Great Summer Wines / Best Party in Town / Smutty Nose

Greetings from New London -
Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817
Brie and Bleu - 860-437-2474
www.thamesriver.com
www.brieandbleu.com


Last week was Hazy - Hot - Humid - Oh yeah - but NOT in our cellar! - because it's "KEWL". Maybe that's why it was so busy.
Or maybe it was because of the show that featured the photographic art of Mr. Joe Standard and the New London Project.
Or maybe it was the deck at Brie & Bleu - full of action, well dressed chattering people hopping from one table to the next.
Or maybe it was because our regular open tasting featured some of the best Australian wines this side of the Pecos.
Or maybe it was simply because it is a beautiful scene.
And do you know who is responsible for all of the fun & excitement? - YOU.
This is your clubhouse and we will keep the party going as long and as loud as you want.

This is how we have responded to your requests:
Weekly Wine & Beer Tastings? DONE.
Cellar Club & Special Events? DONE.
Wine Dinners? DONE
Private Tastings & Parties? DONE.
Hot Stone Massages and a Full Seaweed Wrap?
Talk to us privately. We will look into it on a case by case basis.

I have to take a minute to thank all of the wonderful guests that attended our French Wines and Dinner last Wednesday.
It was a lovely night - such great conversation and shared stories. And a special thanks to Mr. Roger Hoadley.
Roger "Officiated" & spoke eloquently about the wines and answered all of the questions - and kept our glasses full.
Bravo Roger.
The dinners that we have every week now - are like going to a great party with really cool people.
And I'll tell you what the secret is - we keep them small. That's what makes it so much fun - thank you all.

Remember we have a dinner every week at Brie & Bleu with wines and food matched and prepared - with love.

Our next French Dinner is on Wednesday August 10 at 6 p.m.
- Italian Wines & Food on Thursady July 21st
- Pan Asian Dinner & Wines on Wednesday July 27th

And an updated list of all dinners with wine lists & menus can always be found on our website:
http://www.thamesriver.com/site_2/wine/calendar.html
It changes often so remember to check it every now and again.

THIS FRIDAY JULY 22 2005 - 6-9 p.m. - NO CHARGE

1 - St. Urbans - Hof Riesling 2004 - $12 - http://www.urbans-hof.de/index.htm
This wine, typical of Mosel Rieslings, is almost as pale as water, showing just a light greenish-straw color. Its initial aroma impact speaks more of earth than fruit; it's worth pouring the wine with vigorous aeration a half-hour before serving, though, as these aromas blow off to reveal appetizing juicy, limey citrus fruit. Limes and lemons show on the palate, too, with hints of peach, and light fresh-fruit sweetness fully balanced by steely "minerally" acidity. Gentle 10 percent alcohol makes this an obvious candidate for aperitif quaffing, but its exceptional affinity for food earns it a place at the dinner table.

2 - La Craie Vouvray 2003 - $13
When I suggest a Vouvray to some of my friends, I often get a response like, "Sounds "kewl", but what is it?"
Vouvray ( VOOve Ray ) is sexy, but it is often not understood by wine drinkers because it can come in so many styles, ranging from very dry to slightly sweet. Vouvray is the appellation for wine that comes from one of eight villages in the Loire Valley of France, including the village of Vouvray.
It is made from the chenin blanc grape. The dry wines can be rich, full-bodied and intense, while the sweeter wines can be very fruity and full of flavor.
Vouvray can accompany a wide range of foods. The dry wines can pair with chicken and white sauces or fish and seafood. The sweeter wines may be matched with spicy Asian food or Indian curries.

3 - Chateau Sansey Graves Blanc 2002 - $12 - http://www.vins-graves.com/?page=VinsGravesLayout
It seems like it’s tougher than it should be to find good Bordeaux blancs, and this position has remained unfilled for a few months.
Enter this delightful Graves, a pretty blend of 60% Semillon, 20% Sauvignon, and 20% Muscadelle, hand-picked and aged in oak.
The nose is fresh, floral, and has the expected underpinning of minerality, there is plump, juicy melon and passion fruit flecked with some ‘Gravesy’ stones, and enough acid for brightness and not get in the way. Delicious, easy-going, and nicely priced.

4 - Huber Gruner Vettiner Alte Setzen 2003 $24
For people who are not familiar with Gruner Veltliner, Austria’s most widely planted grape, we liken it to Sauvignon Blanc.
They’re not always the same because Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t have the white pepper note that Gruner Velt-liner does, for example.
But we tell people that if they like Sauvignon Blanc, they’ll generally like Gruner Veltliner. This is a great way to try it.
Another thing Gruner Veltliner has in common with Sauvignon Blanc is an affinity for food.
The lighter styles make good aperitifs and excellent partners for vegetables, seafood, even caviar.
Richer versions can go with white meats.

Also this week -

Wednesday JULY 20th - 6:00 - p.m. - $35.
Cask Finished Single Malt Scotch:
Port Wood -Sherry Wood -Madeira Wood - Bordeaux Wood
The evening will include the "BOMBSHELL"
Scotts Selection - 1964 North of Scotland ($180) 39 years in the barrel!

AND on the deck - The Hand Crafted Cigars of Moore & Bode.
http://www.mooreandbode.com/quotes.htm
Cigar Aficionado Magazine said:
"There are cigars, and there is the art of the cigar.
Moore & Bode cigars are the foremost exposition of the roller's art, expressed in the highest possible quality of construction."
The factory has prepared a special gift for each of our guests. - Limited Seating.

THURSDAY - 5-8 p.m. BEER TASTING - NO CHARGE - http://www.smuttynose.com
The Granite State's leading craft brewery, located in the historic seacoast city of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Smuttynose was founded in 1994 by the folks who started the Northampton and Portsmouth Breweries.
The beers - Shoals Pale Ale, Old Brown Dog, Portsmouth Lager, IPA, Robust Porter, and The Big Beer Series - are distributed throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic.

1 - SMUTTYNOSE OLD BROWN DOG ALE
Winner of a Silver Medal at the 1989 Great American Beer Festival.
AWARDED BEST BROWN ALE IN THE NORTHEAST - 8th Annual US Beer Tasting Championship
Old Brown Dog has been cited as a classic example of the "American Brown Ale" style of beer. Compared to a typical English Brown Ale, Old Brown Dog is fuller-bodied and more strongly hopped. Old Brown Dog has been around for many years. It was first brewed in 1988 at the Northampton Brewery. In 1989 it won a silver medal in its category at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver.

2 - SMUTTYNOSE SHOALS PALE ALE
GOLD MEDAL WINNER - Best American Beer 2003 Great British Beer Festival.
"...the closest thing to an English ale in an American bottled beer." - Boston Globe, September, 1999.
Their interpretation of a classic English beer style is copper-colored, medium-bodied and highly hopped.
Its flavor is delightfully complex: tangy fruit at the start, with an assertive hop crispness and a long malty palate that one well-known beer writer has compared to the flavor of freshly-baked bread.

AND from the UK

3 - Old Speckled Hen http://www.oldspeckledhen.co.uk/
This is the flagship beer of the Oxfordshire brewery, named after the vintage MG car rather than the popular farmyard animal.
The beer is a rich reddish golden-brown colour with a solid, bubbly head, but very little aroma (perhaps a hint of malt).
It is remarkably smooth on the palate, with a fairly heavily hopped bitter flavour and a strong element of maltiness.
The finish is long and bitter. Altogether, this makes a beautifully balanced, session beer - a little on the strong side for a long session, perhaps.

4 - Old Peculiar
This is the best known of Theakston's beers. It is dark coloured with a tight, fairly long-lasting head. It has a hoppy aroma but with a distinct underlying doughy tinge, very much like partially baked bread. There is some sweetness, becoming more pronounced in the finish. Aftertaste is of sweetish malt, but rapidly fades. An interesting and distinctive beer and worth a try if you have ever wondered what this type of beer is like.

Our own George Whitehouse - the President of our beer division - takes great pride in the SIXTY beers that we now carry - he would love to see you on Thursday night - please stop by if you can.

Thanks for your support - we love hearing from you -
Please join us - it's fun, informal and a great way to start your weekend.
TRW&S



AAA.