The Art of Wine

By Natasha Gural, Editor-in-Chief

The Art of Wine

Brooklyn Oenology's unique mix of Long Island wines.

By Natasha Gural, Editor-in-Chief

In a converted warehouse on the edge of Brooklyn's rapidly transforming Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods, Alie Shaper, founder and president of Brooklyn Oenology, serves up a unique mix of Long Island wines and local art.

Shaper, an engineer-cum-artisanal winemaker/entrepreneur/aesthete, offers a special taste of her unique wines to the Markets Media Mavens. Commenting on the bottles, which feature images from paintings by artists Shaper seeks out, Lauren Nutt, Markets Media Sales Executive, says: “It's brilliant. When you read it, it's like you're having a conversation with the bottle.” She adds: “It's such a finished product. It comes 360 degrees, in terms of marketing and packaging.” All the labels are stickers which peel off so you can save the art and recycle the bottle.

“I wanted to focus on the immediate culture of Brooklyn. Everything is local. I got inspired by Brooklyn,” says Shaper, who represents some of the artists through a virtual gallery.

Craig Kayaian, Shaper's self-described “de-facto taster,” says: “It's good wine at an accessible price.” Kayaian, a former vice president of institutional sales in options and equities at Flextrade, and a former ETF arbitrage trader at Goldman Sachs, also offers his marketing, business development and sales savvy.

2006 Social Club White: Shaper describes this as an “everyday white.” The 2006 and 2007 vintages are made of Chardonnay, but the future vintages will be a multi-varietal blend.

Blend: 100 percent Chardonnay

Label Art: “The New” by Malin Abrahanssom

Nina Schmir, Markets Media Staff Writer: “It's soft. I usually stay away from Chardonnay because I find it too acidic.”

Danielle Hall, Markets Media Conference Coordinator: “It's light and soft, but still has a kick to it.”

Riley McDermid, Markets Media Senior Reporter: “It doesn't have that metallic kick that many whites have.

2007 Viognier: Of the grape, Shaper says, “It can be anything from leaner and racier, to fat and fruity. It's naturally less acidic than other whites and doesn't get lost with food. This is a really great expression of what the Long Island climate can do.”

Blend: 100 percent Viognier

Label Art: “Untitled (sz06_0820H)” by Seze Devres

Natasha Gural, Markets Media Editor-in-Chief: “It has great minerality. The nose is very tantalizing and makes me expect the complexity, and the taste delivers what I want.”

NS: “I would drink this with halibut.”

DH: “Or prosciutto with melon.”

2007 Chardonnay: Shaper likes to create a chardonnay that's “somewhere between Old World and New World.”

Blend: 100 percent Chardonnay

Label Art: “Weed Explosion” by Saul Becker

RM: “This smells more like a traditional Chardonnay,” than Social Club White.

NG: “It dances on the tongue.”

2006 Social Club Red: Shaper describes this wine as a “Bordeaux-style red.” “I struggle with this one to get it the way I wanted. I was like a mad scientist in the lab. I am very methodical.”

Blend: 62 percent Merlot, 26 percent Cabernet Franc, 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 2 percent Petit Verdot, 3 percent Malbec, 1 percent Syrah

Label Art: “Pane” by Peter Barrett

Miriam Freier, Markets Media Conference Producer: “It has a lot of volume to it.”

NG: “I love the gorgeous, deep red rose color.” (Shaper says that gorgeous color comes from the Cabernet Franc)

DH: “This one goes down so quickly, and then all of a sudden, you're feeling social.”

2006 Motley Cru: Shaper says it's her best seller, and she had fast fans in Hall and Gural who quickly conceded this was their favorite. (And Hall's a white wine drinker.) Shaper calls it “Bordeaux meets Rhone.” She extols the vicissitude of Syrah: “It's very stylish and racy.”

Blend: 60 percent Syrah, 15 percent Malbec, 14 percent Petit Verdot, 9 percent Merlot, 1 percent Cabernet Sauvignon

Label Art: “In the Neighborhood” by Jen Ferguson

NG: “I love the adventure. It's very complex.”

DH: “It's intriguing. I couldn't decide what it is about it I like best. It makes me want to drink more. This one is wild.”

2006 Merlot: Shaper notes that federal law requires all Merlots contain at least 75 percent of the grape. “Petit Verdot is very tannic and tough on its own, but it's a good blending grape for Merlot.”

Blend: 93 percent Merlot, 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 2 percent Petit Verdot

Label Art: “View From Brooklyn” by David Goldin

NS: “I would drink this with steak.”

RM: “I smell a nice lamb chop, and a little bit of rosemary.” (Shaper notes: “I love when other people discover something new. Now I smell the rosemary, too.)

(Kayaian notes: “I like to sit here swirling it like a scotch to get rid of the tannins.”)

2005 Merlot: Here Shaper adds a hint more Merlot, providing a very different wine, especially after a year of aging.

Blend: 95 percent Merlot, 5 percent Petit Verdot

Label Art: “CYSCO” by Bert Esenherz

NG: “It's got a velvet rope red hue, and a velvety taste.”

NS: “I call this one smooth operator.”

MF: “It's smooth, but sharp at the same time.”

NS: “I like this '05 a little too much. Oh, look, the bottle is empty.”

You can judge for yourself, as BOE wines are sold in several New York stores and served in a variety of restaurants, as well as online. BOE also has some distribution in Washington, D.C., and Shaper's 2009 project is to distribute in New Jersey and Connecticut. Kayaian is keen on bringing the product to Las Vegas.

For more, go to: http://www.brooklynoenology.com/

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Posted on Feb. 6, 2009