New year, New wines to taste

So, here it is January again and aside from the fact that the Giants and Patriots are in the Superbowl not much is happening around the store. The holidays came and business was brisk but January is like running into a wall for us. Everyone seems to hibernate and we're left here looking for something to do. It is always a welcome rest for a few days as the days and weeks go by its just boring.
A new year does however bring new hope and new vintages for us to taste so, as we are looking forward to getting the next newsletter out it means getting down to work and tasting wines. Each day we are trying new things hoping to find the next great wine(s) for the store. The 2010 vintage from France is starting to dribble in and shows great promise and will be perhaps the best of a very good run from this decade in France, California '09 and Argentina are also strong so we'll continue on with our labor of love and pass our recomendations to you.

Funny, while it is cold out now my mind is already jumping forward to tasting rose' which will signal spring, sun, flip flops, etc... *sigh, not soon enough.

-Christelle

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Jan 28

Your host will be Janice Monteleone of Harry's.
Graduate of Quinnapiac College, Janice began her career as a Paralegal and spent 20 years at a well known and reputable law firm in New Haven. Since meeting Patrick at a wine tasting in May of 2003, she has turned in her Pinot Grigio for Pinot Noir and has become quite the aficionado. Like her husband Patrick, Janice loves to travel the world’s great wine regions and is always looking for to the next place to explore. There is nothing like being there to really make you understand the wine and its culture.

The Girls in the Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 $15.99
This Cabernet is grown on the upper slopes of the Beckstoffer Amber Knolls Vineyard in the Red Hills of Lake County. After fermentation the wine is separated into distinct parcels and given a range of oak treatments from new French oak to none at all. This wine exhibits classic mountain characters of intensity and balance with a ripe cherry aroma. It’s a mid-weight wine that has mineral and classic cabernet varietal character. The tannins are moderate with good length.

Montaubret Brut Champagne N.V. $29.99
A blend of 90% Pinot Noir and 10% Chardonnay, this Brut is aged for 3 years prior to release. It offers a level of complexity normally reserved for more expensive cuvees. It’s a great value Champagne for $29.99 per bottle.

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Jan 27

Your host will be Mike Tobin of Worldwide Wines.
Some of our long time customers might remember Mike from his time at Harry's a few years back. He was a regular on our staff first as a cashier and then as one of our wine specialists after he caught the bug and got interested in wine. Mike has been a great success for us and was one of the graduates of the Harry's training program that moved out into the industry to work. He now sells wine for Worldwide Wine co., which is arguably the best wine distribution company in Connecticut. Most people won't remember it but he also had a short stint on the beer side of the store while he was employed with us. Mike has always been eager to learn and is an engaging guy, not only that but he is pouring some nice beer today so come down, say hi and try these...

Duvel $10.99/750ml
Four generations of the Moortgat family have brought together Pilsner malts, Bohemian hops, and a unique yeast strain to create this intense, aromatic and beguiling ale. This Belgian favorite is best enjoyed chilled (40 - 50 F) with discerning friends or good-looking strangers.

Forest Organic Saison $8.99/750ml
Brewed from 100% organically cultivated hops and barley and filtered artesian well water. Bottle conditioned. Deliciously rustic with a full malty body, notes of clove and pepper, with a dry herbal finish.

Ommegang Witte $7.49/750ml
Ommegang Witte, a traditional Belgian-style wheat ale with whispers of sweet orange and a touch of tart lemon. Soft and seductive, Ommegang Witte is this summer's version of spicy intrigue and refreshing flavor.

Ommegang Three Philosopher $9.99/4pb
Three Philosophers is a remarkable limited edition strong ale brewed by Brewery Ommegang in response to a home brewer’s description of his dream beer. Realbeer.com, the internet’s largest beer website, hosted a contest called “Create a Great Beer.” Brewery Ommegang was chosen by Realbeer.com to brew the Belgian-style ale for the winning essayist. Noel Blake, a home brewer from Portland wrote the winning description for what his “dream beer” would be like.

Super Bowl Raffle and mini keg tasting!...

On Saturday february 4th 2012 we are hosting a beer tasting from 4pm-7pm with Heineken and New Castle where we will feature the 5 liter mini kegs. These little kegs have become a hot item in the store and we have been lucky enough to get our hands on one of the Beertenders from krups that keep these little guys cold and fresh on your counter for weeks.

Stop by anytime between now and then to fill out a ticket for a chance to win the one pictured here at the end of our tasting and have it at home for your Super bowl party! the drawing will be held at the end of the tasting and the winner can take it with them if they are present.

Fun, beer and prizes, yeah!

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Jan 21

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.

Eugène Carrel "Altesse" Roussette de Savoie" 2010 $14.99
Aromas of butter, white peach, lemon, and a hint of toast. Medium-bodied with an oily mouth feel, the wine has rich flavors of Granny Smith apple, white peach, butter, crème brulée, and a hint of coconut. The oily/lemony finish is very good to excellent with a nice tang of minerals in the aftertaste.


Chateau Puygueraud 2009 $19.99
This blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec is soft, round, and easy to drink. It reveals plenty of dark fruits intermixed with notions of earth and spice. Consume it over the next 7-8 years. Wine Advocate, 88 pts

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Jan 20

Your host will be Todd Meyers of George Washington Brewery.
Todd is a local guy, he lives in Greenwich and brews his recipe in Pawtucket Ct. so everything about this beer is Hometown and small batch.



George Washington $9.49/6pb
Craft brewed for the mainstream, gw Beer is a golden amber American Pale Ale, lightly malty, with a smooth balance of toasted caramel sweetness and American hop flavor and aroma.

From the 12 fl. oz. bottle with Mar 2012 clipped off the label. According to the the label is is based on George Washington's handwritten recipe. It is a typical straw yellow pale lager pour with a lot of long lasting head and excited carbonation. It does not smell like a beer from 1757. It smells more like a modern Adjunct with grainy, light roasted malts and sugar. The body is thin. The taste is also very much like barkey malts, slightly sweet, and crispy fresh at the end. An innocuous, likeable, and drinkable pale lager.

Speaking with Todd (The owner and brewmaster) we learned that he thought the original recipe could use a bit of modification so he went to work trying to create a beer that would give a nod to the history of the recipe but target the mainstream beer drinker. This is a brand new brewery here in Connecticut, so Stop by and take a minute to let him know how he did.

The original recipe:

"To Make Small Beer-
Take a large Siffer [Sifter] full of Bran Hops to your Taste. Boil these 3 hours then strain out 30 Gall[ons] into a cooler put in 3 Gall[ons] Molasses while the Beer is Scalding hot or rather draw the Melasses (sic) into the cooler & St[r]ain the Beer on it while boiling Hot. let this stand till it is little more than Blood warm then put in a quart of Yea[s]t if the Weather is very Cold cover it over with a Blank[et] & let it Work in the Cooler 24 hours then put it into the Cask—leave the bung open till it is almost don[e] Working—Bottle it that day Week it was Brewed."

The Best Producer in Oregon?

One of my favorite areas for wine lately has been Oregon's Willamette Valley. Best know for Pinot Noir, these wines are truly unique and unlike other regions that produce the varietal. The Pinot Noir grape can be kind of finicky and only flourishes in a few areas of the world, Willamette Valley is one of them. The valley is unique in that the climate tends to be a lot cooler than other wine regions and yet it still has a long growing season which allows the grapes to reach their full ripening potential.

My favorite producer from Willamette valley is Ken Wright Cellars. Known as one of the better producers of Pinot Noir from Oregon, Ken and his staff focus on two objectives. Site specific vineyard management-to get the healthiest and ripest fruit possible; and wine making integrity-to capture and bring out the most powerful expression of the fruit. With all of his vineyard sites between the elevation of 200-700 feet above sea-level, allows all of his wines to have their own distinctive characteristics. These characteristics make it impossible to put any of his wines down. I have chosen to focus on two and his fantastic single vineyards.

Abbott Claim Vineyard 2010:

Personally one of my favorite Ken Wright wines that I have tried so far is from the Abbott Claim vineyard. Unique that its soil is made up of ancient marine sediments that are the oldest in Willamette Valley, this wine is hands down amazing. Touches of dark cherry, raspberry and cranberry explode onto your palate with soft tannins that lead to a long and expressed finish. Something that can be drank now or even put down for a few years. Definitely worth a try! $57.99

Freedom Hill Vineyard 2010:

Planted in 1980, Freedom Hill has become known as one of the firmest and most structured sites in Ken Wright's portfolio. The soil is composed of Bellpine, which is a sedimentary in origin, is unique just like the Abbott Claim vineyard. The grapes see more time in the shade due to hanging trellis, which in turn leads to thinner skins and lighter tannins making the wine more lush and approachable at younger age. Red berries and touches of spice can be seen. Mellow tannins give way to an elegant and intense finish. $57.99

-Chris OB

Wine Tasting 1-4pm Saturday, Jan 14

After graduating from Bryant College, Greg launched his professional career in finance and marketing, including working for the Dutch Steel Company, Hoogovens Steel, as a business development specialist. After working in the corporate world for 10 years, he sought a more passioniate career and spent the next decade as a National Ski Patroller and ski equipment retailer. While Greg was patroling the slopes, his ardor for wine began to flourish. To slake his growing thirst for knowledge, he sought out masses of wine literature and set foot into the great wine regions of the world, traveling most recently to France's Rhone Valley. "It is everything about wine that fascinates me - the history, travel, tasting, and food pairing," says Greg. With his deep knowledge and passionate personality, Greg began working at Harry's in May 2010 and continues to find much joy in selecting the perfect bottle for the customers' needs.

Scroll down for fun story and a new blog created by some of our customers...


Castelvero Cortese 2010 $7.99
Cortese is the grape that makes up the noble white wine Gavi di Gavi of Piedmont, Italy. This light-bodied Cortese has nice aromatics, tangy citrus-melon fruit components, and no oak. The wine is crisp, clean, and refreshing, with a lovely whisper of fruit on the finish. If you enjoy Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc this is a must-try for you.

Bichot Cotes de Nuits Red Burgundy 2009 $24.99
The nose combines the black fruit aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry with subtle spicy notes. The structure is firm now but will lighten into a beautiful smoothness and a long finish. The tannins are silky and the flavors become more complex upon aeration with notes of underbrush and game.

Ah yes the fun story...
As we were getting started Jennifer and John Kortekaas (Pictured with Greg above) came in with a fairly common request. They were looking for a wine pairing for the meal they are preparing. A number of us on staff have culinary backgrounds and are always happy to make suggestions and in this case Jennifer and John found me (Patrick) first so I got the job today. They tell me that they like to ask us because we always give them good suggestions (I like these folks, They seem really bright and they're good for the ego). Anyway it turns out that they are doing a stuffed steak that has Prociutto, Fontina, Basil and a Cabernet reduction. Today I suggested the Argiano NC 2009 which is a blend of Cab, Merlot, Syrah and Sangiovese which I think will work well with it. Hopefully next week they will tell me I was right, we'll see.
After a little more conversation I learned that they have a blog that they started with a friend called Culinary Sunday's. It seems well put toghether and might be worth a bookmark if you are so inclined. Here is the link- http://www.culinarysundays.blogspot.com
Check it out and see what you think. They tell me that they will be by weekly for their wine pairing so you'll see our hits and misses along the way.

-Patrick

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Jan 13

Your host is Renzo of Harry's staff
Renzo Kian-Kubota, Artisan Beer Specialist and team leader
Joined Harry’s team in 2004 as a stock person on the beer and liquor side of the store had the good fortune of working with 2 very knowledgeable beer fanatics. Renzo is truly the story of keeping your head down and your ears open. He surprised us along the way with all that he had learned working with, and for some of the best this business has to offer. In 2008 he made the leap from assistant to leader in our specialized beer section and continues to grow further than was ever expected. He takes great pride in all that he has accomplished and Harry’s is proud to see a young man like him put forth the commitment it takes to be good at what you do.

Interesting to note that the write-up is from our "about us" page on the Harry's website. Since it was published Renzo has really advanced in his understanding of the world of beer and has become quite a recognized player in the industry. He's traveled the world and visited a many producers gaining more and more knowledge at every stop. He has gone from student to teacher and has earned the respect of his peers. Renzo is also quite fascinated with Whisky and tequila. If you have a question my bet is he will give you the answer.

City Steam Brewery

Blonde on Blonde $9.99/6pb
A beautiful, fragrant golden-amber STOCK ALE, which is akin to a very bitter, fragrant and filtered I.P.A. 15 degrees Plato. Loads of hops! Oh Mama!

Naughty Nurse $9.59/6pb
Sunset in color, brewed with a combination of pale and crystal malts, London yeast, and a variety of traditional English hops for a spicy, slightly bittersweet finish and a wonderful fruity and flowery aroma.

Bonarda, Argentina's #2 grape

In recent years the Argentinian wine scene has been dominated by Malbec. Another great wine that has sort of been "under the radar" is Bonarda. Originally native to Piedmont in northern Italy, this grape was brought to Argentina by Italian settlers over 100 years ago. It is actually the second most grown varietal in Argentina today. It is believed that Charbono which grows in California is very closely related.


Bonarda wines can be described as having dark fruit flavors, aromas of baking spice, hints of chocolate, and finish with sweet tannins. I consider it a medium bodied, crowd pleaser sort of wine. I also suspect this wine would pair very well with a pork dish or even a roasted chicken.

Here at Harry's we have a very nice Bonarda from Bodegas Nieto with a very nice price. The wine is the 2010 Nieto Senetiner Bonarda Reserva and it retails for $12.99. It's a wine definitely worth trying!

-Greg