Have you heard Bebel Gilberto’s rendition of the 1964 bossa nova jazz standard, “So Nice (Summer Samba)”? Sultry and seductive, the song immediately induces cheerful swaying, melting any troubles away.
I first heard this song in Something’s Gotta Give, where the 2003 film featured the version performed by Bebel’s stepmother Astrud Gilberto. To me, this lively ballad is quintessential summer: whenever I hear it, I imagine sipping something delicious poolside.
THE CONCEPT
When my friends Aneri and Dev had me organize a private wine tasting for them and their friends, I instantly looked to this song as inspiration — an embodiment of the fun summer theme they specially requested.
Someone to hold me tight, that would be very nice
Someone to love me right, that would be very nice
Someone to understand each little dream in me
Someone to take my hand, to be a team with meSo nice
Life would be so nice if one day I'd find
Someone who would take my hand
And samba through life with me
Portuguese for “new wave”, bossa nova is a Brazilian music genre that blends samba with jazz and is known for its rich harmony, laid-back singing, and lyrics often focused on romance, beach culture, and sensual pleasure. What better parallel than these lighthearted lyrics tying into the romanticism and sensuality of wine over easygoing tipples?
While I’ve personally hosted a few tastings to date, this tasting is officially my first private gig. Conceptualizing something for someone other than myself has been an exciting undertaking — whether simple or plentiful, having parameters encourages a kind of creativity from which I enjoy drawing. It’s how I’ve concocted some of my best ideas, including this one.
For this Summer Samba tasting, I wanted to capture the same energy and imagery I get from listening to bossa nova classics like the “So Nice” track — refreshing, welcoming, and light on its feet. I selected wines made with lesser known grapes from more unsung regions, as to widen the group’s “go-to” repertoire for summer drinking al fresco, especially as the weather heats up.
To strike a balance, I opened with a traditional method sparkler from a Loire region known for Muscadet then weaved in two different Iberian white wines: one arguably best served en porrón and the other a terroir-driven blend of indigenous Portuguese grapes. Next came an apropos transition to rosé with one made also from Portuguese grapes but grown and vinified in California, after which I followed with an Italian rosato as scintillating as the Tuscan sun which cultivates its vines.
Later, I introduced two Italian skin-contact wines, the former an aromatic escape to the lush rolling hillsides of the Appenine Mountains near Romagna, where nearly extinct grapes are breathing new life, and the latter a deeper contemplation in amphora graced by southern Sicilian breezes. Switching gears to red, I opted from one of my all-time favorite producers a chillable yet complex number with an irreverent name fitting for this year’s Bastille Day.
To close, I surprised the group with a bonus wine — wine as dessert! This was one I seek out at the end of a meal when I want something sweet without committing to an entire confection: a semi-frizzante red dessert wine known for its lighter style and fragrant bouquet of red berries and flower petals.
As an additional activity, I asked the group to participate in a quick game — my twist on The Price is Right. After trying each wine, I had them write down what they thought the bottle cost. I planned to have each person tally up the absolute value of the over/under against actual prices and ranked totals via golf scoring — the lowest score and the runner up would each earn a wine prize to take home.
At the end of the the tasting, we went around the table, wine by wine, seeing where everyone landed price-wise. It helped inform what unconscious biases they may have had on wine types and regions as well as what kinds of wine to which they gravitate, where guesses could signify willingness to pay a higher price because of perceived quality or preference. It also made for a revealing exercise in clarifying why certain wines are priced lower or higher than other wines, especially against our expectations.
Congrats to Aneri for winning the top prize as well as to Nirali and Nesh tying as runner-ups!
Deviating from how I caption posts via @TwoBottleStef on Instagram, I was influenced by one of my favorite wines shops, Despaña Vinos y Más, to instead introduce a “sketch of blurbs” by stringing together a set of three combinations (words, phrases, descriptions, etc.) to convey a brief yet cohesive description of the wine in question. Aligned with what I posited in “The Art of Storytelling”, this is a welcomed practice both in restraint and prudent word choice. I’m curious how this will evolve over future posts, but in the meantime, I’ll allow my curated keywords to recreate the so nice vibes from this fabulous Summer Samba.
THE WINEUP
/ July 6, 2024 @ Union Square, NYC /
Jo Landron NV ‘Atmosphères’ Méthode Traditionnelle Extra Brut
$27 @ Union Square Wines
Polaner Selections (New York) | 🇫🇷 sparkling white
Folle Blanche / Pinot Noir / Chardonnay
fairy wings ・ Champagne pinch-hitter ・ orchard palooza
Ameztoi 2023 Getariako Txakolina
$24 @ Union Square Wines
De Maison Selections (New York) | 🇪🇸 still white
Hondarrabi Zuri
porrón please ・ summer quencher ・ sip ’n sail
Luis Seabra 2021 ‘Xisto Ilimitado’ Branco
$27 @ Union Square Wines
Olé & Obrigado (New York) | 🇵🇹 still white
Rabigato / Gouvelo / Códega do Larinho / Viosinho
scoville sidekick ・ terroir all-star ・ stony
Arnot-Roberts 2022 Rosé California
$25 @ Union Square Wines
Polaner Selections (New York) | 🇺🇸 still rosé
Touriga Nacional / Tinta Amarela (Trincadeira) / Grenache / Tinta Cão
rosé all day ・ food crooner ・ bright bouquet
Montenidoli 2023 Toscana ‘Canaiulo’ Rosato
$27 @ Union Square Wines
Polaner Selections (New York) | 🇮🇹 still rosé
Canaiolo
rosé enrapt・ Tuscan antiquity ・ elegantly electric
Ancarani 2022 Ravenna ‘Andataeritorno’ Bianco
$25 @ Union Square Wines
Jan D’Amore Wines (New York) | 🇮🇹 still orange
Albana / Famoso / Pignoletto / Trebbiano
umami tsunami ・ zesty tang ・ orange grove
COS 2022 Terre Siciliane ‘Pithos’ Bianco
$39 @ Astor Wines
Polaner Selections (New York) | 🇮🇹 still orange
Garganega (Grecanico)
terracotta tea ・ herb reverb ・ Sicilian breeze
Jolie-Laide 2022 ‘Glou d’Etat’ California
$25 @ Union Square Wines
Bowler Wine (New York) | 🇺🇸 still red
Valdiguié / Mourvèdre / Grenache / Cabernet Franc / Syrah / Carignan / Petite Verdot
overlooked beauty ・ crushable chill ・ irreverent
Paolo Pizzorni 2022 Brachetto d'Acqui ‘Sogno Rosso’
$17 @ Astor Wines & Spirits
Summit Selections (New York) | 🇮🇹 dessert red
Brachetto
strawberry fizz ・ bottled history ・ digestif dynamo
THE CODA
Wild to say aloud, but wow — my first private tasting gig is now officially in the books! I’m inevitably a knot of nerves leading up to an event like this, but I eventually hit my stride after getting the ball rolling with the first couple wines. I build confidence after each personally-led tasting, and this rooftop session was no exception. I love spreading the gospel on wines about which I’m super pumped — it’s always rewarding to connect with those who discover the same enthusiasm and equally enlightening to learn what and how people may or may not connect with certain wines.
TYSM to Aneri, Dev, and their friends (shoutouts out to Nirali, Nesh, Pooja, and Cam) for being my first private gig and entrusting me with this tasting — what a treat it was hosting you all through this Summer Samba!