6/4/2013

Bill “Spaceman” Lee (of Red Sox Fame) will be here to sign bottles and sell his “Spaceman Earth” wine on June 12th between 3-6pm. Come try a taste of this California red blend and maybe pick up a bottle for Dad in time for Father's day! The blend is an incredibly drinkable and delightful combination of Petite Sirah, Cabernet and Syrah.

Here's what Winemaker Geoff Whitman has to say about it...

"The 2010 Spaceman is a total reflection of how much we wanted our sophomore effort to prove this wine is one that will stand the test of time. The ripe berries and delicious brambly fruit characteristics of Spaceman, coupled with a healthy kiss of warm, toasty oak, makes this wine great in a glass all by itself or paired with some summer BBQ, steaks on the grill or even hot dogs at a ballgame (my personal favorite). Again, we are proud to partner with the Red Sox Foundation for their Scholars program as well as inner-city Youth Baseball."

4/12/2013

Hello Everyone,

The weather is looking frightful for the next few days, but I’m determined to welcome in Spring, so… Please join me on Friday the 12th for a tasting of Rosé Wines. Between 3-6pm, I will be your host, pouring five examples, selected by me, for you to try. The word “rosé” elicits a wide range of responses from wine lovers. For those who have steered clear of rosé, I welcome your reservations about this style and invite you to bring your sense of adventure in trying some of these options.

To start, I will be showing Hillinger Secco, a sparkling rosé of Pinot Noir from Austria that is my go-to wine for food-pairing and celebrating. I picked Domaine de Gournier Rosé because it is quite the blend: 30% Merlot, 15% each Grenache, Syrah, Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon, plus 10% Mouvedre. It comes from the Langudoc-Rousillon, a Mediterranean region in the South of France that borders Spain. An example of a classic Côtes du Rhône Rosé is Domaine la Manarine, a dry blend of about 60% Grenache, 20% young vines Mourvedre, and 20% Syrah. A favorite of ours last summer, Bieler Père et Fils Rosé has returned. The 2012 vintage of this rosé from Provence is a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cincault that is getting even better reviews than the 2011. And finally, from the heart of France’s Loire Valley comes Domaine des Corbillières Touraine which makes their rosé with organically farmed Pineau d’Aunis and Pinot Noir.

By happy coincidence, tomorrow is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day and the Deli will be celebrating by offering grilled cheese sandwich samples! Grilled cheese and rosé are a match made in snack heaven.

I hope you can make it Friday, and if not, perhaps you can make for the tasting on Saturday… Look for that email invite in your inbox, tomorrow.

Yours in Wine,

Anna

What do you like about rosé wines? Any good pairing suggestions you'd like to share? Do you have a favorite rosé that we must try? Let us know in the comments below!

3/8/2013

Join us tomorrow, Friday the 8th, for a tasting of honey wines (aka mead) made by Caledonia Spirits & Winery in Hardwick, VT. Between 3 and 6pm, we will have the opportunity to sample four honey wine varieties, including Traditional, Elderberry, Black Currant, and Blueberry Mead. Each Caledonia mead is made from raw honey and the flavors are derived from the addition of organic fruits.

So, I got curious about mead and discovered this (feel free to skip this paragraph, I got a little carried away): Mead has a recorded history going back at least 2000 years. On Wikipedia, there is mention of Spanish-Roman naturalist Columella’s mead recipe which is honey mixed with rainwater. The instructions are to leave the mixture out in the sun for 40 days then store it near the fire. That’s it. My favorite part of his recipe is the part where he says you can substitute boiled spring water for rain water, indicating to me that in 60 AD Rome, folks knew how to kill water-borne pathogens. My guess is that whatever was in their spring water before it was boiled would have destroyed the yeasts that naturally found their way into Columella ’s honey-water, consuming the sugars, generating alcohol, i.e., transforming it into mead. Those indigenous yeasts probably evolved over the long history of making mead. Today, however, many mead makers cannot use indigenous yeasts because, in places where mead-making went out of style, or hasn’t existed until recently, there are no “mead yeasts” in the environment that can get the job done.

Our local mead-makers are doing a great job, so I hope you can be here to try some!

Yours in Wine,

Anna