The Grapevine - January 2010
January's EVENTS
Beer Tasting
Jan 14th
Join industry guest from Newport Storm for debut of 2 new beers; Porter, ‘2009’ & others.
Tues. Jan. 19th
Peter will discuss Shiraz/Syrah from around the globe and sample several. It’s a great platform from which to host a wine tasting party.
‘Private Invitation' Wine Tasting & Sale
Sat. Jan. 30th
Caroline will host a wine tasting of some of W.S. Top 100 (while they last). Visit Colonial and see display of those outstanding wines. Her recent trip to Los Olivos (movie Sideways) brought in ‘new’ wines to try!
Fri. FREE In-Store Tastings
Learn from Guest Industry Experts
Spend a few minutes to sample one red and one white wine. Look for e-mails inviting you to 'private' wine sales with Caroline. The 'gems' come out of climate-controlled storage!
January's Wines of the Month
Case discounts on each btl!
White: Dr Loosen Riesling (Germany)
Red: Alhahue Carmenere (Chile)
CHAMPAGNE & More
A stunning ‘show’ - the ‘sword’ opening of a bottle of Champagne and the release of 47 million bubbles! But, ‘Champagne’ is only used for wines made in the Champagne district of France. While we carry the ‘icons’ from Champagne (Roederer ‘Cristal’ and Vueve Clicquot ‘Le Grand Dame’), most people look for the more affordable Champagnes like Vueve Clicquot Ponsardin (yellow label), Heidsieck Monopole, or Pol Roger. The tinier and longer lasting the bubbles, the higher the quality.
While other countries may also make sparkling wine with Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier, many have grapes unique to their regions and some have made sparkling wine for centuries (think Spanish Cavas made with Macabeo, Parrellada, and Xael-lo grapes) Less common grapes used to make sparkling wines are Prosecco (light), Riesling (light) and Shiraz (heaviest). We have many value-priced sparklers that may entice you to drink these wines more often.
Sparkling wines pair well with ANY course - even lamb! It’s not just for New Year toasts! (See article about Food & Wine Pairing in this newsletter.) Considered the most versatile food-pairing wines, they have lower alcohol, higher acidity, and delicate flavors and aromas (yeast, fruit and flowers). Sweetness levels of sparklers include (driest to sweetest): Brut (dry), Extra Dry (slightly sweet), and Dry (noticeably sweet).
Domestic sparkling wines include Westport Rivers RJR Cuvee (Mass), California sparklers Schramsberg (official sparkling wine of the Whitehouse), and New York Finger Lakes (Chateau Frank Célèbre – Double Gold Medal made of 100% Riesling). Imports include many Cavas from Spain (Segura Viuda Heredad), sparklers from Argentina, (Omnium), Australia (Robert Melton Shiraz ), and sparkling Prosecco from Italy (Mionetto),
The ‘Methode Champenoise’ is the best for producing quality sparkling wines (as opposed to carbon dioxide injection) and was developed in France. Though the process is both costly and time consuming, it creates ‘iconic’ wines (tiny bubbles and enticing aromas); the benchmarks of sparkling wine. Several countries (US also) use this method and are producing award-winning sparklers.
President Thomas Jefferson loved French wine and introduced Americans to a sparkling wine ($15) and dessert wine ($30). Pop the cork on one and celebrate these amazing sparkling wines today!
Sparkling Wine & Food Pairing
Sparkling wines pair well with ANY course, but especially with appetizers, sushi, seafood and (believe it or not) even lamb! Food & Wine Pairing Fundamentals (101) match the weight of the food with the weight of the wine; the lightest have more Chardonnay while the heaviest have more Pinot Noir (Blanc de Noir). Sparkling wines are considered the most versatile food-pairing wines (lower alcohol, higher acidity, and delicate flavors of yeast and flowers. Sweetness levels will dictate pairings; sweet with sweet, acidic with acidic, etc.
There are many value-priced sparklers that may entice you to drink these wines more often. Prosecco is very light and peachy, Riesling is light with lots of apple, and Shiraz is heaviest with berries and spice.
Wines ROCK!
Our '2 - for' section’ ($12, $15, $20 and $25) is filled with 'current’ vintage year wines - NOT 'old' closeouts typically found in most stores. OVER 500 wines under $20!
Check out our Reduced price 'RED Tag Sale' (on over 100 wines, liquors, and beers).
Does Drinking Wine Make You Fat?
Over 59 million American dieters will be delighted to know that although wine is made from grapes, it is NOT considered a carbohydrate. Fermentation converts all the grape sugar into alcohol. Red wine contains over 300 anti-oxidants which are believed to accelerate the breakdown of body fat. MANY health benefits have been documented over the past 20 years. It’s better to cut down on the fatty foods and sugary drinks and leave room for a glass or two of good wine daily.
So, drinking wine WILL NOT make you fat and ruin your diet. Wine has NO cholesterol, sodium or fat AND it’s low in carbohydrates. Studies (including a Harvard study in 1991 which followed 138,000 men and women over ten years), find regular, moderate wine drinkers are slimmer than non-drinkers. Moderate wine drinkers have healthy lifestyles which include good diet and exercise (and often higher metabolisms).
Compare fat (9 calories), sugar and protein (4 calories each) with wine (7 calories) per gram. A five-ounce glass of dry red or white wine averages 110 calories. A glass of Beer has 150 calories and whole milk has 160 calories. A wine label carries the alcoholic strength expressed as a percentage of the bottle by volume. Wines vary in alcoholic content. Take the % alcohol and multiply by 1.6 to get the number of calories. So a five ounce glass of German Riesling with 7% alcohol has fewer calories than a dry, robust Australian Shiraz with 14%.
During fermentation, sugar coverts to alcohol. Warm climates often produce ‘riper’ grapes and, therefore, wines with more sugar which, in turn, produce wines with higher alcohol (especially in the USA, Argentina, Australia, Chile, and S. Africa).
ENTERTAIN at HOME
‘Flight’ of
SYRAH/SHIRAZ
A recent Wall St. Journal article encouraged hosting your own wine party by comparing the many 'faces' of Syrah/Shiraz in a ‘blind’ tasting. We’ve put together all you’ll need (Tasting Notes, Assessment forms, etc.) In this economy, it sure makes good sense to entertain at home.
Aromas and flavors vary dramatically depending upon climate & soils of growing regions around the globe! Pick 6 or 12 bottles from 38 (giving you the flexibility to select various price points - each is ‘customized’.
Also, don’t forget to pick up a BYOB list of restaurants at Colonial!