Please feel free to argue and fight for either side.  There are great points for both sides and, believe me, I have heard them all, but I never hear it from our customers.  I know of a few customers that support me and want to see more WA cabs in our store. I also know that there are a few that would love nothing more than to see more CA cabs in our store, especially rare ones.  But unfortunately we do not have ever growing floor space that allows for expansion of all sections, so we have to make decisions about where our store is going and how we are going to get there.  Who better to tell us than our customers!  You know what you like and what wines you would like to see in our store, so please let us know what you think and what our next step should be.

Nic C

We are very pleased to have him showing a top shelf scotch at Colonial Spirits.  Please join us for a sampling and unique learning opportunity.

Join Elk Cove’s Craig Hedstrom, Chef Gregory Ludlum and Colonial Spirits for a festive evening of great food, wine and conversation.

Here is a preview of the Menu

Please let us know what would be your last drink, too!

A recent trend in the beer market is one that marketing professionals have been studying for years – developing demand for a product that is so intense that everything produced is immediately consumed yet consumers regard the product as highly as ever and demand remains at its peak.  It is a delicate supply line to walk.  Just how many consumers should be lucky enough to get this golden nugget before so many have had it that its glitter begins to fade?

In the beer world, the answer seems to be, very few.

The elitist beer is about the biggest thing out there right now.  From Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout to Goose Island Bourbon County Stout to Maine Beer Company Lunch IPA and the list goes on… These are all good, if not, great brews.  Are they the best in their class? Perhaps.  Each one is certainly heralded as the best beer ever created when rumors of release begin to surface though.

Last year, at this time, I named Sierra Nevada Celebration as the beer of 2010 (it was an exceptionally good batch back in ’10) in large part because of the combination of quality and accessibility.  As a devoted purveyor I put a lot of stock in accessibility.  After all, my job is to get good beer to good people.

The extreme beer movement has now morphed into the extremely rare beer movement and wholesalers and retailers are left divvying up pitiful quantities of cool brew, desperately trying not to make too many people upset about missing out.  A beer drinkers’ best bet is to try to find these releases on tap somewhere, but even that has become a feeding frenzy.

Beer drinkers thrive on trying new things.  It is in our nature to desire that which we haven’t had.  There is no wonder in the success of this marketing strategy in the beer world as it is an impossibility to suggest that we not clamor like kids on Christmas when a special, limited offering arrives.  Not to mention, the quality of these offerings is usually outstanding.

Is it that these rare beers are in a league of exceptional quality? Or is it that they are largely superior, but also that one must dance through the nine fiery furnaces of hell to get their hands on a bottle? I believe the latter, with the understanding that any quest suffers a severe reduction in awesomeness if the finally is any less than grand.  It only makes sense that we would sustain the worship of such beers, be them false idols or not.

I guess that what I am getting at is that there is a premium associated with the experience of attaining the beer.  It is exciting, and drinking the prize is always fun.  Will time bring more attention to quality beer that you can get every day (or at least for a season)? Yes, we beer enthusiasts like to drink repetitively! Will the trend of, ‘you can’t get it, but it’s the best beer ever’ continue? Yes, it can’t be helped! I think that the former will win out though –I know that a good beer today only leaves me thirsty for a good beer tomorrow.

Many consumers find it difficult though to understand what style of riesling they’ll find when they pick up a bottle of German riesling.  With this in mind, I thought I’d take the opportunity to run through some basics on German wines, particularly what’s on the labels.

To help you with some German, here’s a basic sweetness/richness guide for German wines…

Kabinett → The driest designation for German wine, besides Trocken.  These wines are made from just (or barely) ripe grapes.

Spätlese → Literally ‘Late pick,’ richer than Kabinett (not necessarily sweeter), because it is picked later and therefore more mouth filling than Kabinett.

Auslese → Literally ‘Out pick’ or ‘Late harvest’, sweeter than Spätlese, and also richer in the mouth.

One can also find the following terms on a label

Trocken → Simply meaning ‘Dry’, will precede Kabinett or Spätlese.  This means that the resulting wine will not be sweet, but dry.  It doesn’t mean that the resulting wine is not fruity, but that’s the topic of another blog.

*One can also find the terms ‘Feinherb’ and ‘Halbtrocken.’  It is helpful to think of them as gradations of sweetness.  For example, halbtrocken literally means ‘half dry,’ while feinherb translates to ‘off dry.’  Feinherb is usually a bit sweeter than halbtrocken.  The Germans are very organized…;)

Now a little bit bit about the regions themselves and their general styles…

From the Pfalz…

An often overlooked region, just north of the French region of Alsace, known for its wonderful expressions of Riesling. The Pfalz is really a geographical extension of its southerly neighbor, sun-kissed and dry with plenty of minerality to add complexity to Riesling.  In good vintages, the wines are simply fantastic.

From the Rheinhessen…

Another overlooked wine-producing area of Germany, in comparison to its neighbors, the Rheingau and the Mosel River Valley.  The Rheinhessen offers plenty of quality wine.  Generally, the style of the region tends to emphasize purity of fruit, rather than lively acidity or powerful minerality.

From the Mosel…

Arguably, the most illustrious of German wine regions (see the Rheingau for the other), the Mosel is known for its vibrant acidity, powerful minerality, and fresh fruit.  The wines here are legendary and are lively offering plenty of balance.  Some of my favorite whites come from the Mosel.

Hopefully this helps the next time you’re wondering what’s in that bottle of riesling in your hands.

*Please note : discount does not apply to items already on sale and magnums. Only applies to items in-stock – no rain checks – no special orders!

Don’t miss out on this fabulous offer.  Remember, you have one week to get in on this sale : January 1-7!

Pairing a cigar with the right wine is like pairing food with wine, you have to know the characteristics of the cigar (as you must with a dish of food), so that you can complement those characteristics with the appropriate wine.  There are bold, rich cigars that necessitate a rich wine, while on the contrary there are mild, soft cigars that require a delicate wine.  There are even aged cigars that should be paired with older wines.  Ever had a nice Cuban cigar while sipping on a glass of 30yr old port?  If not, you are missing out… at least that is what I hear.  It’s true that a good scotch or cognac goes well with cigars, but why do the same old thing when you could try something new.  Isn’t that what life is about?

Lets get the basic cigar types down in writing.  1) Double Claro- The mildest of the cigars. 2) Claro- Mild and slightly spicy. 3) Colorado Claro- Medium brown in color, spicier in style.  4) Colorado- Has hues of red in the wrapper.  5) Colorado Maduro- Dark brown in color, popular aging cigar. 6) Maduro- Very dark brown, almost black. Bold and robust. 7) Oscuro/Double Maduro- The darkest of the cigars, and a recent popular style.  Now let us pair the cigars with the appropriate wines.

Double Claro-  The mildest of the cigars and a rare style, this is a cigar for the greens.  Easy smoking with delicate characteristics, this is meant be paired with a mild and delicate wine; an aged white Burgundy, fino Sherry should do just fine or a chilled and mildly sweet Moscato d’Asti would be good also.

Claro-  White pepper notes is prominent in these cigars so it is best paired with all of the mentioned above wines along with a young, vibrant Tokaji or good white Chateaunuef-du-pape.

Colorado-  With hints of roasted nuts and spices, both pepper and baking spices, pairing this cigar with old port, 20yr and above, old red Chateaunuef-du-pape, old red Bordeaux and old red Burgundies  would make this a match made in heaven.

Colorado Maduro-  Some fruit notes, alongside wild flowers make this cigar a perfect pairing for most types of Pinot Noir and traditional Chianti.

Maduro- Leather, chocolate, and raisin are unmistakable in this cigar style so a modern Chianti, 10yr Tawny port, right-bank Bordeaux, Priorat, GOOD Syrah, Cotes-du-rhone, and many more reds would do well paired with this cigar style.

Oscuro- Like so many other things, the bigger the better. The Oscuro cigar is the boldest cigar style with the capacity to age unlike the rest.  Young, this cigar should be paired with left-bank Bordeaux, California Cab Sauv, Shiraz from Australia, Super Tuscans, Malbecs from Argentina, and a few other wines since the resemblance between the cigar and the wine is uncanny.  Let both the cigar and mentioned wines age and the pairing is almost magical.

Hopefully this is not only educational but also helpful.  Enjoy!

One of my favorite new scotches is Kilchoman.  It is made in an Islay distillery that was established in 2005.  In fact, it was the first distillery built on Islay in 124 years.  Even though their whisky is young, it is of exceptional quality and impeccably balanced.  This whisky is so skillfully distilled and blended you would never know that the whisky in the malt is only 4 to 6 years old.  I am generally not an Islay fan because most are so smoke and peat driven they become too overbearing for my pallet. However, Kilchoman is so well balanced that the smoke or peat doesn’t dominate the flavor profile.  If you are seeking a more traditional Islay, I recommend Bruichladdich 12 year or Arbeg 10 year; they offer excellent cost to quality ratio.

Another exciting new scotch that has recently been released is Johnnie Walker Double Black.  Double Black starts with the Black Label template, and then peatier and smokier malts are added to the blend.  While Double Black is certainly no substitute for a traditional Islay scotch, it is a good alternative for a blend drinker looking for a scotch that carries a bit more smoke and peat than a traditional blended scotch whisky.  This whisky is different enough from Johnnie Black to warrant a sampling, but not different enough to alienate any fans of the original recipe.  Personally, I think this limited edition blend is fantastic! The peatier malts help round the blend , creating a richer, fuller bodied blend that is still extremely well balanced.  But then again, I am more biased towards scotches that keep their smoke and peat more in check.

However, if you are looking for a gift for someone whose preferences don’t reside towards the smokier and peatier side of scotches, we have some great items on sale right now.  The Balvenie DoubleWood is on sale for only $43.99, marked down from $62.99.  Balvenie is a fantastic producer and one of the few producers to grow their barley and utilize their own malting floors.  The DoubleWood undergoes a dual aging process. It is first laid to rest in oak and then the malt is finished off in a sherry cask to add a brighter, sweeter, more complex character to the whisky.  In addition, our price can not be beaten, even by New Hampshire where the current sale price is $46.99.  Another fantastic scotch at a fantastic price is the Macallan 12 year, which we currently have on sale for $39.99.  In fact, our price crushes New Hampshire’s sale price of $46.99.  We also have Glenfiddich on sale for amazingly low price of $35.99, which is the same price that New Hampshire has right now.  Any of the aforementioned scotches would make a wonderful Christmas present for any scotch lover.

In the world of brown spirits, nothing is hotter than bourbon right now.  Unfortunately, all the really sought after bourbons, like Pappy Van Winkle, are virtually impossible to get.  Although I have a couple of wonderful alternatives for you to give any bourbon fan out there.  Rock Hill Farms is a fantastic bourbon produced by the Buffalo Trace Distillery.  Buffalo Trace is  world renowned for their small batch whiskies such as Sazerac, Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, W.L. Weller and Van Winkle.  Rock Hill Farms is one of their hidden jewels. The nose offers seductive aromas of toasted walnut, red fruits, marzipan, pepper, cocoa and marshmallow. The palate is zesty, fruity and candied, bursting with flavors of dark chocolate, coffee, tobacco and caramel. The finish is smooth and silky.  Eagle Rare 10 year is also another fantastic bourbon produced by the Buffalo Trace distillery.  It is a perennial staff favorite and no bourbon lover would turn a blind eye to it.  We also have some incredible sales on bourbon right now.  Knob Creek (750mL) is on sale for $25.99, Maker’s Mark (1.75L) for $41.99, Jim Beam 1.75L and Jack Daniel’s (Yes I know it is a Tennessee Whiskey and not a bourbon) is $37.99, which beats New Hampshire’s sale price of $39.99.

Cognac is the last genre of brown spirits that I want to touch on for this blog.  It makes a wonderful after dinner drink or companion to a fine cigar.  Everyone has heard of Hennessy, Courvoisier and Remy Martin, but I will tell you about some lesser known cognacs out there that just blow name brands out of the water in their respective price points.  Park V.S. Cognac is only $31.99 and it is handcrafted in small batches, which is something the big brands cannot claim.  Their small batch production leads to a cognac of great character and depth for its youthful age.  However, my favorite Cognac producer is Pierre Ferrand.  They only produce XO cognacs from the Grand Champagne region, which is considered to be the best sector within Cognac.  Based on those qualities, one would imagine that Pierre Ferrand would carry a high price tag, but surprisingly it doesn’t.  We currently have two great sales running on their products right now. The 10 year Ambre is only $31.99.  This price blows New Hampshire’s sale price of $44.99 out of the water.  We also have the 25 year Reserve des Dieux on sale for $69.99, which was designed to be extremely bold and makes a wonderful partner to a fine cigar.

I’d like to start by saying that everything Nicolay stated is valid, and I think he makes some very strong points.  Of course we know the value of comparison shopping, and I can certainly see the effect that criticism has on the value, and resale value, of goods.

There is nothing wrong with listening to the opinions of informed experts–if that was such a terrible thing I wouldn’t have a job.  The issue that I take with the 90-point scale and the mainstream wine press is that by simplifying what should be a very complex analysis down to a point value ends up encouraging laziness, both at the consumer level and, much worse, at the professional level.

Of course tasting notes accompany these point scores, but often they seem so fanciful that I’d assume the author was a frustrated poet.  It’s one thing to read the notes, but when distributors and merchandisers put up signs advertising their products any notes present quite literally reside in the shadow of the “90 Points!” banner that could be read from across the room.  This is intended to function like a quick pitch telemarketer selling diet pills, and we all want to lose weight.

What you likely don’t see is that when we taste prospective wines and make decisions about what is going to be carried in our store, sales people (who are just doing their job) quote point scores to us as though we should bow down before the great Robert Parker’s titan palate.  Sometimes I agree with him about quality, and sometimes (I can think of one “apathetic” example) I cannot for the life of me understand his reasoning.  He’s entitled to his opinion either way, and it certainly seems that a lot of people like those that he offers, but I’m disturbed by the industry culture of selling based on one (or a handful) of opinions.  Sales staff preach his gospel, and I assume other liquor stores buy based on the scores they’ve been quoted. Retailers then turn around and sell it to the public… it’s a bolt of lightning straight through the supply chain, and it is positively cultish.  I tend not to like cults.

I pride myself on my ability, through a lot of study and training, to be able to offer a degree of objective, sensory analysis when someone asks my opinion about a wine, and I know that the two Nics at the store do as well.  Acidity, tannin, alcohol, these are things that your mouth can measure, and they have a big effect on not just how the wine tastes now, but how it will taste with food, and what it will taste like in 10 years.  Needless to say, not a lot of people pick wine tasting as a career path, so I don’t expect my customers to come in speaking jargon.  They shouldn’t have to; that’s what I’m here for.  It’s troubling, then, to see both consumers, distributors, and producers (the producer’s battle is a different article) ascribe to the simple solution –buying and selling on points– rather than trying to become informed first and understanding the wine’s style, goal, and appropriateness.

I offer this comparison, as a counterargument to Nicolay’s examples.  When election season comes around, I don’t make voting decisions based on endorsements, I do it by reading about the candidates and considering who would be most appropriate at this moment in history.  That takes a little bit more work, certainly, but frankly it’s just more responsible.  I understand that not everyone has the interest, time, or money to invest into wine study, and that’s fine, because I don’t have the interest, time, or money to invest in studying the intricacies of the law.  When I needed to evict my tenants, I hired a lawyer to help.  When you want a wine, read the notes, or better yet, ask us.  We, quite literally, make a living tasting wines and making decisions about their use.

I have respect and appreciation for capitalism, and I understand that everyone has to make a living.  There’s no reason for big companies not to advertise with point scores, because it gets results.  And I doubt Jackson Pollack would be well-regarded as an artist without the community of critics there to support and interpret his work.  But what happens when you buy by the number, or you read about Pollack and form a decision without looking at his painting?  Wine, like anything else, is something that must be experienced to understand, and when the difference between trying something new and sticking with the same old thing is the difference between the numbers 89 and 90, isn’t it worth taking the one-point risk?  I believe that by trying new things and being skeptical of quick pitches, I can learn a lot and live a bit better, and I hope that other wine drinkers will try approaching wine that way, as well.

The answer is yes, and I am here to declare that we are going to do just that – using beer!

For everyone here, who enjoy beer as much as I do, I have created a beer advent calendar.  Like many advent calendars, this one will start on December 1st and go through the 24th.  Each day you will get to wake up to an email offering a very special beer.

I will send the email out at 8:30am, everyday (I know that is a lot of emails).  Every email will show a different beer, selected from a secret ‘vintage closet’.  Just begin imagining what might appear… Barleywine from 2004, Stout from 2006, Gueuze?

Need to sign up for our email list? Do it here!

Here is the catch: The above mentioned, and previously classified, vintage closet just isn’t that big.  There is only one of each of these prized brews! This means that only the first person to reply to the email of the day will get the beer (remember I promised to send the email at 8:30am each day).

The subject line of each email will simply be the date.  When you open it up, it will look just like this email, except that instead of me carrying on, there will just be the name of the beer, the vintage and the price (good prices too, no silly up-charging just ’cause it was in the vintage closet for years – just good beer from me to you).

Reply to the email, if you want the beer and I will let you know if you are the lucky first responder!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night-cap.

These aren’t just any old value wines…  These are exciting and interesting selections from around the world.  The wines were specifically chosen for their quality and are not generally available at other stores.  In our unending search for new and intriguing wines we have turned up some great buys.  The selection changes as small production wines go out of stock, so there is always something new to try.  It’s fun, it’s easy and it’s great wine!

Stout has really come into a style of its own, but was originally the term for the strongest (or stoutest) porters.  Today stout is of the darkest of the ales, made with dark roasted malt and often lots of hops.  Stout generally has a rich flavor, a full body, is quite hearty but is not necessarily that high in abv, anywhere from 4-10+% (originally the ‘stout’ porters were ~8%).

I began to think more about stout today when the guy I was speaking with began to explain that he was well aware of many of the options but, as a person who likes to drink stout, wanted a 6 pack of something worth his time and money.  As a few top-tier 4 packs came to mind: Old Rasputin, Ten Fiddy, Dark Truth, Brooklyn Black Chocolate, I realized that I was only 2/3s of the way to answering his question.

The only 6 packs of serious stout on the shelves are Victory Storm King and Stoudts Fat Dog Stout – fine choices, indeed, but not a staggering list.  At first I felt a little embarrassed.  A fine beer store should really have a fine selection of stout, should it not?  I remembered Weyerbacher’s Old Heathen Stout, though not being on the shelf it wasn’t going to help.  I had a happy customer with the Fat Dog and stout was on my mind so it was time for a closer look.

It seems that stout has really taken to the 22oz bottle format.  It also seems that stout has really become a big beer.  Is our expectation of stout beer such that it necessarily comes with a high enough abv and a bold enough charter as to make a 6 pack impractical? What of something big and bold indeed but not so off the charts as to only make sense as a $10 22oz? What of beer drinkers’ stout options?

The last question is the easiest to answer.  There are some great sessionable options out there, even if the list isn’t very long.  Left Hand Milk Stout and Mayflower’s Winter Stout top the list.  Deschutes Obsidian Stout (although we can’t get it here yet) is another popular choice.  So there are some choices although I can see that this type of brew has decreased in popularity.

Some nice ‘big’ stout varieties are the 6 packs and 4 packs that I mentioned above.  This is a pretty good list of beers.  The fact that this list is dominated by 4 packs rather than 6 packs is indicative of the answer to the first question that I posed.

In my previous blog I said that beer, in general, can be broadly categorized into 6 styles.  Stout, of course, is one of the 6.  The fundamental styles are styles that are commonly seen making up the base of most brewers’ portfolios.  There is no rule confining interpretations of these styles to basic, approachable examples.  That said, typically one is able to find myriad basic and approachable examples of things like stout or pale ale without looking too hard.

That may not be as true for stout any more.  I see a dozen big stout bombers on the shelf right now.  Beyond that, there a tons of one-off and special releases of things like Bourbon County Stout and Canadian Breakfast stout that beer lovers go crazy for.  Maybe it is the Founders and Goose Islands of the brew world that are creating the new bar for stout? Stout seems to be re-born and big bottles for big beers are what you find on the shelves.  Well, I always say, “Go big, or go home.”

Everything in life is rated, even if it’s as simple as liking or not liking something.  Before buying a household appliance, a refrigerator for instance, I go online to find reviews and product ratings. If it’s a new electronic device I’m considering, I either get information from people that I know or I visit cnet.com to find a review.  If it weren’t for these resources I probably would buy multiple fridges or TVs before finding the right one.  This is also applicable to buying a new house, moving to a new town, choosing a college, placing a child in daycare or private school… You get the picture.  Why is it then that rating wine is not okay, when seemingly the same people against it search for reviews for everything else?

A point that is regularly raised by those opposed to the rating system, is that wine is art and its appreciation is different for every person, just like a painting.  Time out!!!  If that were the case an original Picasso wouldn’t be worth millions of dollars; instead, it would be worth hundreds of dollars–just the cost of paint, canvas and man hours.  Grammies, Emmies, and other awards would all be obsolete because everyone, although not equally talented, would be judged as such. Asking anyone for an opinion would be like an episode of the Twilight Zone because I feel the answer everyone would give would be “It’s all very good.”  If I walked into Best Buy and that was the response I got, you can be assured I wouldn’t accept that answer.

What really gets to me is the hypocrisy throughout the wine industry.  I’m dumbfounded by the number of people that say ratings are terrible for the business, but immediately will tell a customer how the wine they like is SO MUCH BETTER than some other wine.  Really?  You should have answered the poor old lady with “It’s all very good” and see how far that would have gotten you.  There is nothing wrong with ratings, unless the rating causes quality to drop; this was the case for Windows many years ago.

My conclusion is, do what best suits you.  If you happen to have a similar palette as the Wine Advocate, Wine Enthusiast, Wine Spectator, the International Wine Cellar, Decanter, or your local wine guy then continue to use that source.  Wine, like art, is still a business at the end of the day.  There are people buying and selling and if a third party wasn’t rating or reviewing they would be.  To reiterate, you cannot avoid ratings. If you aren’t rating it yourself someone else is.

 Cases for only $110

…Guigal has made his finest Côtesdu-Rhône to date…50% Syrah, 40% Grenache, and 10% Mourvèdre…A deep ruby/purple wine with lots of cassis, kirsch, pepper, and even an intriguing floral note, the wine is medium to full-bodied, silky smooth, and a truly delicious, hedonistic and intellectually satisfying wine that is a remarkable bargain. It should drink well for 2-4 years, as these wines can actually last. - 90 points, The Wine Advocate

A few weeks back my colleague, Nic and I had the pleasure of tasting through Gary Jordan’s wines.  Known as Jardin in the States and as Jordan everywhere else (to avoid confusion with Jordan in Napa as well as legal issues), this producer brought some wines to the table that my colleague, Nic, and I thought were fantastic for a number of reasons.

You see my last quote was written by a winemaker who represents the real face of South African wine.  There are plenty of souless, ‘factory-made’ plonk wines made in South Africa, but there are also plenty of terroir-driven wineries who care more about making good wine than selling wine at any cost.

Jordan’s wines are refreshing for a number of reasons.  They are well-made and in balance (i.e. not overly alcoholic, fruity, or oaky). They are approachable as they can be enjoyed now, although aging them would be beneficial.  They will please both the old world aficionado and the new world fan because of both the earthiness and fruit that they possess.  They are also very affordable.

Why even bother going through these reasons?

Most South African wines do not fit into these categories.  Some may be great in that they display tipicity of both terroir and varietal in addition to being well-made and balanced.  The problem is that many of those wines are just too expensive for consumers to buy, unless they know what they’re getting into.  Others may be good in that they have plenty of fruit and are affordable, but there are only so many wines one can carry in the $10 range.

Additionally, South Africa falls through the cracks.  It seems to be be caught in some sort of purgatory between the Old World and New.  South Africans have been making wine for awhile, so they don’t quite fit into the typical New World mold of producers.  They also don’t really fit in the mold of the Old World either.  They really are somewhere in between, and yet they’re going somewhere.  Since apartheid the South African wine industry has been growing.  There are more wineries than ever, and more quality wine is being produced (thanks to the breakup of state-controlled cooperatives).  South Africa is moving forward and Jordan is proof of that.

Tequila is made from a dessert plant called Agave.  The agave plant stores its food reserves in a way that predators are not attracted to it.  It possesses long bayonet-like spikes, and these bayonets make it quite difficult reach. Furthermore, the plant does not produce palatable juices or fruit. So how did anyone develop the idea of making a drink from this plant?

The history of Tequila is quite an intriguing tale.  It is believed that a forest fire occurred in the Jalisco region of Mexico and the heat cooked the agave plants. The natives in the area noticed the sweet aroma of caramel coming from the core of the plants that still stood among the ashes. Upon further inspection, the natives found them sweet and pleasant to eat.  Initially, to process the agave plant, the natives first removed the pulpy spikes from the plant, leaving just the head, referred to as “piñas.”  They then took the heads and placed them in pits covered with the plants’ leaves or bayonets and proceeded to build a fire on top. This process helped to converted the bitter and hard heads into a sweet, flavorful, and meaty product the natives used as candy. They had yet to realize that alcohol could be made from the candy’s sugar.

Legend has it that some time afterwards one native decided to take the meaty pieces and place them in water in order to extract the sugar.  The intention was to prepare a delicious and sweet drink. But, to his surprise, the juice started to produce gas bubbles as if it were boiling. This was a result of fermentation. The microscopic yeast particles present in the air converted the sugars into alcohol and carbonic gas. However, the liquid tasted differently than expected; it was no longer sweet, but now possessed more vivid and appealing aromas. The natives also noticed a very different effect on those who drank it.

All of this occurred in the pre-Hispanic land, which is now referred to as the region of Jalisco. When the Spanish arrived, they tasted the “mescal wine” and took it a step further with their knowledge of the process and art of distillation.

Tequila and Mescal were made the same way until the start of the twentieth century, when producers from the town of Tequila in the Jalisco region began to improve the process. They introduced modern and hygienic techniques, which created a unique beverage that would quickly come to be in a class by itself. It was at this point that the beverage was named for its native town of Tequila.  Tequila producers claim that the Jalisco region and the nearby Amatitan valley’s “terroir” (soil and climate) imparts special characteristics upon its raw material and “piñas”, thus creating a mezcal like no other.

If you have ever walked down the tequila aisle at any liquor store you will notice several different types of tequila often from the same brands all for different prices.  This is because there are two basic categories of tequila: mixtos and 100% agave. Mixtos use no less than 51% agave, with other sugars making up the remainder. Mixtos use both glucose and fructose sugars.   The most common mixtos tequila out there is Jose Cuervo Gold.  So keep that in mind next time you think about purchasing a bottle of Cuervo; while it’s is fine for margarita’s, I would not recommend drinking it straight.

100% agave tequilas come in four different categories or levels. Blanco or plata is harsher and possesses bolder flavors of the distilled agave, while reposado, añejo, and extra anejo are smoother, subtler, and more complex.   The oak aging of the reposado and anejo helps to smooth out the tequila and adds to the complexity of the spirit.  As with other spirits that are aged in casks, tequila takes on the flavors of the wood, while the harshness of the alcohol mellows.

Blanco (“white”) or plata (“silver”) is defined as a white spirit un-aged and bottled or stored immediately after distillation, or aged less than two months in stainless steel or neutral oak barrels. Reposado (“rested”) is aged a minimum of two months, but less than a year in oak barrels of any size. Añejo (“aged” or “vintage”) is aged a minimum of one year, but less than three years in small oak barrels. While extra eñejo (“extra aged” or “ultra aged”) is aged a minimum of three years in oak barrels (this last category was established in March 2006).

The list is called ‘Collector’s Corner’ and it will feature limited, time-sensitive offers of some of the very best wines from the best growers in the best appellations.

If you are serious about wine, we guarantee there will be something to pique your interest on a regular basis. As we get to know your interests, there may also be opportunities to notify you of specific items that meet your criteria as they become available in the fine and rare market.

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I will come right out and say it – This is a great trend in beer.  Perhaps my enthusiasm is partly rooted in me growing tired of the oak craze and my lack of appreciation for ‘brett’ beers.  Oak aged beers can be awesome, but that trend seemed to bring with it many more beers that taste just like bourbon than mellowed ales with a vanilla rounding.  And brettanomyces beer, although well appreciated in the world of traditional gueuze, is a real oddity.  Nothing like introducing a vicious yeast, one that is awful enough to have caused wineries of old to burn their equipment in a fight against it, to your beer (and brewery).  Anyway, I digress.

Black IPA is a nice bridge between bold, dark malt brewing and the flavor side of hops.  There is fairly good opportunity for flavor differentiation within the style as well.  Some really focus on the toasted quality of the malt, while others use a dark malt to hold up extreme bitterness.  I can’t help but wonder if it really fits in though.

Beer, in simple terms, can be broadly categorized in 6 fundamental styles that almost every beer drinker has heard of before: Stout, Porter, Amber, IPA, Pale and Golden.  I could be convinced to see that list go to 5 styles.  We are talking in broad generalities here as, clearly, there is much more than this going on.  This list is so fundamental that almost every brewery’s flagship beer comes off of it.  Does black IPA have enough fundamental merit to join this list?

Unlike many of the ‘one-off’ styles that we know and love from all of our favorite breweries, black IPA just isn’t crazy enough to be a real specialty offering.  I am not sure that it is grounded enough to be a brewery go-to either.  So what does the future hold for this black sheep?

I do think that there is staying power with black IPAs.  I also think that they are pretty delicious.  The palates of consumers are to decide if this is a staple of the future.  Surely there will always be a black IPA available, but maybe, like the ESB or American Amber it is destined to be an afterthought on beer shelves.

I recently had the privilege of visiting Napa, California on behalf of Constellation Brands Co., and I have to say, it was wonderful! It was sunny for the majority of the time, and the people couldn’t have been nicer. I was treated to some of the finest food, wine and hospitality that Napa has to offer.  To contradict one of my colleague’s blog posts, if that is what magazine living is like, bring it on!  The next few blogs I release will be my recap of each day I spent there.

Thursday September 22, 2011- Day 1

I started the day off as many do when taking an early flight, tired and confused as to why I had to be at the airport two hours before the flight. As always, I remembered it is probably a good idea to arrive early because by coincidence I always get picked for the “random” screening; could my last name be the problem? Who knows. We boarded the plane and arrived at San Francisco International Airport six hours later, or, thanks to the timezone difference, three hours later.  I got on a shuttle bus, met the other members of the group I was a part of, and off we went.  We stoped by the local liquor store–unfortunately Colonial Spirits doesn’t ship to Cali yet– and bought some more “beverages,” just in case we happened to run out.   It wasn’t too long before we arrived in Napa.

I was awestruck by Napa’s beauty, one lovely winery after another, divided by a mere 15 foot dirt path. We arrived at, what we would call home for the time being, Franciscan Winery, and our fun began.  We were immediately picked up and taken to Robert Mondavi Winery, the birthplace of Napa wines, and another beautiful building.  We walked around the vineyard, got acclimated with our surroundings, and luckily for us we didn’t have to go through any lectures on the first day.  It was all about relaxing having a drink, eating good food, and simply enjoying ourselves.  We did learn a lot about Franciscan while at dinner later that day, and the hostess was so exciting it was hard not to like her and enjoy her company.

In true Italian fashion, we would end our night playing bocce ball  (actually, we ended all our nights playing bocce ball while eating, drinking and just having a good time).

What I learned on the first day: My liver is stronger than I thought.

Some of my favorite products in the entire store are from the smallest producers.  I think that smaller producers offer more bang for your buck.  All that marketing costs companies millions, so it is only logical that those expensive advertising campaigns and pop culture references will be reflected in the price of the product.  One example is Pierre Ferrand cognac.  For virtually the same price as Hennessy V.S. you can get Pierre Ferrand’s Amber cognac, which is an X.O. from the Grande Champagne region (the finest territory within cognac).  The Hennessy is a good V.S. cognac, but you are paying a lot to have the privilege of drinking that name brand. The Ferrand on the other hand is an X.O. and just on a whole other level.

So the moral of this blog is to drink what you like, not what society tells you to like, but remember there is nothing wrong with buying a name, it’s generally a safe bet.  You can always rest assured that you are getting a quality product.  That is one of the many benefits to branding, but just remember that by traveling off the beaten path you can almost always get a product of equal or greater quality for a bit less.  If you ever need any help navigating though some of these lesser known products, don’t hesitate to ask for my assistance.  I am always happy to help.

Thank you for choosing Colonial Spirits.

Here are a few samples of the wines available.

1) Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Vlly 2007
2) Joseph Phelps ‘Insignia’ Napa Vlly 2006 & 2005
3) Château Leoville Las Cases Saint-Julien 1996
4) Château La Mission Haut-Brion Pessac Leognan 2004
5) Elderton ‘Command’ Shiraz Barossa Vlly 2003

Now just a little about myself for you brew folks…

I’m a wine guy, to be more specific I’m an Old World wine guy.  It’s really quite simple…most wines from the ‘Old World,’ in addition to embracing tradition, have balance.  Yes I admire tradition, but I care more about balance because when I drink a glass of wine, I do so with food and balance is important.  In my book, wine is more than a simple beverage, it is an essential part of any meal and is an equal to any dish that finds itself on the dining table.  I find wines from most of the New World (i.e. outside of Europe) to be unbalanced possessing excessive amounts of alcohol, fruit, residual sugar, and/or oakiness.  This is a generalization of course.  I do realize that many a producer in the Old World can make wines this way, and many a producer in the New World do not (for those interested check out South Africa).

But I also have a great interest in brew.

Don’t peg me as a pretentious wine nerd.  I’m an equal opportunist when it comes to alcoholic beverages (although I do have reservations) and have a great passion for brew.  As for my tastes, I’m a fan of the Belgian tradition.  I always have been and always will be.  I enjoy many brews in the German and British tradition (although I find brews from Scotland to be closer to Belgians because of their use of malt).  I happen to think that Belgians are as close as you can get to wine in the brew world.  Besides they are creative and traditional, can pair well with many a dish (besides mussels and fries) and are driven by malt.  I don’t really go after sweet brews, but I do enjoy a brew that has some malt.  Unconsciously, it may be the malt freak in me that hates hops, but I don’t hate hops.

Now back on topic…

Tim recently written a blog about hops.  It’s clear from the article that he loves them and finds them to be the driving force in a brew’s aroma.  I’d have to argue with him on this point, but are hops to beer what oak is to wine?  This really is the question that I’m curious about.  My answer is a simple-no!

Hops are more important to brew than oak is to wine.  Why?  Not all wine spends time in oak.  I’ve tasted many good or great wines that spent no time whatsoever in oak.  I don’t know of any brewer that doesn’t add some hops to his/her magic potion of wort.

There are a number of variables that make up the aroma of both wine and brew.  They include, but are not limited to water, grains & their preparation (i.e Rauchbiers), malt, grapes, human tradition, traditional brewing styles, etc…  I’ll even add terroir for you oenophiles reading this.  My point is that hops are not the only contributing factor to a brew’s aroma, but most consumers (at least stateside) are obsessed with them.  In wine, many consumers love the aromas that a new oak barrel-aging contributes to a wine complimented by intense fruitiness.  Both hops and oak are big contributors to the flavor (and body) of brew and wine, respectively, but they are not the end all be all nor should they be.

My question was also rooted in my distaste of both the overuse of hops and oak in brew and wine.  I’ve come to realize that for both wine and brew, taste is subjective.  If you like hops then go ahead and drink some IPA or Harvest ale.  If you like oak then drink a wine that has seen some intense barrel aging.  Don’t let me stop you, not that I would anyways!

Although nationally Merlot is still the best selling red wine in the US (fancy that), around here Pinot Noir has taken over as the accepted standard.  I can’t tell you how often I meet people who, upon learning that I study wine as both a hobby and profession, immediately deride Merlot with this sort of “See, I’m on the team” earnestness that, frankly, I find disappointing.  The sad truth is that there is a lot of bad Merlot out there, but the grape can’t help that.  It’s people getting in the way that makes Merlot bad.

Traditionally, Merlot has been used as a component in a blend, frequently as the star of the group (just ask Pomerol or St-Emilion, in Bordeaux).  Its full body and plummy fruit character are appealing, and its gentle acidity makes it more approachable than many other grapes.  Other varietals were added to the equation to add more complexity, not to cover up a fault.

In the US, Merlot took off in the early 90s as a response to the medical finding that drinking red wine could help reduce the risk of heart disease.  Of course, the nation didn’t have as many wine drinkers then as it does now, and so many companies had to make simpler, softer, rather wimpy wines to ease the new market into the product.  That’s the root of the problem.

Fast forward to today, though, and the ‘No F’ing-Merlot’ movement is just silly.  For every boring, flabby Merlot from the Central Valley there are just as many interesting examples from Washington, France, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, the list goes on.  I don’t wear Omega watches and Tom Ford suits because James Bond does, and I certainly don’t let movie characters pick my wines for me.

If there’s any doubt about what I’m saying, though, enjoy this delicious extra piece of irony the Sideways writers threw in for the true cork dorks in attendance.  The bottle of Cheval-Blanc that Miles treasures, that he sips alone from a paper cup in a burger joint when his world has collapsed around him?  That’s a Merlot.

The famous Colonial Spirits Oktoberfest celebration is coming up on Saturday, September 17th.  This year we’ll celebrate the kick-off of the actual Oktoberfest in Germany on the same day (they start on the 17th at 12am)!

There will be dozens of O-fest and Pumpkin beers to try.  As well as free food – delicious snacks from our favorite deli, GermanDeli.com AND live music from the Schwarze Schafe Band!

The Oktoberfest/Pumpkin beer season is extremely short but there are so many good choices.  What should you stock up on? Find out when we have all of them open for sampling at our big event.

Whoa, perhaps this is an incendiary question.  Why, then, am I posing it? Well, I am doing so indirectly, as it was posed to me by our friend, the famous oenophile, Nic Haegeli.  Nic knows what he is talking about, for sure.  Nic also enjoys challenging the practices of modern wine makers and brewers.  He is an old world wine man through and through.  So what drove him to push my hop shrouded button? He slyly prodded me under the guise of the new world use (or over use) of oak in wine making.

Many new world wines can be generalized as overly fruity, overly oaky bold wines appealing to a broad class of bold palates.  One could even go so far as to label these wines one dimensional and unrefined.  The same might be said about countless IPA’s on the market today.

I am an advocate of American brewing, although I have a deep appreciation for traditional brewing from Belgium, Germany and Britain.  When forced to declare where the best beer in the world is made I am inclined to say, America.  I am well aware that much of American brewing is the bastardization of original styles from other places in the world, but I see both the emulation and the re-invention of these styles leading to some amazing results.  We replicate quite well and our creativity is unending.  America is very much new world brewing.

One thing that is all over shelves and menus across our great nation is IPA.  IPA is perhaps the go-to style (pale can get some credit here too) for most brewing ventures in the US and there is no shortage of hop freaks to support it.  So, all these IPAs have to be different, right?

They are indeed.  The glory of hops is that there are so many of them, all with wonderful flavors to contribute to beer.  There are good IPAs and bland IPAs.  There are piney hops and citrusy hops, resiny hops and delicate hops.  I could go on, because I love hops.

What about the prevalence of hops though? I suppose I can concede that there exists many a one-sided beer.  I do hear the term ‘balance’ about as much as anything else when it comes to talking about beer.  I see that this term is loosely applied in many instances.  I’ll also concede that there is many an IPA that is not ‘balanced’.

So are hops overused?

In my opinion – no! Hops are what I like and what many others like.  They are used to create numerous iterations of a fantastic style of beer.  Hoppy beers are everywhere and I couldn’t be more excited about it.  Especially now as we approach harvest ale season.  Stealing from a previous post… There is little better than beer that is derived from the fresh harvest of the necessary ingredients.  The most prominent of these ingredients is hops and usually that is the driving flavor of a harvest ale.  Many breweries take this opportunity to make a ‘wet hop’ IPA, where the newly harvested hops are added in immediately with no drying in between.  Being one who remains obsessed with the delicious flavor of hops, I find harvest time quickly becoming my favorite beer season.  I find IPAs to be more of a summer style than a winter style, but harvest ales are generally coming out as IPAs with a heartier malt balance and many pour a more rich amber than their lighter IPA counterparts.

Bring on the hops! New world brewing is awesome!

Oregon’s future is a mystery to most, even to those in the wine business.  We know that there are other styles/varietals being produced by Oregon wineries, we’re just not sure how they will fit into the market.  Washington still hasn’t had its big break, and it seems that California has something new and exciting that steals the limelight every year.  For example, the “Rhone Ranger” trend from Paso Robles had the press in a tizzy once Wine Spectator released its Top 100 list and Saxum was ranked #1.  A few other producers made similar wines and were given similar attention, while leaving Washington and Oregon to fend for themselves, comparatively unheralded.  When will the other major wine producing states get some recognition?

It seems that the powers that be occasionally mention Oregon reds or Washington cabs, but never go in depth and highlight the potential of these wines.  I have found plenty of wines from these states with great reviews from all the major wine reviewers, but haven’t noticed customers flocking in awaiting their arrival.  I have yet to be asked if reds other than Pinot Noir from Oregon even exist.  It seems that although the quality is there the interest isn’t, and it will be awhile before it is.  The wine industry in the US is maturing, and it seems to be happening all at once.  Perhaps this is why consumers sometimes look to trendy wines instead of experimenting more readily.  New opportunities are always presenting themselves, and they’re usually a better bet than what everyone else is talking about.

In conclusion, take small steps and figure out what style of wine best suits you, then try similar styles from other regions, and then keep right on going.  Who knows?  Maybe you’ll prefer a Cab from Rogue Valley than California or maybe even a Red Mountain Cab than Napa. Enjoy,

Nic C.

Thank you for choosing Colonial Spirits!

While grains based vodkas dominate today’s market it is not because they make the best vodka, but rather because they happen to make the softer, more mixable vodka preferred by most of today’s consumers.  Grain vodka also happens to be the least expensive option when it comes to producing a vodka, which is also why many producers choose to make this the base of their products.

Potatoes are the most common alternative to grain based vodkas.  A potato based vodka tends to be more flavorful and heavier than its grain-based counterparts, which generally makes the spirit less mixable.  Potatoes are also exponentially more expensive to use, because only the skins can be turned into alcohol.  It is the combination of these two factors which leads producers towards grain vodkas.  In fact, as you can imagine, all of the other base products I have mentioned above would be much more costly to purchase than wheat or rye, two the most common forms of grain used in vodka production.  This combined with the sweeter flavor profile  of the exotic bases are the main two reasons you don’t see more of these ingredients utilized often to produce vodka.

Personally, potato based vodkas are my favorite.  They are still quite versatile in their mixablity, but they have a more robust flavor.  In my opinion, this makes a better martini, vodka tonic or the ever classic vodka rocks.  On a side note, all vodkas are gluten free; this means if you have Celiac disease you are not just restricted to the labels that state they are gluten free.  It is a little know fact the distillation process removes the gluten protein no matter what base the spirits is created from.  The only way a vodka could contain gluten is if a flavoring containing gluten was added after the spirit has been distilled.

Wine is personal. I’ve always maintained this, and, despite what we wine professionals tell you, wine is often more subjective than objective. Much of this has to do with how we relate to wine.

Some of my fondest wine memories are inextricably linked to people and places that I care deeply about.  It’s amazing how a glass (or bottle) can transport you to a moment in your past were your mind’s eye allows you to experience all your senses and memories as if you were really there. These memories are powerful, and they often come back to us when we least expect them and need them most.

Let me share with you some of my moments…

November 2010 in Acton, Massachusetts…Holiday season around the corner, and I’m busily getting ready for the hustle and bustle that occurs every November and December with the upcoming holiday trifecta (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s). I finally have a moment to stop and enjoy a dinner out with my wife. This isn’t a usual dinner though, it’s a wine dinner (a nice perk of the profession…and my wife agrees), so I find myself eating delicious food and drinking wonderful wine. The pairings work perfectly, the ambiance is calming, and the company is just right. As the dinner comes to its close there is a surprise. A Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, a delightfully refreshing and delicious fortified wine is served, capping the night off in style. I’m familiar with this appellation, but not ready for what will happen next…When the first sip of wine touches my lips, a cluster of memories rush to the fore of my mind as if I’m there …

Summer sometime during the 1990s in Les Omergues, Provence…I find myself at the end of a meal, not quite appreciative of lamb (my tastes will mature), but satisfied nonetheless. I’m too young to drink by American standards, but this is France after all and one is never too young to taste wine or even drink a small portion. I’m served a delightfully and delicious treat, one that I’ve never heard of. It’s called Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, and I listen intently as my Papi Jacques tells me all about this wine and how it’s made. All I can think of is how delicious this wine is…Papi seems to notice that my attention quickly fades with each passing sip, and so he happily ends with a great big smile and tells me that one thing only really matters with this wine, ‘C’est bon.’

I was on vacation last week, spending it at the lakehouse my family owns in a small town on the border between Maine and New Hampshire. There are two restaurants that I can find in this town, and I’m quite certain that the wine selections come from a Franzia box at each. Of course, working at Colonial, I packed accordingly. I was determined to not drink beer, to prove to myself that I am quite capable of living a magazine article. This was nearly a disaster.

My first day up, I raided the fridge, which is perpetually stocked with burgers and chicken wings. I took a pound of wings and, in the time honored tradition of New Hampshire cookery, proceeded to let them sit overnight in a bowl of Bud Light and barbecue sauce. A marinade, if you will. The next day, quite impressed with myself, I rolled out of bed at 10:30, walked downstairs, down the dock, and into the water. After a nearly two hour swim and sunbath, I opened a bottle of Givry Premier Cru, a Pinot Noir from Burgundy that I had decided would be an ideal pairing… the sweet red fruit indicative of the region to play with the barbecue sauce, the Pinot earthiness to go with the grill char, the lighter body to not overpower the chicken. I fired up the grill and tossed on the wings.

I assure you, I grill chicken wings well. Tender, moist, but with nice crispy skin, I tore through my first three or four voraciously. Then I took a sip of wine, and hit a wall of frustration. In every technical sense, this was a perfect match, everything was in balance, the flavors were complimentary, the weight equal. And yet, it just wasn’t right. Barbecue sauce doesn’t look right on the stem of a shatterproof wine glass, Premier Cru Burgundy doesn’t match unfinished walls and somebody loudly playing the Allman Brothers from across the lake. Sometimes you can be right and still be wrong.

My sommelier in Florence taught me that even more powerful than the technically sound pairing is the match that allows the glass of whatever you have to fit in perfectly with your meal. I’d forgotten. Eccentric wine people may get recognition, yes, but those who serve the occasion rather than the ego have guests who enjoyed their evening more often. You see, in my determination to fulfill an image, I fell into the greatest pitfall of wine drinkers: sheer snobbery.

I’ll leave you with this. My family came up on Friday, they spend their weekends at the house throughout the summer. I had purchased beautiful New York strips, and let them come to room temperature rubbed in salt and pepper and a thin layer of truffle oil. I grilled that night around ten, and served my steaks with the Vietti Perbacco Nebbiolo, an absolutely gorgeous wine from the Piemonte in Italy. In the night, with family, great food and wine faded into the background of southern rock and paper plates. I noticed that everything was right, because I was looking, but everyone else just had a good time. So I implore you, especially in the hot summer months, don’t take wine too seriously. If you do you won’t be satisfied, it’ll feel as uncomfortable as forgetting your watch even when you know what time it is. After all, I sent my dad to the grocery store the next day to buy some Sam Adams for our chicken wings.

By definition, a ‘Craft Brewery’ is one with an annual production of 6 million barrels, or less.  It is seen as much more than that, though, as creative marketing efforts, eclectic brews and demand spikes over limited releases point towards an incredible market force.

Craft beer has become an idea bigger than the volume of beer being produced, creating the path for an enormous spike in new breweries.  The Brewers Association reports a normal rate of new breweries in the 100 to 200 per year range.  At the end of the first quarter this year they reported over 600 breweries in the planning stages.  This should lead to tons of new and exciting offerings, as well as more than a few broken dreams.  Brewing is a tough business and economies of scale are challenging to achieve.

No matter what, this is undoubtedly an exciting time to be a beer enthusiast.  The market is boiling like superheated wort and consumers are fueling the fire with crazy behavior.  With their ears to the ground, folks anticipate new releases. Breweries lucky enough to have rumbled up underground accolades of their unusual quality turn loose their liquid gold and the people pounce.  Every bottle is collected and every keg drained within days of a beer’s release.  Beer lovers are hungry… uh thirsty, for more and more and more.

So, what is really going on out there and how do brewers and distributors make sense of it? I think that it is actually pretty simple.  ‘Craft beer’ is this grandiose idea, but let’s think for a moment about a basic fact that is true for all breweries enjoying success in the craft market – the beer is GOOD! It tastes good, plain and simple.  Good ingredients, passion for brewing and the consumer’s awakening to the wondrous results are what is happening.

It is no surprise.  Consumers are showing strong motivation to seek quality in what they will ingest (food and drink alike).  The attention to the ingredients in food, the surge in sales of organic products and the success of businesses like Whole Foods all highlight this.  Cooking shows are all over television.  CSAs are in every town.  Fine restaurants thrive.  People like good stuff.  Beer is no different.  I think that perhaps the single biggest driving force behind the craft beer industry is that… It is Good!

In 2009, Wine Spectator named Columbia Crest Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 the #1 wine of the year, and, since 1999, Robert Parker has given Quilceda Creek Estate Cabernet Sauvignon four 100 point scores, two 99 point scores, two 98 point scores and a 94 point score; not many wineries can put that on their resume.  A bottle of Quilceda Creek Estate Cabernet Sauvignon can cost $150-$175, depending on the vintage, but show me a Bordeaux or a Napa Cab that has those same scores and costs about the same; there aren’t many.  Washington State wines are the newest gems in the wine world and, little by little, they are getting noticed.  I love that Washington State wines are still in the dark because the quality of wine isn’t compromised by sales.

The beauty of the wines from Washington is the land that the vineyards are planted on.  The AVAs of Washington State to explore are Red Mountain, Horse Heaven Hills, Walla Walla just to name a few. The majority of Washington vineyards are gravel- and lava-rock based, which both allow for great drainage.  A soil that has great drainage is important to wine making because it forces the vines to work harder to produce grapes that are healthier and riper, with more acidity, a higher nutrient content, and more tannins.  In addition to being blessed with great soil, Washington state also has cool winds that come off of the Pacific Ocean, thereby cooling the vineyards and allowing for slower maturation which results in deeper, more concentrated wines that withstand the test of time.

Land and climate are major factors in making good wine, but the winemaker also plays an important role. While Quilceda Creek’s winemaker is Alex Golitzin, the nephew of André Tchelistcheff, one of the leaders in the Napa Cab revolution, many of Washington State’s great winemakers are not well known. However, most have studied, trained, and worked at some of the world’s most renowned wineries.  For example, Juan Munoz Oca, Head Winemaker for Columbia Crest, has worked at Bleasdale Vineyards, Chateau Puy Guilhem, and Terrazas de los Andes. Another Head Winemaker that has been taught by some of the best is Bob Bertheau, from Chateau Ste. Michelle, who worked under Bob Session, from Hanzell Vineyards, and David Ramey; these are just two of many Washington State winemakers who are over qualified.  So, as you can see, wines from Washington have everything going for them. Why is it then that more people aren’t buying these wines?

In order to answer that question, I have to ask another one; how often are Washington State wines mentioned in any wine press?  In order for anything to sell, wine has to constantly be in the forefront of the consumer’s mind. If not mentioned all the time and persistently in your face, the chances of it getting attention are slim; which is why I’m writing about them.

Washington is coming around and making wines that truly are beautiful, well crafted works of art.  Like many works of art, I’m afraid these wines t won’t be recognized until it’s too late.  Sales are great, especially when you are in the business like myself, but what is unfortunate is seeing world class wineries being forced to make “generic” wines that aren’t worth a penny.  So before Washington falls victim to consumerism you should come to Colonial Spirits and ask about Washington Reds.

Here are a few Washington wines worth trying:
1) ShareCroppers by Owen Roe Cabernet Sauvignon
2) L’Ecole #41 Cabernet Sauvignon
3) Three Rivers Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
4) Col Solare by Ch. Ste. Michelle and Antinori
5) North Star Merlot by Ch. Ste. Michelle

Cheers!

It all started in 1791 when the Continental Congress put a tax on whiskey production in order to help pay for America’s debt.  So angry were the the settlers of Western Pennsylvania that they refused to pay!  As tensions escalated George Washington was forced to send the Continental Army to stop a potential uprising.  However the situation turned out to be trickier to solve than anticipated and in order to prevent any political humiliation and further trouble with the stubborn Scotch-Irish, Washington came to an agreement with them by offering them incentives for moving to Kentucky (then part of Virginia).

Thomas Jefferson, the Governor of Virginia, offered these settlers sixty acres of land as long as the agreed to place a permanent structure on the land and grow only native corn.  The only problem was no family could ever consume sixty acres of corn, and it was far too bulky and perishable to store or transport. However, if the corn were converted to whiskey all problems would be solved.  This is significant because early whiskeys were made from rye, not corn like Bourbon is today.  Kentucky became a state in 1792, and Bourbon was one of its counties.  Bourbon County got its name after the French who assisted us in the Revolution. French names were given to particular settlements and counties.  Bourbon County was named after the French royal family of Bourbon.
Rumor has it that Bourbon got its name and start with the Reverend Elijah Craig.  The Reverend was the thrifty type and supposedly used old barrels to transport his whiskey to market in New Orleans.  He charred the inside of the oak barrels before filling them.  The long trip from Kentucky to New Orleans caused the whiskey to mellow in the barrels and imparted a light caramel color.  The good Reverend called it Bourbon Whiskey, since it was from Bourbon County, Kentucky.

In 1964, a congressional resolution was instituted in order to protect the term “Bourbon” causing the product to be officially defined for the fist time since the Reverend invented our native spirit.  The act stipulated that the basic elements of Bourbon are as follows: it must be aged for at least two years, it must be distilled under 160 proof and be made of at least 51% corn, and, finally, it must be aged in charred new oak barrels.  Though the law does not stipulate where the spirit must geographically originate from, 99% of all Bourbon whiskey comes from Kentucky.  Most consider the limestone spring water found in Kentucky to be the only water with the proper combination of minerals necessary to produce a fine Bourbon.

A couple weeks ago, Patrick wrote about Malbec and it’s rise and fall.  Weeks before, Nic wrote about the concept of terroir. These blogs are the result of our on-going conversations.  Both blogs got my attention.

Patrick concluded that Malbec’s popularity is waning (a fact I would agree with), and, ironically, really good Malbec is now hitting the wine scene.  The problem is no one is paying attention.  Consumers are tiring of Malbec and soon they’ll find something else.   He makes a good point, and to quote Herodotus (the Greek Historian), ‘What’s past is prologue,’ meaning the best is yet to come out of Argentina!

Is “good” wine nothing more than just mere fashion?  It shouldn’t be, but it seems to be the case, particularly in the States.  Some have told me that they ’should just learn to ignore trends,’ but I also understand that people will continue to follow trends when it comes to their consumption of wine, and therefore the wine business will continue to feed this mentality.  I was reminded of this when a customer once told me that, ‘people should be free to indulge in any fly-by-night “let’s market the crap out of something” life-style they want.’  There are, however, plenty of wines that are both good and fashionable and  I must admit, consumers do have the right to drink what they like.

Many of these fashionable wines lack something though…although let me point out wines like Sassicaia and other Super Tuscans.  Here are wines that are unique because they embrace both modernity and terroir.  They embrace modernity by applying modern viticultural and vinicultural techniques, and use international grape varietals.  They embrace terroir by allowing it to show through in the wine.

Why do I bring this up?  To point out that the conversation and relationship between the concepts of modernity and terroir can and do create truly splendid wines, that are real (i.e. not created by a lab and a marketing group) and, yes, fashionable!  They’ll please almost anyone, including a stubborn old world wine drinker, like myself.

In his blog, Nic concluded that consumers (and some wine professionals) don’t understand what ‘terroir’ means.  Real simple…and poignant!

Are consumers really concerned about terroir?  Most could care less, or don’t think of it.  Some are, but they are a minority, and yet their numbers seem to rise as they realize most wine tastes the same no matter where it’s from.

Don’t get me wrong: there are plenty of consumers whom I would deem ‘connoisseurs.’  They come to me looking for something authentic AND tasty.  They want to understand a varietal and/or a region and it’s nuances.  They are interested in the concept of ‘terroir.’  They have their favorites and will drink fashionable wines, but are also willing to explore.  They are not necessarily attached to trends that are the result of our consumer culture.  I’m encouraged by these consumers.  They challenge me, just as I challenge them, and I’m thankful for that.  I think they are too.  I once had a customer tell me that, he wanted ‘a personal relationship with an honest and knowledgeable merchant who knows my preferences, but at the same time is helping me grow beyond them.’ Without them,  I would feel defeated in my quest to spread the gospel of good, authentic, real wine!

I can’t help, but wonder what will happen if souless wine continues to be sold, wine that is seemingly crafted in a labratory and by a marketing firm?  Will producers care to produce wines that embrace terroir (and therefore are real) or will they cave-in to market pressure and make so-called ‘Parker’ wines?  Will I care to sell wine if all I’m selling is the newest fad that will fall as quickly as it rose.  How will all this effect the growing wine culture here in the States?

Yet I still have hope.  Good wine (that both tastes good and embraces terroir) will continue to be produced I have no doubt, and sometimes that wine will be in fashion, sometimes it won’t.  I can live with that.

In addition to writing a blog and doing plenty of talking with customers at the shop, my primary responsibility continues to be making sure that the fine wines are stocked.  While not especially glamorous, this does give me a ground zero view of trends among our customers, and what I’ve noticed in the past couple of months is this:  Malbec has slowed to a crawl.  Where once I had to make two passes a week through Argentina, now if need be I can skip a week safely.  It seems as though, again, the fashions are shifting.

This is a recurring theme for American wine consumers… remember Australian Shiraz?  California Merlot?  It’s an acknowledged fact that, in contrast to most of the wine drinking world, Americans like to pick a style of wine, declare it to be “the best ever,” and thus a new trend is born.  As more and more people become fascinated with this newcomer, producers start to change the wine… making it riper, fruitier, softer, and more oaky.  Whatever slightly exotic character the wines that started the trend might have had, by the time our Shiraz or Malbec shows up on the 99′s wine list that magic has lost its luster.

This may all have sounded rather pessimistic, but actually, when wines go out of favor interesting things start to happen.  When Shiraz fell out of fashion, suddenly “boutique” wineries charging absurd amounts of money for so-so wine couldn’t sustain themselves.  Prices came down, and the over-extracted, unidentifiable wines gave way to expressions that were balanced, interesting, even elegant.  We’ve seen Barossa Shiraz tone down the sugar content, Coonawarra embrace its more peppery character, seen the emergence of Mornington as a region producing medium-bodied wines that take as many cues from the Northern Rhone as they do from Penfolds.  Australia has received a second lease on life, and has decided to build for the long run rather than embrace its hedonistic past.

Of course, this brings us back to Malbec.  As the wines that more and more salesmen bring in taste more and more alike, and the category slows, I see bright spots set to emerge.  There are oakless Malbecs now, priced around $10, that really show off fruit because they have nothing to hide behind.  I see single vineyard wines for under $20, that deliver both the classic Malbec violet note and show individual terroir.  I even see Cahors, the French region known for Malbec production, growing as our customers become interested in touching their new discovery’s roots.

Don’t be surprised if soon the newest “best wine ever” emerges.  Look for your hostess gifts to change from Malbec to Rioja, or Old Vine Zinfandel, or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, look for in-store tastings to change their focus.  Then head into Argentina and take a look at the regions, the styles, the claims of “balance” and “expressiveness.”  Ask us questions, we love to talk about this stuff.  Just as Shiraz has become today, so soon you will find that Malbec has become an unheralded but brilliant role player in the larger world of wine.

Beer is about balance.  Now, I know that much of today’s IPA production is only balanced if your scale tilts exclusively towards hops but, regardless, many of the best beers offer the best balance.  At Troegs in Harrisburg, PA they live by this statement and have produced one of the best representations of ‘Amber’ Ale that you can readily acquire today.  Of course, I am talking about Hop Back Amber.

I began thinking about this a little more after I took the easy way out and classified Hop Back as an IPA.  It was easy to look at the hop profile of this beer and just call it an IPA as a way of noting that it would be hoppy and would meet the expectations of most novice IPA consumers.  That may be the case, but there is an important difference between a loose fitting classification and what Troegs is trying to do with this beer.

Hop Back Amber is a leader in a hard-to-define category of beer that has left most beer drinkers passively accepting the category with a dulled enthusiasm for many of the beers that fall into it.  Instead, we should be celebrating the potential of Amber beers and calling for more like Hop Back Amber.  That is, of course, if you enjoy a hoppy side to your copper colored malty beer.

I view the presence of Hop Back Amber on the shelves of beer stores as a call back to an often over looked style, as an influential brew that intrigues and inspires.  Troegs is not alone in making an excellent amber beer.  Boulder’s Hazed and Infused is a fantastic example, with a bright aroma and a new can package! Maine Beer Company makes Zoe, a “Hoppy Amber” that is unusually good.  These beers all show a hop character on top of a malty back bone that creates a delicious balance.

Admittedly, I am a hop-head so perhaps I am pushing for more beers that meet my palate standards.  More and more, however, I find myself advocating for balance and flavor.  It is the taste that carries the day and keeps us thirsting for more.

1 btl (750ml) Sierra de Viento Tempranillo

1 oz Bacardi Limon Rum

1 oz Gin (good stuff)

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz Cognac

16 oz Orange Juice

12 oz ginger ale

1 Orange…Cut skin off 1 orange, leaving some flesh on the inner skin.  Cut orange skin into small squares and add to the sangria.  Squeeze the juice from the orange into the sangria.

1 Lemon – treat same as the orange

Add an apple, and a few strawberries or any other seasonal fruit to the sangria, cutting them into small squares.

Mix, taste, and add more OJ or a bit of sugar for your taste and enjoy!

If you have any other questions about the recipe you can ask Gary for yourself when he stops by next Saturday the 18th from 3:30 to 7pm for the second part of our Grill & Chill event!

I’d now like to discuss something that’s been on my mind for some time, and that is Terroir and the misusage of that word by the “New Generation” wine drinker…

I have the privilege of tasting new wines at least once a week, and about once a week my colleagues and I have an argument as to whether or not terroir exists.  At a seminar I recently attended, a well respected winemaker made a bold statement that made me quite uneasy. He said, “Terroir, which some call dirt, barnyard, haystack or earthy, does not come from the vineyard(s) but instead from brettanomyces.”  Brettanomyces is a yeast strand commonly associated with the ‘horse sweat’ smell found in some beers and wines.

The comment made by the winemaker was disconcerting for a couple of reasons; first, this idea goes against everything that I have been taught up to this point; second, when did terroir become associated with dirt?

To better understand what I am trying to get at, Terroir has to be simplified for those who haven’t heard the term or have heard it used incorrectly.  Terroir is an all encompassing word that defines EVERYTHING that is wine.  As defined by the Webster’s Dictionary terroir is, “The complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography, and climate. • (also goût de terroir |goō də|) the characteristic taste and flavor imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced.”  As far as I know, no one can taste climate or topography, not yet at least.

The Webster’s definition is a good definition but still doesn’t achieve the allure that the word Terroir has in the wine community.  Terroir is more than just climate, topography and soil, it is also the way the grapes were harvested, the barrels used to age the wine, and more.  So for anyone to say that Terroir is dirt or barnyard, especially a winemaker, is feeding into an ignorance that is extremely prevalent in the wine business.  If a winemaker is misusing terroir and guiding others to misuse it, how far up and down the chain or out into the world does it go? This is where I come in.

I believe that time begets knowledge.  Since wine has been a key part of the American lifestyle for so long one could assume that knowledge of wine has  grown over the years.   Based  on what this winemaker said, it is hard to see the growth, but hopefully this will be an anomaly in my career.  Hopefully in the years to come the “New Generation” wine drinker, using their basis of knowledge (twitter, facebook, etc.), will catch themselves before they misuse Terroir.

For More Info Click Here Tre Amici Wine Dinner

Now that the warm weather is upon us, I thought I’d take this opportunity to discuss gin because it always tends to be a cocktail favorite during the summer months.

Gin is a spirit produced from a mash of cereal grains, usually consisting of corn, rye, barley and wheat. The spirit’s predominate flavor and aromas come from the botanical, juniper berries. Other botanicals that are traditionally used to round out the flavor profile include –but are not limited to– coriander, lemon and orange peels, fennel, cassia, anise, almond and angelica. Gin by law cannot carry an age statement and generally ranges between 80 and 94 proof.

Traditionally there are four distinct classifications of gin. Granted nowadays, many producers are experimenting with new and innovative botanical combinations that deviate slightly from the traditional formulas, but they still fall loosely into the four traditional classifications of gin. The four categories are London Dry, Plymouth, Old Tom and Genever.

London Dry is far and away the most popular style and a benchmark of quality in the gin world. London Dry gins tend to be very aromatic and flowerly, which is a result of the botanicals added during the second or third distillation of the spirit. London Dry requires a specialized (column) still to be produced with what is called a Gin Head. A Gin Head is a custom built attachment that allows the vapors from the botanicals to be passed through the alcohol. This dry style of gin is preferred for making cocktails, especially martinis.

Plymouth Gin is a full bodied, slightly fruity and also aromatic style of gin. This gin was originally pioneered on the English Channel in the port of Plymouth. Today only one producer in Plymouth, Coates & Co., still fabricates a Plymouth Gin. However, they also control the rights to the name and term Plymouth Gin, so they will continue to be the only producer for the foreseeable future.

Old Tom Gin is a sweeter style of London Dry Gin. It is essentially derived by adding a two to three percent sugar solution to the London Dry style. Old Tom Gin was the original style of gin used in the Tom Collins cocktail and generally the variety of choice during the 19th century. It is often described as the missing link between the Dutch Genever and London Dry.

This leads us nicely into, Genever, our fourth and finial classification of gin. Genever or Dutch Gin is the original style of gin and is produced through a malted grain mash that is quite similar to whiskey. Genever’s, at around 70 to 80 proof, have a tendency to be a lower proof than their English brethren. Genever is generally aged in oak for anywhere between one to three years and comes in two forms. Oude or old Genever is the original style and generally possesses a straw hue. It tends to be fairly sweet and aromatic, while Jonge or young Genever has a drier palate and lighter body.

You can find all of these unique styles of gin at our wonderful store. I hope you have fun experimenting with all the different styles of gin this summer.

12-3pm

Grill and Chill with Sam Adams

Beer and BBQ with FREE hot dogs and 8 styles of Sam Adams beer!

Sam Lager, Light, Summer, IPA, Kolsch, Rustic Saison, Cherry Wheat and Irish Red are all being poured.

All 2-12 pack cases of Sam Adams will be on sale for only $23.99!

AND…

3:30-7pm

The Famous wine importer, Gary Kline will show some of the best values to be found in wine.

This is an event not to be missed, with exceptional wines, unbeatable values and delicious Tapas.

Free food and a fantastic giveaway of (2) $50 gift certificates to Colonial Spirits along with samples and recipe cards of ‘Gary’s Kick-ass Sangria’ are all part of this fun afternoon.

Featuring:

San Valero ‘Sierra de Viento’ Old Vines Garnacha

Structured, flavorful and powerful with fine, soft and well-balanced tannins, and an elegant finish.

San Valero ‘Sierra de Viento’ Tempranillo

Well-structured, powerful wine with good color and aromatic intensity.

Carinus Carinena

Medium-bodied, and velvety with flavors and aromas reminiscent of blackberries, raspberries, mocha, and vanilla.

“The Priorat council is open to new varieties. The main qualification is that the variety adapts well,” Albert says. You see, while traditionally Priorat is a big, black Garnacha-based wine that could give the mightiest Aussie Shiraz a run for its money in the body department, tonight the Pasanau “Finca la Planeta” is being tasted… and it is 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, with the remainder mostly Garnacha.

“The traditional idea of the wine world is moving toward (planting grapes) that best show typicity of the regions. Now we have a bunch of different grapes to play with, so we are better able to find appropriate varietals.”

It’s an interesting argument, and a strong one when you have the wine in front of you. Had I tasted the “Finca la Planeta” blind, there is no way that I would have determined it was a Cabernet, nor would I have guessed Priorat. The wine, as seems to always be the case from this region, is nearly opaque black. The nose is expressive and intriguing, here is a layer of black cherry that gives way to a bouquet of barnyard aromas and black spices… clove, allspice, think Christmas on a farm. On the palate the wine is enormous yet balanced, with a firm structure of tannin and good acidity balancing out an huge body and relatively high alcohol content. In short, this thing is a monster, and I tell Mr Pasanau so. Cue the aforementioned look of pride.

“All of the wines in Priorat today are made with modern factors. The main difference between the old Priorat and the new Priorat is that the old style had nothing but traditional techniques behind it. Today, enologists (winemakers as scientists) have many more methods available to them. It’s like having more hands.”

Mr Pasanau uses every hand available, and seems set to continue to showcase what he calls the “New Priorat” to an international community that is overwhelmingly interested in drinking big wines the day they buy them. I ask him if he thinks this leads people outside of Spain to miss out on what Priorat offers.

“I think keeping wine is much more English. People in Spain are likely to try the wine now, not wait to see if it ages. There are wines that aren’t at their best for two or three years, but not much more than that. We cannot avoid big alcohol and big tannic structure, so I realize that it’s not easy to enter the style. But people learn, and as people learn what to expect they will understand it better. We’re in a niche, we’re trying to make the wines more approachable but we aren’t easy drinking or medium bodied.”

I get the sense that he would be beaming with pride regardless of what anyone else thinks of his wine. The fact that it is extraordinary in the purest definition of the word, and that it tastes good, are simply bonuses. I would never encourage anyone to apologize for being different, but it is always a pleasure to comment when quality and uniqueness meet.

If you missed the first half of my conversation with the winegrowers at our Taste of Spain, click here. If you’re interested in Mr Pasanau’s wines, please call or stop by the shop, or shoot me an email at patrick@colonialspirits.com.  Of course, if you have any questions that you think someone else might wonder about, too, leave a comment and I’ll address anything that comes to your mind!

‘When can I come back’

Following my trip there last year I was wondering when I could return.  Spain came to me last Friday kind of, sort of…ok let me explain.  Albert Pasanau of Priorat and Joan Huguet of Penedes, both Catalans, stopped by the store to taste their wines on Friday evening. They were also here to educate consumers about Catalan wines.  So instead of visiting them, their vineyards, and their wineries, they came for a visit bringing nothing but their passion, knowledge and wines.

‘These wines are sooo good’

Everyone tasting found themselves surprised by how good these wines were (and are).  Why is that so surprising ?  Not so simple as there are a number of reasons.

‘We have to educate consumers about the wines of our region’

Catalans have been making wines for centuries, since the Roman Empire and before, so their winemaking tradition is long established.  Yet it seems as if their wines always take a back seat to Rioja and Ribera del Duero.  Even in Catalunya, most Catalans prefer to drink wines from outside their native region.  I was surprised to hear this, but Albert and Joan insisted that this was the case.  Here were two Catalan producers sharing their wines with Americans while most Catalans don’t know of their wines and the wonders of Priorat, Penedes, and Cava.  Shocked, I began to feel a bit guilty as I was enjoying the fruits of their labors (no pun intended), many Catalans remain ignorant of real deal Cava and powerful Priorat that would blow away any number of really good Ribera del Dueros, and Riojas.    If Catalans don’t know about the wines of their own region how could one expect non-Catalans to know them ?

To be continued…

Joan produces Cava first and foremost, and he brings with him his “Huguet de Can Feixes Brut Gran Reserva,” a lean, tautly balanced blend of Macabeo, Parellada, and Pinot Noir.  Cava, the flagship sparkling wine of Spain, is produced by the same method as Champagne, but is rarely of equal quality.  The Huguet, however, possesses an elegant complexity free from the angry mouthfeel of lesser sparkling wine, and does so with absolutely no dossage; that is to say, there is no sugar in this wine.   Zero.

“We have correct acidity,” Joan says, with what I find to be a very characteristic, mischievous grin. “We don’t need sugar to contrast with acidity. We have warm weather, so, low acidity in the grapes. We don’t need to do malolactic fermentation, we like the fresh feeling of the malic acid. So, we don’t have to balance the acidity with sugar like they do in Champagne.”

Champagne looms large over the sparkling wine world, and understandably so. It commands the highest prices, the biggest names, and the most mystique. Other sparklers don’t do as well, a fact that isn’t helped by what is frequently a focus on quantity rather than quality.

“Huge yields per hectare, short aging periods on the lees (yeast cells that give Champagne its toast and biscuit character).”  he says, after I pressure him to tell me why there is so much bad Cava out there, ”It might as well be Prosecco. They make wine like Prosecco. I make wine like Champagne.” He pauses, then continues, “We take the time. Our vineyard is at 400 meters altitude, we age for 3 years on the lees, we lower yields. We press the grapes twice to get the fresh juice, pressing the whole grape with no pump. The first press is fresh, fruity, better. The second is herbaceous, it is second quality. If you use a pump, it all gets mixed. You won’t see a pump in Champagne, France.”

Joan, however, doesn’t want to be making wine in Champagne. He believes in a sense of place for his wine, a sense shaped by a lifetime of being immersed in his craft.

“I believe terroir is… a place.” He pauses, with notably less mischief on his face. “A place, and in this place we have soil, we have climate, weather, we have people. And we have history. In the story of many, many wine regions, outsiders have chosen the most familiar wine regions in the world. It was the English empire who looked for wines by boat. They decided what is good and what is bad in the Loire, Bordeaux, Porto, Sherry. If they had come into the Mediterranean, it would have been a different story. This is terroir, too.”

He pauses for another moment, then begins carefully, “If this is a business, then the business must have come from diversity. And we need to keep this diversity. If we do not, then there will be three wine labels on Earth and wine will become like Coca Cola… yes, you will always know what you will get in the can, but, it is always the same.”

At this, a customer came up to ask a question, and took the opportunity to try Joan’s wine. Joan poured the last splash from his tasting bottle and his grin reappeared as, again, he signed the bottle our customer purchased like a rock star.

If you’re interested in Joan’s wine, please feel free to come in and speak with me, or email me at patrick@colonialspirits.com. Next week I’ll post the second half of my evening’s work at our Taste of Spain, this time discussing Priorat and the future of Spanish wine with Celler Pasanau owner, Albert Pasanau.

Beer in cans is awesome.  Cans protect beer from light absolutely, and with light being beer’s worst enemy this is a nice feature.  Cans cool down quickly, pack well, crush well, and are just so convenient.  Cans travel and store better than bottles.  Consider the quality we enjoy out of kegs… just a giant can.

My friend Matt at Craft Beer Social likes to talk about the craft beer culture being outdoorsy and adventurous.  He loves that craft beer is such a social thing (I do too) and I think that good beer in cans really fits right into this.  What better way to cap-off (no pun intended) a great day outdoors than by sharing a beer with your friends?

For many beer lovers a day spent working in the yard or hiking a trail is rewarded with a beer.  It is an added benefit that if this beer is in a can it won’t break falling out of the cup holder on your mower or tucked away in your pack.  It is also light weight and easy to clean up.

Back to the quality for a minute… I can hear purists muttering about drinking out of a can.  Before I qualify this grievance I’ll just point out that modern can lining is of superior quality and effectively protects you from that metallic taste.  At any rate, it is true that beer should be poured into a glass whenever possible.  This is true whether the beer originates in a bottle or a can.  I can concede that drinking beer directly from a can is an argument against canned beer.  My opinion, however, is that in situations where a proper glass is not an option, i.e. the lunch rocks at Tuckerman Ravine, it is well worth the trade off.

Cans offer exceptional quality for beer consumers, regardless of how or where you drink your beer.  It is the fundamental preservation of the nectar that is, after all, the most important thing here.  Beyond that is the joyful benefit of bringing your beloved craft beer to wherever it is you like to go with your friends.

Here’s the rub: quality wine must be produced sustainably. Wine growers are, at their most basic, farmers. If you do not farm sustainably, you wear out your land, and as such you are no longer able to farm. The fact that so much is being made of so-called “green” wines is mostly marketing, because producers had to work that way to begin with. If they weren’t, they probably weren’t making wine very carefully, either.

If you’re interested in buying green, one great way to support responsible farming is to buy wines made from estate fruit. Contrary to the public image, most large brands of wine are made with fruit that is purchased from farmers who agree to grow X amount using Y techniques. The downside of this is that it really puts the growers at the whims of the market, because if they can’t produce then someone else who grew more will earn more. Estate fruit, however, means that the wines made come from grapes that the winery grew. The winery and the vineyard become intrinsically linked, and as such more responsible treatment of the land is necessary. Otherwise, the winery will not be able to produce wine anymore.

This also lends itself to the discussion that we have at the store constantly, about the reality and treatment of terroir. Terroir is a French word that loosely translates to “a sense of place,” and the idea follows that the combination of soil, weather, geography, tradition and even the winegrower conspire to produce something that cannot be replicated anywhere else.

Large brand wines made with purchased fruit are made as consumer products, aiming for consistency and appeal. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that; there are many great wines made that way. However, if we reexamine the estate fruit argument, you see that now the producer must actually walk through his vineyard, he can see how the sun ripens certain parcels of vines differently than others, he can smell the underbrush or eucalyptus or barnyard. Don’t think for a moment that doing that every day doesn’t affect how he will make his wine. This is where the wine becomes a snapshot of a place, at the interaction between the human element and the vines under his care. These are the growers who deserve to be supported, because they aren’t pursuing the word “green” to sell their product… green is just an incidental part of what they do.

At Colonial Spirits, we have a small section of USDA approved “organic” wines, but it would be a shame for those of us who want to drink green to feel relegated to this selection. As we move toward a more comprehensive system of tasting notes for our wines, we’ve introduced a green lining to many of the cards above the wine racks, indicating some sort of earth-friendly credential. We then make a note as to whether that wine is sustainably produced, organic, or biodynamic. Of course, we’re always happy to field any questions you may have about a given wine’s “green cred,” and if we don’t have the answer we will get it.

Blended Scotch was first made around 1860 after the introduction of column stills in 1830 led to the creation of un-malted grain whisky (otherwise known as ‘grain’).  The smooth and mild mannered aspects of the grain helped to tone down the the more assertive characteristics of the malt whisky.  The resulting blended whisky proved to be subdued and much more appealing to foreign consumers, particularly the English, who took to Scotch during the 1870s after phylloxera affected the supply of Cognac and Port–two mainstays of British culture.

In fact, if it wasn’t for blended whisky there would be far fewer operational distilleries in Scotland.  Blended Scotch utilizes a mixture of numerous different malt whiskies in combination with grain in order to create the blender’s desired flavor profile. While the individual percentages of each whisky may be small, they all impart their own little inflection on the blend.  This means that a master blender will need to purchase or produce a large quantity of single malts in order to maintain the consistency of their blend. A distillery’s single malt may get all of the glory, but ultimately blends pay the bills.

Just remember this the next time you say that ‘blended scotch’ is inferior to ‘single malt’ because in reality it is just a different expression of the same product, and if it wasn’t for blended whiskies, like Dewars and Johnnie Walker, numerous single malts would not be in production today. Furthermore, your favorite distillery might not even exist if blended scotch whisky never came along.

Please call Sprigs – 978.263.3325 – for your reservation.

Merriam Tasting Invite

Mayflower’s Spring Hop Ale is a fantastic beer.  A copper color with a delightful aroma and a smooth finish, this beer was destined to please beer lovers.  Something really crazy is that it is a spring beer that is available in the spring! Most breweries celebrated the first day of spring (March 20^th) by releasing their summer beer that same week.  They are worse than clothing companies.

If you have yet to try Mayflower’s beers wait no more.  As a beer enthusiast you will be doing yourself a disservice by missing out on what these guys have to offer.  This post was inspired a few weeks ago by a pleasant session with the touted Spring Hop Ale.  I see that this past weekend brought recognition from the Boston Globe to Mayflower.  It is great to see the little guy getting some good press.  I am sure that my ground breaking rhetoric will call the masses to try out this great brewery but perhaps the Globe is more effectual.  I wish good luck on Mayflower and look forward to my next beer.  Keep an eye out for Mayflower tastings at Colonial Spirits.  What’s better than great beer? Free great beer!

Saison Dupont
6.5% ABV
$9.95+dep, 750mL cork finish

Spicy, citrusy and straw colored, this beer has it all.  Simply a miracle with food!

Enjoy it with salmon steaks, Thai food, spicy Mexican dishes, Vietnamese food, steaks, Cajun dishes, and well aged Gouda cheese. Great with barbecue or gumbos.

China can be described as either a godsend or a curse.  Godsend because without them products from some of our favorite companies would be incredibly expensive; a curse because they tend to dilute the market.  My concern is, how will China entering the wine industry, from a vineyard owner’s perspective and wine retailer, effect the market? Those already in the wine industry know how a single vineyard, person, or company can have a drastic affect on what sells and what doesn’t, but how will a country with the size and power of China change the playing field?

Currently, there are only a few wines being produced in China that are available, but one thing the Chinese are good at is taking control of a market share and pushing the limits, so it won’t be long before containers of Chinese wines are pouring into the market all around the world.  It can’t be forgotten that China is a large country with a range of climates and geography, which when combined properly will be more than capable of growing an extensive array of varietals.  What I am trying to say is that when China truly enters the wine market people everywhere will feel it, good or bad.  So NOW is the time to think about what will happen when this influx of wine comes.

My questions to our readers are… What do you believe will happen when China enters the wine market? Will the quality of wine be effected, and how? Will prices be influenced? Will other countries stand a chance!?

Overall I see beer drinkers considering the fun available from beer.  The craft beer drinking community is a social community with an appetite not only for beer, but for gathering, sharing and talking about beer.  There is a lot to be said for this.  I love to see new beers selling because people want to try them with their friends.  Web sites devoted to beer and people’s opinions of beer are widely successful.  I even think that a couple of people read my blog! It’s a great thing.

Forever relationships have formed, thanks have been given, and deals have been made over a meal.  I think that this is largely influenced by the fundamental need for humans to eat – so why not share a meal? We do not need to drink beer, but many of us want to drink beer.  So this too makes a lot of sense when considering what to do with people you like.  I am not saying that this idea doesn’t apply to other libations – if it didn’t bars wouldn’t exist.  I am saying that it seems a bit more untailored and relaxed with beer.

As the craft brewing industry continues to grow much of the gains stem from how much fun people are having with beer.  Have you tried anything new lately? Catch up with a friend over an interesting beer.  I bet you’ll have a good time.

Watch the video and enjoy!

Rhum Barbancourt Estate Reserve Du Domaine:
It is a classified as a rhum agricole.   Rhum agricole means that the rum is distilled from freshly-squeezed sugar cane juice or honey as opposed to molasses, the cheaper by-product of the sugar making industry. Molasses can be preserved, stored, shipped, and distilled at any point during the year. On the other hand, when sugarcane is pressed into fresh juice it does not last very long, in fact it begins to ferment within hours of being picked and pressed. The timeframe for creating rum straight from cane juice is quite short since it can only be done in the spring when the cane is ripe enough to harvest, which is why pure-cane based rums are far more rare than molasses based rums.  Barbancourt ferments it rums for three days and utilizes a double distillation process.  All of their rums are bottle at 80 proof via dilution process utilizing purified rainwater.  Rhum Barbancourt Estate Reserve Du Domaine is available in limited quantities and aged a minimum of 15 years in large, French oak barrels. Initially, this rum was earmarked for only members Barbancourt family, however, in the mid-60s it was released for public sale.  15 years of aging makes this cognac-like Haitian elixir an immensely complex spirit that is brimming charm and sophistication.  It is sensational in its contradictions, it is intricate yet silky smooth, full-bodied yet subtle.

Ron Zacapa Centenario 23:
This rum is a legend in the industry and has supposedly won more competitions then any other rum on the market.  This rum is also a rhum agricole, distilled from only the sweetest first-crush virgin sugar cane honey.  This rum is created from a blend of rums aging from 6 to 23 years of age.  Zacapa’s blending technique is adaptation of the solera process developed in Spain for wine centuries ago. Zacapa does not chill filtered any of there rum because of the flavor loss that is incurred as a result of the process.   All of Zacapa rums are aged at an altitude of 2300m, in specially selected barrels that once contained robust bourbon, delicate Sherries and fine Pedro Ximenez wines.  There a several advantages to Zacapa’s high altitude aging process, the first being that it results in a lower level of evaporation than in a typical tropical climate.  The second major benefit is that the lower average temperature results in a altered flavor profile from the charred barrels. Zacapa Centenario 23 exhibits a rich mahogany color.  the nose offers ups hints of vanilla, almond, carmel fudge, sweet fruits, toasted wood  and just a touch of christmas spice. This full-bodied rum is extremely dense and exceptionally well balanced.  Flavors of vanilla and molasses envelop the palate and lead to a smooth and lengthy finish.  Zacapa’s Centenario 23 is one of the most sophisticated and decadent rums on the market today.

Cruzan Single Barrel Rum:
Cruzan Single Barrel is a traditional molasses based rum.  It is a blend of rums aged between 5 and 12 years in ex-bourbon and whiskey barrels. After the blend is constructed, it is placed in a new charred oak barrel where it resides for an additional year, allowing the various rums in the blend to marry together.  Hence the name “Single Barrel”. The additional year in new oak also provides the blend with more flavor than it otherwise would have had.  This is an extremely approachable rum, with a wonderful nose of carmel and brown sugar.  Flavors of dried fruit, smoke, oak, spice, maple, vanilla and nut dance across the palate.  This rums flavor profile is almost cognac like in stature and style.  Keep this in mind all you cognac fans out there next time you are looking for something a little different to enjoy with a fine cigar.

These aren’t just any old value wines.  This is exciting and interesting stuff from around the world.  The wines were specifically chosen for their quality and are not generally available at other stores.  In our unending search for new and intriguing wines we have turned up some great buys.  The selection changes as small production wines go out of stock, so there is always something new to try.  It’s fun, it’s easy and it’s great wine!

On the other hand, wine can be politically incorrect.  Wine is all about taste, and when it comes to taste, can anyone tell you that you’re wrong?  This seems to be more American idea, reflecting our democratic society.

What do you think?

Come in and taste some wines with well-respected importer, David Raines!

Come in and taste some wines with well-respected importer, David Raines!

Come in and taste some wines with well-respected importer, David Raines!

Come in and taste some wines with well-respected importer, David Raines!

I’ll save calling Nic an elitist for now and say that his wine palate has lead him to recommend some classic beers in spite of his allegiance to the scarcest of beers.  Chimay Grand Reserve is a great example of a fine beer, deserving of praise.  It shows such depth and brings a range of flavors throughout the glass.  A wine lover’s beer for sure.  Nic is a big fan of Left Hand Milk Stout, and who isn’t? A smooth offering that represents a far too often overlooked style.  Victory Hop Devil also tops his list as an outstanding IPA.  I couldn’t agree more – a dark colored, full-bodied, super-hoppy beer that has been a standard of mine for many years.

So maybe we are not too far off in our consideration of beer after all.  There must be something in the hunt for a beer that garnishes extra points for folks.  I’ll enjoy those when I can and stick to the consistent delight of good beer I can get every day.

In partnership with the ‘What’s in a Label?’ email series, we will also give you an opportunity to taste the wine the following weekend (Friday or Saturday).  You can visit our website to find out the tasting date and time, allowing you to put the label to the test by tasting for yourself.   These tastings will not only be a great opportunity for you to ask questions, but also a good way to save money because the wines featured in these emails will be on-sale.  Buy 6 bottles of the featured wine and take 10% off upon purchasing, buy 12 bottles of the featured wine and take 20% off upon purchasing.

The wine chosen this week is from Ribera del Duero in Spain, a red made from tempranillo.  Cillar de Silos used to sell for $39.99 per bottle when it was released into the market. We bought the last remaining cases and are now selling this wine for $19.99 per bottle, but through this email offer and during our tasting if you buy 12 bottles of the featured product you will pay only $15.99 per bottle. That is a 60% savings!

So come on by and let Nic Castro taste you on this Ribera!

Alright, so we all know that Celebration is a good, solid and consistent beer. Abundance and price are also major considerations in my claim of it as beer of the year. You really can get Celebration at almost any store and the price is usually not too high. I made sure it was on sale at Colonial Spirits so there was certainty about the price not being too high at, at least, one store. Sierra also makes a whole lot of it! Now, it is indeed running dangerously low, but the discussion about the seasonal beers ending early is for another time. Besides, I am sure that many already know my opinion about that. Bottom line: One can get an excellent tasting, high quality beer in whatever quantity they like at a reasonable price.

I do get pretty excited about many of the limited releases that come along, and some of them are certainly worthy of praise. Even praise as the best beer I had in 2010. It is just that I am a bit tired of beers getting extreme praise and ratings more for their scarcity than their quality. I am also tired of great beers coming out in such limited quantities that I am lucky to have 12 bottles to sell to the first 12 people who asked about the beer 2 months before it came out, but not to the 100 more that are really interested in trying it and who love beer but didn’t win the lottery this time. I appreciate that great beer cannot always be made in great quantity, but I am here to deliver beer to the people that want it and I want as many of those people as possible to be able to try this great stuff. Consider Goose Island Bourbon County Vanilla Stout (or the Bourbon County Rare Stout). These sought after beers were so limited that probably not much more than 100 people in the entire state got to buy a bottle. Maybe this was a great beer, but part of being a truly great beer (I think) is being able to do so more than once as well as for a large audience. There is a lot to be said for delivering quality across a diverse group of people and being a consistent winner. There is also a lot to be said about spreading the love. Lots of people like good beer, so make it for as many of them as you can!

Keep in mind that my declaration of Sierra Celebration as beer of 2010 is in no way touting it as the single best beer. It is simply an excellent choice that almost everyone enjoyed. I hope that you enjoyed it as well.

Practice makes perfect and there is no way around that. This is the second year, in a row, that our store will be hosting our Winter Red Tasting. We will be tasting all forms of red wines: dry, sweet, light, dense, etc… Everything from the massive California Cabs to the ever so delicate but pure Burgundian Pinots. This will truly be an event not to be missed. Because we are always looking for ways to raise the bar and give our customers the best we can, this year’s Winter Red Tasting will be even bigger than last year’s. Bring family and friends and a palate of steel because with the amount of wines we are tasting along with how rich some wines will be, you will need all the help you can get. Wine, Food, and Friends… What more could you want?

Thank you for supporting us.  Unfortunately we will be closed on Thanksgiving.   Have a great Thanksgiving with your friends and family, from all of us at Colonial Spirits!

One of the more common conversations indeed revolves around trying new beers.  I love getting requests to bring in new beers that people are excited about because it makes the beer department dynamic and interesting.  Above all, it gets folks what they want to drink.  Unfortunately more of the requests that I get these days are for beers we just can’t get.  Fat Tire from New Belgium Brewing and Yuengling are the most requested beers, but I get a lot of questions about Alaskan Brewing Co., Great Lakes Brewing Co., Russian River Brewing Co., and Deschutes Brewing Co.  It’s amazing to me how many people have managed to get a hold of these beers (at least the west coast ones) and I enjoy hearing about how excited people are about them.  I hate having to squash hopes by immediately telling people that they will have to go back to where they were to get more of what they enjoyed.  Most want to know why.

There is a lot of business behind beer and each brewery has its own plan and motivations beyond just making a good beer.  In Massachusetts beer comes through a distributor to the retailer.  Distributors have plans and motivations deeper than simply putting beer into stores.  In short, the brewery must want to serve our market, make enough beer to do so and then align with a distributor who will sell that beer all over the state (most distributors actually have narrower territories than the whole state).  It’s a simple process on the surface, but there is much to cloud the issue as each beer wants to be represented in a certain way and each distributor has been established in a certain way.  Harmony is met time and time again so there is hope that one day all of our favorite beers will be in this state and, of course, on the shelves at Colonial Spirits.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

For now I hope that you enjoy the selection that we have.  Let us know what you want and what you have tried recently and we’ll do our best to get you what you want.

Colonial Spirits announces its first ever grand scotch tasting.  Don’t miss this showcasing of over thirty of the finest Scotch Whiskeys.  From recognized favorites to some prodigious and rare offerings you are sure to find your new favorite.  Five dollars cash at the door, with all money benefiting the Acton 9/11 Memorial Fund, gets you a take home tasting glass and an all access pass to the finest whiskeys Scotland has to offer!

My real question here is; is the fall seasonal beer soon to be pumpkin ale and no longer Oktoberfest? I think that this year we may see as many, if not more, pumpkin beers on the shelves that traditional Oktoberfest styles.  I have read that pumpkin beer originated with the Pilgrims and is a very traditional New England style beer.  I think that in those days the pumpkin was used to supplement fermentables as malt was less plentiful, whereas today the pumpkin is used primarily for flavor and body.  Furthermore those historical brews were surely not laden with spices and other flavorings as they are today.  As such, I am compelled to declare pumpkin beer a modern invention and yet another success in America’s unique and adventurous brewing style.  Of course that statement stems from my pride in American brewing overall and the decidedly American foundation on which this style was built.  That said I haven’t quite warmed up to the style.  I find that the brews that utilize pumpkin flavoring and a wealth of spices as if they were bottling a pie most unappealing.  The brewers that painstakingly cut whole pumpkins to add to the mash seem to offer a lot more in terms of body and rich flavors.  As with any beer though the foundation on which the beer itself is created is critical.  A listless ale with some pumpkin pumped in will show its true colors as a sub-par product.  A well built ale made to be great on its own will make the most of any additions.  Either way the flavor profile hasn’t excited me as much as the idea behind creating something original that many people seem to really enjoy.

The popularity of pumpkin beers is spreading like crazy and the increase in choices over the last 4 years has been amazing.  Since I can only resist for so long the seasonal change over you will be pleased to find the beginnings of a huge selection of pumpkin beers that is growing each week.  Perhaps to overshadow my long time favorite seasonal style of Oktoberfest.

1. Including not only the great vineyards of the region, but also many that arguably are not capable of producing Grand cru level wines
2. Grand Cru rankings have also been criticized for promoting varietal wines made from four notable Alsatian grape varieties:  Gewurztraminer, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Muscat, and for, at least until recently, excluding other varieties and blends, even when made using the above varieties.

Instead of answers, I have more questions.

Why doesn’t Alsace have a Premier Cru system?  Should it? If it did, what would it mean for the Grand Cru vineyards?

Here are the simple answers…Lack of maturity.  Yes.  Revision.

Here’s my take…

Get to know some of the recent history of the region.  By recent, I am referring to the last 400 years or so.  At quick glance, you’ll come to understand that the region is at the heart of Europe at the meeting point of France and Germany.  You’ll also quickly learn (if you haven’t already) that war has torn up the region.  The last 400 years of war in Alsace have turned the wine industry up, down, left, and right.  It has struggled to survive, held on for dear life, and is now on the up and up, seemingly regaining it’s former strength and vigor.

In the 30 years or so since World War II,  Alsatian producers agreed, that an in an effort to raise the quality of production and for other reasons, an official classification system should be established and applied to Alsace wines.  It took some time to apply it, after plenty of debating (by the way the debate continues), but with the 1983 vintage the Grand Cru Classification system was in force.

The debate has continued.  The main criticism concerning the classification has to do with real estate and thus levels of classification.  Some Grand Cru vineyards deserve the designation, while others may deserve special designation, but not necessarily the ‘Grand Cru’ moniker.  There’s a problem though.  There is no ‘Premier Cru’ classification and ‘Village’ classification, like in Burgundy.  That may be a good thing for the American market, where simplicity is almost always a good thing (what’s the grape & what country does it come from).  Therefore a further revision of the system and addition of a Premier Cru level may complicate things for the consumer.  But it may be a good thing for the consumer in terms of quality, and it may be good for Alsace as well.

That’s enough for now.  To be continued.

While both wines clearly owe their respective characters to their distinct regions of origin, their quality and appeal have everything to do with organic farming and skillful winemaking, the likes of which we’re seeing for the first time at this price level from Portugal.

Winemaker Antonio Lopes Ribeiro and his partner Sara Dionisio view organic farming as a means by which to capture the essence of regional character from their vineyards. The traditional methods they use to press and ferment the grapes guarantee the wines are truly hand made and convey a lot about where they are grown. The results will surprise you…

2008 Casa de Mouraz “Mica” Vinho Verde DOC

If you think of Vinho Verde as the quaint, refreshingly tasty but rough-hewn summer quaff we all remember, think again. This version, made mainly from the increasingly important Loureiro variety, is grown on mica-rich soil (hence the name), has beautiful aromas, abundant–but delicate–fruit and drinks a lot like a dry Mosel riesling. Its bracing acidity, softened by intense minerality, and balanced by layers of fruit, makes this every bit as refreshing as traditional Vinho Verde. But with its elegance and unique intensity it has taken the genre to an unrecognizably high level: a reminder that Vinho Verde is a region–not a style! A wine this good at this price is a rare thing and from Portugal, it’s rather revolutionary.

2006 Casa de Mouraz Vinho Tinto Dao DOC

A blend of five red varieties with important historical ties to Port production: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz (known to most by it’s other name, Tempranillo), Alfrocheiro, Jaen, and the rare Água Santa, this wine also owes much of its character –and elegance–to its region of origin. Due to a strong Atlantic influence the Dao is Portugal’s coolest red wine appellation. That, in combination with sandy granite soils, creates fresher, brighter fruit, more captivating aromas, smooth, clean texture and silken tannins.Wines from the Dao often display intense, rich fruit, typically with some rough edges, much like Port, but without the strength that comes from fortification and the softening that occurs during aging. This wine does indeed have intense fruit, but organic farming and unique vineyard sites (one in the cool shade of a forest) yield a remarkably different result. There the vines (some on 400 year-old rootstock) compete with other vegetation for water and nutrients, producing more robust berries. The surrounding trees keep heat–and therefore alcohol–in check, resulting in a wine with fresh, but intense, dark black fruits, svelte texture and melt–in-your-mouth tannins. This enticing red manages to be both hearty and sophisticated, and will be equally satisfying to both New and Old World wine lovers.

I do, however, struggle to place South Africa in the “New World” wine category.  Why?

1659…the first harvest of grapes in the Dutch Cape Colony (present day Southwest South Africa).

1685…the establishment of the Constantia vineyards in the Dutch Cape Colony by Simon van der Stel & the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV

1688…about 200 or so French Huguenots settle in the Olifantshoek Valley (named after the elephants that once roamed throughout the valley), today known as the Franschhoek (‘French Corner’ in Afrikaans) Valley, a valley bearing witness to their settlement.

“Their vineyards have been established over an area of more than 75 English miles, yet they still have their eyes on large pieces of virgin soil before them. In this district they farm with livestock,…establish vineyards and improve everything conscientiously for their greatest benefit….Their vineyards, which they have multiplied to a large variety of cultivars, can now also provide the passing ships…”

John Ovington, English Pastor (1653 – 1731)

Impressions from his visit to the Dutch Cape Colony

Viticulture was present in South Africa before those French emigrants arrived and there are many other factors that have led to South Africa’s success in the wine world.  The fact of the matter is that without French know how the nascent ‘wine industry’ (if one can even call it that) of the Dutch Cape Colony would not have matured.  Wine production would most likely have remained isolated to Constantia (s source of wonderful cool climate whites & deliciously sweet dessert wines) and had it spread may have simply remained a novelty.  They laid the foundation of fame and quality for today’s South African wines.  Plenty of wineries in the Cape still have French names, which serve as a reminder to the contribution of the French to South Africa’s now famous wine-making industry.

What is the significance of Dank die Here vir die Franse?  Thank God for the French! Dieu merci, pour les Français!  Without them could we enjoy South African wine ?

I am quite pleased to see the market addressing the practicality of ‘session’ beers.  For several years my personal rating scale has included a separate rank of ‘sessionability’.  This 1 to 5 scale indicates how well I think a brew falls into the category of easy to drink multiple servings with consistent enjoyment in a single sitting.  Consistent enjoyment means different things to different people, but generally speaking it refers to not beating up your palate and not getting totally hammered when the time at hand calls for numerous servings.

Abv does not necessarily translate into flavor.  The two are quite often associated, but it need not be so.  Many session beers coming to your favorite watering hole are being promoted as under 5%.  I think that loosening the restriction to under 6% opens the door to many great beers to become your session go-to.  The reality is that 6% abv is fairly strong, but consider how many beers see 6% in their rearview mirror.  Beers like Smuttynose IPA or Sierra Nevada Torpedo.  How about the whole barelywine and imperial stout categories? These exemplify beers that consumers embrace and drink regularly but that have also created a new bar for abv.  As such I am confident in recommending ‘session beers’ that approach the 6% line.

So, what to session with? Victory Prima Pils is one of my favorites for the summer season – light bodied, unusually full flavored and crisp.  Smuttynose Shoal’s Pale ale is another uncommonly tasty choice, delicate like freshly baked bread (I stole that line from a more famous beer writer than myself) and slightly more hoppy than its classic English roots.  Berkshire Lost Sailor IPA perhaps? It carries the light bitterness of Goldings Hops with a kind aroma and just enough body.  Brooklyn Brown Ale is great when you want a bit more flavor and color in your glass with a rich fruitiness before hops dry down the smooth finish.  The list goes on.  There are so many great beers out there that suit your session needs and don’t break that bank either.  These beers represent the fundamentals of brewing and the core of what so many intense brews have grown out of.  So celebrate these beers, celebrate the season and celebrate the foundation of brewing and do so as many times as you please!

When I stepped on the plane to Spain at the end of February,  I thought to myself that I would much rather be flying to France or Italy (maybe the Piemonte again).  While on the plane less than a week later, I wondered to myself, “When can I come back?” What happened?  I was familiar with Spanish wines before through my tasting and studying of them, in fact I had even been to Spain before (Catalunya, although I was not there ona wine trip).  The trip proved to me how good Spanish wines actually are.  I came to understand that previously I didn’t really understand the wines of Spain, despite all my tastings of & studying of Spanish wines, as well as my previous visit.

Wine has personality, and the wines of Ribera del Duero, Cigales, Toro, and Bierzo (all the wine producing regions I went to) are full of their own unique personality.   This is the direct result of those regions’ terroir.  Yes, I’m using that word that us old-worlders love so much…terroir.  The word invokes everything that is the result of one unique place (soil, climate, geopolitics, flora and fauna, and more) and while I won’t give you a full definition of what the word means, I can tell you that all those places are different.  One shouldn’t expect these wines to taste the same.  Stop thinking of Mr Parker with his gobs of jammy fruit, a mouth full of splinters from the overuse of oak, or suffering a massive headache the next morning because the wine you consumed the night before was basically a bottle of fortified wine…you get where I’m going, at least I hope you do.  Overuse of fruit and oak make a wine unrecognizable, like someone who puts on way to much makeup (‘putting on the maquillage’ as Neil Rosenthal would say), robbing it of personality.  One shouldn’t expect them to taste like other old-world wines (i.e. France, Italy, Germany, basically all of Europe) or like those of South America.  Lastly, the wines of Spain differ greatly from each other and not all of them are made from Tempranillo or Garnacha, & even those that are express themselves differently.  Why?  Because of terroir! But terroir…sigh…is not all that matters!

Food!  One should taste them with food.  Seriously, folks, your wine before the meal should go with an appetizer (what we French call an ‘entree’) or an amuse bouche.  The Italians do it all the time & so do the Spanish.  Anytime I was served a glass in Spain it was also served with food.  Food matters because the best wines are always made with food in mind.  Remember that, wine is not a beverage! OK, I’ve stepped off of my soapbox and am taking a deep breath.  Food, like wine, is also the result of culture (another variable that makes up ‘terroir’)

The wines of Catalunya (Priorat, Montsant, Penedes, etc…) are far different from those of the Duero River valley and those of Galicia because of culture.  From Celtic Galicia to Mediterranean Catalunya, from ‘Moorish’ Andalusia to ‘Barren’ Castilla (whether Old or New), the cultures vary greatly and this matters…greatly!  Ribera del Duero is in the heart of Old Castile, a place marked by the Reconquista & the home of Castilian Spanish, and this has a great impact on their culture.  Bierzo shares more with neighboring Galicia, than with the rest of Castilla y Leon (the region which it is part of politically).  Galicia professes a Celtic culture and the people speak a language akin to Portuguese.  These people are attached to the sea, rather than their Castilian neighbors who are attached to their native Mesetas.  In wine, culture matters (see my previous blog on the Piemonte if you need a reminder)!

I left having seen its vineyards, having spent time with its people, having consumed its food…having experienced its culture in full!  I knew the wines of Spain before my trip, but I came to understand Spanish wine intimately during my trip.  I understand, not everyone has the opportunity to just go to Spain, or wherever, but I challenge you to try something new and when you do try to look it at from a number of different angles.  It’s good for you!  Sante!

Ichishima Futsuu-Shu – This traditional sake is a long-time favorite of the local Niigata people.  Its bold character retains a bit of sweetness.  It is a great place to begin your journey to understanding this delicious brew.  Some food pairing suggestions from the brewery are grilled poultry, sashimi and teriyaki dishes.

Ichishima Junmai – Classic junmai, and you will learn what a junmai is all about.  Mildly nutty aromas and some shy smoky components linger in the background.  Its weight and texture glisten in the glass.  A great sake to pair with seafood with heavier, richer flavors such as sea urchin.

Ichishima Junmai Genshu – This is a robust, full-bodied sake from Niigata straight from the tank to the bottle.  This is serious sake pumped with racy acidity and richness.  It pairs well with hearty meat dishes, items off the grill and other foods with depth and full flavor.

Ichishima Silk Deluxe Junmai – Silk in a glass, really…  Pleasantly mild yet unforgettable aromas hint at what one is about to experience: a super-subtle, silky sake that glides down smoothly.  This atypical sake is becoming the drink of choice, not only among novices, but for those who perfer delicious sake with a light, yet mildly sweet finish.

I encourage anyone who can make it to come by & try some of these sakes, while also learning a little bit about it.  I know I’ll be there.

There are a lot of ‘hop-heads’ out there and I am certainly one of them. I am not quite sure what it is that makes hops so appealing, but there is little doubt that hops captivate many beer consumers.  Maybe it is the intensity of the flavor.  Of course, the complexity of flavors offered by hops is enjoyable.  The aroma is so pleasant and often familiar to other things we enjoy like pine and citrusy fruits and other hops.  Hops and hoppy beers are just a great thing.  I do not wish to get too far ahead of myself here and begin sending the impression that hop driven beers are the pinnacle of the beer world.  Indeed so many great beers and beer styles exist that one would be hard pressed to choose the best.  I am, however, partial to hop driven beers and find my palate ever delighted by the variety of hoppy flavors being produced in America and elsewhere.  Hops are one of several ingredients in beer that contribute to a level of complexity that easily rivals the complexity found in wine.  Wine, being made from grapes and yeast, is an incredible beverage.  Wine offers astounding differences and depth and complexity and an extreme variations in flavors – all from grapes.  Beer has hops, malts and dozens of other ingredients that brewers experiment with to exponentially increase the potential for complexity.  Hops are my current focus though and to get a sense of what they can contribute to a beer pay close attention to the aromas and flavors that vary so greatly between your favorite IPAs.  Mikkeller, a labeler/recipe producer has a line of beers that is particularly intriguing and quite exciting – the single hop beers.  Each Beer is made with only water, malts, a single hop variety and yeast to show off what each hop variety brings to the kettle.  I have thoroughly enjoyed sampling these beers and pitting hop varietal against hop varietal.  I may even have to start mixing some of them together.  There are hundreds of IPAs to enjoy, most of which show the brewer’s preferred combination of hops.  Check out the single hop brews for some field research on what hops hit your palate just right and soon you’ll be able to tell who’s brewing with what and why you like their stuff so well.