Most people use sparkling wine for celebratory occasions such as New Years. That’s great, but as a wine to pair with food I think good sparkling wine is under-rated. In particular, sparkling wine is fantastic with fried foods. This is because the palate-cleansing properties of these wines are great for greasy foods which tend to stick. The other day I made fried chicken and paired it with the fantastic Thibaut-Jannison sparkling wine from Virginia. This wine is made by a bonafide Champagne producer who makes this wine in Virginia as a side project. It’s the best sparkling wine made in Virginia I’ve ever tasted, and better than the vast majority even from California. A little more fruit-forward and less yeasty then genuine Champagne, it was a great pairing with the chicken. I know this picture makes you want to try it. And so you can! This wine is availble at both stores. If you want to get really fancy and use real Champagne (ie sparkling wine from Champagne) then do so by all means.

If you want tips on the chicken, just ask me.

Live music and sparkling wines-by-the-glass…come celebrate the New Year with us!

Did you know that we offer GIFT CARDS in any amount that you wish? Just give us a call at our William Street Store (540-373-3338) or Plank Road Store (540-548-3339) and you can purchase one over the phone and we will even mail it for you! Please let us know what message you would like to include. Happy Holidays!

I started subscribing to our local paper a couple of months ago and as a result have been inundated with insightful journalism and little plastic bags. I contacted the Free Lance and have been told that if I bring them back to the cashier’s window tha…

1) The University will be testing its warning systems on December 17th from 9 AM-4 PM.2) UMW has also announced today the purchase of three properties in College Heights, residences at 1214 Powhatan St. and 1217 Thornton St, as well as the Pizza Hut …

We have two really cool new beers from a fantastic brew pub in Quebec called Le Saint Bock. Located in Montreal, they are fairly new but brew some amazing stuff. The bad news is that most of their beers are available only in keg form for the time being. The good news is that two of their best beers are bottled and available now at both kybecca locations.

First is Centurion, a triple bock. “Triple Bock” is not really an established style – it’s basically a bock (strong lager) that is too strong to be a doppelbock. It’s fermented three times and is incredibly complex with flavors of maple syrup, walnuts, dates, and caramel. Very vinous aromas reminiscent of unoaked Chardonnay.

Second is Enigma, a barleywine “Quebec style” since the second fermentation is triggered by maple syrup. It is aged for 6 months in a Port Wine barrel before bottling. A massive beer at 13% abv, it is rich and malty and spicy at the same time, with dried date/fig flavors mixing with flavors of toffee, caramel, espresso, and lots more. You can taste the Port in the background too. Really cool and unique.

Very little of this made its way to Virginia so don’t bother looking around for these. We were lucky to get any at all, but what we have is very limited quantity so if you’re looking to try something new don’t wait too long.

I recently purchased a Dell Inspiron Zino HD as a gift for my in-laws. Dell fulfilled the order quickly and my initial impressions of the AMD powered brick computer are very positive. It’s quite a performer with a host of features all for a very modest…

Stop by our William Street or Plank Road store for a great selection of new wine accessories for every wine novice and connoisseur on your holiday list!

We have Rabbit Corkscrews, Menu Scandinavian Wine Aerators, Ergonomic Wine Stoppers, Holiday Gift Bags, Cocktail Napkins and much more.

Of the 502 tickets written by the special parking enforcement officer, 62 have been written for violations in the College Terrace neighborhood. 58 on Sunken Road, 2 on Sylvania St. and 2 on Monroe St. The great majority of tickets are written in Colleg…

The Master Gardeners will be planting more trees at Cossey on December 7th at 1PM.If you are interested in helping out bring a shovel (and a digging bar if you have one).