On March 7th, 2010 my friend and I returned to the basement of the Lincoln Square Synagogue, for the Seventh Annual Gotham Kosher Wine Extravaganza. The event is driven by the master in arms, Costas Mouzouras, General Manager of Gotham Wines of Manhattan, NY, and his merry band of helpers. The event was just as busy and successful as the last one we were at in 2009. Just like last year, the tables were setup by wine importer rather than by region, because at this event there was more than just one importer. The event is one of those truly rare opportunities where a person is able to taste wines from all around the world, from any importer, and almost any top line kosher wine that exists out there. Of course, there was a very large table of wines imported by Royal Wines. However, there was another 12 tables of wines from all around the world – are you kidding me? It was like being a kid in a candy shop!

Where else can you taste up to 400 different wines that are from wineries as varied as Dalton, Yarden (not imported by Royal), Recanati, Tishbi, Abrabanel (now Admiral Imports), Red Fern Winery, Happy Hearts Importer, Victor Wines, and Royal (Carmel, Capcanes, and Yatir Winery). Each of these tables had either the wine maker, wine importer, or wine expert. They were knowledgeable about the wines and as passionate about them as I am about wines. Overall the event was another home run. There must have been easily a couple hundred people at the event, all packed into the basement of the Lincoln Square Synagogue (also known as Wink and Stare Synagogue). That said, I never had to wait long to get a glass of wine, and even if one of the people manning the tables was busy talking to a guest about a wine or winery, there was another person happy to pour for others. There was also a fair amount of wine mavens/maniacs, like me, that were a joy to converse with and get tips on what wines were really special or interesting to try, which came in handy when there are 400+ wines to look at/try.

Like last year, the event starts off with a special VIP tasting of some superb wines, two at a time. Last year, the VIP session took a bit too long, while this year it was a bit too fast. That said, there must have been some 40 or so seats at the VIP tasting and 2 folks pouring the wine. So that alone took a fair amount of time. Once the wine was poured we had very little time this year to bond or ruminate with or about the wine, as we had 18 bottles, in total, to taste at the VIP session. Many of these bottles were not on the tables or floor, so it was taste it now, or forever hold your peace. I say that, because many of these bottles are way out of my price range. The only times I get to taste them are either at this event or the Herzog event. The wines that we tasted in the VIP session are listed below with the rest of the wine notes, in their own section. The wines were tasted two at a time, which allowed Costas to talk about how they differ from each other and/or how they mimic each other. It was an awesome hour and well worth the extra few bucks.