Many oenophiles look down their noses at anyone attempting to gain knowledge about wine. Unless the term varietal or terroir are a fluid part of one’s vocabulary they do not want to participate in any sort of dialogue, as if to avoid any of the roguish qualities of a layman wearing off on them. Thankfully, this is not the case with Babak Bina.
The distinguished owner of Bin 26 Enoteca, BiNA Osteria, BiNA alimentari and Lala Rokh leans forward and speaks with a measured tone and wide open eyes when discussing his love for wine.
"I had ancestors who were winemakers,” Bina said. "Winemaking started in Persia, so I guess you can say it is in my blood. Family, wine, and food are the water of life."
This sort of passion makes it clear why Bina decided to put together the first Boston Wine Week. At many of Boston’s top restaurants, diners will be offered select, high-end wines at the set price of $9 per glass and $32 per bottle through Sunday during regular business hours. Some of the wines featured retail for up to $90 a bottle.
Bina, who had organized the Taste Beacon Hill and the Taste of the South End in the past, thinks it is a perfect time for a wine event. "People have a misconception about wine. They think that ordering an expensive bottle simply means it costs more. An event like this will get them to realize that expensive wines cost more because of quality", Bina says.
One of the wines featured at BiNA Osteria this week is the 2006 J Hoffstatter Gewurtztraminer (Alto Adige, Italy), which is usually $75/bottle. This is a complex wine that is deep golden in color and full bodied. The wine is slightly buttery and gives off a tropical scent. Bina says, "Most people assume Gewurtztraminer’s to be sweet, when in actuality it is a great food wine." Other interesting wines featured during the week are a 2007 Sottimano Langhe Nebbiolo, a 2007 Broglia ‘La Meirana’ Gavi di Gavi, and a 2001 Soave Classico made by Castellani.
In celebration of Boston Wine Week, The Second Glass is hosting a Classy Boston Bar Crawl on Thursday, September 23rd that stops at a group of the participating restaurants. The crawl starts at BiNA Osteria at 6:00 pm and moves on to Kingston Station, Petit Robert Bistro Central, and Woodward at The Ames Hotel (with some bonus stops along the way).
For a complete list of restaurants visit: http://bostonwineweek.com/restaurant
For tickets to the Classy Boston Bar Crawl visit: http://secondglassclassybarcrawlboston.eventbrite.com/
Leave a Reply