The Solution?

New Yorker Cartoon Greeting Cards available at City News

Italian Dinner Number Two - is almost sold out.
Wednesday April 1st - 6 p.m. - $50 plus tax & service.
Reservations - 8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7
(This is a three dinner series.)

Join us for an evening of great food & wine, and insight into the Italian culture. The menu will be influenced by the cusine of VENICE - and will include:

· Steamed Mussels Trieste Style
· Creamy Risotto with Caramelized Onions and Porcini Mushrooms
· Polenta with Sausage and Peas
· Hazelnut Tart

Each delicious morsel will be accompanied by the perfect wine.

In the kitchen, our own Anne Haviland - what would we do without her? AND - tickling the keys of the Mighty Wulitzer - Ashly Turney. Who is at this very moment in Italy sipping espresso and hiding extra biscotti in her purse. Ashley will preside over the Italian Culture part of the evening - And as the founder and President of Live-It Italy she is just the girl to do it.

Dinner will be held at City News 70 State Street
Right next door to Thames River Greenery.
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7

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Back In Stock - Spring Collection
Chocolate Truffles from Moonstruck

In 1993, a simple but remarkable concept took root in Portland, Oregon. That concept was to handcraft superior chocolates - chocolates that would not only taste exquisite, but that would look exceptional, as well. The result would be a chocolate indulgence for all the senses.

From that initial idea grew Moonstruck Chocolatier, where to this day they still handcraft each piece, using only the finest ingredients. They pair their our own decadent chocolate with fresh flavors found in the Pacific Northwest and beyond, and then hand-decorate each piece with intricate care.

It all makes for a chocolate experience without compare, and we invite you to share in that experience yourself.

We offer a wide variety of shapes and sizes that have to be seen to be belived. Moonstruck Fine Chocolates are served at the White House, The Academy Awards and right here in New London - please stop by The Greenery or City News to see our collection.

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Please Join Us
Friday March 20 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Clos des Briords Muscadet Sevre et Maine 2007 $16
A very-old-vine cuvée of Muscadet from a single-plot vineyard in schist, the Clos des Briords. These are among the oldest vines in the estate (they were planted in 1930) and they enjoy a particularly good exposition. Also, when most of the estate's vines are planted on poor, shallow soil with hard granite very close to the surface, the Clos des Briords has a much deeper top soil of clay and silica over a brittle granite subsoil: this ensures excellent drainage in wet years, and better moisture retention in dry summers. Ripening is slower, and the longer hang-time before harvest allows for optimal maturity to be reached.

The vinification techniques are traditional for the area: no skin maceration but direct pressing within 2 hours of picking, racking of the must after 12 hours to remove the solid matter, and controlled temperatures, not to exceed 71.6 degrees F, for the fermentation. The aging of the wine, on its lees in stainless steel vats, lasts until bottling, about eight months later.

Because of the soil and greater concentration achieved with old vines, the Clos des Briords is a more powerful wine that most Muscadets. It is very mineral and quite austere in its youth, rather than fruity and light. Over a few months, or even years, if one can wait for it, it develops much complexity in aromatics and structure.


2 - El Coto Rioja Crianza 2004 $12
The Crianza is given 13-15 days in stainless steel vats with daily pumping over, followed by one year aging in 225 liter new American oak barrels. They maintain 65,000 casks of varying ages, from new to at most seven years of age. Note: El Coto does not produce the young, or unwooded, type of red Rioja, believing that pure Tempranillo is greatly enhanced by oak maturation.

In general, the 2004 vintage is characterized by intense fruit, powerful structure and tannins, while the overall quality of 2004 rivals that of the excellent 2001 and the exceptional 2005, a vintage already spoken of as potentially the best ever in Rioja. The powerful and brooding structure of 2004 recalls that of 1994, the best Rioja vintage of the 1990s.




3 - Lancatay Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 $10

Sourced from grapes grown in Huarpe's high altitude vineyards in Mendoza.

Wines are vinified in stainless steel tanks, and then aged in French and American oak barrels and are neither fined nor filtered.










4 - Gaja Ca'Marcanda Magari 2005

Along the Tuscan seaboard extending south from Livorno lies the Maremma. For centuries a marshland, it has established itself over the last quarter century as one of Italy's most prestigious wine regions.
The area boasts an excellent climate for growing international grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. Hot summer days are freshened by brisk sea breezes and cool nighttime temperatures, ideal for fully ripened grapes.

The alluvial soil is unique in that it consists of two distinct types: terre brune ("dark earth", predominately loam and clay, with very little limestone or stone) and terre bianche ("white earth", primarily clay and sand, rich in limestone and filled with abundant stones and pebbles of different sizes).

It is in this region that wine icon Angelo Gaja, owner of the Gaja Winery, began a new winemaking venture - Ca'Marcanda. His aim was to transfer the experience of his Piemontese culture to the Maremma - to first acquire a thorough understanding of the potential of the different soil types and then to emphasize their specificity and uniqueness in the wines that are produced.
The Maremma provides a perfect opportunity to apply this experience to growing international varieties. In 1996, along the road between Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci, Gaja began planting 150 acres of vineyards, primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but also Cabernet Franc and Syrah.

While created from international varieties, the wines are not intended to vanish into the universe of international taste. The wines reflect the best of Bolgheri's terrior: fully ripened fruit with balanced acidity.

The classic label of Gaja inspired the design of the new labels: geometric, with contrasting colors and minimal wording.

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Lots of great ideas planned for the coming warm weather - thanks for all of the input - we could not do it without you! And many thanks for all of your support - we appreciate it.

Please join us. It's fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.

AAA.

The Jesus Factor, Gaya, Le Grascete, Saint Gayan,

Greetings from all of us In New London,

Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817
Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Brie & Bleu - 860-437- 2474
www.thamesriver.com

We are running a little late this week - so just a quick note or two before the list of wine for Friday night. Which, by the way, has a real blockbuster on it -
you won't want to miss it. We hope you can join us.

• A big note of thanks to everyone that attended the dinner with Casamiro Maule last Monday. It was an honor to have Italy's Winemaker of The Year as our guest - it was a special night.


• A reminder that Fiddleheads Food Co-op is holding a Winter's Farmers Market on Saturdays throughout February, March and April - from 10 a.m. -2 p.m. Located at the Fiddlehead's Food Co-op, in the old California Fruit building on Broad Street. 25-30 vendors selling farm produce and related goods. A real opportunity to buy fresh, local farm goods during the winter. Plenty of parking makes this an easy visit. - Above Tony D'd Restaurant across from the courthouse.


• Dave's Fave - Monday Tasting - No Charge
Chateau Fontbernard Montagne Saint-Emilion 2005 $13
Dave Says: "Last week I said we had six Bordeaux in house under $15 -- as of this writing, the number is now eight! (Starting at $7.00!) This one, Chateau Fontbernard, belongs to the same grower-producer collective I mentioned last week, it's a little more robust and earthier than last week's selection, beautifully made, and super affordable. Stop in Monday afternoon for a free glimpse inside the bottle!"


Wine Tasting Please Join Us Friday January 8 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Tolosa No-Oak Chardonnay 2005 $18.
Jim Says: "Are the days of butter slathered, over oaked california Chardonnay over? I'm not sure, but here's another bight and crisp Cali Chard, fermented in stainless steel,presenting pure, unadulterated fruit. Now if they could just ease back on their Zinfandel extraction,they might get something going out there."

This is a pure expression of Chardonnay, with lime blossom, ripe peach and tangerine fruit layered over a core of cool-climate minerality. Beautiful weight and richness, balanced by elegant, crisp acidity, and a touch of sweet anise on the finish. We especially love this wine with all manner of shellfish: Dungeness crab, red abalone, diver scallops, Pacific oysters; all in the simplest of preparations. - Please try it on Friday night.


2 - Domaine Saint Gayan Rasteau 2004 $17
Domaine Saint Gayan is a small estate located at the foot of the spectacular Dentelles de Montmirail in the Gigondas appellation - This is what our friend Robert Parker says: "An excellent estate dedicated to making robustly styled, natural wines that are always among the best of the traditional heavyweights of Gigondas." This is from one of the lesser known Cotes du Rhone Villages, just to the north of the famed Chateauneuf du Pape. Saint Gayan is One of the great estates of the Southern Rhone, the owners, Jean-Pierre Meffre and his wife Martine produce wines of enormous power and concentration. With 1/3 of the vines being about 100 years old and the yields consequently low, the Gigondas has all the complexity and intensity of flavor one can expect from the Rhone. - This is a favorite and a great value for the dollar.

Importers Information: This meaty and succulent single-village Cotes-du Rhone is one of our favorite Rhone wines 70% Grenache and a whopping 30% Mourvedre. The size of these vineyards totals only .75 hectare,1/3 of which contain 100 year-old vines! Vinification follows traditional methods: 50% of the grapes are crushed, 50% fermented whole-berry; fermentation is brought to 31-32 degrees Celsius, and the wine is kept two years in tank and one year in cask before bottling.


3 - Le Grascete Bolgheri Rosso 2003 $30.
Nestled between Ornelia and Sassicaia, Azienda Agricola Le Grascete gives us this Super Tuscan of Cabernet, Merlot and Sangiovese, one of only two wines they produce. The grapes are meticulously hand harvested, and aged in French oak for 18 months, then 6 more months in bottle before release. The result is a wine with the power and depth you would expect from a Super Tuscan without the $150 price tag from the Bolgheri D.O.C.

Speaking of $150 Super Tuscans from a Rock Star wine maker...


4 - Gaja Ca'marcanda 2003 $150.
Last week Casamiro Maule, this week Angelo Gaja, or at least his wine. Along the Tuscan seaboard extending south from Livorno lies the Maremma. For centuries a marshland, it has established itself over the last quarter century as one of Italy's most prestigious wine regions. It is in this region that wine icon Angelo Gaja, looking like he just dismounted a Vespa in a Fellini movie, began a new winemaking venture — Ca'Marcanda. His aim was to transfer the experience of his Piemontese culture to the Maremma - to first acquire a thorough understanding of the potential of the different soil types and then to emphasize their specificity and uniqueness in the wines that are produced. The Maremma provides a perfect opportunity to apply this experience to growing international varieties.

In 1996, along the road between Bolgheri and Castagneto Carducci, Gaja began planting 150 acres of vineyards, primarily with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, but also Cabernet Franc and Syrah. Angelo Gaja arrived on the wine scene and set about redefining the wines of Piedmonte, especially Barbaresco. The Ca' Marcanda estate (the translation is "the house of endless negotiations") is Angelo's effort in the D.O.C. of Bolgheri. Gaja wines accomplish something nearly impossible, they are shockingly approachable in their youth, yet have virtually unlimited aging potential. Many times I've pulled the cork on a Gaja wine expecting to find an untamed beast of of wine, only to be greeted by a supple wine, whose true nature is revealed by penetrating flavor. A masterpiece by a master wine maker.

Rated 92 points by Tanzer: "(A blend of 50% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 10% cabernet franc). Deep ruby. Rich, almost roasted aromas of black cherry, plum, and dark coffee, complicated by peat and an intensely balsamic menthol character. Concentrated flavors of red cherry, plum and milk chocolate are far from jammy. Wonderfully harmonious acids convey a sense of elegance and seamlessness on the extremely long finish."

We are pleased to share this with you on Friday - This is a special bottle that as we like to say, usually goes to movie stars or rich guys with pinot envy - but why should they have all of the fun? This is a wine that really has "The Jesus Factor" - made by man - but somehow touched by a higher power. Authentic and one of a kind - It may be a bargain at the price.


Thanks for your support we appreciate it - and it is the reason that we are able to bring in guests like Casamiro Maule, and offer wine like the Gaya at our weekly tasting.

There are lots of new things on the horizon, many of them based on your comments and suggestions - we are listening.


Please Join Us -
It's fun, informal, and a great way to start your weekend.

AAA.