend with my college buddy, Paul and his still-new wife (May 2004) Sara. They are foodies and wine lovers…so it is sure to be a weekend filled with LENNDEVOURS content. A quick preview: We’re going to Azafran for dinner Saturday night. It will be our first visit to one of Philly’s famed BYOs…and it’s supposed to be one of the best in the city. Can’t wait…plus we’re…

The cold won…easily. I had planned on tasting a couple wines last night to review for the site, but over the course of the day, what I thought were some mild allergy symptoms turned into a full-blown cold. Bad enough, in fact, that I’m staying home from work today. I think my boss got sick of saying "God bless you" every time I sneezed yesterday anyway. Hopefully I’ll get over this cold quickly. We’re heading to Philly to visit Paul and Sara this weekend…we’re going to a great BYO restaurant and doing our own little Syrah/Shiraz tasting…

Saturday, I finally had a chance to head out to Mattituck for the vineyard tour and tasting at Shinn Estate Vineyards, a fairly new vineyard that is owned and operated by David Page and Barbara Shinn, who also own Home restaurant in Greenwich Village. I haven’t been to Home, but after the great time I had at the vineyard, I can’t wait to check it out. I’ve visted just about every vineyard/winery on Long Island, and I can honestly say that I’ve never enjoyed a tour like I did at Shinn. First of all, very few vineyards let you out…

As I promised last week, Wine Blogging Wednesday (WBW) #4 was announced over the weekend. It’s being hosted by Derrick over at An Obsession With Food, a personal favorite that I check regularly for updates. This vintage of WBW will focus on New World Riesling, another recent favorite. And I hope that many of you will participate in this always-fun event, which is slated for December 1st. So get shopping…there are great Rieslings from New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific Northwest and, yes, here in New York. I think I have to represent Long Island wine and find a couple to…