Taxing Grab Bag

April 15 is the traditional deadline for filing taxes, but we hear that it's been extended, since it's a weekend. We filed already, so don't take our word for that. But we'd rather talk about all things Joe Canal's, so let's look in this week's grab bag of stuff.

Holiday wine shopping this weekend? Passover starts next Friday. Click here for our guide to Kosher for Passover wines.

In-Store Events

It's a busy weekend in both stores, and we detailed that in yesterday's post. Click here for the details. We do want to highlight the 3rd Annual Art Show & Wine Tasting at our Woodbridge store, after hours on May 1. Click here for details.

New Products

Two Roads Beer Bus Variety Pack. Favorites like Ol'Factory Pils, Honeyspot Road White IPA and Lil Heaven Session IPA will be along for the ride as well as a special guest riding shotgun: A rotating Two Roads seasonal offering.

Massey Dacta Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough. Winemaker Ben Glover has been involved in the Marlborough wine industry since the 1980s, and today makes this wine from the fruit of Kerseley Estate, which was planted by his parents on the site of what was previously their own working dairy farm.

Mouthwatering and juicy, this is typical of Marlborough Sauvignon, with its explosive mix of tropical and citrus fruit on the palate, accompanied by intense nettle and tomato vine aromas. Food pairings? It's a great match for the zesty, spicy flavors of south-east Asia.  Dacta? That's the way the winemakers child said the word "tractor." Only $10.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Hammermill Vodka. Hammermill's Small Batch style vodka is distilled five times for a supremely smooth flavor and clean finish, that can be sipped straight or used with a classic mixer like soda or tonic. Only $12.97 in the Bottle Club®, for the 750ML size. Also available in 1.75L, for only $24.97 in the Bottle Club®.

Café del Mar Rum & Coffee Liqueur. Café Del Mar is a blend of premium rum and coffee liqueur. This liqueur has flavors of roasted coffee beans, molasses, dark chocolate, and a touch of caramel. The taste is smooth coating the whole pallet with flavors, and a long pleasant finish. The 750Ml size is available for $21.99 in the Bottle Club®. The 1.75L size is $25.97 in the Bottle Club®.

Ripped from the Headlines

An amateur shows the pros how to make wine smell even better. Click here for the Wine Spectator story.

Have a great weekend!

Save These Dates

We just don't get tired of noting how our Events are the best in NJ. With our huge range of tastings, your ability to "try before you buy" is unsurpassed. Here's a look at the upcoming schedule for Joe Canal's in Lawrenceville and Woodbridge.

Events in Lawrenceville

Look for all-day wine tastings on Friday and Saturday, with certain restrictions. Please stop at Customer Service for the details. Click here for the tasting menu.

Also on Friday, we're having a wine tasting in the usual 4-6pm time slot. These outstanding wines all come from the portfolio of one of our vendor partners, and include one of our favorite wines, the Palazzo Della Torre. Click here for the full tasting menu.

On Saturday, from 1-3pm, we're hosting a tasting of Bodegas Catena Zapata wines. You know them as Catena wines, the leading brand from Argentina. Click here for the tasting menu. You'll notice that there are only 3 wines on the tasting menu. Senior Wine Manager Brandon Bartfalvi said that he would try to add something special for the fourth wine.

In addition to our various wine and craft beer tastings, we've added another Beaujolais seminar and sampling with Robert Cavanaugh on April 29. This extremely popular program will help you appreciate this truly delightful red from Burgundy. Put a slight chill on a Beaujolais and it's a perfect partner for summer grilling season. Click here for details on this event.

Currently, there are more than 20 different events on our Event Calendar. Click here for the full schedule.

Events in Woodbridge

We have two days of multiple tastings coming up this weekend. Our wine tastings will be limited because we have so many other products to sample.

It's a triple-header on Friday. We have a wine tasting, a craft beer tasting, and a limoncello tasting as well. Click here for the abbreviated wine tasting menu. In addition, sample Flying Fish beer from 4-6pm, and then sample Pallini Limoncello from 6-8pm.

Saturday also brings a triple-header tasting. From 1-3pm, we'll have our limited wine tasting (same menu as above), and we'll also host a Crown Royal Tasting and Bottle Engraving event. With college graduations, Father's Day, Mother's Day and birthdays all coming up in the next 2 months, giving an engraved bottle of Crown Royal is an awesome gift. Click here for details.

We round out our Saturday with a sampling from the Bronx Brewery. The tasting menu includes their Rye Ale, American Pale Ale, Session IPA and Belgian Style Pale Ale.

In just over two weeks, we'll host our 3rd Annual Art Show and Wine Tasting. This fun event will be held after hours (7:30-9:30pm) on Sunday, May 1. Proceeds will benefit David's Touch. Tickets are only $10! Click here for more information, and to support this great cause.

There are two dozen tastings and events currently on our calendar. Click here to see the full schedule; start making your plans today!

Interested in Something New?

The influx of summer seasonal goods continues, but we're also getting plenty of other new products as well. In case you missed it, click here for this week's Craft Beer Corner, where we exclusively discuss new brews.

Domaine Castillon Costieres de Nimes Rose 2015. It is rose season, so the timing is right. We carry the red and white from this winery, so it was natural to add the rose once it became available. This is a blend of 50% Grenache, 25% Syrah and 25% Mourvedre, showing a classic saltiness and high quality raspberry, strawberry, spice and rising bread nuances. Medium-bodied, balanced, delicious and fresh, it leans a little bit towards the richer end of the spectrum, but stays lively and is highly drinkable. Drink now. Only $9.96 in the Bottle Club®.

Flying Dog Brewhouse Rarities Mint Julep Ale. The Kentucky Derby is always held on the first Saturday in May, so let's get ready. Woodford Reserve is the official Bourbon, and we still have a few bottles of that available for purchase. This year, there's also an official wine, from 14 Hands. We detailed that when it was first released, and a few bottles remain. The Mint Julep is the beverage of choice at the race, so leave it to a Maryland craft brewer (home of the Preakness) to bring it all together in a beer.

If you're not drinking this during the decadence and depravity that is the Triple Crown, you're doing it wrong. 6.0% ABV, 20 IBU's. Mint Julep Ale was the brainchild of two Flying Dog sales managers (and resident cocktail mongers). The idea to incorporate the classic Derby flavor profile into a beer was a ringer.

Berkshire Mountain Distillers Shays' Rebellion American Whiskey. This unique whiskey was made in collaboration with the Sam Adams brewery. Berkshire Mountain Distillers had the idea to experiment with triple distilling a batch of Samuel Adams Cinder Bock, a fiery Rauch Bock beer. The resultant whiskey made from this beer was then aged in Samuel Adams Utopias casks for nearly three and a half years.

Shays' Rebellion American whiskey maintains the smokiness and malt character of the Cinder Bock that it was made from, but finishes with port and dried fruit notes from the Utopias casks that it was aged in, resulting in a mature, complicated and delicious whiskey. A definite collector's item, available in extremely limited quantities. $109.99 in the Bottle Club®.

Laudun & Chusclan Seigneurie de Gicon Côtes du Rhône Villages Rosé 2015. Vinified traditionally. On the nose, the wine is aromatic, open and elegant, with many notes of red fruit and candy. Some shades of white flowers enrich the sensation. Soft and sweet on the palate, this balanced rosé will fit perfectly your summer outdoor meals. 80% Grenache. Only $9.96 in the Bottle Club®.

2012 Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve. 96 points from Wine Advocate. Their review: "Revealing the great blending skills of Beringer’s winemaking team, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve is a winner. Having purchased Private Reserves for many years, I can attest that they age incredibly well. The 1991, one of the great successes of that vintage, is still aging beautifully at nearly 25 years of age. The sensational 2012 (10,000 cases) boasts an opaque purple color along with abundant

aromas of charcoal, burning embers, creme de cassis, chocolate, blackberries and licorice. The long, complex, compelling, full-bodied texture along with terrific purity and a savory, rich mouthfeel result in a classic, quintessential Napa Cabernet Sauvignon to drink now and over the next 20-25 years." As you'd expect, extremely limited availability, at $99.99 in the Bottle Club®.

We've presented just a few of the many new products that are now on our shelves. For assistance in finding these items, or anything else that's new, please consult our store staff.

Rainy Day Corner

A little bit of rain isn't a big deal, and shouldn't stop our craft beer lovers from grabbing our newest

deliveries. Please remember that seasonal beers are particularly limited in nature, so some of these items will sell out. Unless otherwise noted, these are available in both our Lawrenceville and Woodbridge stores.

Troegs Sunshine Pils. The sun’s role dominates the Hop Cycle as vines grow before the human eye and budding hop cones reach sticky maturity beneath the sun’s rays. In Sunshine Pils, we combine the refreshing finesse of a Bohemian-style Pilsner with a bright Noble hop character. 4.5% ABV, 45 IBU's. Seasonal.

Victory Summer Love Ale. There are plenty of reasons to love summer, and here is one great one! German hops and pale malt blend beautifully to create this refreshing taste of summer. This light-bodied ale casts a golden hue reminiscent of the summer sun shining high above the City of Philadelphia. With the sublime, earthy familiarity of noble European hops backed up by fresh, clean German malts, Summer Love Ale ends with a surprising burst of lemony refreshment from fistfuls of American whole flower hops. Love Summer, now. Pair with pizza, chicken or salads. 5.2% ABV. Seasonal.

Anchor Brewing Meyer Lemon Lager. We are excited to present our zestily unique craft-brew, Anchor's Meyer Lemon Lager™. Many of us at Anchor have Meyer lemon trees

in our backyards and, for over thirty years, this unusual fruit has played an important role in California's slow-food movement.

Our goal with Anchor's Meyer Lemon Lager™ was to create a brew that would highlight the delectable character of this singular fruit: brightness without sharpness, fullness of flavor without heaviness, floral aroma without floweriness, complexity without cacophony. When life hands you Meyer lemons, make Meyer Lemon Lager!

Once poured, the appearance is a bright, clear, golden color with tight white bubbles. The aroma of fresh lemon zest hits you, followed by hints of lager yeast, citrus hops and lemon verbena. The taste is tartness of citrus balanced by malty sweetness. It finishes with a clean, pithy bitterness, like a Meyer lemon peel. 4.5% ABV.

Currently only available in Woodbridge.

Flying Dog Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale. Dead Rise was brewed to highlight the indelible, bold character of OLD BAY with citrus hop notes and a crisp, tart finish. Pair it with tables piled high with shrimp, corn, and Maryland Blue Crab. 5.6% ABV.

Dead Rise was first brewed to celebrate OLD BAY's 75th anniversary and proceeds benefit True Blue, a program that advocates on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay's 5,500 watermen.

Anderson Valley Briney Melon Gose. Born from our passion for experimentation, our Briney Melon Gose boasts a thirst-quenching tartness that is perfectly balanced by subtle watermelon flavors and aromas. Gentle additions of sea salt create a refreshing harmony between the acidity and fruity sweetness leading to clean, dry finish. pair with grilled chicken or fish, salads or chevre. 4.2% ABV.

Lagunitas The Waldos' Special Ale. This is a 2016 OneHitter. In 1971, the Waldos met one afteroon at 4:20 in the front courtyard of their school near the statue of Louis Pasteur. They set out in a '66 Impala armed with a "treasure map" on a journey to find a secret garden near Point Reyes. They met there at the same time every day and continued their quest. They never found the

secret garden....But they keep lookin'. The dankest and hoppiest beer ever brewed at Lagunitas was made with help of the Waldos for all treasure hunters.

Brewed for all the treasure hunters. Herbacious. Botanical. Dank. Resinous. 11.5% ABV, 100+ IBU's. Good with beer-battered Twinkies Con Queso. Officially scheduled for release on April 20. Please ask our beer team for availability if you're interested.

Summer's Coming

We're pretty sure that summer will be here soon. All the signs are there: summer craft beer has been arriving, as have the 2015 rose wines. So we'll start today's post with a perfect summer cocktail.

Watermelon-Moscato Slush

6 cups watermelon cubes, seeds removed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup Caposaldo Moscato (but this also works with your favorite Moscato)

Place watermelon cubes, sugar, and lemon juice in a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth. Pour through a strainer to remove the pulp.  Place strained liquid in a glass baking dish and stir in the Moscato.

Place the baking dish in the freezer and freeze the mixture for 2 to 3 hours, stirring with a fork every 45 minutes or so to break up ice crystals.

When ready to serve, spoon the watermelon slush into a wine (or other) glass, filling the glass about 3/4 full. Pour in wine and stir.

Pitú Brazilian Caipirinha

The world will turn its attention to Brazil for the summer Olympics this year. Get a head start on a sure-fire trend with this classic Brazilian cocktail.

One-half lime
2 tsp. granulated or bar sugar
Crushed ice
2 oz. Pitú Cachaça
Garnish with slice of lime

Cut lime into small pieces and place in an old-fashioned glass. Add sugar. Muddle lime and sugar with a pestle or spoon. Fill glass with ice. Add Pitú. Put contents in shaker, shake well, return contents to glass and serve.

Reposado Paloma

Cinco de Mayo is only a few weeks away. A well rounded Cinco de Mayo party will include more than beer, so here's one tequila based cocktail recipe.

Coarse salt
1/4 cup fresh grapefruit juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 ounce agave nectar
1/4 cup Camarena Reposado tequila
1/4 cup club soda
Grapefruit wedge, for garnish

Rub rim of an 8-ounce glass with a grapefruit wedge. Pour some coarse salt out onto a plate and rub the rim of the glass in the salt to coat. Combine grapefruit juice, lime juice, and agave nectar in prepared glass and stir. Stir in tequila, add some ice, and top off with the club soda. Garnish with grapefruit wedge.

Cheers!

The Grab Bag

We're glad that the weekend is here, but we may not like the weather all that much. However, with our weekend events, low sale prices and exceptional customer service, we'll give you plenty of reasons to venture out.

For anyone celebrating the holiday, Passover starts two weeks from today. We have a nice selection of wines that are Kosher for Passover. Click here for more information.

Events in Lawrenceville

We're wine tasting all weekend. Please stop at Customer Service for details. Click here for the tasting menu.

Today, from 4-6pm, we're offering samples of two delicious and new cream liqueurs. These are versatile drinks, good with coffee, ice cream, in cocktails or on their own. Click here for details.

On Saturday and Sunday, from 1-4pm both days, we're offering a Beaujolais wine tasting and seminar, featuring author and broadcaster Robert Cavanaugh. Click here for details. Free.

Our April calendar of events is packed. Click here for more information.

Events in Woodbridge

From 6-8pm today, we're hosting a tasting of Smirnoff Sourced Vodka. Smirnoff Sourced is infused with real fruit juice, bringing authenticity to an often artificially flavored category of the spirits business. Naturally fresh and gluten free, this new brand features three deliciously-sourced flavors: Ruby Red Grapefruit, Pineapple, and Cranberry Apple.

On Saturday, we'll host our regular wine tasting, from 1-3pm. Click here for the tasting menu.

April is filled with an assortment of fun tastings and events. Click here for the full schedule.

Notifications

In Lawrenceville, we're maintaining a whisk(e)y email list. Sign up for advance notifications on new arrivals, interesting products and special sales. We can't guarantee that you'll get any Pappy, but you'll know how we're handling our allocation. Click here and enter your name and contact info to sign up.

In Woodbridge, we have a similar email list for Craft Beer. You'll learn about our new deliveries and allocated items before anyone else. Click here and enter your name and contact info to sign up

New Products

Narragansett Clam Shack Variety 12-Pack. We know that the many varieties of craft beer are really tempting, and this 12-pack lets you have three different beers to enjoy. What's inside?

Narragansett Lager. This beer is brewed just right for drinking—crisp and refreshing. It’s got more flavor than other premium lagers, yet it’s one of the most drinkable beers in the world.

Narragansett Del's Shandy. The 'Gansett Del's Shandy has just the right balance of malty sweetness and citrus tartness. The Shandy is the ultimate summertime refresher...one sip leads to another. It's the perfect thirst-quenching balance of our gold medal Lager with Del’s lemon concentrate.

Narragansett Summertime Citra Ale. Summertime pours golden, producing a generous white head, and perfect carbonation. The malt flavor is smooth and subtle, balanced out by a crisp hop bitterness. Aromas of mixed fruits are very evident, but mild on the palate. The superior drinkability and lower

alcohol content make this beer perfect for summer sessions.

Woodford Reserve 2016 Kentucky Derby® Bottle. Celebrate Kentucky Derby® 142 in style with the 2016 limited edition bottling of Woodford Reserve bourbon, featuring artwork designed by artist Thomas Allen Pauly. This 1 liter bottle is available in very limited quantities, at $44.99.

The nose is heavy with rich dried fruit, hints of mint and oranges covered with a dusting of cocoa. Faint vanilla and tobacco spice. On the palate, it's rich, chewy, rounded and smooth, with complex citrus, cinnamon and cocoa. Toffee, caramel, chocolate and spice notes abound. The finish is silky smooth, almost creamy at first with a long, warm satisfying tail.

Mas Belles Eaux "Les Coteaux" Coteaux du Languedoc 2009. "Effusively fruity and creamy, with well-defined flavors of red currant, wild plum and boysenberry that are matched with seductive notes of sandalwood. Blood orange and dark chocolate give this an added layer of intensity, with a refined finish. Drink now through 2018." - Wine Spectator, 91 points. Only $14.99 in the Bottle Club®.

As usual, we can only show you a few of the new products that have been delivered to our stores. In particular, we've gotten a number of summer seasonal craft beers, as well as a few new rose wines. Please check with our store team members for new items that you don't see listed here.

Ripped from the Headlines

Click here for the news from Wine Spectator. In one story, French winemakers dumped 5 tanker

trucks filled with wine. Another story notes how the President enjoyed Catena wines during his recent visit to Argentina. Drink like the President and stop in to our Lawrenceville store on April 16 for a tasting of Catena wines.

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Holiday Wine

If you're celebrating Passover, or if you're visiting someone who is celebrating, we're here to help guide you through the sometimes confusing world of Kosher for Passover wine. The Jewish holiday of Passover starts two weeks from tomorrow, at sundown on April 22.

For a wine to be Kosher, certain conditions apply. The wine must be created under a rabbi's immediate supervision, with only Sabbath-observant Jewish males touching the grapes from the crushing phase through the bottling.

Kosher for Passover wine, however, must be made with fermenting yeast that has not been grown on bread and must exclude several common preservatives. That's maybe a little technical, but you can look at it this way: All Kosher for Passover wines are Kosher, but not all Kosher wines are Kosher for Passover. For example, not all of our Manischewitz wines are Kosher for Passover, but they are all Kosher. You can see the difference in labeling in the photo at the left. Even though both bottles are the Concord Grape variety, the 1.75L size, on the left, is marked "Kosher," while the 750ML size is "Kosher for Passover." The label markings are circled in red.  If you're looking at this on a small screen, at least you'll know where on the label to look for the proper symbols.

There are other specific symbols to look for on the wine labels. Here are the most common:

The U in a circle is a kosher certification from the Orthodox Union. The P stands for Passover. A wine with these two letters, arranged this way, is Kosher for Passover.

This states in plain English that the wine is Kosher for Passover. Immediately above the English are the matching Hebrew words. You may also find the term "Mevushal" on some Kosher for Passover wines. That means the wine remains Kosher regardless of who handles it. Here's what that looks like on a wine label:

At Joe Canal's, we keep all of our Kosher wines in one section, so that they're easily found. But whether you're the host, or trying to be a considerate guest, please do seek out the appropriate Kosher for Passover wine. And, as always, our staff will be happy to assist you with your purchase.

To help you plan your shopping, the following wines are in stock, and are Kosher for Passover:

-Barkan wines (all varieties)
-Bartenura Moscato and Pinot Grigio
-Goose Bay Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir
-Hai the Patriot Cabernet Sauvignon

And, as noted in the photo above, some of the Manischewitz wines are Kosher for Passover. You'll also find nearly every wine varietal available as a Passover selection. Please browse through our Kosher section, and you'll find additional choices.

For many years, Kosher wines did not enjoy the best reputation. If you notice the shelf tags in the photo at the right, you'll see that three wines there were rated 90 points or higher by Wine Enthusiast. These are all affordable wines, easy to enjoy on Passover or any other day of the year.

The popularity of Bartenura Moscato reinforces that point. At only $10.99 in the Bottle Club®, Bartenura is one of our biggest selling Moscato wines.

That was simply a select few of our Kosher for Passover choices. If your taste preference runs toward spirits, may we suggest a vodka made from potato (without any grain), such as Luksusowa, Blue Ice, LIV and Chopin. While they may not carry the Kosher for Passover symbols, there is no issue with enjoying them during Passover.

And if you need mixers, some Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Minute Maid Orange Juice (No Pulp and Some Pulp) and Simply Orange (Pulp Free and High Pulp) products may have the Kosher for Passover designation. The symbols tend to be hard to find, but we hope this primer can be helpful to you.

Please shop early for the best selection of our Kosher for Passover wines.