Cute Wine?

In my first Service class in college, we were taught how to read a wine label. It seemed straight forward enough; name, origin, vintage, grape varietal and maybe a picture. However, after working at Harry’s and being exposed to hundreds of wine labels, I have noticed a trend that has greatly impacted the way consumers now approach wine. Certainly no longer as serious as it used to be, the wine industry has taken to using cute labels and names (eg. “Cupcake” and “Mommy’s Time Out”). I have worked with many customers who can describe the label without remembering the name when in search of a wine. We all know that marketing is a large part of any business, but it seems that the wine industry has taken it to a different level where the label is the reason people are trying a wine instead of its reputation or price.

“Yellow Tail”'s immediate success in the United States with its cutesy kangaroo on the label rings true this theory of people’s obscure obsession with catchy labels and names. Creating a memorable brand and image can all but make or break a business and it seems with an increasingly competitive market, wine makers are buying into the craze trying to create more memorable labels and names. Customers who feel they have little knowledge of wine are encouraged and enthusiastic to try a wine they may not know simply based on the appeal of the bottle or name.

Wines like “Fat Bastard” make even a hippopotamus look cute, and “Petite Petit” make elephants look jolly but names like "Seven Deadly Zins" makes anyone a little intrigued. The truth of the matter is, whether an inexpensive or extravagant wine, labels can make or break a wine’s success at this point in time in the industry. When people look to try new wines or give a gift to a friend, wine names and labels can have a significant impact on a person’s purchasing decision.

Here are a few fun labels mentioned above that we carry at Harry's:

Georgina Heasman

A New Beer Scene!

Everybody knows that a great way to beat the summer heats is by cracking open a crisp and fresh beer. Today's beer scene has changed drastically over the past decade or so with an explosion of new craft and micro breweries that are staring to rival the major beer distrubtours. Craft beers offer an exciting new look at one of America's favorite drinks with unique tastes and smells. Ranging from basic lagers all the way to imperial stouts, we have just the beer for you!
A few of my favorite beers this season are,

Brooklyn Sorachi Ace:
A saison style beer features Japanese sorachi hops with champange yeast. Hints of lemon and citrus armoas can be seen through out with a nice clean crsip finish.
750 ml $8.99

Allagash White:
A traditional Belgium style wheat beer, Allagash white corporates genorous portions of wheat and spice accompanied with hints of orange make this an ideal beer for any type of seafood dish. As it is bottled with yeast, the appreance is cloudy but with a beautiful and elegent nose.
4 Pack $9.59

Duvel Triple Hop:
Coming from one of the worlds oldest and most famous brewery, Duvel triple hop has characteristics that I have never seen before in a beer. With three prestigious varieties of hops: Saaz from the Czech Republic, Styrian Golding from Slovenia and Amarillo from the United States, you are tasting something truly special. It pours a nice light golden color with an amazing head. Touches of banana, citrus and spice can be seen on the palate and with a soft bitterness at the end. A bottle worth saving for years!
750 ml $19.99

-Chris O

My Favorite Summer Cocktail!

If you are looking for a good, refreshing summer drink, try the St. Germain cocktail.

St. germain offers a recipe book with many variations of cocktails using their french Liqueur made from Elder flower. My personal favorite is the traditional St Germain cocktail blended sparkling wine, club soda and fresh lemon (recipe below).

It was a couple of years back that a distribution rep came through Harry's doors with this funny looking bottle telling us that he thought we would like it. We all tasted and to our surprise it was a big hit with all of us. We bought a few bottles and put them out on the shelf. This was a hand sell product and no one knew what it was.

The following summer at the Bastille day celebration on Sanford street there was a booth serving this cocktail, made in a special decanter that really caught my attention. By the end of the day, I was hooked!

I soon learned through work that the decanter was free with you purchase of a 750ml bottle and my journey was complete. This is now MY summer cocktail. great on a sultry evening after work or at your backyard gathering on o sunny weekend afternoon.

Trust me on this one, I have led many people to it and always get great feedback. Try it and you will be a fan too.

-Christelle

The St-Germain Cocktail:
2 parts Brut Champagne or Dry Sparkling Wine
1½ parts St-Germain
2 parts Sparkling Water or Club Soda
Method: Stir ingredients in a tall ice-filled Collins glass, mixing completely. Think of Paris circa 1947. Garnish with a lemon twist.
Variation: Think of Sartre circa 1947. Be the lemon twist.

Gift pack including free decanter with fill lines and recipe book, in stock. $35.99

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Jul 16

Your host will be Richard Zenick of Monsieur Touton.

Chapelle-St-Arnoux Vacqueyras 2009- $13.99
The 2009 Vacqueyras Chapelle St.-Arnoux (85% Grenache and 15% Syrah aged in tank) exhibits lots of fruit and a full body. Additionally, there are notes of Provencal garrigue/pepper/lavender to it. A rich, full-bodied, luscious wine, it is ideal for drinking over the next 4-5 years. The Wine Advocate, 90 points


Domaine de l'Abbaye Cote de Provence Rosé 2010- $14.99
Rich-tasting and well-crafted, with flavors of honeysuckle, red cherry and spice. Creamy and lush on the finish.


Les Rials White 2010- $8.99
This is a dry white fruity wine with floral and citrus aromas and flavors of tropical fruits. It is medium weight and refreshing. There is noticeable mouth feel due to barrel fermentation and being kept "Sur Lie" which provides for more fruit flavors and a longer aftertaste.


Les Grands Marechaux 2009- $19.99
Licorice and tar on the nose. Full-bodied, with a lovely core of fruit and silky tannins. Focused and clear. Could be best ever from here. Score range: 89-92, Wine Spectator

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Jul 15

Your host will be Matt from Estrella Damm Brewery, Spain. Pictured here with one of Americas finest, Sgt. Sharon Bloom, from the U.S. Army. Back from her tour of Iraq & visiting home. Unfortunately she was unable to taste the beer tonight because she was in uniform and protocol doesn't allow it. Instead, we will make a toast to her and offer her thanks for her service to our country. Here's to you Sharon, Thank you for keeping our country safe!

Damm Lager $9.29/6pb

This beer is the jewel in the crown of Damm’s century-long beer-brewing experience. Since 1876, when Alsatian August Kuentzmann Damm founded the company bearing his name, numerous generations of master brewers have perfected this lager until it has become a landmark in the world of beers. This lager beer with a universally appreciated character and taste is ideal for drinking at any time. Its high quality is due to the finest selection of raw materials and the meticulous brewing process. It stands out for its creamy hops-flavoured froth and refreshing taste.

Daura $7.29/4pb
The Daura version goes through a special brewing process, reliably removing the gluten to a level below 6ppm, less than one third the international standard for gluten-free certification. The beer has earned quite the accolades, taking home the title of "world's best gluten-free beer" at the World Beer Awardsin 2008 and 2009.

Inedit $10.99/750ml
Aromatized with coriander, orange peel and liquorice.

A Nice Chilled Red Wine!

Sounds kind of weird to hear red wine and chilled in the same sentence. There is one wine that breaks the rules and it is the gamay based wines of Beaujolais. A couple nights ago I had a great Beaujolais from Brouilly.

The wine was the 2009 Chateau De La Chaize from Brouilly and it sells here at Harry's for $15.99. The wine was full of tart cherry smells and flavors, hints of blueberry and dried herbs were evident as well. Unlike the Beajolais Nouveau's that people generally think of when they hear gamay, this wine was full of structure. It reminded me of a nice pinot noir.

Sometimes a big cabernet is just too much on a warm summer evening. This wine is a great wine for red wine drinkers to have in the warm summer months. I like to just briefly refrigerate my Beajolais wines, maybe a 1/2 hour in the fridge. The wines pair well with salads, poultry, and even some fish (especially salmon).

The 2009 vintage was great for Beaujolais, so right now is a great time to experiment and try one.

- Greg

Storing your wine safely

How should I store my wine? We get this question often and we have found that like with most things there are a number of answers.

The optimal way to store wine is in your temperature and humidity controlled wine cellar. If you are like me and most people this is not an option so here are a few recommendations for storing your wine…

A wine storage refridgerator is the next best option in my opinion and I often recommend buying a unit that is larger that you think you will need because storing wine can be a commitment of years, even decades and they tend to add up. Speaking of adding up, those units can be very pricey so be ready to shell out some money for a good one.

The fact is that wine likes three things, Consistent temperature, a dark place and a vibration free environment.For most of us a place in the basement on the opposite side of the furnace or other heat producing appliances is the best and most affordable option. It is not necessary for the place to be perfect but your wine will benefit from the most consistent place for all three of these things, keeping in mind that seasonal temperature changes will happen in the long term.

If you do not have a basement or if your basement gets a lot of temperature variation and/or water, try a closet that is on your main floor and away from an outside wall (not in the kitchen). A coat closet or closet under the stairs works pretty well. A place that stays pretty consistant seasonally is best. Remember, just like you make arrangements for your pets while you are on vacation you need to consider your wine also. I'm not suggesting that you pay a wine sitter but think about how hot it will get in your house in the dead of summer while you are a way for a week or two. If the temperature goes up to or over 90 degrees in your house the temperature in that closet will rise too. Consider leaving the air conditioning on moderately to help keep your wine safe. Wine will age best at 55 degrees with moderate humidity in a dark cellar, however, your wine will do well if you keep it stable. If your conditions are not perfect it will accelerate the aging process some but do not fear, as long as you take care of your wine it will be ok.

Remember, wine is not a trophy, it is meant to be enjoyed so find a reason to open and enjoy your collection of bottles. There is always another great vintage just around the corner and there is no bigger crime to a wine appreciator than opening a great bottle that has past its window of opportunity.

Cheers!

-Patrick

Italian Summer in New England, Tue, July 19th 2011 7PM-10PM

Harry’s Wine & Liquor Market, Wine Lovers,

The Bridge House & Worldwide Wines Present:

Italian Summer in New England Wine Dinner

Featuring Palm Bay Imports

Tuesday, July 19– 7PM

$68 all inclusive



Course one, Reception

Oysters, Clams, Crostini, spreads

Sella e Mosca “La Cala” Vermentino 2009, Sardinia



Course two

Marcona almond stuffed dates, applewood smoked bacon

Teruzzi & Puthod “Rondolino” Vernaccia 2008, Tuscany



Course three

Shrimp ala plancha

Creamy polenta, garlic, sherry, ancho chilli sauté

Feudi di San Gregorio Aglianico Rosado 2010, Campania



Course four

Short rib "Egg Rolls"

Parmesan risotto

Planeta Cerasuolo di Vittoria DOCG 2009, Sicily



Course five

Espresso bean Panna cotta

Bertani Recioto 2008, Veneto





For reservations please contact:

Wine Lovers of Connecticut

1211 Quinnipiac Ave, New Haven

RSVP 203-469-4218

Email: wineluvint@aol.com


For wine info please contact:

Harry’s Wine & Liquor Market

2094 Post Road, Fairfield

Phone: (203) 259-4692

www.harryswine.com


For directions to event:

Bridge House Restaurant

49 Bridgeport Avenue, Milford CT

Phone: 203-878-2800

www.milfordbridgehouse.com

Saturday Wine Tasting July 9th 1-4pm

Your host is Carl Vitale of from Winebow
Pictured with two customers enjoying their Satuday selection




Terranoble Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $6.99
This Sauvignon Blanc has ripened to rich apricot flavors. Grace notes of herbs in its tense acidity keep the volume of fruit flavor balanced. Serve chilled with grilled fish.


Fontsainte Gris de Gris Rosé 2010 $13.99
The wine immediately gives off notes of raspberry, cherry and freshly picked strawberries - followed by exotic aromas such as pineapple and mango. The density and richness of the fruit mingle with the superb acid vitality giving a wine a magnificent persistency.


Duckhorn Decoy Merlot 2008 $24.99
This dark ruby colored Merlot opens with a very fragrant mulberry and red currant bouquet with a hint of eucalyptus. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, and delicate. The flavor profile is a tart black currant and plum with notes of black cherry and black pepper. The finish is dry and it mild tannins are slightly prolonged.


Licia Albarino 2010 $15.99
Straw yellow with greenish hues, the Lícia Albariño has strong varietal characteristics with hints of citrus, such as grapefruit, candied fruit and quince jelly, along with notes of fresh herbs, green apples and minerals. It is full-bodied and well-balanced, highlighting the aromas of citrus and green apple.

Friday Beer Tasting July 8th 4-7pm

Your host is Lisa from Thomas Hooker Brewery.









Munich Lager $15.99/12pb
Brewed in the tradition of the Helles (Pale) lagers that are popular in the Bavaria region of Germany. This lager is deep golden in color with a pleasant, malty aroma balanced by a rich, smooth flavor. Troutbrook Brewing Company uses only authentic Moravian and German malts along with a Bavarian lager yeast strain to create this smooth and flavorful brew. Cool fermented and aged for six weeks, this beer is made to be delicate but yet still hearty. This beer is great anytime of year but particularly refreshing in the summer. Cheers!



Hop Meadow IPA $8.99/6pb
This pale ale was originally brewed in 19th century England to survive the long ocean voyages to their troops stationed in India - hence the name India Pale Ale. To keep the beer from spoiling during these four- to six-month odysseys, they produced a stronger, more generously hopped ale. Our creamy IPA emphasizes traditional West Coast Chinook and Cascade hops to yield a hophead’s delight of a brew: just-right complexity that’s not too sweet - or over-the-top with hops.



Watermelon Ale $8.99/6pb
The light and crisp Ale has a hint of watermelon essence, which is accented with colorful hues, filtered at colder temperatures resulting in a more refreshing thirst quenching brew. Our More Than A Mouthful Watermelon Ale is sure to please a variety of palates lending itself to being the perfect summer treat.

Our brand new Harry's video

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A company called bizz-buzztv approached us a couple of months ago and asked us if we wanted to shoot a promotional video for Harry's and be on their website. After looking at their website http://www.bizzbuzztv.com/ (look around there is lots of good, local content) and the quality of the stuff they were producing we decided to give it a go.
So, a couple of weeks ago I put up a post to let people know that we were shooting a new commercial and some of our loyal customers came down to be in the video, if you were one of them you might see yourself in the spot. Anyway, it was a lot of fun for us and we are happy with the way it turned out.


Let us know what you think. You can reply here or leave us a message on Facebook

http://www.bizzbuzztv.com/shopping-videos/harrys-wine-&-liquor-market/104/

-Patrick

Stimulate your Taste Buds!

The summer season is well under way and there is nothing better then kicking back and relaxing with an ice cold cocktail.There are a vast amount of liquors out there and when a few are combined correctly can make a refreshing and elegant drink.A few of my personal favorite summer time recipes are:

Mint Julep
4 fresh mint sprigs
2 1/2 oz bourbon whiskey
1 tsp powdered sugar
2 tsp water

White Sangria
1/2 cup peach schnapps
1/2 cup cognac
1/4 cup white sugar
4 oranges, sliced into rounds
2 mangos, peeled and sliced
4 (750 milliliter) bottles dry white wine, chilled
1 liter ginger ale, chilled

Sour Apple Martini
2 oz vodka
1 oz green-apple schnapps
Splash of sour mix
Garnish with a lemon twist

All of these items can be found in our store and/or your local supermarket. So if your looking for that new and exciting drink to have by the pool this weekend, these are a few helpful recipes that will help cool you down in the hot summer heat!

-Chris O

Tempranillo meets Barbeque!

I recently retasted 2 Spanish tempranillo wines that have been perennial favorites here at Harry’s:

• Museum Real Reserva 04 - $27.99/bottle
• Dehesa La Granja 04 - $19.99/bottle

Typically, people associate tempranillo with Spanish Rioja, but these 2 are actually from different areas in Spain - hence the lack of the Rioja reference. Both are 100% Tempranillo grapes and are from the excellent 2004 vintage. I was hugely impressed how well they showed. Museum Real has a very balanced and elegant flavor profile and is in the prime of its life. The Dehesa, on the other hand, is showing a youthful nature - displaying dark rich color in the glass and big beautiful fruit on the palate. Dehesa is a wine that you could easily buy a case of and pick away at over the next 3 to 5 years.

Either of these wines would go beautifully with freshly barbequed meats, particularly lamb or hangar steak. I would encourage anyone to come in and pick up either of these bottles and enjoy a truly special wine.

-Greg

Trimbach wine class July 13th from 7pm-9pm

There are still a couple (2) seats remaing for our July 13th wine class with owner and winemaker Jean Trimbach from 7pm-9pm. Mr. trimbach will be in Connecticut for one day only and we at Harry's wine school have been fortunate enough book him to lead our class. This really is a rare opportunity to meet the man himself and hear his take on his vineyards, The Alscae region of France and the wine world in general. Seats have sold quickly and we have only 2 remaining so act quickly if you want to join us for this special evening.
Call Patrick (203)259-4692
Cost is $35 per person

A benchmark beer

I was really excited when I got the opportunity to get this beer! Following is an overview of an article I thought described them well.

The Ovilia Project
For nearly 1000 years, monks have been brewing ales behind monastery walls. Their closely guarded traditions and techniques produced styles of beer unlike anything else in the world. These unique Trappist-style Abbey ales are known for their uncompromising quality and compelling flavor. Sierra Nevada and the Trappist-Cistercian Abbey of New Clairvaux are working to bring this centuries-old tradition to America with Ovila—the nation’s only authentic Trappist-style Abbey Ale.
This series of three Belgian -style Abbey ales are made in accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the monks. Each beer will be only be available for a limited time and will rotate through the seasons. The first beer in the series, scheduled for release in March, will be a Belgian-style Dubbel brewed with authentic Trappist yeast. The second beer in the series, scheduled for release in July, will be a Saison, the traditional Belgian-style farmhouse ale made in honor of the Monk’s dedication to labor in the fields surrounding their abbey. The third will be released in time for the holidays. It will be a Trappist-style Quadrupel rich with dark fruit flavors and the unique wine-like characters of these strong Abbey ales.

More info here- http://www.ovila.com

We have a few bottles of this historical beer in stock. Do not miss out, come and visit us!

-Renzo

They're Baaack

Mike Tobin is in with the Copain wines and we're excited to re-introduce people to them.

A few years ago we were very hot on this young winemaker from California named Wells Guthrie (more info on him a couple of posts down the board) who was producing these terrific wines, Syrah in particular, and the more we tried his wines the more we liked him. At that time he was producing a line of wines that were named for the seasons Copain l'autumn Pinot noir, l'hiver syrah (winter), and so on. These wines were very successful and as we looked forward to each new release our anticipation grew. There were single vineyard syrah's, James Berry vineyard stands out in my mind and is actually in my cellar currently. It got to the point that we had so much confidence in this guy we just started buying whatever we could get our hands on which, if you know this store and our attention to indvidual wines you will know is very unusual. It seemed that this guy could not make a mistake and we loved his forward style.

Suddenly we got the word that the distributor at the time had decided not to bring in anymore of his wines. What a crushing day that was, William was on the phone trying to figure out what happened and when we would see more. We didn't get any good answers and suddenly the wines and their avaiablity went into limbo. Years passed without any solid answer and we waited. We pushed and asked others to join the fight. A new distributor finally stepped into the picture and made it happen. The wines came back! Or at least they were coming back, Hooray we thought, finally. Then it happened, we got the word that they were in stock and a rep was coming by to taste us on them.

This was an exciting day for us at Harry's, on the day they were coming by we waited and waited, don't you know that they ran all over the place with those wines throughout the day saving our stop til the last of the day. When they finally showed up the bottles were low on wine and we lined up to taste. Now I can't tell you how it felt when the rep stepped up to the tasting table and lined up the wines but lets go with very good. then he told us something that made me gasp....

"Since the last time you guys tasted these wines the wine maker has really changed his style"

What! you mean to tell me that this isn't what I remembered? C'mon, you aren't serious are you?

"No it's true, he wanted to do a more old world style and you aren't going to find that big American style in these wines".

I was ready to pick up my stuff and and leave... Am I ever glad I fought the urge and hung around! These are great wines! One after the next we tasted beautiful wines. This guy changed his style and hit a homerun wine all of them. To one degree or another each wine showed very well, for some the nose, others the tannin structure or the fruit was the star but they all had balance and interest.

Then the bad news... they had been showing them all day and the supply was short. We just can't win with these wines! What does short supply mean? We asked.

"Well a few cases of this and a few cases of that are available" I looked at William and he looked back at me. "Take it?" Yeah, get whats left. (The excitement returned)

So here it is 4th of July weekend and we have some of these wines on our Saturday tasting. I said earlier in the week this was a don't miss tasting and I'm standing by that position. If you are at home reading this log off and come down to tatse and when you get here be sure to get to the Syrah, it is great!

-Patrick

Beer tasting happening now

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Jul 1
Your host is Jamal Robinson of Blue Point Brewing Company.






Fresh Hops $2.99/22oz
Brewed to satisfy the hop lover, this has an immediate floral-citrus flavor that pervades the overall character of this hoppy, quenching microbrew.


Summer Ale $8.99/6pb
Blue Point Brewing's Summer Ale has a delicious golden taste. In addition to traditional barley malt; a substantial portion of wheat malt is added to the mix giving this brew a unique tartness that's not found in many beers today. A small amount of lemon is added with one other "special" ingredient that all combine together to produce a light, thirst-quenching, citrus flavor microbrew enjoyed by all on a hot, Long Island Summer day.


Hoptical Illusion $10.49/6pb
Generous amount of selected hops balance out the malty backbone of this delicious golden India Pale Ale.