Friday, January 31, 2014

Super Bowl Weekend Beer Tasting 4-7pm



Both teams are represented well in this one. renzo is pouring beer from both teams home states. Try some different brews and bring the home for your party.

Colorado:
Dales pale Ale $8.99 6pk
A great APA with a good dose of bitterness. One of my favorite, go-to pale ales, and the blind score reflects and solidifies that for me. Out of a total of 14 pale ales in the blind tasting, this brew tied for 1st with 4 others on my list, and ended up at 2nd on the collaborative list.

Boulder Beer Company Variety Pack $14.99 12pk

Washington:
Henry Weinhard’s IPA $6.99 6pk
Pours a copper, burnt orange color with a thin white head. Smells of grapefruit peel and pine with a hint of caramel. Tastes slightly bitter up front with lots of citrus hop flavor and a hint of grainy sweetness. Light bodied with sharp carbonation and a slightly dry finish.

Pyramid Snow Cap $8.49 6pk
Deep mahogany in color, our full-bodied winter warmer is brewed in the spirit of British winter ales. Crafted with a flurry of roasted chocolate and caramel malts, and generously hopped, it delivers a smooth finish that makes this beer the perfect cold weather companion.

The Super Bowl is Sunday, Stock up!


Saturday, January 25, 2014

Wine Tasting - Saturday 1-4PM, Jan 25

 JANUARY IS 
HARRY'S STAFF TASTING MONTH!
 
Your host is Billy Sanchez of Harry's Staff.
Billy is a recent transplant from Northridge California which was the perfect backdrop for him to develop and expand his love of wine and beer, especially his two favorites -- Cabernet Sauvignon and IPA’s.  His passion for wine comes from his appreciation of the harmony between nature and man to create something enjoyable.  He is currently a full time student at Sacred Heart University where he is working on a degree in English.  Before this he served our country with 14 years in the Marine Corps.  This military tour of duty afforded him the ability to travel the world, and he was lucky enough to visit over 20 countries and to learn so much about the people, food, spirits, and cultures of the world.

St. Michael Eppan Pinot Grigio 2012                $14.99
Light green luster run through the straw color of this wine whose aroma is rich in fruits, the most striking of which are pears. An excellent acidity balance gives this wine strength and structure. It is dry and smooth on the palate, and leaves a long, pleasant aftertaste.

Lamadrid Malbec Reserva 2010                        $19.99
Bright ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry, licorice and floral oils are complicated by a peppery note and a hint of maple syrup. Dense, round and lightly saline, with a suave, silky Old World texture to its flavors of blackberry and fig. Most impressive today on the long, rising finish, which features big but lush tannins and an impression of seamlessness. A lot of wine for the price.  International Wine Cellar, 91 pts

Friday, January 24, 2014

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Jan 24

Your host is Jay from Slumbrew.

Flower Envy Saison               $7.69/22oz
Summertime is for love, laughter and play, not envy. Never mind those luscious, long climbing vines of spicy, herbal hop cones over there. Sure there is a time for IPA, but today we will be content with smooth and floral Saison. Be happy.  Brewed with Belgian aromatic malts, wheat and noble hops.

Sittin on Hop of the World    $8.29/22oz
"You don’t like my peaches, don’t shake my tree. Get out of my orchard, let my peaches be." Our white IPA is a hybrid ale brewed with wheat malts and fermented with fresh peach puree. The aromatic essence of peach flavors combines with a world of hoppy goodness from Galena, Amarillo and Citra hops.

Yankee Swap                         $9.99/22oz
For our first year of our Yankee Swap beer series, we selected rum barrels from our friends at Turkey Shore Distilleries and dark maple syrup from North Hadley Sugar Shack. This Strong Ale is a big beer with hints of maple and complex notes of oak and rum from the Old Ipswich rum barrels.

Happy Sol                               $6.99/22oz
A refreshingly tart and crisp hefeweizen brewed with local MA wildflower honey, orange peel and coriander, and fermented with the juice from over 1,000 blood oranges. It’s a cloudy, yet effervescent beer, with lingering banana and citrus notes balanced against a healthy wheat backbone and hoppy finish from Mt. Hood and Crystal hops.

Poised for a come back?

Chardonnay has become the pariah of the white wine world to many people. So much so, that we have and abbreviation in the industry called an ABC white (Anything But Chardonnay). It comes from waiting on customers and hearing that answer to the question we ask often and that is... What type of white are you looking for?

It seems that many people are willing to take a chance on a white that they haven't ever experienced as long as it isn't made from Chardonnay. The problem stems from the pendulum swing that happened in the industry where wine makers, especially in California and Australia, began to make bigger, oakier and more extracted wines back in the 90's and even into the new millenium. At first, consumers were buying these big wines by the arm load and in response, wine makers began to adjust their styles to fit what people were looking for. The wines became bigger, more densely fruited and woody wines that lacked finesse and just offered obvious components that had less balance. Australian Shiraz, California Merlot, and Chardonnay reigned supreme. That was then...

It didn't take wine drinkers long to realize that it was easy to like the first sip or two but finishing the glass was another story. These very obvious wines made your pallete tired and going back for a second glass of a gloppy, over extracted, high alcohol wine became a chore rather than an enjoyable endeavor. The pendulum was about to start its swing back in the other direction.

Suddenly, and almost without warning the big California Chardonnay and the Australian Shiraz grapes fell out of favor and instead our customers were looking for something that paired better with foods. In our wine classes Len teaches an acronym, FAAT (Fruit, Alcohol, Acidity, Tannin) and when these components are in place in balance with one another, the wine is harmonious and inviting. Whether our customers knew it or not, they began to opt for wines that offered these pieces in better balance.

Over time the industry has adjusted to what consumers are looking for (for the most part) and things like unoaked Chardonnays and/or more lightly wooded ones are much more in style. Now when we hear "Anything But Chardonnay" our approach is shifting. Instead of just giving up on the grape, we can offer many wines that aren't in the style gave it a bad reputation. There are still "California Style" Chards out there but more and more we talk about "Burgundian Style" Chardonnays from California that offer this balance.

Interesting to note that even when this grape was at its all time low and our customers were telling us that there was no interest, we were still able to offer a white Burgundy and have success. The trust there had not been broken and these world class wines were seemingly immune to the ABC fear.

Are consumers now moving back toward Chardonnay? It certainly feels like it.

How about Shiraz?
Not so much... it seems that the Aussies haven't heard the message quite as clearly as California did. 

An interesting side note...
When Shiraz was in its hayday and Merlot was falling out of favor thanks to the movie "Sideways", vineyards planted to the Merlot grape were being ripped out and the vineyard owners began to plant the Syrah grape in abundance (Shiraz and Syrah are synonomous). The vines that were planted at that time are now producing fruit that is being turned into some very interesting wines. California is seeing a very big move toward these wines locally. This trend hasn't seemed to have moved to our area yet and maybe it never will but if I had to make a prediction, I would guess that the even handed approach our domestic producers are using make it a likely player in the coming years.

In the end it will be up to you, the consumer and us, the reatailers to help the pendulum find its balance. Producers want to make wines that people enjoy and of course buy. Figuring out what that is will always be dictated by the consumer.

-Cheers

 

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Wine Tasting - Saturday 1-4PM, Jan 18



JANUARY IS 
HARRY'S STAFF TASTING MONTH!

Your host today is:
Christelle Marilhet of Harry's Staff.
Born and raised in Lyon, France and a graduate of Thonon Les Bains. Christelle imported herself, along with her family from France in 1997. She took a job at Le Figaro, a French bistro in Greenwich and after nine years there she accepted a position with G.E. in Fairfield as Banquet supervisor. A year later Harry’s was fortunate enough to cross paths with her and looking for a career change, Christelle agreed to use her talented palette to our benefit. Since 2007, as a staple on staff at Harry’s Christelle’s opinion has helped us to expand and define not only our French section but has added much to the Italian section also. It is very obvious to us that she appreciates great wine at all price points and there cannot be any question that when she loves a wine Harry’s had better have enough for all.

Chateau Haut Selve Graves Red Bordeaux 2010                 $19.99
This is a 50/50 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  It shows several layers of rich fruity flavors.  It is well-balanced with hints of mint, cherry, tobacco and spice.  A creamy wine with a silky texture and a floral nose.

Villarrica Crianza Rioja 2009                                     $13.99
Bright ruby color tones.  The aromas are expressive of red fruits and berries.  In the mouth this wine is fresh and balanced showing flavors of raspberry, blackberry, and licorice.  On the finish are notes of light toast that are long and lingering.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

2014 – The year to expand your wine horizons



2014 – The year to expand your wine horizons

For those of you out there who are adventurous and like trying wines made from new regions and new grape varietals I’ve got two really compelling wines for you to try. 

The first one is from the producer Fratelli Allesandria and it is made entirely from the pelaverga piccolo grape.  This wine is very approachable even though it is fairly young.  The characteristics of this wine remind me of a French syrah grown during a warm vintage in the Northern Rhone.  Blindfolded I would have guessed Crozes-Hermitage or St. Joseph!  It has the peppery and meaty qualities that lend itself to that style.  The grape, pelaverga piccolo is a rare indigenous grape grown only in the commune of Verduno in Piedmont, Italy.  The production is very low; only 1000 cases are produced annually.  2012 Fratelli Allesandria Pelaverga $22.99/btl

The 2012 Trousseau from Michel Gahier is the second wine.  Trousseau is a fickle grape grown almost exclusively in Jura region of eastern France.  This wine is the product from arguably the finest producer of trousseau and it shows.  This wine had some characteristics that reminded me of a red burgundy, it definitely has some funk (a good funk!), lots of red berries, hint of pomegranate, and cherry.  The wine paired extremely well with herb roasted chicken and pan-fried potatoes.  This wine is showing well in its youth – I can only imagine what a few years in the bottle will do! 2012 Michel Gahier Trousseau “Grand Vergers” $36.99/btl.  This wine is also very limited.

What really stands out in both of these wines for me is the display of terroir.  The wines are both rustic in nature and exhibit an earthy and a deeply mineral driven palate. 

Friday, January 10, 2014

The puppies are visiting the store. Will you help us to socialize them?

This past Wednesday Lily's puppies came to the store for the first time and they had plenty of visitors that helped us to socialize them and get them ready for their new homes. These little labs have had a very good life so far and as they prepare to move to their new homes we want to get them used to meeting and interacting with new people. This group of 5 girls and 2 boys have had their "super dog" training and are in the midst of "the rules of sevens" socialization which help to create wonderfully rounded dogs that will be great family, therapy, and show dogs as they grow up.

We have been blessed with a terrific breeder named Deb Weinman who owns a small hobby kennel named Atlantic Labradors on Long Island and she has helped to guide us through this process. Jan and I don't have any plans to be breeders ourselves, but this experience has been wonderful thanks to her.

A couple of years ago we were looking for a yellow lab and as I was researching reputable breeders I was fortunate to have a conversation with Betsy Broyd who introduced me to Deb. The thing that stood out most in my mind was when she told me was that "Deb is good for the breed" and she could not have been more right. Deb is very careful about how she breeds and what the temperment of both male and female are so that she is always staying true to their lineage and breed.

I often talk about Lily's natural desire to hunt and of course to retrieve. She also has a very even temperment and is gentle but also strong, fast and very smart. When we asked Deb for help breeding Lily she did quite a bit of homework looking for the right stud and I have to say, she knocked it out of the park. The puppies father is "Rapper" out of Hyspire Labradors in California and these puppies are very even keeled with great energy and soft but energetic dispositions. They remind me so much of their mom.

There have been many inquiries to their availability and we are both happy and sad to say that they have all been spoken for. We are happy to point you in the same direction that we were direct when we were looking and that is to Deb.

Most of them will be around for another week or two and we will bring them in to the store so that people can see them and hopefully interact a bit with them. Red (girl) will be leaving our store on Sunday to begin her new adventures with a great family and Orange will be next, leaving in about a week to begin her new life. Both families are very excited to begin the journey and we couldn't be happier for the puppies or the people that are bringing them home!

Would you like to come down and say hi? This Sunday January 12th they will be at Harry's for a few hours beginning at noon and you are welcome to come by and say hi. Men, women and children are all good for them to meet.

Here are the rules:

First, we wash up. The puppies are still young and we don't want them to get sick

If you or the kids aren't feeling well please stay back, they will be around for another week or two and there will be more opportunity.

Kids sit criss cross applesauce on the floor with them. Parents stay close.

No rough housing or agressive play with the puppies

The puppies will get tired, if they are sleeping... they are sleeping. There will be other opportunities.

No outside animals.

We are looking forward to a fun day and we hope you can come by to join in!


Friday, January 3, 2014

Trends for 2014, What are we in store for...

In an industry that can evolve very slowly, the past few years have seen a number of explosive changes that have really kept us on our toes. We sometimes joke about how global warming has given us vintage after vintage of good wines from almost every wine growing region in the world, but that is just the tip of the proverbial disappearing iceberg.

The beer industry, in the past decade, has been evolving so quickly that it really is difficult to keep up with it. Classic styles blended with new techniques, hops, barrels and the brewers own artistry, have consumers' heads spinning with opportunity and styles. Couple that with the local movement and you see influences from all over the country and the world giving rise to even more choices. Being the troopers that they are, Renzo and Alex have sacrificed themselves and have popped open bottle after bottle to find the best stuff in the market and share them with the growing legions of interested customers.

Another fast changing sector of the market is "Brown" liquor. Bourbon, Rye, and Scotch are back in full force and just like the beer world, the artists, aka distillers are using classic recipes and new techniques, along with Port, Sherry and other types of barrels to send consumers in many different directions. Ten years ago the Bourbon world was barely keeping its head above water and there were only a handful of big brands that were readily recognizable like Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, and a few others. Rye was really all but done and my generation wasn't helping their cause. I had a friend that drank Jack and Coke and another whose choice was seven and seven, but for the most part we were a Vodka generation.

More recently the mixologists in NY have been playing with the classic recipes like Manhattans, Old Fashions, and Side Cars... they are using more artisinal products and recreating these forgotten gems. The 25 to 40 year old crowd is flocking to bars that are popping up all over to (re)try these long shelved cocktails. In turn, our shelves are constantly being restocked in the sections that were gathering dust a few short years ago. Rye, Bourbon, and Scotch have been given new life and their space on the "liquor wall" at our store continues to flex its muscle pushing things like Schnapps and low-end cordials to the low and corner shelves.

So what is next?

With the emergence of places like Bodega and the iminent opening of Geronimos right next door to us, Tequila (real Tequila) seems to be an obvious choice. The past couple of years has seen the bar raised from Cuervo to craft producers of 100% Agave Tequila and they have figured out that the type of barrel that is used to create their products can give them nearly as much personality as the brown liquors. Gone are the requests for Margarita mix, and those requests are now for the simple and fresh ingredients that make those cocktails so refreshing and delicious.

Also poised for dramatic growth are Gin and Rum. The classic dry Gin is being looked at again and so are its botanically enhanced brothers. There are a good many producers that are using more than just Juniper to add layers of flavor to their products. Cardoman, Corriander, Lemon Zest, Fennel and many more zippy "botanicals" are adding layers of flavor and interest. Rum is also on the rise as smaller producers continue to raise the bar on their quality of production, and cocktails like Dark and Stormys emerge and add interest to the category.

Finally, let's not forget about bitters as the new year begins. While winter is really just kicking in and things like Campari and Aperol aren't particularly relevant right now, they will be continuing to gain in popularity again after the cold has run its course. For now, experimenting with the brown stuff will keep you warmer in the next few months and we usually have a few things tucked away for your sampling pleasure. Stop in and grab Patrick, Renzo or our newest convert, Greg, and ask us what is exciting in the realm of Bourbon, Rye, and Scotch and you are likely to find a willing host and guide to your adventure.

-Cheers