Thanksgiving Tasting & News 2009

Happy Thanksgiving
We have solutions galore.
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Greetings from New London,
This week we have more wine than you can shake a stick at. TWO big tastings to satisfy all of your Thanksgiving needs. Details are below.

Next, we have to remind you that all of the Cheese and Specialty Foods at Brie & Bleu are available Seven Days A Week - From 9:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m. - right through the holidays. The entire department is now open at Thames River Greenery.

We ask you: What holiday table is complete without the full assortment of cheeses, breads, imported nuts, charcuterie, and specialty foods that we are known for?


We will even deliver them right to your front door with the centerpiece you have ordered for the holiday.


Please stop in and take a look at our new gourmet department.

Or call us with any questions that you might have.
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Thanks for a great turn out last Friday for our book signing reception with Marci Alborghgetti in our wine cellar. Her new book The Christmas Glass is available at City News.

Read the article in the Day Paper HERE

*****

Fifth Annual
Jonathan Edwards Winery
W I N E T A S T I N G
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25
STARTS AT 3 P.M.

The Fifth Annual Jonathan Edwards Winery Thanksgiving Tasting - this Wednesday starting at 3 p.m.

This Wednesday we are proud to present our 5th Annual Jonathan Edwards Pre-Thanksgiving Wine Taste-a-thon!

It's the day before Thanksgiving - did you get maple syrup for the yams? Shallots for the mushroom gravy? Foil pans for the extra stuffing?? No worries!! Our favorite Connecticut winemaker will set up shop in the cellar starting at 3PM, so there will be plenty of time to pause, reflect, and give thanks for these four lovely, local, Jonathan Edwards creations:

2008 Estate Connecticut Gewurztraminer
This wine was harvested in October, fermented at cool temperatures to enhance the bouquet and aged for 6 months in stainless steel to preserve its crisp characteristics. A crisp, dry finish follows fragrant aromas of grapefruit and lemon zest. Enjoy on its own or with spicy dishes such as Thai food or Sushi.

2008 Estate Connecticut Chardonnay

Enjoy the bright citrus bouquet of green apples and lemons, framed with smoky vanilla oak from large French barrels. This silky smooth, easy-drinking wine pairs perfectly with seafood and fresh cheeses or is excellent all by itself on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

2007 Napa Valley Zinfandel

The Zinfandel is harvested from low yielding 50 year old head-pruned vines. Up-front, jammy blackberry/raspberry fruit is followed by a smooth round easy finish. Pasta dishes are a perfect match for this wine.

2007 Napa Valley Merlot

The 2007 offering is sourced from a thirty-five year old vineyard on the south side of Calistoga. A gorgeous dark ruby color is pleasing to the eye and the deep black cherry aroma paired with a long complex finish will thrill your other senses as well. This robust Merlot will continue to develop in the bottle for at least 5-8 years. Enjoy this with red pasta dishes, meats and your favorite cheeses.

The Thanksgiving Leftovers Tasting
Please Join Us
Friday November 27 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

A Great Way To Start Your Weekend.
"THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS TASTING"
After all the feasting, anybody still up for another wine tasting? Of course you are - You Are Professionals!

We can't predict what will still be on the shelf Friday, but what's better than leftovers?

We will search out something wonderful, or just ask YOU, our friends and customers, to point out which wines you would love to sample!

Dave says: "Fun is guaranteed."

Get off the couch and come on down - get a little air, it will do you good.

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P E T I T E F O U R S
Are A Specialty of
You Take The Cake

Don't wait to place your orders for the holidays from You Take The Cake.

Everything from Petite Fours to holiday cakes, Buche Noel's, and Cheesecakes, are just a call away.

Everything is baked from scratch - delivery to your front door is available - all you need to do is take credit for all the hard work.

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O R D E R E A R L Y

YOU TAKE THE CAKE

Buche de Noel


Holiday Petite Fours


German Chocolate

*****

We sincerely appreciate your comments and suggestions.

And of course it is your support that makes all of this possible - it looks like it will be a great holiday season for us - thank you.

The biggest achievement we made this week was relocating all of the cheese and specialty foods to our new gourmet department. We were still filling the cases when people came in to purchase cheese for Thanksgiving.

We know that making all of the items from Brie & Bleu available everyday was important to you. We will continue to use your suggestions as a guide to serve you better.

AAA.

Explorer of The Seas, U.S. Open, Jonathan Edward's, Mas Cal Demoura, Grand Cuvee de La Mision, Viña Maquis Calcu,

Explorer of The Seas

Coming to New London Harbor.

Greetings from all of us in New London,
Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817
Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474
IMPORT - 860-443-6817
www.ThamesRiver.com


The big Labor Weekend is here - and we have a nice line up of wine to go with it on Friday night - we hope you can join us.
The list is just below a couple of items of news and interest.


• Thanks to New York Times wine writer Eric Asimov for spreading the word about us and our WineRadio project. He is obviously a very gifted writer that is underpaid by The Times - Eric Asimov: asimov@nytimes.com

• Thanks to Mike Bowers for hosting a brilliant Scotch and Cigar tasting on our deck last week - really outstanding. Remember - you can have your own Big Smoke & tasting too - you just have to ask. - 860-443-9463.

• Seats for our Endless Summer - Wednesday night wine dinners are still available for some nights. Please call to reserve - 860-443-9463

• The excitement for this coming Saturday night is building every minute -
As many of you know, our deck will be one of the key vantage points for viewing the Royal Caribbean Explorer of The Seas when it arrives in port on Saturday. This is the largest ship to ever make port in New London. It will not fit under the Gold Star Bridge.
The scheduled departure and the required "ballet" for moving the ship back out to sea is set to begin at 7 p.m.

Our very own Cruise Director - Jim Morrison -
thought that Italy's answer to sparkling wine might be the perfect fit.
For your viewing pleasure - we will have a prosecco tasting that starts at 6 p.m. and extended food service if the ship leaves after regular hours.
If you missed the story about the ship - here is a link: http://www.theday.com/re.aspx?re=cc512dcf-7054-482f-96e8-6bc82d78c1be


• Tennis fans know that Monday is the start of the U.S. Open -
But If your not heading out Flushing Meadows - our very own "Rock Star Dave Anderson"
is ready with a Monday selection.

Dave's Fave
Monday Wine Tasting - No Charge

Prazo de Roriz Duoro 2005 $16
Dave Says:
"Ever since Jim went to Portugal we've been touting the brilliance and value of Duoro still wines - made from the same grapes as Port
(lots of Tourigas and Tintos), these reds are have stayed under the radar with flavors that outclass their price range.

A few clever patrons have organized their own blind under-$15 tastings and we slip them Vale do Bomfim Duoro as The Ringer...
Prazo de Roriz, The Sleeper, is a deeply fruity and velvety Duoro which you may not have tried yet. Come in on Monday for a sip and see what you think!"


Friday August 31
Wine Tasting - Please Join Us - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Jonathan Edwards Connecticut Chardonnay 2006 $19
Our good friends at Jonathan Edward's have released their second vintage of their Connecticut Chardonnay. Lots of people thought that it was fool hardy to plant grapes up in the woods of Stonington - well they were wrong.
This wine makes a significant statement about the will and determination of a family run enterprise and the wine speaks for itself.

Very bright, fruit forward citrus bouquet of green apples and lemons, with light nuances of smoky vanilla oak from their large French barrels.
This silky smooth, easy drinking wine pairs perfectly with seafood and fresh cheeses or is excellent all by itself on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Please try it on Friday night. And you have never seen the vineyard, what are you waiting for? It is worth the drive.
Take a look: http://www.jedwardswinery.com/

2 - Viña Maquis - Calcu red wine 2005 $12 - from Chile
The Rivadeniera-Hurtado family has owned the Viña Maquis vineyard for more than a century, but it wasn’t until ten years ago that the family decided to make their own wine out of the terrific grapes in their own backyard. They built a gorgeous, state-of-the-art gravity flow winery and set out to make “Super Chilean” blend using the vineyard’s best red grapes.
Winemakers artfully blend the mineral notes and fresh acidity of grapes from the Andes foothills with the ripe tannins and red fruit from the center of the valley, and add richness and body from grapes grown closer to the Pacific Ocean. The resulting wine is lightly oaked, allowing the grapes’ natural, fresh fruit character to shine through. The price of this wine is impossible to beat, and like many of the wines coming from South America it is a great value.


3 - Grand Cuvee de La Mision 2000 Cabernet Sauvignon $16 - from Chile
One of the keys to Chile's success and singularity lies in the fact that historically, it is one of the oldest wine producing countries of the New World. The first recorded Chilean vineyards were created by Spanish Conquistadors in the 16th century, long before the familiar regions of Europe developed the wine styles for which they so well known today.

The Central Valley is also the single vineyard region where highly rated French varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, were preserved with their original clones from the pre-phylloxera era - This is a big wine but because of the many months of aging and the exacting attention to detail that is given to this vineyard this wine is open and expressive, a wine made in the tradition of the great wines of Bordeaux. When you taste this wine on Friday night it will open your eyes to the quality and the value that is coming to us from South America.


4 - Mas Cal Demoura Coteaux du Languedoc "L'Infidèle" $30
"A N I M A L I S T I C" -
This is how the wine was described by one of the people that are "in the know."
Other experts also said "Very distinctive spicy, the nose is intense. The palate is vividly fruited with a pronounced spiciness and some roast coffee character. Bold and distinctive. Very good."
I'm not sure that its possible to have that kind of fun for just thirty dollars - you be the judge.
Please try it on Friday night.

Thanks very much for all of the email, calls, and for your support - we appreciate it.
Please join us. It's fun, informal, and a great way to start your weekend.

We'll see you on the Lido Deck.



AAA.