Joe Canal's Attends Spring Wine & Spirits Gala

Thursdays the BottleBlog will feature an update on various exciting things going on at Joe Canal's: Reports of our travels, special event coverage, and more! Today, Internet Manager Art Edge reports on a special tasting our staff attended to earlier this week.

One of the nice perks we get at Joe Canals is attending trade shows for the liquor industry! Of course, one of the big advantages for you, our customers, is that we get to try a large number of the products we carry so we can better serve you when you have questions about a particular wine or liquor. A number of our managers attended the R&R Marketing Spring Wine & Spirits Gala at Caesars Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City this past Tuesday evening. Along with me were Steve Wernick, Wine Sales Associate, Dave Carver, director of Purchasing and Toni Beach, front end manager. R&R took up the entire Palladium Ballroom with table after table of wines from all over the world at all different price points plus quite a few spirits like single malt scotches, aperitifs, vodkas and much, much more.

A special treat at this event was a seminar presented by Pierre Bollet, Remy Martin’s Brand Ambassador for their Louis 13th cognac. We went to a private suite in Caesars’ Ocean Tower where a group of about 30 tasted Remy Martin XO and 1738 cognacs while noshing on some appetizers and meeting other members of the trade. Pierre walked around and introduced himself to everyone and spoke to us about the XO and 1739, explaining that of the 12 sub-regions in Cognac, France, they only use wine from the two best regions, called Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne. He further explained that Cognac is actually made from wine which is the ingredient that goes into the distillation process. The grape varieties used in the production of Remy Martin are Ugni Blanc (97%) and Colombard, Folle Blanche (3%). These are harvested in early October, then gently pressed. The resulting juice is left to ferment for 5-7 days, making a 7-9% white wine, which is ideal for distillation.

After the initial discussions, he poured the Louis 13th for all of us. This cognac is actually a blend of many different cognacs produced at Remy Martin but the ones used in this blend are only from the Grande Champagne cru. Pierrette Trichet, the current Cellar Master and only the fourth in the past 100 years, uses her skill to find the perfect harmony of a broad range of aromas and flavors. Some of the cognacs that go into this blend have been aging for 100 years, meaning that some of the cognacs that Pierrette is making today will go into future Louis 13th long after she is gone. In tasting this fine cognac we noticed aromas of many different types of flowers, vanilla and spice. On the palate it many flavors including various spices, oaky characteristics and more.

Some of my favorites from this tasting include the Glenmorangie Quinta Ruban Single Malt Scotch, the Macallan 18 year old single malt scotch, Treana Red 2008, Tenuta San Guido Guidalberto 2008, Davis Bynum Russian River Valley Pinot Noir 2008 and Staglin Family Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2006.