this month’s taste of echo park benefiting the echo park chamber of commerce was held at CitySipLA, my very favorite neighborhood wine bar in echo park. i can’t say enough about how much i love this establishment and how it’s run by owner & wine enthusiast nicole daddio [pictured with me, above]. everyone on her staff is not only friendly, but knowledgeable and excited to tell you about wine. on more than one occasion i’ve been able to ask daddio about wineries to visit in our surrounding wine countries and she always has great suggestions of places i’ve never been. i really enjoy their sunday night happy hour, where you can get any glass from an open bottle for half-off from 9-11pm—a great way to taste wines you may have passed up on another night.

for the taste of echo park, CitySipLA offered a wine flight of 3 international wines that were all really unique:

heron’s nest chardonnay 2008 [s. africa]. i’m not usually a fan of most chardonnay, but sometimes an unusual terroir can really change what comes out in the wine. this one was lighter than almost any chardonnay i’ve ever tasted and was pleasantly bright and fruity.

mas malbec mendoza 2007 [argentina]. this malbec was lively and spicy with a rounded balance of blackberry and pepper with a note of tobacco in the finish.

maison galhaud merlot [vin de pays d’oc]. the first thing i noticed was the color—for a merlot, this wine was an exceptional bright cherry red even in candlelight. notably smooth mouthfeel highlighting a red berry blend of flavors.

[photos by rosie betanzos]