Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Mar 31

Your host is Jeff D'Andrea of Brescome Barton. Today we are helping our customers get ready for Passover with the newest vintages of Kosher wines for the holidays. Harry's has lots of labels from many areas of the world to choose from. Jeff will be showing 4 of the selections today. Each year we are able to find more and better Kosher for Passover wines and the quality continues to rise as wine makers work to hone their craft. If you need wine for the holiday we are fully stocked but don't wait, as we get closer to the festivities the selection begins to wane.



Bartenura Pinot Grigio 2010 $16.99
Made from Pinot Grigio selected grapes grown in the sunny hillsides of Italy's Lombardia region. This is a well balanced dry wine with a fruity flavor and pleasant, fresh aftertaste.

Rashi Moscato d’Asti 2011 $15.99
Delightfully fresh, semi sweet, with outstanding floral, melon, pear, and tangerine aromas and flavors. The Moscato grape, aka Muscat, is the hottest new wine on the market. Everyone enjoys it, and it is especially pleasing for people who appreciate a noticeable level of “sweetness” in their wine.

Barkan Pinot Noir 2010 $12.99
This wine is marked by soft, yet palpable tannins; a fresh almost strawberry aroma with hints of black cherries and mint. It has a medium body and crisp finish.

Barkan Merlot/Argaman 2009 $11.99
Kosher for Passover and Mevushal, this wine is a 50/50 blend of the widely popular Merlot grape along with Argaman, a grape that was originally developed at the Volcani Institute in Israel. It has a deep purple color and a pronounced fresh fruit aroma, along with great depth of flavor and supple tannins. The Argaman grape is dark and robust with a fresh wild berry aroma.

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Mar 30

Your host is Lisa of Thomas Hooker Brewery. In the picture Lisa is pouring the Liberator Doppelbock for an interested customer. She'll be here until 7pm pouring the Hooker line for those that visit. Good way to kick off the weekend!




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.

Munich Lager $8.99/6pb
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!

Double Bock $9.49/4pb
The doppelbock style of lager came into being in Middle Ages era Bavaria in what is today southern Germany. It was originally brewed by monks to provide themselves with a liquid form of nutrition during the fasting period of Lent when no solid food was allowed. This has earned the doppelbock the nickname "liquid bread" because of its rich and filling capacity. The Thomas Hooker Doppelbock Lager blends huge amounts of imported Munich, Vienna and Moravian malts with select dark roasted malts to achieve a malt lover’s dream of a rich and creamy brew. Subtly hopped with noble German and Czech hops and cool fermented with a Bavarian lager yeast, this beer will leave you happy to give up solid food for a while. No dessert necessary.

Imperial Porter $9.49/4pb
The Thomas Hooker Imperial Porter is a full-bodied dark lager which draws its roots to the stronger porters of 19th Century England which would evolve into today’s stronger stouts. The porter derives tremendous complexity from the use of 8 different malts blended to balance sweet, caramel flavor with the coffeeish taste supplied by a judicious use of dark roasted malts. This brew is generously hopped with German and American hops that come to life as the beer is allowed to warm to its ideal temperature of 58-60 degrees. A great brew to add that holiday warmth and cheer to any beer lover’s winter. CHEERS.

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Mar 24

Your host is Leah Votto of Votto Wines. In the picture it appears Leah might be playing hide and seek behind her selection of wines but the truth is she is just leaning in for Greg to take the picture. In the picture with Leah today is Harry's customer Lucy. Lucy came in today and was looking at the Rosé rack which has been stocked to capacity. She saw the lineup a few feet away and agreed to let us post her smiling face on the blog today. Thanks Lucy! We hope you enjoyed the wines today.



Polkadraai White 2011 $11.99
70 % Chenin Blanc ; 30% Sauvignon Blanc - easy drinking, fresh and vivacious. Star bright with a green undertone. An easy to drink, well balanced blend. The wine is grassy on the nose, but the tropical fruit flavours come through on the palate.


Casalvento Chianti Classico 2007 $16.99
A generous and fruity red, with plum, berry and raspberry character. This is polished and very beautiful, with a silky texture. Best after 2010. Wine Spectator, 90 pts


Albarroble Crianza 2009 $14.99
This wine is a blend of the “Garnacha Tintorera” grape along with Syrah and a hint of Cabernet Sauvignon. It is aged for 12 months in French and American oak casks which gives it a very pleasant profile of red fruit. It has notes of balsamic with a vanilla aftertaste along with an intense color.


Lena di Mezzo Amarone 2007 $49.99
There’s a note of ripe fruit or strawberry jam at the start here that is followed by prune, cassis, spice, smoke and campfire ash. This Amarone does show nice elegance and smoothness on the finish. Wine Enthusiast, 89 pts

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Mar 23

Your host is Joe Hansome of Angry Orchard.






Apple Ginger $8.99/6pb
Our Apple Ginger cider is unlike any cider you’ve had before. The fresh ginger and apple flavors blend together for a sweet, yet slightly tart taste with a distinct ginger aroma. The result is a smooth, refreshing cider that goes down easy.

Crisp Apple $8.99/6pb
This crisp and refreshing cider mixes the sweetness of the apples with a subtle dryness for a balanced cider taste. The fresh apple aroma and slightly sweet, ripe apple flavor make this cider hard to resist.

Traditional Dry $8.99/6pb
Our Traditional Dry cider is made in the style of English draft ciders. This cider is bittersweet and slightly spicy with a bright apple aroma. The dryness makes you pucker and look forward to another sip.

Sam’s Summer $9.59/6pb $16.99/12pb
Samuel Adams® Summer Ale is an American wheat ale. This summer seasonal uses malted wheat, lemon peel and Grains of Paradise, a rare pepper from Africa first used as a brewing spice in the 13th century, to create a crisp taste, spicy flavor and medium body. The ale fermentation imparts a background tropical fruit note reminiscent of mangos and peaches. All of these flavors come together to create a thirst quenching, clean finishing beer perfect for those warm summer days.

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Mar 17

Your host is Carl Vitale of Winebow
with wines for St Patrick's Day Corned Beef and Cabbage. Pictured with Irishman Carl Vitale (we're all irish on St. Patty's day right) are Harry's customer Helen Dickman and in the hat is our own Chris O'Brien (Now thats Irish!). Corned beef is notoriosly difficult to pair with wine but each year we find a few that do well. If your are more of a traditionalist we have Renzo and Joey manning the beer side and they have a couple of good beers that will work well with the dinner today or tonight.


St. Urbans-Hof Riesling 2010 $15.99
This features fairly intense savory herbal notes to the firm flavors of white peach and orange zest. Gooseberry and slate accents linger on the finish. Drink now through 2016. Wine Spectator, 88 pts



Couly-Dutheil Chinon Blanc 2010 $25.99
Very fresh and extremely aromatic, with floral notes, papaya, grass and soft minerals on the nose. The palate is fruity, delicate and soft, and fresh and bright in the extreme. No wood, but this wine does see extended lees contact with batonnage to further its complexity and power.



Nieto Senetiner Bonarda 2010 $12.99
The nose has some aromas of raspberries, dill, and vanilla. On the palate this is full bodied and teeth staining red with flavors of blackberry, nut and some earthiness on the finish.



Duckhorn Migration Pinot Noir 2009 $29.99
Winemaker's notes: This is a complex, red fruit-driven Pinot Noir with a rich entry, balanced acidity, good length and substantial structure. In both the aromatics and on the palate, enticing notes of cranberry and strawberry take center stage supported by layers of cola and spice, as well as savory elements of leather, tomato leaf and bacon fat.

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Mar 16

Your host is Jeff from McSorleys. Get your St. Patricks day celebration started with McSorleys. Jeff brought the Black Lager and Pale ale to taste. Pick up one of each for the weekend and you've got the fixins for Black and Tans as you celebrate the Irish in all of us on March 17th!





McSorley’s Irish Black Lager $8.99/6pb
Deep brown with some purple highlights topped by a frothy off-white head. The aroma has notes of debittered black, caramel, roast, and bready malts with a dash of pipe tobacco and star anise. Almost no hop character to be found. The taste is smooth refined malts with a slight grassy herbal continental hop finish. Nice acidity to balance the malts. The mouth feel was what was expected. smooth and very easy to drink.


McSorley’s Irish Pale Ale $8.99/6pb
At McSorley’s ale is well. McSorley’s Irish Pale Ale is from the old house at home. Established in 1854 in NYC and brewed by McSorley’s Brewery in Wilks-Barre, PA. Brewed in the tradition of the historic walls of McSorley’s Old Ale House. It took 116 years, the pressure of public opinion and ultimately the authority of a court order for McSorley’s to surrender. By the mid 1970s, McSorley’s allowed woman inside the bar at 15 E. 7th St for the very first time. Ah, but the owners did not completely forgo tradition, women would wait until 1986 to get their own restroom.

2010 Protos Verdejo

With the tease of warm weather earlier this week I started my migration toward white wines and rosé wines. This is a good month or two ahead of when I'd usually venture to lighter style wines.

The wine I brought home was 2010 Protos Verdejo from the Rueda region in western Spain. Verdejo is a wine which is pleasantly aromatic, on the nose there is great floral aromas and hints of tropical fruit, particularly pineapple and citrus. I paired this wine with some goat cheese and was amazed at how well they worked together. The vibrancy and great acidity of this wine complemented the creamy texture of the cheese. I can imagine this wine working extremely well sauteed sea scallops or a rich fish like sea bass.

The finish is wonderful on this wine. There is a lingering hint of almond and lemon zest. For a fuller-bodied white this wine has great balance and complexity. I will certainly be bringing this wine home again! This wine is on the shelf for $14.99, a great value!

-Greg

Kendall Jackson Thu, March 15th 2012 6pm-8pm

With Winemaker Randy Ullom of Kendall Jackson Winery. He is the fellow second from the right with the big soup straining mustache and is fresh off his national TV debut on “Undercover Boss”, tasting some of the new projects from the winery.




Jackson Hills Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
The outstanding 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Jackson Hills from Jess Jackson’s holdings in Knight’s Valley is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged 19 months in nearly all French oak (45% new). Its dense opaque purple color is followed by notes of spring flowers, blueberry and blackberry liqueur, graphite and ink. Full-bodied and rich with moderately high tannins as well as tremendous concentration and length, it needs 2-3 years of cellaring and should keep for 15-20. Wine Advocate, 91 points



Jackson Hills Santa Barbara Chardonnay 2008
The 2008 Chardonnay Jackson Hills from Santa Barbara exhibits the classic pineapple, smoky hazelnut, mango, and orange marmalade fruit notes in a full-bodied, exuberant, flamboyant style. Wine Advocate, 91 pts



Grand Reserve Merlot 2008
The 2008 Grand Reserve Merlot (98% Merlot and the rest other Bordeaux varietals) offers notes of graphite, charcoal, plum sauce, black cherries, mocha and toast. This dense, structured, medium to full-bodied Merlot is approachable now, but is capable of lasting 7-8 years. Wine Advocate, 89 pts



Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008
Composed of 99% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec aged 19 months in French oak (47% new), the 2008 Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon displays an inky/purple color as well as abundant aromas of creme de cassis, camphor, tobacco leaf, licorice and background smoky oak. This rich, full-bodied Cabernet admirably showcases the potential for rich, layered, ageworthy Cabernet Sauvignon from Sonoma. It will benefit from another 1-2 years of bottle age and should keep for at least 12 years. Wine Advocate, 90 pts

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Mar 10

Your host is Larry Goldstein of Connecticut Distributors.








William Hill Napa Chardonnay 2009 $21.99
Openly fruity and friendly, this is creamy, rich and full-bodied, layered with fig, melon, apricot and spice. Holds its focus and ends with a long, pure finish. Drink now through 2015.Wine Spectator, 89 pts


MacMurray Central Coast Pinot Noir 2009 $18.99
Showcases flavors of red cherry, cola, and briar complemented by nuances of sweet vanilla and oak.


Alamos Malbec 2010 $9.99
Flavors of dark cherry, cassis and blackberry fruit. A small amount of Cabernet Sauvignon along with Syrah was blended into the final wine, and oak aging gives it integrated spice and vanilla oak characteristics.


Rancho Zabaco Sonoma Zinfandel 2010 $12.99
This delivers an abundance of jammy flavors and spices, demonstrating the classic and distinctive characteristics of Zinfandel.

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Mar 9

Your host will tonight is from Narragansett brewing.
So, 'Gansett as it has become known has some new varieties out and we're tasting them here tonight. Seems almost unbelievable that just a couple of years ago this label was virtually nonexistent. It was a brand that died in the days of "Jaws" and their promo material when it was reintroduced through harry's a couple of years back was still from that era (stop me if you've heard this before). Anyway, they keep coming up with new things and since we got them back into the market after their hiatus we try to offer them a home to show off the newest and best in the line. Today the newest are the Cream and Bock. We have showed the Porter in the past but what the heck, it is still pretty good. Decent amount of giveaways too. Come get a 'Gansett

Cream Ale$8.99/6pc16oz
Gansett Cream delivers that refreshing straight from the barrel taste of days gone by. ‘Gansett Cream is made with quality ingredients like 2-row pale, Munich, Vienna, and Cara-malt for a creamy head! We used Columbus hops for bittering and a touch of Willamette hops for a slight hop aroma. Bright gold in color and brilliant in clarity, this session ale delivers an extra pop of hop bitterness found only in cream ales of the early 1900′s.



Porter$8.99/6pc16oz
It is brewed with summit hops, black malt, pale malt, roasted barley and ale yeast, and then dry hopped with Amarillo hops. Taste & Enjoy: Gansett Porter offers an extremely approachable craft experience that, unlike many of the other porters on the market, is not overly smoky or bitter. The Narragansett Porter has a deliciously mild chocolate flavor with just a hint of smokiness and hops to balance out the finish.



Bock$8.99/6pc16oz
A traditional dark lager beer that delivers a uniquely delicious flavor experience. Brewed with summit hops and six types of malts including chocolate malt, cara-malt and crystal malt.

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Mar 3

Your host is Peter Slywka of Michael Skurnik Wines.






Haymaker Sauvignon Blanc 2011 $10.99
Lifted aromas of guava and grapefruit. A lively palate with fresh flavours of nettles and tropical fruit with a flinty elegance.


Petit Chapeau Cotes du Rhone 2010 $10.99
This is deep ruby red in color with an intense nose of roasted red fruit, cassis, dried herbs, smoke and spice. Medium-full in body with mild tannins, it is concentrated and rich on the palate and well balanced.


Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 $15.99
This offers engaging and layered aromas of blackberry and dark plum with hints of spice, cedar and vanilla. The polished tannins and velvet texture lead to an elegant and long finish.


Capiaux Chimera Pinot Noir 2010 $30.99
Vanilla, dark chocolate, Bing cherry, raspberry, and blueberry aromas create a fruit compote quality. Sweet, thick, rich flavors and smoky, charcoal, graphite flavors on the palate.

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Mar 2

Your host is Renzo of Harrys. We've been keeping Renzo busy with the Friday evening tastings and today is no exception. He's chosen a few things that he really likes and was telling me about a BYOB place over in Black Rock that serves Turkish. I was already hungry so now I'm thinking it might be on this list for me. Stop in and ask him about it, he was really excited about his experience and the beer he brought.



Southern Tier Un-Earthly $7.29/22oz
An Uninhibited Infusion of Hops. We continue our commitment to innovation with our most aggressive offering yet Unearthly is a manifestation of the brewers crafts skillfully balancing art and the forces of nature to produce a divine liquid. Delicately pour a taste into a fluted glass. Smell the enchanting aromas of the hops come forward as your first sip divulges this beer’s fervent soul. To underestimate Unearthly is to trifle with the mysteries of the universe so please consume wisely. The ABV went from 9.8% to 11%.



Young’s Double Chocolate Stout $2.99/15oz or $10.99/4pc
Roasted Barley and Chocolate malt; special blend of sugars; Fuggles and Goldings hops; real dark chocolate and chocolate essence. Melted chocolate bars are added to the boil and the essence is added after filtration.



Bosteels Tripel Karmeleit $10.49/750ml
Blond, robust, smooth, and fruity three grain top fermented beer, refermented in the bottle. Brewed with pride and patience after Karmeliet tradition with wheat, oat and barley. 100% natural. Has been brewed at Van Steenberge for Brewery Bosteels for some time until recently.