Saturday, February 23, 2013

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Feb 23

Your host will be Mark Taylor of CM Selections.

Girasole Prosecco Brut N.V.               $10.99
Filled with complex aromas, intense and fresh, revealing flavors of pear and apricot yielding delicate floral notes of white flowers backed up by hints of bread of crust and yeast.


 
San Sole Amanda Tai/Pinot Grigio 2011                $15.99/3 Liter Box
From the Veneto, Italy comes this easy drinking and delicious dry white wine to enjoy with seafood, chicken, or pork.  The bouquet is complex with hints of citrus, pear, apple and dried wild flowers, and the flavors are crisp and clean.

San Sole Appassimento Rosso Veneto 2011            $19.99/3 Liter Box
An intense red boasting complex notes of raspberry, cherry, black pepper and earth on both the nose and palate. Firm tannins and balanced acidity mingle with hints of spice on the lasting finish.

Terre Estensi Lambrusco N.V.                                $15.99
Full-bodied but only barely bubbly, with a black/purple grape character, dryly grapey in a pure, luscious, deep way, like a preserve. The grape notes are followed by those of tar and black olives, with a bitter chocolate finish.

Friday, February 22, 2013

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Feb 22

Your host is Colin from The Craft Beer Guild.
Clown Shoes Third Party Candidate          $8.99/22oz
This collaborative brew honors Geoff Dale: Man Child, Mother Bird, Minister of Mayhem, future President of The United States. A massive, hoppy imperial amber, Third Party Candidate goes down nicely after you chant: Vote Geoff Dale! Vote Geoff Dale! Geoff Dale!  50% Eagle Claw Fist Imperial Amber Ale 50% Loopy Oatmeal Red Ale.

Sixpoint Resin                                                $9.99/4pc
It’s been less than a year since we released our four core beers in cans, and we’re ecstatic to announce a new addition to the flock. This isn’t a seasonal release, like the Autumnation of last fall or Diesel, still going ’round this winter. It isn’t our upcoming spring seasonal can, either. It’s a never-before-released, big beer in a slim, 12 oz. can with a potent burst of hops and as strong as an ox: Resin. We zeroed in on the botanical structure of the hop cone to get to the essence of this beer. When hops are at their peak maturity, their cores swell up with a sticky, golden, resinous substance that is the flavor you crave from an IPA. WIth an IBU of 103 and ABV of 9.1%, Resin can be loosely described as a double IPA — but rarely do Sixpoint beers adhere to any strict style demands.

Breckenridge Lucky U IPA                         $9.99/6pb
We like to think this is an ale for everyone who believes you make your own luck. We sure did. And the result is a well-balanced, soulful IPA with just the right amount of hoppiness. An even keeled ale that goes down clean and refreshing, but still lets you know it’s been doted on by the Brewmaster. It’s true to it’s IPA heritage, but also highly drinkable. Lucky U. And we seriously mean that.

Full Sail IPA                                                  $8.99/6pb
This English style IPA is a full-flavored, full-bodied brew that has a big bold malt character and intense aromatics. It’s a well-balanced, golden-colored brew that has a crisp hop finish that doesn’t bite. With its palate cleansing finish, IPA is a perfect for highly spiced dishes with curry, ginger, garlic or cumin. This classic English style IPA is brewed with: 2-row Pale malt and is hopped with Challenger and East Kent Goldings hops

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Open that bottle night Saturday february 23, 2013

Well, it’s that time of year again...
This Saturday, February 23rd, is Open That Bottle Night! It is a wine tradition that has been going on for a little over ten years. The main purpose, of course, is to open that precious bottle that you have been holding on to for quite sometime and enjoy it with family or friends. I, myself, have hosted three of these yearly events and they all have been terrific times with my dearest friends. The key to this evening is not whether the wine is expensive or inexpensive, white or red, or if the wine is good (Not a bad one yet). What matters are the great memories that evolve during Open That Bottle Night. This is what I cherish most and I know you will too.
 So as we near the last Saturday of February and get ready to release that special bottle from prison, enjoy the memories and bittersweet moments during your OTBN. Keep in mind that wine is more than liquid gold in a bottle. It’s about history, geography, our relationships and all things that are meaningful in life. Salute’ and enjoy OTBN on February 23rd! 


Joe D

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Feb 16

Your host is Gino Pisani of Angelini Wine.
 It is always an "interesting" day when Gino shows up to do the tasting. To say that Gino is the life of the party would be an understatement. He has a smile for everyone and talks at about a thousand mile per hour. If you are having a tough day just take a few minutes with him and you will feel refreshed. He happens to be tasting a few good wines today highlighted by the Corte Rugolin Ripasso which happens to be a favorite of mine and is perfect for a day like today. It works well with stew or pasta and is an absolut no brainer if you are having Osso Bucco!
-Cheers
Angelini Pinot Grigio 2012               $9.99
Bouquet: Intense and persistent with a light fragrance of bread crust Color: Straw yellow with golden reflections Taste: A soft, well balanced and dry white wine with flavors of citrus and a clear, fresh finish. Lots of fruit flavors explode on the palette

Angelini Moscato N.V.                      $9.99
Showing a bright straw yellow with lively effervescence, the tropical fruit and pear aromas come through on the palate. It has the perfect balance of sweet white peaches and pineapple with a clean finish

Shannon Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon 2010             $13.99
Color: Deep Garnet, Ruby
Aroma: Black Cherry, Dark Berry, Vanilla, Spice
Flavor: Bing Cherry, Dark Raspberry, Creamy Vanilla
Texture: Rich, well balanced with a long finish

Corte Rugolin Ripassa Valpolicella 2009                $26.99
This is produced by refermenting a small amount of Valpolicella Classico on the lee with the sweet wine of their Recioto and Amarone. The resulting red is of superior quality and is remarkably long-lived; it has more body and weight than most Valpolicellas as well as a particularly intense bouquet. Its powerful, assertive character makes it one of the Veneto's great wines, not to mention a considerable value.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Feb 15

Your host is Angela Deon of Crispin.
BlueMoon                                        $9.59/6pb
Brewed with oats for creaminess and spiced with the perfect combination of orange peel and coriander.  An unfiltered wheat ale spiced in the Belgian tradition for an uncommonly smooth taste.

Crispin Original                                            7.99/4pb
Crisp over ice. A classically styled, but untraditional hard apple cider. Fruit forward, with a fresh, crunchy appley nose and a deliciously creamy, refreshingly crisp mouth feel.

Fox Pear                                                         $7.99/4pb
Naturally elegant and refreshingly adult with a sparkling clean natural pear finish, and a subtle woody complexity, completed by an intense fresh pear bouquet.

Leinenkugels Lemon Berry Shandy            $6.99/6pb
A light, crisp Weiss beer blended with refreshing lemonade and blackberry juice.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Grey Stack Cellars - Bennett Valley California


Just recently I tasted a great California pinot noir, 2010 Grey Stack Four Brothers Pinot Noir.  Grey Stack Cellars is located in the Bennett Valley AVA which lies in Sonoma County.  It was my curiosity about Bennett Valley that first drew me to this wine.  The Bennett Valley AVA is one of the newest and smallest designated AVA's in California and is blessed with mineral-rich volcanic soils and a cool climate, perfect for pinot noir! 
My tendencies for pinot noir are usually either Oregon or Burgundy, so I was anxious to see how this one was going to compare.  It was certainly a bit richer and heavier than a typical pinot from Burgundy or Oregon but what stood out for me was its great structure and a wonderfully complex palate.  This wine was in no way "flabby" or what people including me call a fruit-bomb.  This was really well made wine,  Beside being really good now, I strongly believe this wine will continue to evolve and improve over the next few years and be even better than it already is.  I was immediately inclined to purchase a bottle and throw it in the cellar to see how it will show in a year or two.
For a wine crafted exclusively from estate grown fruit it is very reasonable priced at $40.99/bottle.  100 cases made.

The wine from Grey Stack that we have carried for a while is the 2011 Grey Stack Cellars Sauvignon Blanc "Rosemary's Block"($29.99/bottle).  This is a superb and lush sauvignon blanc that has great tropical fruit flavors and aromas.  900 cases made.

Stop in and pick up some of these very small production wines.  Grey Stack is a perfect example of high quality artisinally made wines.   I'm happy to chat with anyone interested in further depth about this really exciting region and truly dynamic winery.

-Greg

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Wine Class - Wine 101 an introduction to wine tasting

JOIN US FOR WINE 101
INTRODUCTION TO WINE TASTING ! !

Two Thursdays, February 28 and March7
7:00pm-9:00pm
$60 plus $20 materials fee.
Please register with Fairfield Continuing Education
203-255-8376

This is the most popular class at Harry’s Wine School. 
We offer it several times per year, always to a packed house! 
We will cover everything you need to know about the basics of wine but didn’t know what to ask. 
You will learn the 5 S’s of wine tasting, the 4 taste zones of the tongue, the basic grape varieties, and much more. 
A selection of wines from around the world will be tasted.

This class is the foundation of all the other classes in our curriculum, and we recommend that even long-time tasters will benefit from it. 
The concepts and techniques that you learn here will apply to any and all future wine tastings that you will ever attend. 
Keep your Riedel wine glass at the end of class.

Yes, you will learn how these taste areas of the tongue
are essential to wine tasting!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

The Brunello tasting at Gotham Hall

    Each year for the past decade Jan and I have gone to my favorite tasting of the year, the Brunello tasting at the Gotham Hall in NYC. It has always been held at Gotham Hall in late January... Well that is until recently.
A couple of years ago some brilliant Italian trade commission honcho decided to fold it in to a bigger and broader tasting at one of the hotels and completely changed the dynamic of the day. Seperated into different conference rooms on different floors you are able to taste wines from all over Italy. It sounds good on paper but let me tell you, it all became too much. Even though it was in a bigger space overall, the rooms were smaller and the tables closer together. Not as many vineyards were represented from Montalcino and it became just another region in a massive show.

Ok, so what is the point of my whining about wine tasting in NYC? First, let me take you back a couple of years to what was my favorite tasting of the year...

As many of our customers know, I am an avid Italian wine fan and when you show up at Gotham hall for their annual Montalcino tasting you are treated to more than 50 vineyards showing the great wines of Montalcino including Brunello and Rosso di Montalcino along with some of the best Super Tuscans available. The idea that many of the producers also bring their Olive oil to taste and some even have one of the worlds great desert wines, Moscadello di Montalcino with them.

To top it off, in the center of the room you have a table full of the great foods of the region including artisanal cheeses and cured meats, fresh made pastas and polenta, along with any number of other delicacies. All of it suddenly yanked away as we led up to the release of the 2006 vintage which if you are a fan of the regions wine you will remember was a great one. Then we missed 2007 because I just couldn't bring myself to go back down to the crowded little rooms where none of the important producers were going to be anyway.

This year we got the good news... They're moving the tasting back to gotham hall!

Over to the calendar I went and marked it "Patrick and Jan off"!
 So, last Thursday we hopped on the train and went into the city for my favorite tasting.

Sad to say it was for the preview of the '08 Brunello vintage and well, 2008 isn't exactly a stellar vintage and... many of the producers that I was hoping would be there weren't.

The good news is that they were also previewing some other wines from the area as I had mentioned earlier so we got to taste through some very good 2010 Rosso di Montalcino's and I have to say that at about half the price of their big brothers, the Brunellos, the 2010 Rosso's in most cases showed better. There were a few olive oils and a couple of moscadello's that were fun so all was not lost.

There were also a couple of great characters like the one in the picture with Jan, Fillipo Chia, owner of Romitorio (Ok so there were some important producers there). Fillipo is the perfect blend for a winemaker. He is part scientist and part artist. It is a unique person that is a wine maker. Most of us are either artistically minded or scientifically minded but these guys are a bit of both. Standing at his table and listening to him talk about his passion was one of the great conversations of the day. He oozes Romitorio, not arrogantly or in a sales pitch. It is pure unadulterated love for his wine. Look at his smile, it is infectious and while he looks like a scientist the glasses have those great rims that remind me that in his heart he is an artist. Some may be familiar with his father Sandro chia the neoexpressionistic artist whose work is on each bottle. Also a great character but not at the tasting.

Overall I would say that the day was a 7 out of 10  but the next two vintages of brunello are supposed to be good and excellent so I will keep my fingers crossed that some of the missing producers will make their way back and that the guys at the commission will keep the tasting where it belongs.

On now to find a few more great 2010 Rosso di Montalcino’s for our shelves!

Monday, February 4, 2013

WINE CLASS: WOW! Wine & Chocolate Thu, February 14th 2013 7pm-9pm

Chocolate is wonderful alone but it can become a true culinary experience when savored with different foods and beverages. The range of flavors that complement chocolate is amazing! Some combinations are classic—coffee, almonds, and caramel. . . but did you ever try it with WINE? It’s fun to experiment with taste profiles and figure out what combinations you like best, so at this class we will sample a variety of wines with different chocolates to find some new favorite combinations.


$35 plus $10 materials fee.
Please register with Fairfield Continuing Education,203-255-8376

Saturday, February 2, 2013

Sunday Sales! Some great pricing for Super Bowl Sunday

With the big game looming and everyone running around to pick up their Super Bowl supplies, we are wondering...

Did you see this post?

"Like" us on Facebook and "Share" it with your friends.




Tito's Handmade Vodka

Regularly $32.99 1.75ltr 
On sale $29.99 1.75ltr (CT Min Btl.)

Today $26.99 1.75ltr
(Price good Super Bowl Sunday only)

The hottest premium vodka on the market today!



Craft Beer Super Bowl anyone?

From San Francisco:
Anchor Brewing Company
Steam Beer, Porter, Brown or Bock





From Baltimore:
Heavy Seas Beer
Pale, Black Cannon, Loose Cannon or Small Craft Warning




New Orleans (Host City):
Abita Brewing
Amber, Purple Haze, Turbo Dog or Satsuma




A couple more specials for the day...



MacTarnahan's Spine tingler
Reg. $6.99 22oz btl.

Today $1.99 22oz btl
or
$12.99 12pk 22oz. btl







MacTarnahan's Full Bloom
Reg. $6.99 22oz btl.

Today $1.99 22oz btl


Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Feb 2

Your host will be Renzo Kian of Harry's.

 Hmm... Who is that with Renzo???

His name is Carter and this is likely not the last time you'll see him.

Want to know more? Stay tuned...

In the meantime it is a great day to come by for our tasting. Renzo is at the table and if you look closely there are only three beers listed to taste today and yet he has 4 lined up on the table. He has reached in to his bag of tricks and pulled out a good one and the price is great!

So mysterious today...

Beers to Drink in Wine Glasses

Sarasola Basque Cider                     $9.99
More rounded and robust the Sarasola's earthy character is balanced by an increased oak character, tropical fruits and mandarin oranges. There is a powerful tartness lead by hints of gooseberry and preserved lemon. While not for timid palates, this is the Spanish cider to try.

Estrella Damm Inedit                        $10.99
Catalunya’s largest brewery, Damm, released a new beer designed by Chef Ferran Adria, formerly of El Bulli fame. Made in a style resembling Belgian wit beers or one of our domestic hefeweizen wheat beers, Inedit is a cloudy amber color with creamy texture and yeasty flavor adding context to lightly spicy notes of citrus peel, coriander and clove.

Dogfish Noble Rot                             $12.99
Noble Rot is brewed with pils and wheat malts and fermented with a distinct Belgian yeast strain. It has a spicy white wine body and a dry, tart finish.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Feb. 1st



Your host is Brad from Berkshire Brewing.
Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale $3.99 22oz 
BBC’s flagship brew is a light colored, medium bodied ale exhibiting exceptional freshness through its 2-Row Pale malt backbone and signature hop flavor and aroma.  In the words of renowned beer writer Lew Bryson, Steel Rail EPA is “what the water in heaven oughta taste like.”

Lost Sailor India Pale Ale $3.99 22oz 
A classic British-inspired IPA, Lost Sailor keeps an even keel with a well rounded malt profile to support generous dry-hopping with the time-honored Goldings hop variety.  With its floral and citrus aroma and medium body, Lost Sailor is the perfect session beer, whether lost at sea or in the comfort of your own home or a local pub. 

Cabin Fever Ale $3.99 22oz
Cabin Fever is a well-balanced, medium bodied ale brewed to sustain you over the long New England winter.  Its rich malt profile is reminiscent of an English Pale Ale, while the spicy and fruity hop finish, from German Tettnang hops, gives it a warming and welcoming feeling to bring you back in from the cold.  Copper-amber in color, this offering is available all winter long. 

Holidale 2011 $6.99 22oz
This Barely Wine Style Ale is brewed with a unique recipe each year.  Always brewed to exemplify the far reaches of brewing, this full bodied ale is our gift to you, whichever festivities you choose to celebrate. Whether getting you through the holiday hustle and bustle, or being sipped with family and friends, we welcome you to enjoy our special holiday offering all season long.