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Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474
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We have a great selection of wines for the Friday night tasting they are listed below - here are a couple of items of interest and the answers to a couple of questions that came in during the week.
• Well, our wine tasting on Friday night - the one that featured the "big guns" from Duckhorn Vineyards - brought the people out. Or was it the return of our own "Rascal from Rioja" Jim Morrison? Fresh from the trip to Spain, full of stories and a new outlook on life.
Lets just say it was a combination of both.
Our cellar was full of people. Chatting, sipping, meeting and greeting.
Thank you all for showing so much support and for making it so much fun every week.
There were lots of new people too. From places like Hartford, Madison, Old Saybrook and Providence.
Where else can you meet new people and share the experience of trying great wine? - For free.
"We wish we had a store like this at home" - That was the sentiment that was expressed - The out-of-towners said that they were tired of shopping in places with overwhelming selections, snobby unfriendly attitudes and feeling as if their local stores were doing them a favor by selling them a bottle of wine - or even worse making them feel like an idiot.
When it comes down to it - behind all of the fancy labels and famous names it is what is inside the bottle that counts. The best wines are not the ones that are the most expensive, they are the ones that bring the most enjoyment - that is why we are here. We want you to judge the wine for yourself - you are the best judge. We believe that by knowing our customers on an individual basis we can help them to feel comfortable trying new things and to experience the excitement of discovering their own tastes. Whether it is wine to go with Chinese take-out, a special gift, dinner party wine, or a large wedding, we are more than happy to use our "expertise" to help select the perfect wine for any occasion.
• Speaking of idiots...
We are often asked after pouring a glass of wine, "What should I be tasting?" Its a hard question to answer because no one can, or should, be able to tell you what to taste. I remember, reading the description of a wine I had tried and thinking "I don't taste any of those things, I must be an idiot." Now, the case could be made that I am an idiot, but not because I don't taste plums, saddle soap, figs and Converse All Stars in my Cote Rotie.
In addition to what you are actually tasting there is the problem of communicating that to another person. I had this discussion with a friend who sent along this essay that he found on a British website. Its called New English Review. The article is Language, truth and wine by Colin Bower.
Here is the link: http://www.newenglishreview.org/custpage.cfm?frm=5509&sec_id=5509
• We are in the process of switching all of our videos to the "Flash flv" format - in hopes of making it easier for everyone to view. At the moment they are all available in "Quicktime" only - This is a bunch of technical jargon that you do not have to worry about - when we switch it will be invisible to the user - that's you - your computer will will the work for you and it should allow everyone to see what all of the fuss is about. Thanks for your patience.
• All of the menus for our Tuesday and Wednesday night wine dinner series have been posted on the Calendar of Events page - If you see something that you like, it is best not to wait to make your reservations. Call, because seating is limited.
THIS WEEK AT BRIE & BLEU:
Dinner Specials:
Friday: Lemon Cod
Saturday: Lamb with fattoosh salad & garlic pilaf
The wine selections were not available to me at press time - but - rest assured that we will have a couple of choices just right for every pocket.
This has got to be the best food & wine dinner value in the area. Please give it a try.
The featured cheese is Constant Bliss.
The featured cheese of the week at Brie & Blue is Constant Bliss at $8. Constant Bliss is based on a Chaource recipe, which is modified to suit the production schedule and cheesemaking facility at Jasper Hill. The result is a cheese which hardly even resembles a Chaource. It is a slow ripened lactic curd made only with fresh, right out of the cow, uncooled, evening milk. We actually begin the cheesemaking process before the cows have finished milking. Constant Bliss is made with raw whole milk. This is not a double or triple crème cheese as is sometimes thought. Seasonal variations in the milk result in variations on the surface and flavor of the cheese. We like to use Constant Bliss to highlight our milk, and rather than overpowering the natural microflora of our milk with cotton white mold, we prefer to see a mottling of diverse molds and yeasts, which are prevalent particularly in the summer months when the cows are out on grass. It is aged 60 days before it leaves the farm, and is a ‘sell it or smell it’ item for retailers.
Constant Bliss is named after a revolutionary war scout killed in Greensboro by native Americans in 1781. He was guarding the Bayley Hazen Military Road with his compatriot Moses Sleeper, who died with him.
Enjoy,
"Mrs.Z"
WINE TASTING PLEASE JOIN US
Friday March 16 - 6-9 p.m. - No Charge
The wines are all from the region that our own Jim Morrison - has just visited. The stories are still fresh in his mind and he can give all of us first hand information about each and everyone one of them. We would like to thank the Symington family for their generous hospitality and Dominic Symington in-particular for his personal attention. Thank You. And to Jim Kowalyshyn from Vineyard Brands for opening the doors and including us.
Take a minute to visit our calendar of events page - In the next 24 hours - you can watch video shot on location with Dominic Symington in Portugal - it will give you an idea of what it takes to produce a world-class wine. And please taste them on Friday they are truly wonderful.
1 - Altano Douro Tinto 2004 $9
A red table wine from the Douro region of Portugal. Straight-forward, easy to drink and ideal for an improptu weeknight gathering. This wine is either at the head of its class in quality or below the curve in price. Altano Douro is a premium wine brand that Symington uses to market wines made from the traditional Port grapes from the Douro Valley in northern Portugal. Altano Douro is a delicious value and an excellent table wine. It’s a medium-bodied red that emits scents of red fruit, herbs, spices, and an earthy musk. For the price, the wine shows loads of finesse - just like Jim.
2 - Vale Do Bomfim Reserva 2004 $14
This is what the reviews have to say:
“An intense bouquet of ripe fruit seasoned with spicy vanilla oak leads the charge to flavors of vivid red-berry and cassis fruit gently layered over firm tannins.” - Ben Giliberti, Washington Post
"Best Buy", 88 Points
“… bold, exuberantly flavored blend… shows good depth of fruit…” - Wine Enthusiast
3 - Prazo de Roriz 2004 $16
The Prazo de Roriz table wine is made with a blend of Douro grapes; especially Tinta Roriz, a grape that acquired its name from the Roriz estate when it was first brought to the Quinta in the 19th century from Spain where the grape is known as Tempranillo.
"Best Buy", 89 Points
“The Symington family continues to make strides in their table wine production… full-bodied, smooth-textured… brining blackberry, blueberry and spice and mineral notes to the table.”
- Wine Enthusiast
4 - Quinta de Roriz Reserva 2000 $25
"Rich and deeply flavored, with brooding dark plum, dark chocolate and heady, spicy flavors. Almost like drinking a dry Port. Plenty of tannins in this as well, with good grip on the powerfully smoky and decadent finish. The preferred Port grape, Touriga Nacional, dominates as 45 percent of the blend. "
Score: 92 points - Wine Spectator
We hope to see you Friday night.
Please join us. It is fun, informal, and a great way to start your weekend.
AAA
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