Last night I stopped downstairs into my local Whole Foods and they were having a Champagne Tasting. Yes please! I’m definitely a bubbly fan although my favorite sparking beverage is Prosecco (Italian Sparkling Wine, fruity & bright, usually a great price point around $12). I’d never been into champagne, probably too many cheapo bottles on New Year’s Eves, until I tried the good stuff one year for my Dad’s 60th birthday, Dom Perignon.  Then I knew what champagne should taste like and why all the fuss.  But who can spend $130 on a bottle very often!? I also like Veuve Clicquot, much more affordable at $40-ish a bottle.  But last night I found my new favorite…

Louis de Sacy Brut Grand Cru!  Its a beautiful golden color (love the bottle that lets it shine through) with very fine bubbles (which I like). The nose and taste are red fruits, citrus and herbs. Its not too dry and just tastes fabulous… like a step between Prosecco and Dom Perignon.  And its only $36.99 at Whole Foods.

The Sacy family has been in the champagne business since 1633… Alain Sacy is now the 12th generation wine grower in charge. Its a blend of three grapes: 60% Pinot Noir, 35% Chardonnay and 5% Pinot Meunier.

Enjoying a glass right now…cheers to Halloween Weekend!

Material Girl Madonna, long a fitness and health buff, Monday announced her foray into global gyms with Hard Candy Fitness. Named after her 2008 album, the first 30,000 square foot gym will open late November in Mexico City. The partnership with her manager Guy Oseary and New Evolution Ventures is in the planning stages on 10 more locations in Russia, Brazil, Argentina and throughout Europe and Asia.

The press release says, “Throughout her career Madonna has been devoted to fitness and well being and has worked out in literally hundreds of gyms around the world. As a result, she has a strong vision on what the ideal exercise, dancing and work out environment should be. The direction for how to bring that vision to the fitness world began to take shape during an initial meeting between Mark Mastrov, the innovator behind 24 Hour Fitness and Guy Oseary early in 2008.”

“Hard Candy Fitness centers will combine the very best in innovative training methods with traditional as well as Hard Candy specific programming. The fitness center will also include a Bike Studio, a Mind Body Studio featuring The Great Wall, where members can practice BarWorks, Sculpting, Capoeria and the newest trends in Yoga.  It will also house a healthy alternative Juice Bar/Cafe.  The lavish locker rooms built with the finest materials will be a sanctuary for members who will be able to relax in sauna and steam rooms.”

I think we’d all like a little of those buff Madonna arms!

Italy comes to the heart of Manhattan…no not Little Italy… its Eataly! A new mega complex of Italy food comprised of shopping, eating and learning. The original in Turin, Italy has a few other locations in Italy and Japan but this the first U.S. spot. Brought to you by Eataly founder Oscar Farinetti and famous chefs/restauranteurs including Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich (NY restaurants Babbo, Del Posto) and Lidia Bastianich (star of Lidia’s Italy on PBS).

At 50,000 square feet, Eataly boasts everything Italian…restaurants (formal, casual and to go), groceries, beer, wine, a school and even a travel agency! Their mission is to celebrate and foster understanding of the Italian table. And they’ve assembled the best Italian producers under one roof to do so.

Check out this map from the New York Post to see all Eataly has to offer. I can’t wait to hit the Pasticceria and Gelateria for some of Luca Montersino’s creations and the Rooftop Beer Garden opening in November. Located in the Toy Building, 200 Fifth Avenue between 23rd and 24th Streets, Eataly is open every day from 10am-11pm. Their website has more details and I’ll report back after my December visit.

Have you been to Eataly in Manhattan, Italy or Japan? If so tell us what you think!

Within Pompeii‘s archaeological site, lie several vineyards reproduced from those that existed when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD destroying the city.  Thanks to the lava and mud, plaster casts were made of the grape vines and roots growing there at the time. The Applied Research Laboratory’s staff of the Soprintendenza Archeologica of Pompeii conducted studies on these and following the same cultivation techniques used in ancient Pompeii, Piedirosso andSciascinosograpes are now growing!  You can see them growing for yourself inside the largest vineyard, Forum Boarium vineyard, facing the ruins of the amphitheatre.

Partnering with Mastroberardino Family, making wine since 1878, the first vintage of Villa die Misteri was produced in 2001, only 1,721 bottles. According to official classification, Villa dei Misteri is a Pompeian IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica – Typical Geographical Information). Grapes used are 90% Piedirosso and 10% Sciascinoso. The harvest starts at the end of October. The wine was aged for twelve months in barriques, and for 6 additional ones in bottles. Its bouquet is complex,full and persistent, spicy and fruited. Its flavour is full, balanced, structured.

“It is our humble homage to a site which is part of the heritage of the entire world. – said Mastroberardino -Vine growing began here, and here, after 2000 years, we once more propose a wine made in Pompeii”.

It was the coolest thing to see in person! And while I tried to find the wine while we were there I was unsuccessful.  I might have to splurge for €130 on a European online wine sites so I can drink in this piece of history. Cheers!