Bud Light Bash @ JC's Woodbridge!!

Join us tomorrow (Saturday, August 25th) at Joe Canal's in WOODBRIDGE from 2:00 - 4:00pm, when our friends from Bud Light will be here with WDHA radio station! DJ Jim Monaghan will be broadcasting live, with fun giveaways! Bud Light's on sale, so don't miss out on some fun this Saturday afternoon.

Haven't entered yet? There's still time!

Enter for your chance to win two spots on Budweiser's Port Paradise Music Festival Cruise! You and a friend can enjoy four fun-fulled days and three awesome night aboard this legendary party cruise!*

From November 16, 2012 through November 19, 2012, you and thousands of Bud-loving friends will sail on two cruise ships to the Bahamas for an extended weekend adventure that includes live concerts at Atlantis in Nassau and the private island of Coco Cay.

Just print out the entry form at jcanals.com, bring it into Joe Canal's Woodbridge and give it to any cashier or manager to be entered to win!

**Enjoy two tickets for 3 nights/4 days of fun aboard the Bud Light Port Paradise Cruise (11/16/12 – 11/19/12) for only $190.00 per person, including cruise and airfare.

Joe Canal's Presents Domino Wines!

We just got a shipment of four great value wines from Domino! Pick a bottle or two to try at only $8.99 in our Bottle Club for a 1.5L bottle!

Cabernet Sauvignon - Rich flavors with a smooth mouth feel. The wine boasts aromas and flavors of currant, blackberry, and black cherry with notes of sweet vanilla and toast, with a concentrated & plush finish.

Merlot - Aromas and flavord of red and black cherry with a touch of sweet herbs and vanilla, a smooth & juicy treat.

Chardonnay - A soft, supple and refreshing wine, featuring pear and green apple with bright citrus leading to soft vanilla on the long, rich finish.

Pinot Grigio - This bright, approachable wine has aromas and flavors of floral and lime blossom with lemon meringue, stone fruit and mineral notes, and a crisp, refreshing finish.

Rick's Excellent Adventure in Argentina - Part 1

Day #1

I'm sitting at Philadelphia International Airport waiting for the first leg of my trip to Catena Winery in Mendoza, Argentina to start. The travel will be a little long but I am sure that the end result will be well worth it. I fly from here to Dallas, TX then to Santiago, Chile and then into Mendoza Argentina. From start to finish about 22 hours, but before I know it, I will be tasting Tilia Wines at the orientation on Sunday.

After a long, hard, boring flight I made it through my first leg of the trip. We all meet up in the airport in Santiago, Chille. We started the day with I was told is a Malbec Camp tradition, introductions at the Pesoc Sour Bar and a toast to the week ahead.

We boarded our plan for a quick flight over the Andes Mountains, it was straight up and straight down with a lot of up and down, and right and left. I now know what a ping pong ball feels like. I later learned was a form the Dunder Winds from Chile to Argentina.

We arrive at the family estate La Vendimia “Catena Zapata Family Estancia” compound & Vineyard located in the Rivadavia District of Mendoza. Laura Catena was waiting on the front porch for us. After the introductions we started the afternoon with some relaxation, I went horseback riding. My horse was very high strung so I was led around by the nose with a Gaucho holding the rains. It was still very nice because we rode around the vineyard and got the chance to see a lot of the property. After that, we had a lunch of beef and cheese. We also had a 2002 Vintage Catena Zapata Chardonnay. Wow, it was fantastic, golden in color with the flavors of the best Chablis I had even tasted.

Right after lunch a band came out and played Argentine folk music, two young couples demonstrated the traditional folk dances. Laura got out there with one of our team and then they played a song that Laura said we must all get up and dance to, well one of the very pretty young ladies came to me and I am very proud to say I didn’t step on her feet once.




Later we went out in the back yard to a pavilion and tasted the Tilia wines. We had Chardonnay, Malbec, Torrentoes, Bonarda and Malbec/Syrah. Very nice wines, easy drinking and nice to the pocket, my favorite was the Malbec/Syrah and the Torrentoes. Don’t get me wrong, all of the wines were very good and a great value.


Next,a butcher showed up with a side of beef that he hung in the pavilion and proceeded to cut. There was another guy that took the meat and covered with salt and then cooked the meat on an open fire grill. Laura and Pablo Piccolo who is in charge of exports for Catena Wines, joined us for dinner. I have to tell you, the meat was fantastic, as was the entire meal. We then shifted into the Sitting Room for dessert and espresso and talked well into the night.

That ends day one of Malbec Camp. My understanding is that in the morning we will head up to Ernesto’s Catena’s vineyard Alma Negra, where we will learn about organic an biodynamic vineyard concepts. So for now, good night and I will be back soon with my next installment!

Cabernet Shares Napa Rose Limelight

In a recent tasting of the 2011 vintage of Napa Valley rosés, industry panelists chose two Cabernet Sauvignons, two Syrahs, a Pinot Noir and a Sangiovese as the valley’s best examples of rosé wines.

The St Helena Star and Napa Vintner Tasting Panel met at The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone this month to taste through 36 different Napa Valley rosé wines from the 2011 vintage. From the wines included, the grape varieties were diverse: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese, Charbono, Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan as well as blends.

In general, Napa Valley’s Cabernet Sauvignon rosés still display the grape’s up-front blackberry or black cherry flavours and some of the drying sensation from tannins.

Napa Valley Pinot Noir, especially from the cooler Carneros region, can produce very elegant rosés which show some of the grape’s perfume aromas.

Napa Valley’s Syrah rosés can have the grape’s violet, raspberry or blackberry flavours, and some show the variety’s inherent smokiness and meatiness.

The Sangiovese rosés have bright acidity and a tangy, sometimes sour cherry flavour.

A discussion among the panelists found varietal hits and misses. Shannon Kuleto of The Napa Valley Wine Trail was less fond of rosés from Bordeaux varieties, especially when they had a woody profile; and Kay Malaske from Terlato Wine Group preferred rosé made from Rhone varieties like Syrah. Tom Simoneau, of KSRO radio’s wine program, maintained that Grenache, Pinot Noir and Sangiovese were the best varieties for rosé.

For many of the varieties used to make Napa Valley’s rosés, producing large volumes is just not possible. Several winemakers on the panel commented that their wineries produce small amounts of rosé in order to have something refreshing to offer guests, especially if any white wines they make are created in small lots and distributed.

A good number of Napa Valley rosés are offered at tasting rooms only or for sale online by the winery. That is not to say you won’t find a number of them distributed throughout the country.

No matter where it is sold, rosé is continuing to sell in the US, with Nielsen showing a healthy growth of 14.4% in 2011.

Panelist Eric Carpenter of fine wine purveyor Dean and DeLuca in St Helena observed: “Customers are coming in specifically asking for rosé. They are introduced to rosé through a wine club or at a wine tasting event and feel comfortable buying it now that they understand rosé better.”

Of course, it helps that it is summer, and pink wine drinkers come out in droves for rosé when it is hottest. It will take a bit more time to show people how incredible rosé is with Thanksgiving dinner, or as a prelude to the holiday feast.

If you're looking for a refreshing rosé to cool you through these last few weeks of summer, or if you're going to take the plunge later in the year and serve the pink stuff at your holiday table, the staff at Joe Canal's Woodbridge and Lawrenceville will be happy to help you select the perfect bottle!

This article was originally written by Catherine Seda and published on thedrinksbusiness.com. Read more...

Refresh yourself with bubbly cocktails!

Prosecco is a term applied to a crisp sparkling white wine as well as the grape that is used to make it. The Prosecco grape is primarily grown in a region of Italy known as Veneto. It is also grown in the Valdobbiadene and Conegliano wine regions, both north of Venice.

Generally much less expensive than its sparkling French counterpart, Prosecco lends itself wondefully as the main ingredient in a number of refreshing cocktails that are perfect for these sizzling mid-August days.

Check out howbooks.com list of the Top 5 Best Prosecco Cocktails, and let us know your favorite!

Blissini
This recipe is a variation of the popular Bellini cocktail. You will need:
1 ½ cups of chilled Prosecco, 1 ½ cups of chilled orange juice, 1 ½ cups of chilled pomegranate juice and mint leaves for garnish.
Prepare 4 champagne glasses by chilling them. In a pitcher, mix the above ingredients. Pour into each glass and garnish with a mint leaf.

Raspberry-Lemon Prosecco Cocktail
This summery treat mixes the tartness of lemonade, the sweetness of raspberries and the bubbly Prosecco for a drink that is perfect for a warm summer evening. You will need:
¼ cup of sugar, ¼ cup of fresh lemon juice, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon rind, 2 bottles of Prosecco, 1 cup of fresh raspberries.
First you will need to prepare the lemon syrup. Combine sugar and lemon juice in a small pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Stir in rind. Cover and refrigerate overnight then strain the rinds out before mixing.
You want to combine the lemon syrup with the bottles of Prosecco. A punch bowl or 2 large pitchers will be ideal for this. Add the raspberries to the mixture. Serve immediately.

Due Campari
This recipe not only uses Prosecco, but also uses bitters! You will need:
4 ounces of Prosecco, ¾ ounce of Campari bitters, and ¾ ounce of lemon juice.
Shake lemon juice and Campari bitters well over ice cubes in a shaker. Strain into a chilled champagne flute. Fill to the top with Prosecco. Serve and enjoy!

Bold Chieftain
If you are looking for a great celebratory cocktail with a kick, the Bold Chieftain will be the way to go! You will need:
½ ounce whiskey, ½ ounce orange liqueur (Contreau is an example), your favorite Prosecco and an orange twist for garnish.
In a champagne flute mix the whiskey and orange liqueur. Fill the rest of the glass with Prosecco. Zest an orange into the glass, add an orange twist and drink immediately.

Amore Frizzante
A superb cocktail when made of the finest ingredients, the Amore Frizzante is a fruity delight. You will need:
1 ounce of premium vodka, ½ ounce of high quality orange liqueur, ½ ounce peach nectar, Prosecco. For garnish – sliced peaches and raspberries.
Pour the vodka, orange liqueur, and peach nectar into a chilled shaker filled with ice. Strain into a champagne flute and fill to the top with Prosecco. Garnish with a sliced peach and 2 raspberries.

Bonus: Traditional Bellini Recipe
We couldn’t discuss Prosecco without telling you how to make a Bellini! They are simple and can be made in less than a minute! You need: Prosecco and fresh peach puree.
Mix the drink one part peach puree to 2 parts Prosecco. Serve in a chilled champagne flute.

Grape harvest under way in Napa Valley

As the sun rose over Atlas Peak early Friday, speckling golden light on misty grapevines in Oakville, a crew of 30 pickers hustled ripe clusters of pinot noir grapes off the vine.

The clusters were nimbly cut free and gingerly dropped into bins headed up the Silverado Trail for Mumm Napa, in the first reported grape harvest of the year on California's North Coast.

“The action is on,” said Alex Vyborny, owner of Vyborny Vineyard Management, which manages 1,000 acres of vineyards throughout Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. “The quality should be really good. We've had great weather.”

Vyborny's crews were harvesting grapes for Mumm's Brut Rose. With sweaty brows, harvesters lunged at the grapevines, deftly cutting three or four plump clusters with one swoop of the arm, and running through the stony vineyards with heavy bins laden with fruit. Occasionally, a hummed song or a burst of cheers rose through the air.

“You can hear the excitement,” said Doug Springer, grower relations manager for Mumm Napa. “So far it's an excellent season. The weather's cooperating very well.”

Grapes for sparkling wine are harvested several weeks ahead of those crushed for still wines, because they can be picked at lower sugar levels. Though this year's harvest began several weeks before it did last year, it was right on schedule for a normal harvest, growers said.

“It's been a dream growing season this year,” said Ludovic Dervin, winemaker for Mumm Napa. “It's probably the healthiest growing season I've seen in 20 years in California.”

A few of Joe Canal's staff members visited Mumm Napa last fall. It's a beautiful winery that makes some delicious sparkling wines. What California wine are you most looking forward to in the new vintage?

This article was written by Cathy Bussewitz and was originally published on pressdemocrat.com. Read more...

Whiskey Feature - Pendleton Canadian Whiskey

Pendleton Whisky was specifically created to celebrate the bold spirit of independence and hard-work ethic of the American cowboy and cowgirl. It’s borne of the rich tradition of the 101-year-old Pendleton Round-Up, one of the most prestigious rodeos in the world.

Pendleton Whisky has been a proud sponsor of the Pendleton Round-Up since the brand’s inception and we are honored to be a part of an event that has such a long standing history in Oregon.

Each Pendleton Whisky bottle prominently features the rodeo’s famous bucking horse symbol and Let’er Buck slogan. A portion of proceeds from every bottle sold is donated back to the Pendleton Round-Up.

Pendleton Sagebrush
-3 parts Pendleton Whisky
-1 part triple sec
-1 part fresh squeezed oj
-1 part fresh squeezed lime juice
-Top off with ginger ale
Muddle sage leaf with orange slice in glass; add liquids; pour into old fashioned glass; garnish with an orange slice and a sage leaf. Pick up a bottle to try today, regularly priced at only $22.99!