Valentine's Day Plans?

For some people, Valentine's Day is about the dinner, for others, it's about the chocolates and desserts, while still others prefer an all-of-the-above approach. We have guidance for those who might need some suggestions on wine or beer.

We think that Banfi's Rosa Regale looks like Valentine's Day, and it happens to be delicious as well. It's intense and aromatic on the nose, with hints of Bulgarian rose. On the palate, it's soft and elegant with berry flavors and a touch of almond and nutmeg. Rosa Regale is an ideal aperitif, but also pairs beautifully with fresh strawberries, fruit salads, pastries and chocolate.

If you haven't yet tasted Rosa Regale, this is a good weekend for you. We have a tasting in Woodbridge on Friday, February 6, from 5-7pm, and in Lawrenceville on Saturday, February 7, from 2-4pm.

You may prefer something more traditional, something that is made like Champagne. We think that it's hard to beat Gruet. This is available as a Brut or Blanc de Noir. It's produced in New Mexico by the family of Gilbert Gruet, a Frenchman who produced Champagne in Bethon, France. They began their great American experiment with an experimental vineyard in 1984, and their first bottlings available in 1989.

The Gruet Blanc de Noir rates 90 points from Wine Spectator. The rich and toasty character of the Blanc de Noirs is balanced and superb. Aged for two-year minimum, the palate

is developed and shows rich complex flavors. The amazing berry aromas and the creamy texture play a leading role and create a great finesse. Winemaker's Note: A fine salmon color, aggressive mousse and a lovely fruity wine with plenty of immediate charm and toasty aromas. There is also an explosive juicy flavor of raspberry.

The Gruet Brut offers 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!

We also recommend Aubry Brut Champagne. This NV Champagne rated 92 points from Wine Advocate. From the review: "This contains just one-quarter each Chardonnay and Pinot; 45% Meunier; and a mixture of Arbanne, Petit Meslier and Fromenteau (a.k.a. Pinot Gris). Nearly half of it is reserve wine, and more than half of that from a solera going back to 1998. If that sounds like a recipe for delivering complexity, you’re right and won’t be disappointed! Bittersweet perfume suggestive of gentian and iris mingles with intimations of fresh lime and sea breeze that in turn manifest themselves on a seductively silken palate in both juicy, vivacious exuberance and mouthwatering saliva-inducement. A scallop-like sweetly saline and mineral amalgam takes hold in a vibrant finish that leaves me caught between the urge to linger and the urge to take the next sip."

Our staff loved it as well: "A brilliant “value” among Champagne!  Citrus and mineral notes take the lead with green apple and pear flavors in the background.  A slight ginger note takes hold on the finish.  A dry, clean style that has a very attractive green apple juiciness that keeps you coming back for more.  This puts some of the big house Champagnes to shame!"

In the beer category, Weyerbacher Tango is a great place to start. It is a big, bold, Belgian-style dark ale brewed with 1,200 pounds of cherries!

Tango pours a beautiful ruby color with a nice fluffy head, offering a very complex aroma of cherries and other dark fruits. The strong 750 ml glass bottle finished with a cork and cage allows the very robust bottle-conditioning responsible for Tango’s effervescence. Dark fruit flavors join the cherries to match up with the strong malt bill with the Belgian yeast adding its 2 cents along the way.

Tango weighs in at 10.6% ABV and was brewed using a base of Pilsner Malt with Honey Malt, Special B, Aromatic Malt and a touch of Chocolate Malt. Apollo hops balance all that sweetness to 35 IBU.

Weyerbacher Tango pairs with any sort of chocolate, fruit flavored and filled chocolate, desserts, and would be a great night cap. It is boozy and sweet, just like your Valentine's Day should be!!

Yards Chocolate Love Stout is Love in a Bottle. Passionately brewed with over 200 pounds of pure, 100% cacao Belgian dark chocolate, this irresistibly smooth stout explodes with the taste and aroma of rich, dark chocolate goodness. This deep black beauty will seduce you with her roasty maltiness and hints of vanilla and caramel.

At 6.9% ABV, this pairs with long walks on the beach (maybe not this week) candlelit dinners, big comfy beds, cabins with fireplaces, scenic overlooks...you get the picture.

Need additional Valentine's Day ideas? Try these:
Click here for What to Drink for Valentine's Day, Part 1: Sparkling Wine 
Click here for What to Drink for Valentine's Day, Part 2: Dessert Wine
Click here for What to Drink for Valentine's Day, Part 3: Beer

What to Drink for Valentine's Day, Part 2

It probably won't surprise you to learn that candy rates as #2 on the list of most popular gifts for Valentine's Day. Number 1 on the list is cards, which some people may not really consider a gift. Flowers (34%) finished well behind candy (47%, statistics from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Assoc), which was a mild upset. But since candy has always been associated with Valentine's Day, we thought we'd give you some wine pairing options for that box of chocolates.

The Golden Rule in successfully pairing chocolate (or any dessert) is simple: The wine should be sweeter than the dessert. From there, you can get more nuanced; an intense wine pairs best with a rich dessert. Wines with more acidity do well with fruity desserts. Skip the ice cream, however, as frozen desserts tend to dull the palate (although we can suggest a variation of the Root Beer Float, using Prichard's Sweet Lucy Bourbon Cream with root beer and vanilla ice cream, but we digress).

Port wine is a classic dessert wine. It's fortified (higher in alcohol), and, like Champagne comes from Champagne, France, true Port will come from the Douro Valley of Portugal. Port-style wines (sometimes using the term 'port') come from virtually every wine-producing region.

At Joe Canal's, we carry a wide range of Port wine, so you're sure to find something to please your palate and your wallet. You may want to consider the Dow's Vintage Port 2007. Dow’s Vintage Ports are only produced in years of exceptional quality and represent only a very small part of the total company’s production in that year.

Wine Spectator ranked this as #14 in their Top 100 of 2010, scoring it a perfect 100. From the review: "Amazing aromas of lilac, violet, crushed blueberry and mineral that turn to black pepper and spices follow through to a full-bodied, medium-sweet palate, with a long, chewy finish. Evolves to tar and asphalt. Really held back, yet powerful grip slaps you—and makes you happy. This is mind-blowing in texture. The greatest Dow ever made." Available in the Bottle Club® for $148.99. At the time of this writing, we have only two bottles in each store.

If you're looking for a Port that's an excellent introduction to the category, you would do well with Fonseca Bin 27.

Bin 27 shares the heritage and style of the great Fonseca Vintage Ports, as well as much of their depth and character.

However, it is bottled when ready to drink and can be served by the glass directly from the bottle. Blended for consistency of character and quintessentially Fonseca in style, this reserve blend provides reliable and affordable value, priced at $14.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Deep youthful ruby color. Intense rich fruity nose crammed with pure blackberry, cassis, cherry and plum aromas interwoven with notes of spice. 

The palate full bodied and round, with a smooth velvety texture balanced by firm mouth filling tannins. The juicy black fruit flavors linger into the rich luscious finish.

The rich black fruit flavors of Bin 27 are a perfect match for chocolate and berry fruit dishes. A chocolate fondant with strawberries makes a deliciously hedonistic combination with Bin 27, the rich creamy chocolate and luscious ripe strawberries blending seductively with the blackcurrant and cherry fruitiness of the wine. Bin 27 is also excellent served after a meal with bitter chocolate with a high cocoa content or a plate of chocolate brownies or truffles.

One of the interesting Italian wine traditions is the drying of grapes before they're crushed. The Amarone is a classic dinner wine made in this manner, and the Recioto della Valpolicella is the dessert wine counterpart.

The Roberto Mazzi Recioto della Valpolicella "Le Calcarole" is made from the traditional grapes (65% Corvina, 10% Corvinone, 20% Rondinella and 5% Molinara) in the traditional manner (drying via natural methods in boxes and racks in well-ventilated areas with periodic monitoring of the state of health of the grapes and crushing in early or mid-February according to the vintage). The wine is aged in oak for two years, followed by another year in the bottle.

At 15.5% ABV, it's higher than many table wines, but lower than some of the fortified dessert wines. It exhibits an intense ruby red color, with aromas of red berry fruit jam and spices. The taste is round, warm and inviting, with a very persistent finish, having a typical slightly bitter after taste due to the type of soil. Pair with spicy cheese and dessert. Also ideal with dark chocolate (max. 70% cocoa ).  Available for $29.96 in the Bottle Club®.

We have plenty of other dessert wine choices, including Sauternes, Tokaji, Sherry, and Madeira. Any member of our wine team can help you find the right bottle, so just ask!

The New Review

It's time for us to take an extended look at some of the new items that either have just arrived, or will be on our shelves within the next couple of days.

Chloe Pinot Grigio

The Chloe Chardonnay has been a big success, so we've added their Pinot Grigio. This wine has alluring aromatics that lead into a fruit-forward palate with crisp, racy acid and a generous mouthfeel.

Chloe Pinot Grigio displays flavors of ripe, juicy white peach, melon and apple with beautiful honeysuckle and subtle Meyer lemon. It is bright, classic, and has a refreshing and pure panache.

This Pinot Grigio comes from the northern Italian region of Valdadige, and is priced at only $15.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Dow's Vintage Port, 2007

A must-have is you're serious about dessert wines, and it's only available in limited quantities. High-quality vintage Ports aren't the norm; Dow’s Vintage Ports are only produced in years of exceptional quality and represent only a very small part of the total company’s production in that year. On average only two or three times every ten years are the weather conditions sufficiently good to allow for the making of Dow’s Vintage Port.

Dow’s Ports avoid an over-rich style and requires a very high degree of skill in wine making and great experience in selecting the finest wines of each year and each vineyard. These wines are aged in seasoned oak casks for some 18 months and are bottled without any filtration or fining whatsoever.

Dow Vintage Ports can be enjoyed when vibrant and young or they can be allowed to age for many years in bottle into a soft and delicate wine of velvet-like elegance.

This wine scored a perfect 100 from Wine Spectator, rating as #14 of the WS Top 100 in 2010. Their review: "Amazing aromas of lilac, violet, crushed blueberry and mineral that turn to black pepper and spices follow through to a full-bodied, medium-sweet palate, with a long, chewy finish. Evolves to tar and asphalt. Really held back, yet powerful grip slaps you—and makes you happy. This is mind-blowing in texture. The greatest Dow ever made. Best after 2022." The other reviewers liked this as well: 96 points from Wine Enthusiast, 95 from Tanzer, and 94 from Wine Advocate.

This collectable wine is priced at $148.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Lunetta Prosecco

Lunetta, (“Little Moon” in Italian) celebrates life’s small pleasures. Lunetta Prosecco is produced by Cavit, internationally recognized as northern Italy’s largest and most reliable source of quality varietal wines, at Cavit’s state-of-the-art sparkling wine facility just outside the regional capital of Trento. It is the largest facility in Italy dedicated exclusively to producing world-class sparkling wines.

It is fragrant, with enticing aromas of apple and peach. On the palate, refreshing, dry and harmonious, with crisp fruit flavors and a clean finish. Like any excellent sparkling wine, it's delightful as an aperitif or enjoyed with antipasti, hors d'oeuvres, sushi, shellfish and seafood.Only $10.49 in the Bottle Club®.

Stone Saison

In spring 2011, Stone bought the farm, literally, taking over 19 acres of fertile Southern California soil where they now grow pristine fruits, vegetables, herbs and more for the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens restaurants. A taste of Stone's homespun farm-to-tableism is provided in this farmhouse ale stoked with lemon zest, plus lemon thyme and lavender straight from Stone Farms. This spring-to-summer saison is citric and herbal on the palate with a dry, peppery finish. Thanks to the infusion of fresh West Coast ingredients, this isn’t your everyday saison. It’s 100% Stone. Celebrate the sunny season with an authentic taste of our farm and, with it, Stone's commitment to quality.



Please note that we're getting new items almost every weekday, and we also get great discounted items on a regular basis. Please check in with one of our team members for assistance.