Don’t have any Saturday plans yet? We still have some spots available for our cooking class. On Saturday afternoon starting at 2pm we’ll be doing our first ever cooking class with Laurie Gills of LB’s Classic and Contemporary Cooking. In this class you’ll get to make three desserts with Laurie as your teacher: Tiramisu Pralines, Goat Cream Cheese with Seasonal Berry Parfait, and Sweet Crepes with Pineapple and Caramel. Also, we’ll be pairing each dessert with a wine. This event promises to be a lot of fun and you’ll be able to re-create these desserts at home after doing this class. Click here for more information.

Our family has returned from our 12 days and 11 nights on Carriacou, and we miss the island already.It was a great trip made during an interesting and historic time, as the National Democratic Congress won the election to lead Grenada while we were the…

I couldn’t think of a better way to show our patriotic side than drinking all types of American ales.  We had a great assortment of beers.  Thanks to Kybecca for hosting and donating the Anchor Steam and Coney Island Swordswallower and a…

Every year we head to the beach, our SUV packed to its wobbling limit for a week of sand, sun and debauchery (or what passes for debauchery now that we have kids). And every year my husband says something like — do you really need all this stuff?

This year I think he will win the packing/loading/unpacking arguments, since a Prius has replaced one of the SUVs and will be the official trip car from here on out.

But — I will still make room for a case of wine from kybecca. Think about this folks, as you head to your beach house. Great wine, your favorite bottles, discounted by the half case or case. No shopping worries when you finally arrive at your vacation — where the grocery and wine shop mark ups are often quite high.

A bottle on hand to open when you get there! And — my guy never objects to packing the wine.

I was recently asked if we would ever consider doing a sake tasting at the shop. Admittedly, my initial thoughts were “yeah, that would be great…but would anyone come? Is there enough of an interest in sake to make it worthwhile?”

After pondering the matter for a couple of days, it occurred to me that perhaps people just don’t know enough about sake to be interested. For many, their only experience with sake is being served a hot,turpentine liquid in a cute porcelain cup that you are supposed to choke down with your sushi (a widespread myth, folks….sake is NOT supposed to be served hot. Cheap sake is often served hot to Americans who don’t know the difference).

What is sake? Is it a beer? Is it a wine? Is it a spirit?
Sake is a beverage fermented from rice, which is a grain. This would make it more of a beer than a wine. Yet, sake is not carbonated, and flavor-wise is closer to wine than beer, although it is indeed uniquely different from wine. Sake is not a distilled beverage, and is not even remotely related to gin, vodka or other spirits.

Types of Sake
The Japanese government has created quality designations for sake. These classes refer to the level the rice is milled before the sake creation process. The more the rice is milled, the finer and more delicate the flavors.

Are you interested in learning more? Perhaps tasting? If so, please leave a comment or drop us an email (or say something on your next visit). If there are enough interested people, we may just have the makings for a very special tasting.

Banzai!

We’re holding our first ever cooking class on Saturday, the 19th of July at the Plank road store. Laurie Gills of LB’s Classic and Contemporary Cooking will be with us to teach you how to make some desserts. This class is good for beginner cooks or more experienced cooks alike, and you can either observe or make the desserts along with Laurie. Plus, we will pair each dessert with a wine and give you some tips on pairing wine with dessert. Click here for more information. It promises to be a good time, and you can have fun and learn something at the same time.

I spent Sunday July 6^th visiting relatives, badly – that is to say, I nodded at them if I noticed they were speaking while I watched the brilliant Wimbledon match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

To celebrate Nadal’s victory, we opened the 2005 Callejo Cuatro Meses en Barrica. I don’t speak Spanish, but its name rolls right off the tongue, sumptuous as the wine. It’s 100 percent tempranillo, blackberry, licorice, and espresso, ripe tannins. Later I found out the William Street kybecca has the 2004 vintage, which is supposed to be even better! Next on my list!

I have another wine at home from Ribera del Duero, and I don’t think I can wait for Nadal to beat Federer again before opening it — the Pago de los Capellanes 2004.

“Seamless and seductive. Blueberry, blackberry, cocoa and coffee flavors mingle in this elegant red. Firm, focused and fresh, with its harmony disguising impressive concentration. Drink now through 2016.” — Wine Spectator, 93 Points

kybecca also has a king from Ribera del Duero — Tinto Pesquera Ribera del Duero Reserva 2004. This wine earned a whopping 94 points from Wine Advocate.

“The 2004 Tinto Pesquera Reserva offers greater aromatic complexity, a thick, plush palate feel, gobs of fruit, and superb balance. Although it can be enjoyed now, it will be at its best in another 4-6 years and continue to provide pleasure through 2030.” — 94 Points, The Wine Advocate, April 2008

These Spanish reds are my new favorites!

My favorite Chilean winery does it again! I love these guys…they are seriously environmentally conscious, and their wines are fabulous (not to mention, organic and very affordable!)

Cono Sur is deeply committed to the development of its environmental policies, believing that high-quality wine production can work, hand-in-hand with eco-friendly practices.

A clean action plan and natural and integrated vineyard management was implemented at the winery beginning in 1998. Then they began working with organic viticulture and became the first winery in Chile to achieve 9001 and 14001 ISO certifications. They believe the biggest issue currently is climate change and they feel responsible for doing what they can to reverse and prevent it.

Global warming refers to the increase in the average temperature of the earth’s surface as a result of several factors, but mainly because of greenhouse gas emissions. Cono Sur decided to offset and balance the CO2 generated by the shipping of its products. To accomplish this, they chose the CarbonNeutral Company, which has been leading the way in voluntary action on climate change for the past decade.

So respect your Mother Earth and raise a green glass….cheers!

Yet another reason to pair wine with food. It is known that red wine is rich in antioxidants, but scientists until recently did not understand how the antioxidants had any effect because the antioxidants did not appear to travel to the bloodstream. Now they have figured it out. It’s not drinking red wine any old time, it’s particularly when you pair them with meat. While red meat is in the stomach it releases some harmful toxins that the antioxidants from the wine neutralize.

I’ve long been a big advocate of pairing wine with food, not just drinking it. If you weren’t into it before, now you have a health reason.

I learn this from The Economist. You can read the whole article by clicking here.

Via the Musings Over A Pint blog I was alerted to this article about the proper serving temperature for various beverages, including wine and beer. It makes some good points about why we serve wines at the temperature we do. I think most whites are best at about 50 degress and reds at about 60, give or take. Fuller-bodied reds are probably best at about 65 degrees. Of course, if I’m outside and it’s hot I’ll probably drink my white a bit colder.

I think the article is spot on about the beer serving temperatures. Some people will tell you to serve full-bodied beers, like Belgian ales or stouts, at 55 degrees. Here’s the problem: Beer glasses, unlike wine glasses, have no stems. That means that the only buffer between the beer and your hand is the glass. And your hand is an excellent conductor of heat. If you serve a beer at 55 degrees, it will be considerably warmer than that by the time you’re more than halfway through. 50 degrees, or even slightly colder, is better in my opinion. This is assuming you’re drinking out of a pint glass, of course.

But I wouldn’t agonize too much. The general rule is put your red wine in the fridge for 20 or 25 minutes before drinking it, and take your white out of the fridge 20 or 25 minutes before you drink it. That should be about right.