Rosé is Your Little Black Dress of the wine world!

Rosé has sprung!

Our Rosé section is almost in full bloom, almost, although not quite yet....

It started slowly creeping in a couple of weeks ago and now all of a sudden it's taking over the store. It's right there right in front of you as when you first walk in. It's occupying lots of space on the racks and has even taken over much of the storage in the back room.

All we talk about at the store now is rosé. Who's tried what? Who's liking what? Where and when do we like to drink rosé. It was in one of these recent conversations between my colleagues and myself when the thought occurred to me; Rosé is like your little black dress.

Here's why:
1) Rosé is classic and timeless. It will never and has never gone out of style. In fact, in maybe the oldest known type of wine.

2) Rosé is budget friendly. Rosés are usually a bargain. The wines are young and don't cost quite as much to make. There are plenty of good ones in the $10-15 range and if you do want to splurge, $25-30 is about as much as you will have to spend.

3)Rosé is spill friendly. That gorgeous rosy or salmon hue will wash out of almost anything.

4)Rosé is extremely versatile. It pairs with most foods. It can be dressed up for a gourmet meal or dressed down as a simple sipper for the beach, patio, picnic or BBQ. With rosé, you are always ready.

5)Rosé can be accessorized. Rosé cocktails anyone?

6)You feel good drinking rosé. It's light and usually lower in alcohol. You can enjoy a glass or two or three...and still maintain a clear head and a fresh palate.

7) Rosé is polished and effortless. Rosé is relatively simple to make compared to other wines. The  maceration period is short, usually 2-20 hours, just long enough to give the wine its color and structure. It spends little time in tank before being bottled and shipped out. Given this short cellar life rosés are still able to achieve balance, structure, full explosions of aromas on the nose and subtle nuances on the palate.

8)There's a rosé for everyone. Rosés are made in many different styles. Whether you prefer one fuller bodied, lighter bodied, fruity, savory, minerally, simple or more complex there's bound to be the perfect one just for you.

9)Rosé is reliable. When all else fails, bring out the rosé!

10)You can drink rosé all year long.

As we head further into spring and summer, Harry's will be carrying over 200 different rosés. Can you guess we love rosé? How many different ones will you try?

Rosé on!

Wine Tasting - Saturday March 26Th 2016

Weekly Wine Tasting
March 26th 2016
Cindy Richardson
Vice President Empson, USA


Bucci Verdicchio 2016      $16.99
Gold-tinged straw. Aromas of apple, anise, minerals an almond jump from the glass. Bright, dense and juicy, offering an archetypal Verdicchio set of flavors (marzipan and orchard fruits) of sneaky concentration and creaminess. The finish is long and suave.

Pietra Dolce Etna Rosso 2014      $20.99
Made from Nerello Mascalese grapes grown on the northern slopes of an active volcano, 2,000 feet above sea level, this Etna Rosso delivers excellently structured red fruit and cherry, with notes of dried spices, cedar and a hint of brimstone on the long finish.

Torre Fosca Brunello Di Montalcino 2010      $45.99
Gamey, smoky, black berry, leather, licorice, savory, tobacco aromas with a bit of resin and garrigue spice. Dry, tight, full palate with light grainy tannins and juicy acidity. Black cherry, earthy, ash, licorice, plum, and tobacco flavors with a touch of leather and chocolate with thyme on the finish.

Vigneti Del Vulture Aglianico 2012      $17.99
The bouquet is ample, with dominant notes of bitter cherry, candied fruit, aromatic herbs and distant hints of vanilla and thyme. The flavor has an exceptionally powerful and imperious personality, with warm elegant undertones of spices and cream. This is a wine with marked minerality and flavor, characteristics that give it extraordinary balance and drinkability.

Beer Tasting March 25th from 4 - 7pm

Your Host:
Gerard From
Thomas Hooker

Defiance IPL 4pbtl $9.29
Defying conventional wisdom, this brew possesses the robust hop character of an India Pale Ale but finishes like a lager. Bursting with Citra hops, this beer is the best of both worlds.

Imperial Porter 4pbtl $9.29
Full bodied and rich color, our imperial porter has hints of roasted coffee, cocoa with a generous hop finish. Dark roasted malts blended with the crispness of English hops, this beer is smooth yet complex.

Munson Chocolate Stout 6pbtl $9.29
Copious amounts of oat malt produce a silky, full bodied beer laced with hints of roast and chocolate derived from dark malts. Each sip ends with a mild chocolate bitterness from Munson's proprietary cocoa powder, added generously to the brew. To round out this beer, we add several pounds of cocoa nibs at the end of fermentation to provide a fresh chocolate aroma.

Hop Meadow IPA 6pbtl $9.29
A blend of cascade, centennial and simcoe hops give this beer a citrus aroma and piney finish. Balanced but complex, this beer is a refreshing brew.

Savings for your Easter Celebrations!

Wine Tasting - Saturday March 19Th 2016

Weekly Wine Tasting
March 19th 2016
with Peter Slywka of
Michael Skurnik



Sigalas Santorini Assyrtiko 2015 $24.99
This fresh, unoaked wine offers lively, crisp acidity and intense minerality. On the palate there are distinct citrus fruit aromas, salinity and sharpness. This 100% Assyrtiko gains concentration and complexity from 60 year old vines planted on original rootstock in the porous volcanic soil of Santorini, contributing to it's smokiness and searing acidity.

Charles & Charles Rose 2015 $12.99
Aromas of cherry, wild raspberry, blood orange, rhubarb, salt and Herbs de Provence carry over to the palate, where you also pick up some nice minerality. There is a broad palate that leads nicely into a bright acidity that builds as it refreshes. The color is a pale yet vibrant fuchsia pink.

Banshee Pinot Noir 2014 $22.99
 The 2014 is strikes a beautiful balance between both red and blue fruits, notably Bing cherry and Asian plums. Interwoven with the fruit characteristics is coastal moss, fresh wild mushrooms and spice. The wine has good carry-through from front to finish, with lively acidity to keep it light on its feet.

Mas De Gourgonnier red 2013 $15.99
Aromas suggest Provencal lavender, thyme and rosemary, with plums and black raspberries enlivened with a pinch of white pepper. The mouth delivers spiced cherries and plums, with hints of ginger and bass notes of dark chocolate.

Beer Tasting March 11th from 4 - 7pm

Your Host:
Stephanie from 
Goose Island Beer Co.

Four Star 6pkbtl $9.69
This golden-hued pilsner has a light, fresh body and clean finish. Bright, refreshing carbonation mingles with German and American hops to give this pilsner a unique Goose Island spin.

Green Line 6pkbtl $9.69
Green Line Pale Ale is a honey-colored, immensely sessionable American pale ale with a pronounced, bright, American hop aroma and citrus flavor. Notes of biscuit and lightly toasted malt create the backbone for Green Line’s pleasant, crisp bitterness.

Summer Ale 6pkbtl $9.69
This light-bodied session ale with fresh orange aroma is crisp, easy drinking and endlessly refreshing. Brewed with hops from Elk Mountain Farms.

I.P.A 6pkbtl $9.69
Our India Pale Ale recalls a time when ales shipped from England to India were highly hopped to preserve their distinct taste during the long journey. The result is a hop lover’s dream with a fruity aroma, set off by a dry malt middle, and long hop finish.

Will Sipping Rum finally go mainstream this year?

The Spirit industry is expanding at an unprecedented rate in the craft realm as Bourbon drives the market, along with Scotch, Gin and Tequila. Consumers are looking for better than average products and there are many artisan producers that want to answer the call. As more and more artisan products are being produced, there is seemingly no end to the options in the market place today.

The Brown spirits, Single Malt Scotch and Bourbon, are on fire and having a very difficult time keeping up with demand. In a recent article, we read that the 18 year old Scotch supplies have virtually dried  up and in just a few months they will become a memory along with their, even older, counterparts.  Even the extraordinary price hikes that suppliers have taken, in order to slow consumption, hasn't done the trick. The Bourbon world is feeling a similar crunch although its recovery and viability should be more manageable.

When we look at the popularity of Gin and Tequila, this is not an issue, as it takes much less time to get these products to market. Artisan producers, in these categories, simply need to make products that people are looking for and make them well, since the millennial crowd does not want to settle for their parents middle of the road selections. Botanical Gins seem to be going the way of Bourbons, and its' fan base, might have a good handful of selections on their bar and Tequila, especially the "sippers" which look to be moving in the same direction.

Rum seems to be the next logical choice since there are so many different types being produced on seemingly every island in the Caribbean along with many south American countries.  The continental US is even dabbling a bit. There are a great deal of delicious options available in the Aged Rum category and  the prices are pretty reasonable considering how much time they have been maturing.

We are being presented with something else from this category, a few times a week, and the shelf space can be made available. The only question is demand. There have been more requests for a good aged Rum in the past couple of years and our selection has grown substantially. The problem is, that for as good as these products are, there is not a very big interest. Appreciators of this spirit are just as passionate as those in the other categories, there just are not as many of them yet.

Perhaps in the spring and summer of 2016, these carefully crafted spirits will finally break through. Maybe we will see the re-emergence of cocktail parties featuring everyone's newest favorite spirit, Rum! The upcoming season could mark the beginning of our newest fascination as Rum gets recognized for the beauty it has always kept hidden inside of its bottle.  Maybe in a couple of years we will be talking about the type of shortages that there are in the other brown spirits categories.

Only time will tell.

Wine Tasting - Saturday March 12Th 2016

Weekly Wine Tasting
March 12th 2016
with Eric Litchfield of
German and Austrian Wine Estates


Johanneshof Reinisch Rotgipfler 2013 $15.99
With combined characters of aged Riesling with young white burgundy,The 2013, just arrived, is fresh and lively, with aromas and flavors of alpine honey, fresh white flowers, honeydew melon and lime zest, with a creamy texture and a soft, generous finish.

Wehrheim Niersteiner Oelberg Kabinett 2013 $14.99
The Eugen Wehrheim estate is located in the well known wine town Nierstein. The weathered, red volcanic soil, the steep, sunny slopes and the warming effect of the river enable them to make Rieslings that always have excellent ripeness and a deep, complex, exotic fruitiness.

Felsner Gruner Veltliner Lossterrassen 2014 $13.99
Simple citrus freshness brightens nose and palate, the refreshment factor enhanced by ample spritz. This will make an ideal light-bodied and fun apéritif on a hot day.

Diehl Dornfelder 2014 1L $14.99
The Diehl Dornfelder has herbs and ripe red fruit on the nose. Flavors of strawberries, cherries and plum show on the palate. It has a lovely and friendy finish of soft spiced acidity. It is light and easy to drink, yet full of flavor

Stock up and save on your St. Patty's Day & March Madness Parties!

Wine Tasting - Saturday March 5Th 2016

Weekly Wine Tasting
March 5th 2016
with Banning Donohue
Brand Manager of Louis Latour

Latour Macon Lugny "Les Genieures" 2014 $15.99
Pale yellow in color,with a lovely nose of exotic fruits, with hints of muscat. Perfectly balanced with lively citrus fruit flavors.

Latour Montagny 1er " La Grande Roche" 2014 $19.99
Of a bright, light golden color, with a complex nose with peach aromas and hints of muscat. Ample and floral in the mouth, it reveals iodine and peppery notes. A lot of freshness on the finish.

Henry Fessy Moulin A Vent 2013 $16.99
A complex nose of intense red fruit aromas. This wine has good concentration paired with magnificent notes of red fruits and a finish of mint accompanied by a touch of cocoa. The mouth is full with silky tannins making this a superb wine, very concentrated but with great finesse.

Latour Domaine Corton Grand Cru 2012 $59.99
A beautiful intense ruby color. The nose is clean with notes of cherry and licorice. It is a very structured wine, very much "Pinot Noir" with fine mellow tannins.