The All Cheese Diet - New for 2010

We are back from vacation - rested, tan, and ready for the rest of 2010

Our line up for Friday is just below a few items of interest.

Is it cold enough for ya?
This kind of weather calls for special measures - and we want to remind you
that we have a "wicked" selection of bourbon on our shelves.

Truly fine bourbon is a glass of refinement that calms the soul. It speaks directly to the artist and dreamer in all of us - you know who you are. Take home a bottle and reconnect with your inner Kandinsky.

Fine bourbon is a perfect match with a Griffins Maduro Cigar - featured this week at City News. See more information below in the sidebar to the right.

Many of the emails we receive have questions about wine education. We thought we would answer some of those questions by offering a few simple guidelines for you to use. Give them a try at our weekly tastings.

How To Taste Wine.
Last week we touched on the appearance in the glass, and how to taste wine without a lot of the pretensions that some people insist on.

This week its all about The Nose.

Let's Smell The Wine.
Grapes share many of the same chemical compounds with all kinds of fruits, berries, vegetables and spices. So wines really can have aromas of almond, vanilla, raspberry, pepper, citrus and banana, for example. Whatever you do when puzzling over a wine, have faith in what your senses are telling you. It doesn't come easily to some of us, but a little practice (not a bad thing - it is wine) and a few tips can have you identifying aromas with the best of them. The idea is not to chatter on about this or that aroma, but to learn what you like, and why, and what else you might like.

Let's break all wine down into three primary aromas - two are found particularly in young wines, one in older wines. The first, primary aromas come from the grapes themselves: fruity, floral, mineral or vegetal. These are pretty easy to pick up and are characteristics of the variety.

The secondary aromas are those derived from the wine-making processes. Smells of butter, or cream, for example, are found particularly in white wines that have undergone a malolactic fermentation. This process softens acidity and gives, to white wines especially, a buttery taste.

Another secondary aroma involves smells of vanilla, wood shavings and toast. These are from the use of new oak in the course of fermentation or aging.

The third group of aromas is more complex and harder to pin down, but for real wine lovers they are the most interesting because they evolve as a high-quality wine matures in its bottle.

In white wines, the most obvious bottle-age smells include honey, toast (even in unoaked wines such as champagne), grilled nuts and petrol (yes, especially German riesling). In red wines, often leathery, gamey or dried fruit aromas evolve as the wine matures. At this point, professional wine tasters speak of the wine's bouquet. Give it a try - in short order you will be able to use your nose with the best of them.

Next Week - Balance Is The Key To Happiness

*****

This Week Our
Featured Favorites
from
Cypress Grove




1 - Midnight Moon
Aged six months or more, this pale, ivory cheese is firm, dense and smooth with the slight graininess of a long-aged cheese. The flavor is nutty and brown-buttery, with prominent caramel notes. The wheel is finished in a beautiful black wax. Made in Europe exclusively for Cypress Grove Chevre.



2 - Humbolt Fog
Humboldt Fog is an elegant, soft, surface ripened cheese. The texture is creamy and luscious with a subtle tangy flavor. Each handcrafted wheel features a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along its center and a coating of ash under its exterior to give it a distinctive, cake-like appearance. An American Original!

SAMPLE ALL OF OUR CHEESE IN OUR EXPANDING GOURMET DEPARTMENT AT
Thames River Greenery
8 6 0 - 4 4 3 - 6 8 1 7




Please Join Us
Friday January 15 - 6-9 p.m.
No Charge
A Great Way To Start Your Weekend.


Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc $30

Perhaps this bottle put New Zealand on the winemaking map - the benchmark of New World Sauvignon Blanc, all grassy and lime oil with tropical fruit. A thrown gauntlet (and shout-out) to the classic wines of Sancerre France, staking a claim to this incredible tiny grape. Cloudy Bay used to be impossible to get, but now is available to even us humble New Londoners. Let's crack a bottle while the cellar is cold we shall toast our noble winemaking friends "down-under" as they enjoy their clear summer!

Gran Familia Rioja $15

We've been down this road before, but for those of you that wanted to buy this Spanish gem by the case - the cases are here! Light, old-school Rioja. Perfect tannic balance, low alcohol, brilliantly made, as long as you can get it to room temperature (we've been having trouble in that department). I would put this next to zucchini simmered in tomato, roasted garlic potato and a pork chop.

Cantina Parroco Barbera d'Alba $16

Let us turn our gaze to this oft-overlooked yellow label from the hallowed town of Alba - True Barbera, rich and satisfying aged in small oak barrel. Perfect for sipping with friends and cheese or even beef stew? Braised short ribs? Eggplant Parmesan? Spaghetti and meatballs? Dorm room veggie stir-fry with brown rice?! Holla!

McLaren Vale Shiraz Descendant $30


"UP THERE! WHAT CAN IT BE?!? IT'S SON OF SQUID INK!" Yes, from the same extraordinary weirdos in Australia who brought you Squid Ink Shiraz comes this dastardly mutant "Descendant."


So full! So massive! Yet so poised - this is everything that the big-name Aussie labels promise but fail to deliver.
Think pan-roasted sirloin, lamb chops with mushrooms or even wild rice, seared sesame tofu and red pepper!










We are working the the new Wine By The Glass list for Brie & Bleu. When we return to regular service in the coming weeks we will be offering a better selection with the same "aggressive" pricing that so many of you have complimented us on.

In addition to that we will be adding more appetizer style selections to go with the wine. It won't be long before we can all take a seat in our cozy little bistro, sip on a glorious glass of wine and nibble wonderful treats.

We have a lot of things planned for the New Year. Special guests, dinners, & a lot more - so please stayed tuned.

And as always, thanks for your support and comments, it makes it all possible.

AAA.