In-Store Tasting 7/22

Stop by on Thursday, from 4:30pm to 7:00pm, to taste a collection of wines from all over the wine grape growing world! We will be pouring a sampling of four fantastic wines from the new world and old world.

=> The Kiwi sauvignon blanc is classically crisp, clean, and refrshing. (Note it is uppercase Kiwi, not lowercase kiwi.) Chilled slices of grapefruit and melon fills the mouth. A touch of lemongrass and mango shine of the finish.
=> The chardonnay is an example of why Burgundy is the Queen of white wines. Polished and soft, baked apple, poached pear, anise, and apricot fill the palate. The wine shows a slightly creamy tone on the mid-palate as the finish shimmers with a touch of minerality.
=> The monastrell a.k.a. mourvedre is brimming with berry flavors and spice. A spicy character is complemented by medium tannins. The acidity brings a mouthwatering tone, making this a fine wine for grilled fare.
=> Finally, the pinot noir rose is a refreshing pink for summer sipping. This wine producer is known for his exceptional roses, vintage after vintage. Rose is made red grapes, this one in particular from pinot noir. Enjoy flavors of raspberry, strawberry, tangerine, and lime zest as they enchant the palate.

July 22, 2010
New Wines from around the World
New Zealand ::: Isabel Estate Grown & Bottled
     Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc - $16.99
France ::: Macon-Villages White Burgundy - $14.49
Spain ::: Los Frailes Organic Monastrell
     87 Points Robert Parker! - $9.99
Germany ::: Fritz Allendorf Pinot Noir Rose - $11.99
     That's Spatburgunder to you!

Stop by on THURSDAY to sample from 4:30pm to 7:00pm. Receive a 15% off discount, for any wine being poured as an in-store sample, during the tasting hours.

Read about a new red, monastrell.

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11:00am to 6:00pm

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Monastrell-a favorite bottle from sunny Spain

Monastrell is usually a new experience for most wine drinkers. But who wouldn't love explosive blueberry flavors, spice, and the sultry structure of one of Spain's newest success stories? Even though monastrell is being discovered in wine shops and restaurants all over the US, it has been around for centuries. In fact monastrell is the second most planted grape in Spain, next to garnacha (grenache).
      The French have embraced this grape for its ability to blend well with other varieties, boosting flavor, tannins, and color. It is known for its ability to flourish in hot regions, where other varieties suffer. This may be why mourvèdre, the French name for monastrell, is grown in the southern Rhône Valley and is blended into many Côtes du Rhônes blends. It is one of the approved grapes for making the acclaimed wines of Châteauneuf du Pape and is found as solo presentations in the sunny area of Bandol, France as well.
      Spanish monastrell comes to us from Jumilla, Yecla, Castilla and La Mancha. These are areas known only for their bulk wine production until the last decade or so. It was a little root eating louse called phylloxera that helped monastrell get its rebirth in the new world wine market. Because of the sandy soil in parts of Spain, phylloxera didn't infest some of its growing regions until more than one hundred years after it had devastated the vineyards of Europe initially.
      When phylloxera finally arrived in high plains for Spain, it was modern technology and the trends in the global wine market that made the bulk wine producers reconsider their status. The cure for phylloxera is to rip up the current vines and re-plant with resistant varieties. Faced with tearing up their vineyards, many of Spain's bulk producers chose to upgrade their production by planting better quality varieties and by configuring their vineyards to produce less. The more a vine struggles to produce a cluster of grapes, the better the wine will be. Vines that maximize cluster production produce thin but copious wines.
      Their grape of choice was the heat loving, disease resistant monastrell. The resulting wines have had incredible success. A bottle can be 100% monastrell or be blended with garnacha, carignan, cabernet sauvignon, or merlot to create a fruit-forward wine with enough tannin and acidity to work well with a steak or burger off the grill.
      One of its best aspects of a bottle containing monastrell is the color. Vibrant violet hues tumble from the bottle as it wafts the scent of fresh picked berries. It does well with a touch of oak aging and is tasty when aged in stainless steel. Many Spanish producers use American oak barrels for those coconut and vanilla notes that work well with the intensity of monastrell's flavors.
      Try a new red wine this week. Spain offers an opportunity to explore less mainstream varieties. For those who love big ripe flavors, monastrell is a great one to add to the wine vocabulary.

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