New Product Spotlight

We could make a clever Halloween reference here, but you've already heard them all. Meanwhile, we have these new items in our stores.

Underwood Pinot Gris. The Underwood Pinot Gris speaks of a journey across Oregon. Sourcing fruit from vineyards spanning the peaks and valleys of the state, this wine is the perfect everyday refresher, making us nostalgic for our long-awaited Oregon summer backyard BBQs.

Tasting Notes: Lemon, apple and pear.

Bisol Crece Prosecco. The wine is made from Glera, Verdiso and Pinot Bianco grapes grown on the steep hills of the Bisol Vineyards. The first

two varieties enjoy an ideal habitat in the clay-laden earth with a subsoil of marine sandstone known as "crede" that is common to this part of the countryside. This type of terrain is particular and beneficial to the grapes, which do not suffer from aridity during critical periods but instead become notably enriched with noble acids, varietal aromas and fruitiness.

The color is a brilliant, light straw yellow with nuances of green, while the perlage features a myriad of minute and persistent bubbles.

The bouquet of wildflowers is suitably intense, fresh and elegant and emanates an extremely agreeable fruitiness.

The flavor reflects the fruity bouquet with its scents of apples and pears and the overall harmony is completed by a rich and fine sapidity.

Barefoot Winter Red. Sorry, but there's no review currently available for this. However, we're taking this opportunity to remind you of the upcoming visit by Jen Wall, the winemaker at Barefoot. She'll visit the Lawrenceville store on November 8, from 4-6pm, and the Woodbridge store on November 9, from 1-3pm.

Terrapin Moo-Hoo. Moo-Hoo Chocolate Milk Stout - It’s Utterly Delicious. The Terrapin "Moo-Hoo" Chocolate Milk Stout proudly uses cocoa nibs and shells from Olive and Sinclair Chocolate Company to give this beer its great taste! An  appetizing cold weather treat this sweet stout is rich creamy and uniquely satisfying. Beer and Chocolate together they truly make one of life’s great indulgences. 6% ABV, 30 IBU. Scheduled to arrive this week. For more new Craft Beer information, check back tomorrow for the Craft Beer Corner.

Adele Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. There are only 546

cases of this and it comes from 2 vineyards - one in Calistoga and one on Diamond Mountain. There is a good bit of new oak here and it is full bodied, ripe and layered with plum and cassis flavors and a smooth, long finish. We would gladly blind taste this with any $60 retail Napa Cab with full confidence that Adele would equal or surpass it.

We Fixed the Prosecco Shortage

Back in May of this year, just a few short months ago, there were dire warnings about a possible Prosecco shortage (See this article, which was one of many). Bad weather and lighter-than-expected harvests were important parts of the equation (lower supply), and the increased popularity of Prosecco (higher demand) was the other part. As Champagne has become more and more expensive, shoppers experimented with other types of sparkling wine, and many people found Prosecco to be an outstanding alternative.

We worked closely with our suppliers to secure the right amount of Prosecco to get us through this possible shortage. In doing so, we've also been able to introduce a new brand, Acinum.

Acinum Prosecco Extra Dry DOP is 100% Glera, the traditional grape used for this wine, and is grown in the Treviso region of northeastern Italy.

The grape bunches are harvested manually and once they reach the wine-cellar, they are gently pressed. Then, a slow fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks with indigenous yeasts in order to best preserve its unique character. The sparkling wine production takes place in autoclaves.

Acinum is a beautiful yellow, with greenish highlights. On the nose, it displays a fruity bouquet, with aromas of green apple and pink grapefruit. On the palate, it's smooth, crisp and extremely elegant, with a long, fresh and tasty finish. Acinum is excellent as an aperitif, and is ideal with fish dishes.

Only $9.96 in the Bottle Club®.

More Mom-Friendly Suggestions

You've probably heard that Mother's Day is this Sunday. If your plans for Sunday include wine, beer or spirits, we're happy to offer some suggestions that will brighten Mom's day.

Luna di Luna Prosecco

Nothing starts a celebration like sparkling wine. Whether you're making a toast, or mixing a Bellini or a Mimosa, the bubbles are a sign of good times.

We made a special purchase of Luna di Luna Prosecco, and it's priced very aggressively. Luna di Luna is one of northeastern Italy's best known brands, and this is a delicious prosecco with a fine mousse. Only $9.98 in the Bottle Club®.

Of course, this is the perfect time of year for a fresh rosé wine. We have an assortment of the 2014 vintage rosés in stock, so have a sip of summer.

Laudun Chusclan Gard Saurine Vin de Pays Rosé

Don't worry about the official and very long name of this wine. Let's just call it "Saurine rosé" and enjoy! The blend includes Grenache for structure and Carignan to give it depth. Only $7.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Saurine on display in Lawrenceville

Blis Blast Hot Sauce

Beer not included

If you're the one in charge of the cooking on Sunday, we have a great, new hot sauce that's perfect for wings or anything else that needs a little kick. Blis Blast Hot Sauce combines over three different chilies aged over the course of a year in a variety of oak barrels, including Founders Brewery KBS Barrels! The result is a jam packed, bursting with flavor hot sauce that leaves you wanting more! This one is a staff favorite! Be sure to try Blis Blast Hot Sauce today, Because Life Is Short! Available in Lawrenceville only.

   

Domaine de la Colombe Rosé Coteaux Varois en Provence 

From the winery: "Jubilant red strawberries jump from the glass on this cheerful rosé. The Coteaux Varois is a smaller appellation in the center of Provence. Composed of Cinsaut and Carignan growing in chalky soils, this ultra-fresh wine has fine structure and a fruity profile. A touch of grape tannins on the finish means this is great with a meal, especially alongside pesto, vegetables, herbed chicken, and prosciutto."

From Brandon Bartfalvi, Senior Wine Manager in Lawrenceville: "A light to medium bodied Rose offering light peach and citrus notes with a juicy but clean finish.  Pick up a case or more so you can have it all summer!"

This wine sold out quickly last year. We agree with Brandon, especially at this great Bottle Club® price: $9.96.

Because our Store Manager in Lawrenceville, Toni Carver, is an expert on whisk(e)y, we know that plenty of other mom's enjoy the brown spirits as well. Consider this special offering:

Compass Box Hedonism Quindecimus

Compass Box Whisky has a great backstory: an American making cutting-edge whisky in Scotland.

Hedonism Quindecimus uses grain whiskies of varying ages from five distilleries
to create a riotous, intergenerational celebration of all that the interplay
between grain spirit and American oak can deliver. The joie de vivre of youth and complexity of age combine to create something seductive, mouth-coating and irresistible.

The combination of grain whiskies from different distilleries and of varying ages has created extraordinary complexity and juxtapositions of flavor. Indulgent yet lively, unctuous yet light, you will find a deep, sweet caramel coconut succulence combining with exultant tropical fruits.

46% ABV, non-chill filtered, and natural color. This is an allocated whisky with extremely limited availability. $179.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sparkling Wine or Champagne? Part 2

With so many different champagnes and sparkling wines on the shelves in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge, our staff wanted to help with some definitions and suggestions. Particularly if you don't often purchase or enjoy sparkling wine, making the right choice can be challenging. Don't miss the first installment, http://www.jcanalsbottleblog.com/2013/12/sparkling-wine-or-champagne-part-1.html, because that's where we lay some groundwork, and introduce a few bottles of sparkling wine.

We'll start with a Champagne. Taittinger Brut La Française, like those we suggested yesterday, is a non-vintage champagne. That simply means that grapes harvested in more than one year are included in the wine. Taittinger Brut La Française is composed of Chardonnay (40%) and Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (60%) from over 35 different crus and various harvests, and matured to perfection. This high proportion of Chardonnay, unique among the fine non-vintage Champagnes, and a minimum aging of three years in the cellar where it reaches full aromatic maturity, make Taittinger Brut La Française a delicately balanced Champagne known for its consistent quality acclaimed worldwide.

Wine Spectator scored the Taittinger Brut La Française at 91 points, saying, "Hints of marzipan and lightly charred toast add richness without overwhelming the flavors of poached pear, lemon curd and black currant in this lively version, showing a creamy, detailed texture." A beautiful Champagne, and only $39.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Yesterday, we offered a couple of different choices in a Prosecco. We'll add one more today: the Mionetto Prosecco Brut.

It's much fuller and creamier than some other Prosecco's. This sparkler will please the Champagne drinker both during appetizers and while toasting the New Year. This is from the review in Wine Enthusiast: "Here is a Brut Prosecco with an immediate and fresh delivery of citrus, white stone, dried herbs and a subtle touch of white pepper. The aromas are what you should expect from an informal, easy-drinking sparkling wine and the bubbles are tonic and firm." At $11.99 in the Bottle Club®, Mionetto Brut can be enjoyed anytime, not just on special occasions.

Staying in Europe, our next recommended sparkling wine is a Cava, from Spain. Most Cava is produced in the Catalonia region (Northeastern Spain), typically with indigenous grapes like the macabeu, parellada, and xarel-lo. Cava is produced in the traditional method, or "méthode traditionnelle", meaning that they are made like champagne. The wine is fermented, blended, bottled, and then the secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle.

A staff Cava pick is the Juve y Camps Reserva de la Familia Brut 2008.

Pale gold in color, this Cava has aromas of mature white peach, toasted bread and green tea with hints of lemon citrus and apricots. Equally rich and broad on the palate, these flavors continue to unfold on the palate. Its fresh profile makes it a perfect match for paté, seafood, tapas, paellas, grilled poultry or cured meats. 

From the Wine Advocate review: "A blend of classic Cava varieties blended with 10% Chardonnay, the 2008 Reserva de la Familia Brut Nature Gran Reserva has a tight, reticent nose with earthy minerally tones. The palate is nicely balanced on the citric entry that broadens across the palate to a pleasant, controlled, creamy finish with sufficient citric tension to urge another sip. Drink now. 89 points." This is regularly $15.99, but it's currently available in the Bottle Club® for $13.99.

A number of Champagne producers own property, and make sparkling wine, in California. In fact, Taittinger partnered with Kobrand to create the Domaine Carneros estate. They received their organic certification in 2008, and bottle Pinot Noir along with their sparkling wines.  

Vintage dated each year, the Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvée represents the best of Carneros Pinot Noir and Chardonnay made into a classic sparkling wine. The appellation is 100% Carneros. The Brut was aged in the bottle for three years before release.  It will continue to develop further depth and complexity as it ages. This exceptionally fragrant wine shows aromas of crème brulée, honeycomb, melon, citrus zest, and golden hay before flavors of pear and golden apple. The cuvée features an elegant, round structure and a tantalizingly long finish.

This also scored 90 points from Wine Spectator: "A festive bubbly, with pretty floral cherry and lemon notes that lead to round, supple flavors of pear, raspberry and spicy vanilla."

Regularly priced at $27.49, the Domaine Carneros Brut is currently only $21.99 in the Bottle Club®, which represents a 20% savings!  

The vast majority of sparkling wine and champagne in the world is made in the Brut style. Brut refers to the dryness or level of sugar of the wine. The sugar content of a Brut-style sparkling wine is 0-15 grams per liter.

The U.S. failed to sign the 1930's labeling agreement limiting use of the word “champagne” to wines from the Champagne region of France, so some American wineries feel free to call their wines champagne. Generally, however, those that do so call their wines "California Champagne".

From the Domaine Carneros web site: "Although our wines are made in the classic manner, "méthode champenoise", Domaine Carneros exhibits pride of place, choosing to use the name of our own great region rather than replicating someone else's  name." 

Whether you're looking for a sparkler for New Year's Eve, for every day, or for something in-between, we think our suggestions are something you, your friends and your family will enjoy. Please leave us feedback in the Comments section! 

Sparkling Wine or Champagne? Part 1

When I worked at the Lawrenceville store, the Champagne/Sparkling Wine  question was ever-present. Since so many people will be shopping for the bubbly over the next few days, I thought this would be a good time to offer some guidance and definitions.

Champagne is a sparkling wine that is produced in the Champagne region of northeastern France. Champagne will include any or all of these three grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir, and will include a secondary fermentation (to create the carbonation). "Méthode champenoise" is the term used to describe the champagne-making process. You'll see that phrase on many domestic sparkling wines (like Gruet, Domaine Ste. Michelle and Schramsberg), which indicates that those are made like champagne, but aren't made in Champagne.

An under-the-radar, highly recommended Champagne is the Duc de Romet. It's properly Brut, and scored 91 points from Wine Spectator. From their review: "A fine, creamy mousse defines this elegant version, underscored by a chalky note of minerality and offering subtle notes of patisserie apple, blanched almond, fresh ginger and a hint of crystallized honey." And at only $25.99 in the Bottle Club®, it's our lowest-priced Champagne.

Any number of other sparkling wines are produced in France, but are not champagnes. Two examples are the Varichon & Clerc Brut Blanc de Blancs and Jean-Charles Boisset's JCB Cremant de Bourgogne. Blanc de Blancs, or "white from white", is a sparkling wine made exclusively from white grapes. A Cremant ("creamy") sparkling wine must be hand-harvested, and aged for at least one year. And since they're both priced under $20, they may be attractive alternatives to champagne.

We offer several types of Italian sparkling wine: Prosecco, Moscato d'Asti, and Asti (also known as Spumante or Asti Spumante).

Prosecco is traditionally made in northeastern Italy, in the Veneto and Friuli-Venezia-Giulia regions. It's typically made from the grape known both as Glera or Prosecco. Most often, Prosecco is produced with the secondary fermentation occurring in stainless steel tanks, making the wine less expensive to produce than champagne.

One staff favorite is the Merum Prosecco. It's a "Vino Spumante", which means that it had the full secondary fermentation, making it more sparkling than many others.

This has excellent bubbles that stay around longer than most Proseccos. It has a creamy flavor with soft fruit and nuttiness. Enjoy on its own as an aperitif or in a Bellini or Mimosa. Merum is priced at only $9.96 in the Bottle Club®, making it an outstanding value.

Another Prosecco that's a staff favorite is Zonin.

Zonin Prosecco is another fantastic value sparkling wine!  It's a clean, easy-going bubbly offering apple and pear flavors with a touch of almond on the soft finish.  This is a bright, fun sparkler to enjoy before or during any meal! And from the review in Wine Enthusiast: "An enjoyable bubbly with good creamy froth, white peach, mineral and hard candy tones that are nicely balanced and spread throughout. It has a thick consistency and a snappy, crisp close". Consider Zonin Prosecco for your midnight toast on New Year's Eve, priced at $9.99 in the Bottle Club®.

If you prefer a domestic sparkling wine, we have a great suggestion for you. I have a couple of bottles of this in my wine 'fridge, because it's at that perfect intersection of price, value and quality: Gruet Brut.

French-born Gilbert Gruet learned to make wine in the Champagne region of France and then moved himself and his family to New Mexico. There, they set up production of one of the best tasting, best value sparkling wines in the country. Vineyards at an elevation of 4300ft. get hot in the day and very cool at night, producing great fruit with crisp acidity. You can see the "Méthode champenoise" designation on the label, and it definitely feels like a champagne.

Gruet Brut is a crisp and full-bodied sparkling wine, which has developed rich complexity and fine mousse. The allure of toasty finish from twenty-four months on tirage, is a complement to the sophisticated apple and citrus flavor. Winemaker's Note: Brilliant with ultra fine bubbles. A wonderful fine bouquet dominated by green apple and grapefruit flavors. A truly classic house style!  

The price? Only $12.99  in the Bottle Club®.
 
With so many Champagnes and other sparkling wines on our shelves, choosing can be difficult, especially if you don't often indulge. We hope these notes, drawn from our staff, the wineries and professional journals, will offer you some guidance. As always, don't hesitate to ask for assistance from our staff. Part 2 will be published tomorrow, with more outstanding selections for your consideration.