The Iron Chevsky Wine Blog

Russians are coming! Russians are coming! Last Friday, my step-dad was celebrating his birthday at a beer-and-grill bistro joint on Masonic and Fulton in San Francisco, called Bistro Gambrinus . The place that used to be a coffee shop has recently changed hands, and the new owners Sergey and his wife Clara from ex-Soviet Union have completely remodeled and redesigned it, managing to infuse an eastern-European bar/restaurant feel into it, combining European bar food and atmosphere with a Russian style party platters. A real estate agent in his day job, all along Sergey nurtured the idea of one day starting a place unlike any other he had seen in San Francisco - a Euro style bistro. When he met Oleg Popoff, an experienced chef who had run restaurants in Germany and Los Angeles, the two decided to join their visions and forces, and officially opened Bistro Gambrinus in May of 2009. The result? With Oleg in charge of the kitchen and Clara taking care of the guests, the plce is a whole lott...

The newly opened Costco in Redwood City boasts an impressive collection of top-tier wines that make a wine aristrocat in us salivate, including Chateau Latour, d'Yquem, Mouton, Petrus, Gaja, Grange, etc... The prices are quite attractive, but a savvy wine buyer beware - you can find better prices on wine-searcher.com. But more importantly, 9 out of 10 times your local wine merchants like Beltramo's, K&L, and Vineyard Gate will be able to offer these wines at lower prices, on top of all the attention and special treatment they will shower you with if you buy wines like these, especially in this economy. Do not be seduced by Costco's brand reputation for value pricing, especially as you get into multi-hundred $$ purchases. Remember you can always ask the wine merchant if they can order the wine for you, even if they don't list it in their catalog. (A quick reminder: the 2005 vintage in Bordeaux is legendary, and 2006 is good, especially from top producers.) Enjoy the ...

Donato Enoteca hosts "ENOTECA 100" Italian food & wine tasting celebration on November 7. One of the hottest new Italian restaurants on the peninsula - Donato Enoteca - that often goes by just "Donato", is reminding folks that it's not called " Enoteca " for nothing. For anyone who has been to the restaurant and seen their meticulously arranged list of wines that pair blissfully with the unique Italian cuisine of Donato, it's not a surprise. Eric Lecours, the wine director of Donato Enoteca, and the mastermind of the most intelligent wine program I have seen at any restaurant, takes his job VERY seriously. It doesn't show in Eric's quiet demeanor, but it does in the wines he carries and in the advice he gives with unassuming confidence, be that to a wine newbie or a crusty old wino. Eric firmly believes that wines, even great ones, are not to be put on a pedestal and idolized, just respected and enjoyed. Nor should they be over-analyze...

San Francisco SoMa district. Wednesday afternoon, October 14. At 4:30 the doors of San Francisco Design Center open to the trade. Normally - designers and architects, but not this night. Most trade tastings are free, yet this event commands a hefty price tag. By 5pm, the cost of entry a non-deterrent, the place is packed with nicely groomed men with pleasant Euro accents, and attractive women - a staple of the wine trade circles. Yours truly, in jeans and t-shirt, and in need of a haircut stands out like a sore thumb, swallowed by the sea of humanity imbibing prized wines and gourmet eats. Thankfully the semi-mysterious Russian-ish accent elevates my image throughout the evening. From the Wine & Spirits 23rd Annual Buying Guide: "Our Annual Buying Guide reviews not only the best wines of the year, but the best wineries... A great wine should be marked by the character of the place where it was grown, and reveal something about the traditions of the people who made it. Our ra...