Our guard dog?... A bit of a stretch if you ask me

Not that it's a problem...

Wine Tasting - Saturday 1-4PM, Jun 8

Your Host is Maria Stevens of Palm Bay International.

Pictured at our tasting today are Mark (Rosé of the day) Beyerly with his wife Sandy and little girl Emma. That kid is cute! Actually the whole family is pretty good looking if you ask me. For those of you that have not been following... Mark has been pretty prolific with guessing or hinting to the answers in our Rosé of the day promotion. Next week our theme will be dad so mark will be very at home with this one.
He did however reveal a chink in his armour which I will now have to make it my mission to exploit!
So, next weeks theme will be "Dad" but soon we will have a "Stump Mark (I'm downtown prolific) Beyerly" with some more around town stuff. Ah yes, he is smiling now but just you wait Mr. Beyerly, we're onto you kryptonite now! Bwaaa, Haa, haaa...

Twin Vines Vinho Verde N.V.                       $7.99

Pale straw with green highlights. Fresh aromas of tropical fruit, melon, banana and lime. Slightly spritzy and lively on the palate, with refreshing citrus fruit flavors.

Serra da Estrella Albarino 2011                  $14.99

Pale lemon in color with green reflections, this wine has a fragrant aroma of fresh apples, and citrus. The nose has great fruit intensity, mostly of fresh apple and tropical fruits, with white flower notes. The wine is a fuller bodied Albariño, tasting of apricot, pear and honeysuckle.

Periquita Red 2010                                       $8.99

One of the best vintages of Periquita in recent memory, this is a tight black wine with mouthwatering red fruit underneath. Scents of framboise, clover and orange zest add to the savory complexity.  Wine & Spirits, 90 pts

Faustino Rioja Reserva 2006                       $22.99

A bright, intense cherry-red wine with a tawny rim. Intense aroma with fine toasty notes from the oak and hints of red berries. Notes of vanilla and spices contributed by the oak during cask ageing.

Beer Tasting 4 - 7pm Friday, Jun 7

Your host is Frank, Brewmaster for SBC.

SBC Pale Ale     $8.99/6pb
Brewed with the finest malts available, giving this pale ale a strong malt backbone to hold up to an incredible pound-per-barrel of Cascade and Chinook hops. A distinctive flavor and aroma of spicy grapefruit and soft smoke will leave you begging for more

Hydroponic          $9.29/6pb
Refreshing summer time brew.

Big Chill               $1.99/12oz
Toasted grain and light hoppy taste

Rosé of the day - Friday June 7, 2013

Domaine Lafond Tavel Rosé 2012 $19.99

Tasting notes: The predominating aromas are complex: red and white fruit associated with floral notes. With time, these fruity aromas will evolve toward more mellow notes with a touch of spice and stone fruits, and the colour will take on amber tints. As of its first year, it disposes of all the necessary aromas to be appreciated, but it also has an exceptional ageing potential.

Varietals: Grenache 60%, Cinsault 10%, Syrah 10%, Carigna 5% and with Clairette, Picpoul, Bourboulenc, Mourvèdre.

Region: Tavel - Rhone - France

Menu: Starters, spicy Mediterranean dishes, grilled meat, fried fish, but also with white meats and poultry. Tavel is also THE wine to accompany “Brandade” (a purée of cod fish, potatoes, olive oil), “Bourride” (monkfish in a creamy garlic sauce) and the famous “Bouillabaisse” (a selection of fish in a spicy sauce). Moreover, Tavel wine is particularly recommended with Asiatic cooking, marrying well with the savours from the Far East. 

Wednesday's answer: Seems like I am always wrong when I think you folks will need a clue before the correct answer goes up. Lot's of answers were put up yesterday and each one made sense. Some were right and some were wrong but the ideas all felt right. Chris Therrien started off by answering "William's favorite breakfast joint" and he may have been right or wrong since I am not sure of that answer and William took a couple of days off to go to Boston (the nerve of him). Maybe Chris can confirm his answer for us or I can do it later with William.

The correct answer was The Driftwood Café in Southport. Katrina Wood Cook and Amy Capute Borruso both got it right and in answer to Katrina's question "Do I get the bottle?" the answer is... err, no. Well, I'm not awarding it as a prize or anything but you know Greg well enough, make him buy it for you :)

Three people guessed S&S Dugout or Dugout, either one would be acceptable except it wasn't right, Chefmichaelatyourservice, was first, followed by Lisa Stadler Gander and Cindy Carley Barker. The truth is that it was a very solid answer. The look and feel of the Dugout is remarkably close as you will probably see down the line at some point.

We were happy to see that Mark (I'm only clicking "like" today) Beyerly checked in and even though he didn't comment we can rest easy knowing he is safe in the world.

Stay tuned for a themed week starting Monday it is all about dear old dad. We'll put up some more male related spots around town. What does that mean?  Check in with us next week to find out.

Lets see how it goes today...

Port Wine is not just for winter.

Just because we are heading into summertime that doesn't mean you should forget about your port wines. Recently I was tasting wines with a friend and we opened a Tawny Port that had been in the 45 degree compartment of my wine fridge and it was absolutely delicious and suited the warm evening beautifully.  Sipping on a chilled tawny port while relaxing on a summer night is very enjoyable. Serving your tawny chilled actually lightens it up on the palate and makes it much more refreshing.

The other great use for ports in the summer are "port cocktails".  Here are three easy delicious recipes:

1. White Port Cocktail - is made by using 1 part white port and 1 part tonic water. You serve it on ice and garnish with lemon.  It's a very nice drink to be enjoyed on the patio this time of year.
2. Pink Diamond - is made using 1 part pink port and 1 part soda water. This is also served on ice and with a squeeze of lemon.  Pink port is not very common but we do carry it here at Harry's.  It is made the same way rose wines are, when they press the grapes that allow the juice to be in contact with the grape skins for shortened period in order to give it a lighter color and to keep the flavor less earthy and fruitier.
3. Ruby Sparkler - is made with 1 part ruby port and 2 to 3 parts any Brut styled sparkling wine (prosecco and cava are great choices). 

So there you have it, some great refreshing alternatives for enjoying port during the summertime!

-Greg

Rosé of the day - Thursday June 6, 2013

Esprit Sud Rosé 2012 $12.99

Tasting notes: Pale rose-pink color with hints of blue. Fresh nose with delicate, fruity notes (grapefruit, green apple, and red fruits). Delightfully fresh and well-balanced flavor. Fruity aromas with red currants, strawberries, and grapefruit. Dry and mineral finish, a hint of spices, with a long aftertaste. A balanced rosé wine, fresh and fruity.

Varietals: 60% Syrah, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Grenache

Region: Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence - France

Menu: Pairs well with salads, starters, vegetables, patés, cold meat, cooked ham or lamb, grilled foods, delicatessen food, ethnic cuisine. Perfect match with grilled sea food (Chinese style) and lobster.

Wednesday's answer: Kristie Kuhl continues to make her mark in this game by answering quickly and correctly. I'm not sure exactly how many she has answered but it has to be around half a dozen. She was the fastest to the keyboard Wednesday while Joe Worthington was also in the mix. I think this was Joe's first time chiming in and my guess is that he has been to the marina a time or two. 

Mark (away on business) Beyerly "liked" the post along with Laura (cow but no cheese) Downey, Chefmichaelatyourservice and two others. 

Chefmichaelatyourservice, how about yesterday's recipe... any thoughts on that one?

Today is not an easy one. We are jumping around town this week and really mixing it up a bit. There will be a clue later if needed but lets see what you come up with first. Good luck all!

Rosé of the day - Wednesday June 5, 2013

 

Château du Galoupet, cru classé Rosé 2012 $11.99

 

Tasting notes:A classic Provence Rosé, with a delicate pale pink rose colour. The nose is floral with hints of lychees, the palate more pronounced with great flavours of cherries and raspberries. The finish is elegant and fruity. 

 

Varietals: 40% Grenache, 40% Cinsault, 20% Syrah

Region: Côtes de Provence - France

Menu: Here is an idea... Octopus, fennel, kohlrabi, miso, Citrusy, it balanced out nicely with the crispy Galoupet rose, generally clean tasting, nicely cooked. 

I wish I would have been able to find the actual recipe for this because it sounds wonderful. Sad to say that it was a decsriptor from a menu so we'l have to call it "inspiration". I know a couple of people that read this blog are chefs, lets see if one of them gets inspired to come up with a recipe for us.

 

Tuesday's answer: Yesterday was a bit more difficult than I had expected it to be. We had one correct answer from Sandy Beyerly which was inspired by who else, Mark Beyerly. Mark posted a pun filled "I don't know" up on the board with baited reference to his wife and she obliged by saying "Duh - just use Google, Mark Beyerly!! It's "clearly" Park Lane Opticians Of Fairfield Inc!!".
 Hmmm... Google, lets see what she is talking about...

Well in this case she was absolutely right. If you google "Fairfield Optition" They pop up and this is the picture from their website. the only difference is the angle and the bottle of Rosé. In this case the idea worked but I guarantee that it won't always be that easy to do. 

So we now have the dynamic duo working together to solve our daily mystery. There are good number of others playing along on a daily basis so put up your answers! The more the merrier. I really enjoy seeing people conect with the picture and no one is going to accuse you of copying another persons answer. It is all fun here.

Good luck with today's pic.

Rosé of the day - Tuesday June 4, 2013

Cep d'Or  Rosé 2012 $14.99

Tasting notes: Pink-salmon in color leading to a bouquet of wild flowers and pink grapefruits. The flavors are upfront with exotic fruits, citrus and a little spice.

Varietals: Cinsault, Grenache

Region: Côtes de Provence - France

Menu: Serve it chilled as an aperitif with a runny brie and fresh strawberries and also matches nicely with colorful salads topped with cold shrimp.

 

Monday's answer: Wow, lots happening yesterday, Kristie Kuhl was the first to jump in and Amy Dixon followed not far behind. Both answered correctly when they guessed "Sunny Daes".

Laura Downey saw a cow and immediately thought "Cheese", I guess thats what happens when you are around it 24/7. Might be time for a vacation Laura. :)

Sandy Beyerly, thats Mark's wife, filled in for him yesterday and added a "moo" and then correctly answered that it is the Sunny Daes on the Post rd. , pointing out that it is not the one on Black Rock Turnpike (turns out that they are both pretty precise). She also added that the cow had been stolen a couple of years ago and put up on the tracks where it was hit by a train.
For those that don't know, The cow was subsequently refurbished by a local guy for free (wish I could remember his name) and then she was put back in her rightful place.

Maureen Diffley joined in for the first time and confirmed Sunny Daes and Post road. Welcome to the club Maureen!

We have a tougher one for you today. There are many visual clues in it and my guess is that it will have more than on person that is able to solve it... Good Luck!

Rosé of the day - Monday June 3, 2013

Chateau Roubine Cru Classe 2012 $19.99

 

Tasting notes: This classic Provencal rose´ has a pale salmon-pink hue and straw-like, lightly nutty aromas, savoury and full of character. It's delicate but relatively full in the mouth, with a dry-but-rich balance and lots of savoury flavours including spices. Good balance and length

Varietals: Cinsault, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and in little percentages Carignan, Tibouren, Syrah, Mourvèdre

Region: Côtes de Provence - Cru Classé, France

Menu: To be enjoyed as an aperitif or with summer cooking’s as well as with Asian and Oriental dishes.

Friday's answer: Mark did let us know that he was conscious early on but wanted to let others play along so he held off while Peggy O'Leary (aka Mom) joined in with a similar answer to one she gave a couple of weeks ago, "First Church, Beach Road and Old Post Rd" and this time the answer was right. Last time she was across the street and down the road a bit from the correct answer. Nicely done.

Mark of course was a bit more specific "First Church Congregational (front entrance) ;-)" which is spot on.

 

Doing this whole promotion has given me the opportunity to learn many things about our towns history so I am going to share a bit as we go along through the summer. I think some of you will find it interesting to.

Some background on the church here: http://fairfield.patch.com/listings/first-church-congregational-2

 

This week we are going to start with one that I think is pretty easy but what do I know... each time we've had one that I thought would be easy, I'm wrong... I think its tough, I'm wrong. Lets see how long it takes this morning and how many people play along.

Wine Tasting - Saturday 1-4PM, Jun 1

Your Host will be Branden Hylwa of Do Valle Imports.

Martinez Laucesta Rioja Rose 2012   $10.99

Bright pink in colour, this has a great intensity of aroma of roses, strawberries and a slight hint of mandarin citrus.

Hopler Pinot Blanc 2012   $15.99

Crisp, clean and refreshing, this has juicy hints of honeydew and almond. It has a lingering smooth finish.

Alexana Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2011   $24.99

This is brimming with tea-scented strawberries and aromas of anise.  Hints of vanilla and white pepper add depth to bright, juicy red fruit. Inviting and refreshing, the flavors linger easily on the long finish.

Chave Crozes Hermitage 2010   $29.99

The 2010 Crozes-Hermitage offers plenty of red fruit and tapenade notes, hints of licorice and bouquet garni, and good minerality in its medium to full-bodied, fleshy personality. It should drink well for 3-4 years.  Wine Advocate, 89 pts