8. Try 25 new wines (2/25)

Saturday of Patriots Day weekend, we headed up to the historic Old Bryan Inn in Saratoga for a relaxing dinner. Established in 1773, this place is an absolute institution. We decided to do an earlier dinner so we got to the Inn a little before 5pm and boy, am I glad we did. When we arrived, they told us the wait would be about ten minutes and we could wait at the bar until the table was ready.

The bar..

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So looking beyond the painting of the topless woman with the swan above the fireplace, the bar area is that rich mahogany, warm cozy old school look that I adore. S and I pulled up a pair of adjacent bar stools and I was immediately drawn to the wine menu while he instinctively ordered a Coors Light as soon as the bartender came over. I , however, definitely wanted to take my time and embrace the experience.

I decided to order something light and from a local winery so I selected a glass of the 2007 Glenora Riesling from Finger Lakes, NY. Little did I know, Glenora Wine Cellars were named the 2009 Winery of the Year by Tasters Guild International.

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Rating system:

**** Nectar of the gods
*** Liked it
** Just so-so...
* Never again

I liked this wine and gave it a three star rating. It was relatively sweet (which I'm not a huge fan of my rieslings being especially if it's my first drink), light and finished clean. About two sips into my glass, I realized that the bar was completely butt-to-gutt and overheard the wait for a table was now at over an hour. We got there just in time!

We were approached by the hostess not even a minute later and we were lead to our cozy but adorable table. I mean this place was just so charming.

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My dining companion decided that it was appropriate and necessary to order a bottle of wine for our meal and who was I to argue! He really only likes white wine that's not bitter or overly sweet so my selection was limited. I pushed through like a champ and opted for a bottle of the 2008 Bollini Pinot Grigio.

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Again, the rating system:

**** Nectar of the gods
*** Liked it
** Just so-so...
* Never again

I also really enjoyed this wine and gave it three stars. It was brought out in a chilled marble carafe so it didn't sweat all over the table (genius idea, btw). I would definitely recommend that the colder, the better - it was dry but refreshing and S was quoted as saying it was "super yummy". Needless to say, it was finished without issue.

Do YOU have a wine that you think I should try? Just let me know! :)