Wine Dinners Return, Barons de Rothschild, Crios Torrontes, Castro Ventosa Mencia, El Masroig Sola Fred,Miguel Torres Manso de Velasco

Greettings form all of us in New London,
Thames River Wine & Spirits - 860-443-9463
Thames River Greenery - 860-443-6817
Brie & Bleu - 860-437-2474

www.thamesriver.com





There is a lot going on this week - including a tremendous line-up for Friday night.
I would like to briefly mention something that came up at a dinner we attended a couple of nights ago. The question came up as to why people feel intimidated because they do not know much about wine. Somehow people have gotten the impression that not knowing the difference between a merlot and a cabernet is something to hide - that is a load of crap. America is not a wine-drinking culture. For most of the world wine is something that is on the table and served with food - no big deal - it is part of everyday life.

We believe that drinking wine and learning about wine is a lot of fun, and that's why we encourage you to try wine at our weekly tasting. You do not need a magazine to tell you what to enjoy. In fact that's one reason why our shelves are not littered with those little cards with ratings and opinion's from reviewers.

We offer wine that we have tried ourselves, in many cases we have met the winemaker personally and we want to share our discoveries and something special with you - so that you may form your own opinion. Don't be too concerned with learning about wine - learning to enjoy wine is the first step. The rest will fall into place.

Our list for the Friday tasting is just below these few items of interest.


• First we should probably address all of the rumors about Billy Joel being in the store this week. We have had our fair share of celebrities, including Academy Award winners. And it is true that Mr. Joel is occasionally seen on the Cross Sound Ferry ( he is usually escorted to the wheelhouse to make the trip quietly - I am fairly certain though they do not let him steer - USCG regulations and so forth...) - The best that I can do here is deny that we had a visit this week. We respect the privacy of all our friends and customers. I will remind you that there may still be some seats available for his upcoming Mohegan Sun appearance.

• We had some very kind word's mentioned about us in Sunday's Day paper - in the Perspective Section: "...The cheese and wine shop has a wine cellar that rivals the best that France has to offer..." - If you missed it here is a link for the story : http://theday.com/re.aspx?re=2021ee6a-e12d-4572-842b-e73bf393e6e0
People are discovering downtown New London and all it has to offer.

• Also in Sunday's paper - in The MarketPlace magazine section a story by Eileen Jenkins about the magical qualities of Cognac. The story notes that Cognac is not just for Grumpy Old Men anymore. Cynthia Keller of Restaurant Du Village in Chester talks about the history, production methods, and the fact that it just may be the "perfect" New England drink. It warms you from the inside out, it's meant to be sipped and savored." I mention all of this because we feature all of the Cognac shown in the story - one of the finest selections to be found anywhere. Ask us about it - we even have bottles with Cognac from 1929! - take a look the next time you are in the store.


• Wine Dinners Return - Our own Anne Haviland will be in the kitchen - she is just back from a fabulous European Odyssey - rested, re-charged, and ready for 2008.
This is a new format, based on your comments and suggestions we are opening up the seating plan. These dinners will be "open plan" seating - so you are free to sit with your friends, and family however you choose. A cozy dinner for two? Why not. Two or three couples getting together for a night out? - You bet. Each delicious course is paired carefully with wine and a little something special with the dessert. The final details of the menus and wine lists will be posted on the website and here in the email next week.

Here are the first two dates.

1 - Wednesday March 19 - 6 p.m. - "Sunny Southern Italy" -
food and wine of Italy - $50 - plus tax & service

2 - Wednesday April 4 - 6 p.m. - "Rioja Spain" -
food and wine of Spain - $75 - plus tax & service


Dave's Fave -
Monday Tasting - March 3 - Tasting - No Charge

Domaine Barons de Rothschild Aussieres Rouge 2005 $14
Dave Says: "One thing I love about working in our wine "cave" is knowing which of our little buddies (bottles of wine) have been hanging around for a while. As in this case, you're liable to spot one, "Huh - well this guy got overlooked...for six months! I bet it's drinking great by now." Wine settles so well in out cellar even a few weeks can make a difference. Remember that next time you're in a some big, heated, overlit supermarket-style liquor store...

This is a lovely wine from one of Barons de Lafite Rothschild's vineyard revitalization projects. Chateau d'Aussieres has been producing wine in the Languedoc since the Roman era, now totally refurbished with plantings of Cabernet, Merlot, Syrah and Mourvedre. This Aussieres Rouge is a great winter wine, perfect for hearty stews or lamb. Please stop in for a taste Monday afternoon!"


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

1 - Crios Torrontes 2007 $15
You have seen this name here before - created by Susana Balbo, Argentina's leading female winemaker. Her Crios wines were named "Brand Of The Year" in 2007.
Crios means "offspring" (as in children). Susana selected a word to express the notion that these are wines that haven’t quite "grown up" to the same level of quality and maturity as her more expensive Susana Balbo label wines, but they receive the same loving care and attention throughout the winemaking process. The label features a series of three connected and overlapping hands, an image inspired by a Mayan artifact. The three hands represent Susana and her two children. The key word here is aromatics, a glass of Torrontes is literally brimming with floral notes. It is for wines like this that we use the term bouquet. It drinks and smells something like a Viognier with the finish of a Sauvignon Blanc.This is one of the two defining grapes of Argentina,the other of course being Malbec. It is only in the very high altitude of Argentina, in this case 5000 feet above sea level, and extremely dry climate that Torrontes shows it's finest expression. This wine will go quickly - still one of the best values coming from South America. please try it on Friday night.


2 - Castro Ventosa Mencia $10
Every once in a while an unfamiliar wine region pops up and demands a little attention. Bierzo Spain is one of those areas. It's in the northwestern corner of Spain - a really beautiful area, almost on the eastern border of Galicia, above Portugal on the Atlantic coast. If you have never heard of Bierzo don't worry - that's why we are here. This is the perfect opportunity to taste a great bottle from an unfamiliar area that will open your eyes. JM: "For those of you who joined us last week for the Bourguiel, this wine will continue our discussion of geography and varietal. Mencia is Spanish for Cabernet Franc, from the region of Bierzo in Northern Spain, and the vastly different climate produces a very different wine from the same varietal. Gone are the flavors of wet stones and earth, and in their place dark fruit and potpouri. The much hotter climate also produces a much bigger, denser wine, closer to it's Cabernet Sauvignon cousin."


3 - Celler El Masroig Sola Fred 2005 $10.
El Masroig is a small, agricultural town of merely five hundred inhabitants, nestled in the beautiful and unspoiled Priorat wine-producing region of Catalonia Spain. Occupied for nearly seven hundred years by the Romans, followed by several centuries of the Visigoths, and then four hundred years by the Moors, the influences were certainly varied. It has its own cooperative for wine and olive oil production which are its principal activities along with the cultivation and harvesting of almonds. It is one of the most beautiful parts of Spain that I have ever seen. The surrounding mountain ranges are visible from every window, and the view covers miles and miles of unbroken land. And aside from Africa, it has the most amazing sky full of stars that I have ever seen. It is also an area that is devoted to food - the locals are obsessed with fresh ingredients and family recipes. This is one of the local wines that makes he food shine.
JM: "Another value priced Spanish wine, this time Carignan from Montsant. Made from dry farmed fruit from vineyards of decomposing granite with a surprisingly low yield of 5 tons a hectare. The wine is opaque with intense fruit and chocolate notes and all for only ten dollars."

4 - Miguel Torres Manso de Velasco Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 $32
The Torres family surname has been linked with wine for more than three centuries. Chile has ideal growing conditions for grapes, but it is the absence of phylloxera, a root aphid, that truly distinguishes the country as a viticultural paradise. The Cabernet vines from Manso de Velasco were planted in 1902, on original root stock.Ungrafted vines can live well over 100 years, producing ever decreasing quantities of better and better fruit. JM: "The combination of old vines and low yield makes this wine one of the best wines of Chile and one of the best cabernet values I've ever seen." This will go quickly - please be sure to try it on Friday night.
Winemaker notes: "Extraordinarily rich aroma of ripe fruit. Its aristocratic Cabernet Sauvignon tannins have a majestic, regal structure, heightened by the creamy background of oak from the Nevers forest that is used in its long barrel-aging."

Thanks very much for your comments, suggestions, and support - we appreciate it.
And thanks for making it so much fun - we have a lot planned for the coming months.


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