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This
Week at the Tasting Bar
The phrase Dog Days or "the dog days of summer" refers to the
hottest, most steamy and, quite often, most uncomfortable days of
summer. In the northern hemisphere the days of July through September
are often considered the Dog Days. Here in central New York they have
just arrived because we finally have some nice, hot, sultry summer
weather. And, in these Dog Days, we have wines that pair with
these lazy, hazy end-of-summer days and nights. Not too big and
not expensive, some wines we'll be sampling are great chilled; or with
grilled food; or are wines just right for sipping. Make sure you
pop into the Tasting Bar on Thursday between 5 and 8 p.m. or Saturday
between 1 and 5 p.m. to find out what, we think, are great "chilling
out" wines for the Dog Days of summer.
Excelsior
Chardonnay, 2008, South Africa (Breede River Valley)
Marco Porello
Roero Arneis, 2008, Italy (Piedmont)
Vina Doña Paula
Los Cardos Malbec Rosé
Morandé Pionero
Pinot Noir, 2008, Chile (Casablanca Valley)
Fontaleoni Chianti
Colli Senesi, 2007, Italy (Tuscany)
Click
here to see detailed tasting notes.
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"Pick of the
Week"
This week's pick is one that really surprised us and we'll tell you
why. At The Savvy Wine Cellar we are always searching for wines
that are not of the nationally-known "brand name"
variety. Since there are, at least, 8500 different wineries in the
world, we try to source wines that taste great, are a good value and not
necessarily well known. We like to think of our wines as little
gems and are proud that they are not on the shelves of every liquor store
in Central New York. And we've been successful at finding these for
our customers' enjoyment. That's why this week's "Pick"
surprises us because it's from a well-known, very large
producer...Gallo...but tastes like it could be from a smaller, boutique
winery. This week's pick, 2007 Gallo Family Sonoma Reserve
Chardonnay, marries the rich full flavors of ripe apple, pear, and
pineapple fruits with a hint of vanilla. The mouthfeel is rich with juicy
flavors of peach and mango brightened by lively acidity along with
toasty, buttery notes followed by a crisp, clean finish. Stop by the shop
Thursday through Saturday and taste a bit of this terrific wine.
You'll be sure to take some home with you.
Savvy Cooking
Right about now the tomatoes are coming in quite nicely. Whether
you like Heirloom, Beefsteak or Big Boy, nothing says August like big,
juicy, ripe tomatoes. And there are as many ways to enjoy them as there
are varieties! Here's something from Epicurious.com that caught our
eye, Linguine with Puttanesca Sauce. Normally a cooked tomato
sauce, this puttanesca sauce recipe tries something new, as it uses raw
tomatoes. We find it absolutely delightful and hope you will,
too. Click
here to find this and other healthy tomato recipes from
Epicurious.com:
And here are three wines to choose from that we think will pair quite
nicely with this recipe:
Bibi Graez Bianco
di Casamatta Vermintino from Tuscany. Gets 87
Points from Robert Parker and is a great value at $14.99/bottle.
Tasca d'Almerita
Regaleali Le Rosé from Sicily. The Savvy Wine
Cellar scores it at Four Corks and it's priced right at $11.99/bottle.
Hanging Vine
Parcel 22 Pinot Noir from California. We like this
wine at $14.99/bottle and it would be a terrific pairing to the linguine
with puttanesca sauce because of its dark fruity flavors, good structure
and balanced acidity.
Upcoming Events
August 26:
Wine Tasting 101. Back by popular demand for all who missed it,
Neil Miller will be talking about the art of tasting wine. Join
Neil from 7-8 p.m. on Wednesday, August 26, and learn what all those
crazy terms on our shelf-talkers and tasting notes really mean. Click
Here to Register.
August
27: Celebrate the Great New York State Fair. We lived
out of state for almost 12 years and one of the many things we missed
that are "New York" was the New York State Fair. Now that
we're back home again, we want to celebrate everything that is New York,
including New York Wine and the New York State Fair. What better
way to kick off the Fair than with a New York Wine Tasting. So, our
Thursday, August 27, Wine Tasting will be all about one of the Finger
Lakes premier wineries, Chateau Lafayette Reneau. Chris Reneau
Chateau Lafayette Reneau will be our guest pourer at The Tasting Bar from
5-8 p.m. If you know their wines, you know how great they are and
you won't want to miss this tasting.
September:
We're planning two terrific classes during the month of September.
One will focus on Italian wines, the Tuscan region, in particular, and
John Racciatti of Winebow Wines will be our guest presenter. John's
knowledge of Italian wines is magnifico and you will not want to miss
this special evening! As soon as we nail down the date, we'll get the
information out to you.
The second class is going to be a class on pairing wine and cheese.
Would you like to know what wine to serve with Camembert? How about
blue cheese...what wine works best with it? Savvy Wine Cellar
staffer, Erin Stepowany, is going to show us just how easy it is to
obtain the perfect wine and cheese match. Stay tuned for more
information and details about this "can't miss" class!
Going Green-The Savvy Wine Cellar Way
Our reusable wine bags have finally arrived and are we glad! From
the day we opened our doors in April, we have been promising them to you,
and now they are here...finally. Our canvas bags are divided into
sections to hold six bottles of wine (You're surprised?). But,
wait, our bags have an added feature. To find out what and how cool
it is, all you have to do is buy six bottles of wine at the same time
and, in addition to receiving your 5% discount, you'll get to take your
wine home in your free reusable bag!
How Savvy Are You?
Are you keeping track of your answers? How savvy are you
becoming? Maybe you are more savvy than we are! Good for you!
What
is sometimes used to "filter" wines?
Answer: Some wines are actually filtered (to remove sediments) with
egg whites. The egg whites do a good job of filtering (also known
as fining) particles in the wine. Once absorbed, these particles
are removed.
What
are two classic aromas/flavors of a Chardonnay aged in oak?
Answer: If a Chardonnay was aged in oak, it is more likely to have
flavors of vanilla or butterscotch than if it was not aged in oak.
What
is Sangria? Answer: Sangria,a beverage, originally produced in
Spain, is a mixture of fruit and red wine. The name, "Sangria"
refers to the blood red color of the drink.
12% Tuesday
Next week's 12% Tuesday discount goes to Rosé and
Prosecco. Drop into the shop on Tuesday, August 25 and you can
purchase any of our Rosés and Proseccos and get them at a 12%
discount. We have rosés from France, Italy, Argentina and our
Proseccos from Italy are not to be missed. But if you wait until Wednesday,
the discount will be gone. So don't miss out on a chance to get
some great wines.
And Finally...
Many thanks to our good friend, Neil Ripley, who created the new addition
to our chalk wall. Make sure you check it out the next time you're
in the shop. We wouldn't be in business without the help of family
and friends, like Neil.
CinCin!
Allison and Dale
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