Bob Reina and Art Amster have been teaching wine classes in Queens for a while.
(Update: I oversimplified this a bit. Here’s the corrected history)
The Art of Wine seminars were founded in the late 70’s by Art Amster, who worked for Wildman & Sons, a prominent distributor. They were held as part of the Great Neck Public Schools Adult Ed Program. Prominent students included Shelly & Carol Rabin, Matthew LaScorsa, and Bob Reina. Those classes were suspended due to a change in liability laws that the school’s lawyers felt put them at serious risk. After Art retired, those students urged Art to re-institute the classes (the laws had softened), which he agreed to do if they took some of the administrative burden off him. By this time, Shelly had put together one of New York’s best private wine collections and become host of some of the country’s most fabulous high-end tasting dinners; Matthew had founded Heights Chateau, one of New York’s best wine stores, and Bob had become a wine writer, educator, and enthusiast (in the midst of a successful career in finance and while becoming one of the most prominent reviewers of high-end stereo equipment and music, a founder of a couple of high-end stereo mags, and a terrific jazz pianist). Art, meanwhile, has become a successful sculptor who exhibits his award-winning work several times a year in group and individual shows in New Year.
Now:
The Art of Wine seminars are held in the church hall of Bob’s parish in Douglaston/Little Neck; the priests attend with gusto. The classes are taught by a consortium of Shelly, Bob, and sometimes Matt, with Art as the leader/spiritual guru. Shelly and Matt supply the wine; Carol bakes desserts. I act as concierge. Guest winemakers or distributors often lead part of the class. Everybody disagrees about the wines; hilarity ensues as we bicker and get a touch drunk. Classes are held on two consecutive Mondays, once in the spring, once in the fall. After each session, we hold a ‘graduation dinner’ at one of several area restaurants, places where one of the leaders is well-known. Shelly supplies the wine. You’ve seen – and felt – the results.
Their friend Shelly Rabin, has a fabulous cellar and sometimes supplies wines to Rob and Arthur. This Art of Wine dinner was another one of the co-productions. It was over-the-top leaving the Negress feeling slightly nauseous thanks to her inability to stop before a good thing became too much. Here’s how it played out:
1. Mushroom Spring Rolls, Tuna Tartare, Asparagus Prosciutto Rolls and Shrimp Tempura
Cremant de Bourgogne Bailly-lapierre Reserve Brut NV
Maybe I should have skipped the third tuna tartare, but the wine, a 100 percent Chardonnay Burgundy sparkler, was light and luscious. It was crisp and pleasingly dry paired nicely with the slightly fatty pass arounds.
2. Butternut Squash Soup with Chili and Mint
2008 Les Trois Emmes Stingy Jack’s Pumpkin Cayuga White
This was one strange and unforgettable wine with hints of pumpkin pie spice and eucalyptus. It worked with the squash soup but the consensus at our table is that we had drunk our lifetime quota of this weird little Massachusetts beverage. Rob wanted more. My pal John, who has helped Rob and Arthur with the classes on occasion and has recently appeared in this blog, was of the mind that this wine didn’t go with much.
3. Duck and Chestnut Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage
2007 Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Setilles
White Burgundy is a good thing and it went well with the savory flavors in the ravioli, but this was my moment for reflux to rear its ugly head with a vengeance. While our table argued about the merits of the pumpkin white with the previous course, I was sorting myself out in the restroom. I thought the wine had aging potential, but it was not the best wine of the night.
4. Braised Lamb Shank/Organic Chicken Under a Brick/Smoked Salmon and Horseradish Encrusted Char
1999 Chateau Monbousquet St. Emilion
I chose the lamb shank, which paired very well with this Right Bank Bordeaux. This wine was lush and structured and opened up nicely in the glass. The chicken and fish eaters also liked it, but I would think it might overwhelm more delicate foods.
4. Salad with Pear, Goat and Goat Brie Cheese and Pomegranate
1990 Andre Brunel Chateauneuf du Pape Les Cailloux
This was easily the wine of the night. Shelly gave he group the last of his stash of this wine. Now there are four bottles left for sale worldwide at prices from $375 to $750 a bottle. This wine was lovely, but tighter than Jack’s hatband when first poured. Ray, a Scottish Scotch lover at our table, was not convinced this wine would ever open up. Most of us begged differ. By this point, I was tired and donated the rest of this wine to John (who supplied our corrected history), and he seemed appropriately grateful. I was mindful of the trains so I suspect I didn’t give this wine the proper attention. I knew it was special, but I couldn’t break it down because was I was loaded, tired and anticipating the 90 minutes it was going to take me to get back to New Jersey.
5. Shortbread Round with Maple Chantilly Cream and Warm Sauteed Apples with Raisins
2000 Grains Nobles par Philippe Delesvaux–Coteaux du Layon
1995 Domaine Zind-Humbrecht Vin D’Alsace
The Coteaux du Layon could have stood on its own as dessert with a nectar-like sweetness. The Zind-Humbrecht was less overtly sweet but paired well with the rich dessert. I had one bite of the dessert and two sips each of each wine. I was tired. My palate was tired. I had a train to catch. Clearly I need to train for these dinners with some sort of fasting/napping schedule. But it was lovely to get to taste some amazing wines and see my friends.
