Hi Speed Blogging

It's a short attention span week. Everyone has so much to do this week, we thought we'd make this post as concise as possible.

Thanksgiving Recommendations, by the Joe Canal's Staff

Click on the product category below for the recommendations.

Red Wine
White Wine
Craft Beer
Whisky

There's a very strong possibility that you'll be eating pizza this week. Click here for our staff wine and craft beer pairing recommendations.

Store Hours

We have extended hours for the next three days, as follows:
Tuesday, 11/24, 8am-10pm
Wednesday, 11/25, 8am-10pm
Thanksgiving, 9am-4pm

Special orders will be accepted, but none will be processed until after Thanksgiving. Plan ahead for Christmas, as there will be a similar cut-off.

Attention, Woodbridge shoppers! We know how busy you are, so we're ready to do your Joe Canal's shopping for you. Click here for the details on our online ordering/in-store pickup program.

Gift Sets

Of course, this is also the time of year for pre-packaged holiday gift sets. Right now, we have the biggest selection of the season. Most of the gift sets are available at the same price as the item is without the extras, so that's a great excuse to get something for yourself as well.

Wine gift sets are typically multiple bottles, like the Cavit Pinot Grigio/Pinot Noir pack. For spirits, like the Knob Creek (at left), glasses are often included.

The Calm Before the Holidays

We're not going to do an official countdown before Thanksgiving; you know when it is. At Joe Canal's, we're ready to help make your holiday a little easier.

If you need suggestions on wine, beer or spirits pairings for Thanksgiving, our staff has some recommendations for you. Click on the product category:

Craft Beer
Red wine
White wine
Whisky

Please note our Thanksgiving week store hours:
Sunday, November 22: 9am-9pm
Monday through Wednesday, November 23-25: 8am-10pm
Thanksgiving Day: 9am-4pm

If you're looking to place a special order, the cut-off is today for Lawrenceville, and Wednesday for Woodbridge.

The night before Thanksgiving is one of the top days every year for pizza sales. We'll have staff pairing suggestions coming up within in the next few days.

New Products

You can never go wrong with a nice California Cabernet. Just in is the District 7 Cabernet Sauvignon. Concentrated blackberry and black raspberry flavors are framed by well-integrated tannins. District 7 Cabernet Sauvignon finds the sweet spot where the power and structure of this classic varietal meet elegance and finesse. The balance of fruit, acidity and moderate tannins makes this wine a perfect companion to fine cuisine. Rated 90 points by Wine Enthusiast.

Only $12.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Chateau Calon-Segur St.-Estephe 2005. Another Fine Wine that makes for a great gift. 93 points from Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate and James Suckling.

The WA review: "The 2005 is a beautiful Calon Ségur, with sweet mocha, black cherry, leathery fruit, medium to full body, attractive purity, a gorgeous texture, and serious nobility, gravitas and density. Drink it over the next 20-30 years, yet it is surprisingly accessible." The WS review: "Has a beautiful nose of crushed berry, spices and nutmeg, with a hint of coffee. Then turns to licorice. Full-bodied, with supersilky tannins and a long finish of vanilla, berry and cinnamon. Beautifully crafted. Best after 2014."

We'll have about a dozen bottles available between the two stores.

Beaujolais Nouveau Day is this Thursday. This is the first wine release of the 2015 harvest, and always sells out because of its connection to Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's. The Georges Dubœuf Beaujolais Nouveau will be on sale in the Bottle Club® for only $8.09, but you have to wait until Thursday.

All About Thanksgiving

Most of us consider Thanksgiving to be kind of a big deal. For some, it's the best meal of the year, both for the food and the companionship. For us, it's a time when our stores are packed, and sometimes there can be a wait for assistance. That's where we come in, saving you time (and money).

Exclusively for our Woodbridge shoppers-you can shop and order online for in-store pickup. We can't imagine a bigger time-saver. Click here for details.

Both stores will have extended holiday hours during the week of Thanksgiving, as follows:
Sunday, November 22: 9am-9pm
Monday through Wednesday, November 23-25: 8am-10pm
Thanksgiving Day: 9am-4pm

We'll talk about What to Drink for Thanksgiving for the rest of this post. Click here for Part 1 (craft beer) of the series. Click here for Part 2 (red wine). We also have a coupon available for Block 478 Pinot Noir, one of our recommended reds. Click here for the coupon, which is valid at both stores.

Before we discuss white wine for Thanksgiving, we have a whiskey to discuss. Your blogger prefers pecan pie over pumpkin, and there are any number of great recipes for a bourbon-enhanced pecan pie. Click here for one tasty example, from Maker's Mark.

What to Drink for Thanksgiving, Part 3

Revel Stoke Pumpkin Spiced Whisky. Spiced whisk(e)y is a fast-growing category, with Fireball being perhaps the best known label. But most of us want pumpkin, not cinnamon, for Thanksgiving. And that takes us to Revel Stoke. Revel Stoke Pumpkin Spiced Whisky is made with a blend of rye, corn, and barley malt that is triple distilled in copper stills. The whisky is aged for three years in charred white oak barrels. Natural pumpkin spice flavors are then infused before bottling at 70 proof. It pours to a golden color.  The aroma is nutmeg, clove, and allspice with an eggnog backing. The sweet whisky entry has vanilla flavor. Nutmeg arrives and is joined by clove and allspice. It fades with spicy cinnamon, vanilla, and whisky taste with mild heat from the alcohol. Revel Stoke Pumpkin Spice finishes with a mild sting and natural pumpkin spice taste.

The 750ml size is available for $14.99.

White Wine for Thanksgiving

Generally speaking, we look for something on the crisp side for Thanksgiving. There are so many rich flavors on the table that a lighter, crisp white tends to provide the best balance to the meal.

Cambria Katherine's Vineyard Chardonnay. Brandon Bartfalvi, Senior Wine Manager in Lawrenceville suggests this for those who have to have a Chardonnay on their table. It's "a well-balanced white, offering flavors of green apple, pear, and citrus with a touch of vanilla on the finish. An elegant style of Chard that is balanced and clean, yet retains a certain degree of richness. This is lip-smackingly good!"

The winery says "bright fruit and oak spice aromas are found in the nose; citrus, pineapple, white peach and apple flavors carry through the mid-palate and into the finish. The finish is crisp and bright."

Only $14.98 in the Bottle Club®.

Marcel Hugg Pinot Blanc and Riesling. We talked with Kevin Saunders, Wine Manager in Lawrenceville, about these new wines from the Alsace region of France. He said the Pinot Blanc has "a delicate bouquet of apricots and crushed stones that flow easily from the glass onto the palate. The finish offers hints of lychee and just a touch of sweetness. It's a great sipping wine, and perfect as an aperitif!

Only $10.96 in the Bottle Club®.

On the Marcel Hugg Riesling, Kevin said, "I love this wine. It has aromas of simple citrus fruit, crushed almonds and honey, which all transfer into light, delicate flavors of the same."

Only $11.96 in the Bottle Club®.

We've always said that the first rule of wine is to drink what you like. On Thanksgiving, however, we're often looking to satisfy a number palates that might have different preferences. We hope this guide will be helpful.

What to Drink for Thanksgiving, Part 2

Selecting the right wine for Thanksgiving can be one of the bigger pairing challenges we face. You know that there are so many different flavors and textures that are part of the Thanksgiving feast, and that abundance makes paring even more difficult.

We are, however, professionals, and we are willing to do the work necessary to help you make some great selections without much fuss. And we're ok if you take the credit for making that great wine choice.

Last week, we discussed beer selections. Click here to review that post. Today, we'll offer you some red wine suggestions.

Concrete Old Vine Zinfandel. Since Thanksgiving is the All-American meal, a pairing with Zinfandel, the All-American grape, is a natural. This Zinfandel is a luscious, smooth, full-bodied wine with aromas of blackberry, bramble berry and Allspice. Deliciously mouth-filling, the wine opens up to sweet vanilla and toasty oak flavors, then follows with a concentrated core of well-balanced acidity, soft, but firm tannins and a lingering finish on the palate.

The Lodi wine country is defined and influenced by its proximity to the San Francisco Bay, situated directly east of San Francisco and at the edge of the Sacramento River Delta. Our head trained Old Vine Zinfandel vineyards were planted in the early 1900’s and are considered to be some of the oldest anywhere, yet they still producing high quality fruit.

$19.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Alongside Zinfandel, the most popular red wine chosen for the Thanksgiving table is Pinot Noir. The character of Pinot Noir leads it to pair nicely with the most dishes usually found on the Thanksgiving table. Whether your main dish is turkey or ham, with stuffing or sweet potato pie, you cannot go wrong with a Pinot Noir.

Pinot Noir is considered the most difficult grape to grow. It's skin is relatively thin, and conditions must be just right for it to thrive. And when you add the right conditions together with an excellent

winemaking crew, Pinot will shine.

That's what we have with the Lazy Creek Vineyards "Lazy Day" Pinot Noir. This is a project by Don & Rhonda Carano, from Ferrari-Carano. The "Lazy Day" Pinot Noir comes from Anderson Valley in Mendocino County where warm, sunny days and cool, foggy mornings and nights create the ideal microclimate for producing this wine. This sustainably-farmed Pinot Noir has attractive aromas of plum, raspberry, a hint of licorice and toast. Lush flavors of bright red cherry and plum, with a nice touch of spice on the finish are perfect complements to round out this medium-bodied, easy-drinking wine. 

$29.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Cambria Julia's Vineyard Pinot Noir. Cambria is a family-owned, estate winery located in the heart of the famed Santa Maria bench in Santa Barbara County. Bolstered by several decades of diligent winemaking and vineyard experience, Cambria’s wines faithfully express the unique stamp of one of the best cool-climate crus in California.

It has been said that great Pinot Noir can only reach its most eloquent expression with a good amount of vine age. We couldn’t agree more: our Julia’s bottling is anchored by one of the oldest commercial plantings of Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County (1974), producing a wine that’s earthy on the nose and silky on the palate.

Julia’s Vineyard Pinot Noir is deep, dark purple with underlying earthy character that compliments its solid tannin structure. Red fruit and dark berry aromas and flavors carry through to a long fruity fi nish. $16.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Block 478 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. Finding the right microclimate for growing Pinot Noir grapes can be challenging. Fortunately, California is blessed with a handful of areas that accommodate the needs of this most persnickety varietal. These range from Santa Barbara County in the  southern sector of the state, up to the Carneros district that straddles Napa and Sonoma counties, over to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley area, and up to coastal Mendocino County. And then there’s the Sonoma Coast AVA (American Viticultural Area), which consists of approximately 2,000 vineyard acres, extending from San Pablo Bay in the south to the Mendocino County border in the north. The AVA is defined by its cool climate, which provides an ideal setting for growing perfectly ripened Pinot Noir grapes.

This is where Block 478 sources the grapes for its Pinot Noir bottling — a medium-bodied wine with both sweet and savory notes, plenty of fruit-forward flavor, and a degree of finesse that proclaims, "Special occasion!"

100% Pinot Noir. Aromas & Flavors:  Savory, Sandalwood, Cedar, Red Cherry and Assorted Red Berries. $12.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Smith & Son Wine Co. Pinot Noir. This one is a personal favorite of Brandon Bartfalvi, Senior Wine Manager at our Lawrenceville store. His review: "A ripe, forward style, offering flavors of strawberries, ripe cherries, spice and vanilla. A medium-bodied wine with good acidity and soft tannins. A real crowd pleaser, done in a lush, easy-going style."

$14.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Our final red wine falls outside of these two categories. It's not American, and it's not a Pinot Noir. It does, however, have a close association with Thanksgiving simply because of calendar proximity. We're talking here about George Dubœuf Beaujolais Nouveau. Beaujolais Nouveau is the first wine released of the most recent harvest, so this year it's the 2015 vintage.

Georges Dubœuf's love affair with Beaujolais is no secret. His legendary palate, his ability to spot a good wine and his continuing enthusiasm made him an emblematic figure in the wine industry. His wines are renowned for their consistency, quality and value.

Georges Dubœuf turned the long-established French tradition of Beaujolais Nouveau release, the celebration of the first wine of the new vintage, into a worldwide phenomenon. Dubœuf's Beaujolais Nouveau will be available on Thursday, November 19, at only $8.09 in the Bottle Club®.

So we have a nice range of red wines for your consideration today. We'll look at white wines for our next installment.

What to Drink for Thanksgiving, Part 1

Halloween is behind us now (although the candy might not be), and that means that we have to gear our palates towards the next food holiday, Thanksgiving. Our stores will be especially busy throughout the month, so we're going to offer you some holiday beverage suggestions via social media, which should help you get in and out of our stores more quickly. (And if you shop at our Woodbridge location, don't forget about our online ordering/in-store pickup feature. Click here for details).

Today, for our first installment, we'll cover beers, ales and ciders. For those who are new to the craft beer phenomena, these are seasonal products, and we eventually run out of choices. For the best selection of holiday beverages, you definitely should shop early. These suggestions are presented in no particular order.

Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin

Weyerbacher is brewed in nearby Allentown, PA, and that makes it a nice place to visit. This 8.0% ABV pumpkin ale is the mother of all pumpkin ales. It is heartier, spicier and more “caramelly” and “pumpkiny” than its faint brethren! We have added lots of pumpkin along with cinnamon, nutmeg and a touch of cardamom and clove, giving this beer a spicy, full-bodied flavor.

This truly is an Imperial Pumpkin Ale. Perfect finisher on a cool autumn night or match it up with a slice of pumpkin pie and fresh whipped cream.

It pairs with turkey (of course), roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, root vegetables, hearty pastas and harvest foods. Also pairs well with spiced and cream desserts. Also try Weyerbacher Imperial Pumpkin with Comte or Gruyere cheese.

Harpoon Pumpkin Cider

When we first introduced Harpoon Cider, we spent some time in our tour room mixing it with different beers and sampling different combinations. The results were varied, but one pairing in particular – Harpoon Cider with Winter Warmer – was a standout. We recreated the combination at festivals and at our breweries for years before we were able to combine the seasonal spicing with freshly pressed apples in one bottle, which is exactly what we have done with Harpoon Pumpkin Cider.

Real pumpkin and freshly pressed apples are combined with seasonal spices to craft this pure and natural craft cider.

The aroma is all freshly pressed Northeastern Apples, traditional pumpkin pie spices and a hint of pumpkin. On the palate, it's apple forward with all the traditional Autumn flavors of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, clove and nutmeg, and a touch of sweetness for balance. The finish is dry, light and refreshing. And Harpoon Pumpkin Cider is naturally gluten-free.

Dogfish Head Punkin' Ale

A full-bodied brown ale with smooth hints of pumpkin and brown sugar. We brew our Punkin Ale with pumpkin meat, brown sugar and spices. As the season cools, this is the perfect beer to warm up with.

Punkin Ale is named after the seriously off-centered southern Delaware extravaganza Punkin Chunkin (The contest was cancelled for 2015 due to the inability to obtain insurance for the event). In fact, Punkin Ale made its debut as it claimed first prize in the 1994 Punkin Chunkin Recipe Contest. Yes, that was a full 6 months before we even opened our doors for business!

This is one of our ultimate seasonally-brewed, limited availability items. Don't miss out! Since its debut, we've brewed Punkin Ale each and every fall. It is released right around Sept. 1 each year. When you find it, grab some extra because it's usually gone by Thanksgiving.

Tasting Notes: Malty, pumpkin, caramel, brown sugar.

Food Pairing Recommendations: Turkey, roasted duck, lamb, stuffing, dessert dumplings, sharp cheddar.

Southern Tier Pumking

All Hallows Eve is a time of year when spirits can make contact with the physical world, and when magic is most potent. It is thought that we harness this magic to brew our powerful pumpkin ale. Not so, but it is with great respect to the magic of their trade that our brewers produce this fine beer. Take a whiff of this complex ale and your journey has just begun. At first sip, a magical spell will bewitch your taste buds, yet another victim enraptured by the Pumking.

Pumpkin, pie spices, buttery crust, vanilla and roasted pecans on the nose. Malty sweetness, vanilla, clove, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg and pie crust on the palate. 8.6% Abv. Available in 4-pack (12oz bottles) or 22oz bottles. Serve in a goblet.

Southern Tier Warlock

We decided to turn things up a bit this year and brew Warlock to a Blackwater Series appropriate 10.0% ABV.

Warlock is brewed to enchant your palate on its own and also to counterpoint Pumking. Make your own black magic by carefully pouring this Imperial Stout in to a goblet.

Dark and mysterious, the Blackwater Series is serious about high gravity. Reanimate your senses with Warlock's huge roasted malt character, moderate carbonation and spicy pumpkin pie aroma.

In addition to the balance it brings to your Thanksgiving table, Warlock is particularly tasty with spicy BBQ, smoked and roasted foods. Try it as a float, with a scoop of organic vanilla ice cream, or paired with a slice of carrot cake.

The nose: pumpkin pie spices and roasted malts. The palate: pumpkin pie, laced with coffee and dark chocolate. Smooth, velvety mouthfeel, while finishing sweeter than Pumking. 22oz bottles.