Lifestyles May 08

Lifestyles

May 2008

[ EASTSIDE EYE ]

Goodbye to
Metro Gallery

By Kathy A. McDonald
Ledger Columnist

   Rounding Hyperion Avenue’s major curve, perhaps you’ve noticed Metro Gallery. Since September 2005, gallery owners Juan Garcia and David Freire have added cultural vitality to the heavily trafficked thoroughfare, predominantly populated by industrial shops. Close by are the Found Gallery—“Not Particularly Tall” opens May 3rd—and popular lunch spot Viet Soy Café; Hyperion Tavern and Casita del Campo are also within walking distance. However, after Mary-Austin Klein’s solo exhibition “Collective Amnesia” ends in June, Metro Gallery will be moving on.
   After a celebratory closing party June 28th, Garcia and Freire intend to swap their space with the hair salon’s next door with the plan to eventually move downtown, with some guest curatorial work at City’s Hall’s Bridge Gallery in between. In response to the evolving nature of the gallery business, the team will work closely with their artists, developing online and innovative sales approaches.
For both, the founding of Metro Gallery came for their personal passion for art.
   “Working with the gallery and artists has opened up great opportunities and alliances,” said Garcia.
   He and Freire are proud of their tenure: not only supporting local artists and the area’s art scene but with other efforts such as a mural project on Myra Avenue under the Sunset Blvd. bridge and annual participation in the Silver Lake Art Crawl.
   Initially the gallery showcased local artists with a bent towards abstract work. The gallery’s final show features representational work by Echo Park-based painter Mary-Austin Klein and is slated for May 17th through June 21st. Klein was a popular participant in last summer’s Frogtown Art Walk. Per the artist, her striking California landscapes depict Los Angeles as a “spoiled land of enchantment.”

Metro Gallery,
1835 Hyperion Ave.
323-663-2782
www.metrogallery.org.

[ GOOD LIFE ]

Amarone

By Chris Rubin, Ledger Contributing Writer

   One of Italy’s most intriguing wines, sought after by collectors, yet not well understood by the larger wine-drinking public. The word means “big bitter” in Italian, and it was meant to contrast this particular type of wine, new to the region in the ‘30s and ‘40s, from the local sweet wines that were popular at the time.
   What makes Amarone distinctive is the drying of the grapes—corvino, rondinella, molinara and other varieties—indoors on straw mats (or, more recently, bamboo racks) before they are pressed to extract their juice, yielding an unusually concentrated wine.
   This process has been used in the region for 2000 years, but recent decades have brought changes as some winemakers have adopted new technologies employed in other parts of the world. Does this represent the loss of unique characteristics of regional wines, or simply an improvements that should have taken place long ago?
   That’s one of the raging debates of the wine world. And, luckily, some cling to the old-fashioned methods, whether from love of tradition or lack of funds, so it’s unlikely the old ways will ever be lost entirely. Masi, one of the region’s most highly regarded producers with a history dating back to 1772, has both embraced tradition and technology, employing a yeast found in zinfandel grapes and developing a new system to fight oxidation during the winemaking process.
   These are long-lived wines, and most benefit from extended cellaring before opening. But not all: Masi’s Costasera Amarone Classico 2004 ($60) represents a new face of this old wine, one that’s ready to drink on release. Soft and pleasantly medium-bodied, it has aromas of cherries, tar and violets, and some cabernet-like notes. This introductory level bottle may lack the complexity of Masi’s single vineyard releases, but it’s a good place to start to understand one of Italy’s most compelling wines.
   Anyone wanting a deeper look into Amarone should consider some of Masi’s other current releases: Campolongo Di Torbe Amarone Classico ($130), Vaio Amaron Amarone Classico ($75) and Mazzaono Amarone Classico ($140). All are from the 2001 vintage, and each comes from just a single vineyard, so the flavors are more intense—everything from dark fruits to cocoa and raisins. Consider these an advanced course in Amarone.