Joe Canal's Presents Absolut Miami... Coming Soon!

Absolut Miami

Joe Canal's is excited to announce the upcoming arrival of Absolut Miami 1L bottles!

The folks over at Absolut have released another city-inspired vodka flavor, and this year's limited edition Absolut Miami does not disappoint. The passion fruit and orange blossom-flavored vodka is sweet and tropical, and the bottle will make you want to flee to a white sandy beach immediately.

With bright, bold flamingoes, musical notes and palm trees outlined on the new bottle – ABSOLUT pays homage to a city known for legendary (and nonstop) nightlife, Art Deco and unbeatable music scene.

Absolut Miami is due to hit our shelves very soon, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for this special new limited edition vodka!

All About American Whiskey

Last week, our new product feature was Angel's Envy, which is due to hit our shelves this week. This sought-after new bourbon is just one option to choose from when you peruse our bourbon aisle. The spirit, and American Whiskey in general, is experiencing a surge in popularity, with a number of features in this month's Wine Spectator magazine.

Bourbon is an American whiskey that is made primarily from corn. Although bourbon can be made anywhere in the United States, it's primarily a southern spirit, with much of its rich history concentrated in Kentucky, in particular. Bardstown, Kentucky is known as the "Bourbon Capital of the World," and is where the annual Bourbon Festival takes place each September - this year it will be held from the 11th through the 16th. Kentucky is also the home of the booming "Kentucky Bourbon Trail," which is a tour that features six major bourbon distilleries: Four Roses, Heaven Hill, Jim Beam, Maker's Mark, Wild Turkey and Woodford Reserve, but lots of other distilleries in Kentucky offer tours, including the very popular Buffalo Trace.

Whiskey sold as Tennessee whiskey is technically also a bourbon, but some Tennessee whiskey makers do not label their product as bourbon and insist that it is a different type of whiskey when marketing their product. While the distilleries may call their spirits what they will, both Tennessee whiskey and bourbon have lots in common. They are made from a grain mixture that is at least 51% corn (although many are 2/3 or more corn) and aged in new, charred-oak barrels.

Bourbon and Whiskey is served straight, diluted with water, over ice cubes, or mixed with soda and into cocktails, including mint juleps, Manhattans, Old Fashioned, and the simple Whiskey Sour.

To learn more about American Whiskey first-hand and taste a few wonderful examples of it, be sure to check out our special event this Friday, February 3rd. In Woodbridge from 2:00 - 3:30 pm, and in Lawrenceville from 4:30 - 6:00 pm, we've got Jeff Norman, Master Taster from Jack Daniel's in our stores to host a tasting and bottle signing. Jeff spends his days on the master tasting pane for Jack Daniel's, selecting the whiskey that will become Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, and testing the whiskey before it’s bottled to ensure it’s up to Jack Daniel's standards.

Fork and Gobble It: Gone Fishing

Winter has stalled. I can't recall a January with so many days of 50°F temps. I've taken advantage of the mild weather to get in some mid-winter grilling. After the bacchanal that was the holidays, I've been cooking a lot of fish. The challenge here is twofold. One, my wife was not a big fan of fish until she met me, so every time I introduce something new I have to make it so good she can't possibly look crossways at it. The other challenge is grilling the fish itself. I'm kind of a purist when it comes to grilling. I use a basic Weber Kettle and hardwood charcoal, nothing fancy. I've seen people have all sorts of trouble grilling fish, especially more delicate filets that are particularly difficult when they have the skin on them. But when you have the ability to do it well, you come away with a smoky, moist piece of fish with crisp skin that no one would turn their nose up at.

Tackling the grill issue is relatively simple once you figure out what really goes on when you put a piece of fish on a hot grill. What you don't want is for the fish to stick and then tear as you try to move it. For me it was a matter of getting the grill seasoned. That just comes from using it. Just like a cast iron skillet you need to develop a layer of carbon on the cooking surface that in a short period of time becomes more non-stick than any commercial substance. A few things I do to help the process along are 1)Make sure the grill is clean using a wire brush. 2) Have a rag or paper towel that has been lightly dipped in oil and quickly wipe the surface of the hot grill (careful!) just before putting the fish down on it. 3) Apply a little oil (or butter) to the surface of the fish prior to cooking. In the final analysis it is like riding a bike for the first time... you just have to do it.

A favorite preparation I make these days that is a big hit at home is Rainbow Trout stuffed with a compound butter of garlic and herbs. Good quality trout filets are fairly common in most good fish markets, as they are farm raised. I buy them fileted and boned as they are tedious to clean at home and I can't do it as well as what I can buy. I simply leave a couple of tablespoons of butter out on the counter to warm to room temperature. I add a little minced garlic and whatever fresh herbs I have on hand to it and mix it well. I spread this inside the trout filet like so...


This will baste the fish from the inside out, seasoning it and keeping it moist. I reserve just a little butter to smear on the skin side of the fish once I close it up. This helps keep it from sticking.


I place the filets on the hot grill and put the lid on. This acts as a damper and keeps the heat low and prevents flare ups that might occur as the butter melts. I cook the fish for about 2-3 minutes per side, and when it's done it looks like this:


Red Snapper is another fish that once you have the technique down, comes out great off the grill. Although it's true that Caribbean Reds are only in season in the late spring, there are varieties that come from foreign waters and when they are looking fresh and cheap, I don't resist.

Now Snapper is a fish that I will take the time to filet at home and maybe save some $$. If you feel comfortable doing so, I say go for it. As I pointed out in a blog about Bluefish, it can really save you some money if you have the skill. If not, then let the fishmonger do it for you.


After nearly 18 years working in restaurant kitchens and fileting hundreds of pounds of fish, I trust my own hands. This fish was so pristine that just a little olive oil, salt and pepper was all the dressing I gave it. Now if fish like this sticks it's gonna make for a messy presentation, but this is where the time spent seasoning the grill and learning (and messing a few filets up along the way) good technique really pays off.


Nice clean grill marks and a little browning make for an attractive looking plate. Patience and practice are also essential ingredients here.

So if the weather holds out I'll be playing around with a lot more presentations to see how far I can challenge my wife's palate. I like to grill squid and I'm wondering how that will fly.

On a completely unrelated wine note, Lambruscos are in again. Not Riunite or the like that swept the country in the '70s, but artisinal wines that are dry, food friendly, and really damn good. We now carry three from Cleto Chiarli, one of Italy's oldest producers of Lambrusco and I can readily attest that they are fantastic. Ask me and I'll happily direct you to them.

Announcing JC's Woodbridge HAPPY HOUR Wednesdays!

Join the staff at Joe Canal's Woodbridge location every Wednesday night from 5:00pm - 8:00pm for our new Happy Hour! All sixteen wines at our Wine on Demand tasting station will be HALF PRICE! The Wine On Demand System pours one ounce servings and each guest will be allowed up to six samples. There are sixteen wines to choose from as low as $0.38 per pour. Get a tasting card today to join our New Joe Canal's Happy Hour!

Indulge in a rich dessert wine, tempt your palate with a light white, or wow your taste buds with a fine red. The choice is yours, and every Wednesday from 5:00 - 8:00, all the wines are half price. If you haven't tried our Wine Tasting on Demand station, this is the perfect time!

Visit the Wine Tasting on Demand page at jcanals.com for an updated list of what is available to taste at Joe Canal's Woodbridge!

Coming Soon: Angel's Envy Kentucky Bourbon

Joe Canal's is excited to announce the upcoming arrival of Angel's Envy Kentucky Bourbon!

Angel's Envy is an artisan bourbon inspired by Lincoln Henderson's lifetime spent perfecting his craft and creating fine spirits. There may just be a spark of divine vision mixed in as well. Recognized by Malt Advocate, The Bourbon Review and Maxim as one of the top spirits released in 2010, Angel's Envy is positioned as the world's premier super-premium bourbon brand.

Our bourbon starts with the native Kentucky climate and soil in which our corn and rye are grown, and a pristine limestone watershed rich in calcium and magnesium. These local ingredients are distilled and aged for four to six years in American white oak barrels. Because we want to create a genuinely unique spirit, we age it for three to six additional months in hand-selected port casks to create an exceptionally smooth and nuanced bourbon.

Mr. Henderson describes his masterwork as "a warm spirit, lacking any hint of edginess, with ephemeral hints of port wine and a rich amber hue." He explains, "My goal with Angel's Envy is to produce a bourbon of exceptional character. Even with economic fluctuations, consumers want the opportunity to treat themselves to special indulgences, and I have created an affordable luxury that can be savored." Lincoln Henderson sought to create the best-tasting bourbon on the planet. In our humble opinion, he succeeded.

Angel's Envy is due to hit our shelves next week, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for this special new bourbon!

Fork and Gobble it: Scratch (and Peck) Turkey Chili

Fall + Football Season x Cold Weather (rainy/damp) = Chili

I love chili. I have made it with lots of different kinds of meats, from beef and pork and venison, to chicken and turkey. Lately we go back and forth between the beef version and the turkey version. I alternate in the interest of health. No question turkey is leaner, much leaner, but it also has flavor. One will never replace the other, but just as I couldn't live on a steady diet of Porterhouse steaks, I make adjustments in other dishes as well.

I will not get into the debate of what is real chili. That would be a whole other discussion which might never be resolved. The version I make is based on what I like, so yes it contains beans. It also mixes textures with half ground meat and half cubes, contains bell peppers and onions, and tomatoes. I grind and cube whatever meat I use myself, make my own chili powder, and take other steps to make a killer (if unorthodox) bowl of red.

The recipe here is the same one I use for beef and can be shortcut in many ways, so you can immerse yourself in this process as deeply as your ambition and time will allow. It yields about 6 quarts which can feed 12 very hungry people or 20 regular folks. I will be happy to help downsize it, just leave a comment below with your contact info and I'll get back to you.

Let's get going, this takes a while...

Your Shopping List
1 lb dried black beans
6 - 8 large Ancho chilies
16 dried Chipotle chilies
4 TBSP whole cumin seed
4 pounds turkey thighs (bone-in, skin on)
3 - 4 pounds turkey breast (½ breast bone-in, skin on if available)
Kosher Salt
2 large Spanish onions (about 1 ½ to 2 lbs.) ~ diced large
4 large bell peppers of various colors ~ seeded and diced large
2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
*for garnish if you like ~ Sharp Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream

First, take 1 lb of dried black beans, sort them for debris, and soak them in warm water. (You can opt for canned beans here and take the shortcut. I would use one 1 14 oz can + 1 28 oz can to equal 1 lb dry)

Next, prepare the chili powder (or use your favorite pre-ground). This is going to require a spice grinder. I use an inexpensive blade type coffee grinder.

I learned a long time ago that ground spices on the supermarket shelf can never compare to what is ground as it is needed. There is no way to preserve the freshness. I like mine assertive but not too hot because I don't assume everyone likes it as hot as me.

Take 8 whole Ancho chilies, and 15 chipotle chilies (dried, not in adobo) and toast them in a toaster oven, skillet, or regular oven. Toasting them intensifies their flavor and allows you to grind them into powder. Although they are dried, they still retain enough moisture to keep them leathery and impossible to grind. You will see them puff up when they get hot enough. Remove them from the heat about 30 seconds or so after they puff, fully taking care not to burn them. Set them aside to cool. Then, toast 4 tablespoons of whole cumin seeds. If you don't have a toaster oven, do this in a dry pan over a medium flame shaking them until they start to pop and become fragrant, then immediately remove them. Once the chilies are cool, break them apart to remove the stems and seeds. (If you are sensitive to capsaicin, you may want to wear rubber or latex gloves to do this.) Wash your hands well with soap and warm water afterward. Discard the stems and seeds and grind the chilies into powder in your spice grinder. I then grind the toasted cumin seeds and keep them separate. This usually yields more than enough chili powder. I like to control the amount of cumin I put in. Some store bought chili powders have cumin already mixed in which makes that impossible.

Drain the black beans, put them into a pot and cover them with cold water by at least 2 inches. They will about double in volume so make sure your pot is large enough. Bring them to a boil and the simmer them until they are tender, about an hour or so. Once they are tender simply shut off the flame and leave them in the pot.

While the beans are cooking, I prepare the meat. Turkey parts are cheaper and give me control as to how they are prepared. Ground turkey is more expensive but saves much time. That being said, I buy turkey thighs and bone them out to use for cubed meat. I reserve the bones in the freezer to save up for stock. Discard the skin. If you have the ability to grind your own meat, I recommend doing so. I prepare a more coarse grind than what is available in the supermarket, which I like better for chili. If not, you may opt to do all cubes, or buy ground.

Thighs have the most flavor and are very simple to bone out. There is only one large bone to remove. A half breast with the bone left in may prove difficult to find, so pick one of the options I listed above.

A recipe this size calls for a round dutch oven of at least 8 qt. capacity. I used a 13 ½ qt. pot. Pour in enough oil, I used olive but any cooking oil will do, to cover the bottom of the pot and get it hot. Sear off the cubes first, adding half at a time and working in batches. Crowding the pot will only keep it from staying hot enough to sear and the meat will just boil in its own juices. Season liberally with Kosher salt while the meat is browning. Remove the cubes from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside. Now brown the ground turkey. Once it is browned remove it from the pan and set aside. Add the onions first and cook them for about a minute or two, then add the bell peppers. Cook the vegetables over a medium high heat until they are soft and starting to brown. Lower the flame slightly and add back both cuts of meat to the pot. Season well with chili powder and ground cumin to your particular taste. I start with a minimum of 4 tablespoons of chili powder and 2 tablespoons of cumin. Cook those together for 2-3 minutes. Add the contents of both cans of tomatoes. Rinse both cans with a little cold water and add that to the pot. The consistency should be a little soupy. If it is necessary to thin it, take water from the pot of black beans. Over medium heat, bring the pot to a simmer and cook uncovered for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. After the first hour, drain the black beans, reserving the water, and add the beans to the pot. If the chili gets too dry and starts to stick, add a little bean water. Also at this point check for seasoning and if necessary add salt, chili powder or cumin. After about 90 minutes check the cubed thigh meat for tenderness.

This chili should be ready to rock. Serve it in crocks topped with grated sharp cheddar cheese and dollops of sour cream if you like.

Wines to pair with a full bodied and bold meal such as this present many possibilities. My first inclination would be a full bodied Languedoc wine such as the La Deveze Cotes du Roussillon Villages 2007. Its intense fruit and earthy notes will stand up to and compliment all the elements going on in this chili. An American alternative along the same lines would be the Arcadian Sleepy Hollow Syrah Santa Lucia Highlands 2006. Same idea here, but with a little less earthiness and a little more fruit. If you prefer the earthy elements, I recommend the Masante Dolcetto Langhe 2008 from the great Piedmonte producer Aldo Conterno.

Now go out and enjoy!

If you have any questions, or if you try this recipe, leave me a comment below and let me know how it turned out!

Joe Canal's Presents Mackinlay Shackleton Rare Old Whisky!

Yes, this is it – an exact replica of the whisky left in Antarctica by Sir Ernest Shackleton during his ill-fated South Pole expedition between 1907 and 1909. The whisky was recreated down to the very last detail by Whyte and Mackay’s blender extraordinaire, Richard Paterson. The final replica bottle of Mackinlay’s blend contains whiskies from Speyside, the Island, and the Highlands, and the recipe even includes some very rare 1983 Glen Mhor!

"It's a beautiful colour. It's that lovely rich golden colour and what's more important at this early stage, it's beautifully clear." Richard describes the whisky, adding: "It's telling you that it's not contaminated - that's very important."

This is a limited release of 50,000 bottles, and we've got yours here at Joe Canal's for only $139.99!

Mixology Mondays: Measuring Up

It's fun to play bartender. Stocking the bar with glassware, garnishes and spirits and inviting some friends over for a weekend cocktail party... what's not fun about that? You've got your drink recipe book out, someone requests a cocktail, you begin constructing it, and... wait, what's a jigger?

When it comes to mixing a perfect cocktail, the small volume of a finished drink makes accurate measurement extremely important. While more modern books have come to use standard measurements, ounces and tablespoons, for example, you may come across one that uses bar terminology.

Recipes can be easily toubled or tripled to serve more than one guest at a time. However, you shouldn't mix more cocktails than will be drink immediately. The longer a drink sits, the more the components separate and warm.

Here is a list measurements that you may find helpful:

1 dash = 4-5 drops

1 shot, 1 jigger or 3 tablespoons = 1 1/2 ounces

1 pony = 1 ounce

4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup

1 snit = 3 ounces

1 split = 6 ounces

1 fifth = 25.6 ounces (One-fifth of a gallon)

750mL = 25.5 ounces

The lines do blur, sometimes, however. A shot glass is usually 1.5 ounces, but sometimes 2 ounces with a measuring line at 1.5 ounces. You can also get a 'short shot' glass or 'pony shot' which are 1 ounce. Pony shots are usually used with Martinis, Manhattans, and Rob Roys. Most steel jiggers allow you to measure by 1 1/2 oz. on one end and 3/4 oz. on the other end. One teaspoon of liquid amounts about 1/5 oz. Some bars use bar spoons instead of teaspoon, but the measurement is roughly equivalent.

Fork and Gobble It: Winter Cotes

The wines of Southern France are some of my favorites in the world. If you are bitten by the wine bug, at some point you will recount the first time you tasted a Cotes du Rhone and liked it. I'll bet it was the product of E. Guigal who is to the Rhone Valley what the Gallo family is to Sonoma Valley. The wines are easy to like. They come from the southern portion of the Rhone Valley where Grenache is the dominant grape variety. They can be fruity without tasting like jam, and add in components like mineral notes, herbs, roasted meats, olive, and licorice. It sounds strange to describe a wine that way but if you close your eyes and smell and taste, all those suggestions and more can be found. If you continue to seek out the wines from the Cotes du Rhone appellation, you may come across a label that is a little bit different. It may have the additional word Villages on it. This means simply that the wine comes from the higher designation appellation, Cotes du Rhone Villages. There are 96 villages in the broad Cotes du Rhone appellation that are deemed worthy of labeling their wines Cotes du Rhone Villages. Of those, 16 (at last count) are allowed to name the village they come from on the wine label. They are perfect wines for this time of year as they pair so well with so many of the foods we crave for comfort when the wind howls and the temperature falls.

One of my more recent discoveries is a wine we just got into the store from Philippe Cambie. Halos of Jupiter is his label under which he makes several Southern Rhone wines including a Cotes du Rhone Villages Rasteau. Rasteau is one of the villages that is permitted to include it's name on the labels of it's Cotes du Rhones... or was. When these villages feel that their wine is of sufficient quality, they may apply for an upgrade in status. The village of Rasteau did just that and in 2010 they were granted their own AOC or Appellation Originale Controllee status. You see the Cotes du Rhone Villages label on this wine because it is a 2009 vintage.


Going forward the wines from there may simply be labeled Rasteau without needing the Cotes du Rhone Villages title.

Confused?? It does take a bit to understand the system and it is far easier to drink the wine. Some of the other villages of note in the Cotes du Rhone Villages AOC are Vinsobres, Cairanne, Sablet, and Seguret. Each of these villages has their own spin on how they produce their wines and by virtue of that, their own fingerprint of style. Grenache based wines like this usually drink well young and have the ability to age as well.

I like to pair these wines with among other things, lamb. One of my favorite preparations is the traditional French method of Leg of Lamb Roasted for Seven Hours. A partially boned leg of lamb is seasoned and flavored with garlic and rosemary and slowly roasted for seven hours in a slow oven until it becomes falling apart, tender and richly flavored.


It is a commitment of time, but the results are spectacular. The gamey flavors of the lamb, garlic and herbs are complimented and heightened by the wine. If you are a Cotes du Rhone fan, it is definitely worth the trouble to seek out the village wines of the region.

Joe Canal's Staff Visits Sonoma & Napa - Part 7

All of our managers and wine staff travel at least once a year to a wine-growing region somewhere throughout the world. Traveling is one of the many aspects of Joe Canal’s that sets us apart from other wine shops. We know that by meeting the winemakers, walking the vineyards and tasting new wine from the barrel, we can see first-hand the passion that goes into each bottle. We can then convey this commitment to quality to our customers. Rather than having you just looking at a label and a score, we believe it is our responsibility to bring you closer to how the wine was made and the people who made it. We'll be sharing their trip reports with you here on the BottleBlog.

In October 2011, members of our staff including Shannon Spare from our internet department, had the privilege of traveling to California wine country! Here is the final installment of the trip, as told by Shannon.

Day 3
Mumm Napa

The final stop on our incredible wine tour was Mumm Napa, a winery that specializes in sparkling wines. We were given a tour of the facility, and learned a whole lot about the making of sparkling wine, and how it has changed over the years. While interesting, this was definitely the most “scripted” tour of our trip. There was a part of the tour where we got to “play winemaker,” where we mixed two different still wines in different proportions to approximate the blends of the final wines.




I learned that the bubbles in sparkling wine come from fermenting yeast. At the end of the fermentation, the yeast has to come out of the bottle somehow! To get the yeast out, they load all the bottles into a machine that ever so slowly rotates the bottles, causing the yeast to gather together and settle at the bottom of the bottle. The tops of the bottle are then suspended, upside down, in a liquid that freezes the yeast. Once frozen, the machine pops the top off the bottle and the yeast comes flying out. The leftover yeast is then sold to companies who make champagne vinegar with it.

Our tasting at Mumm was really incredible. We sat outside on what was a gorgeous day, and tasted through six different sparkling wines: Brut Prestige, Brut Rose, Cuvee M, Blanc de Blancs, Brut Reserve and DVX. Since my palate tends to prefer wines that are on the sweeter side, I definitely liked the Cuvee M the best.

Mumm Napa Cuvee M
Cuvee M is the sweeter side of sparkling. You’ll find a complex bouquet that includes citrus, mineral and a bit of strawberry, and lots of peach and melon on the palate. The sweetness of this would balance nicely against spicy or salty dishes, but I think I most prefer this as an aperitif, to begin a special evening with a toast.


We then enjoyed lunch with Ron Lee, Trade Relations Manager. The lunch was buffet style, and we were encouraged to sample each wine with each of the different dishes to experience the different pairings. The lunch ended with little two-bite desserts and quite possibly the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life.


Conclusion
I consider this to be one of the best trips I’ve taken. I’ve been in my position for a little over a year now, and have kind of felt like an “outsider” when it comes to the world of wine. Seeing everything first-hand and really experiencing the wine has opened up a world of opportunity for me. I look forward to learning more about wine with these new eyes.

Joe Canal's Presents Socre Barbaresco 2007!

Socre Barbaresco 2007
Piedmont, Italy

Joe Canal's is excited to announce the arrival of the 2007 vintage of Socre Barbaresco!

"The 2007 Barbaresco is a pretty, feminine wine with tons of Nebbiolo character in its spices, red berries, flowers and minerals. I particularly admire the way the wine’s inner juiciness and sweetness emerges over time, adding a wonderful sense of proportion to the classically built frame. Tasted a second time a few hours later, the wine came together even more beautifully." -Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate

Give this vintage a try!
Regular Price $33.99/BottleClub Price $26.96

Mixology Mondays: Leap Year

Welcome to 2012! If you weren't aware, this is a Leap Year! Today's BottleBlog features the classic cocktail of the same name.

When Prohibition went into effect in 1920, barman Harry Craddock crossed the Atlantic and found work at London's Savoy Hotel. Five years later, he was head barman at the hotel's American Bar, where he remained in charge for the next fourteen years. He was one of history's great mixologists, precise and inventive, and the creator of dozens of drinks. This one was whipped up for February 29th, 1928 - leap year day. According to the Savory Cocktail Book, it "was responsible for more proposals than any other cocktail that has ever been mixed."

-2 oz. gin
-1 tablespoon dry vermouth
-1 tablespoon orange liqueur
-Dash of fresh lemon juice
-Dash of grenadine

Pour ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Squeeze a piece of lemon peel over the top.

Similar to the Leap Year is another 1920s-era cocktail called the Maiden's Blush, which contains the same ingredients in the same proportions but eliminates the vermouth. Also similar is a somewhat older British cocktail called the Webster. It uses the same amounts of gin and vermouth, but adds apricot brandy instead of orange liqueur, and a single dash of lime juice in place of the lemon and grenadine. This cocktail was extremely popular at the bar of the Cunard luxury liner Mauretania, and definitely the thing to have as one sped across the Atlantic in style.

Fork and Gobble It: Comfort

The first real blast of winter arrived this week. Temperatures dove into the teens and the cold sank right into the bones. My first response to this assault is to move to the stove. It is natural to shift into a different gear in the kitchen when the elements get brutal. 14°F outside is pretty brutal. The perception that heartier foods warm not just the soul but the body as well, may not be founded on any scientific evidence, but it is a welcome illusion nonetheless. With the rush of holiday business in the store behind me, I find time to batch cook large quantities of foods I can freeze and draw upon throughout the winter. Soups, gravies, casseroles, and stocks are stored away for convenience, providing quick solutions when time is limited. Being the primary cook in the household, I get requests from my wife for her favorites. Last weekend it was spaghetti and meatballs. I decided to make enough meatballs to get several meals out of it so I started with 5lbs of ground beef.

My recipe is fairly simple:
-Ground Beef (I roll them big so 1# = 4 meatballs)
-2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced per lb. (of meat)
-1 cup of fresh breadcrumbs per lb.
-1 egg per lb.
-2 Tbsp of Worcestershire sauce per lb.
-2 tsp of salt per lb.
-½ tsp of black pepper per lb.
-¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves chopped per lb.
-2 tsp dried oregano + 2 tsp dried basil per lb.
-2 ounces EVOO per lb.

I mix this well and fry the meatballs in olive oil.


I keep a marinara base sauce in the freezer in quart size containers to pull out as needed. I finished cooking the meatballs in the sauce which gave it a great meaty taste and I tossed the spaghetti in that. I actually yielded close to thirty meatballs so I put some in the deep freeze for a snowy day. We got a new Dolcetto in the store last week from Renatto Ratti. A very rustic style with bright acidity and tobacco notes, it worked well with the sauce.

My Mom's side of the family comes various place in Eastern Europe and the Polish influence was felt in the things my Great Grandmother used to cook for the kids. I was inspired to make egg noodles and cabbage with Kielbasa a few weeks ago. I sauteed cabbage in olive oil and butter.


I boiled my egg noodles and added them to the cabbage in the pot and let everything get lightly browned and crispy. Served up alongside the kielbasa it was the epitome of comfort food.


This is the kind of meal I typically think of drinking Alsatian whites wines with. A Gewurztraminer or Riesling from Zind-Humbrecht or Albert Mann would be awesome with this meal. These wines offer clean bright fruit and complex spiciness that works as a perfect foil for the rich and earthy flavors of the sausage and cabbage.

Pasta of any type is comfort food to me. I recently made something I'd seen on countless restaurant menus, but never tried in my own kitchen... Puttanesca. If you're the kind of person who hears anchovies and thinks “Yuck”, then this is a must try for you. It is the wonderful harmony of garlic, anchovies, tomatoes, olives, capers, crushed pepper, and olive oil and when executed properly with quality ingredients, it is divine.


The name, literally “whore sauce”, is thought to be derived from the meal an unfaithful woman would throw together quickly for dinner since her afternoon might be spent in other pursuits. Oh, those urban legends, so colorful! Anyway, bad behavior aside, this is a quick but very satisfying sauce whose chunky texture works well with a short tube type pasta such as penne.


The bright and briny flavors here are a good match for my new favorite Montepulciano D'Abruzzo Poggio Anima Samael. The label is a grabber but the wine is right up there.


Bright red fruits and subtle tannins make this medium body wine marry well with the Puttanesca.

Whores... comfort food... Really now people?!!

Joe Canal's Staff Visits Sonoma & Napa - Part 6

All of our managers and wine staff travel at least once a year to a wine-growing region somewhere throughout the world. Traveling is one of the many aspects of Joe Canal’s that sets us apart from other wine shops. We know that by meeting the winemakers, walking the vineyards and tasting new wine from the barrel, we can see first-hand the passion that goes into each bottle. We can then convey this commitment to quality to our customers. Rather than having you just looking at a label and a score, we believe it is our responsibility to bring you closer to how the wine was made and the people who made it. We'll be sharing their trip reports with you here on the BottleBlog.

In October 2011, members of our staff including Shannon Spare from our internet department, had the privilege of traveling to California wine country! Here is the next installment of the trip, as told by Shannon.

Day 3
Laird Family Winery

Day 3 brings us to Napa, and the first out of two Napa vineyards we visited was the Laird Family, home of Saxon-Brown and XTANT. Due to the rain earlier in the week, our host Jeff Gaffner was in a bit of a frenzy! He gave us a brief tour of the winery and we watched some of the crush.


Jeff brought us down into the barrel room where we tasted from a few barrels. It was really a cool experience to taste wine at different stages of its aging.


The most interesting thing I took out of this quick visit was that in between delicious grapes and delicious wine… there’s really gross stuff going on! We got to smell and taste the fermenting juice, and peek down into the fermentation tank. Certainly not what I was expecting!



We thanked our host for taking time out of his busy day, loaded up the troops and headed off to our final winery of the trip...

Wine Spectator's Top 100

Every year since 1988, Wine Spectator has compiled a list of the most exciting wines they’ve reviewed over the past 12 months. These 100 wines reflect significant trends, recognize outstanding producers and spotlight successful regions and vintages around the world.

Many of the wines on the list are not available for a number of regions: The wine had a limited release or the vintage sold out long ago, or sell out soon after the list is released. We do have some of the wines on the list still available for purchase, and below is a little about 3 of them.

#23: Bodegas Resalte de Pinafiel
Founded by businessman Juan Tapias in 2000, Resalte de Penafiel has quickly earned an outstanding reputation. Located in the heart of Ribiera, the winery sources Tempranillo grapes from 200 acres of vineyards, some owned and others leased. Its unusual to see a seven-year-old Crianza released on the market, but the grapes come from selected parcels and the wine delivers great quality for the price.

#36: Terrabianca Toscana Campaccio
The flagship wine of Roberto Guldener's Terrabianca, Campaccio combines 70% Sangiovese and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet hails from Terrabianca's never Il Tesoro estate in Maremma, while the Sangiovese comes from the home estate, near Siena. Campaccio is aged 12 months in oak and then another year in bottle before being released.

#43: Gruet Blanc de Noirs Mew Mexico NV
Truth or Consequences, N.M., is an unlikely place to make sparkling wine, but this blanc de noirs proves the Gruet family knew what they were doing when the planted their vineyards 4,300 feet above sea level. Among the highest in the country, they benefit from sunny days and chilly evenings. A blend of 75% Pinot Noir with the rest Chardonnay, the wine is aged a minimum of two years.