Boxler Grand Cru/Chalone/Cellar Cal Pla/Quinta Eufemia

Greetings from New London,
Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817

Calendar of Events: http://thamesriver.com/wine/calendar.html

Featured - Wine: http://thamesriver.com/wine/instock.html

Featured - Greenery: http://www.thamesriver.com/trg/featured.html

The wines for this Friday are listed below and highlighted in RED

So you say that the holiday season is getting you down?
That the crowds and confusion at the mall have you pulling out your hair?
Is that what's troublin' you Bunky?

We know it's not easy so we will do what we can to help -

It's not too late to order deliveries from our stores.
One call can solve a lot of problems.
Check out the web sites, give us a call, and let us help for the holiday.

There are lots of specialty items, gift baskets, cards, gourmet & cheese gifts, stocking stuffers and more.

If you are downtown - please stop by and say hello - Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.
Thanks for making this season so special.


THIS WEEK - FEATURED CHEESE AT BRIE AND BLEU
1. Cotswold – ENGLAND - $14/lb.

Made from whole milk, Cotswold is a variation of double Gloucester to which chopped onions and chives have been added. This is a firm cheese, similar to cheddar but not quite as hard. A full-flavored, creamy, mild cheese that will stand well on its own with crackers and grapes. It also makes an excellent addition to recipes such as omelets or casseroles, since it melts well.

Suggested wines: Full-bodied red wine such as Shiraz or Zinfandel. Also, this cheese is considered a "Pub" cheese in England. As such, it pairs well with beer.

2. MORBIER - FRANCE – $15/lb
Morbier is a semi-soft, unpasteurized, creamery, cow'smilk cheese produced in a small town in the Jura Mountains of France's Franche-Comté.
This rich and creamy cheese with a pungent aroma is decorated with a horizontal layer of vegetable ash in the middle, marking the separation of the morning and evening milkings. Morbier is often found on the cheese board that the French pass around for the cheese course.
Suggested wines: Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon

3. COMTE de GRUYERE - FRANCE – $17/lb
Comte is a cow’s milk cheese from the Franche-Comté region of France, along the Swiss border. It has a sweet, nutty, slightly creamy flavor with a bit of fruitiness, and a texture that is firm and mild. Meadows in that region have 1,200 varieties of wildflowers and the floral component can definitely be tasted, along with the lush, spring grass. Comte will elevate your grilled cheese sandwich to Alpine heights and is also delicious in a fondue. Or, slice it on a cheese board, top with honey and serve with fruit of the season.
Suggested wines: A hearty ale or a Cotes du Rhone

In The Cellar This Week:

BEER TASTING - THURSDAY DECEMBER 22 - 5-8 p.m.
Stocking Stuffer Beer Tasting - the perfect gift for the beer lover in your house.
1 - Orval Trappist Ale
2 - Old Engine Oil Scottish Ale
3 - Traquair House Scoth Ale
** and some holiday surprises **
all for your quaffing pleasure

THIS FRIDAY DECEMBER 23 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge

1 - Boxler Grand Cru Alsace Riesling - $35
Jean Boxler is without a doubt one of France’s most talented wine makers and yet he must be one of the most modest. Jean is his own harshest critic. This is another domaine where the quality of the base wines is a reflection on the skills of the grower. The structure, character and complexity from the wine add another dimension. Produced from a blend of the estate's youngest grand cru parcels, the liquid mineral-scented Riesling is a lace-like, finely etched wine. Honeyed minerals, are found in its intricate, light to medium-bodied character.
This wine has been called "Hedonistic" - I think that merits a try - don't you.

2 - Chalone Pinot Noir - $16 - Wine Spectator 90 points
Silky, with a pretty array of black cherry, plum and raspberry-scented fruit that's deftly balanced, complex and elegantly styled, turning delicate and perfumed. This is a wine that is getting lots of press lately. You will see it on tables at fancy holiday parties, and peeking from the bags being put onto the back seats of those expensive cars at shopping center. But don't let that fool you - it is very good.

3 - Cellar Cal Pla Priorat - $21
Priorato is a beautiful mountainous area in north- eastern Spain an hour or so down the coast from Barcelona. The area is volcanic in origin and production methods have hardly changed since Cathusian monks first established vineyards in the 12th century. This is where probably the best examples in the world of wine produced from Garnacha and Carinena are made. This is a hot rugged landscape with poor soils and plenty of steep rocky hill sides which make cultivation difficult, and mechanisation impossible. The wines are rich and dark with high natural alcohol levels but wonderful complexity of spices and dark gamey fruit. The owner and winemaker, Juan Sangenis, philosophy is to spend 10 months in the vineyard and 2 months in the cellar, because great wine comes from great grapes and not great hands he says. This is not some nut wearing a beret and making wine for fun. It is a passion and you can taste it in the wine - you must try this one.

4 - Quinta Sta. Eufemia 2000 LBV Port - $24
The very famous Quinta is almost unique in that it has not only its vines, but also its cellars in the Douro Valley (Most ‘lodges’ are in Oporto). So the ports age in barrel in a giant cellar carved into the hills below the vineyard. There are various parcels of vineyard of which the best known is Quinta do Marco. Wines are produced traditionally, in lagares and in my experience, have a tendency to be richer and, perhaps sweeter than many. It is difficult to sip this after dinner - because it is so damn good. You will also find that a bottle will disappear quickly as you converse with your friends and those short little port glasses are refilled over and over - this is a great buy for the money.

Thank you for support - we all appreciate it.
Happy Holidays from all of us.

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