Italian Wine Dinner
Wed. March 10th 6 PM
See article
Beer Tasting
Thurs. March 11th
Try ‘traditional’ beers with industry rep from Majic Hat.
Wine Tasting
Sat. March 20th
Caroline will sample and discuss ‘High-End’ wines. Join her!
Wine Tasting - Pinot Noir
Tues. March 23rd;
Peter will sample & discuss Pinot Noir (Oregon, Burgundy, and New Zealand).
Fri. FREE In-Store Tastings
Learn from Guest Industry Experts
Spend a few minutes to sample one red and one white wine.
Inventory Reduction SALE; wine & liquor
Check out our 'RED Tag Sale' (it’s a BUYER”S market)! Save $ on our '2 - for' section’ ($12, $15, $20 and $25); 'current’ vintage year wines! OVER 500 wines under $20!
March's Wine of the Month
Case discounts on each btl!
White: Yalumba Viognier (Australia & W.S. Top 100)
Red: Peruto Infinito Malbec (Argentina)
Italian Wine Dinner
Arturo Joe’s Narragansett – Wed., March 10th at 6PM
RSVP to Colonial 294 – 4623 (by March 6th), payment of $35/pp plus tax and tip will be directly to the restaurant. Price includes a FOUR course meal and FIVE wines! Enjoy industry expert, Jeff Korecky present the wines and their ‘terroir’. (Veal Osso Bucco as entrée and house-made Cannolis for dessert!
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH - March
Women Wine Makers
We’ve featured women winemakers in the past (Eugenia Baggoria of Mi Terruno Winery, Chile visited Colonial). Female wine makers have broken through the ‘glass ceiling’ and are making wines appreciated and sought after by collectors and oenophiles! See in-store display! A partial list includes wineries like Alexander Valley, Bonterra, Cambria, Chimney Rock, Franciscan, Heitz, Heron, Rutherford Hill, Sakonnet, St. Francis, and Willamette Valley Vineyards. Famous winemakers like Heidi Barrett (Screaming Eagle), Carol Shelton, Dorothy Schuler, Signe Zoller Marketta Fourneaux and Allison Crow will be featured at Colonial – look for event alerts regarding tastings!
Food & Wine Pairing St Patty Day dishes & Green Veggies in Spring
Most white wines pair better with green veggies than red wines (which can overwhelm). Good Red pairings are Pinot Noir, Merlot, Gamay and lighter style Tempranillo and Carmenere (Carmenere will accentuate aromas of herbs which makes it a favorite of many chefs). Here are a few favorites of mine:
*Corn beef & Cabbage – Pinot Blanc / Pinot Noir or Gamay
*Irish Stew – Falanghina / Carmenere or Merlot
*Grilled Veggies – Riesling or Grüner Veltliner / Rose’, Tempranillo or Pinot Noir
*Salads, Peas, – Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc or Sparkling / Rose’, Gamay, Tempranillo
*Asparagus, Artichoke, Green Peppers, Spinach - Grüner Veltliner / Carmenere or Merlot
*Tomatoes – Falanghina / Carmenere, or Sangeovese
Upcoming Events!
Traveling to the ‘source’ and events like Boston Wine Expo allows me to bring ‘industry’ guests and new wines to YOU! We’re on the ‘leading edge’ and having a blast! Join our events -Bacchus Dinners, winery tours, and bottle signings, etc. We’re NOT your average store!
‘THE HEADACHE GRAPE’ - Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir (PN) may be the toughest grape to grow. It demands growing conditions of consistently warm days and cool evenings. It is produced in minute quantities compared to other grapes, so expect to pay more for Pinot Noir (also the only red grape of Burgundy, France) which produces some of the most prized and expensive wines. Typically, they age their PN for 5 – 8 years; ‘New World’ PN tends to be drinkable younger and is more fruit-forward and less costly. Secondary flavors (forest floor, truffles, etc.) evolve with aging; Decant or use the Vinturi to ‘release’ aromas.
PN is light in color and body. Flavors include raspberries, plums, and cherries, (both red and black), earthy or woodsy. The ‘finish’ is silky and smooth and can be quite long. The BEST regions include: Burgundy, France, New Zealand and Oregon, Central Coast, Sonoma, Napa and NY Finger Lakes). Las Perdices (Mendoza, Argentina) is fabulous and a great value! Pair with poultry, beef, fish, ham, lamb and pork. It’s an extremely versatile food wine!
Peter will compare several regions on Tues., March 23rd 5 – 7PM. It’s a great chance to pick a great wine for EASTER!
Wall Street Journal - Farewell
Dorothy Gaiter & John Brecher (Wall St. Journal) ‘retired’ the end of Dec. Their articles were my favorites and while the exact brands they sampled might not always be available in RI, they were always ‘spot on’ with their topics and recommendations. Their article on Syrah prompted me to host several events at Colonial and for the Bacchus Club. In fact, their choices for the best wines of the year (they selected 9 out of the 1,000 they sampled) they included FIVE Shiraz/Syrah’s. So check out the 40 (plus) that we’re offering and host a little party for your friends. A vintage Port was on their Top wines list (one of the 9); it’s something I love - so also check out Colonial’s impressive selection of Ports! With their talent, these writers are bound to resurface and I can hardly wait.
Grape Quotes – Pinot Noir
“Part of what makes pinot noir so exciting is its elusive nature. From one moment to the next, the aromas and flavors of a good pinot noir can change in the glass, making it difficult to pin down. Sometimes, tasting pinot noir is like a game of musical chairs—you have to stop the music arbitrarily, capturing the wine at one point in it s evolution.” —ERIC ASIMOV, WINE WRITER
How Does One Decant a Wine?
People are reaching into their ‘cellars’ to drink bottles they have been saving for a ‘special’ occasion. Stores are having great sales on ‘aged,’ collectible wines. To get the most enjoyment from the wine it’s VERY important to decant and/or aerate the wine before drinking it. Here’s the step-by-step on how to do that. Make sure the decanter and the mouth of bottle are clean.
1.) If the bottle has sediment, first leave it upright for about a day to settle at the bottom. 2.) Stand a flashlight on the table so that it shines upwards. Place the decanter beside it and pour the wine so that the light shines through the neck of the bottle. This allows you to see when the sediment is approaching, (so you know when to stop pouring). 3.) Discard the dregs left in the bottle. 4.) Leave younger wines in the decanter for about an hour or two. Leave older wines anywhere from fifteen minutes to half an hour. Taste the wine periodically to see how it’s opening up. 5.) If you decide that the wine has peaked, but the guests aren’t due for a while, drape a cloth over the top of the decanter to slow aeration.
Caution! The older a wine the quicker the wine begins to ‘fade’ and become ‘lifeless’ (especially if it’s over 30 years old).